Afterwards, she sat on the steps of the chancel, eating her way through her bag of food. They'd bought her a meal from a local takeaway—of all things. Despite her mixed feelings about churches, she couldn't help but feel guilty about eating something so "sinful" in such a place.

Soon after her and Jacob's brief talk, the rest of the angels had returned to the nave, spreading themselves out, sitting in the pews or leaning against pillars. Jacob was sitting on the chancel steps alongside her.

Along with the blankets and food and other essentials, they'd brought several battery-run lights, torches and a bunch of candles. Behind her, on the back wall, the big bronze crucifix gleamed against their flickering glow. It made the church seem less scary, though they illuminated the massive cobwebs in the ceiling and between many of the pews. Jacob had wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.

She took a long drink from her can of soft drink. It was too quiet and Kaitlyn was starting to feel uncomfortable. She broke the silence. 'Aren't you going to have anything?'

'Angels do not eat,' Jacob told her. 'Or drink or sleep, for that matter. We don't need to relieve ourselves. We don't even need to breathe.'

'We are neither alive nor dead,' the angel, Samuel, with the hard yellow eyes added at her surprised look.

'How is that possible?'

'It's simple when you don't have hearts or lungs or blood,' he continued. 'Or any kind of humanly organ.'

Kaitlyn stared at him, her mouth open. She shut it. 'That doesn't really answer my question.'

He gave a half-smirk.

Her eyes drifted over the others before falling onto the only female angel—Catherine. The angel had introduced herself earlier. Like the others, she'd since removed her sweater. Kaitlyn wasn't sure why they seemed to dislike them so much. She could only assume that it had something do with their wings. Though she couldn't see them, she wondered if they were still tangible in some form or another she couldn't comprehend.

Instead, the angel wore something similar to a black crop top. Long black dreads fell beyond her waist. Her very dark skin gleamed against the candlelight. She was extraordinary. No religious image, painting or story had ever depicted an angel anything close to what she was. Even in Kaitlyn's own mind, she was everything an angel wasn't. It made her twist her mouth. How could they have gotten it so wrong? Then again, as she looked around, she couldn't say any of the angels really fit the bill.

Hoodies. Cars. Beer.

Kaitlyn took a bite of her burger.

Five angels. Five angels to protect her. Kaitlyn recalled what Father Alex had said: How are you going to protect her? Five of you against how many? Legions?

It made her heart clench. What had he meant by legions? What exactly were those dark angels? Why did that priest try to kill her? How were they going to keep her safe and for how long? So many difficult questions. She felt sick.

What if Satan did capture her? What then?

The Reckoning would be upon us and all that you know and love would be consumed by hellfire.

Kaitlyn shivered.

Jacob rested a warm hand upon her shoulder.

Kaitlyn put down her burger. 'You need to tell me everything,' she told him. 'So I know what I'm up against.' She turned to the others. 'And you need to be direct with me.'

Her voice sounded so loud in the empty room. Samuel draped his muscular arms over the pew in front of him. Zeke rubbed at the back of his neck. Catherine leaned her head back against the pillar behind her. As for Jacob, he released her shoulder.

Was no one going to answer her?

'You are Satan's Vessel,' came a voice. They all turned to David. He'd undone his ponytail and his long red hair tumbled down his shoulders. Against the flickering candlelight it seemed to blaze. His violet eyes were bright. 'Born to carry his flesh so that he may one day walk the Earth in human form. Only then will The Reckoning descend, and Satan and his legions of darkness will rule humanity into eternity.'

'B-born to carry his flesh?'

'He wants to impregnate you,' Samuel said sharply. 'After you've given birth, he will disguise himself in your spawn's flesh, so he can escape his fiery prison.'

Kaitlyn swallowed. She took another drink, her mouth suddenly dry. Talk about being direct. It wasn't a complete surprise. She could put two and two together: the dreams, her outrageous feelings, the mythology. She wasn't a complete idiot. But it was still hard to hear. Born to carry his flesh. Satan's Vessel. She was Satan's Vessel. He wanted to fuck her. He wanted to impregnate her. It made her feel dirty. It made her feel unwelcome in the church, near the purity and sanctity of the angels.

Are you having dreams, Kaitlyn?

She pressed her knees together.

'That's a—that's a lot to take in.' She took another drink. It spilled down her front as her hands shook. 'Why me?' She tried to sound strong but her voice was a croak. What is so wrong with me?

'We don't know why,' Zeke answered.

'Even God might not know,' Samuel said.

'All we know is that you are the one,' David said.

'But how do you know I am the one? Shouldn't it be someone-someone ...?' Twisting her mouth, she looked away as Father Bartholomew's voice rang in her ears: All the confusion. All the pain. All the rage. You're an ideal vessel for the Dark One's rebirth.

Jacob's warm hand slid into hers. Slowly, she turned to him. Her neck felt so stiff, like a lid twisted on too tight.

'It's not because you are evil,' he said. 'It's not because you are filled with fault or sin or darkness. On the contrary.'

Kaitlyn lowered her eyes into her lap as more tears threatened to flow. How did he know her so well? Could he read minds? She dabbed at her wet shirt with a serviette as she tried to conceal her pain. The ache in her throat threatened to release.

'Look at me, Kaitlyn.'

Slowly, she raised her eyes to his emerald ones. 'Your soul is full of light, and that is what Satan is after. He knows the darkness. He commands it. What need is he of more of it? He's after your humanity, your goodness. And there is so much of it. It blazes inside you as bright as our wings.'

Kaitlyn bit her lip as it trembled.

'Do not doubt us. Do not doubt God. He has a plan.'

'Does He?' They all turned to Samuel. Leaning back in his pew, he folded his arms. 'Are we sure about that?'

'Of course we're sure,' Jacob said.

He raised his eyebrows. 'Really? We are barely two months into this dark time and already she's been found, both by us and by them. Even by the humans! She will be fertile for, how long? At least another twenty years? How are we going to combat this for all that time? Satan's reach is long. His allies are many. And though time is short for him, it stretches out so far for us that it might as well be into eternity.'

Jacob frowned. 'We must have faith.'

'I have faith. Do not doubt me, Jacob. I love God, but God is not perfect. He makes mistakes. We have to be realistic—our chances of winning are slim.'

Kaitlyn's heart was pounding. Twenty years. She hadn't thought of that. How could she run for twenty years? What about her life? She shifted her backside on the hard stair, feeling uncomfortable. She will be fertile for, how long? She didn't like all this talk about her body, not by a bunch of men. Even if they were angels.

'I could-I could get an IUD implanted. It'll make me infertile.' Even as Kaitlyn said it, her cheeks filled with heat. Even to herself, it sounded foolish.

Catherine shook her magnificent head. 'That will not work. No technology of man can combat the preternatural.'

Zeke agreed. 'A simple thing to remove.'

Kaitlyn wrapped her arms around her knees. 'Then I'll have surgery. We can remove the womb altogether. Surely, some doctor out there would be more than willing if he were a believer.' The thought made her want to cry, but she would do it if it meant saving the world, saving her friends and family and all those she loved.

Again, Catherine shook her head.

'It isn't that simple,' Zeke said. 'Nothing that man can do will work. If you're caught, Satan could very well regrow your womb. Perhaps he doesn't need it at all, only your body. There's no telling what might happen and what he's capable of.'

'We could at least try!' Kaitlyn hugged her knees tightly to her chest. She couldn't deny that it was a relief to hear she would not have to take such a drastic step—and she felt just as guilty over it.

'No,' Jacob said. 'We cannot.' And his voice was firm, almost angry. 'That is not the path God has laid before us.'

Silence fell. The candlelight flickered. Outside, an owl was hooting. Though her heart was racing, Kaitlyn stifled a yawn and her eyes suddenly felt heavy.

Finally, Jacob sighed. 'Enough talk.' He turned to Kaitlyn. 'Get your rest and we can answer any more of your questions tomorrow.'

They set up a room for her at the back of the church. Though 'set up' and 'room' she both used loosely. A thin mattress, several blankets and a pillow constituted the 'set up'. The 'room' itself looked much like the one in the last church they'd stayed in. Small, dank, prison-like, but at least it had a proper roof, unlike the rest of the church. There was no window, and she briefly wondered whether they chose it for that reason. Perhaps, they still didn't trust her.

As Kaitlyn straightened out her pillow, she looked up at Jacob standing in the doorway. He was so tall his head brushed against the door frame and so broad his shoulders almost touched either side. His dark skin gleamed against the light spilling from the lantern they'd left for her. It threw his shadow against the wall and for a moment she thought she glimpsed the dark outline of his wings. Then she blinked and it was gone. He watched her wordlessly with his shining emerald eyes.

'Good night, Kaitlyn,' he said softly. 'I'll be just around the corner if you need anything.'

'You're not going to sleep?'

He shook his head. 'Like I said, angels don't sleep.'

'Right.' She'd already forgotten. So many thoughts and fears were swirling in her head it was hard to get things straight. She bit her lip, feeling like she needed to say something more. Thank you? Another apology? Could you stay with me tonight? 'Well, good night.'

With a nod, he walked away.