She needed to get out. She felt sick. She was mortified. And the church was suffocating. She needed the outside. She needed real life again: cars, boys, parties, computers ... even work! Not all this ...

God stuff.

David stepped out in front of her before she could reach it. Kaitlyn tried to dodge him but he was too quick and too big, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her back. With a scream, she fought back, punching, kicking, scratching, and the whole time the tears kept pouring.

'Let me go! I ... want ... outta here!'

But he wouldn't listen, grabbing her arms and twisting her around until he had her pinned to his chest. She thrashed some more but not so violently, feeling more and more tired, feeling more and more helpless. Finally, she gave up and sagged in his arms, weeping.

Carefully, David lowered her to her knees. On all fours, Kaitlyn hung her head. It was so quiet now. It seemed to make the air heavy. It made her feel hot. It scratched at her throat and tightened her chest.

'I can't breathe. I can't breathe.' No matter how she tried to suck down the air nothing filled her lungs. There was so much pain in her chest. Shadows crept around the corners of her vision. Her arms were trembling so hard she struggled to hold herself up.

'Kaitlyn.'

She looked up. Zeke. She reached out her arms.

Dropping to his knees, he pulled her into his embrace and she clung to him, her face buried into his neck. She could breathe again. Closing her eyes, she shut out the church. She shut out the other angels. She shut out the world and her jumble of painful emotions.

She shut out Jacob as he appeared in the nave.

They held each other for long enough that Kaitlyn stopped shuddering. She clung onto Zeke more tightly. It was so quiet now that she could hear a bird chirping from outside, announcing the onset of a new day.

Gently, Zeke pulled away. He looked at her with his warm amber eyes and brushed away her damp fringe. 'Come, Kaitlyn.' Taking her hand, he helped her to her feet.

Kaitlyn kept her face lowered as she glimpsed her surroundings through her hair. Jacob was gone.

'I've-I've made him angry.'

'No. Jacob doesn't get angry and certainly not with you.'

'But ...' Those fiery green eyes. That blazing light. His wings. His towering figure. He'd certainly seemed angry.

'He was protecting you—and himself. You merely saw him in his true form.'

She recalled the dazzling figures she'd seen standing over the Fallen yesterday. So it had been them.

'Are you all like that?' she asked.

He nodded. 'It is how we appear when we are not bound to the Earth.'

'You mean when you're in heaven.'

He smiled. 'Yes. This ...' he looked down at himself '... is merely a cloak. A disguise. It is not our true selves.'

Lifting her eyes, she studied his too-bright face. 'But it's not perfect.' She allowed herself a tearful chuckle. 'Your ridiculous hoods.' Then she frowned as she pushed back another flood of tears. How she loved Jacob's stupid grey sweater. Had she just ruined everything?

'Exactly.' He tugged gently at her hand. 'Come on, let's get you back to bed.'

As usual when drama reigned, the rest of the angels had vanished. Kaitlyn bit her lip. It appeared Jacob didn't want to see her. Jacob doesn't get angry. Kaitlyn tried to hold onto that as she and Zeke exited the nave and entered the hall.

Kaitlyn paused at the threshold of her room. 'I don't ... I don't want to go in there.' It wasn't as though she could sleep again anyway; she couldn't. Not after everything ...

Satan's whisper echoed in her ears: Where are you, Kaitlyn?

Kaitlyn turned her head guiltily. She could almost feel his fingers stroking her cheek. His blue eyes flashed. It was one thing to not trust others; it was another thing entirely to not trust yourself.

'All right,' Zeke said softly. 'You can stay out in the nave tonight.'

And so he helped gather her things and spread them out in the aisle. Kaitlyn sat down amid the quilts, leaning her back against one of the pews, her legs stretched out in front of her, her knees pressed so hard together it hurt.

'Where are the others?' she asked.

'Talking,' Zeke said.

Kaitlyn bit her lip. 'About me.'

'About what we should do, now that things have changed.'

'Now that I have changed.'

He didn't respond.

She raised her eyes to his. 'How do you know anyway? About-about what happened? Be-between me and Jacob?'

'We angels have a connection,' Zeke answered, sitting in a pew close by.

'What kind of connection? You mean like ...?' She paused.

'No. Not like you and Satan.'

Kaitlyn winced.

'It's hard to explain,' he continued, 'for a human. It's not that we can read each other's mind but we do know each other's mind. We know what we're each doing. We know what we're each feeling. What happens to one is felt by the others. The best way to describe it is that we can see into each other's hearts.'

Kaitlyn bit down hard on her lip. She felt herself flush. They all knew. They knew everything!

'Do not feel shame, Kaitlyn.'

'How can I not?'

'You are not the first and you won't be the last to fall for his charms. The Dark One can reach into the purest of hearts and corrupt it. Jacob knows this.'

Irresistible. We knew each other ...

They knew each other. If there was ever a pure heart ...

Kaitlyn nodded glumly.

Early morning light was starting to gleam through the windows when Jacob and the others finally reappeared.

'We must go,' Samuel told them. 'We must find another refuge. It is too risky here now.'

Jacob was standing back behind the others, his face lowered, his hands folded in front of him. He didn't look angry. He didn't look upset. Calm and in control. That was something, at least. It was so strange now to see him so normal after what she'd witnessed. Well, as normal as his extraordinary self would allow.

'Have some breakfast, then gather your things,' David told Kaitlyn. 'We should not delay.'

'In a moment,' Jacob said. He raised his eyes to Kaitlyn. 'Kaitlyn and I need a word.'

She swallowed as the others trailed out the front doors, leaving them alone. Kaitlyn watched them leave, wincing as the door snapped shut.

She turned to Jacob who was watching her quietly. 'I'm sorry,' she said, the tears thickening in her throat. 'I don't know what came over me.'

'I know what came over you. Don't be sorry.'

He walked up to her and put his hands on his shoulders. 'I'm sorry for frightening you.'

'Are you angry with me?'

'No. But I must leave you for a while.'

'What? You said you weren't angry!' Kaitlyn stepped back. 'It won't happen again, I-I promise!' She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe she had messed things up so bad between them. It felt like a hand was gripping at her heart and twisting it.

'Kaitlyn. Look at me. Do I look angry?'

Kaitlyn looked back into his soft, gentle eyes. She shook her head. 'But why are you leaving?'

'There are some questions I need answered. Important questions.'

'You can't answer them here?'

'No.'

She bit her lip. 'I don't want you to go.' She sounded so foolish, like a child. Heat rose up her neck.

Jacob merely smiled and held out his arms. Kaitlyn rushed into them and embraced him.

'It's my job to protect you,' he said in her ear, tightening his arms around her. 'I'll be back soon. Very soon. I promise.'

Letting her go, he turned to leave, then paused. He turned back. He was wearing a strange expression. He almost looked uncertain, maybe even a little surprised. Then he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. It was only brief but it was enough to root her to the spot, to make the breath catch in her throat, to make her heart soar. Then it was over, and all she could do was stand frozen, touching her mouth, as he strode down the nave and disappeared through the front doors without a word.

Numb, Kaitlyn sat down at her breakfast table, staring at her food. Outside, she could hear the other angels getting the car ready. She turned her head in a daze at the loud roar of an engine. It wasn't their car. It sounded like a motorbike. She could hear it roaring down the road. She listened as it faded into the distance.

After ten minutes of staring at her cooling porridge, utterly failing to eat, Kaitlyn put down her spoon in defeat. She touched her mouth again, her lips still tingling. Jacob had kissed her. An angel had kissed her.

'You coming, Kaitlyn?'

She turned to see Zeke standing at the door.

The best way to describe it is that we can see into each other's hearts. Did he know? Did they all know what had just happened? What did it mean?

With a nod, Kaitlyn stood.

Samuel was sitting behind the wheel, the motor running, as David checked the tyres and Catherine looked over the engine. Jacob was nowhere to be seen.

It was a different car to the black sedan they'd escaped in. A light blue pickup with a dented bumper and rusted number plates. No doubt they were cautious of being recognised not only by their otherworldly enemies but humans too. Her name is Kaitlyn Seats, twenty-five-years-old ...

She only hoped that faith was enough to hold the hunk of junk together.

'Every minute is precious,' Zeke told her as they stood by the church's open door, still safe on hallowed ground, watching. His hands were deep in the pockets of his sweater. It was a beautiful day, blue sky, white fluffy clouds that drifted lazily on a light breeze. 'Once you step outside, our enemies' heads will turn and the darkness will irrevocably creep towards us, bringing all kinds of mischief.'

Kaitlyn recalled the scuttling 'pets' in Satan's volcanic rock halls.

Demons.

'They won't know exactly where you are but in time they will find you,' he continued. 'It could be hours. It could be days. It could be weeks. Depending on how close they are and the degree of their cunning.'

David slammed his door. Catherine shut the bonnet. Samuel revved the engine.

'You leave God's protection at your peril.' Zeke turned her. 'Remember that.'

'Don't worry. I learned from the last time.' She clutched at her necklace.

'In saying that, we all must be careful. If they discover any one of us, they'll know you're somewhere close.'

Kaitlyn hadn't thought of that. She looked around, thinking of Jacob. Was he driving too or had he taken to the sky? She imagined him flying high up in the clouds on his bright, white wings. Was he thinking of her? She felt a sinking feeling in her gut at the thought of what she'd done. Heat filled her chest at the thought of what he'd done.

It was all so confusing.

Zeke took her hand. 'We're ready.'

Kaitlyn's heart fluttered nervously. Zeke pulled his hood over his head. Kaitlyn did the same. Now that everyone in the country knew what she looked like she could no longer avoid hiding her face away.

She was trembling. Zeke squeezed her hand.

Taking a breath, she stepped out into a new day.