They drove for hours. Nobody spoke. Kaitlyn drifted in and out of consciousness, always jerking awake before she could fall asleep too deeply. She didn't want to confront what was waiting for her in her dreams. She'd escaped Satan's clutches—again. And he wouldn't like it. She couldn't forget how he'd looked. The fury. The violence. For the first time he'd revealed the heinous being he truly was.

For even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Indeed.

Jacob's big, warm hand remained on her shoulder. They stopped for fuel once and it was still dark by the time they stopped for good. The engine shut off. Again, it was so quiet. She could hear crickets chirping.

'We're there?' she asked, lifting her head up from his lap but keeping her eyes closed.

'We're here.'

Three doors opened. Footsteps crunched against gravel. Two doors shut. Kaitlyn sat up. She searched for her door handle.

'Open your eyes, Kaitlyn. It's okay,' came Jacob's voice.

'But I'll know where I am.' He'll know.

'You can't know where you are. Only that you're safe. Open your eyes.'

Hesitantly, she obeyed.

Jacob was standing by the open car door, waiting. Catherine and Zeke had already vanished.

'Another church,' Kaitlyn said, looking up at the building looming ahead.

'No. An abbey.'

Kaitlyn's skin prickled and her stomach clenched anxiously. An abbey—with actual nuns. She thought of Father Bartholomew and the man with the knife. She looked up at Jacob. 'Are you sure about this?'

'They are trustworthy.'

Nuns. It reminded her too much of school—a time she didn't remember particularly fondly.

She couldn't deny the old building looked beautiful against the gleaming moonlight. All the old stonework and spires and archways. It was huge too. So much bigger than the churches they'd since taken refuge in. But it didn't ease the tightness in her chest.

Light glowed through the stained-glass windows. Electricity! At least she could expect running water—that would be a relief. She might even be able to have shower! Jacob held out his hand to her.

Just as Jacob had reassured her, she could identify no signs pointing to exactly where or what this abbey was. A dirt path led to the large front doors. Tall trees stood on either side. There were leaves everywhere, crunching beneath her feet. The ground was so cold she felt it through her socks and up through her shins. With a shiver, Kaitlyn bunched up close to Jacob. The sweater they'd given her was big but it did little against the icy night. Jacob was warm, though. She could feel it even through the thick fabric. His hand was hot around hers. They were almost to the steps before she noticed the nun waiting by the entrance, her black habit blending into the night.

Kaitlyn swallowed.

She was young and very pale. No. She wasn't pale. She was white with astonishment as she looked up at Jacob. So white her lips were blue. Despite Jacob's hood, Kaitlyn could see in her shimmering eyes that she knew exactly what he was.

'P-please, go on in,' she said with a nervous smile. 'The-the mother abbess is waiting for you.' She folded her small, trembling hands in front of her.

'Thank you,' Jacob said.

The young nun bobbed her head. Her hands trembled harder.

Hand in hand, they walked inside. They were in the nave. It was gloomy, only dimly lit by the lights glowing from the walls on either side. Up ahead, near the altar, Catherine was waiting for them. Again, her usual extraordinary self. Her hood was down and her aura almost matched the brightness of the lights. Kaitlyn glanced back when she heard the doors shut behind them. It was the young nun. She'd followed them in and was standing by the entrance with her hands folded in front of her.

Kaitlyn turned back to Catherine. The angel nodded her glorious head at them, then towards a hall to her right. 'The mother abbess is waiting for you.'

Kaitlyn made to go but Jacob held her back with his firm grip. 'No.'

Kaitlyn looked at him. 'What do you mean?'

'The abbess and I have some things to talk about—in private,' Jacob said.

Kaitlyn stared at him. Really? After all that had happened tonight, he was going to keep her out of the loop? It made her heart sink. 'Don't you trust me?'

'I trust you, Kaitlyn. It's Satan I don't trust.'

The young nun sucked in a breath. One of the lights flickered. Kaitlyn suddenly understood. How could she have forgotten? There was no way she could listen in. As it was, she'd already seen too much. She already knew too much.

She felt herself flush and lowered her face. 'Oh. Of course.' She released his hand. 'Sorry.' Stupid. Stupid.

'I will see you shortly. Get some rest.'

Get some rest. Yeah, right.

'They've set up a room for you,' Catherine said. 'It should be more comfortable than what you've been used to.'

'I'll take her,' came a voice. Kaitlyn turned to the young nun. The girl's eyes widened as the two angels looked at her. 'Mo-Mother Abbess directed me to keep her comfortable. If—if that's okay?'

Jacob smiled. 'That sounds like a good idea, Sister ...?'

She turned even more ashen. 'Sis—sister Grace.'

'Thank you, Sister Grace.'

She bobbed her head.

Jacob turned to Kaitlyn. 'Try and get some sleep. I know you don't want to but you must. It is safe here. We are far away from where we were. He cannot discover anything significant, isn't that right?'

Kaitlyn tried to think, then nodded.

Touching her cheek, he then walked away. Kaitlyn watched as he disappeared down the hall.

Sister Grace walked up to her with a nervous smile. 'Come. I'll take you to your room.'

Kaitlyn nodded and followed her out of the nave. She glanced one last time over her shoulder at Catherine. The angel's warm blue eyes met Kaitlyn's.

'Have a peaceful night, Kaitlyn,' she said.

Then they were down the hall and the angel vanished from sight around the corner. It was a long hall—and dark, with a number of closed doors leading off it. Their footsteps thudded loudly in the quiet. The stone floor froze through her socks. Kaitlyn could hear the nun's panting breaths.

'Here,' the young nun finally said, pushing open a door to their left.

Kaitlyn peered inside. Light glowed from a lamp. The room was only small: a cot, desk and chair, alongside a small cupboard. Somebody had laid out some clothes on the bed. The room was simple but far more comfortable than she'd yet experienced since she'd begun this ridiculous adventure. A small window looked out onto the darkness.

'It's great, thank you,' Kaitlyn said and she wasn't just being polite. It really was wonderful. She turned and smiled at the young nun.

Grace smiled back. She had colour now. Her cheeks were pink. Her eyes were bright. She couldn't be older than twenty. It was odd. In Kaitlyn's experience, nuns were old, strict and miserable. The young nun was standing on the threshold of Kaitlyn's room. She turned to leave but her feet didn't seem to want to move.

'Is something wrong?' Kaitlyn said.

Grace shook her head. 'I only ...' She cleared her throat. 'I shouldn't be asking. Mother Abbess specified that very strictly.'

'You want to know about the angels?'

Her eyebrows shot up. 'So they're really angels?'

Kaitlyn smiled. 'Without a doubt.'

The girl's eyes shone. Clasping her hands together, she gazed up at the ceiling. 'I knew it. I knew it!' She muttered a small prayer, kissed her fingers, then turned her eyes back to Kaitlyn. The light from the lamp made the gold cross around her neck flash. It made Kaitlyn reach for hers. 'What are they like?' the nun asked.

'Everything you imagine them to be.'

'I wish I could talk with them. I wish I could get to know them.'

'No, you don't.'

The nun froze.

'No, you don't,' Kaitlyn repeated. 'To know them means you're in serious trouble. Serious enough trouble that you need their protection. As much as they are wonderful, you don't want to know an angel.'

The colour drained from the nun's face. Kaitlyn could see the questions on her lips, but Kaitlyn knew she wouldn't ask them. How much did she know? Did she know that Kaitlyn was bringing evil through their doors?

Kaitlyn gave her a faint smile. 'Thanks so much for the room—and the clothes.'

'They are a gift from the abbey. May God bless you.'

They briefly locked eyes again before the nun left, closing the door behind her.

Kaitlyn turned back to the room. At least the room was small enough that the light from the lamp chased away the shadows in the corners. Gripping onto herself, she shivered at the thought of the thing that had opened the door of her cell.

Quickly, she stripped out of her clothes and pulled on what they'd left her: a simple nightie. It was long enough that it reached beyond her knees and was made of a coarse material that felt thick and heavy between her fingers. It hung off her like a sack. She got the feeling that the nuns had made it themselves. On the floor was a pair of open-toed slippers.

Kaitlyn drew down the blankets, then paused, staring at the bed. A sudden fatigue weighed heavily on her shoulders. She yawned. As much as the thought of falling asleep filled her with dread, she yearned to crawl between the sheets. Jacob was right, of course; she couldn't avoid it forever.

She climbed into the bed and pulled the covers up over her. The blankets were a little scratchy, the pillow a little lumpy. It felt so nice to be in a real bed for a change. The lamp was still on as she scanned the room one last time.

She shut her eyes.