Fake Boyfriend

  “I feel fine now,” Xavier interrupted, not bothering to keep up with our conversation. To prove his point, he began flexing his limbs like an athlete warming up before a workout. There was something showy about it, nothing like how he normally behaved. It made my skin prickle with discomfort. Xavier turned his attention to me. “I’m so lucky to have a girlfriend who won’t give up on me.” There was something mocking in his tone and his smirk didn’t help matters either.

  “You’re right, we should get him out of here,” I said flatly. So much was wrong, I didn’t have the strength to do anything but agree with my siblings. “Before he does something to attract attention.”

  “Gracious!” Xavier exclaimed loudly. “So much for sticking together. What a bad wife.”

  I nodded at Gabriel, who crossed the room in two strides and gripped Xavier’s shoulders.

  “Ivy…” he said. “I might need your help.”

  “Whoa, whoa, take it easy papa bear,” Xavier said in a singsong voice, holding up his hands to show his cooperation. “I’m not a flight risk, this is too much fun to miss out on.” He laughed and began singing under his breath: “I’m sticking with you, like I’m made out of glue.”

  Gabriel pushed him roughly in the direction of the door, where Ivy hovered uncertainly. Was he going to make a break for it? Somehow I didn’t think so. The demons wanted to hurt us and the best way to do that was to stick around and make us watch. As Xavier tripped toward the door, he paused and looked at me, his blue eyes suddenly filled with disarming familiarity.

  “You’re coming, aren’t you, Beth?” he asked. “You’re not leaving me with them?”

  When he looked at me like that, with such wide-eyed sincerity, it was hard to tell who was speaking anymore.

  “I’m coming,” I said, trying to keep my voice level, but my restless hands betrayed me. I silently followed my siblings out to the parking lot with Xavier right behind, humming an irritating tune. I felt like he was a ticking time bomb, ready to blow at any minute. I realized then how vital it was to get him out of sight. He couldn’t stay at a hotel and we couldn’t let him anywhere near campus. We really had no idea what he might do next.

  Xavier’s behavior continued to be unpredictable on the drive to the house where Gabriel and Ivy now lived. Despite his earlier determination to have me with him, he now acted as if I were his worst enemy. He sat as far away from me as possible in the backseat of the car, his chin cupped glumly in his hands, his body curved away to the point of looking contorted. He kept his gaze fixed on the buildings we passed, only looking away to throw vicious glances my way over his shoulder.

  I decided to test Xavier’s reaction by reaching out and placing my hand gingerly on his knee. His whole body went rigid and he made a low growling sound like an injured animal in the back of his throat. I almost thought he was going to bite me and I quickly withdrew my hand.

  Soon Gabriel was turning into a long driveway and pulling up in front of a pale blue house with a pitched roof and wraparound porch. Fall chrysanthemums in pots stood outside the screen door. I looked around with some curiosity. Up until then I hadn’t seen where my siblings had taken up residence. In fact, I’d hardly even thought about it. The house was old and like most Southern homes, felt like it belonged to the past, like it had a story of its own. I could almost picture the wife of the confederate soldier faring him good-bye as he went off to fight for the Old South. But it also had a strangely familiar air, like it was a friend welcoming us home. We walked through a short hallway to a country-style kitchen with white cabinets and stippled blue walls. Antique lights hung over the island bench and white shelves above the sink displayed a collection of colorful old china. I spotted Gabriel’s guitar propped against a painted dresser. Just for a moment I allowed myself to pine for Byron and the happy times we’d all spent there. Then I turned my attention back to the troubling present.

  I slid onto one of the rush-seated stools at the bench and waited for someone to say something to diffuse the mounting tension in the room. Gabriel was watching Xavier like a hawk.

  “Cool pad,” Xavier commented as he walked around, uncharacteristically picking up books, cups, and candles and turning them over in his hands. “What is there to drink around here? Where do you guys keep the good stuff?” He flopped down full length on the window seat in the breakfast nook, ignoring Ivy’s look of disapproval.

  “We don’t keep liquor here,” she said, going to the fridge and retrieving a bottle of soda. Without warning, she hurled the bottle like a discus, aiming it straight at Xavier’s head. It whizzed through the air but just before it hit him, Xavier casually threw out a hand and caught it. He hadn’t even bothered to adjust his reclining position. No mortal athlete, even one as skilled as him, had the reflexes to do what he’d just done.

  “Nice throw.” He twisted off the cap and downed half the contents without taking a breath. When he was done, he stood up, propping the bottle on the floor.

  “Where’s the bathroom?” he asked with a winning smile. “I really need to take a shower.”

  “Upstairs, first door on your left,” said Ivy. She threw Gabriel an uneasy look.

  But Xavier never made it out of the kitchen. A split second later, Gabriel’s wings snapped open, sending objects on the countertop crashing to the floor. He flew at Xavier, grabbing him around the waist and wrestling him to floor. Gabriel had him pinned within a matter of seconds but Xavier wasn’t so easily subdued. With what seemed like a show of supernatural strength, he used his legs to propel Gabriel across the kitchen. He slammed into the counter so hard a crack appeared in the marble. A moment later, they stood facing each other, archnemeses poised for a fight.

  “Stop it! What are you doing?” I yelled at them both. I made a move forward, hoping to come between them and make them come to their senses. But Gabriel turned to me, the intensity in his face stopping me in my tracks.

  “Stay out of the way. He will hurt you.”

  Unintentionally, I had distracted Gabriel long enough to give Xavier the advantage. He lunged forward and I heard a sharp crack as his fist collided squarely with Gabe’s jaw. It caught him by surprise, stunning him for a moment, before he retaliated with a thudding blow to Xavier’s ribs. Xavier doubled over, winded, but recovered in time to duck the next blow. Seeing that the front door had been left open, Xavier spied a chance at escape and darted down the hall toward the entrance. Gabriel ran after him, impeded by his wings colliding with the walls. He pulled them back and threw himself after Xavier, grabbing him by the ankles. They crashed through the screen door together, tumbled over the porch railing and landed in the carpet of dead leaves in the front yard.

  Angel and mortal wrestled in the dust while Ivy and I stood helplessly watching. Across the street two ladies sat drinking sweet tea in white rockers on their porch. Their necks stretched out like cranes when they saw the commotion and they squinted over at us, not believing what they were witnessing. I doubted they saw many brawls in this neighborhood. In fact, I got the feeling it was the first time any sort of scuffle had happened in their respectable street. One stood transfixed with her hand over her heart while the other grimaced and then scuttled inside.

  “Miss Bishop is calling the sheriff,” Ivy announced, sounding like she had half a mind to call him herself.

  “Should we go over and try to stop her?” I asked apprehensively.

  “Not now; Gabriel needs us.”

  We watched as Gabriel picked Xavier up and threw him sprawling face-first into the gravel. I wanted to run to his aid but Ivy restrained me.

  “Gabriel’s hurting him!” I yelled in her face. “Make him stop!”

  “He’s trying to help him.” Ivy grabbed my shoulders and shook me. “If Xavier leaves there’s no telling what he might do … how many people he might hurt, including himself. You have to trust us, Bethany.”

  I looked into her ice-gray eyes and nodded, trying to keep my eyes averted from the scuffle. My loyalties had never felt more d
ivided. There was very little I wouldn’t do if my brother asked it of me. At the same time, I couldn’t be expected to abandon my husband when he needed me most.

  Xavier got up looking dazed, which gave my brother the opportunity he needed. He quickly maneuvered himself behind Xavier. I wondered what he was doing until I saw him slip both arms underneath Xavier’s armpits and lock his hands behind his neck. In this position, Gabriel was able to render Xavier immobile long enough to herd him back into the house. I wondered whether the poor Bishop sisters across the road would ever recover from hearing the profanities Xavier was shouting.

  “You’re nothing but whores,” he screamed as he passed us. “Whores with wings! I’ll see you all in Hell.”

  “Er … he’s a distant cousin,” Ivy called to the gawking woman across the road, who looked on the verge of collapse. “He’s having a bad day. So sorry.”

  Then she quickly shut the door behind us.

  * * *

  “OPEN the basement!” Gabriel yelled once we were back inside the house. Ivy did as he asked and Gabriel and Xavier stumbled their way down the narrow concrete steps that led into the bowels of the house. I peered into the dark nervously. I didn’t like being belowground.

  “Can’t we talk up here?” I asked.

  “With the racket he’s causing?” Ivy shook her head. “We might as well broadcast it on the seven o’clock news.”

  I trudged down the steps behind my brother, keeping a safe distance from Xavier’s thrashing legs. His attempts at a struggle had no effect on Gabriel, whose body it seemed had turned to stone.

  I shivered. The basement was cold and had a dank smell. The whole place, with its stained floor and spiderwebs dangling from the rafters, was reminiscent of a tomb. There were no windows, only a small ventilation grate, too narrow to let in much more than a sliver of daylight. The basement walls and floor were reinforced concrete, typical of many in the area designed to withstand the force of a tornado. There were the usual items one might expect to find: storage boxes, a washer-dryer, and a freezer. But there was also an old iron bed with a moth-eaten striped mattress and springs protruding from the stuffing. Seeing the iron manacles hanging from its posts gave me a sick feeling right down to my bones.

  It seemed Gabriel and Ivy had anticipated such an emergency because they knew exactly what to do. Gabriel struggled to hold Xavier down on the bed long enough for Ivy to bind his wrists and ankles. Xavier thrashed around and hissed like a wild animal. Finally they both stood back. Xavier must have exhausted himself because he was now lying spread-eagle on the bed, perfectly still, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

  “Ivy, can you go and deal with that?” I wondered what Gabriel was referring to until the sound of sirens reached us seconds later. Xavier laughed softly to himself, pleased to be causing trouble.

  “You sure you’re okay here?” Ivy asked, and my brother nodded.

  “Just make it quick.”

  Ivy went silently but Xavier, alerted to the possibility of escape, began shouting so loudly that Gabriel had to clamp a hand over his mouth. We could hear car doors slamming and voices at the front door. I heard Ivy’s voice, deferential and apologetic. I caught fragments of her explanation of her young cousin’s relapse after a spell in rehab. She was a good liar, blaming the fact that he traveled in the wrong circles and promising to keep him under watch until he made a full recovery. The sheriff’s voice in turn was all sympathy. He was evidently charmed by her and made clucking sounds with his tongue, called her a “brave young lady,” and urged her to hang in there during tough times. He also reminded her to call him anytime she needed assistance. Ivy thanked him politely and shut the door firmly.

  She came back stony-faced, carrying an armful of salt containers from the kitchen. She proceeded to spill the salt in a careful circle around the bed.

  “What are you doing?” I quizzed.

  “Salt and iron repel demons,” she said matter-of-factly. “We need all the help we can get here.”

  I wanted to tell her this was no ordinary demon but I didn’t think that would prove very helpful.

  “Do you remember why?” she asked. My basic training as an angel flashed back to me.

  “They’re pure compounds, and demons, being the essence of impurity, can’t handle being near them,” I recited.

  “Good.” Ivy nodded curtly.

  “It won’t be enough, though, will it? It can’t be that easy.”

  “Unfortunately, no. The demon has already gotten inside him. But this will stop it from escaping, until we work out how to destroy it.”

  “Can I stay with him?”

  “Definitely not,” Gabriel said bluntly.

  “Why not!”

  “Isn’t it obvious? You’re too emotionally involved. That makes you vulnerable. We can’t risk you being tricked.”

  “I won’t let that happen.”

  “Bethany…” said Gabriel in such a warning tone that I knew to let it go.

  “Fine,” I snapped. “But you can’t stop me speaking to him.”

  Gabriel didn’t try to prevent me from approaching the bed. Xavier’s eyes were still riveted on the ceiling and there were gravel scratches on his face from when he’d fallen outside. Even with his battered body and wild eyes, he was still achingly familiar and it still made my heart stop just to be near him. I leaned carefully over him so I could whisper even a fraction of what I felt, but the words failed to come. The person lying on the bed was a stranger. What could I say to him that would make any difference to his plight? I was wracking my brain for the right words when Xavier suddenly turned his head and gave me a look so penetrating I couldn’t tear my gaze away. I forgot all about Gabriel and Ivy standing there frowning at me. I looked deep into the crystalline blue of Xavier’s eyes searching for a sign of recognition. Just for a second a strange thing happened. I thought I saw him. The expression in his eyes softened and I caught a brief glimpse of the boy I loved. I could see what it cost him though. It was like watching a drowning man claw his way to the surface, only to be pulled under again by a wave more powerful than his will to survive. Then he was gone and the flinty look was back. But it didn’t matter. I knew Xavier was in there somewhere. It was the only incentive I needed. Even though every fiber of my being was telling me to run, I knew I would never leave him to face this alone.

  18

  Things That Go Bump

  GABRIEL frowned, looking lost in thought. I sensed there was something about our current predicament he wasn’t telling us.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” he said suddenly. “We need to talk.” I shook my head adamantly.

  “I’m not leaving Xavier.”

  “He’ll be fine.”

  “You think he’s fine?” I asked incredulously.

  “I didn’t say he was fine; I said he’d be fine down here for a while. Now, are you coming or not?”

  I decided to stand my ground.

  “Not,” I said stubbornly. “You and Ivy know what you’re doing. You don’t need me.”

  Gabriel’s sigh was audible. I knew he was tired and I was trying his patience.

  “And what exactly do you hope to achieve by staying down here?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know yet,” I said tartly. “I’ll be up in a minute. I’d just like some time with Xavier alone if that’s okay with you.”

  “It most certainly is not,” Gabriel said irritably. “Have you gone insane?”

  “Isn’t it time you stopped telling me what to do?”

  “He’s just worried about you,” Ivy said. “You can’t help Xavier right now and it’s probably safer if you weren’t alone with him.”

  “He’s in chains!” I exclaimed. “What’s the worst he could do?”

  “Bethany, this isn’t a time to argue. Xavier needs us to work together. The longer we waste time, the longer that thing stays inside him. Now, are you going to help us or not?”

  Unlike Gabriel, who had yet to learn the skill of tact despite centuries of in
teraction with humans, Ivy always knew just the right thing to say. As usual, she succeeded in making me feel petulant and shortsighted. I reluctantly followed them up the steps, looking back to check on Xavier’s condition. He hadn’t stirred and was still staring unblinking at the ceiling. I paused at the top of the stairs.

  “What if something happens?”

  “I promise, we’ll hear him.”

  “All right,” I said gruffly. “Let’s make this quick.”

  But it wasn’t quick. I should have known my siblings well enough to realize they weren’t going to make any snap decisions. When dealing with something so delicate, it was like walking a tightrope. Human life was fragile and demons were destructive. One mistake could cost us everything. I stood in the kitchen, my frustration mounting as Ivy drifted around the kitchen putting together some kind of herbal infusion. She was calmly picking leaves off stalks and mixing them in hot water. Gabriel too was rummaging through cupboards, pulling out boxes of salt and lining them up on the countertop. They were both behaving like eccentric witch doctors rather than angels with the power to tear the demon out of Xavier if they chose.

  “It’ll kill him, you know,” Gabriel said, reading my thoughts. “If we try to rip it out … it would be like ripping stitches from a wound. He won’t survive the pain. We need to weaken it first.”

  “Okay,” I said stiffly. I could hardly argue with that. I kept my ears trained on any sound coming from the basement but there was only Xavier’s breathing, which sounded more rhythmic now. I only hoped it meant he’d exhausted himself into sleep. It killed me to think of him like that, chained underground, trapped inside his own body. I knew we couldn’t rush things, but we didn’t have all the time in the world either. As neither Gabriel nor Ivy had any understanding of human love, they didn’t understand my urgency. They didn’t understand that it was my husband down there, being torn apart from the inside out.