After pouring every one of her remaining dollars into advertising and renovations, and a few of Max's dollars as well, Lily's first class was due to arrive on September fourth, the day after Labor Day. The students had been registered ahead of time and she'd met them all, four little boys and six girls. Every one of them had said, "please," and "thank you," and bowed as she had shown them before they left. Why, then, did her stomach churn with nerves?

She still hadn't spoken to her father, but she'd called her mother and talked with her about the school and the town. Ruth had wanted to come to Michigan and see it all, of course. She'd gone on and on about how excited she was to explore Lily's new house and fill it with family heirlooms. She wanted to watch a class and eat lunch at The Gaslight Room.

Lily had let her talk and put her off making excuses about getting settled and wanting things to be perfect before she showed her mother but the truth was something in her gut twisted at the idea of her mom standing in Max's house. It brought to mind the shivery feeling of being watched by barely concealed yellow eyes. Nonsense, but an unshakable feeling nonetheless.

Once she'd dressed and breakfasted on a slice of toast and some weak tea she went to the post office to check her box for any last-minute registration forms. Delbert stood inside the small, echoing space, leaning against the wall while he waited for his wife.

"Good morning," Lily greeted him.

"Always a good morning when you get to talk to a pretty lady."

"How's the restaurant business?"

He scratched his forehead, knocking his straw cowboy hat askew and choosing to leave it that way. "I hate it. A restaurant killed my brother."

His words surprised her. She'd been under the impression he loved his work. "That's terrible!"

"Yeah. The building collapsed on him in an earthquake."

"Goodness!"

A twinkle in his eye planted a seed of suspicion in her heart. "Are you teasing me?"

"Would I do that?"

"Yes. I'm pretty sure you would."

Grinning, but admitting nothing, he asked her, "How's the karate business?"

"Aikido," she corrected him automatically. "My first class is this afternoon. Only ten students for now, but it's a start."

He patted her on the shoulder. "Ten is fantastic. You're still brand new. Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal."

Gracie finished her business with the teller and walked over. Her sensible, low-heeled pumps clicked against the tile floor. "Good morning, Violet. It's nice to see you again."

"Her name is Lily," Delbert corrected.

"I know that," she snapped. "We've met several times." Turning to Lily she asked, "How's that handsome husband of yours?"

"Still sound asleep, as far as I know."

Gracie sighed. "I'd like to see that man in bed."

"Hey!" Delbert exclaimed. "I'm standing right here."

The old woman's eyes studied her husband's face for a long moment. "Yes. I know." She sighed and took off toward the door, calling over her shoulder, "Nice to see you again, Rose."

Delbert trailed along behind her, shaking his head. "Crazy old bat," he murmured on his way through the door.

With her stomach beginning to settle and her day brightened by her favorite elderly couple, Lily grabbed two advertisements and the water bill from her mailbox and drove the half mile from the post office to the school. A man stood on the front walk, watching two squirrels chase each other through the branches of the trees on the other side of the narrow street. His long hair lay in a thick braid down the middle of his back. He wore a dark suit much too warm for the mild autumn weather. Despite the easy way he stood, hands in his pockets, face turned upward, something about him sent her instincts into overdrive. Could this be someone involved in Max's work? Should she call Max? Drive away? Scream for help?

The man turned, saw her, and smiled. Every hair on her neck stood up and her hands turned to ice.

His resemblance to his son was unmistakable. This had to be her father-in-law. The one she'd been assured would not show up any time soon.

She took her time getting out of the truck, breathing in long, slow draughts that calmed her panicky spirit. It was gratifying to see how steady her hand remained when she reached for the handle of the door. Her canvas high-tops hit the pavement with almost no sound. She held her back straight and her head high when she approached the man.

"Good morning," she called out. Somehow, being the initiator of this doomed-to-be-awkward conversation made it slightly less horrible.

He gave a tiny bow, reminding her of a courtesan in an old movie. "It is good, indeed."

"Can I help you?"

He cocked his head to one side. His eyes, topaz stones cut and polished by a true artisan, sparkled in the bright sunlight. "I doubt it. I only came to meet my new daughter."

She forced a smile, ignoring the spiders of unease skittering across her flesh and fighting the inexplicable urge to turn and run. Her stomach turned again. She swallowed hard, praying she wouldn't be sick in front of her husband's father. "I suspected you were Max's father the moment I saw you. There's a strong resemblance."

He nodded. "Not all of my sons look so much like me, but Max and I are alike in many ways."

All? Max had brothers? Why hadn't he ever mentioned them?

With effort, she forced herself to hold out a hand. "I'm Lily."

"Azrael." He shook her hand.

His warm, gentle grip brought to mind handcuffs, wooden stocks within iron locks, and jail cells with steel doors. Inescapable.

Releasing her, he gestured toward the little rectangular building. "This is your school?"

"It is. Today is the first day of class." She made no move toward the door, having no desire to invite him in.

"Congratulations. There is no higher calling than the instruction of the next generation. That you teach them a path of peacefulness is a beautiful gift to your race."

Lily wasn't sure she'd ever received such a strange compliment. "Thank you," she managed. Making a choice to embrace the uncomfortable, in the hopes of easing any unpleasantness, she admitted, "I'm a little taken back that you're here. Max told me you weren't around much and that it would probably be quite a while before I met you. The way we married was so unconventional I just... I'm a little at a loss here. You caught me off guard."

"Why would you need to be guarded?" he asked.

She took a step back before realizing she had done so. It had been a long time since a man had truly frightened her, but she was afraid of this man, deep in her gut. "We all have our little shields," she said with an uneasy laugh.

"Perhaps."

"Well," she pressed her palms against her sides, wiping away the sweat. "Max is at home, so maybe you can catch him there and spend the day together. There's a great restaurant in town if you'd like to have dinner together."

"Actually, it's you I was hoping to speak with."

Why did that sound so menacing?

He went on. "I don't approve of this marriage." Holding his hands up as if to show his innocence, he continued, "It's nothing personal. I'm certain you're a remarkable woman. But my son is unique, and he has a unique job. It is important that he remain focused on his work, now more than ever. We are nearing a pivotal juncture and you, such a strong, lovely young woman, are an extraordinary distraction. One he is not strong enough to resist."

"Max works harder than anyone I've ever met. He deserves a little distraction when he's off duty."

He shrugged. "Maybe so, but he is distracted by you, even when you are apart. His mind is not on his task. Someone is going to get hurt."

"Max wouldn't let that happen."

"It has already happened, more than once. Max is helpless to prevent it. He is lost to you."

She understood the concern his words should provoke, but hearing the man she adored was 'lost to her' sent a fiery dart of delight into the most selfish part of her heart. "What is it you want from me?"

His voice stayed steady and cool. "I want you to leave him. Or, as you've already begun to establish roots in this place, send him away. He will go if you tell him to do so."

A strange numbness crept up, starting at her toes and traveling the height of her and a little beyond, rushing quicksand that threatened to kill her. Miraculously, she found her voice. Lifting her chin a fraction to make herself feel more brave than she was she said, "I won't do that. I made a promise to him before God to be with him no matter what until death do us part."

The moment she said the words terror gripped her heart. She had no doubt the brown-eyed creature before her was capable of killing her to get what he wanted. Nevertheless, the part of her heart that had agreed to marry a stranger crowd in victory. If the thought of leaving him was so terrible, surely marrying him had been the right choice.

"I appreciate that you are a woman of integrity, but some vows should never be made in the first place."

"You should go," she said.

He gave another little bow. "As you wish. I'm sorry to have upset you. In other circumstances, I believe we could have been friends."

Lily said nothing. She couldn't imagine being friends with Azrael if her life depended on it.

He turned and walked away, down the lane and out of sight and, for the first time, Lily wondered how he'd gotten there? Where was his car? Where had he come from?

When she finally let herself into the building she collapsed into her desk chair, lay her head down and sobbed into her arms, tears being the only release she could find at the moment for the extraordinary tension that had built up within her.

The high trill of the phone broke the silence.

Wiping her face with a tissue snatched from a nearby box, she took a deep, steadying breath, cleared her throat, and picked up the receiver. "Peaceful Way Academy. May I help you?"

The secretary from the local chiropractor's office spoke from the other end of the line. "The doctor had a family emergency and needs to rearrange her appointments next week. Any chance we could move you to next Monday?"

"I'm sure that would be fine," Lily told her, sliding a folder of student registration forms off of the large desk-blotter calendar where she kept her schedule. She put a finger on Monday and slid it down to next Monday, but her eyes stayed on the week before. "Looks like I can do it if it's before lunch," she said automatically.

"Thank you. I'll put you down for ten?"

"Yes, fine," Lily, murmured, still staring at last Monday's date. Or, more precisely, the little red line she'd drawn under last Monday's date.

Since she was thirteen years old, she had never been late. Not once.

But now she was.

She dropped the phone back into the cradle.

They hadn't used any birth control, but they also hadn't talked about children. Not so much as a passing mention. "Guess we'll talk about it now," she muttered.

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How do you think Max is going to handle THIS surprise? Demons he can deal with, but babies...

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