I tried to imagine Morgan bashing in skulls, but the picture didn't compute. "Okay."

Aden shrugged, "It's true. And they fight just as dirty too."

Freckles stumbled out of the kitchen, a white dishrag shoved against his nose was already turning steadily crimson, "Who?" He sounded extremely plugged up. Tiny came behind him, holding a wash cloth to his lip.

"Malake," Amazon growled at them, "but you two can just go sit down on the couches now. No more fighting. I'm trying to enjoy a peaceful cup of tea here!"

Aden and I exchanged an amused look as Tiny and Freckles slouched over to the couches and sat down, shooting black looks at the woman as they went.

The chapel was a good place to think. It was quiet and out of the way, so I headed there, looking forward to some time away from the others.

One of the double doors to the chapel was open, and I slipped in and started down the aisle, my footsteps swallowed by the overpowering silence. Halfway down I stopped. A stifled sobbing was coming from the pews ahead. Someone was huddled in the corner of the front pew. I couldn't see her face, but I recognized the tangle of blonde curls that obscured her features. Morgan.

Already I was sweating. It's like some kind of reaction I get whenever a girl cries around me, the fierce, urgent need to make it better. I stayed where I was, fighting indecision. Should I leave as quietly as possible and hope she didn't hear me? Should I try to help? I didn't know what I was supposed to say. I crept closer, and Morgan suddenly looked up. "Lucas?" Her face was tear stained, her blue eyes shot with red. My hands curled into fists, "What's the matter? Are you okay?"

I lowered myself carefully onto the pew beside her, hesitant, wondering if I should just mind my own business. Morgan gave me a watery smile and shook her head. "Oh, Lucas. I...you wouldn't understand."

"Try me," I said, anxiously, leaning toward her. "What are you so upset about? Did someone do something to you? I'll kill them..." I trailed off, realizing how stupid I sounded. I was in a building full of immortal beings who could easily rip my head off without breaking a sweat. 

Okay, whoever they were, I would have harsh words with them.

Morgan was silent, staring straight ahead. Tears continued to fill her eyes. She rubbed at both cheeks with her sleeves. "I'm sorry. There's just no way I can tell you."

I stared at her, frustrated and helpless. I didn't want to press her, but I wasn't satisfied with her answer either. "Is there anything I can do?"

Morgan turned to face me, and in that second something in her face changed. A smooth transition took place, from sadness to nothing, as if some marble-like, unfeeling mask had slammed down. There was nothing in her voice that revealed sadness, or any hint she'd been crying. "It's fine. I'm fine."

I stared at her, baffled. "You're not fine. You're crying. Why?"

Morgan's lips compressed into a thin line, and she reached up and rubbed the back of her hand across her left cheek, then pulled it away and stared at it like it was someone else's hand. Disgust flashed across her face and then was gone abruptly. The complete lack of emotion in her face when she looked at me made my insides feel cold. "Thank you for your concern, Lucas. I'm quite alright, and now I would appreciate it if you left. I'd like to be alone for awhile."

I hesitated, bewildered, and Morgan smiled at me and raised her eyebrows, a dismissal if I'd ever seen one. Clearly I wasn't wanted here. I stood up, slowly, shooting one last look over my shoulder before slipping back through the double doors. She was sitting up straight in the pew, staring at the pulpit in front of her, eyes glassy, empty.

I turned and darted through the doors, heart racing. Her face reminded me of them, the people who'd attacked me. But there was no way an angel could be possessed. 

I stopped just outside the chapel and leaned on the wall, my breath ragged.

Her eyes were just glassy from crying, it was normal. She was just upset, that was what caused the strange behavior. Maybe there was something really awful that was bothering her. I shook my head and started for my room. I was obviously just imagining things.

Two more days went by, and things grew more and more tense inside the church on the hill. There were only so many games of poker you could play, only so many rounds of monopoly. Nobody likes waiting. When you got right down to it, that's all we were doing. Aden told me we just had to wait until the switch, it was just a few days away, but I knew what we were really waiting for- an attack. The only question was, why was he was waiting? I could tell everyone was thinking it. We were nervous, jumping at every little sound. Beefcake set a century up in the bell tower and they watched in six hour shifts. It was a good idea. You could see for miles up there. I'm not exactly afraid of heights, but I hadn't stayed up there for long when I'd been exploring.

The other thing that got to me, other than the guys snapping at me every so often, was the fact that Morgan seemed determined to pretend that nothing had happened between us. She was back to her normal, smiling, bubbly self, but that was all. I even pulled her aside that morning when we met in the hall. She was wearing a form fitting black blouse and blue jeans, and I couldn't help thinking she looked great. It made my chest constrict when she smiled up at me."Hey, Morgan, can we talk for a second?"

"Of course you can talk to me, Lucas," she said.

I took a deep breath. "Look, the other night...I don't get why you're pretending it didn't happen. I mean, did I make you mad in the chapel the other night? Or was it just really bad?"

Morgan's brows shot up, and she frowned. "What was bad?"

Seriously?

"The kiss," I said, impatient with the display of bafflement. "Come on..."

Her eyes were wide now, so blue and innocent. "We kissed?"

I stared at her. My gut churned painfully, and I felt my face flush angrily. "What? Were you drunk or something? How can you just forget that happened?"

Morgan looked down at her feet, and I noticed her cheeks were flushed as well. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."She turned abruptly and hurried away, leaving me standing there in the hallway by myself, staring after her, my mouth hanging open like a moron. 

My heart was in my sneakers. Why is she pretending it never happened? Was she just angry with me for asking her what was wrong when she was crying? My inner critic popped up then, telling me that she wasn't mad; she was just denying it had happened because she hadn't liked it, because girls didn't like me.

It was obvious, wasn't it? I had struck out with the girl in the red sweater.

I found myself wandering through the vineyard, hands shoved in my pockets, kicking bad-temperedly at rocks on the path. Yeah, I guess I was feeling sorry for myself. It was stupid, but my pride was hurting pretty bad. I was no Casanova, I'd admit it. Back home I'd had one or two dates at best, and when we moved my confidence took a beating, since the girls at my new school were all pretty stuck up. But I'd honestly thought Morgan was into me. Now I just felt stupid. 

The green surroundings of the vineyard did have a calming effect, and I told myself to breath deep, relax and get over it. I paused to examine a grouping of dark purple grapes hanging just above me, reaching up to pluck one from the vine. I shoved it in my mouth. It burst between my teeth, the sharp sour taste nearly making my eyes cross. These must be strictly for wine making. Gross.

I picked a large, lime-colored leaf between my fingers and shredded it to bits as I walked, clearly feeling destructive. At the center of the maze of grape vines stood Harold the Gargoyle, poised for flight, his ugly head reared back, his stone wings spread wide. The constant stream he spat from his mouth fell down into the fountain and filled the vineyard with the cheerful chuckling of running water. I stopped, surprised to see Aden sitting on the pedestal. Her bare legs hung down, the tips of her sneakers nearly touching the surface of the water. She hadn't spotted me yet, and I hovered for a moment, reluctant to leave the cover of the grapevines. She was wearing a black tank top and jean shorts, and I looked down at the thick jacket I wore, wondering if maybe the Malake ha-Mawet were immune to the cold.

Aden was swinging her feet, bumping the backs of her sneakers against the cement pedestal. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her head was down, like maybe she was thinking about something. Dark hair blocked part of her face from my view. I wanted to go on watching, but knew I shouldn't, since watching from the bushes was universally thought of as "creepy". I decided I would just saunter out of the grape vines like I hadn't seen her yet. I was just starting my saunter when Aden looked up and the full force of her dark eyes were on me."Are you coming out, Lucas?"

I stopped, struggling to form words. "How..."

"How did I know you were there?" Aden's smile was tight, she tapped the top of one ear. "We can hear quite well. I could hear you standing there breathing."

I shoved my hands in my pockets and wandered over to the fountain. "That actually makes me sound way creepier then I actually am."

"So you're only a little creepy?"The distance between the platform Aden sat on and the fountain was way too high. The only way to join her would be to take a swim.

"How did you manage to stay dry?" I kicked the base of the stone pool with one scuffed sneaker, "It's too wide."

Aden gave me a smile, a real one this time. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"I knew you had pixie dust," I said accusingly, and she shot me a mock glare.

"Nothing so tacky as that, thank you very much. I merely jumped."

"Oh." I eyed the distance. It was maybe seven or eight feet. "Right, no biggie."

Aden rewarded me with another smile.

"So," I said. "You decided to come out here and keep Harold company, did you?"

She looked up at the huge stone gargoyle with interest. "You named him Harold?"

"Yup." I crossed my arms and leaned a hip against the edge of the fountain. "He's an ugly bastard, but he really just wants someone to love him."

Aden suddenly cocked her head to one side, as if considering something. "Lucas," she said. "Stay still." She suddenly sprang into motion, so fast I almost missed it. A dark blur flew over my head and I gave an undignified squawk of alarm and stumbled backwards, right into Aden, who was somehow standing behind me now.

"Relax." She smirked at me when I turned around and stared at her in astonishment.

"That," I said, in awe, "was awesome."

She tried to look modest and failed miserably. "So, Harold, huh?"

"Yeah," I said, still replaying the awesome jump in my head. "I discovered him a few days ago when I was exploring." I hoisted myself up, scraping the palms of my hands a little, and perched myself on the edge of the fountain. Aden did the same, though with a lot less effort.

She said, "I came here to think, I guess, or to get away from the guys." She laughed. "They're a bit overwhelming at times."

"No kidding," I said ruefully. "I don't think any of them are too thrilled to be stuck babysitting me."

Aden shook her head. "That's not true at all. I'm pretty sure most of them like you. They were expecting the new Benevolent to be a real asshole."

I was silent for a second. It was still weird to be referred to as the "Benevolent", at least they liked me though. That was good news.

"So," I changed the subject. "You looked kind of depressed back there. Is something wrong, or is it just Harold's ugly mug?"

Aden shrugged, and I thought for a sure she was going to shut me out, instead she sighed. "I was just thinking that...well, I don't know why I of all people was assigned to this. I'm not even in the ranks of warrior. I don't understand why the Malake chose me, but he's a fate, so there must be a reason, and that's what scares me." 

Aden had been looking down at her shoes while she spoke, and now she looked up at me and there was so much worry in her dark brown eyes that I wanted to wrap my arms around her, to hold her and say it was going to be okay. But that was ridiculous. She wasn't my high school girl friend, she was an angel of death who had just leapt clean over my head a second ago. She could probably crush me like a tiny black beetle.

"I'm sorry." She was looking at me intently, apparently worried for me now. "That can't be reassuring. I'm supposed to help protect you and I'm being a coward."

"No," I said. "No, Aden, it's okay. Everyone gets scared sometimes," I paused, starting to flush a little. "Me especially. I'm petrified; at least you can jump tall buildings in one bound or whatever. I feel like, I dunno, like if Harry Potter found out he was special, and this crazy, powerful wizard was trying to kill him, but when he got to Hogwarts he found out his wand didn't work."

Aden blinked at me, and I said hastily, "Okay, dumb metaphor. What I mean is that, I didn't find out I'm some all powerful wizard, or half vampire, or the second cousin of a pixie. I have no cool powers, just a really pissed off guy who wants to kill me, and he does have cool powers."

"Technically no," Aden said. "He's human right now. It's the only way he can touch you."

I considered this, "Right, because some heavenly contract forbids it, but he's gone rouge, so he might not even follow that, and if he doesn't kill me then maybe his angels will, they're not human."

"They're not allowed to kill," Aden said darkly, "and Sloan is finding loopholes. I don't think he'll openly break it. The third fate holds him to it. Neutrality."

"Huh?" I blinked stupidly at her.

"The name of the ruling fate."

"Ah, and who's that? Do they switch every thousand years too?"

Aden shrugged. "No one has met Neutrality. I don't think they do switch. Some people think the third fate is a myth, something made up to scare you into keeping the contract, but nobody dares to test that particular theory."