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he evades. “You’ll stay here, where it’s safe. I’ll go out for whatever you need.”
    I feel myself bristle at the thought of being held prisoner here. “Gabe, I can’t live in a cage.”
    “And besides, that’s not a plan.” Luc’s voice is low as he stares Gabe down, calling him on the evasion.
    Gabe shifts on the couch and won’t look at either of us. “I’m working on something, but in the meantime, we need to lay low.”
    The itch under my skin tells me I’m not gonna last very long. I just stare at him.
    He blows out a sigh and pushes deeper into the cushions, some of the tension finally leaving his body. “Frannie, I know this is hard, but my priority right now is keeping you safe.”
    “Is that even possible?” I ask.
    “No,” he answers, ’cause he can’t lie. “But I have to try.” He finally raises his eyes to mine, and in them I see his resolve. I also see there’s something he’s not telling me.
    I’m so tired. Too tired to think about this. I slump onto the couch and try to watch the show, but my eyes keep drifting to Luc.
    His finger mindlessly rubs over a seam in the arm of the chair, and goose bumps crawl over my skin at the memory of that finger tracing patterns on my face. He looks over and my eyes flick back to the TV, but in that brief instant, I’d swear I saw loathing in his gaze. Directed at me.
    My chest aches as I pull myself out of the couch and head to my room.

3
     
    Guiding Light
    GABE
     
    I can’t believe I’m thinking this.
    How can I consider putting her in danger—directly into His path? This isn’t a plan. It’s insanity.
    But it’s all I’ve got.
    I pull myself to my feet and watch Frannie disappear behind her door. I don’t know how long we have. A few months, or maybe just weeks. Whatever it is, it’s not long enough. I won’t be able to hide her forever, so something needs to change.
    Luc is staring at me, waiting for me to come clean. He’s not going to let this drop. And he shouldn’t.
    I should tell them. I know that. Eventually, I’ll have to.
    Ha . Eventually.
    Who am I kidding? Eventually is now. Because time’s up.
    But I keep praying for something different; a safer plan for Frannie. So far my prayers have gone unanswered—and I’m afraid I know why.
    I head for the door and Luc cuts me a parting glare. Once on the porch I look out over the predictable tides. They’ve ebbed and flowed for eons, just as good and evil have ebbed and flowed. But the balance is shifting. Lucifer has decided the Rules don’t apply anymore. And Frannie is our best weapon to shift it back.
    I’ve always known Frannie was special, but I’m starting to think it’s bigger than her Sway. There’s a subtle power that radiates off her. I sensed it in the beginning, and, despite her insecurity and doubt, it gets stronger every day. I can’t identify it—it’s nothing I’ve ever felt before—and I’m afraid of what it means for her. But despite my feelings for her, she’s a soldier and this is a battleground.
    I walk out onto the beach and settle into the sand. Its warmth radiates through me as I lie back, closing my eyes. I let the tension run out of me and wash myself in peace, then give myself up to the last crimson rays of Light. There’s a painful tug in my gut as I move with them, nothing more than light myself, and, when I open my eyes, I find myself standing in the Collective. All around me is a whole lot of nothing. White energy. Except, floating in the center of all that nothing is the Board.
    The Board is really a misnomer. It’s not a board at all. It’s a sphere. The Earth. It’s ethereal, like a floating cloud, and, at the moment, relatively small—about four feet in diameter. I glance up at the mass of twinkling blue lights dancing over the surface of the Board like fireflies. Humanity. The white lights of the celestial move among them, but it’s the red ones I’m interested in. I step back and ask the Board to size up for better