Seb nodded; he and Willow had both memorized it. “Don’t worry,” he replied evenly. And added in his head, Believe me, hombre, I’m not keeping her safe for you – but I’ll keep her safe with my life.

He and Willow started across the uneven expanse of the square; she was taller than usual in her heels as she glanced at him worriedly. “Seb, what’s wrong?”

“I’ll tell you later,” he said.

“But—”

He heard the strain in his own voice. “Please, querida. I’ll tell you later, I promise.”

Willow wavered, searching his face, and finally nodded. “Okay.”

The line moved slowly once they joined it, but everyone seemed cheerful, chatting happily about the angels and how exciting it was to be going to such an important service. He and Willow fitted right in with their satiny angel wings. After a while, they could see the stairs that led down to the cathedral entrance, with the rectangular shape of the metal detector set up at the bottom of them.

“I’m relieved to finally be doing something, you know,” said Willow in a low voice. Her gaze was fixed on the metal detector and the guards flanking it either side as people shuffled through, showing their tickets. “I’ve hated, hated, having to just sit at home while all this is going on.”

Her aura, like his, appeared grey and listless. Seb wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t noticed Alex’s. Her natural psychic focus just wasn’t centred on auras; she didn’t tend to bring them into view unless she thought there was a reason to. And in Alex’s case, why would she? Seb had told her himself that she wasn’t causing him any harm.

Seb cleared his throat. “Yes, I know how much you’ve hated staying at home.”

At his non-committal tone, Willow smiled. “Let me guess, you wish I was still there. Honestly, you’re as bad as—” Catching herself, she broke off with a sudden wince, her expression pained.

Seb couldn’t help himself; he put his arm around her, squeezing her shoulders as he drew her against his side. It’ll be all right, mi amorcito, he wanted to say. But he didn’t really see how it could be, now. Oh god, this was going to destroy her. And what did it do to Seb’s own hopes? True, it probably meant Willow would never get back together with Alex, but for it to happen like this – when she was still in love with him; when she knew she’d hurt him with her touch – she’d never get over him then. Never.

Willow was gazing up at him, her expression full of dread. “You’re thinking about...whatever it is again,” she said softly. She swallowed. “It’s something to do with me and Alex, isn’t it?”