“Mexico City is just amazing,” I said, sitting cross-legged on the metal roof. We hadn’t had a chance to buy other clothes yet; I was wearing Alex’s red plaid shirt over my camisole. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Alex shrugged; I knew he wasn’t much of a city person at heart. “Yeah, it’s like New York on a caffeine jag. Jake loved it when we were here on hunts – he used to drag me clubbing every night we could sneak out.”

The momentary sadness crossed his face that always came whenever he mentioned his brother. I pressed against him, slipping my arm around his waist, and he managed a smile. “Anyway, the angels love it here, too – something about the energy really draws them.” His eyes went to the cathedral again and he shook his head. “They must have a complete stranglehold here now – and the Second Wave angels probably haven’t even arrived yet.”

By the time a band called Los Ángeles Amigos came on – four guys wearing angel wings and a girl singer with a slightly crooked halo – the square was packed with people and there were over two dozen real angels gliding around overhead. It was ironic, I guess: as rock music celebrating the angels beat through the night, the angels themselves dipped and turned, taking their time as they chose which human to feed from. Occasionally one dove, disappearing into the dancing crowd. On the next car, the people on the roof had their arms around each other, singing along with the music. Alex and I watched in silence, holding hands.

Finally the band stopped; a woman in a short red dress stepped onstage and grabbed the mic. She shouted something about “los ángeles” – “the angels” – her voice booming out through the speakers.

“Sí!” roared the crowd.

“Let me guess,” I said to Alex, leaning close so he’d hear. “Do you love the angels?”

He smiled wryly. “Got it in one.”

The woman called out something else. “Are you happy they’re with us?” Alex translated, his lips a warm tickle against my ear as the crowd screamed, “Sí! Sí!”

The woman crouched down on her high heels, flinging one arm up as she shouted a third time. Noise thundered through the night; the crowd went berserk, screaming and jumping up and down.

Alex started to speak, then broke off, straightening abruptly. I caught my breath as I saw it too. One of the angels had just dodged to the left, its great wings slicing through the air. The angel paused, hovering, as it seemed to look around it. With a sudden flurry it darted aside again.

And then, on the far side of the square, another angel vanished in a petal-pattern of radiance, like a firework going off over the crowd. Pieces of light drifted to the ground.