Out of breath, he turned back to Sara. She was standing there, the flashlight slack in her hand, the beam bouncing around the ground, her face pale, eyes wide. “Gabriel. I have to close it with you. It’s you and I. We’re the ones who have to end this . . . Gabriel St. John and Sara Michaels.”

“I don’t think . . . ,” he started, not wanting her to be a part of what he was doing. Not wanting to burden her or give her further grief, or any sort of guilt. But then he trailed off when she stepped through the gate and looked up at him. She was tenacious, determined.

She was right. They needed to do this together. It made sense, brought the past to the present full circle and ended what had started all those years ago in that nasty room on Dauphine.

He nodded. “Okay.”

Her hand went over his, and they both closed the door, pushing hard. Then Gabriel sealed it shut.

The explosion sent him hurtling through the gate and crashing onto the path, flat on his back. It knocked the wind out of him and he blinked, startled, not sure what exactly had happened. His head spun as he tried to sit up, and he quickly descended again, searching in the dark for Sara. “Sara? Are you okay?”

“Gabriel!” Sara knelt down beside him, hands brushing his hair off his face. “I’m fine. Nothing happened to me. You got hit with . . . something, and it sent you flying. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Though he felt strange. Weak. Gabriel sat up quickly and almost threw up, intense nausea rolling over him.

“Sara . . .” He looked at her, looked around him, moved his legs, tested his fingers. He was fine, but he felt different. Mortal. Jesus Christ, he felt mortal. That’s exactly what he felt like. “Oh my God . . .”

“What?” She was groping all over his shoulders and pushing his hair back, checking his temples and sliding her hands over his chest. “What hurts? You’re not bleeding.”

“There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m fine.” He was better than fine. He was mortal, a human, like everyone else. Like Sara. Freed from his punishment, freed from eternity. He looked over at her, excited, relieved, stunned. “It’s over. I’m free.”

She just blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

Gabriel stood up and dusted off his jeans, feeling a huge sense of wonder, of clarity, of hope, of awe. “I mean that I’m no longer fallen. Nor am I an angel. I’m mortal.”

Her mouth dropped open. “How do you know?”