Forgotten Souls (The Saving Angels 2)

Letting go of Sam and Mark's hands, I sank onto the couch knowing none of them would want to be next to me when I told them the awful thing I had done. My voice was shaky and guilt ridden as I told them the whole story, not glossing over anything.

"I knew I was using my rage and their own against them. I wanted to strip them of their emotions, leaving them blank, for at least a moment, so their harsh words wouldn't hurt anyone else. I didn't mean to kill them," I sobbed, burying my face in my hands.

"Why didn't you use your power to change their emotions?" Haniel asked in the same quiet voice. "It would have been easy for you based on what we've worked on. The only pictures you would have seen were their envy over the relationships all of you have. The only emotion they harbor is the desire to be loved."

"I don't know. It all happened so fast. I just wanted to tear them down like they've done to so many others with their words."

"How did you know to use your gift that way?" Haniel questioned.

"I didn't know. I just wanted to turn things back on them for once. I didn't mean to hurt them. I just wanted them to feel the pain of their words," I said as hot tears spilled down my cheeks. "What's going to happen to me?" I asked, imagining the worst of Judgment Days. What would happen to Mark if I was cast to the side? My heart clenched inward leaving me breathless as I thought of our bond being severed.

Sam sat beside me and grabbed onto my hand. I looked at her and was surprised that she studied me compassionately instead of with the horror I had imagined. My hot tears fell more rapidly as I felt the love she was pushing into my emotional void. Mark settled on the opposite side of me, sliding his arm around me. I glanced around at each of them, stunned that they all looked at me much the same way Sam had. Didn't they fully grasp what I had done? I had used my power for evil and not good like we were created for.

"Krista, you did not kill them," Haniel finally said. "Yes, you gave them quite a shock, and something to wonder about, but you did them no lasting harm. Your gift is new and is in the beginning stages. You must learn to control it, because one day you could do more harm than good if you channel it the wrong way. As Guides, you must use the moral compass you were created with to know when to use your gifts the right way. What you exhibited tonight is your final and most powerful ability that The Light has provided to you. It is to be used only in circumstances where your life is in peril and you fear for your safety. When you cast anger or animosity back at individuals that harbor these emotions, it returns to them one hundred-fold. They are shown all of their past wrongs in the blink of an eye. This flood is often staggering as you discovered tonight," he said, explaining their collapse to me. "This gift you've been given can only be used once in a period of time as I'm sure you have figured out," he continued, addressing me still. I nodded my head, but still felt empty and slightly nauseous. The thought of performing that same kind of burst again seemed impossible.

"Tomorrow we will begin your training more aggressively," Haniel said, turning away to exit the room.

"Wait," I said. "If I didn't hurt them, what did you have to take care of?"

"Well, just put it this way. Their thoughts are a little muddled as to what happened."

"I didn't think Archangels did things like that?" I asked, still confused.

"I cannot directly intervene in matters that involve The Dark One, but in a circumstance like this, my gifts can be used to help smooth things out you might say. Mark, I will see you about your injury in an hour, after I take care of some pressing matters first," he said, closing the glass door silently behind him.

"Wow, that dude is one cool hombre," Shawn said, sinking back onto the couch. "I can't tell if he has a sense of humor or not, but man he's a badass."

"Are you okay?" Lynn asked me, perching on the arm of the other couch.

"I'm fine," I said, flashing her a watery smile. I was relieved I hadn't hurt them, but it still didn't change the fact that I had let evil rule me, no matter how brief the moment was. "You guys aren't mad at me?" I finally asked.

"Krista, are you kidding me? Do you know how many times I've wanted to put the Lush Trio in their place?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, but you didn't act on it like I did. It's one thing to think about doing something, but it's a whole other thing to actually do it. You guys don’t think I'm like, twisted now."

"Don't be a dork Sis. What did you think, that we believed you had crossed over to the dark side or something?" He teased, ruffling my hair. "You're not that cool," he added, making all of us laugh and breaking the last of the tension I felt.

"Come on," Mark said, tugging me into a standing position. "Let's go walk on our beach."

We left the others behind, joking easily, the night's drama firmly forgotten in their minds as we headed out the patio doors. The patio was empty, and once again I wondered where Haniel went when he wasn't babysitting us. Mark led me to the stairs and helped me remove my strappy sandals before we descended. The coolness felt like heaven as my feet sunk into nighttime sand.

"Are you really okay?" Mark asked after we had walked a couple hundred yards.

"I'm fine." I was lying, of course, since my heart still ached from what I had done. I had been blocking my thoughts since we left the party, so Mark was unaware of just how empty I felt.

"I know you're worried, but I trust Haniel that the snobs are okay," he said, wondering why I had been blocking my thoughts. He pulled me into his arms and stroked my back, giving me the comfort my body craved. "I still owe you another dance," he said, gently swaying us back and forth. I raised my arms, locking them firmly around his neck. This time, though, I looked into his eyes as we danced on the cool sand with only the moon looking down on us. He lowered his head and laid his lips on mine. All else was forgotten as I sighed and let him kiss my worries away. My void began to dissipate as his touch and kisses filled me as only they could. I laced my fingers through his hair linking us more firmly together as I deepened the kiss. He moaned against my tingling lips as we slowly lowered ourselves to the ground. Our formal clothing was forgotten as we lost ourselves in the kiss. I could feel his hand caressing my ribcage, lightly touching me as he settled more firmly against me. I could feel every lean muscle pressed against me as I threatened to erupt from the heat he ignited inside me. I wished that clothing didn't separate us, and for a brief moment I fought the urge to giggle when I remembered the Trio's words about my dress getting in the way.

Mark chuckled on top of me, reading my thoughts. "I guess that’s our sign to stop."

"Talk about Divine intervention," I quipped as he helped me to my feet brushing the sand off my backside, spending a few extra moments to brush my bottom off. Laughing, I swatted his hand away.

"What?" he asked feigning innocence.

Giggling, I reached for his hand. It was surreal to be laughing and carrying on when just an hour ago I thought my world was ending. I felt a surge of gratitude that Haniel had been there to smooth everything over.

"I'm sorry we had to leave the dance early," I said as we continued our stroll along the tide line.

"Oh right, I'm sure you are. I wouldn't put it past you to have done it all on purpose," he said mockingly. "Sheesh, the extremes you go to avoid dancing at your own prom," he added teasingly.