Forgotten Souls (The Saving Angels 2)

"What if they get sick now and are unable to fulfill their duties?" John continued to berate us loudly, ignoring Kieran's voice as she tried to calm him.

"Enough," Haniel said with authority ringing through his voice that only an Archangel could pull off. "Go warm her up," he directed Mark.

"What was that about?" Sam asked quietly, running a steaming tub of water for me as Mark continued to cradle me in his arms.

"He's right," I said as another shudder raced through me. "It was irresponsible of me."

"No he's not right," Mark said quietly. "You’re still young. We all are, and we should be allowed that luxury without the weight of the world on our shoulders all the time. Yeah, getting wet was not the best idea, but accidents happen," he added, setting me fully dressed in the tub of steaming water. Pinpricks of pain shot through me as the hot water engulfed my frozen limbs. After several painful moments, my flesh began to warm and the pain faded away. Lying back against the back of the tub, I sunk down until every inch of me was submerged, except for my chin.

"You stay with her," Mark said after a few minutes. "I'm going to go see what's going on."

I closed my eyes, dismayed at the trouble I had caused. I was a walking disaster. If I wasn’t getting kidnapped or taking on an Abbadon three times my size, I was falling in an ice cold ocean at the most inopportune time. No wonder John had gotten so pissed. I was like the ultimate drama queen. I felt bad and hated the idea that someone was mad at me.

"Krista, it's not your fault. Truthfully, the whole thing is my fault for messing around in the first place, but honestly, I really don't understand what the big deal is. I mean, sure, I hope you guys don’t get sick, but I don’t know how a case of the sniffles is going to affect your performance?" Sam asked, sounding bewildered.

"I'm not sure," I said, standing and drawing the curtain closed so that I could shrug out of my soaked shorts and t-shirt. Sam handed a towel through the small crack between the shower curtain and the wall. Draping the towel around me, I knotted it at the top securing it into place so I could wring out my dripping clothes. Once most of the water was wrung out, I hung them on the towel rack at the far end of the tub so they wouldn’t drip on the floor. I was surprised to see the bathroom empty when I stepped out of the shower. Sam had thoughtfully left my current sleeping attire of sweats and sweatshirt on the bathroom counter. Snuggling into the clothes, I reveled in the comforting warmth they provided. Only one last touch, the thick fuzzy socks lying on the vanity stool that didn't belong to me but I would gladly borrow.

I walked on silent feet toward the living room where I could hear a hushed conversation going on. Stopping in the doorway, I was surprised to see everyone crowded in the living room listening to Haniel intently.

Haniel broke off when he saw me. "Feeling better Krista?" he asked.

"Yeah," I mumbled, squeezing in between Sam and Shawn on the couch. "What did I miss?" I asked, feeling self-conscious. >Grace placed her arm around my shoulder, guiding me toward the kitchen. "I know it's tough, but I think you've made a very wise and mature choice," she said. "How about to take your mind off of it, I whip up a batch of double chocolate chip cookies? A little birdie told me that you're a bit of a chocolate lover," she said, smiling at me.

"You mean from scratch?" I asked, my mouth already watering.

"Of course, is there any other kind?" she asked, laughing lightly as she started assembling the ingredients.

"In my house there is. Slice and bake is the closest we come to homemade. My mom isn’t the best of cooks, and I definitely take after her," I said.

"Well, you're in for a treat because my double chocolate chip cookies are Heavenly, no pun intended," she said, making quick work of mixing the ingredients together in a large stainless steel bowl.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the first batch was in the oven smelling as Heavenly as she promised. Grace and I talked about trivial things as she prepared another batch on a second tray. She was easy to talk to and I felt like I had gained an older sister.

Soon the smell of fresh baked cookies drew a crowd as everyone came in to check it out.

"Yum, I see you're treating everyone to your famous cookies," Thomas, Grace's Link said, joining us in the kitchen. He snagged an uncooked cookie from the cookie sheet and planted a quick peck on her cheek, dodging her swat with the spatula.

"The first batch is almost done," she said affectionately.

"I know, and I'll eat those too, but these are just my appetizers," he said, making a grab for another one, but this time Grace was ready for him. She smacked his knuckles lightly with the rubber spatula warding him off.

"Out," she ordered, giving him a playful shove. "Or no cookies for you," she added, giving him a warm smile, totally contradicting her words.

Thomas gave her bottom an affectionate pat as he headed out of the kitchen, winking at me on his way out.

I couldn't help laughing at their easy banter. Watching the older bands interact gave me insight into what my future could be, warming me from the inside out with happiness. I knew from conversations we had, that Thomas and Grace were the proud parents of a beautiful bouncing baby boy. Grace showed me pictures of him and I had to smile at how closely he resembled a replica of a cherub with springy blond curls framing his adorable, round face. In the picture, he was toddling after an orange tabby cat, obviously trying to catch him. I could almost hear his squeals of delight as the cat eluded him.

After she showed off her pictures, the rest of the Guides pulled out their own pictures too. It was amazing to see the next generation of Links as babies. I wished we could have met them firsthand, but I was immensely relieved that they were all in a secure location being protected by the last remaining fighting band.

"As soon as the threat is over, we will all get together," Grace had assured me as I studied the pictures.

Watching Grace and Thomas show their affection, I was anxious for my own life with Mark to begin. We knew each other better than anyone else and had spent more time together in our dreams than most married couples spent together.

Grace handed me a platter of steaming cookies straight from the oven. Carrying it through the living room, I balanced the tray on my hip while I twisted the door handle. The door swung open as Shawn opened it from the outside.

"I thought I smelled something good," he said, grabbing one of the cookies off the top of the pile. "Holy cow, these are delicious," he said, devouring the whole thing in one gobble. He reached out to snatch another one before I could set the tray down.

"Hey, these are for everyone, greedy-meedy, " I said, trying to elbow his large frame away to no avail.