The Ascended (The Saving Angels 3)

I shook my head as hot tears burned their way down my cheeks "You know it doesn't work that way Shawn. I can't heal supernatural injuries," I said, holding Sam's lifeless wrist loosely in my hand so I could monitor her pulse.

"We have to do something. We’re not going to just sit idly by and let her die!"

My heart broke as Shawn openly cried over Sam's deathly still body. Just a few hours ago, I had assured Sam I would get her and Shawn out of this mess, but that was before I discovered Mark would also need to be saved. I looked down at my friend's face, recalling the first time I had seen her standing above me on the grassy grounds of the private school we attended. She was so full of life and like no one I had ever met before. Looking at her crumpled body on the ground, with my brother weeping over her, I knew I needed to make a decision quickly.

"I might be able to help her," I finally said, making the only decision I could.

"You can?" Shawn said, not daring to believe. "What do we need to do?"

"Not we, but me," I said, feeling heartsick as I glanced at Mark. Haniel had been clear on the rules. I would have one opportunity to pull this off. If it worked, my energy supply would be completely sapped.

"What?" Shawn pleaded as I continued to gaze at Mark.

"Haniel told me if things became too crazy and I feared for my life, or saw no other way out, I could transport myself and two others somewhere else."

"Seriously? How?"

"I have to focus all my energy on a certain place and hope that I have enough adrenaline running through my veins. I won't be able to come back." I said, looking directly at Mark.

"Why would you have to? Haniel is here somewhere and besides, up until this morning, you weren't even supposed to be on this rescue mission. I'm glad you're here and maybe things were changed so you could be here to save Sam," he pleaded. "You wouldn't let her die."

"I can't come back," I whispered, trying to get Shawn to grasp the significance of my statement. If I saved Sam and him, I was condemning everyone else including Mark.

Shawn finally got the reason for my hesitation. "Krista, you're concerned for him? He left you. He stomped on your heart and walked away, not even bothering to wipe the blood off," Shawn said bitterly.

"You don't understand, he had his reasons," I said.

"Krista, I don't give a rat’s ass if he had his reasons. You could have died. He left you to die…." Shawn's words were broken off as Sam started convulsing.

Together we held her down so she wouldn't hurt herself while her body shook uncontrollably. After several minutes, the last of the involuntary shudders left her delicate body.

"Krista," Mark finally said from across the room. I looked up at him uncertainly. "You have to get her help now, she's dying. Shawn's right, this is your job."

I stood up and walked toward him. "I can't come back," I said, heartbroken.

"I know and that's okay. You have a higher purpose now."

"Krista," Shawn called across the room, jerking my attention from Mark.

I whirled around and saw that Sam was convulsing even more violently than the first time.

"Krista, you have to take them now," Mark said.

"Why is it we always seem to be saying goodbye to each other," I said, swiping a stray tear away before I turned on my heel and raced back to help my brother.

I grabbed onto Shawn's hand firmly with one hand and Sam's with the other. The whole idea that I could transport myself and others to another location was ludicrous. Although the idea seemed right out of a sci-fi novel, I believed Haniel without a shadow of a doubt. I chose the only location that made sense and gathered all my energy to the task at hand. I definitely didn't need to worry about having enough adrenaline, I could feel it racing through my body as all my focus honed in on the location I was aiming for. I looked at Mark as warmth like none other started from the top of my head and traveled down the length of my body. Mark's eyes were the last thing I saw before white sterile walls blurred out his image.

Chapter 14

I expected us to hit the floor of our destination like we had fallen from the sky, but we arrived in the busy ER of the hospital in the same position as when we left Victor's. Every bone in my body seemed liquefied and I slumped back against the closest wall.

A nurse that was hurrying down the hall tripped over Shawn and gasped in shock.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there…." she started to apologize until she saw Sam convulsing in front of Shawn."Oh my word," she said, racing to the counter. "I need a doctor stat," we heard her yell at the receptionist before she raced back to us. "What happened?" she asked, grabbing Sam's wrist to check for a pulse as she finally stopped the God-awful tremors.

"She hit her head," Shawn said vaguely as I used the wall to prop myself up.

"When?" she said, prying Sam's eyelids open so she could peer into them.