It’s a good thing angels don’t sleep. I don’t think I could have had I been able to. I couldn’t get Emerson off my mind, which I found irritating and completely unproductive. Everyone in the house was either guarding her or recharging. But I couldn’t stand still long enough to recharge. My mind was on overdrive, trying not to think about her.

When Ameana and I arrived at school the next morning, I wanted to lay eyes on the human so badly, it hurt. Before I could, I got a text from Reese about a possible lead down on Wall Street.

We had just arrived at the location when Rio called and told us to come back to Livingston Academy. He said Emerson was under attack.

When I busted into the classroom and saw her lying there, it killed me. I had never been hit with such a powerful wave of sorrow. Never in my life as a human or an angel, did I feel such utter despair. Then I turned and saw Agony, and I had a place I could channel all my rage. And I did. I had never used that much force on anyone. Agony begged and begged for me to just kill him, but I didn’t. I had never reflected that long on someone. It wasn’t necessary. At that point it was pure torture, and that was very unangel – like, to say the least.

We finished with him, and the others went to tend to Emerson. I told them I would stay behind to be sure there were no more Akons or Runners. The truth is, I couldn’t take watching her being laid out and put on a stretcher.

I walked into the hospital room later. I looked everywhere but at her. I couldn’t. The others asked how she was. I should have done the same, but instead I was angry. When I finally spoke, I reprimanded her for not following instructions. Then I walked out of the room and headed down the hall. Ameana followed me.

“Why are you such a jerk to her?”

“She had no right to endanger herself like that. She could have died.”

Then I realized that was the real reason for my behavior, the real reason why I blasted the girl for not following orders.

I could have lost her….

I told everyone to give her some space. Maybe this was all too much for her and she needed to take a moment. They all agreed.

Later that evening, Rio was in his room when he saw onyx, the color that meant that a human being’s life was in danger. The human who was onyx was somewhere nearby, Rio informed us. That meant that he and I were going to get into another argument.

Whenever Rio’s waves turn onyx, his first instinct is to help the person whose life is in danger. I cannot allow him to do that. The only person whose life we could save was Emerson. That’s because her life is tied to humanity’s existence.

But to go out and a take a soul from Death that had nothing to do with the battle is strictly prohibited. The person who was radiating onyx had to die if that is what Time, Fate and Death had decided. Were we to interfere in any way, the council would punish us.

“I think it’s a woman. She’s only three blocks away,” Rio pleaded.

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s bull, Marcus. You saved that old lady from the fire.”

“I saved her from a fire Rage set, to distract me. That has to do with our mission. Anyone who doesn’t have to do with our mission—”

“—can just die, right?”

“Rio.”

“That sucks, and you know it. How can we just sit here knowing that someone is being killed?”

“It’s New York. Someone is always getting killed.”

“That’s real funny, Marcus. I wonder how funny it would be if your little girlfriend was the one about to be murdered.”

“Ameana can take care of herself.”

“I wasn’t talking about her.”

“I’m not doing this with you, Rio. I’m not in the mood.”

“She’s only three blocks away. We can save her.”

“No, we can’t.”

“Fine, I’ll do it myself.”

“No one can save her. It’s her time to die. You know that.”

“She needs help. What good are we if we can’t help them?”

“We are helping. In the way that Omnis told us to. We can’t stop Death from doing its work.”

“It’s just one woman. So, I save one lousy woman. What’s the big deal?’

“Let it go.”

“She’s dying.”

He rushed past me and went up on the roof. I ran after him.

“You will not save her.”

“Screw this. She needs me.”

He prepared to fly off. I put my hand on his shoulder. He looked into my eyes. He knew I was serious. He knew that I could and would take him down.

Jay had heard us going at it. He came up to us.

“C’mon, Rio. Let’s go, man,” Jay said to him.

Rio wouldn’t blink. He was dark and angry.

“C’mon, man, let’s go,” Jay said again. Rio looked at me one last time with so much anger that if emotions killed, I would have died again.

Jay tried to talk to Rio, but he wanted to be alone. He went in his room. I went for a walk. The rest of them were all in the living room waiting for what they knew would come next. Soon the onyx color wave would disappear and the person who feared for her life would be dead. Rio would throw something at the wall. He always did.

I didn’t tell Rio, but a few moments after the onyx color had begun to fade, I went around and found the body three blocks away from our house. She was a nice looking lady in her forties. She had been shot in the chest near the ATM.

I saw the guy who did it. I threw a Holder at him. The bubble kept him in place while I called the cops. I knelt on the ground beside the woman. She was scared. Her blood mixed with the slush on the ground. She looked up at me with pure fear. I put her head in my lap and held her hand. I leaned in close and talked to her.

“Where you’re going is so beautiful, you’ll never cry again.” She looked up at me. I think what I said helped. I hope it did.

Back at the house, an angry cry and the sound of breaking glass came from Rio’s room. The onyx was gone. The woman was dead.

The rest of the week, Rio was irritable and hard to be around. I couldn’t really blame him. He was only doing what he felt was right. I would have done the same. We know that somewhere on Earth someone dies every few minutes, but it’s different when you can feel their fear and know that you could help.

Emerson came over to the house one afternoon to make peace. That annoyed the heck out of me. It was bad enough I had to wrestle myself to stay away from her and that my girlfriend was barely talking to me. What was the point of her coming over if she wasn’t going to tell us her secret?

So, I’m still a jerk in Emerson eyes. But I thought I might try and mend things with Rio. That way I could at least try and get my friend back.

“I’m sorry about the onyx. You know, if it was up to me, I would have helped you save her.”

“Yeah, right. You were just doing your job,” he said bitterly.

I could have told him that I had gone to be with the lady before she died, but I don’t think it would have helped. Besides, I didn’t do it to get credit. It pained me that I had to watch her pass away.

“I’m doing my job, Rio,” I said gently.

“Yeah, is that’s why we haven’t found Julian? Is that why Emmy’s still keeping a secret and Ameana can’t stand the sight of you? Because you are doing your job so well?”

“You know, I’m really tired of babysitting you. You knew when you were on the bridge that saving lives that are destined to die is not allowed. Now you get here and have a damn tantrum like a damn six-year-old. Grow up.”

“Go to hell.” That was the worst thing an angel could wish on you. He stormed out of the room, and I left the state. I went to the Green Mountains again. Miku came along shortly.

“I’m tired of being mad at you,” she said.

“Is that even possible?”

“Yeah, it is. So say you’re sorry for snapping at me.”

“You know I am.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“You’re a great Guardian. You’ve always done your share.”

“Yeah, I’m a wonder,” she said. I turned to look at her. She was so adorable. You would never guess that death was only a melody away from her lips.

“How’s your brother?”

“He hates you.”

“The line’s long.”

“Really long.”

“How is she?”

“Which ‘she’ are you talking about?”

“C’mon, Pretty.” She loved when I called her that. I had told her that the first thing I thought when I found out what her power was, was that she was pretty and deadly. I always called her that when I was trying to get something from her or cheer her up.

“If you mean Ameana, she’s okay, considering.”

“Considering what?”

She looked at me as if to say, “Don’t be stupid.”

“You have to go get it, Marcus.”

“No, I love Ameana.”

Miku wanted me to go get my heart from Ameana. Angels are basically made up of two parts: our hearts and our souls. The heart represents our physical life and the soul is our life now as angels. Since we could not give our souls away, we literally gave our hearts. Since we don’t need a heart to stay alive anymore, we keep it encased in a shatterproof glass called the Rah.

Giving someone your Rah was the equivalent of a human marriage. When and if one angel wanted their heart back, they both needed to open the Rah together. That meant that both parties were okay about the change that was being made. If both parties didn’t open it at once, the Rah would not open. This was Omnis’ way of ensuring that both angels had talked things out and held no bitter feelings.

Ameana has my Rah. We had made the trip after we fell in love. It was the first time we were on Earth together. I am not going to tell her that she now has to travel with me to get it back. I will not break her heart.

“I can’t ask her to do that, Miku.”

“Well, you better do something.”

“I love Ameana.”

She was quiet. She always was when it came to the subject of love. I think in her mind, that’s the reason why she died.

“Hey, I really am sorry I snapped at you. How do I make it up to you?”

“The next Runner I kill, I want to play with. I want full reign to maim, burn or let bleed out as I see fit, deal?”

“Deal.”

That girl is one creepy little angel…