"It is best to be prepared for all situations," Haniel answered in his normal dismissive tone whenever I questioned the endless hours of training. Not that I bitched much about it since it got me out of school.

"No more talking. Go," he said, pointing to the top of the mountain above us.

"How high?" I asked, knowing from previous training sessions what he expected.

"The top. I will be waiting for you there," he said, disappearing in front of me.

"What a cheat," I complained to myself as I picked up a steady pace up the uneven ground. There was no trail to speak of, so all the work was up to me. My breathing came out in even puffs as I made my way up the steep incline.

My mind began to wander as I moved on autopilot. I'd been too hyped up all morning to allow myself the luxury of thinking about Emrys. I teased myself with fantasies about why he wanted to see me so badly. I'd been warned to stay away from him, but I couldn't help wondering what would have happened if I would have joined him.

Busy with sinful thoughts of the steamy Trader, I missed the exposed tree root that was sticking up out of the ground as I jogged along.

One minute I was thinking of the tattoo that disappeared down his shirt and the next I was airborne. Using skills Haniel had taught me, I tucked my body into a ball and wrapped my arms around my head to protect it. I landed several feet away in a bone-jarring heap.

"Fucking hell's bells," I grunted, taking a few seconds to gather my wits while I took stock of possible injuries. Every bone in my body ached, but as I slowly began to uncurl myself from the fetal position I had flown in, I knew I wasn't seriously injured, except maybe my pride. After a moment, I staggered to my feet and pushed my hair out of my face. My knees burned and I looked down grimacing.

"Mother of monkey asses, these were new pants," I squawked out loud as I took in the tennis ball-sized holes in each of the knees of my pants. Blood flowed copiously from my left knee while the right one looked like road rash.

"Real slick, dipshit," I said, leaning down to roll up my pant legs so I could take a closer look. I sucked in a breath as the material of my pants brushed against my scraped knees. "Holy donkey balls, how do kids deal with scraped knees all the time?" I complained out loud.

"Do you always talk to yourself?" a voice asked behind me.

"Stalk much?" I asked unsurprised. Even while nursing a couple of scraped knees, my instincts had clued me in to the presence of someone else up here in the middle of nowhere. "More importantly, how did you find me?" I asked, turning around to face Emrys.

"Built-in tracking device," he said, pointing to his chest.

"Really? Are you screwing with me?"

He raised his eyebrows suggestively at my words. "Now that would be an interesting turn of events."

I smirked at him. "I think your ego's making drinks your nonhuman body can't have."

"That's an odd way to put it, but trust me, cookie, that's not a problem," he answered in his honey-laced voice, taking a step toward me.

"The slick banter doesn't work on me," I said nonchalantly. "Haniel filled me in on your, uh, 'talents.'"

"Yeah, Haniel's had a hard-on for our gifts of persuasion for years."

I snorted out a laugh. I'd spent the last year around straight-laced people and it was nice in a naughty way to have someone speak what I was thinking.

"Too bad you seem to be immune to my charm. I might've been tempted to use that in my favor," he said, looking me up and down.

"How do you know I'm immune?"

"Well, cookie, I used my most persuasive tools in my arsenal last night and you fought them off. I'm guessing Hard-on Haniel gets the same results."

"Seriously, you have to stop calling him that. I won't be able to look at him the same again."

"What's the deal with you two anyway? He seemed pretty possessive of you last night. I thought he hooked up with some chick in heaven, or is that old dog making up for lost time?"

"That chick is my great aunt," I said, watching his jaw drop. "And, eww, he's my mentor, so don't be a dick," I said, reaching out to push his shoulder.

"Well, ain't that some shit. I'm not going to say that isn't a relief," he said, capturing my hand in his.

"And why is that?" I asked, trying not to focus on what his touch did to me.

"Because, I'd have to kick some Arch's ass to get the girl."

I snorted.

"What?" he asked, seeing the merriment in my eyes.

"Dude, he's an Arch Angel. He'd stomp you," I said, laughing outright.

"You question my skills?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, let's see. He stands at least a full head taller than you, has about a foot on you in shoulder width, and did I mention he's a freaking Arch Angel?"

"Oh ye of little faith," he said, chuckling softly.

"Want to let me in on your joke?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

"How about we go somewhere instead?"

"Go where?" I asked, more intrigued than I should have been.

"There's a spot I like to go to, to just chill. What do you say?" he asked, holding out his hand.

I looked into his eyes, hesitating for a moment and wondering if I was under some kind of spell. His eyes were deep pools of green that seemed to drag me in. Without another thought, I reached out my hand.

"Jordyn!" a stern voice said, breaking the spell.

My hand dropped and I thought I saw a flash of anger in Emrys's eye, but a moment later it was gone and replaced with his cocky grin.

"Some other time," he said, reaching up to give my chin a gentle tug. He shot a grin at Haniel behind me before disappearing.

I stood staring, transfixed at the spot where he'd just been. I was shocked by the waves of disappointment that washed over me. What did I have to be disappointed about? It wasn't like I even knew him, and yet the letdown I felt was acute. I burned inside to know where he'd wanted to take me.

"Jordyn?" Haniel's voice was filled with uncharacteristic concern.

I turned to face him, trying to hide my disappointment. "Yeah?" I answered, shaking off the sudden melancholy that had gripped me.

"Are you in pain?" he asked.

"What?" I asked, wondering how he was suddenly able to read me.

"You are bleeding," he said, pointing to the injuries on my knees that I'd forgotten about.

Glancing down, I was shocked to see that the blood on my left knee had dripped down my leg and was pooling on my boot. "Oh," I gasped as the throbbing of both knees made their presence known. "I fell," I said stupidly, as I looked at him in confusion.

Without speaking, he reached out and gripped my hand in his. The mountain disappeared from underneath me, and the cool tile of my living room floor replaced it just as I collapsed.

CHAPTER FOUR

I woke disoriented to the sound of loud voices.

"What happened?" I heard my uncle demand.

"Shh, Mark, you're going to wake her," I heard Krista whisper, although the sting from her gently dabbing at my knees with a wet cloth didn't help either.

I kept my eyes closed, pretending to remain asleep. I was curious why Mark was so upset. So I had taken a tumble and bloodied my knees. It wasn't the first time I'd been injured, and I was positive it would happen again. Often.

"I want to know how he found her, and why he's suddenly so curious about her," Mark demanded in a lower voice, but still shaking with rage.

"He's a Trader, Mark. He can find anyone, right?" Krista said, obviously directing the question to Haniel.

"That is correct."

"Fine, but why is he interested in Jordyn?" Mark bit out.

"I am unaware of his intentions."

"What is The Light saying?" my uncle ground out.

I was surprised at his anger. I'd only seen him lose his cool once and that was when I first joined them. He and Haniel and had gotten into it in his office. I didn't know exactly what they fought over, but I had a rough idea it involved me.

"Mark, you know as well as I do that The Light doesn't just divulge information, even if you can get in to see him," Krista said gently.

My ears perked up at her words. I'd been asking them for months what heaven was like, but they always put off my questions, saying I would have to wait until I got there to see for myself. I thought their whole secretive attitude was pretty lame, but I eventually let the subject drop.

"Krista is correct. I have not been granted an audience with The Light."

"What do we do?" Krista asked.

"We enlist guard duty around Jordyn at all times," Mark answered gravely.

"What?" I asked, sitting up abruptly, no longer able to feign sleep.

"It's the only way, Jordyn," Krista soothed, scrubbing the dried blood off my leg.

"I can do that," I said, snatching the rag from her hand. "I don't need guard duty either," I said, scrubbing hard at my leg.

"Jordyn, it's our job to keep you safe," Mark said as he sat down on his chair.

"That's ridiculous. We all know I'm the best fighter we have," I said, still rubbing my leg with the rag.

"That may be, but this boy seems to have a power over you that renders your gifts useless," Krista said, grabbing the rag from me before I rubbed off a layer of skin.

"You guys act like he's out to get me or something," I said, swinging my legs around so I could sit back against the cushions. The scrapes on my knees protested as I bent my legs to prop them up on the coffee table in front of me.

"He must have a hidden motive," Mark said, meeting Haniel's eyes, who gave a nod of approval.

"Because God forbid he might actually be interested in me," I said sarcastically, rising to my feet. "Has it crossed anyone's mind that maybe he just likes me? Maybe after he saw me kick the ass of not one but two Daemons last night he decided I might be someone he'd like to get to know. Contrary to popular opinion around here, I might just be considered hot to the opposite sex," I added, attempting to stomp out of the room. My injuries made it more like a shuffle.

I slammed my door, cutting off anything they might have said, and threw myself on my bed.Just because I didn't share some freaky Link with someone didn't mean I was a leper or something.

A light tapping at my door interrupted my inner monologue. Krista opened the door before I could answer.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

"I guess," I said, scooting over so she could join me on my bed.

"We're only lo—" she started to say.

"Looking out for my best interest. I know, Krista. I've heard it a billion times. Everyone's always looking out for my best interest, but seriously, how badass do I have to become before you guys realize I don't need anyone. I'm not like you guys. I'm not going to fall apart being alone," I snapped. "But that also doesn't mean I can't be interested in someone."

"Jordyn, I've been on my own, and I know it's not a fun place to be. We know we're overprotective, but it's because we love you, not because you're some amazing warrior. Even if you had no gifts at all, we'd still love you the same."

"Sometimes it feels like you guys are smothering me. I want to be able to experience life without always having everyone breathing down my back. It's bad enough that I can't remember anything about my past without always having everyone hover over me. I just want a little space," I said. "I need a little space!" I clarified.

"I get that, and we'll work on giving you more space. We want you to be happy. I know Lynn leaving last month was hard on you, but you can't spend the rest of your summer moping around picking for a fight," she said, giving me her classic adult look.

I tried not to laugh. Sometimes Krista forgot that she was only five years older than me.

"Laugh it up, but taking on those Daemons without help isn't going to win you any brownie points," she said. "If you want us to treat you like an adult, you need to show you're responsible."

"But I knew I could take—" I started to say.

"Jordyn, we all know you can fight Daemons, but believe me when I say that The Dark One doesn't always play fair. Calling for help isn't being weak. It's showing responsibility," she said. "Okay, end of parental rant. Maybe when school starts, we can revisit you going out with the boy from chemistry."

"That's okay. He's really not my type," I said, thinking my type ran more toward a certain Trader.

"I see. Well, maybe you'll see ahumanwho is your type," she said, emphasizing the human part. "But, this Soul Trader, he's not for you," she added with finality.

I wanted to argue, but could see the subject was closed.

"I have no interest in Emrys," I lied, smiling through my teeth.

"Just keep it that way," she said, leaning over to give me a kiss on the head. "I love you," she said, shooting me one last worried look.

"Love you too," I said as she closed the door behind her.

My smile disappeared the moment the door closed. "Ugh, why can't I have normal guardians that were clueless to the supernatural world?" I complained, climbing off my bed. I grabbed a clean pair of knee-length grey sweats and one of the several black spaghetti-strap tank tops from the drawer. Krista had tried unsuccessfully to get me to switch to pastel colors a couple months ago, but I balked at the idea. White, black and maybe grey were my colors of choice.

With clean clothes in hand, I headed for the bathroom to grab a shower. The gentle hot water cascaded down my body, soothing my tender knee abrasions. As I gingerly scrubbed away the dried blood from my legs, my mind wandered back to the mountaintop and my encounter with Emrys. I was dying to know where he'd wanted to take me, and why he seemed to be so into me. I had my fair share of guys check me out over the last few months, but something always seemed to hold them back from actually approaching me. Lynn had thought it was the "I can kick your ass" vibe that she claimed I emitted. I tried taking her suggestions and softened my demure, but it felt phony. Besides, she said it looked like I had a bad case of constipation, so I gave up in frustration. Even when Justin from my chemistry class actually got the nerve to ask me out, I was so shocked I turned him down before it could fully register in my head. I tried to retract the rejection as soon as the words left my mouth, but the damage was done and it was too late. I was a social leper.