Plop. Plop. Plop. Heavy rain thumped on Lisa’s coffin.

Your fault. Your fault. Your fault I’m dead.

The accusation haunted Kathy of every day, of every morning, of every night. The pain lodged in her gut like a ball of chains. She closed her eyes and hung her head. Her tears splashed on to her tightly closed fists.

Father James flicked Holy Water onto the casket. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy body and Thy staff they comfort me.”

Kathy bit her lip, trying not to become a blubbering mess. She fingered the silver unicorn bracelet that had been Lisa's favorite. Her sister had fallen in love with unicorns when she was a child, and their mother had given her the elegant bracelet when she’d turned twenty-one. Kathy thought about burying the silver chain with Lisa, but she couldn't part with it. The little diamond-eyed unicorn was the only thing that had kept her sanity.

Instead, she had put Lisa's white stuffed unicorn beside her in the coffin. Their father had given it to her one Christmas. Lisa had squealed with delight when she opened a bright, green package with a huge red bow. She’d only been four at the time, but she kept the little unicorn always––even brought it with her to college.

Emptiness filled Kathy’s gut. Father James was wrong. Lisa did have something to fear in the shadow of death. She had been alone when evil came––evil from outer space.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

Kathy sucked in a trembling breath, her lower lip quivered. Lisa deserved to have had a longer life. Kathy could never make up for what she had done. Because of her stupid mistake, her sister had been murdered.

Agnes Malloy, her best friend since grade school, gently put her hand over Kathy’s white knuckles. Her blond hair was flattened against her head. She’d forgotten to wear a rain coat or hat. Droplets splashed off her leather jacket. Water dripped from her dark eyelashes that framed her new golden eyes.

Ever since Agnes mated with a Zalarian, her beautiful brown eyes had changed to an eerie gold.

Kathy stiffened and chills slipped down her spine. Agnes’ eyes slowly sparkled, meaning ghosts were nearby. She could see the dead.

Agnes leaned close. “Lisa’s here.” Agnes’s voice was so soft Kathy barely heard her, but the words shot through her like a cannon.

Kathy clasped her trembling hand over her wrist to hide the bracelet, gulping down deep breaths. She desperately scanned the crowded burial, hunting for her sister’s dark head and bright smile.

Nothing.

Her shoulders drooped. As much as she tried, her abilities didn’t swing to seeing ghosts. She sighed heavily and dabbed her eyes with a tissue. Kathy’s gift was reading auras and knowing whether people were lying, which had been completely useless in protecting Lisa.

“This concludes our ceremony,” Father said. “The family is meeting at Lisa’s favorite bar–O’Toole’s located at the corner of Sixty-Fourth Avenue and Indiana.”

Kathy stared at Lisa’s newly dug grave. She was laid to rest with their parents, Jim and Nancy Strong, who had died in a car accident six months ago. A drunk driver had slammed into their car, killing them instantly. Tears blurred Kathy’s vision and gnawing pain gripped her breaking heart. In less than a year, she’d lost all of her family.

Agnes squeezed her hand. “Your parents are with her.”

Kathy blinked away the tears. She leaned forward and sat taller. Her heart beat zoomed to Mach one. She scanned the people that huddled around the grave site, looking for Lisa, an older woman with straight brown hair, and her tall, broad-shouldered father, hoping just this once, she could see them.

“I’m sorry, Kathy.”

She jumped at Father James’s voice, adrenaline boosting inside her. Her heartbeat lurched into Mach two.

“If you need to talk…” He handed Kathy the cross that had been on top of the coffin.

She nodded, wordlessly. Her throat pinched shut. The world screeched to a stop. Her chest tightened, crushing her lungs. She couldn’t breathe.

She clutched the cold, gold cross in her shaking hands. The finality slammed into her. All of her family was gone. She was alone.

“Thank you, Father,” Agnes said for her.

People shuffled past her, muttering their condolences, their auras light blue.

“I’m so sorry.”

“She was so young.”

“She’ll be missed.”

In robot fashion, Kathy answered. “Thank you. Thank you for coming.”

Lastly, Agnes’s brother Frank, an FBI agent, clasped her hand. At the Arvada Police Department, he was a larger-than-life legend, especially after he went to Quantico. Like Agnes, he was the only one who knew what really had killed Lisa.

“Kathy, I’m so sorry.” His voice cracked. “We should have been able to protect her.”

“I know. But you tried. Her death was my fault. I never should have insisted on going to get a Starbuck’s.”

His grip turned firmer. “Daidhl would only have succeeded in killing you like he had with your sister and my agent.”

Daidhl had been a dragon-shifter from Zalara, who had been possessed by an evil alien. He went on a killing spree and murdered Zalarian designated mates. Unfortunately for the victims, Daidhl mimicked Jack-the-Ripper.

Frank had ordered a FBI man to guard Kathy twenty-four hours, which was why she thought she could leave her sister without fear. The burly man looked mean enough to take on a velociraptor, but the creature cut him down as if he were a gecko.

“No. It’s my fault.” She wriggled her hand free. The pain banged against her heart like a sledge hammer. “I should be…lying there…not Lisa.”

Frank looked around as if to make sure no one was listening. “Kathy, you’re talking nonsense. That creature nearly destroyed all of us.”

Kathy opened her mouth to argue, but how could she prove a legend wrong?

“He’s right.” Agnes lifted her chin. “Daidhl was possessed. He almost killed Anonghos…” Her voice faded.

Anonghos was her mate, but he couldn’t be here since he was summoned to be at the Mate Ceremony on Zalara. Agnes and Anonghos could barely keep their hands off each other. Kathy was happy for Agnes, but every time she saw Anonghos, resentment pricked at her. If the Zalarians hadn’t come to Earth, Lisa would have still been alive.

Kathy took a small intake of breath. “I just can’t believe she’s gone.”

Agnes rubbed her arm. “I know. I can’t either.”

Kathy sighed as the haunting memory flashed over in her mind. She had stepped out of the elevator, sipping her latte and carrying a tray with a grande mocha and a regular coffee. Agnes’s partner had blocked her from going into the apartment and told her what happened. Screaming, she’d dropped the tray, spilling coffee on the floor and splashing it on the wall.

Later, she learned…Lisa’s limbs and organs had been strewn around the bed. This all happened over her obsession for Starbuck’s. “It’s my fault she’s dead.”

She woke every night in a cold sweat, replaying the scene in her mind like a bad re-run.

“Lisa’s body was so badly mutilated I had to have a closed casket. It’s my fault she’s gone.” Her low voice cracked.

Agnes glanced to the side of her. “Lisa doesn’t blame you.”

Heat flushed through Kathy's body. She looked up at the heavens and clenched her fists. “Do you know how much I hate hearing you say that? I know it’s not reasonable. But I can’t stand it that you can see her while I can’t.”

All of the pent-up frustration and anger rolled out in her voice.

Agnes flinched. “You’re right.” She hugged her. “You’re right. It’s not fair.”

Kathy stared down at her feet. “Is…is she still here?”

“Yes, she’s standing on the other side of you.”

Kathy turned to the side, desperately wanting to see Lisa one more time, but all she saw was the rain, grass, and blowing trees. She reached out her shaking hand, wishing she could touch her, but only the wind blew across her flesh. “I’m sorry, Lisa. I’m so sorry.”

“Kathy, Lisa wants you to forgive yourself.”

Kathy jerked her hand back and narrowed her eyes. “Well, that’s not happening. Besides, when you say that I never know if Lisa is really saying she's forgiven me, or if you’re pretending that she’s saying it.” Her sharp and rushed voice shot barbs at Agnes.

The color drained from her face. “You know I’m telling the truth.”

Pain shot to the back of Kathy’s tight throat. She gobbled down cough drops. “I know.” Light blue aura shimmered around Agnes, which meant she spoke true, but it didn’t matter. Neither she nor Lisa would ever convince her that she was innocent in Lisa’s death. Now, every time, she made a decision, she second guessed herself. What if she made the wrong choice again? What if someone else died?

The stale argument grew wearisome. Drawing on her attorney voice, she said, “Let’s go. People will be arriving soon.” She stood. “If you’re here, Lisa, I’m sorry. I should have protected you.”

Agnes clasped her arm. “Kathy, Lisa…”

Kathy raised her hand, the jangling bracelet skimming down her wrist. “I don’t want to hear it.” She left Agnes and Frank, with her head high, but then her normal strutted strides changed into a heavy-footed walk.

She headed for the stretched out black limo, drawing her arms close to her waist. A thickness rooted in her throat. Her vision blurred. She pulled out her phone and called Lisa.

“Hello, this is Lisa. I’m out and about. Just leave a message and I’ll call you right back.”

Her chirpy voice made Kathy wonder where she was right now. She wanted to believe she'd call her back. That she hadn’t been murdered. That she was out shopping or hiking a mountain or getting her hair done. But she wasn’t. She wouldn't return her call. And never would.

Kathy clutched the phone close to her tightening chest, hoping Lisa could hear her beating heart and know how much she loved and missed her.

“Ma’am.” The chauffeur opened the door.

“Thank you,” she mumbled, not really seeing him. She slid across the seat and rubbed her sweating forehead, trying to ward off the lightheadedness. How could this be happening?

Agnes followed shortly behind. With all of Kathy’s family gone, Agnes was her closest relative. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I know.” She darted a hesitated glance at Agnes. “I just need to get back to work.”

She wrinkled her brow. “Are you sure?”

The limo pulled away from the grave site, leaving Lisa back in the cold and rain. Kathy would never forgive herself for Lisa dying instead of her. She wiped her damp face. “If I don’t go, I’ll go crazy.”

“When my dad died, I took a week off.”

Her skin tingled as beads of sweat formed. “But you had Frank. I have no one. I don’t even have a home anymore. I’ve been living out of a damn suitcase.”

Agnes squeezed her hand gently. “You could come and stay at my place.”

“I don’t know.”

Agnes lowered her head. “I know I’m not the cleanest person, but…”

“No, your housekeeping isn’t the problem. I have a hard time being around Anonghos.”

She stiffened. “Why?”

Kathy avoided her penetrating gaze, leaning her head against the cool window, and watched all the other sad graves. “If he hadn’t come here…”

“If he hadn’t come, Daidhl would have killed everyone–including you.”

Tears slid down Kathy's face. “I understand that, but I can’t help what I feel.”

“Without the Zalarians protecting us, the Kamtrinians would have destroyed Earth.”

“But Lisa would be alive.” Kathy ran her fingers slowly down the window.

“No, both of you would be dead.”

Her hard-cop voice failed to ignite the usual spark that would result in an easy banter between them, but Kathy didn’t have the strength. She shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Did you ever think that maybe Lisa was killed because she was a mate? Daidhl only killed mates.”

She frowned and tore up the tissue still in one hand. “No. Yes. I don’t know…I never thought she would have been on the list.”

“But Lisa had a healing power, Kathy. She was a psychic. Zalarians can only mate with psychics.”

Kathy opened and then closed her mouth. She was at a loss for words. And she was never at a loss for words. In court, she had dazzled the other attorneys and judges with how she could think on her feet. But lately, she had difficulty wearing the same matching shoes.

Agnes broke her thoughts. “When my mom and dad died, I thought my life was over. Frank and I were on the outs and the only thing I had was the job. I thought…that’s all I wanted…”

Her voice drifted off.

“Then, you met Anonghos.” Kathy smiled through her blurry eyes. “A dragon after your dreams.”

Agnes linked her arm through hers. “Yes. You don’t have to do this alone. All of us care about you.”

“I appreciate your support. I really do. But right now work is what will make me sane.” But that wasn't exactly true, either. Work made her crazy. Every time she reviewed a case, a thousand questions posed in her mind. Had the police coerced her client into a confession or not? Had her clients been given their Miranda rights? Should she file for a mistrial or proceed? Before Lisa's murder, she was so sure of herself. Now, she had a hard-time deciding what suit to wear.

“I get it,” Agnes said. “Work always used to be the answer for me, too.”

Kathy bit the inside of her cheek. Her muscles bounded up tighter than a tongue-tied defendant’s. She avoided looking at Agnes. “At least, I have a slew of cases that will keep me busy until next Christmas.”

Hopefully, working sixteen hours days as a defense attorney, she’d be able to find herself again. But the daunting task of making decisions haunted her. Maybe she needed to work for a firm or the Public Defenders's Office. She didn’t trust herself. All because of the damn alien. She never wanted to see another one as long as she lived.