"What?" I asked incredulously, surprised by his words. Here I was expecting to get yelled at and instead, he was talking about my lack of listening skills being my greatest virtue.

"Do not misunderstand me. I wish you would practice a small amount of restraint to avoid harm, but what were the after effects of not following directions tonight?"

I shrugged my shoulders, confused. To me my stubbornness had caused nothing but mayhem and trouble.

"When you were held captive by The Dark Angel, did you leave your Protector behind when you escaped?" he asked me.

I shook my head no, shuddering at the mere suggestion.

"You were willing to sacrifice your own life to save him. Am I right?"

"Of course," I acknowledged. "But that was different. It was just Mark and me, and it was only my life I was risking," I finally said in a hoarse voice.

"Tonight was no different, Krista. Your unwillingness to leave saved many more souls, and most importantly, you helped another find her way to Heaven."

"I did?" I asked, sudden tears springing to my eyes as I recalled the lifeless girl on the dirt floor we had left behind.

"You did," he replied. "Plus, what you did not see was the rest of your band following you back in to save the remaining forgotten souls."

"You guys did that?" I asked with overwhelming happiness flooding its way inside me. Maybe I hadn't botched the entire mission after all.

"We couldn't let you down Sis, since you seemed Hell bent on saving everyone," Shawn said, smiling at me. "Oops, sorry Haniel about the "H" mention," he added, winking at me.

"I would say your first mission was quite successful. All of you should be proud of yourselves," he said, turning to leave, but paused at the double French doors. "Krista, perhaps we should take care of your neck before you head home."

"What?" I placed my hands on my neck and cringed when my touch sent waves of pain shooting through me, making my eyes water. I stood up to see the evidence in the oversized mirror over the couch, gasping in surprise at the purple bruises covering my throat.

"Oh no, my mom will freak if she sees these," I said, stepping closer to the mirror so I could inspect the marks more closely. It amazed me that each of his fingers had left their mark on me.

"Krista, if you are done admiring your injuries, could you please follow me to the patio," Haniel said dryly, making me laugh.

"Okay, keep your shirt on," I joked, heading toward him.

"Keep my shirt on. Why would it be off?" Haniel asked puzzled as I walked by.

Sam burst out laughing behind us as Haniel closed the patio door.

Haniel still looked confused. "It's a phrase, Haniel," I said sighing. Trying to explain our humor to a celestial being definitely had its obstacles.

"Oh, I see. You were joking."

"Yep, it was a joke,"

"Well, shall I fix your neck now?" he asked.

"That sounds like a good plan," I said, standing in front of him.

Haniel cupped his hands and gently placed them around my throat. The pain instantly left me and was replaced by a cool tingle that traveled the length of my body.

"Wow, that's amazing," I said, poking at my throat.

"I am good at my job as well," Haniel said, flashing me the briefest of smiles before he headed for the beach access stairs.

I stood on the deck smiling, watching his retreating back.

"Krista, are you coming inside?" Mark asked, walking up to stand behind me.

I leaned back against him and wrapped his arms around me, drawing myself closer.

"Are you still mad at me?" I asked after a few minutes.

"Krista, I was never mad. Scared yes, but never mad. I know the lives of others are important, but if I had to choose between theirs and yours, I will pick yours every time. Seeing his hands wrapped around your neck tonight was enough to take ten years off my life," Mark said, grabbing onto my hand to lead me inside.

"Wow, your neck looks so much better," Sam said, stepping closer to look at it. "Dang it, where was Haniel's healing touch when I had that mega zit a couple weeks ago?" she asked jokingly.

"I know, right," I laughed.

"So Sis, I'm excited you're some, like, Super-Guide and all, but can you let one of us be the badass next time so I won't have a coronary?" Shawn asked, ruffling my hair affectionately.

"Sure thing. I'm ready to not be the cause of so much drama. I think drama will fit you much better."

Chapter 12

"Mom, I can't get this stupid cap to stay on my head. I think my head is to lopsided," I yelled down the stairs. Giving up, I snatched up my purse and keys and stomped down the stairs to vent my frustration.

"Aw honey, look at you in your robe," she said, admiring me with tears in her eyes.

"Mom, it's basically a glorified maroon bathrobe," I said jokingly.

She swatted my arm. "No it's not."

"Well, I'm going to look like an idiot without a cap on," I said, tossing the offending cap on the table.

"You're just not doing it right," she said, placing it on my head. She started with the front of the cap on my forehead and used her fingers to adjust the elastic band around the back of my head, securing the cap snuggly into place. "There," she said, stepping back to admire her work. "Now, the tassel goes to the right until the end of the ceremony, and then you switch it to the left."

"Thanks Mom," I said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "You look pretty," I said admiring her pale lavender dress. When she was released from the hospital she had been gaunt and underweight, but after a week, she had filled out nicely. I was glad to have her back home. I missed being with my friends 24/7, but it just felt right coming home to her. Feline on the other hand missed Mark's beach house greatly.

This past week had been almost melodramatic since our first successful assignment. We had continued our training until Haniel was called away for 'more pressing matters,' as he put it.

"What time is Mark coming by?" My mom asked, pouring me a soda and handing me a specialty chocolate cupcake from a fantastic bakery we had discovered this past week.

"In twenty minutes," I said, glancing at the small digital clock on our microwave. "Oh yum," I said, distracted by the first bite of the heavenly treat in my hand.

"You two still getting along okay?" she asked.

"Sure, why?"

"I don't know, you guys just seem a little on edge," she said.

I wanted to deny it, but she had a point. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but Mark seemed a little standoffish since our mission. Outwardly he seemed fine, still joking with the others, but he had been blocking his thoughts from me since we left the revival. I tried not to let it bug me, but the words his father had said nagged at me. I couldn't help wondering if he was resenting the bonds that tied us together. After all, Haniel had confirmed that the Protectors could not live without their Guides. Last weekend had proven just how quickly it could happen. Alan could have snapped my neck and that would have been the end of his existence too.

"Don't be a dork, he's probably just freaked out that he came so close to losing you," Sam had said as she and Lynn tried to reassure me the night after our mission.

"That's just because I was stressed about college," I now said to my mom, throwing out the first excuse I could come up with. "Now that I know for sure I got into U.C. Santa Cruz, I can relax. At least we know that getting good grades paid off for something. Besides, aren't you happy I'm not quite ready to fly the coop yet?"

"Well, I won't say I'm not excited you picked a school close to home. I'm sure a certain hunk has something to do with it more than me, but hey, I'll reap the benefits from it," she said, shooting me a smile.

"Hunk? Mom that's so old school. He's a hottie or McHottie if you want the formal title," I said giggling.

"Well, if my ears don't deceive me, I believe a certain 'Prince Charming' is here, or is 'Prince Hottie'," she said teasing me.

Jumping to my feet, I threw my cupcake wrapper in the trash receptacle and rinsed out my glass. I had the door open before he could ring the doorbell. "Hey," I said, snagging a quick kiss on his lips.

"Hey yourself. Don't you look so pretty and sophisticated in your graduation gown," he said, pulling me in for a deeper kiss.

My pulse quickened as my heart began beating harder. I was glad I had kept my insecure thoughts to myself. Sam and Lynn were right, we were fine.

"I brought you these," he said, handing over a delicate bouquet of flowers. "And this," handing me a small, elegantly wrapped box.

I sighed, breathing in the heady smell of the flowers.

"You didn't have to do this," I said, feeling my cheeks heat up, slightly self-conscious that he got me a gift. Mark placed his palm on my cheek, easing away the embarrassment as he placed a light kiss on my lips.

"It's customary to give a graduate a gift," he said smiling.

"Here, I will put those in water, dear," my mom said, taking the flowers from me and strolling to the kitchen. I wasn't fooled by her ploy. She knew how I felt about opening gifts in front of people.

Settling on the edge of the couch, I pulled the wrapping off the small jewelry box. I gasped in pleasure after lifting the lid, spying the delicate heart shaped pendant on a chain. The heart was etched with two words, Always Yours.

"It's beautiful," I said with moist eyes as he helped my shaky fingers hook the chain around my neck.

"I love you," he said, leaning in to give me another kiss.

"I love you too," I said after softly caressing his lips with my own return kiss.

"We better go," he said, glancing at his watch.

"Mom, you ready?" I called out as I stood up to smooth out the back of my polyester robe.

"No reason to yell Dear. I'm right here," she said smiling.

"Oops, sorry mom, I didn't realize you were that close."

"Pretty necklace," she said, stepping in to inspect it. Her eyes tightened slightly at the corners with concern. She had warmed up considerably toward Mark, but made it clear that she wished we would slow down. I guess declaring himself mine, always, didn’t fall under the "slowing it down" category.

The parking lot at the country club where they were holding our graduation was packed by the time we pulled in. Mark circled the driveway and pulled up in front of the awning to let us out.

"I'll go park and join you inside," he said before I shut the door.

"Krista, over here," Sam called, standing by a five-tier elaborate fountain that was located in front of the oversized glass plated doors. "Tom and Karen are inside saving seats for your mom and this lot," Sam said, indicating Shawn, Lynn, Robert, and to my surprise, Haniel, who was standing to her left.

"Haniel, you're back," I said, happy for his return. "Mom, this is Haniel, a family friend of Mark's," I said smoothly.

Her eyes widened, taking in the Greek god-like figure in front of her. "It is a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Miller," Haniel said, holding out his hand.

Her hand was lost in his and I watched all tension leave her face at his touch. Haniel had a way of making a person relax and leave their worries behind. I had grown quite fond of him since his human-like moment after the revival when he healed my neck. I really missed him this past week while he was gone.

Mark joined our group a few minutes later. "You ready?" he asked, quietly placing his arm around my waist.

"I guess," I said grudgingly, not completely excited about being the center of attention.

"You'll be fine, and I'm sure Sam won't mind tripping or something if you mess up," Robert said, teasing Sam.

"Great, now that you jinxed me, I probably will trip. Thanks a lot bro, you're supposed to have my back," Sam said in mock anger as she reached past Lynn to sock him on the arm.

"Oww, I think a mosquito just got me," Robert said, making a production of looking for a mark on his muscular forearm.

"Oh shut it." Sam said giggling.

"Looks like they want the graduates to head down that hallway," Mark said, interrupting their antics.

"Sheesh, you think their sign is big enough?" Sam asked, snorting at the refrigerator-sized sign that simply read, Graduates This Way, with a two foot arrow beneath the words.

"I guess they felt a regular sized arrow would just be too difficult for us lowly graduates to figure out," she added.

Breaking away from the group, Sam and I followed the not so discrete arrows that lined the hallway walls, directing seniors to a different location. Sam's giggles increased with each sign we passed, making it hard for me not to join in. By the time we burst through doors to what Sam called "the holding pen," we were both clutching our sides.

The sound inside the large room was deafening, as everyone gathered around, talking about their plans for the evening and graduation gifts they had received. Of course, there was a lot of crying and gushing about how much they were going to miss each other, but for the most part everyone was excited about the significance of this moment.

Sam and I stood alone, which was how we preferred it. The only other group that was off by themselves was the Lush Trio. Sam and I had noticed when we returned to school that they were oddly subdued after the bathroom incident at prom. Gone were the sarcastic degrading comments that they were known for and the constant desire to be the center of our high school world. I had caught them studying Sam and me on more than one occasion. The change was nice, but felt strangely eerie. They were just simply there now. At first I was uber stressed that I had somehow damaged them, but Haniel was quick to reassure me.

"They have just come to realize their superficial qualities were not quite as endearing as they thought. They just needed the right push in a different direction," he had said, smiling slightly at me.

"Did I push them in that direction or did you?" I asked, suspecting the latter.

"I will leave that to you to figure out," he had said.

Watching them now, I felt a little bad that they seemed so unsure of their place with their peers now. Even more amazingly was the fact that all the girls that had vied for their attention for the last four years already seemed to have moved on. The Lush Trio seemed to be old news. High school really was survival of the fittest.

"Ladies and Gentleman, it's time to line up," Ms. Johansson, the principal's secretary, called out, trying to corral the rowdy bunch into two lines. Sam and I reluctantly parted as we stepped into our alphabetical place in line.