Parker was here to help me. I was overwhelmed with guilt, it weighed on me so heavily it was difficult to breathe.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, battling to fight back the tears.

“What are you sorry for?” he asked, looking puzzled.

I swallowed hard, trying to stop myself from sobbing. I put my hand to my chest to try and take a moment to calm myself.

“What Tessa?” Parker prompted.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t do anything to save you.” A tear slid down my cheek, I brushed it away.

His features eased. “You couldn’t have done anything.”

I shook my head.

It was time to tell him everything, I couldn’t keep it from him anymore. Even if I ran the risk that after I revealed it, he wouldn’t want anything to do with me. I had to come clean for my own sanity.

“I knew what was going to happen before it did.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

Our eyes held.

“Your aura. It was gray.”

“What does my aura have anything to do with this?” I could see his thought tick over. “When Damien said it was dead.”

I nodded. “I didn’t know for sure but I suspected it was the case. I couldn’t get Damien to confirm it and then you died.”

The truth was freeing, even if I had no idea what the repercussion would be.

“It makes logical sense in hindsight but there was no way to know for sure at the time. Besides there was no way I would have trusted anything Damien said. That guy is a piece of work.”

I was reminded of how much they disliked each other. So much had happened that Parker didn’t know and I didn’t know where to start.

“He isn’t the same anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“He isn’t just some random demon, he is…or was my guardian angel.”

His eyes widened in shock. “Really?”

I nodded. “It took me nearly dying for it to come to light.”

“And here I didn’t believe he had any redeeming qualities.”

His tone made me smile.

“I was supposed to die with my family but he saved me. It’s why he was turned into a demon and given the task to bring me back to hell.”

“It doesn’t feel like we are talking about the same asshole anymore.”

My smile widened. “Yeah. If you had told me this before I wouldn’t have believed a word.”

“So what happened with the reaper Tessa?” he asked. His attention on the mark. “Why did he mark you?”

I sighed. “It means he will be back to take my soul.”

“I’m here to help Tessa.”

In the short time I had known him he had become an important person to me. I didn’t make connections with people easily and I had with him.

“Damien is working on it.”

“I’m still a little hesitant to trust a demon that up to recently was trying to do everything to sabotage you.”

He didn’t know Damien like I did, but his reasoning made sense to some who didn’t know Damien in a way that I did.

I had been around Damien to be able to read his mannerisms and body language. I could see what he wasn’t saying and that alone spoke volumes.

“I get it. It took some very drastic events to make me see it.”

All the times he had saved me when he could have easily allowed me to die, was enough for me.

He began to fade a little.

“I can’t seem to hold this form for very long.” He flexed his hand but it did nothing to stop him from fading.

“I’ll be back.” His words hung in the air but he was gone.

What a day? I put my hand to my cheek.

I had too many thoughts to be able to concentrate on one so I packed up the rest of my homework. At this point I couldn’t even attempt any of it. I would try again later, maybe when I had some to process everything that happened that day.

I made sure to put another shirt on with a slightly longer sleeve to hide the mark when I heard my grandmother get home.

Trying to feel normal or pretend to be normal was difficult but I pasted a smile on and pretended for the sake of my grandmother.

“The school sent a message out today,” she said as she handed me the bag of groceries.

I had a feeling it would be about Parker but I didn’t say anything as she followed me into the kitchen.

“A boy died suddenly.”

I set the bag down on the counter.

She studied me. “Did you know him?”

My eyes began to water.

“Oh, come here.” She moved to hug me.

I couldn’t stop the tears. I cried for the boy I had been unable to save and the grave predicament I found myself in now.

“It’s okay,” my grandmother soothed, rubbing my back slightly as she held me.

Eventually I stopped crying and the tears dried up.

“I’m sorry you had to experience that today.”

I shrugged. “He was a nice guy and it was unexpected.”

“It might take them some time to figure out why he died,” she murmured.

I nodded. I was convinced it had been some type of aneurism but I wasn’t a doctor. But in the bigger scheme of things, did it really matter what had killed him? He was dead and the was the only thing that really mattered.

And ghosting me.

Maybe there was more to his presence than wanting to help me. For the first time I considered perhaps what he was really looking for was some sort of closure before he crossed over.

I did wonder why he was able to still be here when the reaper had collected him. It was something that I was sure Damien would know.

“What was he like?” my grandmother asked when I took a seat at the kitchen counter while she put the groceries away.

“He was nice.” I couldn’t put into words the ease at which he had befriended me. And there was no way I could tell that what had bonded us was the fact that he had been able to see Damien and therefore knew what was going on in my life.

It wasn’t something I reveal or explain to anyone without them thinking I was completely off my rocker.

“He was just nice.” I murmured, know how vague it must sound.

“I’m sorry, just know he is in a better place.”

I knew she meant well but I couldn’t help bristle at her statement. It was something people told themselves so they could be more accepting of death but I knew better. Not everyone was better when they died. There would be no white light for, not family waiting on the other side. Other than my father.

He would be where I was destined to end up.

It was hard to think about and something I tried not to dwell.

His actions had led to the accident. It was only later I would find out the reason my father had loaded us all into the car under the presence of a family day out. Only for it to end with three dead people and one survivor.

It was something that was still so difficult to comprehend so many years later.

I shook it off. I had enough to deal with, without adding that into the mixture.

“They are offering counseling at school. Maybe you should go.” I knew she meant well but that was the last thing I needed.

Talking wouldn’t change what had happened to Parker and it would change the fact that the reaper was coming back for me.

I had to use the limited time I had to figure a way to stop the reaper. That was the most important thing. But it wasn’t something I could share with her. And even if I could, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t want to needlessly worry her.

This was my burden alone.

While Damien was gone I watched the time, feeling more antsy with every passing second. I half expected Parker to reappear but he didn’t.

I tried doing my homework again but didn’t get very far when Damien reappeared in my room. The sight of him took my breath away for entirely different reasons than before.

Before it would have been fear but now it was the way my heart skipped a beat at the sight of him.