“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?” Joey asked as I got into my car. He stood beside the car with his hands in the front of his jeans.

The storm had passed but we had experience both outside and inside Joey’s car lingered with me.

My hands shook as I gripped my steering wheel and Joey closed the car door.

“I’m fine.” I gave him a smile but inside I was a mess.

It felt like everything I knew had been shaken to its core. That combined with the near death experience was more than I could handle.

Joey’s opened the door and bent down beside the car.

“I’m sorry about what happened in the car. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

He was apologizing to me but I had been there right with him.

“You don’t have to apologize,” I assured him.

“I have a girlfriend and I shouldn’t have even looked at you the way I did.” He was regretful and that made me feel worse. What was wrong with me?

“This feels like the Casey Green incident all over again except I’m in her position this time. I don’t seem to learn,” he gave a light smile but it did nothing to ease the tension between us.

I couldn’t be around him any longer, without doing something I knew I would regret.

“I’m fine Joey, I can drive.”

He studied me for a long moment. “Are you sure?”

I nodded.

He gave a nod and stood before shutting the door.

“Please message me when you get home so I know you got home safe.”

It was something a boyfriend would request, not someone I had met a handful of times.

I nodded again. I would have agreed to anything to be able to get out of there as quickly as possible.

It was difficult to concentrate as I backed out of the parking and drove away. I couldn’t stop myself from looking back in the rear view mirror and seeing his lone figure watching me.

My mind was a mess, a jumble of thoughts and I couldn’t figure out what had happened. I couldn’t explain the lightening strikes. That was no normal storm. Or what happened between Joey and I.

Damien.

He was the one I wanted. Only him.

But with that same thought I couldn’t explain what had happened with Joey. I felt horrible, guilty.

Even if nothing had actually happened.

At least I had been able to give Parker’s note to him. After what transpired today I would be keeping my distance from Joey.

My hands were shaking so bad I had to pull over to the side of the road to give take a few minutes to pull myself together before I drove home.

Even when I walked into the house my mind was still frazzled.

Damien was in my room when I entered.

“How did it go?” he asked, studying me but I averted my eyes from his.

“It was fine.” My didn’t know how to handle what I had just experienced. I trembled.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Damien asked, closer.

I let out a shaky breath. “There was a storm.” I swallowed, finally lifting my eyes to meet his.

“What happened?” He moved across the room to take my hand in his.

“There was lightening but it wasn’t normal.” There was nothing normal about what had happened at the park.

“Tell me,” he prompted, with a burrowed forehead.

“I don’t know. It wasn’t natural. Joey and I had to hide in his in car to get away from it. It even hit the car.”

He released my hand to rub his chin. “That does sound strange.”

“Yeah,” I scoffed. “I know.”

It feels like I had come within inches to death and somehow come away unscathed. Then I thought about Joey. Not completely unscathed.

“You’re shaking.” His hands went to my arms.

My emotions were all over the place and I didn’t know how to hide my turmoil.

“If death draws closer to you because of the mark. It attracts danger.” He searched my features.

“You think it was because of the mark.”

He nodded slowly while he studied me.

“So did Joey believe you?”

I pulled away from him. “Yes.”

I feel his gaze rest on me as I turned my back to him. My meetup with Joey still lingered and I couldn’t shake that something had sparked between us, no matter how much I didn’t want it.

“There is something you aren’t telling me Tessa.”

I refuse to turn to face him. “It was nothing.”

His hand turned me to face him, he lifted my chin so my eyes met his.

“Tell me.”

A simple command I wrestled with. I didn’t even understand what had transpired, how could I explain it to someone else.

“Did Joey do something?”

I swallowed and shook my head.

“I don’t know how to explain it.” I exhaled deeply.

Damien frowned. “It’s him, isn’t it?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I crossed my arms.

“I know who he is.” His voice was soft.

I frowned. “He is Joey and he is Parker’s best friend.”

“No.”

I dropped my arms to my sides when I saw his expression. It looked pained.

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you believe in destiny?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, unsure of where this conversation was headed and unsure if I was ready to hear it.

“Do you believe the moment you are born, your life is mapped out until your death?”

“Clearly not, because I’m pretty sure this isn’t part of my destiny. Remember I cheated death and you’ve been trying to drag me to hell for the last seven years.”

He remained quiet. He knew something, I could tell but for some reason he was hesitant to reveal it, I couldn’t tell why.

“Please just spit out, you’re starting to freak me out Damien.”

“I found out something when I went back to hell to find out the truth when we figured out I was your guarding angel before I became this.” His eyes grew fiery, red. The veins in his face drew to the surface and streaked across his handsome features, reminding me of who he was.

“What did you find out?” I asked, when he quietened.

“In every person born into this world has a soul mate.”

Soul mate. The words vibrated through me and I knew what was coming. Even if I didn’t want to accept it.

“If you had made a different decision that day. If you had chosen to live you would have lived a long and happy life.”

“With?” I asked, softly.

My eyes never wavered from his.

“Joey.”

It felt like my worlds had been tipped upside down and I sank down onto the bed. “You’re telling me that Joey is my…soul mate.”

He nodded.

It explained our connection.

“That’s crazy,” I whispered, still trying to make sense of what he had just revealed.

“Crazier than wanting something you know you can’t have…”

He was talking about us but I wasn’t sure if that comment was from his point of view or mine.

I stood and closed the distance between us. I took his hands in mine. “I want you. I choose you.”

“When you were with him this afternoon, did you feel it?”

I couldn’t tell him the truth. I couldn’t admit to him that it had been difficult to ignore what had sparked between Joey and I. It had been natural, as easy as breathing. Like it was meant to be. And it was. He was my soul mate. It wouldn’t change simply because I had chosen not to escape while the car had sank in the water.

If Damien hadn’t saved me I would have died and Joey would have carried on without me. Like he had been before our paths had crossed.

“Nothing is coincidental Tessa. It is no coincidence that you just happened to move to the town where the love of your life lives.”

Love of my life. I didn’t even know him. Granted the chemistry between us was not easily ignored but that didn’t erase what I felt for Damien.

“That’s crazy,” I muttered, wanting nothing to do with fate or Joey.

“You can say what you want but this afternoon you felt it.” There was a dark sadness in his eyes and I refused to just accept it.

“You are the one I want Damien, not Joey.”

“There is no place in this world, or anywhere else for us.”

I hated how resigned he sounded, like we had no chance.