like a do-over," Dan said, slowly setting his gun on the dresser. "Beats me why you'd wanna come back down here to check on any of us, after you got a get-out-of-jail-free card, though."
"It's because I did get one of those," she murmured, her large, luminous brown eyes pouring empathy into his. "I felt your pain, followed you here. Something happened and allowed me to come onto this side of the veil. Lopez almost followed me, but they've pulled him so high up, I don't think he can slip out without them knowing. He has a message for Carlos and Jose, but it's not time yet to deliver it. Padre has work to do, some other mission, but sends his love. You have to let Carlos know there's no hard feelings, just love here."
"Whoa... you saw Lopez?"
She nodded and looked away. "He's in our old line from that old existence.... They let you remember all so that you gain wisdom, but it doesn't hurt once you've faced it and admitted it. I'm in an atonement phase, I guess. That's why I'm here to help."
Dan shrugged and jammed his weapon-free hand into his sweatpants pocket. "Well, we did pretty good on our own in Tibet, unless you guys from the unseen side of things were in the equation, which I don't doubt."
"We were."
"Thanks," he said, smiling. He carefully put the safety on his gun before sliding it further away on his dresser. "Glad you're on our side... but we're cool now."
She tilted her head and glanced away. "I used to be a master vamp's lair mate... and, uhmmm... for a while, I bottomed out in the succubae realms. So can we speak freely?"
Sudden heat flushed Dan's face and he walked away from the smiling entity that glowed to brace his hands on the window frame.
"Tell me you guys don't see everything."
"We don't spy on personal things, no. That's unnecessary. We can feel things... sense the vibrations. Although we don't sashay into dreams uninvited, if that's what you're worried about. We only come when we're called, or if the person is really in trouble or upset and has a prayer for guidance in their hearts. You had one of those just now, so I came."
He let out an audible breath; her tone still nagged him. There was too much amusement in it.
"You're not trapped down here, or anything?"
"No," she said, giggling softly, "and I'll go away, if I'm upsetting you."
"It's not that I don't appreciate your looking out for me, but... just some things are really personal, and I'm working through it on my own, and it'll really wig me out if you just blow through my room when I don't know you're there." He glanced over his shoulder and saw her swallow away a broad smile. That was the last thing he needed anybody to see, those times when it was so bad he had to relieve himself just to get through another day.
"I won't do that to you. I promise. I just followed your pain trail and heard the prayer and thought you might want to talk to someone who knows how you feel." Her voice had become gentle as she glided closer to him. She was truly beautiful and not the least bit threatening. But the things that had been on his mind weren't the sort of topic one discussed with a heavenly body.
"The truth is the Light, you know," she said with a wide grin. "I can take some of that pain away. Just take the edge off."
He backed up, rendered near speechless. "How?"
She laughed, sending the sound of tinkling bells around the room. "Not like that," she said, and then covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, Daniel, it's really bad, isn't it?"
"I don't wanna discuss it, and I think you should leave before you get stuck here or something."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh."
She came closer and touched his face. This time he didn't draw away from her. A quiet peace filled him, and the need to hug her to feel more of her calming sensation made him jam both his hands into his pockets. To his surprise, she opened her arms and embraced him. He'd expected the touch to be ghostly cold and to pass right through him. Instead serene warmth radiated against his skin like a humid summer breeze.
"Don't covet what J.L. has.... They're making one especially for you--and right now, we need you to be one of the voices of reason. I