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When I read Caleb’s name on my mission note, my heart had taken control over my brain. I flew the fastest I ever had to the site where he was to meet his demise, not quite sure of what I was about to do. In the end I didn’t hesitate. I saw his bike as it careened around the curve, heading straight for a semi truck driving the wrong way. Before I even realized what I was doing, I plunged down in front of the truck and swept Caleb off his bike just as it fell and slid sideways under the giant tires.

"What did you do that for?" Caleb asked, surprised. I pointed to where his bike was nothing but a pile of mangled metal. "Fuck! You…. I…. Was I the soul you came to harvest? Am I dead?"

I laughed. A nervous chuckle as reality began to sink in. I had just saved the soul I came to take away. "You’re not dead. I saved you."

Afraid of being spotted, I flew us into the first sheltered spot I could find and put him down gently.

"Are you supposed to do that?" His eyes were mesmerizing, and I found I couldn’t take mine off them. I nodded, incapable of uttering a sound. "I thought you were supposed to take my soul to—well, hopefully Heaven. Why did you save me?"

I should’ve just flown away and hoped for the best. Instead, I grabbed his T-shirt, pulled him closer to me, and kissed him. This had to be some kind of seraphic madness for which I was in no hurry to find the cure. Caleb didn’t fight me, raising his hands and threading his fingers through my curls while his tongue explored my mouth. Ambrosia. Pure, intoxicating ambrosia.

"This is madness." His breath caressed my lips, and I had to refrain from crushing him between my craving body and the wall behind him. "Am I dreaming, Sky? Hallucinating, maybe? You’re an angel. A real, honest-to-God angel."

In the back of my mind there was a foggy idea of his earlier statement about having met another angel before, but the slow burning in my gut quickly convinced my brain to ignore it and focus on the task at hand. My hands had become a force to be reckoned with, moving of their own accord beneath his T-shirt, eager to explore every detail of his body.

It was indeed madness. I had just saved my charge. There would be hell to pay.

With that last thought I came to an abrupt realization. I stopped my hands and detached my lips from his, breathless and suddenly anxious. I was in so much trouble. "As much as it pains me to say and do this, I have to go." I wanted to stay so badly. "I have to tell Gabriel what just happened. He’s not going to be happy."

My eyes locked with his and I was flying over those sweet scented fields again. My lips stretched into an uncontrollable smile.

"I don’t know why you did it, but thank you for saving me," he said, sunshine taking over his face. I may be the angel, but he shone as if enveloped in a halo. "When will I see you again?"

Could I stay and ignore the call of responsibility? I wanted to. God, did I want it. But I knew I couldn’t. Being an angel meant I wasn’t free to do as I pleased. My life was not my own, and if I stayed the Corps would find me one way or another. Easier to just go and face the music. At least Gabriel wouldn’t be able to accuse me of being a coward.

"Soon." I hope. I touched my lips briefly to his and then, unfurling my wings, I took off, heading upwards toward the clouds and the wrath of the angels.