Destiny's Revenge (Destiny Series - Book 2) by Straight, Nancy (management books to read .TXT) 📕

the phone setting there. The shock of this action gripped me hard. I knew I hadn’t reached for it. I yelled out loud, “Samael, don’t do that!”

Samael’s voice was quiet in my head when he replied, “Max, you need to call her.”

“I need some sleep.” I took control of my hand and returned the phone to its cradle.

He was still not overbearing. His tone was matter-of-fact when he responded, “She didn’t do anything wrong, Max. You need to call her and tell her something. It’s not fair to her to not know. You don’t need to tell her anything you don’t want to, but having spent a fair amount of time with her, I know what makes her tick. Your ignoring her is worse than anything you could say to her. She doesn’t deserve the silent treatment.”

Disbelief took hold. Samael must have gone off the deep end. At what point did he begin caring for anyone other than himself? “Stay the hell out of it, Samael!”

“She doesn’t understand what happened. She thinks she’s done something wrong. She hasn’t had experience with anyone but you. If you cut her off without explanation, she’ll always be wounded and it’ll be your fault. If you want that on your conscience then so be it, but she would move a mountain for you. The least you can do is pick up the phone.”

“Samael, I appreciate the advice and everything, but it isn’t my fault that I had to break ties with her. It’s yours. So any minute you want to step out of my body, I would be more than happy to spend time with Lauren, but as of right now, I am more of a danger to her than anything else.”

“She is in no danger from either of us. Renny, on the other hand, is manipulating her.”

“Rewsna and Lauren are friends. Speaking of friends, I liked you a whole lot better when you were keeping to yourself.”

A sharp pain bolted through my temple. Samael’s words were decisive, “Renny is not your friend. She is not Lauren’s friend. Do not trust her.”

“That’s a pretty stern warning coming from a demon.”

“Max, I am not all that complicated a being. I like order to my world. Those who want to interfere with the natural order of things have always gotten a visit from my kind. I possessed Lauren for nearly three years. After she was ripped away from me, that is when she knew fear, that is when she knew pain. She was a part of me for so long that I am still attuned to her. You have hurt her badly, and I believe a simple phone call is not so very much to ask.”

“I thought demons liked suffering? Why are you so concerned about Lauren?”

“Again, you aren’t the brightest bulb on the scoreboard. We already covered this. Lauren could go either way. Her powers, if used by the Council, have the ability to change destinies, ultimately creating chaos. If her powers were to be used by the Cabinet she could amplify predetermined outcomes.”

“What do you mean by amplify?”

“Lauren can intensify emotions that the Cabinet can feed off of. For instance, let’s say your new friend Dale had to do CPR on a gunshot victim. The Cabinet member that represents Doubt under normal circumstances could do little to convince Dale his efforts were futile. However, Lauren could amplify Doubt’s efforts and make Dale give up prematurely.”

“So that’s why you want Lauren, to help you kill people?”

“No, that is not what I said. There is a reason the Cabinet exists. That gun-shot victim, if he were to live would be a drain on his family. He would never again be a productive member of society. He would sink into a deep depression and eventually he might just off himself, which would put his family through further turmoil unnecessarily. The whole situation could have been avoided if Doubt could have simply been more powerful at that particular moment.” I was frightened because Samael’s explanation actually made sense. I had seen way too many people whose lives we had saved just to have them never really live again. “You know I’m right. Having Lauren assist the Cabinet is simply a less painful resolution to the inevitable. They aren’t trying to alter destinies. They aren’t trying to reverse events. They are only trying to amplify their skills when they are desperately needed.”

I didn’t want to continue this conversation. I definitely did not want to see Samael’s side of the story. I really only wanted to rest. I rolled over in bed, away from the phone, and assumed Samael would get the hint.

A warmth encompassed me, that familiar light shining from nowhere in particular. Lauren was watching me again; I could feel her eyes on me. As exhausted as my body was, a part of me desperately wanted her here with me. I didn’t trust Samael. I have a hard time believing that the good guys are the bad guys and the bad guys are really the good guys. He keeps telling me that Rewsna is bad news for Lauren, but I just can’t see it. Rewsna has been nothing but helpful to Lauren and she trusts her. Samael himself said he attacked Lauren, he held her hostage for almost three years. I know he can hear my every thought. He knows exactly what I’m thinking all the time.

As I eased into a welcomed sleep, I relived the day I walked into Lauren’s room at the nursing home with Gramps. I started to get erect. Lauren was still watching, so I couldn’t speak outloud, but I nearly shouted in my head, “Samael, I told you to leave my body alone!”

A condescending tone answered me back, “That isn’t me, Max. If you insist on thinking about her, you have to accept your own body’s reaction. One phone call won’t make a bit of difference to you, but it’ll make a world of difference to her. She thinks she’s done something wrong.