"I thought Soul Traders were immortal?" I asked, confused.
"They are to a certain extent. They can live forever in this realm, guiding souls as they see fit, but they can be destroyed much like you destroy Daemons. Once their earthly forms are snuffed out, they can never return to this realm again. They are forever forsaken to eternity in hell."
"What if they don't align themselves with The Dark One?" I asked, trying to ignore the knot in my stomach.
"They are still condemned to spending eternity in hell. Remember, The Light does not allow Soul Traders in heaven, no matter how many souls they've delivered. By denying him in their time of judgment, they gave up their place in heaven. The Light allows them to stay on Earth and the Between, but he denies them passage through the pearly gates."
"That still just doesn't seem fair at all," I said, finding a hard time grasping the idea of being denied access into heaven. It seemed so barbaric to me.
"Harsh maybe, but The Light believes if you truly wanted to go to heaven, you would never had denied him," Krista said, brushing crumbs off the table into her cupped hand.
"So, all that being said, you're telling me even though he's immortal, Emrys is going to wind up in hell at some point?" I asked, wanting to punch something in a sudden burst of anger.
"Well, his place on Earth is relatively safe as long as he continues to deliver souls to both sides and stays under the radar," Mark said. "Usually, what you see with Traders is that they eventually get too cocky or desire more power, and make alliances. Since The Light isn't exactly a dealmaker, many of them stop delivering any souls to The Light and instead only bring them to The Dark One."
"Emrys is different," I said stubbornly. I didn't want to believe that Emrys would hand-deliver souls that belonged in heaven to The Dark One. He was one of the good ones. He obviously had reasons for staying on Earth.He was a good guy, I repeated to myself.
"I'm sure you're right," Krista said, patting my hands that I didn't even remember clenching. "But we just want to be sure, okay?"
"Okay, but you'll keep Haniel in check, right? You know what a pain he can be."
"Yes, we'll make sure he behaves," she deadpanned.
"And you won't ask any embarrassing questions," I stated, looking more at Mark.
"Define embarrassing?" he asked, smiling wickedly, which just seemed wrong with his angelic background.
"Just be cool, please, and don't act like typical parents," I griped as he grinned broadly. "Remember, revenge is a cold-ass beeyotch," I reminded him.
"Language," Krista chastised. "And I'm pretty sure it breaks some kind of rule to threaten your guardians," she added, raising her eyebrows at me. "Don't worry, Jordyn, I'll watch them both."
I glowered at Mark who shook his head behind her back. Seeing my look, Krista turned toward Mark who was now smiling innocently at her. Using her turned back to my own advantage, I made a slashing motion across my neck. "You'll go down," I mouthed just as Krista turned back around to bust me.
"Can we act our ages?" she said, smacking Mark in the head.
"Sure we can, hon, but we won't," Mark said, scooping her up into his arms. "I think a little swim in the ocean is called for," he added, cradling her in his arms as he strode out the French doors.
Watching them from the patio, I whooped my encouragement as Krista squealed in protest. "I don't have my suit on!" she complained as Mark continued to stride toward the stairs that would take them to the ocean below.
"When have we ever let that stop us?" Mark asked suggestively.
"True," she said, capturing his lips with hers.
"Eww, TMI," I yelled, but they were lost in their kiss as they disappeared down the steps. A few moments later, they came back into sight on the beach below as Mark carried Krista out into the water. He lowered her so she was standing flush against him. The moonlight cast down, showcasing them as a perfect silhouette. I made my way back to the porch swing, sinking down against the plush cushion and reveled in the quiet that surrounded me. I was alone. For the first time in days, no one was watching my every move. This kind of freedom, I could definitely get used to. No more sneaking around, no more jail sentences or wardens. Now, I just needed to figure out how to get Emrys to appear again so I could tell him.
I knew he obviously couldn't read my mind, but I couldn't help wondering if he would come if I called him. "Emrys," I said, feeling more than a little ridiculous.
"What are you up to, sweet cheeks?" Emrys asked from behind me, sounding amused.
Whirling around swiftly, I almost fell out of the swing only to discover him lounging atop the patio table behind me. "Damn it, don't sneak up on me like that. One of these times it's going to get you hurt," I complained, trying to calm my breathing as I stood up.
"Why? You're so cute when you're scared," he drawled in a voice oozing sex appeal.
"I wasn't scared. I just didn't know you were there," I countered. "
Why'd you say my name if you didn't know I was here?" he asked, summoning me toward him with his finger.
"You know, I'm not some dog you can whistle for and expect to come trotting right over," I said spitefully, despite the fact that I was indeed walking toward him. Suddenly, I had flashbacks from the kiss earlier. "I was trying to figure out how to get you to show up. I should have realized your creepy stalker ways would make that unnecessary," I continued, willing myself not to look at his lips. He was already cocky enough without knowing how much I'd thought about the kiss in the last few hours.