The narrow trail widened, revealing the opening she saw in her vision. The angel had lost his wings here. She swiped her flashlight in a circle around her, revealing nothing but sand, stone, and a path where the trail continued. Jocelyn stopped and listened for any sign of the angel, but the anticipation turning in her stomach and her pounding heart distracted her.

Jocelyn crossed the small opening and moved forward down the narrow path ahead until she could barely place one foot in front of the other. Her shoulders bumped into the side of the trail as she twisted sideways.

Ahead, her flashlight caught a movement, and when the long, slender reptile slithered down the trail, a shrill scream erupted from her lips. She backed away but tripped.

“Umph!” Her butt fell against the wall and slid to the ground as she fell backwards, her long legs twisted in front of her and her glasses slipped down her nose.

This was ridiculous. She wasn’t brave, and she didn’t know if she’d even find this man. She should turn back and try again during daylight. Perhaps the man had left? If he couldn’t be found, she would have no guilt, right? Surely, she couldn’t search this forest for all eternity.

As much as she repeated those sentiments, she knew better. With her fiancé, Jake, she had also thought that she had tried her hardest to help him. She had said everything she could to stop him from taking his car out that day, but he didn’t listen. The garbage truck had crossed the center line and sent Jake’s car tumbling into a ravine in a swell of flames.

Jocelyn had warned Jake and told him not to go to work, but he said she was paranoid. That was nearly eight years ago, and guilt still haunted her. Sure, she’d done everything she could, except one thing. She didn’t tell him she was a psychic, and because she was afraid to admit who she was, he had died.

Thinking of what other creatures could be slithering on the ground, Jocelyn bounced to her feet. She straightened her glasses, pulled her backpack off, and squeezed through the narrow passage.

Eventually, the passage widened into a cavern. She swiped her flashlight around, and her heart hammered when the light reflected off a bare chest. She lifted the light some, revealing a handsome, familiar face.

In her vision, he had been so proud when he kneeled before the other angel. His jaw had tightened and fists had clenched when the glowing sword lopped off his wings. Now, he crouched and cowered against the rocks, a heap of flesh and bone. He hugged his knees and pushed against the cavern wall.

Jocelyn set her backpack down and extended her hand. “I’m here to help.”

“I’m fine. I don’t need help.” Unlike his position, his voice was confident and proud as he enunciated each word.

Of course, he’d be stubborn. Her visions never led her somewhere easy. “You do need help.” Jocelyn pushed her wild hair out of her face and straightened her t-shirt. “I know who you are, and I know what happened to you this morning.”

The angel scooted away, keeping his back against the wall.

Jocelyn pulled out her water bottle and opened the top. She squirted the cloth she brought. “You have wounds on your back that need to get cleaned. If not, they will get infected.” She reached out and held out the rag. “You can wash them yourself, or I can help. Either way, I’m not leaving until I’m certain they won’t get infected.”

He stood, some of that pride she had seen in her vision returned, but then followed the wall farther from her, giving her a moonlit glimpse of the sandstone and dirt mixed in the blood on his back. “Please, step out of my way.”

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She slung the backpack over her shoulder and concreted her position between the angel and the exit. “You don’t understand. If you don’t wash your back, your wounds will get infected, and you’ll die.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m dying anyway.”

“We all are slowly dying. Isn’t that what living is? Come on. Now’s not the time for a philosophy lesson.”

“What if you could live forever, but that was taken from you?” The man hung his head. “Never mind. None of it matters.”

“All that matters is that if you don’t wash up, you’ll die early. You’ll miss your future.”

“My future?” He laughed. “I don’t have a future.”

Jocelyn stepped forward, holding out an empty hand. “Let me show you.”

He cocked his chin.

She sighed. It was easier just to come clean. There was no reason to hide anything—it was the lesson she learned eight years ago. “I have premonitions. I see the present and the future. If you let me touch your skin, I can show you what I’ve seen.” She stepped forward, but he scooted away. “Come on. What harm am I?” She motioned to her lean body compared to his muscled one.

His eyes glided from her head to her toes, but when she stepped forward, he took a step away, bumping into the back corner of the cavern. Jocelyn moved forward. When she was only a step from him, she bent her knees and set the water bottle down. She draped the rag over the top, keeping it clean, and slid her backpack on the ground.

Again, she reached out, watching his eyes follow to her outstretched palm. He hugged the rocks behind him but didn’t move. She gently placed her hand on his bare shoulder. When her skin made contact, his dark blue eyes met hers and a shiver ran down her spine. An unspoken connection hummed between them she hadn’t expected, and from the look on his face, neither did he. Perhaps this would be easier than she thought.

As hard as it was to leave his gaze, she shut her eyes. She searched for images from the first vision. The vision of him dying in this wilderness. His broken boy curled up in a pile upon the ground. She forced these thoughts into an energy that flowed through her arm, into her hand, and into his body. She channeled the pain he felt in her vision and sent it to him as well. Sweat formed on her forehead and her hand warmed against his skin.

When she opened her eyes, his strong jawline had softened, his lips parted, and his wide eyes examined her.

Jocelyn rubbed her hand that had been on his shoulder. “You see why we need to wash your wounds? All that can be avoided.”

“I won’t try to avoid my fate.”

“It’s not your fate. It’s one possible future. I can show you another.”

“I don’t want to see.” He squeezed around her, heading towards the cavern exit. When Jocelyn spun to watch him flee, she saw his foot catch on her water bottle, sending it tumbling across the ground before smacking into a rock. A trail of wet ground marked its path.

Jocelyn picked up the rag and shook it. Sand sprayed in all directions, causing a shower against the ground. She crossed the cavern and retrieved the empty water bottle.

Shoot, shoot, shoot!

The man continued toward the exit, but Jocelyn rushed in front of him, putting both hands on his chest and guiding him back into the cavern. He pushed, but she stood her ground. “Just listen to me. I have to help you, otherwise I’ll feel like a horrible person the rest of my life, and I don’t need more guilt. Let me show you what will happen if you clean up.” She smiled. “Please?”

His lips twitched like he wanted to smile but didn’t want to get caught doing it. When his shoulders relaxed, she placed her hand against his bare chest. His hand rose and clasped hers, and when she caught in his intense gaze, she lost her breath. His blue eyes told a story she desperately wanted to hear. How long had it been since she’d been so close to a man?

Now wasn’t the time.

He lifted her hand and let go, causing her hand to drop to her side. His reply was clear and firm. “No.”

This time when he stepped around her toward the cavern’s exit, his back nearly glowed from the moonlight filtering in from the cavern’s open ceiling. Bright red blood smeared across his back and dripped from his wounds. Sand clung to the wetness and his wounds looked painful enough that she was surprised how straight and strong he stood.

As she watched him move away from her, down the narrow trail, her thoughts were monopolized by memories of her fiancé. Of how he got in his car and she watched him drive away. Hoping she had done enough, but knowing, deep down, she hadn’t even tried to help.

Tears threatened her eyes, and she pushed her way out of the cavern, after the fallen angel.