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them room. The little girl held his gaze with her own. When technicians turned to see what she was looking at, they saw only bare space filled with drifting dust. “Please?” the little girl asked again.
    Death nodded. The name on his arm gave a sharp throb. He ignored it. EMTs worked on Julia. The little girl no longer watched Death. Convinced that her mother was safe, she did what she could to answer the medical team’s questions all the while holding her mother’s hand. A smile was on her face that seemed far out of place given the situation, but to Death, that smile held all the answers in the world.
    He turned and walked from the mall, his chest filled with regret, but not regret for the uncompleted list, regret that Julia’s name had been on it in the first place. A mother of a little girl didn’t deserve to die.

***
     
    Death walked through the closed door of the hospital and into Gregan Parker’s room. Nyra looked up as soon as he entered. “You’re ruining me,” he said in a tone that was more resigned than accusatory.
    “I know you’ve given Gregan more time. It’s just not enough,” Nyra said. Her fingers twisted together, giving away her anxiety.
    “It’ll never be enough,” Death said quietly.
    “What was that?” She took a step closer.
    He shook his head, a faint motion of shadow amid the darkness. “I let a woman live today.”
    Nyra’s hand flew to her mouth, but she kept silent, sensing he had more to tell her.
    “She had a daughter. The girl saw me; she pleaded for her mother’s life.” He bowed his head. “I just couldn’t do it.”
    The angel made no sound when she crossed to him, but a warning called in the back of his mind. He looked up just as she reached for his face. He flashed to the other side of the room faster than either of them knew he could. “Don’t ever touch me!” he barked in a voice that made her jump.
    Just as no one could withstand Death’s smile, his voice in anger was enough to make grown men cry. Nyra cowered by Gregan’s bed, fear bright in her green eyes.
    Death rubbed the back of his neck. He took a step toward her. “Nyra, I-” When she shrank away, it stole what was left of his self-control. He let out a growl of fury that shorted out every monitor in the room. They reset just as the nurses rushed in, but Death was long gone.

Chapter Twelve
    ANGEL
     
    Nyra stared at the closed door. Fear still hammered in her ears, a remnant of Death’s angry outburst. The nurses had been baffled by the monitors; they brought in two replacements even though those that had shorted out worked just fine after Death’s departure.
    Betsy came in a short while later. A nurse followed her into the room. “Dr. Stevenson said he is doing better than expected,” the nurse said with a warm smile.
    Tears glittered brightly in Betsy’s eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Nyra’s heart went out to the woman. When she and Gregan had been together, Nyra couldn’t stand being around them because the woman made Gregan so much happier than she ever could. He didn’t even know Nyra existed. Yet seeing how Betsy’s heart ached and how desperately she wanted Gregan to get better, Nyra couldn’t help feeling a kinship toward the woman. The nurse’s words made them both feel relieved.
    Nyra wandered down the hall to let Betsy have some time with Gregan. She figured Death wouldn’t be returning soon after his outburst.
    His actions puzzled her. Death was nothing like she had imagined. He was scary for sure, and intense. He was volatile and unpredictable. Yet he was far different from the heartless cold shadow she had expected. There was something about his eyes, so deep and heartbreaking as though the lives he took ate at him inside. He said he loved what he did, but there was cynicism in his voice as though even he didn’t believe his words.
    The look on his face when she had reached out to touch him was burned into her mind. He had been angry, furious, but it