Free Night Finds by Amber Lynn

still there and it gets stronger as I reach the other side. The blackened earth is literally crying out to me. I fall to my knees to try to soothe it by touching what I can.
    Sebastian kneels down beside me and I forget all about the fact there may be a hostile force greeting us. I close my eyes and listen to what the ground is saying. There is a plea for help that is coming in loud and clear, but I don't know what to do. I am not aware of some special healing ability in my tool belt.
    “Let us help,” Sebastian says laying his hand on top of mine. Alex presses one of his hands to my cheek and I feel a tingly sensation. “We haven't really investigated our ability to share power, even after we felt how strong it was in the early days.  I think if we focus it into the ground, maybe it will jump start something.”
    It is worth a try. I am not used to strong emotions and I can see myself becoming crippled by the ones I am picking up now. My eyes are still closed and I work to touch the place in my head that houses Sebastian. He can wall me off all he wants, but I am able to access him. Alex is a little harder because we aren't fully mated.
    He senses my dilemma and moves his hand to place it over my heart. When I feel its warmth a new section of my brain lights up and a burst of something springs from my hands. I hear a few gasps, but I keep focused on the call from the earth. It probably only takes a minute before the dark cloud over my head passes and peace washes over me.
    I feel that my work is done, so I open my eyes to look at a vastly different landscape. Trees that were nowhere to be seen have erupted from the earth. The burnt ground is green again and the air just smells cleaner. I can still feel far off cries of help, but in my direct vicinity, things are looking brighter. I don't know what happened, what I did, and why it magically happened now, but I am pretty sure it was some kind of miracle.
    “Not really. We all have the ability to bring forth life from the dead, when need be. The trick is knowing when to use it,” Gabe announces close behind me. I spin around to face him.
    “You,” Alex and Sebastian say at the same time. No. That is all I can say or think right now. No.
    “It is nice to see you both again. I am also happy that you both helped trigger Nyx's trials. She could have breathed life back into the land without the assist, but the fact that she accepted your offer of help scores bonus points. Most people that earn their angel powers let the influence of the gifts go to their heads. Being able to ask for help tends to be low on their priority scale. Because of that, they have a tendency to burn out in the long run. Carrying the world on your shoulders has that effect.”
    “Got it. Step one has started and I am doing great. Let's back up to the part where Sebastian and Alex both recognize you. When did you pay them visits, Gabe?”
    “This is your angel?” Alex asks in disbelief. “I guess that makes a little sense. I didn't know his name was Gabe, though. During a dark period in my life, obviously a long time ago, he showed up and stopped me from firing into what I believed was a Collective house. It was a Collective house like my intel said, but the only people in residence at the time were a woman and her child. That was a wakeup call for me and led me to seek your father out. I realized it was time for me to grow up.”
    “And look how well things have turned out for you,” Gabe says smiling.
    “For me, he showed up just when I was about to move back to Europe for a century or two. I had been here in the States for a while and I was getting bored with the scenery. He introduced me to Night Owl City before it was even called that and told me that the city was going to be key in the future of all paranorms. For some reason I believed him and opened up Sins that year.”
    “You manipulated them into staying close to me.”
    “Not really. In both cases, you weren't even born. I bet you