Love Beyond Sanity Read Online Free Page B

had died years ago. She'd felt him pass.
    The truth that she didn't have a half who would complete the whole pair they needed to be, created two major implications. The first one was she would never find true love, never know her other half, and never feel the kind of connection she watched Kal and Isabelle share. However, it did make her happy to help someone else find his or her soul mate. It would be nice to have another Outsider around. Someone else they always should have known, but didn't.
    The second implication was a doozy. The prophecy, the one the Great One had written, the one they were all way too familiar with, said that the eighteen Chosen Ones had to be all together to defeat the Great Evil. Hers was gone. So even if they somehow found the other twelve Outsiders, they could never win. That was—if the prophecy was to be believed.
    They were destined to lose no matter their efforts.
    So why couldn't she bring herself to tell the others? Because she was a healer and she was unable to cause harm. Telling them would bring such distress—they would never again be whole, and besides, maybe there was another way to win. Probably not, but she tried not to give up hope.
    Until she could find a good way to tell the others that didn't cause them pain, she'd just keep it to herself.
    She shook her head. First, she needed to deal with the problem of Marina. "Tell you what, I will go to New Jersey, and get our compatriot out of his cell." She really hoped he wasn't in a cell. "I will, of course, require your assistance with that." Truthfully, she had no idea how to go about doing such a thing, even if Marina thought she did. "But you have to leave me alone for a few minutes so I can quiet the darkness."
    There, she'd said it. She'd made her deal. Marina could take it or leave it.
    Her sister of the universe's eyes filled with tears. "But Charma, that could hurt you. You shouldn't be doing stuff like this. It's not in your nature."
    Biting the inside of her cheek, Charma continued, "It is. It is precisely in my nature and within my power . I have to be left alone to do it. Are we clear?"
    Marina looked at the floor before raising her head to nod. She lifted one finger and pointed it at Charma who couldn't help grinning in surprise. "But if you die, or fry yourself, Leonardo will have my head. So don't get hurt."
    Laughter was not something Charma had anticipated could happen on a night like the one they shared except she found herself giggling. She really didn't want another hug but she could feel that Marina needed one so she crossed the room to draw her close. "You're my family too, Marina."
    Marina nodded and pulled out of Charma's embrace before turning to leave. She paused at the door and Charma thought she might say something. After a moment, the other woman continued on her path and closed the door behind her.
    Maybe she should have invited the other Outsider to stay and help, but Charma was more than used to doing these things alone. Marina would just be a distraction.
    Moving back over to her table and closing her eyes for a moment to silence the night again in her own mind, Charma tried to breathe deeply. It was harder now. She'd been so worked up over Marina's idea to go to the mental institution she'd lost her calm and let more of the darkness inside of her.
    She needed it out.
    Quickly, she relit the candles and stared at the small flames as they flickered brightly. The orange and red burn comforted her. She could get through this. She could control the response.
    She closed her eyes and called the night into her. If she'd been using her powers on a human or another Outsider it would be a fast procedure. As it was, she wasn't sure how long it was going to take. A minute? An hour? A year?
    The darkness had a mind, like any other person. And what a mind it was. She could navigate a human psyche; find the darkness or the pain. Still she wasn't sure how to comfort a darkness that was happy being the way it