“I knew it. I knew it!” she snapped, jerking away from him. She paced away, back to the couch in the living room and collapsed there, emotionally drained. “This is how it works. They sweet-talk you into giving an inch; then they take a mile. We say yes to the advanced training and suddenly now they need her in the field. Well, screw that. Screw them! Sarah Beth is not going in the field. No way, nohow.”

David sat beside her, a tight smile on his face meant to reassure.

“I wasn’t going to suggest that,” he said, leaving his hands in his lap, respecting her apparent need for distance. “You and I are on the same page here, baby—the same team. She will never go out in the field unless we both agree. But there are things she can do from the safety of the school.”

“Uh-uh, no,” she said, shaking her head emphatically.

He exhaled loud enough to make his exasperation known. “And what happens if spiritual intelligence comes to her unbidden? Is she just supposed to ignore it? Look, Rachel, she possesses gifts with capabilities still beyond her control. Remember what happened with the Vatican attack? If not for our daughter, the pope would be dead right now.”

He made a good point. Maybe Watcher skills were by their very nature beyond human control. Maybe the gifted only had one decision to make—either accept and embrace the gift or deny and ignore it. Sarah Beth had chosen the former, while Rachel had made the mistake of doing the latter.

Only God has real control.

She shuddered and hugged herself. “I don’t know . . . I’m not sure about this anymore.”

“What’s going on with you?” David said, worry lines creasing his forehead. “After our conversation the other night . . . I thought we had all this sorted.”

“I did too, but I feel so powerless. So . . . useless,” she stammered. “She’s at that school, by herself, where I can’t help her. Where I can’t protect her. And if I can’t do that, what good am I to her?”

“Rachel, what in the world are you talking about? First off, her safety is the reason we sent her there, because we’re not equipped to protect her on our own. Second, she’s not alone; she’s surrounded by hundreds of people. And third, you’re her mother. She trusts you more than anyone else in the world. She loves and adores you. What more do you need?”

“What more do I need?” she echoed and started to laugh. “How about purpose?”

“I don’t understand,” he said, his puppy-dog gaze telling her he still didn’t get it.