“Do you doubt me, love?” he asked.
She looked up at him, “No, but it sounds like you doubt you. You keep talking about dying for me.”
“Pay no attention to me, Mo Shearc,” he said. “Every warrior gets nervous before a fight to the death, no matter how confident he is of its outcome.”
“What does ‘Mo Shearc’ mean?”
“I apologize; angels automatically speak in the language of the humans around them. Being around this many Irish has thrown me off a bit,” he said. “Mo Shearc is Irish Gaelic, meaning my love.”
“I like it. It sounds sexy,” she said and he smiled into the dark. “Gabriel?”
He kissed the top of her head, “Yes, my love.”
“Will you make love to me again?”
“Happily,” he said and rolled to face her. “Tá mo chroí istigh ionat.”
“What does that mean?”
“Ask Michael one day,” he smiled and pulled her against him.
Chapter Sixteen
1.
Gabriel smelled the sulfur and decomposition only moments before the mayhem started below the bedroom window. Demons!
“Dani, get up!” he yelled and sprang from the bed.
He ran to the window and looked out into the yard. The vampires were everywhere. They were twirling rapidly between the demons in the predawn light; touching as many as they could, and dropping them on the spot. Fighting amongst them was Michael. He was using his sword to stab and chop his way through the demon mass.
The vampires were fast, but so were the demons. And there looked to be hundreds of them. If Gabriel didn’t stop this, this vampire nest would not survive the onslaught. He waved his hand and crushed the entire outside wall of the bedroom.
He grabbed his sword and turned to Dani. He was glad she’d slipped her long t-shirt on before falling asleep or she’d be embarrassed when he did what he was about to do. He grabbed her by her waist and flew from the house with her.
“Michael!” Gabriel bellowed when he was hovering over the fight below.
Michael shot into the air without looking up.
“Get her out of here!” Gabriel said, and handed Dani to him.
“Gabriel, no!” Dani screamed as Michael flew away with her.
Gabriel looked back down at the fight and saw the damnedest thing. Wesley was spinning among the demons, stabbing them through the hearts with his sword…and the demons were falling. Wesley’s sword was made of silver!
Gabriel landed on the ground and waded into the fray. He circled through the demon onslaught, smiting some with one hand and killing yet others with his sword. It didn’t take long for the demons to realize that Dani was not with Gabriel, and they retreated; sinking back into the ground.
Gabriel looked around to see if any of the vampires had fallen in the onslaught, and saw Wesley standing toe to toe with Jenny; simply staring down at her. Then Jeremy, Harley, and Leso jumped on Wesley and drove him to the ground.
“You know your brother told us to kill you if you ever came around Jenny again,” Harley said.
“Release him!” Gabriel roared, waving his hand and flinging the vampires across the yard.
Wesley sprang back to his feet, “Thanks, mate,” he said before turning to Jenny. “I meant you no harm tonight, darlin’.”
Jenny nodded, and Wesley turned and jogged back towards the woods that circled the house.
“Wesley!” Gabriel yelled.
Wesley turned around and looked back at him. Gabriel nodded his head to him.
Wesley smiled, nodded his head once; accepting Gabriel’s unspoken thanks, and then turned and disappeared into the trees.
2.
Michael and Dani were sitting at a picnic table at Riverfront Park watching the Cumberland River slowly roll its way through its banks.
“Where is he?” Dani asked Michael over an hour after he’d flown her away from the demons.
“He’ll be here soon, I’m sure,” Michael said.
“I don’t understand why Gabriel just couldn’t have come with me. You could have stayed and smote the demons.”
Michael laughed, “I can’t smite anything. God granted that power to Gabriel alone. He had the power to save your friends; I did not.”
“But the Bible says…”
“The Bible says a lot of things. Some of them are even true, but there are a lot of misinterpretations and guess work, as well.” Michael said. “The Bible classifies any angel striking down a human or a demon as smiting. What smiting really is, is the ability to reap the soul of a human while simultaneously vaporizing the body; or in the case of demons, just vaporizing the body.”
“Gabriel doesn’t remove the demons’ souls before he smites them?” she asked.
“There is no soul to remove. Demons are just fallen angels, Dani” Michael explained. “And angels have no souls.”
“What happens if you die?” she asked.
Michael looked away from her, “When an angel dies…he simply ceases to exist.”
Dani’s heart clenched painfully in her chest. She couldn’t imagine Gabriel just winking out of existence. It was unthinkable that he could ever just cease to exist.
“So when Lucifer comes will Gabriel just smite him?” she asked, knowing it couldn’t be that easy.
“Unfortunately, no,” Michael said. “Gabriel can smite humans, demons and other angels, but he cannot smite another Archangel. When Lucifer rises, there will be a great battle. Some you’ll be able to see, and some you won’t. The power they’ll put off will cause the air around them to sizzle, and the Earth to roll beneath their feet.”
“That sounds terrifying,” she said.
Michael nodded, “It will be.”
A sudden thought occurred to her, “Will Gabriel even be able to find us here? Could he be looking for us now?”
“Gabriel is The Guardian of the last Daughter of God, Dani; he is attached to you in a most profound way. If he needs to find you, all he has to do is dematerialize and he will be able to rematerialize wherever you are on Earth. He may not be able to see your soul, but it still calls to him.”
“Gabriel never told me that,” Dani said.
Michael laughed, “Gabriel isn’t very open about himself or what he’s capable of doing. He’s fairly humble. If you want to know something about him, you’re going to have to ask.”
“Will Lucifer find me the same way as Gabriel when he rises?”
“No, only Gabriel can track your soul on Earth,” Michael explained. “Lucifer doesn’t need to be able to find you. He can find Gabriel, and when he does, he’ll find you, too.”
“So I may not even have to be there for their battle?” she asked.
“You will be there, Dani. God demands it,” Michael said. “They’ll be fighting over you and as the saying goes, To the Victor goes the Spoils.”
She suddenly felt like the pot in a poker game, “God doesn’t really care if I survive this, does He?”
Michael considered this for a moment, “I wish I could say that He did, but I think He set this whole game into motion to force Gabriel to do what he refused to do the first time around; strike down Lucifer.”
Dani heard the sound of wings and looked up. It was a Bald Eagle. It flew over her head and then dropped to glide in slow circles over the river.
“Gabriel doesn’t sound like a bird when he flies,” Michael said with a smile.
“I know,” she said. “I thought maybe demons…”
“Demons can’t fly,” he said. “God clipped their wing when he cast the down.”
“Lucifer can’t fly?”
“Lucifer never ceased being an Archangel when he was flung from Heaven,” Michael said. “And an Archangel’s wings cannot be clipped. Lucifer can still fly, but he’ll have to rise from Hell to do it.”
“He’s really still an Archangel?” she asked. “Why didn’t God just turn Lucifer into an ordinary angel before he cast him out? Wouldn’t that have made it easier for Gabriel
to kill him?”
“Once you are created, you will always be what you were created to be,” Michael said. “What you are is written in your essence; it can never be changed. Lucifer was created as an Archangel; he will be an Archangel until his dying breath. And I don’t believe God ever intended killing Lucifer to be easy for Gabriel.”
“Do you believe that Gabriel can defeat Lucifer?”
“Honestly, I had my doubts until last night,” he said. “But the amount of power Gabriel put off last night when he declared his love for you to the Heavens took all of those doubts away.
“His love for you has made him stronger than I’ve ever seen him before. He will strike Lucifer down for you, Dani; have no doubts about that.”
She watched as the eagle skimmed the water’s surface. It caught a fish in its talons and flew away. To the Victor goes the Spoils, Dani thought. And she was the proverbial fish.
Then it occurred to her what Michael had just said, “You saw what happened between Gabriel and I last night?”
“All of Heaven saw it, just as Gabriel intended,” he said.
Dani dropped her head into her hands in humiliation. She’d never thought of Heaven looking down on them as they made love. Of course they would be watching Gabriel’s every move!
“There is nothing to be ashamed of, Dani,” Michael said, pulling her hands away from her face. “What Heaven looked down upon last night was a beautiful site to behold; a little confusing at times…but beautiful. Tell me, how did you learn how to tear a button fly open like that?”
“Hold your tongue, Michael,” Gabriel said from behind her, “Or I will hold it for you.”
3.
“Gabriel!” Dani said and jumped from the bench to hug him.
He kissed her lips for a long moment before pulling away and handing her the travel bag, “I thought you might want to get dressed.”
Dani went behind a big tree to change clothes and Gabriel turned to Michael. “You’re going to get into serious trouble if you don’t stop coming down here to help me.”
Michael said, “God decreed that no one could help you strike down Lucifer. Lucifer hasn’t risen yet, so technically, I’m not breaking any rules.”
“Our Father doesn’t deal in technicalities,” Gabriel said.
“He’s not the unforgiving Father you’ve built Him up in your mind to be, either,” Michael said.
“You’ve never suffered His wrath,” Gabriel said. “You’ve never given him a reason to bring His judgment down on you.”
“And I never intend to,” Michael said. “If He orders me to stop helping you, I will do so. Until then, I’ll do what I can for you.”
Gabriel looked at his brother and smiled, “You’re crazy.”
Michael laughed. “It must be hereditary.”
Dani came back around the tree, “Did you kill all those demons?”
“I would have, but it wasn’t necessary. As soon as they realized that you were gone, they retreated.”
“And the vampires?” she asked.
Gabriel sat down on top off the picnic table and pulled her up into his lap, “They’re all fine, as is Wesley.”
“Why was Wesley there?” Dani gasped. “He could’ve been killed!”
“I thought he would be killed. But as it turns out, the swords the hunters carry around are made from silver,” Gabriel said with a smile. “If I was surprised by it, I know he shocked the hell out of those demons. His bravery is absolutely astounding.”
“He didn’t have to put himself in that kind of danger for me,” Dani said.
“He didn’t. He knew you were gone,” Gabriel said. “He was out there fighting for the lives of a family that hates him.”
He explained to Dani the dilemma Wesley was in with Potter’s family and what Wesley had done to find himself in his situation.
“But that was so long ago,” she said. “Surely it’s something they can work out.”
“I hope so,” Gabriel said. “But I can fully understand Potter’s hatred. I’m not sure how willing I would be to forgive the man who attempted to kill my wife; brother or no.”
“You don’t have a wife,” Michael said.
“I’m aware of that, but if I did, I could understand how Potter feels,” Gabriel said.
“So why exactly were we under siege by demons tonight, anyway?” Dani said. “I thought they wouldn’t rise up around vampires?”
“Consider it the First Wave,” Michael said. “Lucifer is very prideful. It was his pride that led to his attempt to take over the Throne. He used his demons today as a show of power. It’s his way of showing Gabriel that he’s not afraid of him.”
“If that’s the case, then why didn’t he rise up to face him?” she asked.
“Because, though he would never admit it, Lucifer now finds that he is, at least in part, a little afraid to face Gabriel in battle after Gabriel’s show of power last night,” Michael said. “So he sent a show of power of his own for Gabriel to see.”
“He’s going to have to do better than that,” Gabriel said. “I have no fear of demons.”
“I think it was the number of demons that was supposed to be intimidating,” Michael said. “He knows his demons can’t defeat you, but in the right situation, that number of demons could overwhelm you and make you unable to guard Dani. He only needs a moment of inattention from you to take Dani away forever. And he wouldn’t even have to rise to do it. His demons could deliver her to him.”
All of Hell will have to rise to take Dani from him, “That will never happen.”
“Now you sound prideful,” Michael said.
“It isn’t pride that’s leading me to this end,” Gabriel said, pulling Dani closer to him. “I care nothing for power, nor do I ever wish to take the Throne. What I’m fighting for is much more personal and precious. What I’m going into battle for is actually worth fighting for. And Whoa be to Lucifer if he can’t see that.”
Dani looked over her shoulder at Gabriel, “What happens in Hell when you kill Lucifer?”
“A demon will rise up to take his place,” Gabriel said and frowned. “It could be one of several high in Lucifer’s court. But if I had to make a guess, I’d lay money on it being Azrael.”
Dani said, “Azrael? I know that name from somewhere.”
“From the Bible, most likely,” Michael said. “He is the angel of death. He’s mentioned in the Christian, Islamic and Jewish faiths. Some religions call him an Archangel, but that was never the case. There were only ever four of us. The Sikh scriptures came the closest to what Azrael really is.
“The scriptures state that Azrael appears on Earth in human form and hits sinful people on the head with his scythe to kill them and extract their souls from their bodies. Of course he doesn’t actually use a scythe, but you can’t have everything.”
“So he’s like Sammeal,” Dani said.
“Not even close,” Gabriel said. “Sammeal is an angel of death, but he waits until after a person commits a particularly heinous sin to rip their soul from their body. Azrael is The Angel of Death. He doesn’t wait for the sin to actually be committed”
“You said only Gabriel can smite someone,” she said to Michael.
“Gabriel said rip not reap,” Michael said. “When an angel of death rips a soul from the human body, the soul suffers damage. Only Gabriel can reap a soul without causing the soul any harm.”
“Azrael doesn’t wait for the human to actually commit the sin before coming to collect the soul,” Gabriel said. “He collects that soul while it’s just thinking of committing a major sin.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Dani said. “If he stops a person from being harmed or killed or diverts a major atrocity, how could it be wrong?”
“It’s wrong because a human can change their mind at any time. Humans can become angry and fully plan out a murder or mass killing, and then never carry through with the crime.” Gabriel said, still frowning. “Azrael is ripping and destroying human s
ouls for sins that may never have come to pass. A soul should never be committed to Hell for all eternity based on a thought.”
“You smote Buddy because you thought he would have eventually killed me,” Dani pointed out.
“That was different, he’d put his hands on you,” Gabriel said, and shrugged. “He vexed me.”
“He vexed you?”
“That’s Gabriel’s way of not saying that he smote someone out of sheer irritation,” Michael said. “He didn’t like him, so he killed him.”
“He told me he did it because there was no good in Buddy,” Dani told Michael.
“There may have been no good left in him,” Michael said. “That doesn’t mean he’d committed a crime worthy of death.”
“He hit Dani,” Gabriel said. “That was and will always be a crime worthy of death in my mind.”
“Well I’m going home to see what I can see,” Michael said and stood up in the brightening early morning sun. “Maybe I can find out what Lucifer’s next move is going to be.”
“Keep me posted,” Gabriel said.
Michael nodded and vanished.
4.
“Why does he have to go home to see what he can see?” Dani asked as the first morning commuters started making their way down Riverside Drive.
“We can only see so far around us when we’re here on Earth. For instance, I have no idea what’s going on in China right now,” Gabriel explained. “But from Heaven, we can see everything; every person, place, and thing on your planet.”
“How do you keep up with all of that information?” she asked. “It seems impossible.”
“I don’t really know how to explain it,” he said. “It’s not as if we watch everything at the same time, though I could if I needed to. Every angel has a few humans that they are supposed to watch over. Each Archangel has a thousand or more souls, at any given time, to keep track of.”
“If everyone has an angel watching over them, then why is there so many accidents and murders and so forth?” she asked.
“Everyone has angels watching over them, but only a few have an actual Guardian Angel to guide them through their lives,” Gabriel said. “It’s not an angel’s job to protect you from life. What they do is record a soul’s life on Earth and testify for you or against you in God’s court when your Day of Judgment comes.”
When Angels Fall Page 16