Uriel walked over and held her, and he looked into her eyes as he spoke, “I swear to you that from now until eternity, I will love you and only you. I will gladly lay down my life for you. I have chosen you above all others. You have my loyalty, my love, and my protection. This is the closest to marriage I can give you since I cannot marry.”
Aileen smiled and kissed him, then whispered, “I love you too, Uriel.”
He looked at her and smiled back. “Is that why you were upset? You wanted to know if I loved you?”
She nodded. “I didn’t want it to be just about sex and pleasure. I wanted to know you loved and cared for me too.”
Uriel chuckled. “I’m pretty sure I loved you the moment I saw you on the banks of the Tiber walking toward me to save me from Gorgoneia.”
Aileen smiled. “I think I loved you when you sacrificed yourself for me and Deirdre down in her temple.”
“My dear, I would gladly do it all over again just to see you safe and sound in my arms,” he said and hugged her to him tightly.
Chapter 19
Uriel appeared in the jungles of the Congo. He knew he was late for the battle, but he couldn’t let Aileen go. He spotted Michael and Zerachiel and strolled over to them.
“Well, it’s about time you graced us with your presence,” Michael muttered angrily.
“My apologies,” Uriel responded. “What’s the status?”
“There is no status. The villagers have all been slaughtered thanks to your late appearance. We did what we could, but we needed you, Uriel,” Zerachiel said with disapproval.
Uriel sighed. “Where are the others?”
“They have left for their own duties. We’re cleaning up this mess now since that’s all there is left to do,” Michael stated.
“I’m sorry,” Uriel mumbled.
“You should be for sinning with a mortal. You’re better than that!” Michael shouted.
“I will do better next time, Michael,” Uriel promised.
“Make sure next time doesn’t involve the death of innocent people,” Zerachiel replied hotly.
Uriel nodded and looked around him with a sick feeling. He could smell death everywhere. He knew Azrael would have taken those poor souls on their journey home, so they no longer suffered. Yet he still felt guilty.
Michael looked at Uriel and asked, “Are you coming home or staying with her?”
“I’m coming home, Mikey,” Uriel answered.
“Good. See you in the training room.” And with that Michael opened his wings and flew home.
Uriel turned to Zerachiel, who stood there glaring at him. “I would gladly join him to beat you to a pulp in the training room,” Zerachiel said, “but I have other duties to attend to since we failed here.”
He also flew off, and left Uriel standing there. He teleported into the training room. The moment he appeared, Michael swung his sword at his head. Uriel ducked just in time.
He held out his hand and his battle axe appeared, and he swung it at Mike’s legs, causing him to jump back. Mike brought his sword down on Uriel, but he blocked it with his axe. The brothers went at it, swinging and hacking.
Barachiel appeared in white light with a sword in hand and went after Uriel too. Uriel fought both of them off and held out his hand for a shield to appear. He used his shield to stop the blows and his axe to defend and swing.
Azrael also appeared and brought along his spear and attacked Uriel alongside his other brothers. Uriel held them off for as long as he could, but he soon tired under their onslaught. Finally, he gave up and threw his shield down, leaving himself open to their attacks.
Michael knocked his axe away and charged at him with a punch. Then Uriel was thrown to the ground and punched and kicked. He took the hits and let his brothers punish him for his failure in helping them. After the beating, he couldn’t move and laid there broken and bruised.
The brothers left him on the floor and went to grab something to eat. Uriel groaned and waited for his cuts and bones to heal. Once he had healed completely, he slowly sat up. He flexed his limbs and felt life flowing back into them. He got up and went to join his brothers in the mess hall.
Azrael handed him a plate as he sat down with them. He ate in silence as they talked amongst themselves and ignored him. When dinner was over, they retired to their own chambers. Uriel walked down to Mike’s chambers to talk to him. He knocked and was told to enter.
“I just want to say I’m sorry again, Mike,” he stated.
“I know. It’s just this isn’t like you, Uriel. I’m not sure what’s going on, but you have a holy duty, and you’re ignoring it.”
“I know. I will make it up to you, our brothers, and our Father. I’ll spend more time here. I promise,” Uriel announced.
“Good. We need you here. Heaven and Earth needs you. You’ve always known your duty,” Mike answered.
They talked a bit more about other mundane things. Uriel left after their conversation and went to look for Azrael. He knocked on Azrael’s door.
“Come in,” Az called from inside.
Uriel walked in and saw Azrael painting by the window.
“Is that a new one?” Uriel inquired.
“Yep, I finished the other one, so might as well start a new one,” Az replied without looking at him.
Uriel cleared his throat.
Without missing a stroke, Az said, “I know you feel bad.”
“I do. I failed, and for that I am truly sorry,” Uriel uttered.
“I know.” Az turned and looked at him. “Every time I assist innocent souls who die before their time into the next stage, I always feel a little sad and drained. They don’t deserve it.”
“I understand,” Uriel replied, but Az had resumed painting and Uriel knew their conversation was over.
He went to find Barachiel and found him pruning white roses, which was his symbol. Uriel watched him carefully cut leaves and stems to prevent overgrowth. When he finished with a bush, he moved onto another one.
Uriel spoke, “I am truly sorry, Barachiel.”
“I understand that, Uriel, but keep in mind that you’re sacrificing your holy duties for a mere human being,” Barachiel answered.
“I have told Mikey that I will be here more often. I will make myself more readily available to you and to my duties,” Uriel promised.
“Good. That’s all I need to hear. Welcome back, Uriel. We’ve all missed you.”
“I’ve missed you all too,” Uriel replied.
Over the next few weeks, he settled back into his normal routine. He fought alongside his brothers when they needed help against different demons. He saved numerous humans all over the world. He lost himself in his duties.
One day he looked at his map, and Ireland caught his eye. He realized that he had been away from Aileen for months now. Uriel teleported to Ireland. He missed her and wanted to see her and Deirdre. He arrived at her house and saw that it was empty. He closed his eyes and saw her gathering large sticks with her mother and Deirdre. He teleported to her location.
Chapter 20
“Deirdre, if your sticks are starting to get too heavy, give them to Auntie Aileen,” Aileen’s mother reminded her granddaughter.
“Yes, Grandma O’Connelly,” Deirdre replied.
Aileen took Deirdre’s sticks and took them to the pile the rest of the Druids had created. She walked back to her family and helped them gather more sticks from the wooded area surrounding the flat land where the bonfire would be lit as soon as the sun went down.
“Stay close, Deirdre. At Samhain, the boundaries of the spirit world and our world blend. They can cross over to us, and we can go into their world, never to be seen from again,” Aileen’s mother explained.
“Have you seen anyone cross over, Grandma?”
“No, dear, I’ve only heard stories. It was always enough to keep me from wandering too far from me Mum and family.”
Aileen smiled at her mother. She and Catriona had always heard stories about th
e fairy folk. Those who lived in a world beyond theirs could come and snatch them away, especially if they’d been naughty. Sometimes these fairies would fly or ride in on brooms to carry the children off to be raised in a land far away.
“Would you like to know about your namesake, darling?” Aileen’s mother asked Deirdre.
“Yes, Grandma.”
“You were named for Deirdre, one of the most beautiful women that ever lived in Ireland. Storytellers call her Deirdre of Sorrows, but that’s not a very good title, since men killed themselves vying for her love.”
“That’s silly, Grandma. I wouldn’t want anyone killing themselves over me.”
“Right you are, but men are very foolish creatures.”
Aileen walked over to the growing bonfire and helped the other Druids drench the sticks in gasoline. Her mother was a wonderful storyteller and would keep Deirdre occupied until the start of some of the rituals.
They finished pouring gasoline and lit matches and threw it into the sticks. Flames spurted up here and there. With the help of the wind, the flames roared to life. Soon, it climbed higher and higher up the pile until it engulfed the tower of branches and lit up the night sky.
Aileen’s mother brought Deirdre over to join Aileen and form a circle. Deirdre, however, was not done asking questions about her grandmother’s story.
“Why would she kill herself, Grandma? That makes no sense. She should have fought to leave the bad king instead of staying with him for a whole year!”
“Hush, child, it’s just a lore. Now pay attention as we must stay in a circle and observe the firelight,” her grandmother admonished her.
Aileen and her family held hands and started moving around the bonfire. They sang songs and chanted and then watched the flames. Through the smoke, she thought she saw Uriel walking toward her.
Without thinking, she started to move toward him. When she got close enough to him, she knew he was real and not some spirit who came to take her away to their world. She reached out her hand to touch him, and he drew her into his embrace.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered into her ear as he held her and ran his hands up and down her body.
“I’ve missed you too. You were gone for so long!” she chastised him.
“I know. I had to settle a dispute with my brothers and my duties. I think I might have figured out a way to balance my duties and my need for you,” he told her.
She looked into his eyes and said softly, “How so?”
“I’ve decided that I will take you along on some of my duties.”
“That would be lovely. I would love to go traveling with you and see different parts of the world!” Aileen cried excitedly.
“If at any moment, you are in any danger, I will teleport you home,” Uriel promised.
“I know you will take care of me and Deirdre.”
“’Til the end of my days,” Uriel swore solemnly.
* * * *
Uriel and Aileen walked back toward the circle. When Deirdre saw Uriel she ran over and hugged him then held his hand and walked back to the fire with him. Meara, Aileen’s mother, smiled at him in acknowledgement. He watched as the Druids bid goodbye to summer the way their ancestors did centuries ago.
Toward dawn, when the fire was burnt to just ashes, he, Aileen, Deirdre, and Meara left the circle. They walked to the car and drove to Catriona and Bill O’Connor’s graves. They laid down flowers and whispered prayers to their loved ones to remember them. When they were done, they got back in the car and went home for some much needed sleep.
Uriel tucked a sleeping Deirdre in her bed. He went over to Aileen and held her as she fell asleep. He felt more at peace here with her than he was when he was with his brothers. He knew he couldn’t stay away and therefore would always come back to her. He snuggled with her and fell asleep.
Uriel was awoken by the telephone ringing. He got up groggily to answer it.
“Hello?” he rasped out.
“Hey, Uriel. It’s me, Raph.”
He was slightly surprised that Raph had called him on the phone instead of communicating with him telepathically, “Raph, how are you?” he asked.
“I’m good. Listen, you’re needed in Tokyo.”
“I am? What happened?”
“Aaron has awakened. He released his sons Jerome and Alex on Earth. They just broke their sister Lilith out of prison. Things are in chaos over here. We need you.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Uriel answered and then hung up.
He turned to look at Aileen. She was awake, and in the afternoon light, she looked beautiful.
“Duty calls?” she asked sleepily.
“Yeah, this time it is in Tokyo,” he responded.
Aileen yawned and stretched. “I see. How long will you be gone?”
“I don’t know. Have you ever been to Tokyo before?”
“No, I’ve never been there.”
“Would you like to go?” he asked.
“What about Deirdre?”
“Do you think she can stay with her grandparents for a few weeks?” he asked.
Aileen thought and nodded. “I’ll talk to them and to her. We will work out a plan.”
“Good, because I want you by my side, Aileen.”
“I want to be there right alongside you, Uriel.”
Uriel bent down and kissed her. “In these upcoming wars with the demons, we are always stronger together than apart. I can’t bear for us to be apart.”
“I don’t ever want to be parted from you either. I want to be with you always,” Aileen whispered and kissed him deeply.
Uriel held her and knew that here with Aileen was home. Here was Heaven on Earth, at last.
About Julia McKnight
Julia is an avid reader and especially enjoys reading romance novels! She lives in the Midwest and likes to cook, swim, and go to the beach in her spare time.
Julia’s Website:
www.facebook.com/AuthorJuliaMcKnight
Reader eMail:
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About the Angel of Light Series
Book 1: Angel of Light
Now Available
Book 2: Angel of Wisdom
Now Available
Angel of Light
Some heavenly rules are meant to be broken.
Archangel Gabriel has been fighting demons and protecting humans since the beginning of time. One night he hears a piercing scream from a female human that reaches the heights of Heaven. He flies down to save her and finds himself sinfully attracted to her.
Anastasia is an agent at the Center for Tracking Demonic Activities. She has sworn to track down and kill a demon named Aaron who murdered her family when she was a little girl. She’s a successful, fierce huntress who needs no one. However, that changes when an assignment takes a turn for the worse and she’s saved by a golden archangel who shows her that sometimes it’s not so bad to have a partner in crime.
As heavenly as it is to find one’s partner, the forces of Hell threatens, and Aaron is gaining power and dominion over the world. When Anastasia is kidnapped, Gabriel must risk everything, including his immortal soul, to find her and bring her back home.
Content Warning: contains strong sexual content, violence, and some explicit language
Angel of Wisdom Page 9