by Mary May
“They are all doing well. As you know her son-in-law K.C. is a missionary, along with her daughter Shayla. They have demonic attacks on a regular basis, which is to be expected. So far it hasn’t been anything that couldn’t be handled.”
Raphael stepped forward and told Kavik of his recent transformation.
Kavik smiled as he looked over the angel’s new wings and weapon. “I did notice your upgrade, my brother. You look very fierce. You will make young Luke a fine warrior guardian.”
“We prefer the title Ninja Angel!” Skye chimed in as he draped his arm across Raphael’s shoulder. The group chuckled at Skye’s comment. Gideon looked back at the house and then announced he was going to check on Charlie.
“Poor Gideon, I know this has to be very difficult for him,” Kavik sighed in sympathy for his fellow guardian.
“Putting up with Zareck is very difficult; this is pure torture for G.”
Zareck frowned at Skye who just smiled back at him.
“I would think that the demon wouldn’t be able to stay long. Not with the faith that this family has. Charlie is fighting it herself. She may not realize what is happening, but she senses something is very wrong. I’m sure she can feel the separation between her and the Lord.” The angels all nodded their heads in agreement with Kavik’s statement. Looking toward the dark house, they all wondered just how long it would be before they could be rid of the thing.
Chapter 21
Nate opened the door of his hotel room and was surprised to see Logan standing on the other side.
“Logan! This is a surprise. Come on in.” Standing back, he allowed Logan inside. The man walked over to the table and sat down looking every bit like he had just lost his best friend. Nate pulled out the other chair and sat down.
“I know that look…you got woman troubles. Is Charlie giving you fits?”
A brief smile crossed Logan’s face. “You could say that. I know this is beyond weird for me to come to you with this. You know, with the history you share, but I didn’t know who else to talk to.”
“No problem. What’s going on? Did you two have a fight?” Nate watched as the other man shook his head.
“No, not really. Charlie called me and asked me to come over. She said she had something to talk to me about. When I got there she told me that she felt differently about us now and that she didn’t want to see me anymore.”
Nate sat back in his chair in surprise. “You’re kidding?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding with you? She didn’t give me any kind of explanation. I even asked if it was because of you, but she said no. I don’t know what to do. She won’t talk to me at all. Keeps saying she isn’t good for anybody right now and to just leave her alone.” Logan shoved the chair back and got to his feet, walking the length of Nate’s room several times before he stopped and looked down at Nate, who was still sitting in the chair looking slightly shocked.
“You have known her forever…Does she get like this?”
Giving his head a slow shake, Nate answered. “No…not at all. This sounds very unlike her. Was she acting strangely before this?”
“She has been out of sorts ever since your return, to be honest, but the past couple of weeks she has not been herself at all. She has been moody and snappy and downright hateful at times. I don’t have a clue what is wrong with her.”
Nate carefully looked over to where Mac was standing in the corner listening to the conversation. The look on the angel’s face told him he knew something.
“Let me go get us something to drink from the vending machine down the hall. You just sit right here. What would you like to drink?” After he had gathered up some change, he nodded for Mac to follow him.
Once they were in the vending machine lobby and he made sure no one was nearby, he turned to Mac. “Ok, out with it. What do you know about what’s going with Charlie? And don’t say nothing because I can tell by your expression you know something!”
“Well, I can’t be certain until I see her, but going from what Logan told you, I would say that she has a Berutha demon.”
The can slipped from Nate’s hand, sliding across the tile floor to bounce off the wall. Mac reached down and picked it up, tossing it back to him. “Might want to give that one to the man who is stealing your girl. Just a suggestion.”
Nate stared at him, not saying a word. Mac waved his hand in front of his face. “Hello?? Dude, you ok?” Taking the other can of soda that wasn’t dropped, he popped the top and held it to Nate’s lips. “Here…you look like you could use a drink.”
After taking a couple of swallows, he coughed then held up his hand. “Did you really just say that Charlie had a demon?”
Mac nodded his head. “Yeah, probably the same one you had, unless I’m mistaken.”
That statement brought on yet another round of coughing as Nate nearly choked on his drink. Teary-eyed and gasping for air, Nate asked him once more if he was serious.
Rolling his eyes, Mac lifted his hands in the air. “Why would I joke about that? Don’t you believe they exist?”
At Nate’s dubious expression, Mac threw his hands up once more in disbelief.
“You are going to stand there while speaking with an ANGEL, and tell me that you don’t think demons exist?”
“I didn’t say that! I was just surprised…hey! Did you say that I had a demon? Me?” Finally able to speak, Nate couldn’t decide what to say first.
Mac laughed as he turned Nate back in the direction of his room. “I will tell you everything later. Right now you need to go talk to Logan and try to arrange a meeting with Charlie so I can find out for sure what is going on.”
Three hours later Nate shut the door after Logan had said goodnight. They had planned to go see Charlie the next morning. As soon as the door clicked shut, Nate turned to Mac. “Ok, I was very good, now tell me.” He settled down in the chair that Logan had just vacated and looked at the angel expectantly.
After Mac had finished telling him about the bitter heart demon that had so heavily influenced him, Nate shook his head slowly. “You know, it stands to reason that if you guys are real, so are demons, but honestly I just don’t like to think about the flip side of that coin. The thought of them messing with me is hard enough to swallow, but knowing they are influencing Charlie makes my blood boil! Tell me we can get rid of it.”
“We can when Charlie is ready for it to go, but until then there isn’t anything we can do but pray.”
That brought Nate’s head up in a hurry. “What do you mean there isn’t anything we can do? Surely you can do something…Isn’t that what angels do? Fight the bad guys?”
“Well, yes and no. Different angels have different skill sets and assignments. But in this case it wouldn’t matter because the demon was summoned or invited by its host.”
When Nate’s face twisted in anger, he raised his hand.
“Hang on… don’t bite my head off. The hosts don’t know or understand that they are inviting trouble. Remember I told you that when I explained about your encounter with this type of thing. It’s the bitterness and all the other garbage that attracts these things like flies. If humans only understood what carrying around all that mess did to them, I promise they would toss it a lot faster.”
Nate nodded then he looked up at Mac once more. “Hey, I have been wanting to ask you something.”
“Ok, ask away. If it’s something I can answer, I will. If I can’t then I won’t.”
Nate grinned. “Fair enough. You probably can’t answer this question, but I’m asking anyway. I know my guardian angel is a woman. Can I know her name?”
Mac looked over at Shana, who was lying on her back on Nate’s bed with a wing pulled over her shoulder, grooming her feathers.
She looked back at him in surprise then shook her head. “You know you can’t tell him. But it’s really nice for him to ask for it. It’s best to leave things as they are…He already knows too much.”
Mac nodded his head slightly. “S
orry bud, that’s a no go. Next question?”
“I didn’t figure you could tell me. But maybe you can tell me this. Are all the female angels as beautiful as she is?”
Mac grinned as he puffed out his chest. “Well, as you can see, we are all pretty magnificent to look upon, but some of us are more magnificent than others.” He winked in Shana’s direction, causing her cheeks to flush as she buried her face in the bedspread. “Do you have any other questions?”
“Just a one more…how long are you staying with me? Every day I wake up wondering if or when you’re going to pop up again.”
“Aw… you’re going to miss me, huh?”
Nate gave him a droll look. “More like wondering when my life will return to normal.”
“This question is one I simply don’t have an answer for. I never know how long a particular assignment will last. But I promise that I will let you know when I know.”
Gideon waited until the next day to approach Cleo. He found her in a bedroom putting away her clothes. She knew the minute he walked in because she walked over and shut the door to ensure their privacy.
“Hello, Gideon. I sure have missed feeling your presence! Just a second and let me get something for you to write on.” She dug through her purse and finally set a small notebook and a pen on the dresser. It disappeared and then reappeared after a minute or two.
“Greetings, Cleo! You have been sorely missed as well! It’s good to see you again.”
Cleo chuckled after reading the brief message. “Well, I can’t exactly say the same since I can’t see you, but it’s good talking to you. Now what are we going to do about that hell troll that’s done attached itself to our girl?”
“I wondered if you could sense it. It’s a bitter heart demon. We can’t actually do anything until Charlie is ready to release all the hurt and anger that brought it here in the first place. I believe your talk with her helped a great deal.”
“I knew it was a nasty old bitter heart. I surely did! I wanted to cast it out right then and there, but I knew I couldn’t. There isn’t much we can do, is there?”
“Keep her positive, keep talking to her. Encourage her to let go of all the hurt and let God heal her heart.”
“Mr. Gideon, sometimes that is easier said than done. I’m thinking she may need some help.”
“What are you thinking?”
“A good old fashion intervention.”
The next morning Nate hung up the phone and turn to Mac. “Well, I think we just found a way for you to assess Charlie. That was Sabrina, Charlie’s mom. She invited us, I mean me, out to their place. She said they wanted to have a prayer session for Charlie.”
“That will be perfect! All of the household guardians will be there so we will have plenty of praise power on hand.”
A look of concern crossed Nate’s face. “Charlie will be ok, won’t she?”
Placing his hand on his shoulder, Mac reassured him. “Any kind of demonic influence is serious. I don’t want to play it down so much that you think it’s nothing to be concerned about. It is something that needs to be dealt with once discovered. However, in this case I believe that Charlie has enough people praying for her that this will be easily taken care of. If you remember nothing else from our time together, Nate, remember this…There is serious power in prayer!”
Sabrina knocked on Charlie’s bedroom door. Hearing a faint reply, she opened it. “Honey, can I talk to you for a minute?”
Charlie nodded then set aside the book she was reading.
Sabrina hated the dark circles that still showed she wasn’t sleeping. While showing improvement, Charlie still wasn’t back to being herself, which was why she was here to talk to her.
“Baby, you know you are so very loved, right?”
“Of course, Mama.”
“We think that maybe you need some help shaking the pain that is holding you hostage. Everyone needs help sometimes. I know Sherrilyn helped me tremendously when I had such a hard time getting over your dad’s death. I said all the right things and I acted the way I thought I was supposed to, but deep inside I was a wreck.”
“But Nate didn’t die, Mama. So it’s really not the same thing,” Charlie pointed out.
“Nate didn’t die, but a lot of your dreams did. Charlie, you went through a very traumatic experience and you didn’t come out unscathed.” Reaching out she took her daughter’s hands into her own.
“Baby, let me help you. Let your family help to guide you back. We love you so much and it hurts us to see you like this.”
Charlie looked at her with pain-filled eyes. “How, Mama? How can you help? I don’t want to be this way…to feel this way. I feel like it’s destroying me. But I am so angry…so hurt! I pray and I pray and then I get even angrier when my prayers don’t seem to go any farther than my ceiling.” Now sobbing, she grabbed her mother tightly in a fierce hug.
“I can’t find Him, Mama…I…I… can’t find God! I have never felt like this before…so out of touch. I feel…lost. Doesn’t He love me anymore?”
Holding Charlie tightly, Sabrina whispered in her ear. “God will never stop loving you. There is nothing you can do to make Him not love you. Don’t ever think that! Sometimes things in life will put up a barrier between you and God, but it can be removed. Let us help you. Will you let us help you?”
Unable to speak through her pain, Charlie simply nodded.
Gideon and Charlotte followed them down the stairs and into the living room that was overflowing with friends and family ready to help Charlie. Both sets of her grandparents were there, along with Pastor Eddie and Lakyn. Logan stood off in one corner while Nate stood in the other with his parents. Cleo stood with Devon and the twins. They all looked at her with such love that Charlie started bawling all over again. Standing next to Nate was Shana, along with Mac. Gideon headed over to be introduced to the new guy.
Shana smiled as Gideon made his way over. Mac’s jaw dropped slightly when he saw just who was guarding Charlie. “Gideon the Mighty? No way! It is an extreme honor to meet you!” He held out his hand, smiling from ear to ear as Gideon took it.
“Greetings! It’s good to meet you. What is your name and title?”
“I am Macdeveron, of the Special Assignment group, but my friends call me Mac. I can’t believe that the leader of the Lord’s armies is guarding someone. She must be very special and important to require you, if you don’t mind me saying so.”
Gideon grinned. “I get that a lot actually, so no, it’s no problem. What are you here for? I have never heard of a Special Assignment angel; what is that?” Mac opened his mouth to answer, but Shana interrupted, too excited to keep quiet any longer.
“Gideon, it’s the most wonderful thing! S.A. is a group of angels that goes out on different assignments to help people. You’re not assigned to just one person. They really get to interact with the humans and get their hands dirty. They do all sorts of things, from simple stuff to more in depth like Mac is doing with Nate. The best part is anyone can be an S.A. angel! I’m going to sign up when this assignment is finished.”
Smiling at Shana’s obvious excitement, he looked at Mac. “Yeah, pretty much what she said. Now this assignment is really cool because I’m allowed to interact with Nate. As you know, that is a very rare thing.”
Gideon started to ask Mac more questions but he heard Devon start to speak. “Charlie girl, look around you. Everyone that you see here is here because they love you and they want to help you find your way back. Do you understand that?”
Charlie smiled as she wiped a few more tears, nodding her head. She had seen Nate in one corner with his parents and Logan in the other corner. They both smiled at her. Devon took her hand and led her to the center of the living room.
“If everyone would gather around her, we will lift her up in prayer.”
The group circled around her, joining hands as Devon started to pray. The angels in the room all did the same, joining hands forming an outer circle.
Mac instructed them to praise instead of pray. “That will empower their prayers even further. Lift your voices; lift your wings toward our Creator and praise Him!”
Sabrina stepped inside the circle, holding her daughter as her lips moved in silent prayer for her to find her peace and joy once more. The room was filled with the power of prayer joined with the power of praise echoing to the heavens. The sweet anointing of God flowed down upon the believers as they lifted their voices in one accord. Charlotte felt tears sting her eyes as she and a few other angels stepped away from the group to dance as they praised. Lifting their beautiful wings, they swirled and stepped lightly in time with the choruses of praise. Gideon sang in his deep baritone as he, too, stepped inside the circle, wrapping his arms and then his wings around the two women. Closing his eyes, he sang as the scent of heaven cascaded down surrounding everyone.
Suddenly Charlie opened her eyes and lifted her arms toward the heavens.
“Oh… my God…. my God…I feel you…I need you, my Lord…Please take this burden from me…I don’t want it any longer…I don’t want anything to separate us!” Golden ribbons of love started swirling down from above. Slowly at first then faster and faster until they burst into a golden shower of God’s love and anointing. The demon didn’t make a sound as it was dissolved into nothing…
A few minutes later the room was silent except for the sound of Charlie’s soft weeping. But this time she was weeping tears of joy as her faith, peace and joy were restored in her. Sabrina helped her to her feet then guided her into the bathroom to wash her face. After splashing cool water on her face then burying it in a soft fluffy towel, she raised sparkling eyes to Sabrina. “Mama…I don’t even know how…”
Sabrina laughed as she took the towel and patted Charlie’s face dry. “You don’t have to try to explain it to me, honey. I have been there. There are no words.”