Chapter Ten
Archangel Michael
Standing at the foot of the bed, Nathaniel held his head in his hands. Removing himself from Eloise’s thoughts was the right thing to do, but there was no way he could wipe away the emotions he now had for her. Only God or another angel could do that. Raking his hands through his hair, he tried to think of who to call, but it was just too embarrassing. He decided to use self-control instead of humiliating himself in front of Archangel Michael, after all, he hadn’t sought any of this.
When a familiar disgusting stench wafted through the air, Nathaniel spun around. And just like he thought, Lucifer, dressed in his Father Luke disguise was standing in the corner grinning at him.
Nathaniel ripped the crucifix from his chain and pointed it at him. “Get the Hell out of here!”
Snickering, Lucifer lifted Nathaniel’s gown up with his staff. “Hmm, so Eloise likes your sexy silk undergarment, does she?”
Nathaniel whacked the cane away and glared at him. “Oh, I should’ve known you were behind all this. Trying to tempt me to sin, were you? Well, it didn’t work, did it?”
Lucifer snorted. “I don’t know about that, Nathaniel. You seemed smitten with your beautiful ward to me, and it seems she feels the same way about you. But if you don’t take me up on my offer and sell me your soul, you won’t get to have her—but Devlin will.”
Gritting his teeth, Nathaniel moved closer to him. “I don’t want to ‘have her’. I’m her guardian angel, not her lover.” He held the crucifix in front of Lucifer’s face. “Now I command you to get out!”
“Okay, I’ll leave, but you won’t be her guardian for much longer. I have a meeting with Devlin this afternoon. I was actually being kind by offering you the deal first.”
“I’m not interested in your ‘deal’, and you don’t have the power to take Eloise or any other ward away from me.”
“No, my dear boy, but I have the power to tempt Eloise, and the power to help Devlin to win her heart.”
“I’m sorry to burst your bubble, Lucifer, but you’re not the most powerful one.” Nathaniel thrust the crucifix towards him and yelled, “Lucifer, by the power of God, I command you to leave!”
In the blink of an eye, Lucifer vanished and so did the stench. Making sure he wasn’t hiding somewhere, Nathaniel scanned the room, then he shot into the corridor to see if he was still sneaking around. There was no putrid smell, so he guessed he must have gone—though he was most likely on his way to his rendezvous with Devlin.
After shooting back to Eloise’s bedside, he opened and closed his fists as he paced the room. If only he hadn’t left in such a hurry this morning, he would’ve remembered to bring his sword with him. It wasn’t like him to go anywhere without it. How on Earth could he have been so careless when he knew Lucifer would turn up? He glanced at Eloise. Surely she wouldn’t fall for Devlin’s tricks and lies—or would she? He shook his head. Nah, she was too good a person and her soul was pure—but what about her raging teenage hormones? Yes, she had just said she loved him, but he had erased her memory of him. He rubbed his chin. Devlin could be a charmer when he wanted and Eloise had just said she thought he was hot, and why wouldn’t she? He had movie-star good looks and a sexy, powerful physique. She might easily fall for him.
Jesus Christ! After crossing himself, Nathaniel raked his hands through his hair. Now he was jealous again, and that wouldn’t help Eloise. His feelings for her were obviously too strong for willpower to work and he needed help. He sighed with dread. “I guess I’ll just have to call for Michael after all.”
“Nathaniel, you summoned me?”
Spinning around, Nathaniel was shocked to see the archangel standing in front of him. “Hang on, I only just thought about you, so how did you get here so fast?”
“Because you thought out loud and I was already close by. I knew about Eloise’s operation, so I expected some kind of drama.”
When a nurse came in to check on Eloise, Nathaniel scanned the room, then looked back at Michael. “I’m in trouble, big trouble.” He held his head, not knowing how to start.
“Tell me what’s wrong, Nathaniel, so I can help you.”
Nathaniel held his hands out. “Well, it’s sort of hard to explain. You see, Devlin took Eloise’s soul to his cloud while she was unconscious, so obviously I had to go and save her. I managed to do that, but on the way back, she kissed me. Actually she kissed me three times. I couldn’t stop her, and now I ...”
Michael’s brows bunched together. “I get what you’re saying, but did you encourage her to do that?”
Nathaniel scowled. “Of course I didn’t. Why would I do that?”
Arching his well-defined brows, Michael stared at him for a long moment, then he shook his head and sighed. “Hmm, so you didn’t take her for a joyride in your underwear, or give her a gift?”
“What?” Nathaniel’s jaw dropped with indignation. “I gave her my robe because she was stark naked. She was having an operation remember? And ... and she was enjoying the shooting star so much, I just thought ...”
“Okay, I get the scene,” said Michael. “But you were playing with fire and you know it. You should have brought her soul straight back to her body instead of leaving yourself wide open to temptation.” He waved a finger at him. “You must have wanted her admiration.”
Nathaniel blinked twice. “No, I didn’t—well, maybe as an angel I might have. I did enjoy talking to her. It does get kind of lonely being isolated for eighteen years with no one knowing of your existence, you know. But for goodness sake, I certainly didn’t expect her to kiss me.”
Michael sighed. “Then I suggest you erase Eloise’s memory of that episode as soon as possible. And be more careful in the future. You know better than to do things that might encourage a human to have a crush on you. You’re an angel of God, not a flying super hero.”
Nathaniel folded his arms. “I was just doing my job, or trying to. And I’ve already erased Eloise’s memory of what happened, including her romantic feelings for me. I didn’t encourage her, but for some strange reason, she seemed determined to kiss me.”
“All right, well since you’ve already sorted the problem, I’m not needed, so I’ll be on my way.”
“No, wait! I do need your help. The problem isn’t that Eloise has a crush on me because I fixed that. It’s just that now, well.... um I’m having strange romantic thoughts about her. Ever since she kissed me, I can’t stop thinking about her.”
“Oh, I see, so you want me to erase your romantic thoughts about her?”
“Yes, you see Lucifer set me up.”
“Come on, Nathaniel. You put yourself in that position. I know Lucifer’s been hanging around, but really?”
Nathaniel threw his arms out. “Are you insinuating I’m lying? Because I can assure you I’m not. Lucifer really did set me up, and he said so when he was here five minutes ago.”
Michael pointed at the floor. “Lucifer came here?”
“Yes, he came dressed as a priest again.” Nathaniel looked dolefully at Michael. “He offered to let me have a life on Earth with Eloise if I sold him my soul. He said if I didn’t, he’d offer the same thing to Devlin.”
“But Lucifer offered you that before and you refused.”
“Yes, but this time, he managed to get Devlin to kidnap Eloise’s soul while she was sedated. That way he knew Devlin would have a better chance of getting away before I saw him. And Lucifer picked a time when Eloise was totally naked, a time when her spirit was vulnerable to be taken so that any angel carrying her could communicate with her. Lucifer knew that a teenage girl would easily fall for an angel who was saving her from danger. Don’t you see? He wanted us to fall for each other.”
Michael stroked his chin. “Hmm, and it seems you did fall for each other from what you’re telling me.”
Nathaniel pressed his hands to his chest. “But I had no intensions of that happening. I had to save Eloise from Devlin. And though I resisted the temptati
on to kiss her, I had no control over her actions. She was so close to me, I couldn’t stop her. She caught me off guard every time. I’m not interested in falling to Earth, but I can’t protect my ward properly if all I can think about is what guy she’s flirting with or who she’s dating. So I’m asking you to remove my desire for Eloise from my mind before it totally destroys me and puts her in danger.”
“I think you’re right about Lucifer setting you up. It certainly sounds like it.”
“He practically admitted it while he was here, and he seemed to know everything that happened. And now that I think of it, Devlin didn’t even challenge me when I took Eloise away from him.”
Michael put his arm around Nathaniel’s shoulder. “Well, you are in a pickle, aren’t you? But that’s okay. I can do what you requested. You’ve done everything you can to rectify this problem yourself, but you’ll have to be wary in the future not to let Eloise kiss you again. Okay, are you ready for me to fix your problem?”
Nathaniel nodded. “Yes, I am.”
“That’s good, now close your eyes, Nathaniel, and I’ll eliminate any romantic and lustful thoughts from your soul. Though you’ll still remember saving Eloise from Devlin, you won’t remember her kissing you and you’ll have the same feelings for her that you had before her operation. Do you understand?”
“I do, but will I remember showing her the shooting star and giving her the crucifix?”
“Yes, like I said, you will remember everything except the kisses and your romantic feelings for her, and hers for you. Now, are you sure you understand?”
Nathaniel nodded. “Yes, go ahead.”
Michael smiled. “Good, then then let’s get on with it.”
Nathaniel closed his eyes, but when he opened them again, he forgot what they’d been talking about. Holding his forehead, he stared at Michael. “Oh, I think I must’ve had a mind block or something. I’ve forgotten why I called you here.”
Michael grinned. “Don’t worry, Nathaniel. It’s probably the stress of having to deal with Lucifer. You said he set you up and you wanted my advice on how to deal with it.”
“Oh, that’s right. I was telling you how Devlin took Eloise’s soul when she was unconscious and that I had to go and bring her back. Lucifer set me up. He was hoping I would fall for my own ward and that I would sell my soul to him so I could be with her on Earth. Of course his plan didn’t work and I declined his offer, but now he’s threatened to offer the same deal to Devlin. I was worried because when Devlin took Eloise to his cloud, he told her that he was her guardian angel. I was worried that Eloise might believe him, so just before you arrived, I erased her memory of Devlin as well of her memory of me rescuing her. I guess I must’ve called you for advice on how to deal with Devlin and Lucifer if it happens again.”
Michael raised a brow. “You mean you can’t remember calling me?”
Nathaniel shrugged. “Um, I kind of remember calling out to you, but it was probably just a knee-jerk reaction to everything that just happened. Though I am glad you came.”
“Well, you’ve done all the right things for this situation,” said Michael. “Though I don’t know why you aren’t carrying a sword.”
Looking down at his hip, Nathaniel cringed. “Yes, and that was irresponsible of me. I came with Eloise in the ambulance in such a hurry I forgot to grab it. Of course I had my crucifix, and that never fails me.”
“Well you did fine, Nathaniel, and the only advice I can give you is to stay vigilant, never leave Eloise’s side, and always call me if you need help. I will also be watching Devlin and keeping my eye on you. Now, is there anything else I can help you with before I go on my way?”
“No, I’m right, thanks.”
As Michael headed for the door, he glanced over his shoulder. “Now, don’t hesitate to call me if you need help.”
Nathaniel smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t, and thanks for coming.” He couldn’t believe he’d shouted Michael’s name out and he’d just turned up like that. He made a mental note to be careful what he yelled out loud from now on or he’d have Michael turning up when he didn’t need him. But for some strange reason after seeing the archangel, he felt more refreshed and relaxed than he had in a long time. Well, he couldn’t complain about that. Shrugging, he wandered over to Eloise’s bedside.
Though she still looked groggy from the sedatives, her eyes were open and she was staring at something in her hand. When Nathaniel peeked over to see what it was, he smiled. She was looking at the tiny crucifix-shaped rock he’d given her from the shooting star.
She held it up to the nurse. “What’s this and where did it come from?”
“I don’t know,” said the nurse, picking it up. “But it looks like a piece of jewellery. Maybe that priest left it for you.”
Eloise frowned. “What priest?”
“The one that came to visit you while you were unconscious.”
“Really,” said Eloise. “Well I hope I was covered up.”
“He just wandered in, but he didn’t stay. And yes, you were well covered up with blankets.”
“Well, it’s a beautiful crucifix, but where’s the one I had in my hand when I came in?”
The nurse shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’ll ask if anyone found it. You should have handed it to someone before your operation.”
“Well, I hope you find it. It’s special because my grandfather gave it to me.”
“Maybe your mother has it,” said the nurse, checking Eloise’s blood pressure again.
“She could have, but if I can’t find it, I’ll put this one on my gold chain when I get home.”
The door opened and a male nurse walked in and smiled at Eloise. “I’ve come to take you back to your room.” As he wheeled her bed down the corridor, Nathaniel followed. He couldn’t help but smirk at how ironic it was that Eloise thought the priest had left her the crucifix when it was actually given to her to protect her from him. But the thought of Lucifer using Devlin to get to Eloise was making him angrier by the minute. Devlin would be only too pleased to sell his soul if in return he got to spend a lifetime with Eloise, especially now that she was a beautiful, fully grown young woman. Plus Devlin would enjoy getting revenge on him. After all, he’d been threatening it for eighteen years.
Nathaniel clenched his jaw. He no longer felt pity for Devlin. He just wanted to tear him to shreds and burn his wings off, then send him spiralling to Hell where he belonged. All of this was just too sad for Eloise, and she didn’t deserve any of it.
Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed his gold chain and fixed the broken link, then he threaded his crucifix back and fastened it around his neck. He had no intention of letting Devlin or Lucifer get to her. It was his job to protect her, and protect her he would.