Angel of Light

Chapter 5

There was Gabe in his full glory tossing Thesus clear across the room and blasting his crony. He would have killed them, but he heard Anastasia groan in pain. He turned and saw that she was bleeding. The blood was seeping from her shoulder to the floor. He was by her side in an instant. He picked her up and teleported them to the nearest hospital, then walked in holding her.

“My friend here got shot in the shoulder by some drive by lunatic and needs medical attention,” he issued out the order to the nurse sitting behind the counter.

The nurse quickly paged for the medical team to come get Anastasia. When, they had put her on a stretcher and was wheeling her in, Anastasia looked at Gabe and called out silently to him, “Please, don’t leave me.”

“I won’t. I’ll be right here waiting for you, Anastasia,” he replied telepathically.

Many hours later, Anastasia woke up in a hospital room. She looked around and noticed Gabe sitting in a chair reading a newspaper.

“Hey there, Gabriel,” she called out softly.

He put his newspaper down and looked over at her. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I’ve been shot at before, it’s nothing new,” she replied cheerfully.

He grinned at her making her heart beat faster. “You have a bit of tendency to get into trouble, don’t you?”

“No more than the normal agent,” she answered.

He chuckled making her feel warm all over. “What am I to do with you, Anastasia? I can’t keep saving you if you insist on putting yourself in danger all the time,” he gently scolded her.

She frowned, “It’s my job, Gabriel. I hunt demons and kill them to prevent them from going after humans who can’t defend themselves against them.”

She continued, “I would have killed Thesus, but the kidnapping and gun caught me unawares. I’ve never been kidnapped by a demon before. Usually, they are not that smart. This one is working for his father, Aaron.”

Gabriel pondered her statement. Demons kidnapping humans was news to him too. Usually they employed strategic promises to lure humans to join them. Enough human went to them believing in their empty promises that they didn’t have to necessarily use force to get their way. However, Aaron was a different story. He was no ordinary demon.

“What does Aaron want with you that he is desperate enough to kidnap you?” Gabe questioned.

“According to his Thesus, he wants to marry me. Quite a ludicrous reason if you ask me. I’d rather slice his balls off,” Anastasia replied tartly.

“I didn’t know he was taking human brides. What does he want with them?” Gabe asked puzzled.

“How should I know? I’m not interested in human and demon marriages,” Anastasia retorted.

“Hmmm…this means we’ll have to keep a closer eye on you then,” Gabe concluded.

“I do not need to be watched and babysat like a six year old. I am a grown woman who can take care of herself,” Anastasia mumbled grumpily.

He grinned and replied soothingly, “Get some sleep Anastasia. You need it.”

Anastasia woke to the buzzing of her phone. She got up and looked at it and saw that she had fifty missed calls and voice mails from Liz. She knew Liz must be freaking out, so she called her.

“Where are you? What happened?” Liz’s frantic voice was on the other end of the phone.

“I’m good. I’m in the hospital with Gabe,” Anastasia replied.

“Hospital? What happened? Did you say Gabe? As in your archangel Gabriel?!” Liz exclaimed.

“Yep, Gabe is here with me, though I’m not sure where he is. Would you mind looking up a demon named Thesus? He is the son of Aaron. Thesus kidnapped and shot me,” Anastasia told her best friend.

“Yep, on it Girlfriend. So, the housefire was a trap to lure you to him, then?” Liz asked her best friend.

“Yeah, also were you aware that demons are marrying humans and bringing them down to Hell?” Anastasia inquired.

“Really? Is that what they’re doing? How’s that possible? I’m sure they probably getting married here and there, but I didn’t know humans could travel down to Hell,” Liz responded,

“After all, not even all the demons can enter into Hell. Only the very old ones before the Fall can go down there. The rest are stuck here with us too, the bastards!”

“Well, apparently Aaron is marrying human women and taking them to Hell to have halfling babies with them. Then, he releases the halflings back on Earth when they’re old enough and strong enough,” Anastasia informed her. “They’re a tad more powerful than the normal demon too which is unnerving.”

“Damn, he won’t let the killings go without a fight,” Liz replied. “Great, we’ll have to formulate a different plan of attack then. Let me talk to the team and see what we come up with. In the meantime, just heal and get better. No more hunts.”

“Ok, thanks for always having my back Liz,” Anastasia replied and then hung up.

Shortly after, Gabriel walked in. He looked so good in blue jeans and a polo shirt that showed off his biceps that Anastasia just stared at him speechless.

He looked at her patiently, and Anastasia realized he had asked her a question and was waiting for her to reply. She flushed and said, “Sorry, I was woolgathering, what did you ask?”

“I asked how much longer you will need to stay here, and how you’re feeling,” Gabe replied.

“I’ll probably leave today. I’m feeling fine,” Anastasia answered.

“Good, I’ll take you back to your place, and I’ll probably check in on you occasionally. I would really appreciate it if you could refrain from going after demons for the moment,” Gabriel insisted.

“Yes, Archangel. I have orders from my headquarters to lay low for a while too, so I’ll be sitting at home healing,” Anastasia informed him.

“Good,” Gabriel said.

As soon as Anastasia was discharged, Gabriel took her home. Then, he went grocery shopping and made sure her fridge was well stocked. After that, he cooked supper for her. When he was done with the meal, he set the table for them. She watched him loving the fact that he was taking care of her.

He caught her staring and asked, “Is something wrong?”

“Nope, I’m just not used to having a gorgeous man take care of me,” Anastasia replied, “If I was here by myself, I would have ordered take out and popped in a movie, so this is really nice of you. Thank you.”

Gabriel grinned, “You’re hurt. I’m glad to take care of you and make sure you are ok.”

“You do this for all the people you save?” Anastasia questioned him.

“Nope, just the ones who I really like,” Gabriel responded.

Anastasia grinned, “You like me, Gabriel?”

Gabriel blushed and muttered, “I like your bravery and courage. It’s commendable.”

“Aww…how sweet, I like you too, Archangel,” she told him.

They sat down to eat dinner and talked all the while getting to know each other. Gabriel found his attraction to her growing. She was smart, witty, and funny besides being brave. The time flew and before long it was dark.

Anastasia smiled at him from across the table and covered a yawn.

Gabriel took that as his cue to leave. So, he announced, “Well, I suppose I should be getting back to my quarters. I’m sure my brothers will not be happy, I’ve been spending too much time with you.”

“Will you be going so soon then?” she asked him sadly. “Just stay just a little while longer, please?” she pleaded.

He gave in knowing she feared the dark and being alone in it in case her nightmares came back. “Very well, I’ll stay and watch over you until you fall asleep,” he conceded.

Anastasia cleared the dishes and cleaned up. When there was nothing left to clean, she looked at him a bit awkwardly and shyly. She was not quite sure what to do with a golden Archangel in her apartment while she slept.

He smiled gently at her sensing her discomfort. “I’ll be right in here watching television until you fall asleep. You have nothing to fear,” he told her.

Anastasia smiled in relief and went over to hug Gabriel good night. Electricity charged between the two of them, and she held onto him a little longer than usual. He let her go reluctantly. She stepped back and was surprised to see heat in his eyes.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Well, good night, Anastasia. Sweet dreams tonight.”

“Thanks Gabe. This has been really nice. Thanks for always watching over me and being there for me,” Anastasia replied softly.

“I will always watch over you and be there for you,” Gabe promised her.

Shortly after, she crawled into her bed and fell fast asleep. Gabe stayed in the living room watching television quietly. When, he sensed that she was finally asleep, he teleported himself home. He wanted to stay the entire night just to make sure she was safe. He wanted to watch over her and make sure no demon could hurt her again. He was shocked at how strongly he felt towards her.

Aaron was quite upset. He had sent his strongest son, Thesus to get Anastasia. Thesus was supposed to keep her in a safe place until Aaron was able to get to her. He was expecting to meet her today and take her down to his paradise in Hell.

Instead, Thesus had called and informed him that she had again been saved by that damn Archangel. He did so hate it when his plans went awry, and he had no one to punish. He couldn’t very well punish Thesus. He was not powerful enough to go up against Gabriel. In fact, he was damn lucky he was still alive, since Gabriel was not known to spare the demons he goes after in battle. Aaron growled in frustration.

Well, when something needs to be done right, one should do it oneself. With that thought, he teleported to Tokyo where Anastasia was reported to be living. He walked into his son’s place there and realized that it was bugged. He knew the agents from the Center will have put up cameras and sensors everywhere too. How they crawled all over his son’s place in this short amount of a time was beyond him, but it infuriated him all the more. He frowned and teleported to a place closer to the Center.

He watched it like a hawk and saw a nervous looking human nurse coming out. She was dropping her things everywhere in her hurry and had to stop every few seconds to double check to make sure she had everything. She was easy prey. He used his powers and telepathically communicated with her, “You dropped your keys. Come to me. I have them for you.”

He watched the nurse turn and walk across the street towards him. He kept talking to her until she was standing in front of him. She looked confused and unsure of him. He looked into her eyes and put her in a trance.

“Now my dear, go back to the Center and get me the contact information on an agent named Anastasia,” he commanded. Then, to make sure she remembered what he wanted, he asked her, “What will you do again?”

“Go back to the Center and get you contact information on an agent named Anastasia, Master,” the nurse replied.

“Very good. Please me in this, and I will reward you well, my dear,” Aaron promised. Then, he sent her on her way and waited. It was a while before she came out, but when she did, she had a piece of paper with her.

“Forgive me for taking so long, Master. I had to convince them that I was going to pay her an in home visit to make sure she was doing alright. Here is the information you requested,” she spoke dully and lifelessly as she handed him the piece of paper.

He smiled at her and said, “I am pleased. You may go home now.” He released her from the trance and walked away briskly. He knew if he turned back to watch, she would be dazed and confused. He didn’t care. Humans were weak. He used them in any way he could. He looked at the piece of paper and smiled evilly. His reunion with Anastasia was long overdue, and he couldn’t wait to meet her.