|
Angel Mikhail has been assigned to watch over a human named Andrew Blackwell. As a Watcher angel, he's used to such things, but there's something about Andrew that draws him, something he can't quite resist. When Andrew is attacked by the minions of Hell, Mikhail takes extra care to keep Andrew safe, taking him to a place called Caeli, a realm between Heaven and Earth.
Andrew feels the attraction to Mikhail, but he knows he can't stay in Caeli. He has a life, after all. When he returns home, though, the attacks start up again, leaving him on the run. Can Mikhail find a way to keep Andrew safe, and keep Andrew with him, where the man belongs?
Excerpt:
Caeli – the realm between Heaven and Earth
Mikhail grimaced at the images in the cloudy mirror. Andrew Blackwell. The young man wasn't quite what Mikhail had hoped to find. Then again, after the last world war nearly wiped humanity off the map, there wasn't much left of belief and hope. Society struggled on, people merely surviving.
Mikhail grunted as he observed the young man's life in flashes -- the death of Andrew's parents; the emotionless trysts with nameless men; the casual, almost routine, sidestep to avoid the bag-lady he passed every day.
This was their savior?
"Why me?" Mikhail grumbled.
"Aside from a direct order?"
Mikhail tried to ignore the man in the doorway. "I have Caeli. Why send me down to fetch such a prime example of humanity?"
If Gabriel sensed the sarcasm, he paid it no mind. "Michael has his reasons, Mikhail. As his voice at times, it is my duty to ensure his commands are followed. You have your orders: find the man, and protect him."
"Where do I find him? New York City, even now, is huge. I don't have infinite sight, remember?"
"Madam LeMay will know."
Mikhail glanced over at the archangel. "The old fortune teller? Wouldn't it just be easier to tell me now?"
Gabriel smiled. "Some things you must do on your own."
Turning back to the mirror, which now reflected his own face instead of Andrew Blackwell's life, Mikhail sighed. Sometimes, being low on the angelic totem pole just sucked.
|
