Fallen Angel (12 page)

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.”

“
What?”
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 how did he set you up?”

Nathaniel threw his arms
out. “Because he practically 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’s shoulders slumped and he
looked piteously 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
temptation 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 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.