Two Steps From Hell | Sebastian Michaelis

Her Butler, Healer

Sebastian had plumped up the pillows and placed them in a certain way so that she wouldn't get hurt. He lay her down against the headboard so that she was supported without affecting her wings. He couldn't tell if they still hurt her but he wasn't going to risk it. The wings still took up most of the room and they were truly majestic. After covering her body with his tailcoat, he remained beside her with a small furrow between his brows as he watched her sleep.

'An archangel...' It was hard for him to believe so he could only imagine how it must have felt for her. She still only thought she was just an angel. It worried him how she would react upon learning that she was actually an archangel.

It wasn't long before she began to stir and wake up. Sebastian took hold of her hand as she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing that came into view was his face. She felt calm and kept her eyes on him. She could see the worry in his eyes but still smiled, which only surprised him. However, it put him at ease.

Breathing out softly, he stroked her cheek. "Are you in pain?"
"No..." She held his hand tighter and tried to get up. "I can't lie down anymore."

He helped her to sit up but as she moved, so did her wings. It was only then that she noticed them. Her eyes widened as she looked around the room to see the large, feathered wings. Sebastian could sense her becoming stressed as she turned her head as far as she could to look at her back.

She whimpered in fear when she saw her back looking deformed and then it suddenly hit her that the wings had sprouted from her back. It truly frightened her and she held back her scream as she clutched onto Sebastian's shirt and jumped onto his lap. He grabbed hold of her as she began to panic as if trying to escape from the wings. He held onto her body and tried to calm her down because her wings were responding to her emotions. They were going wild, flapping and damaging the room. And now that they were fluttering wildly, they were scaring her even more, causing her to whimper and cry.

"Anastasia," he called calmly. "They can't hurt you. They are a part of you."

His calm tone set her with some ease and her wings also slowly relaxed. She looked into his warm eyes and the erratic beating of her heart began to calm as well. He gently held her face and stroked her cheeks as she sat curled up in his lap.

"This is who you are," he spoke in a soft tone.
"I'm scared..." she whispered.
"I understand. But you're going to get through this. You're strong."
She stayed clutching onto his shirt. "Do you still love me?"
"If I didn't love you, I wouldn't be here."

Closing her eyes, she lay her head on his shoulder. That's all she wanted to know. The fact that she was an angel mattered little to her at that moment. With Sebastian there, she knew she would make it through. He wrapped his arms around her waist and stroked her back.

"You trust me, do you not?" he asked, keeping his voice soft.
She nodded. "More than anything."
"There is more I need to tell you, my dear. The sooner you know, the easier this process will be for you."
"Tell me," she told him before lifting her head again to look into his eyes. "I only behaved this way because I was shocked and confused. But I will soon accept it all. Tell me. I can handle it."

He could see the strength in her eyes and knew she was telling the truth. She was stronger than most beings and even though she had panicked earlier, she had quickly learned that the only way to overcome it was to accept it.

He sighed quietly. "As there is a hierarchy amongst demons, similarly, a hierarchy exists within angels."
"Yes, I've read about them. Three spheres, or hierarchies, exist. And within each sphere are three orders, all of which rank higher than the last," she explained. "Was that correct?"
He smiled softly. "That was perfect. You, my dear, are of the third sphere, second order."
"I..." Her brows furrowed slightly as she tried to work it out. "I... You're saying I'm an Archangel?"
"That is what I believe, yes."
"What makes you so certain?"
"Simply the sheer size of your wings speaks volumes. Angels of the third order have much smaller wings and Principalities of the first order are said to have no wings," he explained. "Those of the second and first spheres have more than two wings apparently."
She raised a brow. "Apparently?"
"Well, I hardly spend time with the angels since I am a demon," he retorted with a slight smirk. "I am the son of Lucifer. Your kind want nothing to do with my own."
"They are not my kind," she said with a small frown. "They clearly want nothing to do with me either. I have always read of the Seven Archangels. Clearly they didn't need an eighth and so He cast me away."
"I doubt God would throw you out of heaven," Sebastian said. "Sometimes I do wonder if He knows what is happening amongst his precious angels."
"You think the angels threw me out?"
"It's possible."
Ana breathed out deeply. "It doesn't matter anyway. I don't want to be in heaven, earth has been cruel and I can never enter hell. I don't belong anywhere."
"No, my dear." He smiled. "You belong with me." As he blinked, his eyes glowed pink. "Whether it be hell, heaven or earth, you and I belong together. And no being can take you away from me."