Protecting the Devil's Angel

Preparing For War

Cynara put her plate in the dish washer as she thought she heard a screech on her backdoor’s window. 

‘Didn’t I go through enough today?’ her mind screamed as she stood frozen by the sink.

The water slowly dripped into the sink as she listened intently, but there was nothing but silence. Just to be sure, she tipped over & pulled the tiny curtain back to look out to the lit the deck that looked over the porch. Beyond that, it was pitch black and that scared her. Shadows from the trees loomed near & that gave her more of the heebie jeebies because anything could be in those woods. She double checked the lock & let go of the curtain before walking away.  As relief washed over her, she flipped the light switch off and headed through her still empty living room. Being alone had become almost an everyday thing growing up for her. Her parents were always working & she tried to never complain because it paid for their nice homes. Not to mention extravagant gifts because of their absences. They were always moving around and that was because of her dad’s job.

This new house was nice and cozy though, she had to admit. Outside deep behind the woods, she could see the mountain tops—especially from a window in her room. It had nice soft carpeting and hardwood floors throughout the whole house. Her & her mother had picked the best décor inside as well. She hustled up the stairs and went down the long hallway to her room. It was like sleeping in a hotel. She had a nice queen sized bed that was nice and fluffy, but not too weak. She already had soft music playing because she had finished her homework while eating dinner. She grabbed a book and climbed up on her huge bed before curling under the covers. She heard the rain pounding on her window as the wind howled and sighed. Having atleast one friend would’ve been good to have, but this was the perks of living in a new town. She opened her book and opened it to the page she bookmarked and continued reading.   

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Matthew paced impatiently as he awaited word from a meeting that was going on with the highest of his kind. Though he was next in command Michael had excluded him from this conference. Something big was going on, he knew that much. Angels were dropping like flies and that worried him because it wasn’t easy to kill one. The door slid open and illuminating light came out as Michael stepped from the room. From his facial expression, he didn’t look too pleased.   

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Matt inquired impatiently.

Michael was superior to all angels, and if he chose for you not to know something…you weren’t going to know. He was stubborn like that & Matthew was just as stubborn. He was Michael’s first in command, so the fact that he chose to exclude him had him on edge. He was trained exclusively to battle and here he was, sitting on the sidelines.

“What are you doing here?” Michael asked walking passed Matt, out of the room they were in. Matt of course followed frustrated by the way he dodged his inquiry.

“I could ask you the same thing.” He simply shot back, but Mike kept walking. After awhile of silence, Matt realized Michael was in a mood. Typically, that was normal for Michael, but this was more somber. Matt could feel it radiating off of him.

“Please just tell me what’s going on. I could be of good use to you & you know that.”

Michael stopped dead in his tracks and turned to his protégé who he knew was eager to defend anything he was ordered to. He felt horrible for keeping him in the dark, but he felt he had to.

He looked at the young man standing in front of him. He had short golden locks, eyes as blue as an ocean & a hard demeanor about him. Even with all of that, he could see through to his softer side.

“Look Matthew…this is no place for you…”

That statement alone brought a sarcastic smile to Matt’s face. The mere fact that he was trained from young age until now was testament enough of “place”. He was the best they’d had and Michael knew it.

“I wield a sword just like you, so we both know that’s not the truth.”

“Matthew…” Michael started, but Matthew cut him short.                                                          

“Could you please stop trying to protect me and tell me the truth?!”

He hadn’t meant to yell but he let his anger get the best of him. He swallowed the anger that made his mouth taste like acid and took a breath before continuing.

“I know we’re in a battle and from the looks of it we’re losing. I just want to know why.”

That was the honest to God truth too & Michael couldn’t deny it. Angels were forbidden to lie, among other things, and if they did, it ripped through them like acid, leaving a horrible taste in their mouth.

“Fine, you’re right. There is a war waging, but I want you to stay out of it.”

Matt frowned unbelievingly at the words that finally set in. Him? Staying out of a war? This was what he’d been waiting for. Yeah, smiting a demon here and there was invigorating, but this was a WAR. Something he’d been preparing for since he could remember. Hell that was all he knew.

“Are you serious?” he finally managed to choke out.

“Deadly.” And his expression was stone cold serious.

“I could…”

“Get yourself killed.”Mike interjected. He wasn’t about to send him into a blind war when he didn’t know what was going on. He was too important.

“Dad you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

Michael grimaced the moment he called him dad. It hit a soft spot in his heart & he was always trying to be hard.

“Just…go back home Matthew. Train…relax… do anything. Just stop worrying about this.”

With that, Michael walked off and damn sure left a lot of questions for his son.

“Fine dad…” he mumbled frustrated. “I’ll go home…but to my Earthly one.” He smiled sinisterly as he shimmered to nothing. He was going to find out what was going on even if he had to be dead smack in the middle of it.