Fallen Angel (5 page)

Glancing out the window
at the busy morning traffic, Nathaniel sighed. He knew that as soon
as they reached the O’Connor’s house, he’d have to be on guard
every second if he was to keep Eloise safe from harm. He gazed down
at her. Her long lashes were fluttering as her eyes moved beneath
closed lids. He guessed she was dreaming and he knew it wouldn’t be
long now before he’d be able to communicate with her psyche, then
he could give her advice and warn her of danger. But for now, he’d
just have to watch her. He turned to Ramiel. “I wouldn’t be
surprised if Devlin hasn’t found out where the O’Connor’s live. He
could even turn up there or already be hiding close by. What’s
their place like?”

“
Their house
is at the end of a cul-de-sac, and it’s surrounded by
forest.”

“
Oh, great.
That’s all I need.”

“
I understand
your concern, Nathaniel, but there’s really no need to stress.
Michael found out where Devlin was when Eloise was born and he
reprimanded him. Plus Devlin has a new ward now, so hopefully he’ll
be too busy to bother you.”

Nathaniel raised a brow.
“Oh, where was he?”

Ramiel rolled his eyes.
“Apparently, he was on the Gold Coast watching a surfing
championship, though it’s more likely he was ogling the bikini
girls.”

As they sped onto the
highway, Nathaniel shook his head in disgust. “Why on Earth would
Michael trust Devlin with another ward after finding that out? He
should have been punished for risking Eloise’s life, or at least
made to go to rehab.”

“
You’re
right, but if someone is forced into rehab, it doesn’t work. They
have to want to change their ways. Anyway, maybe Devlin agreed to
some counselling of his own accord before taking on a new
ward.”

Nathaniel waved his hand
in the air. “I don’t believe that for a minute, not after the way
he carried on three weeks ago. He’s too bitter and angry and you
should’ve seen the way he was ogling the nurses. I doubt
counselling would help him.”

Ramiel sighed.
“Hopefully, he’s accepted that he was wrong and he’s just getting
on with guarding his ward.”

“
Maybe, but
I’d love to know where his ward lives. I don’t trust him and I
never will, not after what he said.”

“
I heard he
was sent to Queensland so that he wouldn’t cross paths with you
when the children went to school.”

“
Well, from
what you’ve just told me about him perving on girls on the Gold
Coast, I bet that’s what he’ll be doing in Queensland. It’s always
hot there and the beaches are full of bikini-clad girls all year
round.”

“
Not if
Michael talked him into going to rehab first.”

“
Well, I
still don’t trust him and I’m sure he’ll keep trying to get Eloise
back. Devlin is a poor loser. He used to have a hissy fit if I beat
him at flying races. He’d sulk for hours. He’s like a human child
in some ways.”

Ramiel chuckled. “Sorry
to laugh, but imagining that big muscly angel acting like that is
hilarious.”

Nathaniel smirked. “Oh,
that’s another thing he used to compete with. He was forever
comparing our physiques. I could never understand that. But you’re
right, Ramiel. Devlin is funny and I miss that side of
him.”

“
You two look
so much alike, if it wasn’t for your curly hair and different eye
colour, you could easily be mistaken for Devlin. And if you were
human, you’d be mistaken for brothers.”

“
Yeah, well
it hurts because I felt like Devlin
was
my brother. We were
best friends. That’s what’s so sad about the whole
thing.”

Ramiel nodded. “Well,
just try to chill out while you can and worry about Devlin when you
have to.”

“
You’re
right. I will.” Gazing out of the window, Nathaniel pondered on the
times he’d zoomed across the ocean with Devlin and how they’d
slowed down and flown above dolphins and whales as they travelled
along the beautiful East Coast of New South Wales. The car suddenly
swerved around a corner, snapping him out of his reverie. When he
checked on Eloise, her eyes fluttered open, but she soon drifted
back to sleep.

After travelling along a
coast road for five minutes, Matthew turned a corner and pulled
into a driveway at the end of a cul-de-sac.

Nathaniel peered out at
the surrounding forest. “It’s certainly peaceful around
here.”

“
Yes,” said
Ramiel. “The O’Connor’s bought this house a year ago. It’s is a bit
rundown, but it’s surrounded by five acres of land and only minutes
to the beach.”

“
It’s a
lovely place to bring up a child,” said Nathaniel. “But having a
house surrounded by trees makes it easy for the likes of Devlin to
sneak around unnoticed.”

“
True, but I
haven’t seen anyone in the year I’ve been here.”

“
But you
weren’t with Madeline twenty-four hours a day, were
you?”

Ramiel shook his head.
“Of course not. I had other wards to attend to as well, and now I
have two new ones. But I’m hoping that you’ll help me out from time
to time, especially since Michael has taken you off the
register.”

Nathaniel’s brows knitted
together. “Yes, and that’s a shame since there’s a shortage of
guardians, but I have to protect Eloise twenty-four-seven. There’s
no way I could do that if I had other wards as well.”

“
No,” said
Ramiel. “Not with Lucifer so keen to have her soul.”

“
But what
about Madeline? With so many wards, how are you going to protect
her as well?”

“
I’m glad you
asked because I was about to ask you a favour.”

“
Oh, what is
it?”

“
Would you be
able to guard Madeline for me when I go to attend to my other
wards?”

“
Sure, if I’m
to be here twenty-four-seven, that shouldn’t be a problem. And if
there’s an emergency I can’t handle, I’ll send for you.”

“
Thanks,”
said Ramiel. “That takes the pressure off. You won’t mind if I take
off today, then? I have a lot of catching up to do. Gabriel’s been
guiding my wards for three weeks while I’ve been at the
hospital.”

“
Of course,
go ahead.” Nathaniel smiled. He was pleased he could help, but he
was disappointed Ramiel wouldn’t be around for company, especially
after losing his best friend. Minding a baby with no one to talk to
could make an angel pretty restless.

***

One night while Eloise was
sleeping, Nathaniel stood by the nursery window and gazed out at
the full moon. Six months had passed since Eloise was born, yet
there’d been no visit from Devlin. Nathaniel still didn’t trust
him, especially since he’d threatened to take her back, though he
missed him terribly. Shaking his head, he walked over to the cot.
There was no way he would leave the baby alone, not even for a
minute. Devlin could be as cunning as a fox when he wanted. Knowing
him, he’d turn up when least expected.

Nathaniel gazed down at
Eloise and smiled. She looked like a little angel when she was
asleep, but when she was awake she was forever getting into
trouble. If she wasn’t attempting to climb out of her cot, she was
trying to crawl outside. It seemed she loved nothing better than to
escape out of an open door. At least during the day he didn’t have
time to dwell on his loneliness. He was too busy trying to keep
Eloise safe from harm. Even this morning, she’d crawled towards the
dam when her mother was hanging out the washing. If he hadn’t
distracted her by blowing leaves about until her mother turned
around, she may have fallen in. He shook his head. He wished
Madeline would put a playpen in the garden to keep her daughter
safer.

There was certainly no
time for daydreaming while the child was awake, but the nights were
always lonely. As he glanced out the window at the kangaroos and
wallabies, the TV in the lounge room was switched off and the house
went quiet. Nathaniel looked up at the night sky and resigned
himself for another long and lonesome night. Madeline always went
to bed early and whenever Matthew worked away from home, his
guardian went with him. Not that Anael was much company. He was
always helping humans with problems of love, passion, and
sexuality. Most guardians had no knowledge of such subjects and
would call on Anael for help. Nathaniel had only seen him once in
six months and Ramiel hadn’t been to visit since the day they’d
arrived home from the hospital. With no angels to talk to,
Nathaniel missed Devlin more than he ever thought possible, though
he never considered leaving Eloise so he could visit other
guardians. That would be irresponsible and way too
risky.

Running his hands through
his hair, he paced the room. Six months of loneliness was starting
to get to him. He strode over to the window and stared out at the
stars, but even that didn’t lift his mood. All it did was remind
him of the good times he’d had with Devlin—like the nights they
went night flying around the world. They’d take off at full speed,
only slowing down when they saw meteors or shooting stars. Now he
had a huge hole in his existence and there was nothing to fill it
except a child who couldn’t even see or hear him. Though Devlin was
now his nemesis, it didn’t stop the sorrow of missing what they’d
had. Even gazing at the full moon and listening to the waves
crashing against the shore didn’t relax him anymore. It only
frustrated him that he was stranded like a prisoner and couldn’t
even go diving with the dolphins and whales. Gazing up at the
Heavens, he wondered if it was possible for an angel to go mad.
He’d certainly never felt powerless before. As anger filled his
soul, he tightened his hands into fists and shook them at the
sky.

“
Lord, what’s
happened to my tolerance?”

Without waiting for an
answer, he threw his head back and laughed. All he needed now was
for Madeline to play
Bruno Mars
singing ‘
Talking to the
Moon’
like she usually did before going to sleep—then he’d
really go crazy. As he waited for her door to close, the perfect
voice of Bruno Mars floated like a dream from her bedroom stereo.
The song stirred Nathaniel’s soul so deeply
,
he knew if he
was human, he’d cry an ocean of tears for the loss of his best
friend.

When Madeline hit replay,
Nathaniel held his head and cursed as he laughed hysterically, then
he shouted up at the clear night sky. “Devlin, why in Heaven did
you have to go and ruin a friendship as perfect as ours? Why,
Devlin?”

As he was about to turn
away from the window, a shooting star shot above the full moon,
reminding him of the night he’d raced Devlin to New Zealand and
back. Smiling, he recalled how they’d arranged to meet on top of
the cliff at the Creed Valley Lookout. Standing side-by-side with
their arms stretched out, they counted to three before zooming into
the clear night sky like a couple of action heroes. As they raced
each other across the Tasman Sea towards New Zealand, they’d hit
and an electrical storm, losing sight of each other as they
zigzagged around dark ominous clouds. When they met up again,
Devlin had surprised him by grabbing his arm and urging him to
follow. Surging upwards, they’d skyrocketed under the twinkling
stars before swooping downwards and nose-diving into the deep dark
sea. After swimming with a pod of dolphins, they’d shot back out of
the water and jetted towards Mount Edward, landing on the peak
within seconds of each other. As they’d laughed uncontrollably,
Devlin had taken off again, yodelling like Tarzan and obviously
determined to win the race.

Nathaniel chuckled. He’d
been equally competitive that night. After catching a strong wind,
he’d jetted after Devlin. Then with everything he could muster,
he’d zipped past him, reaching the Creed Valley lookout only
seconds before him and winning the race. But as always, Devlin was
a sore loser. Growling like a bear, he’d lifted Nathaniel up and
flipped him off the edge of the cliff. But instead of falling into
the sea or flying back to the lookout, Nathaniel summersaulted in
mid-air and landed right next to him. As he’d wrestled Devlin to
the ground, they’d fallen in a heap and laughed uproariously before
heading back to their wards.

Coming out of his
musings, Nathaniel felt lonelier than ever. Ramiel had said there
was a shortage of guardians because too many angels had fallen.
Nathaniel could only hope that Devlin wasn’t one of them. There was
nothing he wanted more than to have his comrade back by his side,
but he wasn’t sure that would ever be possible now. Bowing his
head, he prayed that Devlin had been to rehab and was recovering
from his addictions, then as he walked away from the window, he
flicked his wings with frustration. Night flying was so
exhilarating, especially having Devlin with him, but oh, how he’d
taken it for granted. Now he understood what humans meant when they
said, ‘You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone’.

A noise outside the
nursery soon had him on full alert and he wandered over to the
window and peeked out. He guessed it was just a kangaroo, but
decided to go and check. After making sure Eloise was still asleep,
he walked out the back door. As he flew around the house, he peered
in hidden places to make sure Devlin wasn’t lurking about. There
was no sign of anyone, but just to be sure, he zipped into the
nearby woods and looked around. Seeing nothing suspicious, he shot
back to the house. He figured if Devlin hadn’t gone to rehab by
now, he’d be too busy researching fallen angels and ogling pretty
girls to be bothered trying to get Eloise back.