Guardian Angel (15 page)

Jasmine fought with herself, trying to gain control. She felt confused and, for the first time, truly lost. She reached out again but hesitated, her hand pulling back at the last moment, and only fuelled her guilt and despair. Desire built within her, unholy desire for her charge adding itself into the maelstrom of her feelings.

Then a clear note sounded in the symphony, a single note played from on high by Metatron on his harp. It pierced through the frenzy in Jasmine’s mind, and she felt better. A passage Metatron had quoted sprung into her mind “
There is no greater gift one can give another than love.”

 
Jasmine’s head cleared and she reached out, grasping Michael’s hand. She pulled close, hugging him tightly and whispering a soothing song into his ear. She couldn’t believe she had left the most precious person suffering because she was scared of her own feelings.

“
Im so sorry, Michael, I promise I will always protect and….love you,” Jasmine whispered with newfound conviction and certainty into Michael’s ear.

 
Tears streamed down Jasmine’s cheeks as all her barriers finally fell. All the walls of discipline, all the control developed during decades of service. Her hold over the emotions inside gone in an instant. She finally understood Jazen’s situation and, for the first time, doubted the divine wisdom behind the restrictions on a Guardian’s feelings. She felt stronger where previously she had been paralyzed. Jasmine’s love for her charge gave her strength and determination. What was wrong with that?

Jasmine could see Michael relaxing. He seemed calmer, less stressed. He shakily raised his hands and embraced Jasmine back.

 
Before Jasmine could react, he kissed her their lips meeting with what felt like an electric charge. Jasmine didn’t pull away; instead she tightened her embrace, pouring all her love through the physical contact they shared. She stood there , locked in a lovers embrace while the world seemed to slow to a crawl around her.

Eventually Michael broke the kiss and took a step back with his hands on Jasmine’s shoulders, looking into her eyes. He smiled at Jasmine nervously, even as she mirrored it back.

“
I love you too,” Michael whispered in a gentle voice only Jasmine could hear.

“
I promise to always keep you safe, Michael. Not just as your Guardian, but as someone who truly loves you.”

“
I know. Somehow even, though I’ve only known you for a few weeks, it feels like I’ve known you for years, it feels like this was meant to be.”

“
Well you have known me for years in a way, silly, but I think this really was meant to be.”

“
Oh, I... uh, well you know what I meant."

Jasmine smiled and took Michael’s hand. “Come on, didn’t you want to get some shopping done?”

***

  A palpable aura of light developed around the couple , invisible to human eyes but to every Guardian around blinding in its intensity. The angels close by turned to look at Jasmine and Michael. The aura spread in all directions soothing every Guardian it touched, banishing the weariness from them and leaving them feeling refreshed. The discordant note in the symphony however continued to chime, unrelenting even in the face of newborn love.

***

  Garamo
nd reclined in his throne, free of a possessed body. His wings always felt massively constrained when inhabiting a human, even though the sensation was purely in his mind. Possession was a spiritual act, and as such physical attributes didn't really matter. But still it always felt as if he was cramped.

He took a sip of blood-red wipe from a golden goblet at his side, enjoying the taste as he swallowed the spiced liquid. Choosing the Lilith Sisters had been a good move. So far, they had done an excellent job of inflaming passions in Michael and his Guardian, as well as preparing for the next part of his plan. The one thing Garamond couldn’t understand was why Heaven had not intervened; that thought vexed him no end.

  Also
, the purifying light emitted by the newly formed couple had been unexpected. The accident site was supposed to be an unstoppable taint, the location of a spell years in planning, corrupting everything nearby; yet for a time the pair had nullified its effects, reversing some of the damage done to the humans and their Guardians. However, the discord in the symphony remained, so he'd let the matter lie for now. In the end, it wouldn’t matter. It should be the last time Michael and Jasmine get to perform such a feat.

Garamond grinned, relishing the corruption and carnage that was yet to come. He would soon have all the pieces in place, and everything was moving steadily towards the culmination of his plans. In the end, he would have the mortal’s special power, several new high-powered demons and, after that, the whole world in his sway.

  Garamond laughed, his bo
oming voice shaking the room. The door at their master's mirth. Every demon in Garamond’s lair felt their lord's joy and took up his laugh themselves, knowing that the time for corruption, sin, unfettered decadence and war was near.

***

The shopping trip Michael turned out to be a fairly brief one. they spent some time browsing through CDs, video games, movies and even some models. Michael initially felt embarrassed, taking a girl into what many regarded as a nerdy shop. Then again, Jasmine had been with him in such places all his life, and he had nothing to hide.

They strolled down the High Street, popping in and out, but Michael grew tired pretty quickly. Anyway, as nice it was doing something normal, it just didn’t hold the same appeal anymore. After an hour or so, he'd finished browsing and bought some food and a movie before suggesting they head home.

 
To add fuel to Michael’s desire to cut the trip short, grey clouds, threatening rain were building. Were those rumbles of thunder in the distance? The change in weather seemed quite sudden, but this was England after all.

Jasmine looked at the clouds thoughtfully, before turning to face Michael.

“
You know, there may be consequences for what I’ve done. I used to think Jaden was such a fool, until I experienced the same with you.”

“
Do you think the clouds are a sign that someone's angry at us?” Weren't there Bible stories about that kind of thing?

Jasmine pulled a face and shook her head.

“
Don’t be so silly. You’ve been watching too many movies. The clouds up there are the clouds up there. They do what they do because of moisture building and weather systems. If something truly biblical were to happen, or I had transgressed massively, there would be a much stronger sign of it.”

“
Oh… ok.” Michael looked back at the clouds as a few spots of rain began to fall.

“
It makes me wonder, though. I should have received a summons for what I did earlier, or have felt some kind of disturbance at least. I broke one of the biggest rules we have, and…well, nothing's happened.”

“
Maybe they are making an exception for us; I mean, our situation is far from normal.”

“
Maybe... I hope so! But I'm not so sure. There's a lot going on here behind the scenes we don’t know about," Jasmine smiled warmly. "I guess all we can do is keep having faith that things will work out, and keep trying our best.”

“
Sounds like good advice to me.”

He had forgotten where they were standing, just outside a shop on a side street. Not many people were about, but some had noticed talking as if to himself. A young couple laughed as they walked past, While a woman with children gave him a wide birth. she must have thought that he was some kind of lunatic.

Flustered and embarrassed, Michael leaned in closer to Jasmine to whisper.

“
Definitely think it’s time we were going home. If I stand here much longer talking to you in the open, someone's going to get me locked up in a looney bin.”

  Jasmine laughed and took Michael
’s hand. “Let’s get out of here, before the heavens open. Pardon the joke.”

“
Pretty lame.” Michael commented, and Jasmine playfully punched his arm.

 
They made it back to Michael’s house in record time. The rain had started as a drizzle but soon built up into a thundery downpour, catching Michael and Jasmine mid-journey. They ran through the rain, but Michael still couldn’t avoid getting wet. Jasmine, however, avoided getting wet entirely.

 
The rain fell around her, the drops bending their trajectory to miss touching her. It created an odd image: raindrops falling vertically, then suddenly changing direction away from Jasmine. Michael envied her ability, the rain showing him no such mercy. By the time they reached his doorway, he was soaking wet, water dripping from his hair and clothing in large, heavy drops.

“
You’ll have to teach me how to do that one day. The rain thing I mean,” Michael said as he searched for his keys.

“
Sorry, it’s an angelic secret." Jasmine replied playfully "Angels only!"

“
Fine, then. Best make sure I take an umbrella next time, or hide under your dress.” Michael opened the door.

“
You definitely won't be doing that, young man. Stop making jokes and get inside before you end up ill. I don’t fancy having to nurse your snotty nose again, like I had to last year. I never knew a man could produce so much goo!” Jasmine gestured for Michael to go first.

“
Blimey, I had forgotten all about that. I remember my nose drying up suddenly one night, so I could actually get to sleep. Was that you?”

“
Yup. I couldn’t watch you suffer any longer, so I sang a short soothing song to help you.” “Well, thank you. That night's sleep was the only thing that got me through work the next day.”

 
Michael took off his dripping coat and hung it over the radiator. His shoes were soaked through, like all good trainer brands, they seemed to act like sponges, and he left them by the door to dry out. Jasmine went off to the bathroom, returning quickly with a towel which she threw over to Michael. He nodded in thanks and tried and dry himself off as best he could, shivering all the while.

“
I think it’s time for a warm shower. I won't be long; will you be ok waiting?”

Jasmine laughed
. “Don’t be silly. I’ve waited so many times before, I won't start minding now. Stop being so formal with me. Nothing's changed between us, other than we know how each other feels. Let’s just take everything else as it comes and try to act normal, okay?”

Michael nodded feeling
sheepish. “Ok, sorry. I just go into a different mode with this kind of thing. I’ll try to keep it normal.”

“
Don’t try, silly, just do it. Now go have your shower,” Jasmine pushed Michael towards the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

***

Once she heard the shower start up, Jasmine knelt on the living room floor and shut her eyes. The thought that she hadn’t been summoned troubled her. She had definitely transgressed, and under normal circumstances she would at least be called to account for what she had done.

 
She released her wings, letting them spread out in a glow of golden light. She connected herself to the Symphony and listened to the music. The same slightly discordant note played in the background, but nothing seemed amiss. No messages or songs came asking for her to return on high.

 
Jasmine listened for a good twenty minutes, probing and even adding a short song of her own in the hope of a response. All she got in return was the standard
everything is normal, continue as you are
reply. Eventually, sensing Michael would be done soon, she folded her wings back inwards and stood shaking her head in confusion.

 
She didn’t want to risk a trip on high and leave Michael unattended, with everything that had been happening. If the Heavens had chosen not to take action, then there was nothing wrong at least for now. Any consequences could be dealt with later. She uttered a silent prayer on high, then sat down on the sofa to wait for Michael to finish his shower.

 
He emerged from the bathroom with his hair dripping and a towel wrapped around his waist. Jasmine couldn’t help but blush at the sight. This was confusing, as she had seen a lot more of Michael’s body and had experienced no reaction or emotion. Things had changed, though. Rather than just seeing him as a human to be protected, she now saw Michael as a partner, a lover to be cherished. Unaccustomed feelings again pushed past Jasmine’s emotional barriers, and she looked down at her feet, her face bright red.

Michael stammered “Oh shit.” He seemed to realise the state he had come out in. He retreated out of Jasmine's sight, and returned a few minutes later in jeans and a t-shirt looking a little embarrassed.