Angel in Training (The Louisiangel Series, Book One) (32 page)

“They’re really not high on my list of
priorities,” I told him.

We walked the few blocks in silence. At some
point, Joshua’s hand had found mine, and I hadn’t bothered to
release his grip. “The offer still stands though,” he told me as we
neared the convent. “You can crash at mine, if you need to.”

I looked up at the building over the high,
pale walls and nodded. “Thanks,” I sighed, turning to him. “Look,
thanks for the offer, but I think it would be best if you didn’t
come in with me.”

“You still have my card?” At my nod, he
frowned. “Call me if you need to,” he told me.

I gave him a smile and left him, stepping
onto the grounds and closing the gate behind me. I stared up at the
building in front of me. The lights were on in the attic, but other
than the reception area, the rest of the building was in
darkness.

I changed my mind and decided to head to the
church. It was unlocked, like I suspected it would be, and I
flicked a few of the wall lights on. In the soft glow, I took a
seat in the pews and stared up at the painting on the ceiling above
the alter which I’d noticed the last time I had been in there.

I puffed out my cheeks and blew, feeling
incredibly stupid. I had never prayed for anything in my life and I
had no idea where to start, much less who to pray to. If it was St
Mary’s Church, did it have to be Mary? And when did she become a
saint? Was it God, or Jesus? Would anybody actually want to listen
to
me
?

I rested my arms on the pew in front of me,
allowing them to dangle over. Back in England, I knew the ‘norm’
was to clasp one’s hands together, but I had seen on television
that standing with your hands in the air also seemed
acceptable.

Maybe the Lord’s Prayer was the right place
to start. Deciding that standing would just feel weird, I brought
my hands back to me and clasped them together, interlocking my
fingers. I focused my attention on the small cross just underneath
the painting of what I was guessing Jesus.

“Um, Father who art in heaven, hello to your
name,” I frowned. I really didn’t have a clue how this went. “Thy
kingdom come, they will be done... Well that can’t be right,” I
sighed, sinking back into the chair. “What will be done?” I asked
the painting of Jesus. “But you’re doing it on Earth and in
Heaven.” I closed my eyes and delved in the recesses of my mind.
“Bread,” I realized, opening my eyes again. “You’re baking us
bread. Or are you, because surely you don’t need bread in Heaven,
and surely we would be much better off with peace on earth and
goodwill to men... and women...”

My hands fell to my sides. “I have got to be
the worst angel in the history of time.”

“I wouldn’t say the worst, but you’re
definitely the first one not to know the Lord’s Prayer,” Michael
told me.

I gave a yelp, twisting and falling off the
pew. From the floor, I looked up and found him staring down at me
from the row behind. ”Oh, don’t tell me when I pray, I’m actually
praying to you,” I groaned, rubbing my elbow.

Michael stood and walked around to me,
helping me up from the floor. Quietly, he waited until I sat back
down, then seated himself next to me. “Only if that prayer is
directed to me. I’m assuming, by attempting the Lord’s Prayer, you
were praying to our Lord?”

I shrugged and pointed up to the painting on
the ceiling. “I was praying to Jesus.” Michael looked up, a smile
spreading across his face. “What?” I asked, not sure if I wanted
the answer.

“That is a painting of the Virgin Mary
ascending into Heaven,” he told me.

I was right: I didn’t want to know the
answer. “Yup, the worst angel,” I muttered, highly embarrassed.

“
You are not the most conventional angel,
but you are not the worst,” Michael assured me. “And for the
record, it’s
hallowed be thy name
.”

Of course it was. “I’m guessing Jesus wasn’t
baking bread either?”

The smile was back on Michael’s face. “The
prayer is to God, not Jesus. And no, He was not baking bread.”

That was it. I drew in a deep breath and
exhaled slowly. “I’ll get my things.”

“To what purpose?” Michael asked, turning in
his seat.

“To clear out,” I replied, unable to look at
him. “I didn’t bring much, so it shouldn’t take me long. If you’ll
let me call my aunt, I can be gone before the sun comes up.”

“Why?” Michael asked. The surprise in his
voice made me turn to look at him.

“
Because I’ve failed every test you’ve
thrown at me,” I told him, amazed he could even question that. “I
don’t have super speed, Sarah and Joshua both know about the
convent, hell, I don’t even know how to pray, and I can’t quit with
the blasphemy.” I winced. “Oh, and yeah, I attacked an archangel. I
attacked
you
.”

“I never pegged you for a quitter,” Michael
mused. “I thought you were far too stubborn.”

“And I never pegged me for an angel, so I
guess it balances out,” I retorted.

“Angelina, I’m sorry for losing my temper
with you earlier.” My mouth fell open. I was the one who attacked
him, and he was apologizing to me? “I was angry with myself and I
mistakenly took it out on you. That should never have
happened.”

My mouth just hung open. I was far too
baffled to begin to work out why
he
was apologizing to me, much less to say something
back.

“My behavior towards you today has been
unacceptable and I can only ask for your forgiveness.”

“
You want
me
to forgive you?” I asked, finally finding my voice.
“I
punched
you. I
was all set for doing a lot worse as well.”

Michael shook his head. “I have been behaving
inappropriately towards you since we met. Had I been behaving
correctly, then that would never have happened, so it is I that is
at fault. Although, I will admit, the blasphemy does fall out of my
control.”

“How has your behavior been inappropriate?” I
asked him. Aside from that kiss, I figured it couldn’t have been
that bad.

“The winter before your eighteenth birthday,
you and your aunt were in Dallas, shopping for a dress,” Michael
sighed. “On your way there, you stopped for a break on the
Louisiana – Texas border. By complete chance, I also happened to be
there, and I saw you for the first time. Even back then, I could
tell you were destined for great things.”

“
You’ve been following me for that long?” I
asked, only just refraining from using the word
stalking
. I thought back to the time he was
referring to. It had been just after Christmas and we were trying
to find a dress in the sales for my graduation later in the year –
but I couldn’t remember seeing him there.

Michael looked down at his hands. “For the
first time in my lifetime, I was drawn to a human, and not just
because the potential you
might
have held. I have kept an eye on you since then, checking
in to see how you were doing. When the chance came to investigate
the large numbers of Potentials dying in this area, I relocated
straight away. I wanted to make sure that nothing was to happen to
you. When I found your predecessor, Lilah, I thought I would have
someone to help me get to the bottom of these deaths. I failed her,
just as I failed you.”

“I thought she moved away to her own House,”
I muttered. Nothing concrete had ever been told to me, other than
the fact she had left. I had assumed it was because she had
succeeded in earning her wings.

“She earned her wings, and then she fell,”
Michael confessed. “I was unable to stop that from happening, and
then I was back to looking out for you by myself. It wasn’t long
after she left that I saw the light from your aura.” He sighed, his
head bowing further forward. “You were right when you accused me of
misleading you with the questioning. I could have been clearer with
you, and I should have been. I just couldn’t face the thought of
losing you.”

I was speechless. I had
no
idea what to say to
him.

“
You were also right when you spoke to me
in my dream, accusing me of being hard on you, although I think
your words were
Nazi slave driver
.”

I flushed, feeling horribly uncomfortable.
“Michael-”

He shook his head. “You were right, I was
being unreasonable. As you lay there in those months, changing from
human into a potential angel, I monitored you constantly. During
that time I came to the conclusion I had feelings for you, and I
blamed you for that. That blame grew to resentment.”

“You resented me?” I repeated. “Then why did
you kiss me?”

“Because there was still an attraction to
you,” he said, finally facing me, his face full of shame.

“Wow,” I exhaled, slumping back in my seat.
“So where does that leave us?”

“With me hoping you can forgive me for my
unfair behavior?” Michael requested, earnestly.

“Only if you can forgive me for punching
you,” I told him, hopefully.

“It is already forgiven,” he nodded.

“Right back at you,” I told him. I chewed at
my lip. “Does this mean I still have a room here?” I asked in a
small voice.

Michael looked surprised. “You never didn’t.”
He took a deep breath, looking to the stained glass windows. “It
will not be long before the sun rises. Perhaps you should get some
sleep?”

It wasn’t until he mentioned it that I
realized just how exhausted I was. “I think you’re right,” I agreed
wearily. “Are you coming?” I asked him as I got to my feet.

Michael shook his head. “I think I may remain
here for a time.”

I nodded, then paused. “Michael, can I ask
you something?”

He looked at me, somewhat warily, but nodded.
“Of course.”

“How did Lilah fall?”

There was a long sigh. It was a question
which I didn’t think he would answer, but he did. “She had a
relationship with her charge.”

I frowned. “A relationship?”

“She slept with him,” Michael clarified.

It took every single ounce of willpower I had
not to react to that. “Oh,” I mumbled.

Michael nodded, glancing back to the altar.
“I think her humanity was too strong, that maybe it was too soon to
have assigned her to a charge when I did.”

“So why did you partner me with Joshua?” I
blurted out before I could stop myself.

Michael sighed and bowed his head. “I thought
you would be capable.” He then looked up at me and gave me a sad
smile. “As you may have gathered, my judgment is somewhat clouded
when it comes to you, but despite your doubts in yourself, you have
yet to prove me wrong in my belief of you.”

I gave him a half smile, exceedingly grateful
he had no idea how close to failing him I had been. “I think I’m
going to bed,” I muttered. As soon as I stepped outside, I couldn’t
stop yawning. The sky was already turning that inky blue it does
before the sun comes up.

I made my way upstairs, thankful to reach the
safety of my bedroom. I slipped in, and using only the light coming
in from the around the curtains, leaned back against the door with
an exhausted sigh. Mentally, I didn’t think I could take another
day like that again.

If the kiss had come from nowhere, it didn’t
even begin to explain where Michael’s admission about his apparent
feelings for me had come from.

I didn’t even bother to get changed as I
collapsed on my bed. Sleep was all I wanted right now – a few
blissful hours where I didn’t have to use my brain.

Safety versus Duty

I managed to get eight whole hours of
supremely wonderful uninterrupted sleep – from either dream
walking, or being awoken. When I checked the time, I nearly
freaked. It was midday. I needed to get to the precinct. Something
told me that if I didn’t, if I didn’t let Joshua know I was
alright, that he would be knocking on the door.

I hurriedly showered, washing last night’s
makeup away, and dressed myself in a fresh uniform. Next on the
list was the reception desk to collect some keys. Thankfully,
Cupid, who was manning the desk as usual, didn’t seem to know
anything about what had transpired yesterday. I was fairly
confident that if he did, he wouldn’t have been commenting on the
shirt I was wearing matching my eyes.

I was hurrying over to the SUV when I heard
Joshua calling me. I turned, finding him walking through the gates.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him.

He looked at me like I had asked a stupid
question. “When I left you last night, you thought you were getting
kicked out. When I didn’t see you this morning, I thought something
had happened. I wanted to make sure you were alright,” he told
me.

“I was just on my way to the precinct,” I
told him. He was still wearing the same clothes from the night
before, and judging from the dark circles under his eyes, had yet
to get some sleep.

“I’m heading back there now,” he said.

“So you were here for a ride?” I asked him,
hitting the unlock button to the car. At the smirk that appeared on
Joshua’s face, I gave him my best unimpressed look. “Really? In a
convent?”

Joshua looked around, examining his
surroundings. “Yeah, alright. Maybe that is a little inappropriate.
But actually, I drove. The car’s out front.”

I locked the SUV back up and slipped the keys
into my pocket. Wordlessly, I followed Joshua out onto the street
where his car sat waiting, the driver’s side pulled up onto the
sidewalk. “Nice parking,” I muttered, walking around to the other
side and slipping into the car. “Did you find anything?” I asked
him.