My Lord's Judgment

By

Taylor Law

SMASHWORDS EDITION

* * * * *

My Lord's Judgment

Copyright © 2012 by Michelle Taylor

Second Edition 2013

ISBN: 9781310209215

Thank you for downloading this free eBook. You are
welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced,
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the book remains in its complete original form, with the exception
of quotes used in reviews. This work may not be sold or manipulated
without express written permission from the author. The author has
asserted her rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts
1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and
illustrator of the artwork.

The original short story was first published in June
2012 as part of the Goodreads M/M Romance Group “Love is Always
Write” event, and was also published in the Love is Always Write:
Volume Six anthology. It has been revised and reformatted for this
publication.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to
persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely
coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s
imagination and used fictitiously.

Warning: This book contains graphic language and
sexually explicit content. Intended for adult audiences only. Not
intended for anyone under the age of 18.

My love and thanks to Jenny, my Beta extraordinaire. You are
amazing! I don’t know what I would do without you. Thank you to all
of my BBs for your constructive criticism, support and love for so
many years. I love you all, and if it wasn't for you I would never
have had the courage to follow my dreams. Thank you to the M/M
Romance group at Goodreads for publishing my story in their
anthology. I will be forever grateful for the push that they gave
me. Last but not least, thank you to my family and friends for
standing by me, understanding when I talk about my characters like
they are real, dealing with deadlines, and being so supportive. You
are my heart, always and forever. Especially, Mom and Dad. I can't
tell you what it means to me that you said you are proud of me.
Even though you struggle with this genre, the fact that you want me
to read it to you and help me perfect it, I have no words. Thank
you, from the bottom of my heart!

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

About the Author

Coming Soon

****

Kneeling
with his head bowed to his chest, in the most submissive position
he could possibly form, Samael pleaded once more for mercy. He had
tried to contact his Lord numerous times since the Judgment, but to
no avail. Minutes upon hours, he prayed, hoping against hope that
once again Yahweh would come to his aid.

“Please!” he cried out, his heart breaking.
“This is wrong. I didn’t do this, My Lord.”

No answer. Not even an acknowledgement.

God had never refused to answer him before.
Between his dread of what was to come, anger at his situation, and
his position, his limbs had started to tremble.

He really wasn’t surprised. It had been
coming for centuries, and the day he feared had finally
arrived.

He had known there were a great many that
were jealous of his position. As
the
chief ruler of the Fifth Heaven, and one of the seven regents of
the world, served by two million angels, he was one of the most
powerful archangels ever. If that wasn’t enough, he had two other
gifts that many coveted. He could speak to his Lord in His presence
and survive it, and
he had control over life.

He was The Angel of Death after all.

They’d attempted to cause his exile numerous
times. Finally, they had succeeded.

“Lord God, save me,” he whispered, feeling
tears of frustration build behind his eyelids.

He tried so hard to keep his bitterness at
bay, but one thought kept forming above the rest.
Gadreel and
his cronies had won.
Consistently harassing him was not enough.
They’d wanted him gone.

And
that
had been his pronounced
punishment.

Samael had been accused of many things over
the millennia. Of tempting Eve in the form of a serpent, of
seducing and bedding her to create Cain, but he had done neither of
those things. “Gadreel” he growled.

He’d seen through that trial, barely escaping
with the skin on his back. So relieved he was, when his Lord had
taken his side. God knew the hearts of His people. He knew the
truth.

Why did He not see now?

His friend, his Father, his Creator, had
abandoned him to his fate.

Over the centuries, Gadreel had made sure to
implicate him as the cause of different atrocities, but this one
finally did it. Taking advantage of the gift of life and death was
not something to trifle with. Even the lowest of angels knew that.
Samael would never, but somehow, some way, Gadreel had made it seem
like he had. Now everything he knew, everything he’d been created
for, was being taken from him.

Why was the demon spawn still in Heaven?
Everyone knew the truth about him. That he was a spy for the
fallen. That Gadreel, in fact, had committed most of the
allegations of trouble, which Samael had dealt with. Why then,
wasn’t that foul creature the one to be banished? Why was that
germ
allowed to continue with his treachery?

He just didn’t know.

His legs were numb from the hours spent
kneeling in prayer, but that didn’t even register over the ache in
his chest. The pain shooting through him felt like the hot blade of
a sword, covered in flames. He felt betrayed by someone he loved
above all others, and he couldn’t understand why.

There was nothing he could do. No way to
prove his innocence in this cell, and especially once the judgment
was carried out. He was helpless, and that’s not something a
warrior of his status was accustomed to.

He did not like it one bit.

Sam wanted to act, to fight, to do…
something, on his own behalf. His honor was being trashed, his
loyalty tarnished, and he could not stop it.

He had to have faith that there was a reason.
For now, that was all that he
could
do.

Realizing his deliverance was not coming, he
finished his prayer, the only way he knew how.

Looking up, knowing his pain was written all
over his face, he gave his oath. “My loyalty is unwavering, My
Lord. I know not Your purpose in this, but I trust You have one
that I cannot yet see. I will be Your servant always.” Touching his
fist to his heart, he bowed his head again and then stood.

Samael’s legs were shaky from holding the
position for such a long time, so he held the wall as he walked
life into his limbs again. Once he started though, he couldn’t
stop. Back and forth, he strode the five steps across the tiny
room. Back and forth and back again. At this rate, his nervous
energy was going to tear him apart.

Michael and Raphael would be coming in to
deal with him soon enough: removing his wings, divesting him of his
power and banishing him to Earth. Allowing nothing to remain. No
clothes, no coin, nothing but a dagger to defend himself with.

At least they were giving him that. Once
stripped, he would be human. Not weak, by any means. He’d been a
warrior for far too many millennia for that. However, he would need
to live as a man, his life would be mortal, and his strength would
not be what it was.

As Samael paced, he could feel his fists
clenching and releasing almost in time with his steps. “Gadreel” he
growled. “I will not rest until my name and honor have been
restored, and I am home again.” Then, he would make sure that demon
spy was where he belonged.

In Hell.

He had no idea how long he waited, marching
along in the small chamber, before he heard keys in the lock
outside the door. Stopping suddenly, he turned toward the noise and
stiffened. It was time.

Michael entered the room followed by Raphael,
and the looks on their faces said it all. Their eyes so filled with
pity and sadness that he actually flinched.

“Hey buddy.” Michael said, sounding so
defeated that of course he had to make a joke.

“Finally,” he whispered, grinning the best he
could without making it into a grimace. “It’s about time you guys
came to bust me out of here. I think I wore a hole in my
shoes.”

Raph grunted and crossed his arms, while Mike
gave the most dismal half smile he had ever seen. “Yeah, don’t we
wish?” Mike murmured. “I am sorry, man,” he continued, “You can’t
know how hard this is for me.”

Feeling the need to give his friend some
ease, he slapped him on the shoulder. “I know, Mike. I know. I
don’t blame you. Let’s just get this over with.”

Michael nodded sharply once, then grabbed him
and pulled him into a hug, smacking his shoulder hard a couple of
times. Sam did the same and then pulled away, not knowing where to
look.

“Alright already, quit your blubbering, you
little girls.”

Samael turned to Raphael snorting. “Look
who’s talking, Oh Pretty One.”

“Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful,” he
said striking a pose.

“Okay, Mr. Vain.” Michael put in, cuffing
Raph’s ear.

“Ow. Hey! Don’t mess with the hair.” Raph
called out, smoothing his hair back, before starting to hum a song
from the twentieth century about being vain.

Samael realized he was grinning at the
byplay. He didn’t know how he did it, but Raphael had broken the
tension that was overwhelming him. Somehow, things were going to be
okay.

He held his hand out to Raph, who gripped his
forearm tightly and nodded to him solemnly. Samael held his gaze
for a moment, seeing friendship and regret, before tilting his chin
in acknowledgement and turning to Michael.

“Okay, man,” he announced to his friend. “Do
your thing.”

Michael and Raphael exchanged a meaningful
look before they moved. In the blink of an eye, they had surrounded
him, and then there was just white-hot light. It was so bright
Samael had to close his eyes against the burn. The beams sliced
him, setting his blood on fire. Agony shot through him and he felt
like he would collapse, but somehow stayed standing. He cried out
as the wind kicked up and he was in the middle of a tornado. It
beat against him, stealing his breath, whipping his hair and
ripping his clothes off his body. The fray could have lasted
minutes or an eternity, he couldn’t say, until a sucking sensation
pulled at him with such force that he thought he would implode. He
felt as if his soul was being extracted from his body. It jerked
and stretched, like a rubber band pulled past its limits, until it
felt like the band finally broke. Or maybe he did, because
everything went black, and then he was falling. Tumbling and
plummeting into a darkness he didn’t know could exist. Faster and
faster, until he came to stop with a crash and let unconsciousness
take him away.

Brandon was slammed up against the alley wall
so hard his head bounced, and floaters danced across his vision.
Before he could get his bearings, a fist landed a disabling blow in
his abdomen, bending him in half. His breath left him in a whoosh.
Almost immediately, he was face to face with the muzzle of a
handgun.

“I told you, you had a week,” Carlos spat at
him. “Time was up yesterday. So where is my money, hmm?” The hot,
rancid breath coming from the thug almost caused him to lose his
dinner. The thrashing he was getting wasn’t helping either.