Chapter 6: Providence

Michael:

Considering that I’m an angel, I don’t require much sleep. Yet this morning, I find myself feeling weary. As I walk through the Parisian streets hunting for the Nagas terrorizing the city, I also hunt for their queen’s nest. If you kill the queen, the Naga will fall. According to the council informant, the queen began to nest after her soldiers massacred the local Vampire Halo and their master.

As I weave through the streets, I scan the shadows. My sword sits silently by my side, and my armor blends in with the darkness.

I’m about to turn to another street when I sense that the Naga are nearby. Jaw tight, I tuck in my wings and keep my sword close as I follow my instincts. The sounds of cries and running feet reach my ears when I turn a corner. Looking up, I find myself standing in front of a popular burlesque. Humans swarm around the grounds running and screaming with fear. Some bleeding and others fighting off Nagas. As I rush through the throng, I reach for my mobile and message the Council, asking them to send reinforcements.

Stepping over the bodies of dead humans, I rush through the building and cut down any Nagas that stand in my way. The flame of my sword cuts through their bodies and burns them to a crisp without any resistance. Within moments, I manage to clear the building from any cannibalistic intruders. Unfortunately, the Nagas that I kill are lowly soldiers who hold little importance to their queen.

Another issue that I have to contend with is any human the Naga might have bitten. Not many bitten humans who survive the bite can turn into Nagas, but I’m still concerned. It’s extremely rare for females to survive the bite, but some males do, and the last thing I want is for the queen to amass more soldiers for her hive.

Within minutes, Council enforcers appear and round up the wounded humans.

A familiar male strides over to me as soon as he sees me. “Michael,” he bows in greeting, “thank you for your assistance,”

“Je suis toujours heureux d'aider, Gérard,” I am always happy to help, Gerard, I answer the Cherubim.

As the enforcers gather the human remains, “I think that is the last of the Naga. However, I will canvas the perimeter in case there are any strays,”

Gerard nods before he walks away to help the enforcers. For several minutes, I circle the area and stop when I hear the sounds of struggles.

Moving through the shadows of a cobblestone alleyway, I listen intently until I happen upon a female fighting off a cluster of Nagas.

The female is stunning with equally impressive fighting skills. I’m also surprised to see that the other Nagas are attacking each other. Nagas do not usually fight with each other. It’s only when a Naga jumps on her back that I interfere.

Before the Naga can strike, I decapitate the creature with my sword.

Unaware that I do not intend to hurt her, the female turns and aims her knee between my thighs. If I was a human male, she would have emasculated me.Thankfully, my speed saves me well, and she only manages to hit my hip.

“Arrête, je n'essaye pas de te faire du mal,” Stop it, I’m not trying to hurt you.

The female ignores my words and continues her attack. Her fists fly up to my face, and she kicks at my knee, making me fall to the ground. Before she can kick my face, I grip her ankle, roll her onto her back and straddle he waist, “Arrêtez vos luttes. Je suis ici pour vous aider,” Stop your struggles. I am here to help you, I state firmly.

Her eyes widen as she takes in my wings and sword before her gaze moves across my form. My body instantly reacts to her nearness now that we’re closer. As her eyes run appraisingly across my physique, I do my own personal inspection. She’s not very tall, but her body is magnifique in her short pleated skirt, and nearly transparent tank top shows off her impressively firm breasts and tiny waist.

Rising up to my feet, I hold my hand out to her and pull her beside me

“Were you bitten?” I mutter huskily.

The female gives me a wary look and shakes her head, “No, I wasn't bitten. But…what are you?”

Before I can reply, she stiffens and looks around desperately, “Oh my god, I have to find my friend.”

Without giving me another thought, she moves to the dark alley and breaks into a run. I follow behind her as she turns several corners and begins to call out the female’s name, “Samira! Where are you?”

No one answers so she keeps going.

“You’re American?” I ask as I follow her to another darkened corner.

She nods as she raises her palms in front of her lips and calls out, “Samira!”

Just as she’s about to go in another direction, I hear a slight female whimper.

“Over here,” I say before I stride toward the sound.

“Samira!” she calls again, and a weak female voice answers, “Val…Valentina is that you?”

At the sound, the female─Valentina, rushes past me until she reaches a rubbish bin and squats down to speak to whoever is behind it.

I watch intently as a female hand grips hers.

“Sami, where’s Kimber?” Valentina asks, her eyes searching the area as she helps her friend to her feet.

Samira clings to Valentina, her body swaying weakly. “She ran off.” She cries out, “I called out to her, but she kept running” She looks down at her trembling hands and takes a couple of shallow breaths.

It’s only when I see the Naga webbing on her arm that I realize what has occurred. Releasing my sword, I try to push the females apart, “Stay back; the female was bitten and can turn at any moment.”

Valentina pushes her friend behind her and stands defensively before me. “Don’t touch her, asshole!”

My brow furrows at her tone. Seeing that she’s concerned for her friend, I vanish my sword and hold up my palms to show her that I mean no harm. “Je suis désolé,” I’m sorry. “But do you see those threads?” I gesture to the dark lines running across her friend’s arm. “Those threads mean that your friend is infected. And as soon as the threads reach her heart, she will either die or become a Naga, and it’s rare for females to survive.”

The other female─Samira gasps, her sunken eyes dimming as she loses her strength. Valentina wraps her arms around Samira’s waist and calls out to me, “Please, don’t hurt her. She and Everly are all I have. Please, help us.”

I look at the vines and shake my head, “Non, mon chéri. It’s best if you end her quickly.”

Valentina takes a protective step back, her arms holding tightly to her friend. “But the threads haven’t spread. Please…please help us.”

Jaw tight, I glance back at the infected female.

The female gives me a vulnerable look, her multi - colored eyes gleaming with helplessness as she pushes away from her friend’s arms and slumps to the ground.

“Sami!” Valentina reaches for her friend.

Samira shakes her head, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye, “He’s right, Val. I can feel it spreading across my body like poison. There’s no hope for me. Please, I don’t want to be like those things, and it might kill me anyway. Tell Ev…tell Ev, I love her,” she pleads.

Valentina’s eyes fill with tears as she wraps her arms around her friend and shakes her head, “No, I won’t leave you. We promised to always stay together, remember?”

Samira gives her friend a loving smile, “It’s okay, Val… it’s okay.”

Seeing the female’s mournful goodbye changes something inside of me, and before I can think it through, I kneel beside the females and flash them to my home.

Valentina gasps with shock as soon as she sees we’re no longer in the darkened alley. “What?”

I squat down beside her dazed friend and reach for her. However, before I can touch her, Valentina grips my wrist firmly and glares, “Don’t touch her!” she grits out.

I take a patient breath and gaze intently into her eyes, “I would not have brought you to my home if I wanted to hurt her. Now, are you going to let me inspect her wound or not?” I whisper reassuringly to Valentina.

Valentina hesitates before she warily moves back and watches me inspect Samira’s bite. Puffing out a breath, I shake my head and say, “I cannot heal her, but I can put her in stasis.”

“What the hell is stasis, and why would we do that?” Valentina growls as she pushes back strands of her long, ebony hair.

I arch a brow at her defensive tone. It’s not every day that someone other than my brothers dares to challenge me. I don’t usually tolerate this form of disrespect, but there’s something about this female that stirs a primal need inside of me.

“Stasis is a form of prolonged suspension of physical consciousness. Your friend will be put into a deep sleep that will halt the progression of the infection. It’s the only way to stop the infection until we kill the Naga queen.”

Valentina’s gaze bounces between her friend and me as if gauging my honesty.

“It’s the only option we have if you wish for your friend to live. Regardless of what you decide, I am still hunting for the queen and her hive.” I mutter impatiently.

Samira gasps and tightens her lips with a pained cry, startling Valentina from her thoughts. “Okay, do it,” she grits out with a demanding growl.

I eye the hand that is still gripping my wrist and snicker when she releases me. Without hesitation, I place my palm over Samira’s temple and send her into stasis. Samira’s body is instantly engulfed in my angelic light and floating before us.

Valentina glances down at her friend’s unconscious form with relief, then back at me, “What are you? And what are Nagas?”

I hesitate to answer, unsure if I should reveal anything. Valentina is obviously a human, and revealing our world to humans is forbidden. Yet, she has already seen my armor, wings and sword, so there’s really nothing I can say that will erase what she has already seen. “Those creatures that attacked you and your friend are Nagas. Nagas are demons who feed on humans. All they know is hunger, and they hunt in packs. Once they find their human prey, they weaken them by drinking their blood and feed on their human bodies until there’s nothing left.”

“So Nagas are like vampire zombies?”

I arch my brows at her analogy, “Oui, I’d say that is a somewhat accurate comparison.”

She nods, but it comes out unnatural. As if she’s trying to force herself to absorb the information. “Okay, so now that I know what Nagas are, what are you?” she waves her hand in front of me.

I look down at my form. “I am Michael. I am an archangel.”

Valentina crosses her arms in front of her chest and scoffs, “Wait, are you telling me that you’re like the biblical angels in the bible? Like the bible with the devil, and God?”

I nod, confused by her tone, “Oui, but Lucifer does not like to be called the devil. He much prefers to be called the king of hell,” I state, rolling my eyes. “And we prefer to call him Le Créateur, but I guess the human’s term “God” will also do.”

Valentina reels back as if I struck her, “Wait, wait, wait,” she sputters incredulously, “you said your name is Michael and that you’re an archangel…” her expression falters as she appraises my armor closely.

My armor is not made of a malleable alloy that molds my body like a second skin and covers me from head to toe. It’s made of a very strong and durable material that changes colors according to my environment or whatever color I choose. The helmet is modeled similarly to a spartan helmet with wings on each side, and my boots fall slightly below my knees.

A moment passes as she slides her gaze across my armor before she swallows hard and takes a step back, “You’re the Michael, aren’t you? Like the famous biblical angel?”

“Oui,” I answer firmly. I don’t boast about it because I’m not Lucifer, but I don’t deny it. It is who I am, and I have made my peace with it.

Valentina gasps and mutters under her breath hysterically, “This is crazy. Am I dreaming? Is this all a dream?”

“This is not a dream, chérie,” I state with bemusement. Something about her reaction amuses me and charms me at the same time. She’s like a beautiful doe lost in a world she never believed existed.

Valentina glances toward her friend’s resting form and nods tearfully, “Yeah, you’re right. This is not a dream; it’s a freaking nightmare that my friend and I are stuck in the middle of.” She rubs the palm of her hand against her forehead anxiously, “Damn it, what am I going to do?”

Moving forward, I place my hands on her shoulders to steady her, “Tu as besoin de te calmer,” you need to calm down. “Now that your friend is in stasis, all I have to do is find the Naga queen and kill her. Once I do, your friend will be free of the venom.”

Valentina gazes intently into my eyes, “Alright, when do we leave to kill this bitch?”

My brow furrows at her determined tone, “You are not going, chérie.”

She snorts, “Um, yeah, I am.”

I shake my head, “No, you won’t!”

Valentina shakes her head, “No, no way. What if you fail? I can’t just let you go off and pretend that my friend’s life is not in your hands.”

I narrow my eyes, annoyed that she’d say something so imbecilic, “I am an archangel who has lived longer than your Earth has existed. I can assure you I will not fail.”

She gazes intently into my eyes for a moment before she shakes her head, “Look, I’m sure you’re this badass archangel, but I still need to be there.”

“If you do, who will care for your friend?” I gesture to the sleeping form. “You know that she’s still not safe. Nagas never let their prey escape. Now that she has been bitten, she will draw Nagas to her.”

“Can’t we just leave her in heaven or something,” she asks.

I sputter at her audacity and ignorance, “Non, humans cannot stay in heaven. It is forbidden.”

Valentina bites her lip, feeling conflicted. However, I can see that she’s determined, and I would not put it past her to go off on her own.

“I think I know someone who can help,” I say reluctantly.

Reaching inside of my pocket, I make a call. Gabriel answers instantly, “These wellness calls are getting annoying, Michael. You do know that I’m a grown angel who can take care of himself?”

“This is not a wellness call,” I reply. “I need a favor, frère. Can you meet me at my home?”

I look at Valentina, who is listening intently, and sigh with relief when Gabriel answers, “Alright, give me a moment to finish what I’m doing, and I’ll meet you there?”

After he disconnects the call, I place my mobile back in my pocket and say. “Our keeper is on the way,”

Before Valentina can answer, Gabriel appears before us.

Valentina gasps and clutches her chest at his sudden appearance. “Oh god, you scared the hell out of me.”

I snicker at her turn of phrase, making her blush when she realizes what she just said.

“Oh man, I’m so sorry,” she aims her apology toward Gabriel, “Holy he…heck…shoot,” she grows pale as she stammers.

Gabriel narrows his eyes with annoyance, “Is this human broken?” he asks.

Valentina blushes crimson, “Ugh… I’m fine…sorry.”

Gabriel rolls his eyes and tenses when he notices Samira’s floating form. “Why is that human in stasis?”

I explain, “She is in stasis because she was bitten by a Naga and...”

Before I can say another word, Gabriel produces his sword and aims it at the female. Stepping forward, I use my sword to block his strike. “Non, Gabriel! Do not kill her!”

Valentina moves protectively in front of her friend’s sentient form and glares. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Gabriel sneers in reply, “Do you know how dangerous this female will be if she becomes a Naga?” He looks back at us and glares, “You know that the queen will not allow her to turn, which means she will send every soldier in her arsenal to find and kill her.”

Valentina turns to me in question, “Why would the queen be so desperate to kill Sami?”

Gabriel answers before I can explain, “Because there can only be one queen, and only females can become queens. There are no other kinds of female Nagas. Your friend was meant to die from the bite or be sustenance for the soldiers─ not another queen. By putting her in stasis, you are putting your life and everyone else’s life in danger.”

“He’s telling the truth,” I tell Valentina.

But Valentina stubbornly crosses her arms in front of her chest and replies, “Then that is more of a reason for me to kill the Naga queen.”

Gabriel gives us all an incredulous look before he turns back to me and growls, “Why did you ask me to come here?”

I give my brother a stern glare and gesture toward the female, “I need you to protect the female until I find and kill the queen.”

Gabriel scoffs, “Are you serious, Michael? I am not going to protect this… creature.”

“Why not? Are you scared?” Valentina mutters challengingly.

I hide my amusement when Gabriel gives her an affronted scowl. I know how much Gabriel hates being challenged. Especially by humans.

Gabriel’s fists tighten as he strides angrily toward the female and glares, “I’m not scared of anything,” he pouts like a child.

Valentina rolls her eyes and scoffs, “Then you’ll have no problem protecting her.”

I have to admit, the female is very good at manipulation because I can see Gabriel’s aggressive demeanor falter.

To our amusement, Gabriel’s lips open and close as if he’s trying to think of a retort. “Fine,” he haughtily jeers, “I’ll protect her, but if you fail, I will run her through without a second thought.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, big boy, we’ll succeed. Just make sure you keep her safe, or I will hunt you down and chop off your angel balls,” Valentina threatens fiercely.

A painful twinge forms in my chest when she pats Gabriel’s bicep and winks condescendingly. Gabriel pushes away from her touch, never losing his scowl.

Sighing impatiently, I clap my hands together, regaining their attention, “Bien, well, now that we’ve settled that, we can begin our search for the queen,”

Gabriel’s lip curls, “And just where exactly am I supposed to take this female?”

I think over our options, “You can take her to Rafael’s cabin. He’s out of town right now, and it’s secluded, which will make it more difficult for the Nagas to sense her.”

Gabriel’s jaw clenches, but he doesn’t argue with me. Though he is reluctant to help, Gabriel is an honorable angel, and he will do as we ask regardless of how he feels about it.

“Merci, Gabriel. I will keep in contact with you until our mission is accomplished.”

Gabriel gazes intently into my eyes before he gruffly replies, “Just don’t take too long, brother. I have no desire to babysit this female for the rest of my life.”

Without another word, Gabriel waves his hand toward the female and flashes them out of the room.

Valentina gasps and mutters beneath her breath, Man, how I wish Everly was here to see this. She’d totally drool all over the hot angels, that’s for sure.

When I hear her muttered words, I glance her way and snicker.

“You know I can hear you?” I mutter as I tap my ear. “Supernatural hearing.”

Valentina shrugs, “Well, it’s not like this isn’t totally crazy.”

I laugh at her tone, breaking any residual tension that remained in the room.