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When Angel Found Trouble
When new Herald Angel Bethany is given her first assignments on Earth, she screws up—big time. The final straw comes when she accidentally blesses Gar-thoulos, a Demon of Trouble. She is sent back to help those she harmed in a human form. God sends a guide in the form of Melchior, once one of Bethlehem’s wiseman, now a telepathic cat. Mel is still pretty wise, but his advice sometimes rubs Bethany the wrong way.
The demon is also sentenced to life as a mortal, and winds up in a Mission House in New York City, There he is befriended, much to his distress, by the feisty Sister Mary Rose. He tells the nun he intends to destroy the angel responsible for his downfall, but she thinks otherwise. He still has to come to terms with his brand new human heart.
When circumstances bring these two lost souls together, sparks fly as Johnny struggles between his desire for revenge, and for the angel he thought he wanted dead. Bethany soon learns that the human life isn't easy, and compassion comes with a price. Will heaven lead these mortal souls to love before hell tears them apart forever?
Excerpt:
Bethany was enthralled by the sense of adoration pouring out to her. She could do this, she was ready, and no more mistakes. She called on her angelic powers and power surged hot through her essence, her aura glowed like a supernova. This beat the heck out of Judgement before the Almighty. She felt the rush of her confidence returning; she would finally show those stuck-up Angel Masters what she could really do.
She smiled benevolently at the woman kneeling before her. Lifting her precious load above her head, she prepared to bestow the Blessing of Heavenly Grace. Sacred song rang triumphantly from her lips when the door burst open and two figures entered. She recognized the first as the abusive son of the woman she was preparing to bless, but the second one halted her mid-blessing. He was a Demon, a Demon of Trouble to be exact. He oozed malicious power, transmitting it to the ignorant mind of the son. The sadistically empowered youth began to shout at his trembling mother.
“What the hell did you think you were doing, you old hag? You gave the last of your money to that stupid church, again! Now we live on canned beans and bread for another week! When are you going to learn to do what I tell you to do, or do I have to beat it into you again?”
The mother turned a sickly shade of pale, she was small, fragile, and unable to defend herself. Bethany had no direct experience with demons, but she wasn’t going to let this one cause any harm if she could help it.
The mother looked at her son and pleaded.“We’ll have enough to eat, but there are some who have nothing at all. I can’t let people starve if I can do something to help them. That’s what God tells us we should do.”
The demon raised his hand, and the son moved to strike her. “Don’t tell me about your God, He doesn’t even exist!”
As he raised his hand, Bethany whirled so she directly faced the servant of the Enemy. She raised her hand in a warding gesture, forgetting the precious burden she held. Horror struck as she watched the Blessing, a flaming beacon of Heavenly Grace, fly right in the space where a Demon’s heart would be. For a moment everything froze. Bethany recovered first, forcing her chaotic mind to impart the protective ward. The woman collapsed in fear, the son looked dazed another moment before he aimed a kick at her and left in disgust.
The Demon stared at Bethany, his face a mix of hate and blood-lust.“What have you done, you stupid bi…, he disappeared before he finished the sentence.
Bethany knelt by the woman, who was regaining consciousness. She had saved a life, but in doing so had committed her third mistake. She had just blessed a demon, something unheard of in the Annals of Angelic History. Heaven and Hell were sure to be in an uproar, and she was to blame. The woman was getting to her feet. She wouldn’t be able to remember Bethany, or the blessing that should have found it's home in her loving soul. Bethany walked through the door and began the long walk back across the Void to await her heavenly trial.
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Gar-tholous, Demon of Trouble, had been blasted into Limbo by the power of the blessing that had entered him. He floated in that vast gray nothingness, unable to move, for three days until some Dark servants brought him before Satan. He’d never seen his boss so angry, never been so sure of his imminent destruction. The fires of Satanic wrath had risen so high that the fire alarms along the edge of the Void had gone off. He expected to be blasted into eternal non-existence, but to his surprise he had been exiled to earth as a human.
The mighty foot of Hell had kicked him clear across the Void, and onto his now mortal butt. He wasn’t a Demon anymore. Not one freaking power left to use. That stupid little Angel had ruined everything he had worked at for the past five thousand years. Then she had stood there looking surprised after it was over. He never got the chance to thank her properly for destroying everything he had been.
Now he was sitting in a wooded area that stank of Mother Nature. Without powers, the best he could do was live as a sinful human being till he died. He’d have to start from scratch and work his way back up the ranks of Hell. The next forty years or so would just be marking time, but there were ways he could still serve his master. He planned to start with that ridiculously reverent old lady and her totally immoral son. Stupid man, almost 30 years old, never done anything honest in his life. Now he could help that little worm do his worst, and no intervention from some two-bit angel was going to stop him!
He looked around his primeval surroundings for some clue to what his next move should be. He had no idea where on Earth he was, and he searched his environment carefully. It was a wood of some kind, with grass and trees. Above the treetops he could see the outline of some very tall buildings. He stood and walked through the trees till he reached a clearing. There was a body of water and a busy city street beyond it. Definitely America, he could see a red,white and blue flag hanging from a pole in front of one building. He was fairly certain he was in in Central Park.
A very dirty male looked at him, did a double take, then handed him a dime saying.“Sorry dude, you need this more than I do. Go by the shelter down at the corner that way.” He pointed erratically over his shoulder. “You’ll get in deep crud for being naked in the park.”
Damnation! It had never occurred to him that they would just dump him off with no covering at all on his human form. He looked down, and much to his chagrin, the bum was correct. He was naked, and it wasn’t pretty. The last thing he needed was to call attention to himself this early in the game. He hid among the trees until an unsuspecting couple walked by, leaving their coats on a bench while they went down to the water to feed the ducks. The man’s was a short suit coat, but the woman’s was a poncho-type affair in yellow plastic that would cover anything that shouldn’t be seen in public. He grabbed it and pulled it over his naked form. He moved quickly before the couple returned and found their property missing.
He moved through the paths of the park till he found his way to the shelter that the derelict in the park must have been talking about. It was ramshackle remnant, stuck between two more streamlined models. Several humans offered him curious stares, his angry glares quickly deterred their interest. The sign above the door read St. Joseph’s Mission House. Well, he was definitely on a mission, so he might as well start here. Whatever help these piddling humans could offer, he was more than ready to take.. He stepped inside, and blinked into the dimness. Frigging human vision weakened his eyes so they had to adjust. Well, that just sucked deviled eggs.
After a moment, he could see two separate areas. One housed a collection of well-used but functional clothing, the other held cots and what looked like a small cafeteria. No one was about, so he began to look through the clothing hanging on the racks to his right. Several minutes passed until he heard shuffling footsteps behind him and a voice broke his unpleasant reverie.
“Can I help you with something, sir?”
The voice was that of an older woman, certainly no one who could pose a threat. “I need some clothes.”
“I cant argue with that mister, but we don’t just give them away, You either sit through the bible study tonight, or do an hour’s cleaning around the place. God knows there’s plenty that needs cleaning up.”
He turned, ready to snarl his reply into the face of a decrepit old woman, and found himself staring at nothing. His gaze sifted down, and down, till it reached the aged face of a woman who couldn’t be more than a few inches over four feet tall.
“A little less than you were expecting, maybe?”
“You’d make a good jockey”
The woman laughed, the bright sound discordant amidst the dingy surroundings, “Now that might have been some fun, but I’ve enjoyed being a nun these last forty years or so, I can’t complain.”
He should have known she was one of them, working here. One of those humans who was naturally good. It showed in her eyes and her smile. In his present state he had no way of knowing her weaknesses, so he would have to play by her rules until he learned more about her.
“I’ll take the hour of work, and I’ll add another if you have a cot for me for the night.”
She looked him over consideringly. “I think that could be arranged, along with a meal if you’re a decent worker.
He coughed into his hand. “Um, yeah, I’m decent.”
The woman’s laughter shattered his composure, and he had no idea why.
“You don’t sound too sure about that, young man. Now what shall I call you?”
“Trouble, er, Johnny Trouble. It’s a family name.”
She turned to lead him into the back of the building. “Well, Johnny, you must have an interesting family.”
Haunting Melody
Melody McFearnon is a professional medium on Paralot, a magical world, where the paranormal is a fact of life. Melody guides the souls of lovelorn men to eternal peace in the Celestial City. It is rewarding, if unexciting, until she meets her newest client. One session with Rome Carillion changes everything.
Rome was a half-incubus, raised by his human mother. A gorgeous and provocative spirit, he has a dark secret. Though the victim of attempted murder, his ghostly appearance is temporary. In life he abused his demon powers, to atone he must discover human love without them. Failure means the loss of his mortal soul, and eternity serving the Master of Hades. Unaware of his fate, Melody clings to her belief that loving a client is immoral. She fights the highly unspiritual passions he inspires.
When Melody turns to her cousin Pella, an eccentric interspecies counselor, for help, things get really interesting. Pella is forced to play unwilling referee in this odd, and often comical, battle of the sexes. Time is short, and Rome has no desire to go to Hades. He tries every trick in his little black book to entice Melody, but finds his own feelings getting in the way. Can he selfishly lead his medium into temptation, or will this haunting end in two souls lost for eternity?
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