Dark Requiem [malexmale]

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

"What do you mean it's nothing to worry about?"

I stood in the corner of Michael's office back in Heaven, leaning on the fireplace while I stared into the crackling flames before glancing up. Michael was standing on the other side of his desk, looking peeved, but quiet as his brother, Gabriel, stood across from him on the other side of the desk.

Where Michael was small, blonde, beautiful, and totally unaffected by the thought of someone on the loose trying to kill him, Gabriel was the complete opposite in every way. He was about my height, but much leaner. His black hair was a mass of loose black curls that fell to his shoulders, his eyes an incredibly dark shade of blue, the shadow of an incoming beard spreading across his jaw and upper lip. He wore a black vest, matching tie, and slacks with a crisp white dress shirt and a Rolex on his wrist. He had a very professor-scholarly vibe to him. Young, handsome, intelligent.

He also looked peeved as hell, which made sense.

While Michael's initial reaction had been shock, he'd quickly composed himself and brushed it off as an idle threat by an angry fallen angel. Something Gabriel didn't take lightly when he'd been told.

"This has happened before," Michael told Gabriel smoothly, reaching down to pick up his coffee mug, taking a huge swallow before responding, "Fallen angels have contacted me numerous times and threatened my life. Am I supposed to be afraid? Who do you think purged Heaven of their existence?" Gabriel gave him a hard glare as he leaned his hands on the desk and got near Michael's face.

"You and two hundred other angels, two of whom were seraphim, Michael. And whoever this was, they were able to get in and out of Purgatory without alerting Thorn, or even Lucifer. Without Father here, we can't risk any slip ups."

"You're worried over nothing."

"If it's Malphas who is after you, it's not nothing," Gabriel bit out, shoving himself back from the desk and reaching up to rake a hand through his hair. His frustration was pungent in the air. It was rooted mainly in concern. Michael was Gabriel's favorite brother, I'd picked up. He was also the one who irritated Gabriel the most. Michael was fiercely independent and refused to be coddled by anyone, including Gabriel, who couldn't help it. Michael was his brother. His favorite. He loved Michael dearly and the very thought that his life was in danger scared him.

Even more so without their father here to protect Michael. If Yhwhwa were here, Gabriel would be worried, but not enough to lash out. Unfortunately, Yhwhwa had vanished without a trace and Gabriel felt Michael was exposed. Too exposed.

"Nobody said it was Malphas," Michael said slowly, as if he himself were unsure, and Gabriel glared at him.

"You brought him up. Which means you think it might be him."

"Would Malphas risk a war against pantheons to attack Michael?" I asked, coming forward now. Gabriel looked at me. There was no judgment or seething in his eyes when he looked at me, which was quite refreshing after being looked at like the scum of the earth for two days straight.

"He would if he had enough behind him. Malphas isn't stupid. He wouldn't attack Heaven if he was alone. He's got to have some kind of army behind him. He's clearly got something planned," Gabriel explained, then paused to frown at the floor, reaching up to rub at his jaw thoughtfully, "My question is, though, why would he attack Yggdrasil? Even in Heaven, Yggdrasil didn't have a major position of power. He was a low level angel, a scribe."

"What was Yggdrasil's last assignment? Do we know?" I asked. Michael frowned.

"Just to write monthly reports on Purgatory. Nothing worth killing for."