Sacred Bloodlines by Wendy Owens Read Free Book Online Page B

mankind.”
    Gabe furrowed his brow as he listened to Michael.  He wondered why he was getting a Bible lesson from this guy rather than the answers he had been promised.  Michael continued. 
    “That means during that time, while God was not protecting the realm of earth, the demons of the underworld were also not being kept at bay.  They were wreaking havoc on the people of earth. When Christ drew his last breath--”
    “What happened?”  Gabe did not believe Michael’s fairytale, none the less he found it extremely fascinating and entertaining.
    “With a great and powerful push, the demons fractured the barrier between earth and the underworld.”  Michael explained before he paused and reached in to pull out an old, silver lighter from the pipe box.  
    As Michael puffed on the pipe, Gabe thought about the creatures he had seen the night before.  The contorted face of the monster flashed through his mind and he gasped slightly.  Just a couple days ago he knew he would have written Michael off as crazy, but something in him wanted to hear more.  He felt the need to search for a truth that some inner sense told him may be possible.
    “For three days these creatures were allowed to destroy and terrorize the world with no interference.  One of God’s most favored angels, Lucifer, had been cast out from heaven years before for trying to take God’s throne by force.  When Christ died, Lucifer thought he had, at last, won the long fought battle between heaven and hell.  Then, in one instant, God took back control through the resurrection.  Though hell’s forces were pushed back, the fractures were not something that could be repaired.  That’s when The Guardians were introduced.”  
    Michael stood and walked to a nearby bookshelf, searching them with a finger.  At last he landed on a large, blue, leather bound book.  He set his pipe in a tray on the fireplace and carried the book over to Gabe, taking a seat next to him on the couch.
    Gabe watched as Michael flipped through the old pages, finally landing somewhere in the middle.  
    “Here,” he continued, placing part of the book on Gabe’s leg.  He pointed to a passage.  Gabe listened to Michael as he read about the dissension of the original Guardians.  Gabe studied the old ink drawing on the opposite page.  The illustration was a picture of strong and muscular men with grand wings spread out behind them and people bowing all around.
    “You’re angels?”  Gabe asked, feeling a bit silly as the words left his lips.
    “Sort of,” Michael replied.
    “How can you sort of be an angel?”  Gabe asked, frustrated with Michael’s response.
    “Remember when I said we were specialized?”  Michael asked.
    “Yeah,” Gabe replied while nodding.
    “We are a unique breed of angel.  Our primary purpose is to keep the creatures of hell where they belong.  But we will get into all of that later.”  Michael continued as he explained the parts the book left out.  “Something else that makes us different is we are no longer immortal.”
    “Wait, what?  You were once immortal?” Gabe asked.
    “I personally never have been immortal.  As the years passed, the original Guardians took wives or husbands, soon enough they had families.  The choice to make a family here on earth meant one would have to sacrifice their immortal life.  Eventually, every Guardian felt overwhelmed by the desire to make a home in this world.”  As the words left Michael’s lips, he bowed his head and paused thoughtfully in silence.
    A moment later Michael continued.
    “A lonely life, Gabe, is a very hard life indeed.  One I hope you will not have to experience.”  
    The words made Gabe think about how his life had already been full of loneliness.  Somehow though, Gabe thought that Michael knew of a greater loneliness.  
    At last Michael looked at Gabe.  As if trying to push some awful memory from his mind, Michael began again.  
    “When the time did come