Angel's Shield by Erin M. Leaf

grass and
Haniel grabbed for him, but it was too late. A boar demon leaped through the
air at them, muscles bulging obscenely.
    Charmeine cried out, dropping her stick as she opened her arms,
fear and grief and horror flowing through her in a wave that felt almost tangible.
Her hands cramped and a shimmering barrier flowed through her and out, just in
time to cover Jeremiel and Haniel. The shimmer spread through their bodies and
wavered in the air like an aurora. The boar demon crashed into it and screamed
as his flesh sizzled.
    Haniel’s eyes went wide as the boar burst into flames. For a split
second he stared, then his leg shot out and he kicked at the creature
frantically. The shimmer-shield flickered and almost died, but Charmeine
finally realized that she controlled it and poured more energy into it. She
clenched her fists and pushed with something inside her, praying
desperately that the shield would hold. When Jeremiel glanced at her, the
colors of the shield danced in his eyes and down his wings. He grinned fiercely,
then stood up and slashed with his blade. The weapon moved with the shield
instead of through it. His energy reinforced the shield, giving it more
strength. He hit another demon and incinerated it.
    Thank you, thank you, thank you, God, Charmeine chanted under her
breath, tears pouring down her face.
    When Haniel saw Jeremiel’s success, he joined his lover, slashing
with abandon and adding his energy to the shield as well. Charmeine didn’t
understand how or why they could do this, but she sensed that it was something
inherent to their angelic nature. The three of them held this power together.
She knew that with all her being. She held on and held on, growing more
and more tired, but she refused to fall until the last demon was dead. When
Jeremiel finally let his blade slide from his hands, Charmeine knew it was all
over. She let the shield go and fell to the ground.
    Haniel shouted, sprinting for her, but the dark swallowed her up.

Chapter Eight
     
    Jeremiel cupped Charmeine’s face, worried. She was breathing and
had no visible wounds, but she wasn’t moving. Her body had automatically
shifted back to human and now she wouldn’t wake up.
    “Raphael says we should let her sleep and wake up on her own. She
just needs rest,” Haniel said, slipping Jeremiel’s cell phone back into his
pocket.
    It was random chance that my phone was in his shorts pocket and
escaped the fire, Jeremiel thought, suppressing a shiver. Haniel rarely used the phone. He didn’t
like to talk with the angels back home. How his mobile had ended up in Haniel’s
pants was a mystery to them both, but he wasn’t going to complain. They needed
all the luck they could get. Charmeine’s house was gone. They had only the
clothes on their bodies. “How does Raphael know that?” he asked Haniel, peeved.
“He’s all the way up north at Castle Archangel.”
    “He said that anytime an angel’s gift manifests, it takes a lot of
energy. Sometimes too much. Sleep is the best thing for her.” Haniel dropped to
his knees beside Jeremiel and leaned against him. “I’m worried about her too,
but Raphael said this is normal.”
    “She won’t wake up. How is that normal?” Jeremiel bowed over her,
kissing her shoulder.
    “She’s breathing, her heart rate is good, and she’s not cold. She
just looks like she’s sleeping.” Haniel slipped an arm around Jeremiel’s waist.
“Come on. Let’s lie down and get some rest. We have a lot of stuff to figure
out tomorrow.” He tugged until Jeremiel leaned back. “Good thing Charmeine had
some bedding set up in here or we’d be in for a very uncomfortable night.”
    Jeremiel sighed. Haniel was right. They were exhausted. After the
demon lord and his creatures had done their best to tear them to pieces, all he
wanted to do was sleep for days, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the
shield. He’d never heard or seen of such a thing. “What happened out there?”