Angel Hunter

Chapter 6: Understanding

MICHAEL

No one moved for a brief moment. Michael turned, his eyes black with fury.

"I said GET OUT!" They all scattered like sheep, leaving the infirmary empty except for him and the girl. She had flinched at his voice, but his touch was gentle as he cradled her in his arms. He sat pulling her into his lap. He smoothed her hair back and down her back between her shoulder blades. After several moments she relaxed into him. He sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"I left you alone, I should have known they wouldn't isten. They're too scared of you to think rationally. You can't even see right now, I doubt you're going to kill us all while we sleep." He snorted in amusement. She couldn't help the faint grin.

"I'd be the last person to kill anyone."

"You're a hunter, you had to have killed." He said bluntly. She looked sad when she answered.

"Not by choice."

"What do you mean 'not by choice'?" He asked, voice hard and grip tighter. She turned her face towards him to answer.

"I was controlled, forced to kill." She bit her lip for a moment and looked down. "My uncle, he didn't know about the magics they had used to keep me bound. He was furious, he called it a Black Thorn Binding." Michael's face darkened as he heard of the spell. It was evil, dark magic. No one used it anymore. It could compel anyone to kill, to destroy, to annihilate anyone in their path. The Black Thorn binding was incredibly dark and powerful. Only higher demons, alphas, war mages, angelkind and high warlocks could throw off the binding, and it took quite a bit of effort. Michael had done it before, it wasn't fun. He stood, lifting the girl. He set her down on the bed and pushed her tank top up. He began unwinding the soaked bandages. He rinsed her wounds, making her hiss and re-wrapped them.

"Can you lie on your stomach so I can check you back?" She did slowly. He was still not happy with how they looked. They were taking a long time to heal. He re-bandaged them and she sat up.

"My name is Michael, you?"

"Aislinn." He smiled involuntarily at the name in amusement. Her name meant dream, vision. It was appropriate considering that's how he'd found her.

"You didn't get all those injuries from a bear, did you?"

"No, I didn't." He sighed heavily. "I ran." she admitted quietly.

"What?"

"From where I lived, I ran to here. I got caught by a small group a few days ago. They did most of the damage. I woke up and realized I'd broken the chains. I got my stuff and ran."

"And the bear found you?"

"Yep."

"Ouch."

"Most definitely." He couldn't help the teasing grin on his face. He caught sight of something near her eye, a black star, tiny, but he cursed. She jumped as he took her face in his hands.

"Aislinn, don't move for a moment." He wet his thumb and brushed it across the mark. The mark fizzled and vanished. She blinked rapidly. "Better?"

"What did you do?"

"Black Thorn star, impairs the vision and the hearing. I took it off."

"How?"

"You really don't want to know." He said sincerely. She gave him a small smile. He nodded to her before re-wrapping the bandages around her back. She pulled the tank top back down and then rested her hands in her lap, playing with them lightly. She seemed unsure, like she felt uncomfortable, but couldn't quite figure out why. Michael sat next to her, quiet, waiting for her to gather her thoughts. She hesitated before finally asking him her question.

"What are you exactly? They all listen without question, and you were the one who brought me here." Michael chuckled bitterly for a moment.

"Hunters were created to combat fallen angels right? There was a time I fought alongside hunters. I'm older than anything on this earth, even if I don't look it."

"You're an angel." She said, slightly breathless.

"I'm Michael." He said in response. She noddded to herself.

"The other boys, the ones that were here when I woke up, who are they?"

"My friends, they're Nephilim, half angel. Matt and Jared were here, Kal came to get me. I left them to make sure you didn't hurt anyone and no one hurt you, they're all capable warriors."

"They don't like having me here, no one does. It's because of what I was."

"It's not everyday we find half dead former hunters in front of our academies. They find it hard to trust you because we don't know what kind of natural you are."

"I don't know, it's not like they made it common knowledge that they kept a supernatural to help kill her own kind." The words were bitter and full of pain. Michael stood, pacing.

"That's another thing, why didn't they kill you. They would normally kill any natural regardless of their species. That they didn't means you had to be rather important or rare. Powerful too, or they wouldn't have bothered with the Black Thorn spells." Aislinn was watching him steadily, her thoughts churning. Her stomach suddenly lurched and a wave of dizziness overcame her and then she saw flashes of a place she'd never been. Her nails dug into the blankets she sat on. Michael noticed the change in her. He stepped forward. Her eyes were steady, glazed as if seeing something else, her shoulders were stiff and her nails dug into the blankets. He touched her and she didn't even seem to realize it. Her breathing became shallow, he nearly connected with her mind just to figure out what was going on, but then she suddenly gasped, eyes returning to normal. Michael looked worried, he smoothed her hair back as she tried to breathe.

"Aislinn?"

"Lila Kate Harris, you have to find her, they're hunting her." Michael drew back, realizing exactly what she must be.

"Aislinn, sword or bow?"

"Either."

"Assassin or warrior."

"Both."

"And your visions, future or past?"

"Both."

"I know exactly what kind of natural you are." He said softly. She sat up with a start.

"How..."

"The only female naturals they could keep, or would, are high warlocks and female Nephilim. Both easily as talented as a pure hunter and better when combined with their gifts. But warlocks don't see visions. The only ones that do that are Angelings."

"I'm an...an Angeling?" She whispered and her hand brushed one of the kisses. She gasped and then stared at him.

"I've met you before, you kissed me." Michael scratched the back of his in embarrassment.

"Yeah, sorry."

"Do it again?"

"What?" He asked, startled.

"Do it again."He stared and then stepped forward and kissed her.