Fallen Angel (Prequel) Ominous Series © by Patricia Puddle

Chapter Seven - Taken

Taken

Nathaniel wandered into the kitchen to see if Madeline was all right after her encounter with Devlin. She was sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop on and a cup of coffee in her hand. Leaning over her shoulder, he peered down to see what she was reading. His eyes went wide when he saw she was doing a search on ghosts. He rubbed his chin. Oh, so she really did feel Devlin near her. He couldn’t believe Devlin had done that to her, and he certainly hadn’t expected him to threaten to kidnap Eloise. Sure, he’d always said he wanted her back as a ward, but to kidnap her was downright evil.

Things were turning out much worse than Nathaniel expected. He shouldn’t have become too complacent over the years just because Devlin hadn’t showed up. Now he was even more afraid for Eloise’s safety, especially now she was no longer a child. And he couldn’t help but fear for Devlin’s future. The way he was going he’d end up as one of Lucifer’s demons, and though he might enjoy a happy life on Earth in return, eventually he’d spend eternity in Hell.

Nathaniel covered his face with his hands. It was a good job angels didn’t usually cry for he would surely shed many tears. He felt empty like he’d lost something special. Though he was happy he still had Eloise to guide, the dream of having his best friend back one day was gone forever. Just the thought of Devlin suffering infinitely at the hands of Lucifer was tearing him apart.

Shaking himself from his deliberations, he glanced around. There were no breakfast dishes in the sink, so her guessed Eloise must be still in her room. Though he knew she liked to sleep late on Saturdays, he decided to check on her.

When he wandered into her room, he scowled. She was still in her bed, but she was wide awake with a pained look on her face. Worried Devlin might have been in her bedroom, he moved closer to her to try and read her thoughts. Before he had a chance, Madeline tapped on the door and poked her head in. “Sweetie, I’m going shopping today. Do you want to come?”

Eloise glanced up and frowned. “Not today, I don’t feel good.”

Madeline walked into the room. “Why, what’s the matter?”

“I have a sharp pain in my stomach.”

“Maybe you’re just hungry, love. I’ll make you some blueberry pancakes.”

“No, thanks, I feel nauseous.”

Madeline headed out the door. “Okay, I’ll bring you some tea.”

Nathaniel moved closer to the bed. It wasn’t like Eloise to refuse her favourite breakfast. She usually had such a good appetite. He rubbed his chin. He didn’t like the sound of this. Eloise rarely got ill. As he was about to connect with her mind to see how bad the pain was, Madeline came back in with a steaming mug and a plate of cookies. “Here, drink this. It’s herb tea, so it might make you feel better.”

Eloise sat up and sipped on the tea. “Thanks, Mum, but I don’t want the biscuits.”

Madeline put her hands on her hips. “You’re not on some silly diet, are you? I see you’ve lost weight lately.”

Eloise rolled her eyes. “No, Mum, I’m not. I feel really sick and I have for weeks now. I’m probably gonna die.”

“Oh, don’t be so melodramatic, Eloise.” She placed her hand on her daughter’s brow. “Hmm, you feel really hot. I think you might have a temperature.”

Pulling the covers back around her, Eloise shivered. “Well, how come I’m cold?”

“You’ve probably got a chill, so maybe I should take you to the medical centre.”