Escapade

By TK Lawyer

She is fire–He is ice.

 

Bitter cold on the outside, Archangel Michael's loving, protective warmth emanates from inside.

Always assured and at the ready- for anything,

Michael helps humanity to solve their problems,

Yet he can't solve his own.

 

His mate doesn't recognize him.

 

Teresa's beautiful, fiery spirit calls to Michael's steadfast, cool, collectedness.

As radiant as the morning sun,

Teresa needs him. Michael is her other half. He is the part that is missing-

The yearning desire she craves.

 

Fascinating and amusing, Teresa proves an unavoidable distraction.

She is created for Michael, yet she poses a challenge.

 

Can Archangel Michael make time in his busy schedule for her?

Will he help Teresa realize they are meant to be together?

Or will his powerful, high status in the angel hierarchy scare Teresa away?

 

Publisher's note:  Silver Medallion Winner, 2023, with Literary Titan. Standalone and prequel to the Angel's Ex Wives Club, also by TK Lawyer. Angel Paranormal Romance, Fated Mates, BBW, HEA, 2023 Literary Titan Silver Medallion winner. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: TK Lawyer
• Release date: Aug 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223578154

Book preview

A close-up of a feather Description automatically generated with medium confidence

Dedication

For my Michael. My Inspiration. My comfort. My true friend.

Thank you.

The Keeper of my soul

Nightly, I pray to the Guardian of my soul,

He who guides protects, and cares for me,

That I may achieve His eternal goal,

Loyal, my Guardian will always be.

Many circumstances, perplexed I am,

A sideswipe nearly missed car accident,

He has pulled me out of many a jam,

My loving Guardian—fate he has bent.

Attached to my essential being,

My protector, committed by His word,

He clears my eyes for future seeing.

My Wayfinder guides and leads me forward.

Eternal gratitude to him, I owe,

He remains close, wherever I go.

~TK Lawyer

Chapter One

Michael's wings beat hard as he swooped in through the double doors of Wingtopia with just seconds to spare before his next performance. Having just survived a near-catastrophic event and a few untimely altercations, not to mention the erection of a new government on the planet Altair, he smiled. He was happy to be on more familiar grounds with only a few burnt feathers to show for his recent peacekeeping efforts.

He leaped onto the stage, swept back his tousled sandy—blonde hair, and grabbed the mic to a chorus of cheers. He gazed over the crowd, his smile widening the corners of his mouth as his focus planted on her. A look of disillusionment and confusion was written across her face.

Teresa searched around her, trying to determine her whereabouts, knowing that she was safely nestled within the warm comfort of her sheets just minutes ago. Her arms remained crossed over her comical cat print nightgown, the cotton material rubbing areas of her body Michael sought to refamiliarize himself with. Her image stood by the bar, barefooted and shivering. Michael conjured in his mind and swept a warm acrylic blanket around her forearms to her startled cry. She tucked the ends of the blanket around her shoulders. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to determine where the object came from in the first place. Michael chuckled while she stood dazed, her gaze slowly scanning the crowd, then the stage, and, finally, to the man behind the microphone.

Well...she was partially correct. He wasn't a man, but he was definitely male energy.

Life as a multidimensional being wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Sure, Michael had power and, he supposed, prestige. Still, he never considered himself different from other angels. The only dissimilarity was that he held a snazzy title that came with the added burden of challenges and responsibilities. His duties often changed quicker than in a blink of an eye. Yet, it wasn't a result of his creator modifying his obligations for him, but humans. As more humans discovered him, they sought him out. And whenever a human being requested his assistance, he always came to their aid.

Yet tonight was different. He reserved this time from his busy schedule for selfish motives. He had invited Teresa to Wingtopia for a reason.

He bellowed out a greeting to the crowd. He started his first song, crooning perfect lyrics to the melody emitting from the musical instruments from his band, all surrounded in purplish-blue auras of light. The rumors regarding his band of mercy were true. They assisted him during those occasions when he needed their help. Yet, humans didn't know their amazing backup performances during Michael's nights of entertainment.

If humans only recognized the comical side of angels, yet they mainly attributed seriousness and purpose to the light-hearted angelic beings.

Once again, he sought out Teresa amidst shouts and wails from the female entourage. For Michael, an angel well over a billion years old, there was no lack of female companionship should he desire it.

Humanity was drawn to angels like bees to pollen. It was a natural consequence of each angel's inner goodness and beauty. The older the angel, the more fascinated and flirtatious the human became. Having lived for so long, Michael was used to the raging female fanfare. Still, at times, when he was exhausted from a full day's work, he'd dim his light so that he could hide from the non—stop praise in favor of blissful peace.

He glided across the stage, his body popping and gyrating flawless moves as females cheered and waved their arms in the air at him, desperate for his attention. The women were beautiful. All of them remained gorgeous. Yet, they weren't the reason he set foot in Wingtopia tonight.

His gaze reset upon the one luminescent light in the room, shining more brightly than all others. Still unaware of her precise location, Teresa slipped onto a bar seat and adjusted the blanket across her chest. During the creation of the item giving her warmth and a semblance of protection, Michael purposely gave her ties sewn into the edges of the blanket so she could fasten them across her bodice for added comfort. Something he observed she did now.

Her gaze flitted across the room and back to refocus, every so often, on him. Teresa was trying to determine her whereabouts, attempting to make sense out of what she was experiencing. Yet, there was no way she could, on her own, determine where she was or how she got there. Teresa's gaze strayed toward him more than several times. He sensed her interest. His heart thumped faster and his insides glazed over with pure joy.

In the middle of his performance, he caught glimpses of her. Saw the female bartender sidle up to her, heard her ask if Teresa needed anything. It was times like this he remained grateful for his superhuman hearing. Michael adjusted the volume of the noise in the room so he'd catch every word that came out of her delightful lips.

Teresa asked where she was.

Wingtopia, the bartender calmly replied.

Her eyebrows drew together. Wing a what a?

The bartender laughed and simultaneously dropped a glass of cold water onto a coaster in front of Teresa. Here. Maybe this will clear your head.

Teresa called after her as she walked away. Hey, wait. Why am I here? And in my pajamas, of all things.

The bartender glanced back at Teresa, her eyebrows knotted firmly together as if she hadn't been aware of what type of clothing Teresa wore. Don’t you remember? You were invited. Everyone has to be invited to come here.

Michael took advantage of the sudden silence. Stepping off the stage, he cleared a path through the crowd to quickly surround Teresa. Teresa swiveled toward him, a look of surprise crossing her face as he murmured, "For a lady of your age, you are most beautiful."

Rendered speechless, she watched him as he strolled back onto the stage without another word. His essence swirled invisibly toward her. The white wisps reached for her and slipped through her body to determine the effect of his words. He smiled, sensing welcoming warmth rushing through her as she searched for varied meanings behind his adoration.

Like all angels, Michael loved humanity. He gave his best to the creations his father bestowed upon the Earth. Yet if he had his way, he’d spend the majority of his time, instead, with his favorite female—the one woman who captured his heart. She delighted him in ways he never needed before and changed his entire world by her mere existence. To this day, he didn’t fully comprehend the remarkable difference between Teresa and the more than seven billion who inhabited the Earth. He only knew she was the one for him.

Yet today, when he introduced himself to her in a local bookstore, her reaction wasn’t what he expected.

***

Did you hear that name? Over the pa system. That was strange, huh? Teresa asked.

The name Michael? Violet looked at her in disbelief.

She closed the book in her hand and showed Violet the cover. Look at the title of the book I picked up. I was curious to find out who my Guardian Angel is. I really wanted to know, and then I suddenly heard the name Michael over the intercom. Can he really be a Guardian Angel? I thought he was an Archangel.

Maybe he’s both.

I don’t know. Sounds strange. I mean, doesn’t he have better things to do, like more important things than to guard people? Yet the book said the name of your Guardian is a name that you resonate with. It’s a name close to your heart. One that you’ve always liked. I’ve always liked the name Michael. It’s a beautiful name.

Well, maybe you should ask for clarity?

Or maybe I should ask to see or hear the name again for confirmation. What do you think?

Violet nodded. I don’t see why he can’t be a guardian angel, too. I mean, wouldn’t that be neat—to have Michael as your guardian angel?

A few minutes later, Teresa found a jacket cover that interested her. She picked up the book, opened it to the first chapter, and then gasped as she read Archangel Michael in the first sentence. She showed it to Violet. The disbelief written across her face was a disappointment, Michael. Though hidden from human eyes, he remained by her side in the bookstore.

Despite showing her his known name, Violet vouched for Michael’s existence and not Teresa. Her staunch denial and rejection of him caused slight pangs in his heart that lingered longer than he would’ve preferred. Yet, he couldn’t fault her. Teresa was human, for now, and all humans had their doubts and fears.

***

Teresa’s eyes focused back on him. He waved at the crowd before stepping off the stage. Thank you. Thank you. Enjoy the rest of the night. Several females approached him as he descended the stairs. Each one with a different proposal, all beckoning him to spend the rest of the night with them. If he were a typical human male, he might’ve enjoyed the company of one, two, or even several females at once. Yet, he wasn’t human, and there was only one female he wanted. The one created for him.

***

It started as whispers in the night. Murmurs and loving statements only Teresa heard while she was resting, dreaming, and, yes, while making love to Parker, her boyfriend. Of course, back then, she thought Parker was the one and that the intimacy they shared was true love. Man, was she mistaken—on a different solar system wrong.

When she first heard the voices in her head, she thought she was going nuts. However, it was only one distinctive voice she heard—a deep, authoritative, assertive, definitely male tone she grew fonder of as time passed. The person, being or thing talking to her never said anything wrong or harmful, for which she remained thankful. Instead, he uttered loving words of support, encouragement, and advice.

The messages she received comforted her, especially during those frequent nights she and her boyfriend fought.

You’re beautiful. Don’t cry.

She recalled the soothing words that touched her heart. It was an especially tough night that ended with tears in her eyes. Her mom’s birthday was today. Although she passed away several years ago, this year, for some reason, hit her harder than most, and Parker wasn’t around. Not that he was much comfort when he was. Still, she would’ve preferred a warm body next to hers versus nothingness. Unfortunately, when she was sad, Parker didn’t know how to act. His routine hugs were nice, but she needed someone to talk to, confide in, and offer her peace. Like the voice inside her head could.

She’s happy, she’s well, and she loves you. I love you, too.

Maybe she was going crazy after all. A diagnosis or two from the famous DSM manual may be in her imminent future. Still, the voice became her steady companion and her foremost champion as the months flew by. Serving as a genuine friend when she needed one.

She cried into the palms of her hands. Closing her eyes, she slipped lower into the sofa cushions. The urge to bury herself within the cozy warmth and never come back up for air, a comforting option at the moment. She missed her mom. Her best friend. If only she had one more chance to tell her mom how much she meant to her...A chance to wrap her arms around her wonderful mom and hug her.

Teresa.

The voice beckoned, and a white, wispy hand stretched toward her. Teresa should’ve screamed and jumped off the sofa, running for her life out the front door, fleeing toward the street. Instead, peaceful, calm rushed through her insides and left her viewing the fragment of a body part made out of thin air, as if it was a normal thing to see. Somehow she knew she was safe and protected. Reaching out toward the ethereal hand, she rose to a stand with a marked smile lighting up her face. Lacing her fingers within the now strong, firm, skin she stepped forward toward the man she loved more than anything in the world. The corners of her mouth rose higher as his form appeared. He was beautiful, and he was not of this world. Having appeared in countless dreams, she knew him well and breathed his name.

Michael.

Although his face remained hidden, she knew, without a doubt, it was him. Her body sensed his warm, steadfast presence and his generous compassion. Michael was here. There was no uncertainty.

He visited Teresa often, though mostly in her dreams. Completely surrounded by an immense, immersive bliss she never experienced while awake, she relished every single moment spent with him. Each time she opened her eyes, she sighed with disappointment. She tightly