23. Family Problems

Elise pulled up to the house and walked up to the front door. She stood there for a moment holding the doorknob. Then she took a deep breath and walked in. Michael was waiting for her in the living room, she walked in to find him standing in the center of the room. Before she could even say hello Michael began. “Would you like to tell me where you have been?”

“Not really.” She shrugged.

“I don’t appreciate this attitude, Elise.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Did you just roll your eyes at me?”

Elise didn’t say anything. She just stared at him with ambivalence. Her anger had been festering over the last couple of weeks, and she didn’t like the way he was bossing her around in her own home.

“So that is how it is going to be?”

Elise still didn’t say anything.

“Well then would you mind telling me why your house is a mess?” He asked gesturing to all the half-finished construction. Angered by her silence Michael went on “Or maybe you would like to tell me about your weapon?” Elise shot a look of daggers at him.

“How did you find out.”

“How else? Your father.”

Elise felt betrayed again. She could not understand why he would have told him. She had just spoken with him once, and here he had betrayed her. The anger she felt toward Michael now included Azrael as well. Michael could see her anger rising.

“Don’t be mad at him. He did the right thing coming to me. You should have told me the moment you found out.”

“Oh, and how was I supposed to do that? I can't just come up the realm of light now, can I?”

“You could have sent word. You know how.”

“Now, tell me how you found out you had a weapon. Then tell me why you disobeyed my command and talked to Azrael. I have told you many times that you are not allowed.”

“How dare you come in here and demand things from me. You have been lying to me for centuries.”

“I don’t like your tone, and I didn’t lie.”

“Oh, you don’t like my tone, I don’t really care for the way you have been speaking to me either. And you have lied. You kept things from me, and you did it on purpose. That is lying.”

“I didn’t know for sure you had one. How could I keep something from you if I didn’t know about it” Elise was fuming. He could have helped her check the way Levi had. Instead he deliberately chose to keep her in the dark. She stayed silent once again.

“So, this is the reason you were upset during my last visit.” The room was silent. “Well speak.”

Elise was tired of hearing his demands and excuses. She wanted him to leave. It seemed that his only reason for being here was to berate her.

“Just go, there is no reason for you to be here.”

“Go? I am here to stay until you are trustworthy.”

“Are you serious? You never trusted me enough to learn weather I had a weapon. I am not the one who is untrustworthy.”

“You should have told me the second you found out about the weapon. I should not have heard about it from Azrael. You are untrustworthy, the fact that you kept this from me is proof of that. You can’t be trusted with such a powerful weapon. So, yes, I am serious. I will be staying with you until I know for sure that I can trust you.”

“NO!” Elise yelled. She was furious. She could not understand how he could just dismiss his part in all this. She was betrayed and angry. She wasn’t about to let Michael start dictating how she should live her life now.

“What did you say to me?”

“I said no.”

“You can’t say no to me.”

“I can and I did.”

“Well, I am staying.”

“Fine. Then I am leaving.”

“You will not Leave. You will do what I tell you to do.” He put force behind his words. It was a powerful force that compelled angels to listen to him since he was the oldest. Archangels could push past the compulsion, but they had to focus to do so. He had not done this since Elise was an incredibly young angel.

Elise felt his pull. He wanted her to obey blindly. She used her strength of mind and pushed back. After a moment of fighting his pull over her. She broke free. “I will not be a puppet for you. You cannot force me to do what you think is best. I am leaving.”

“Oh, where will you go then?”

She had originally planned not to tell Michael about Levi, but now she was considering it. She no longer had any desire to please or placate Michael. It was now in fact the opposite. She wanted him to feel as hurt and betrayed as she did.

Elise felt no shame being with Levi, but she knew this would be the thing to really wound Michael. He would think she chose a prince of hell over him. In truth in her heart, she had. Levi was kind and above all truthful. Even when the truth was a great risk to himself. He had every reason to tell her nothing about her weapon just as Michael had, but he told her the truth.

“Go on tell me. Where could you possibly go? You cannot stay at Magnolia house with Margret. So where are you going to be staying? At the Durand family home with your mother's family.”

Elise just turned her back to him and started walking from the house. Michael trailed after her. She walked up to Levi’s motorcycle, straddled it, and started the engine. Before he drove off, she looked at her uncle.

“I am staying with Leviathan.”