22.

I held my breath, tightly clinging onto his torso as I could feel the absence of gravity holding us down for a few moments, feeling that powerful pulse touching my forehead as his arms held me just as tight as I did.

And only after feeling solid ground beneath my feet did I finally dared pry my eyelids open and take a relieved breath, slowly stepping away from his warm embrace and protective wings to take a look at our surroundings, only to notice a small and weathered church, surrounded by few equally old and deteriorated headstones, all covered in green moss and shielded from the rising sun by old and tall trees.

"Wait, what are we doing here?" I weirdly stared back at him, watching him turn around and walk towards the church's few entrance steps.

"Come on,"

I didn't waste another second and followed him, passing through the wooden and large double doors, only to be suddenly hit by gravely silence and a faint scent of old wood and damp stone.

I glanced to my left and right as I followed him down the aisle, looking at the empty benches before my gaze darted forward, stunned to notice him stopping right in front of the altar, right before he put one knee down, adopting a praying position.

Lips parted in utter awe, I silently covered the remaining distance between us, taking a halt right next to him as I stared at the side of his serene-looking face, depicting the epitome of an archangel.

Never have I ever thought that he was more beautiful than he was right now, kneeling and eyes closed as he silently prayed to his almighty Father, looking so pure and...divine.

It felt like I was seeing him for the first time.

"I...I didn't know you...prayed," I awkwardly mumbled as I didn't even know what to do with myself. I couldn't even remember the last time I was in a church!

"I believe that sometimes, you are forgetting what we truly are," He calmly answered whilst keeping that same sweet and serene stance with his eyes closed, making me feel so stupid and out of place.

He was right. I had really forgotten what they were.
I was a freaking archangel's soulmate and here I was gawking like an idiot and standing like a damn-

*Whoops. Sorry Father.*

I took a glance upwards to the guy laying pinned over the cross, finally realizing that I should start taking this more seriously and behave. And with a deep intake of breath I took a knee as well, copying Azrael's position.

*Here we go.*

*Dear Father, -nope, wait, Michael is my father, what if this prayer gets to him instead of God? *

*Dear...Grandpa?*

*Oh my God I suck at this!*

My eyes widened at the sudden realization, panicking a little bit.

"I've never really prayed before," I quietly admitted, lowering my gaze as I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

"I know," Came his short answer, earning himself a blank stare from me.

"Just listen to your soul...Of what it truly yearns for," He criptically said whilst raising his beautiful midnight eyes to look at the lifeless sculpture before us, making it seem like he could actually see through it -well somewhere more like past it- looking at God himself.

But just as I was about to try and heed his advice a small sound drew our attention, noticing a guy dressed in priest's usual attire now oddly gazing at us as he stood just a few steps away from us, actually realizing he was more like staring at Raz, judging by the shocked slash awestruck look on his face.

"Uh, forgive us your Highness- I mean father, we were just..." I awkwardly stuttered while quickly raising up to my feet at the same time Raz did, only to notice the priest's eyes suddenly widen.

"Our mighty Lord in Heavens..." He quickly did a cross sign over his chest, falling on his knees as he started praying like this was his last day on Earth, making me freak out a little bit while Raz just stood there, frowning as gazed down upon the priest.

*What the...*

Few shuffling sounds and whispers followed, my own eyes widening as I turned around and noticed the few people that had entered the church and were now crazily gawking at us.

I mean, I knew Raz looked kinda intimidating as he was tall as f...uuudge and caked-up with muscles but these guys were taking it to a whole new level with their stares and reactions.

And they were making me feel so anxious, that before I could even realize what I was doing my hand had already taken a hold of Azrael's, to my astonishment even spurring the crowd a little more as few of them gasped, staring at us like were a wonder of the world while others turned to downright praying.

"They're true believers. They can feel what I am," He faintly whispered to me as he kept on gazing at them with that troubled frown etched over his angelic face, seemingly unsure of how to deal with such situation. So I mildly gave him a nudge and took a step forward, eager to get the heavens out of there already.

He eventually followed, however with each powerful step of his over the weathered and damp stone floor earning himself nothing but awestruck stares.

*Holy-*

*Holy Grandpa.*

I weirdly stared around us, looking at the way these people kept staring at Raz as if he were a god amongst mortals, this whole ordeal actually making me see him in a totally different light.

He was a powerful and supreme being, yet somehow, I have managed to throw all that aside and treat him like sh...oe for so many times.

*Damn.*

I mildly winced, stealthily taking a peek at the side of his freaking perfect face as he walked right next to me, wishing so badly that I could just tell him how sorry I was.

Unfortunately, I couldn't. At least not right now.

I bit my lip as my gaze lowered, surprised to see a lady step on the aisle from between the old wooden benches, falling on her knees right in front of Raz, making us both take an abrupt halt.

"Don't take her away! Please! She's the only one I have! Te lo pido Señor! No me la llevas por favor!" The woman started praying in her native language as she desperately gazed at the ceiling.

*Holy Jesus! What the freak?*

I almost jumped in front of him as I was afraid she could accidentally touch him, taking a bewildered glance between him and the lady.

He must've noticed me weirdly staring between him and the woman, because the very next moment I suddenly heard him faintly say,
"The girl. She's very sick," He nodded towards a little girl sitting over the bench, not even minding her own mother's wails as she gazed at the small ragdoll in her tiny little hands, seeming almost apathethic rather than calm.

*Oh my God.*

Few tears rapidly made their way down my cheeks as realization suddenly dawned upon me, feeling like I wanted to fall on my knees and beg him too not to allow such thing to happen.

It just didn't feel fair!

What could've done such a sweet little kid like her to deserve such fate?

I swallowed back a tiny sob, intending to just get out of there already as I couldn't stand to hear the poor woman's heart-wrenching cries anymore when the church's double doors suddenly burst open, shocked to see Raph barge inside the church.

"Guys! I've been searching for you-" He abruptly stopped as his dark gaze darted around, no doubt noticing the way people kept staring at him now, even more stunned.

"Looks like Father's been listening to someone's prayers after all," I heard Raz say from right next to me as he shifted his gaze from Raph to me, giving me a barely noticeable smile.

*Holy shoot.*

My eyes widened, spreading my lips into a grin as I looked back to Raph, filled with hope and happiness. And without wasting a single second more I ran straight to him and grabbed his hand, dragging him right back to where the poor woman was still kneeling, giving him a suggestive look as I shifted my gaze between him and the little girl.

He gave me nothing but a kind and radiant grin as he obviously knew what I had in mind, and under the amazed looks of everybody in that church he carefully stepped in between the benches, closer to the little girl.

She only lifted those large and beautiful hazel eyes of hers, innocently looking up at him as he gave her the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. And with a gentle touch over her forehead with his index and middle finger that bright light I have seen before erupted from within, earning himself a few gasps and even some cries of joy before it slowly faded away.

I held my breath as few seconds passed, watching the little girl give him a sweet smile before she hopped off the bench and made her way to her shock-frozen mom.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore, mommy,” She quietly told her, making me burst into tears at the same time her mother did, hearing a few prayers from the people who had just witnessed Raph perform a miracle and even a loud thud, quickly noticing that some lady had actually fainted as I took a glance to the side.

*Yikes!*

I made a grimace, wiping my tears away as I looked back to Raph and Raz.

“Guess this is our cue to leave now,” I silently told them, earning a nod from both of them.

"Wait, we have to make them forget," Raph said as he looked at Raz, earning another nod while I just looked between them, a little confused.

“What? You can actually do that?”

He only let out a chuckle as he made his way towards Raz and I, immediately feeling Azrael’s hand gently grab my own right before Raph did the exact same thing with the both of us, together creating a small triangle and before I could realize what was happening a ball of bright light appeared in the middle, bursting into a circular wave that passed right through every single soul in that church, momentarily leaving them somewhat frozen.

*Wow...*

"Now let's go," Raph said just as he quickly let go of our hands and turned around, hastily making his way towards the exit while we closely followed.

"Wait! Why were you searching for us?" I asked as I suddenly remembered how he burst through these same doors earlier, my step abruptly faltering over the stone stair as I noticed the way his expression turned a little grim as he turned around to look at me.

"Rick found Leila on the front steps of our apartment building,"