Forgiven (Book 3, The Watchers Trilogy; Young Adult Paranormal Romance) (8 page)

I was thankful for Utha Mae’s quick change of subject.  She and Malik talked for the rest of the meal about his variations on classic
dishes
Utha Mae had made all her life.  I kept my eyes on my plate
,
but I felt Brand place a comforting hand on my thigh under the table.  When I looked over at him, he smiled and winked at me
making me feel more at ease
.  I chanced a glance in Will’s direction and immediately regretted it.

He was staring at me with intense longing.  I knew he wanted nothing more than to be where Brand was right now.  If he could have possessed Brand like he could any human body, I felt sure he would have given half a chance.  I quickly looked away and tried to concentrate on Malik and Utha Mae’s conversation.

Will’s eyes weren’t the only one’s staring holes in
to
me.  I felt Lucifer
’s eyes on me
and couldn’t prevent myself from glancing in his direction. 
His expression was indecipherable
,
but I got the distinct imp
ression he found Will’s confession
amusing.  It was him, after all, who had placed Will in charge of keeping me safe all these years.  Now that he knew for sure Will loved me, he had to wonder how divided Will’s loyalties were.  Since I was marrying someone
W
ill didn’t approve of, perhaps Lucifer felt Will was back on his side.  I had no way of knowing
for sure
if he was right.

While I was helping to clear the table, Lucifer asked, “Lilly, could I speak with you privately for a moment?
  I have something I would like to ask you.
”

Both Brand and Will
quickly
set the dishes in their hands down, turning their
full
attention to Lucifer.

“Why?” I asked.  It seemed a logical question.  I wasn’t supposed to know this Lucas Hunter guise Lucifer was wearing
very well
.  Why would he want to have a private moment with me?

“I have something I wish to ask you but it’s something I would like to keep as a surprise for Cora.”

“Go ahead, baby,” Utha Mae said.  “We’ve got the dishes.”

Feeling like a lamb led to slaughter, I couldn’t think of a polite or non-suspicious way to refuse Lucifer’s request.
Besides, my mother looked beside herself with pent up anticipation.
I followed
behind Lucifer
out the door but saw both Will and Brand take up positions at different windows to keep watch over me.

Once outside, Lucifer leaned
his back
against the
wood
railing of Utha Mae’s front porch
and faced me
.  I stood close to the door just in case I felt a need to make a hasty retreat.

“I assume you know who I am now,” he said to me.

“Yes,” I answered.  “I know.”

Lucifer smiled. 
“I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet you in person.  When I took over this body, it was easy to charm your mother into thinking someone like him could be interested in a trollop like her.”

“Don’t you dare call her that,” I hissed
,
s
urprising myself at how protective I felt over my mother.  “She is a good woman.  Her life only got screwed up because she got pregnant with me.”

As soon as I said the words, I realized how true they were.  My mother had at one time wanted to stay in the Amish community my grandparents belonged to.  It was only because she fell in love with my father and conceived me that she ended up where she was now.

“Well
,
I for
one am
glad she did spread her legs so easily for the first angel she met.  It certainly helped me out.”

From the pleased look on Lucifer’s face, a question popped into my mind and out of my mouth.  “Are you my father?”

Lucifer’s brow furrowed in consternation before he let out a billowing laugh like I’d made the joke of the century.  Once he got himself under control
, he chuckled, “Now
,
that would be interesting wouldn’t it?  But no, dear Lilly, that would just be too clichéd.  It sounds like something you would read in a bad dime
store
novel.  Oh no my dear, your father was someone else.  But, I did help your mother pick up the pieces when he unceremoniously kicked her to the curb.”

“But my grandmother said she met my father
.  My mother brought him to meet her after I was born.”

“Once your mother learned she was pregnant, she came looking for your father but by that time he was long gone.  I represented myself to her as being your father’s best friend and told her he didn’t want anything to do with her or you.  She needed a shoulder to lean on at the time and I provided it.  After she was shunned by her parents, I helped give her a new life
so I could keep an eye on you
.”

“You’re the one who blackmailed Mr. Landry into giving her a new identity.  You killed his wife to prove you could then you threatened the life of his daughter.”
  Some of the pieces were finally falling together.  I
t
was no wonder Mr. Landry chose suicide over having to face Lucifer again.

Lucifer shrugged.  “Human’s are easily manipulated through their feelings
, e
specially through the
safety of their
children.
”

“Then who is my father?”

Lucifer shook his head.  “If I told you that, your fallen angels would have
too many
piece
s
of the puzzle
and might
figure out what I plan to do with you.  I’m not that stupid, Lilly.”

But he was prideful.  That’s what Brand had told me.  If I could play on his
vanity
, maybe he would slip up and reveal some shred of a clue to me.

“We’ll never let you win.  I won’t let you use me.  I’d rather die first.”

Lucifer came at me and grabbed me by the
upper arms.  Before he could say anything, I saw a vision inside my head so clearly I knew it had to be what Lucifer was thinking in that moment.  His anger at my threat had caused him to let his guard down.  He had been intentionally hiding his thoughts from me much like Uriel had the last time I met with him.

In the vision, I saw myself standing on a snowy pla
in
, the body of Lucas Hunter lying
dead
at my feet
.  It was
day
time and I had my arms raised to the sky.  Streams of fire shot from my hands into the
sun filled sky
and a white
ribbon of light
formed
at the point of their convergence
.

Lucifer let go of me as quickly as he grabbed me but by that time it was too late.  I felt his rage at
my
having see
n
what was inside his head and knew
that
if he could have afforded my death he would have killed me on the spot.

“You’re lucky I need you,” he spat, slowly backing away from me.  “Tell your mother I had to leave.
  Oh and by the way, I’m asking her to move in with me.”

Lucifer turned
a
nd practically ran away from me.

I stood on the porch and watched him get in his car
, peeling the tires as he spun out of the
trailer park
, r
unning away from the only human on
E
arth he was
scared of
.

When I stepped back into the trailer, I told Utha Mae and my mom that I was feeling a little sick and needed to go home.  In truth, I needed to speak to my friends about what just happened as quickly as I could.

We didn’t even bother driving to
Lakewood
.  Brand and Will phased us all to Brand’s house.
  I called Malcolm to come over so he could hear what I had to say too.

Tara
about lost it when we told her who Lucas Hunter really was.

“And you didn’t find a way to tell me?” She yelled to Will and Brand.  “What the
h
ell
were you thinking letting Lilly Rayne go out there with him alone?”

“
Tara
,” I said, desperately wanting her to calm down, “he didn’t do anything to me.  I think I scared him more than he scared me.”

“It did look that way,” Brand
agreed
.  “What happened when he touched you?  It seemed to frighten him which is an expression I’ve only seen on Lucifer’s face once before.”

“I saw myself,” I told them, visualizing the scene clearly in my
min
d.  “I was standing in snow.  Lucas Hunter’s body was lying at my feet
,
and I knew he was dead.  I had my arms stretched out and projecting streams of fire into the sky.  I saw a ribbon of white light begin to form and then he seemed to let me go because he was scared I might see more of his plans.  I don’t think he thought I would be able to breach whatever mental dam he had built up to hide his thoughts from me.”

Everyone was silent trying to think through what I had just told them.

“Do you know what it means?” I asked
my angels
.  Of anyone in the room, they would be the only ones who could decipher my vision
’
s meaning.

“It sounds like,” Brand said, “Lucifer plans to possess you to cause a cosmic event of some sort.  What the ribbon of light you saw is exactly? I’m not sure.
  But
,
it still doesn’t answer why he needs you specifically to make it happen.
”

“He wouldn’t tell me who my father is,” I said.  “I asked him if he was my father but he laughed and basically said no.” I looked at Brand.  “Do you still think the ring will work on him?”

“What ring?” Will asked.

Malcolm
explained to everyone about King
Solomon
’s ring and how it had the power to control demons and jinn.

“Do you think it will work on Lucifer?” Brand asked Will.

“I don’t know for sure.  He was never around
Solomon
while he had the ring.  That might be one reason he left him alone.  I
say anything is
worth a shot
at this point
.”

Even I knew it was our Hail Mary pass.  A last ditch effort to thwart Lucifer’s plans for me.  I just hoped
we would be able to find it in time
.

After breakfast the following morning, Brand and I got an unexpected visitor.

We were just putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher when a man phased into our living room.  He was tall and muscular like Brand with skin the creamy color of milk chocolate.  His hair was close cropped to his head and his eyebrows were low and almost hooded his striking
hazel
eyes.  He wore a blue t-shirt with a picture of Jimmy Hendrix playing a guitar with angel wings
spread wide on his back.

I knew he had to be a Watcher not only because of his ability to phase but because of how handsome he was.  For whatever reason
,
every Watcher I had met so far looked like a male supermodel.
  Not that I was complaining, but I made a mental note to ask about the reason why later.

“Isaiah,” Brand said walking over to greet our
guest
to shake hands with him.  “So glad you could make it.  Have you had any luck finding Samyaza?”

“Yes, he says he will meet with you.”  Isaiah’s eyes found me like he sensed me in the room.  “Is this Lilly?”

I walked over and extended my hand to him.  “Hi, Lilly Nightengale.”

“Soon to be Cole though
,
right?” Isaiah said with an open smile.  “Brand told me about the wedding.  Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“When will he meet with me?” Brand asked anxiously.

“Today.  He told me you should wait for him at my place.  He didn’t give a specific time though so I’m not sure when he’ll show up.”

Brand looked down at me and said, “Why don’t you call Malcolm?  Today would be a good day for you to spend time with him.  Especially since classes are cancelled for Veteran’s day.”

My heart sank a little.  I knew Brand wanted me to keep my promise to Malcolm to spend one day with him before I got married, but facing Malcolm so soon after I almost let him kiss me seemed like something a sadomasochist would torture themselves with.

As if sensing my dilemma, Brand reminded me, “You only have four more days until the wedding.  It’s probably best if you go ahead and get it over with.”