Lucifer (Book 3, The Redemption Series) (10 page)

“
If you won’t stay,” I tell her, “will you at least promise to come back one day?”

Lilly smiles
, looking pleased by my request.

“
Of course I will. I’m sure I’ll want to see the newest additions to our family. Something tells me they’ll be very special.”

Lilly leans in and gives me a hug.

“Enjoy tonight,” she says to me as she pulls back. “It will be one of the best of your life.”

Lilly phases, and I look back at the wedding dress, feeling flushed with excitement as I realize
tonight is the night I finally make Malcolm mine forever.

“
Let me go make a bath to help you relax a bit before we get started,” Millie says, making an about face and heading back into the bathroom.

I’m just pulling the sweater I’m wearing over my head when I hear someone y
ell, “Wait!”

I pull the sweater back down and look towards the door to the room.

Lucifer is standing there with one hand covering his eyes, shielding them from the sight of me almost half clothed.

“
What are you doing here?” I ask apprehensively, knowing Lucifer phased to Cirrus earlier to help him find a reason to keep me from marrying Malcolm.

“
Are you decent?” Lucifer asks, stoutly refusing to take his hand away from his eyes until I answer.

“
Yes,” I tell him, smoothing out the edge of my sweater against my hips.

Lucifer lowers his hand away from his eyes slowly,
as if he’s afraid he might see something again that he doesn’t want to.

“
Are you going to tell me why you’re here, or are you going to make me guess?”

Lucifer takes something out of his pants pocket.

“I’m hoping I brought you something that will change your mind about this wedding.”

“
You’re totally wasting your time,” I tell him with absolute conviction. “There’s nothing you can say that will stop me from marrying Malcolm tonight.”

“
So you said before,” Lucifer says, sounding unconvinced. “Which is why I went to find something that will hopefully knock some sense into you.”

“
Who are you talking to, my sweet?” Millie says, walking out of the bathroom.

Her eyes immediately find Lucifer in the room.

“Hello, Lucifer,” Millie says, looking confused by Lucifer’s presence but not exactly surprised. “Did you come to give your daughter away at her wedding?”

“
Absolutely not, Millie,” Lucifer says rather indignantly. “I’ve come to see if I can stop this travesty from happening at all!”

Millie looks even more confused.
“Why on earth would you want to stop the wedding? Don’t you want to see Anna happy?”

“
Of course I do,” Lucifer says, as if Millie’s question is completely absurd. “But Malcolm isn’t the man to do that. I know him. He’ll eventually get tired of Anna and toss her to the side like he does all his women. I’m not even sure the word monogamy is in that man’s vocabulary.”

Millie doesn’t look confused anymore. She looks
mad.

“
That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard you say! Master Malcolm is one of the most honorable men I know. When he makes his vows to Anna, I have no doubt he will keep to them!” Millie says in defense of Malcolm like an overprotective mama bear.

“
When have you known Malcolm to care about a woman for more than a few months, Millie?”

Millie
defiantly raises her chin a notch. “That’s always been your problem, Lucifer. You never understood Master Malcolm’s true nature. How do you think he has been able to withstand your offers to remove the curse for all these years? Even
you
can’t say he doesn’t have a strong sense of morals. And if you honestly think he would ever betray Anna in such a way, you’re more of a fool than I thought you were!”

As I listen to Millie defend Malcolm’s honor, I wonder why Lucifer is allowing her to
speak to him as an equal. I knew he and Millie had some sort of relationship while my mother was alive, but this interaction between them makes me believe she and he had a slightly deeper connection than I was previously lead to believe.

“
We’ll see about that,” Lucifer quips back. “I just hope I’ve brought some sanity into the situation.”

Lucifer walks up to me and holds his hand out palm up.

I look down and see that he’s holding one of the crystal devices used to display real time holographic images.

“
What do I need that for?” I ask, looking up from his outstretched hand to meet his gaze.

“
Turn it on,” Lucifer tells me, “and see for yourself.”

Tentatively, I take the crystal and swipe my other hand over its controls to activate it.

I feel my eyes begin to burn with tears as I look at the figure standing in front of me. I faintly hear Millie gasp in surprise over the roar of the blood rushing to my head making me feel a bit faint.

“
Papa,” I sob.

Chapter 8

I reach out a shaky hand to my papa, knowing it’s a futile attempt to touch him, but neither of us seem to care because he does the same thing. Our hands meet and fade into one another. We may not be able to physically connect to each other, but the mutual attempt at least makes me feel closer to him.

“
Where are you?” I immediately ask, wiping at the tears on my face with the back of the hand that still holds the crystal. “Are you in Cirrus somewhere? Just tell me and I’ll come and get you, Papa. I can phase now.”

My papa smiles at me sadly and shakes his head.

“I’m sorry, my little cherub. I promised Lucifer I wouldn’t tell you where I am. But, don’t worry about me. I’m in a good place, and no, I’m not in Cirrus. Levi hasn’t harmed me in any way. You have no reason to fear for my safety.”

“
Did Lucifer bring you here to talk me out of marrying Malcolm?” I ask.

I see immediate confusion and alarm appear on my papa’s face.

“Marrying Malcolm?” He asks, as though the two words shouldn’t even be joined in the same sentence. “Why on earth would you be doing that?”

“
Exactly!” Lucifer says triumphantly.

I look over my papa’s right shoulder and see Lucifer standing behind him with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

“I guess I’ll let the two of you talk privately for a little while,” Lucifer tells us, sounding pleased with himself because he obviously thinks he's won this particular battle. “I think you have a lot of catching up to do.”

Lucifer phases.

“Oh, Lord Andre,” Millie says happily, “it’s so good to see you again and to know you’re safe. We’ve all been worried sick about you.”

“
Thanks, Millie,” my papa says, chancing a glance at her but quickly returning his attention back to me. “I'm perfectly fine. There's no need to worry.”

“
That's so wonderful to hear,” Millie says, looking between the two of us. “I'll just go finish preparing some things so the two of you can discuss matters.”

Millie turns around and heads back into the bathroom, making what looks to me like a hasty retreat.

I stare at my papa for a moment, almost feeling like I’m a kid again who has done something wrong. Yet, I’ve done nothing wrong except find the man I’m supposed to marry and build a family with. Surely, he’ll understand that.

“
Tell me, Anna,” my papa says, still looking worried “Why are you marrying Malcolm?”

“
He’s my soulmate, Papa,” I tell him, hoping that it’s reason enough for him.

“
Malcolm?” Papa says in utter disbelief. “You’re absolutely sure about that?”

I nod.
“Yes. Why do you sound so surprised? Honestly, I thought you of all people would be happy for us. You’re his best friend, aren’t you?”

“
Yes,” Papa says, “which is probably why this news makes it feel so strange to me. I know him better than almost anyone, except for maybe Jered. The three of us have been through a lot together over the years.” My papa takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “Give me a moment to think about this. You've kind of thrown me for a loop, Anna.”

I remain silent while my papa seems to have a silent conversation with himself, as if he's weighing the pros and cons of Malcolm and I being soulmates. He shakes his head,
and then nods it. Then he shakes it again and still looks mystified by the news.

“
I love him,” I finally say, hoping this will erase any doubt he has that I’m making a mistake marrying Malcolm.

“
It’s just…” He says, shaking his head. “You’re my
daughter
, Anna. I realize you’ve figured out that I’m not your biological father, but I’m still the man who raised you. I love you as my own flesh and blood and nothing will ever change my feelings for you.”

“
I love you too, Papa.”

“
But,” he says, raising one hand to his forehead to rub his temples and propping his free hand onto his hip as he continues to come to grips with the news. “I have to say, the possibility of you marrying Malcolm never even crossed my mind. I’m having a little trouble imagining it.”

“
Why?”

“
Because you’re both family to me!” He says, raising both of his hands in the air to emphasize his point. “Basically, I feel like my daughter is marrying my brother! I need some time to wrap my mind around the situation.”

“
I think Lucifer was hoping you would try to talk me out of it,” I tell him. “You’re not going to try to do that, are you? Because I’ll tell you the same thing I told Lucifer. It won’t work. Even if you disapprove, Papa, I’m marrying Malcolm tonight one way or the other.”

I’m not sure if it was my words or the way I made my proclamation, but my papa let out a deep sigh of resignation and looked at me in surprise.

“I think this is the first time you’ve never wanted to know my thoughts on a subject,” he says, looking proud and sad at the same time. I’m no longer the little girl who relied on him to make the important decision for me. I suppose realizing your child has grown beyond the need for your guidance is a hard thing for any parent to come to terms with the first time.

“
It’s not that I won't listen to what you're thinking,” I tell him. “I would never disrespect you in such a way, Papa. But, I know me. My life would never feel complete without Malcolm as my husband. I need him as much as I need the heart beating inside my chest. Without either, I would be dead inside. As long as I have Malcolm, I feel like I can make it through the rest of the mission God has given me. I know I can succeed if we’re together, and the vows we make to one another tonight will make our bond even stronger.”

It takes a few seconds, but my papa finally smiles at me.

“I guess you really are a woman now,” he says with pride. “I’m glad I raised you to listen to your heart and allow it to tell you what’s right and what’s wrong. I can’t say the whole situation isn’t still odd for me, but I trust your judgment. If getting married is what you both want, then I have no reservations about it whatsoever. I’m not going to lie and say it’s something I ever expected to happen, but all I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy, Anna. As long as Malcolm makes you happy, you have my blessing.”

“
I don’t suppose you could explain that sort of logic to Lucifer?” I ask in jest. “He seems hell-bent on stopping me from marrying Malcolm.”

My papa sighs heavily.
“The two of them have had a very difficult relationship with one another over the years, Anna. I’m not sure if there’s anything that can fix the animosity that's built up between them. But, they both love you. Therefore, they do have
some
common ground. I’m just not sure it will be enough to keep them from trying to rip each other’s throats out. Maybe in time they can come to a mutual understanding where you’re concerned.”

“
I hope so,” I tell him. “Papa, why don’t you tell me where you are? I can come and get you and this whole mess can be over. You don’t owe Lucifer anything. You don’t have to keep your promise to him.”

“
Anna,” my father says in that disappointed voice that I always hated to hear as a child, “you of all people should know me well enough to understand that I can’t just break my word once I’ve given it. If a man doesn’t keep his word, he isn’t a man worth knowing, in my opinion. I won’t break it just to save my own skin. I’m sorry my being trapped like this has been so difficult for you, but I’m perfectly fine where I am. I
am
disappointed that I won’t be able to walk you down the aisle though. It was always something I wanted to do if you were ever allowed to have a real wedding.”

“
I’m sorry you won’t be here for that too,” I say, unable to stop the tears formed from my own disappointment.

“
Oh, cherub, don’t cry,” my papa says to me. “We’ll have plenty of time later to make other memories. We’ll find a way to be together again.”

“
So,” Lucifer says. I look over my papa’s shoulder and see that he’s returned. “Have you been able to talk some sense into her yet? Have you explained what a fiasco her life will become if she marries Malcolm? You know him well enough to explain what a cad he can be, Andre, especially where women are concerned.”

Papa turns around to face Lucifer.
“I’ve given her my blessing, Lucifer. You should know better than anyone that when two soulmates meet nothing can keep them from wanting to be with one another. Even though you don’t want to admit it, Malcolm is an excellent choice for her. He’ll take care of Anna better than any other man in this world.”

Lucifer rolls his eyes
like he expected this to happen.

“
Did you at least talk her out of retrieving any more of the seals?”

“
Why would I do that?” Papa asks, sounding confused.

Lucifer looks at me.
“I thought you would have talked about that too.”

“
No,” I tell him. “We didn’t.”

Lucifer looks back at my father and says,
“The seals are changing her. Their combined powers are evolving her into something darker. She needs to stop collecting them!”

My papa looks at me in alarm.
“Levi mentioned you were gathering the seals, but he didn’t say they were causing you to change. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“
It’s nothing to worry about,” I tell him. “I can handle it.”

“
No, she can’t!” Lucifer says in exasperation. “She’s only collected two seals so far and that guardian angel of hers came close to losing her the last time she died.”

“
The last time she died?” Papa exclaims. “How many times have you died since I’ve been gone?”

I hesitate but know I have to answer.
“Twice.”

“
Anna!” Papa says with a mix of surprise and worry. “Tell me everything.”

I go on to give my father a truncated version of the
events that took place after his incarceration by Levi. I omitted my recent conversation with Helena, however. I didn't want Lucifer to know Hell was preparing to make me its master instead of him. He seemed to have enough problems to deal with. Plus, it would have just been another hit to his pride, which I didn't feel he could suffer through right now.

Papa listens to my tale
closely, allowing me to get through the retelling of recent events before asking any questions.

“
And are you feeling any different?” He asks me.

I look between my papa and Lucifer, debating whether I should admit it or not.
However, I think my hesitation has already given them the answer they want.

“
Yes,” I say. “I feel more powerful.”

“
In what way?”

I look around the room and see the chair Millie has been laying my daily clothes out on for me. I lift it with my new telekinetic power, rotate it while it's in the
air, and set it back down in the exact same spot it was before.

“
Her powers will only increase,” Lucifer says emphatically.

“
I can handle them,” I try to say with conviction, but there is a small part of me that doubts I'll be able to. “With Malcolm with me, I'll be able to finish this mission and take the seals back to Heaven. I'm stronger when he's with me. I can do this.”

Papa doesn't say anything. He just looks worried.

“What does my father say about it?” He finally asks me. “Does He think you can handle what the seals will do to you?”

“
Yes,” I tell him. “He wouldn't have sent me here to take them if he didn't.”

My papa takes in a deep breath and slowly lets it out.

“I've always trusted His judgment about matters like this, and I don't see any reason to doubt Him now. Do what you need to do, Anna. You have my full support.”

Lucifer lets out a feral growl. Before I know it, he charges towards me walking through the holographic image of my papa and grabs the crystal out of my hand. He squeezes it with enough force that I hear it crack and the projection of my father disappears.

“Why did you do that?” I scream at him.

“
Because Andre was completely useless!” Lucifer yells back. “I had hoped he would be reasonable and tell you to stop this travesty of a marriage and to stop collecting the seals for your own good!”

“
He trusts my judgment. It's something you should learn to do.”

“
You're twenty-one years old! You haven't lived long enough to understand the powers you’re playing with.” Lucifer grabs the tops of my arms and shakes me a little bit. “You will end up killing yourself, Anna! Stop before it's too late!”

The worry in Lucifer's eyes tells me that he's only doing this because he truly cares for me.

“Then help me through it,” I plead. “Instead of trying to stop me, help me instead. With your knowledge about things like this, I'm sure I can succeed. Either way, I'm going to try, with or without your help.”