This is a cross over of Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson series and my Hex story Someone turn me 'round. This is a complete and utter flight of fancy. It's a little story totally dreamt up for myself, but I am sharing it here for any fans of Elizabeth and Lucifer. The rest of the gang do not appear in this story so it is not Hex related at all. I read the Mercy Thompson books and, of course, thought of how amusing it would be if Lucifer brought Elizabeth to meet them, as he loves to show her shocking things. I offer this up for your entertainment. Please do review.
Elizabeth shivered as snow began to fall and shook her head at her sweetly smiling, but devious, angel lover as she trudged after him in the snow. He was moving quickly and eagerly through the forest and only his hand in hers ensured that she did not stumble at this pace. He hadn't told her where they were or what he wanted to show her so badly, but she was used to his impulsiveness. It was not irrepressible, as you might expect, but it was completely him to randomly think of something he wanted to show her and she didn't like to curb his little personally quirks.
Elizabeth was glad she had on the thick fur coat he had presented her with this Christmas morning, but she was still wary about what it was actually made out of. She didn't approve of killing animals for their hides but this floor length coat was gloriously soft and very beautiful. And since it was so damn cold it was hard to disapprove of the gift now.
He would not tell her where he had gotten the fur coat and it had no tags. This either meant that telling her would get him in trouble or that she wouldn't believe where he had obtained it. If it was the former, he would tell her later and probably enjoy the punishment more than he had the look of wonder in her eyes when she had opened her gift. If it was the later, she would have to convince him that she really could accept the answer…and even then he might require a pleasurable inducement to reveal his secret. Most of the real communication between them happened in the bedroom because he was a fallen angel and sex, it all of its forms, was the closest sensation to the divine presence.
Lucifer stopped and Elizabeth nearly bumped into his back. He had closed his eyes and turned his face up towards the full moon. He breathed in deeply and then a satisfied smile spread across his face. Then Lucifer turned that smile on her and she knew all hope was lost. It was the smile that poor sinners had seen just before they had given in to the Devil's temptation and ruined their souls forever. It was a good thing he loved her.
Elizabeth looked around him and saw that they were at the edge of a moonlight filled clearing. A wolf howled in the distance and Elizabeth shivered again.
"What are we doing here?" She asked with chattering teeth.
"You'll see," he murmured seductively.
Lucifer led her as if she were a princess to a conveniently placed log and bowed slightly to indicate that she should sit. When she did, he winked at her with that devilish smile still on his face and then he turned with a flourish towards the far end of the clearing.
Elizabeth began to hear very faint sounds of rustling in the trees and then….snarls…were those snarls?
Before she had a chance to answer her own question, a wolf pack came loping out of the brush and then stopped abruptly. They all hesitated for a second and then spread themselves out in what appeared to be a triangular formation, with a smaller black wolf with a splash of white on his face at the top who was flanked by a white wolf on the left and a cinnamon colored wolf on the right. The rest of the pack spread out behind them as if they all wanted to see what was going on.
"Those wolves are huge! Is that what you wanted to…?" Elizabeth started but didn't finish because her impetuous angel had just shifted into the form of a black wolf himself. He had showed her this trick before, he particularly liked to take the form of a cat so that he could rub against her and purr to her, but he could take the form of any animal.
Lucifer the wolf began to trot happily over to who would hopefully be their new friends, but Elizabeth could never be certain of his intentions so she watched carefully.
The three closest wolves, who Elizabeth assumed were the most dominant in the pack, moved forward to meet Lucifer in the middle of the clearing, and the encounter took place no more than a few yards away from where Elizabeth sat. The large white wolf broke off from the group of three and approached her black wolf to investigate him, while the other cinnamon colored wolf watched her carefully. It was almost as if he was wondering why there was a human in his forest. And Elizabeth was wondering the same thing.
Elizabeth had been lost in the soulful eyes of the other wolf, ignoring the familiar doggy greeting that was taking place between the white wolf and Lucifer, when the two of them became snarling, snapping, and yelping whirl of fur and teeth.
At first Elizabeth was too shocked to react and then she waited for it to end just a quickly as it had started, as dog fights often do. Even the other wolves where watching almost patiently, but she knew a real yelp of canine pain when she heard it. In an instant the white wolf was pinned under the black wolf that was Lucifer and her lover's fangs were pressed dangerously around the white wolf's neck. The other wolves curled up their lips and appeared ready to jump into the fight.
"Lucifer," she snapped a little more harshly then she normally would but under the circumstances she felt justified.
Lucifer jumped off of his victim and quickly padded over to her. The closer he got the more…wiggly he got. His head was dipped low and his tail was waging furiously between his legs. His ears had been pinned back in anger but now they were lax and droopy. He whined and danced a bit in front of her before he plopped down on his haunches. Elizabeth scratched the top of his head and then her hand slipped along his back as he moved forward to put his face in her lap.
"Hey," she said and pushed him away, "Why don't you sit down like a good boy and let your friends come to us, hmmm?"
Lucifer shot a little glance at the waiting wolves but then he performed a series of fussy circles before he laid himself down at her left ankle and rested his head on his paws.
Elizabeth turned back towards the pack of wolves who were watching her too quietly, too carefully. There were some snarls and whines that ran in ripples through the pack, but they had neither run nor attacked. A normal human would have been suspicious that these wolves were more than they seemed but Lucifer had tamed animals for her before, one of his other angelic talents, so it was not unusual for them to act strangely around her.
The white wolf had reclaimed his position at the left flank of the smaller black wolf but when Elizabeth called to them to come forward only the cinnamon wolf joined the apparent Alpha wolf when he approached her. The Alpha didn't just trot over to her, he swaggered, if such a thing is possible, and confidently advanced to sniff her outstretched hand. Some new nervous whines and growled responses rose up again and the cinnamon colored wolf turned regally back towards them in order to display his fangs and quiet them with an impressive growl of his own.
No sooner had the cinnamon wolf turned around and gently stretched his neck forward to do his own investigation of Elizabeth's scent, than Lucifer was back up on his feet…paws…growling and licking his teeth in the pure rage that generally came before someone got torn into pieces. He had apparently not liked this show of dominance so close to her.
The other two wolves did not hesitate to react similarly and yet all three of them held their ground. Elizabeth reasoned that this display must be a dominance fight. She knew enough about wolves to know that. When Lucifer changed into an animal form, he took on the instincts of that animal too. He wasn't quieting these wolves for her as they had existed in the garden of Eden, but he was interacting with them on their level.
Well, that was all fine and good and kind of neat but…
Elizabeth reached out casually and grabbed Lucifer's nose despite his gnashing teeth. She pulled his nose towards her and raised her eyebrow at him.
"Is all of the growling really necessary?"
Lucifer got all wiggly again and would have rolled over on his back for her if she hadn't been holding his nose. Instead, he whined and licked at her hand. The other two wolves watched him in what seemed like actual confusion. She couldn't blame them. His lightning fast shifts from dominance to submission were enough to confuse the fallen angelic Host who knew him as both the most gloriously powerful of all of the angels and as the most fervently obedient. Certainly, these wolves would fair no better in understanding him. They probably didn't know if they should respect his strength or force him to the bottom of the pecking order. Elizabeth let go of his nose and said, "Now can you introduce me to your friends…politely?"
The black wolf with the splash of white on his nose looked meaningfully at his cinnamon colored friend and then something strange started to happen. The wolf dropped to the ground and his form began to change. His body stretched and shifted as the noises he was making changed from snarls to moans until finally what lay on the snow in front of Elizabeth was a naked man instead of a wolf. He panted lightly and carefully for a few moments before he slowly rose to his side and then his knees and then his feet.
Elizabeth just stared in wonder at him and then turned to Lucifer and then back again quickly to the man in front of her. She didn't wonder as his nakedness because the reason was obvious, but she did wonder if he was cold. Then suddenly, as if it was an afterthought, clothes formed around his body. Lucifer gave a snotty growl at this that seemed to say, "You're damn right you should dress yourself." He didn't like clothes much himself, preferring to drape his nude body across her lap or saunter around in tantalizing states of undress as often as possible, but everyone else was expected to keep their naught bits to themselves when it came to Elizabeth.
"My name is Charles," the man said, still a little breathless.
"My name is Elizabeth," she responded as she stood to offer him her hand to shake. She took a step forward and noticed that the black Alpha wolf was looking up at the man as if he was speaking to him.
Charles took her hand to shake and said, gesturing towards the Alpha, "This is my father, Bran, he welcomes you to the Marrok's territory and asks why you have come."
It was politely said, but the gentle reminder that she was not where she belonged was clear.
Elizabeth laughed lightly, met Charles' eyes in her direct way and said, "To be perfectly honest, I don't know why I am here."
She continued to smile at him and meet his gaze until his eyes narrowed and his lip curled up almost involuntarily.
"That is not an acceptable answer," Charles growled trying to remain polite but since he had just come from the hunt, his wolf was still more in charge than he would have liked. Her staring at him like that was not helping.
"Perhaps I can be of assistance," a voice purred at Elizabeth's left.
Charles and the Alpha at his side, shifted to face Lucifer who was now in human form. He had his customary black on black, impeccably tailored suit back on and was grinning arrogantly.
"I have brought her here to show her werewolves. I thought you would amuse her."
Lucifer's tone was pure condescension. Elizabeth's eyes were wide with the realization that he had confirmed what she had thought the wolves were after Charles' shift. She had thought that only angels and demons existed, and she was very familar with the angels, but apparently other fairy stories were true too.
"We do not exist to amuse your woman," Charles growled and this feeling was echoed by a chorus of snarls from the wolf pack that had been slowly inching closer.
"How do you know?" Lucifer rumbled in that voice that was pure and silky temptation. This tone had shaken the faith of many devout believers over the centuries. He made you believe that he knew more that you did and that you had everything wrong. Since he really did know, well…as close to everything as you can get, he could back it up too.
Charles' lips curled up on both sides of his mouth and Lucifer just smirked at him, inviting the attack. Charles lost his final hold on his control and leapt at Lucifer only to find himself dangling off of the ground with Lucifer's hand locked in a vise grip around this throat.
"Put him down," Elizabeth yelped in surprise and Lucifer released his grip so fast that Charles ended up sprawled on the ground with his nemesis standing over him, chuckling to himself and brushing off his suit as if Charles had sullied it. It had been a dominance fight in human form, a very fast one, and Charles had lost. Charles started to put himself up, but Lucifer glared at him and he stayed on the ground, on his back, showing submission to the victor.
Lucifer's grin widened at Charles' humiliation and then he turned his attention to Bran. It occured to Elizabeth that the problem was likely that these werewolves were trying to dominate Lucifer and determine his place but Lucifer did not submit to anyone but her. They had no idea who...or what they were up against.
As things were about to get out of hand...again...Elizabeth had a playfully, private thought about how she really should put a collar and leash on Lucifer if he was going to behave like this. Then the thought blossomed into an image of him naked and on all fours managing to crawl gracefully next to her as if he were in cat form as she walked him down the long red carpet in Azazeal's church. She shook the image from her head but it was too late.
Lucifer had leaned towards her ear and breathed, "Oo, I want a studded collar and a short leash, honey!"
Elizabeth blushed, knowing that he was not kidding in the slighest. He did not know the meaning of the word demeaning. He who had found only joy in bowing humbly before the Creator, could not comprehend feeling anything but satisfaction in fulfilling her every whim. Elizabeth did not allow him to treat her so reverently most of the time, but this was an occasion where he needed firm control.
The stories of Lucifer's fall from grace were grossly inaccurate. He had not disobeyed out of pride or anger, but out of love because what he had been asked to do had contradicted with his devotion to God. God's punishment had been complete abandonment which had caused agony far worse than any torture could have. Now after all of those centuries of sowing evil in an attempt to ease his pain and force God's hand to touch him again even if it would have been in anger, Lucifer had found love with a woman and end to his pain. Lucifer's flaw had been his perfection and it had led to all of the evil when he was thrown out of God's presence. He was a great contradiction because he had no self-control, but he would be perfectly obedient to the one he loved...if the one he loved would deign to command him.
Elizabeth murmured softly, "ELASADI."
Without an instant of hesitation, Lucifer was on his knees in the snow next to her pressing his forehead to the ground. He murmured something back to her but Charles didn't catch the words. It was apparently the correct response because Elizabeth nodded and then turned her attention back to him.
"Now, he will behave himself if you will," Elizabeth said suddenly business like, "I apologize for his manners but he tends to be over-protective and fond of playing with people's….weaknesses."
"I am not weak," Charles lifted himself quickly to his feet trying to reassert some sort of control over this situation."
"I didn't say you were," Elizabeth said with what Charles considered to be brave exasperation in the face of a wolf as dominant as he was when her guardian was…indisposed.
"I only meant to say that he knows how to toy with people and monkeying around with your pack structure will drive all of you insane with rage, I'm sure. He's showing off, it's kind of cute really…but nevermind…what did you want to know?" She asked this as if there might have been more important information that Charles might want to know.
"I asked you why you were here," Charles reminded her. He was beginning to be amused by the nonchalant way in which she was accepting their existence and not reacting to the danger of being amongst them. Bran, seeming to read his thoughts, sent him a mental question and Charles repeated it to Elizabeth, adding one of his own.
"But I think it would be more interesting to know who you both are…and whether you're going to let him up off of the ground."
Elizabeth look down fondly at the man prostrated at her feet. She sat back down on her log and reached out a hand to stroke Lucifer's bowed head. He didn't move or complain, but simply remained in his position, completely relaxed as if this were a more natural pose for him than standing at her side had been.
"This," Elizabeth said, "is Lucifer, the Morning Star, and he belongs to me…"