Azazeal watched as Cassie and Marian fussed over a bemused Elizabeth and Lucivar paced, angry and confused. Lucifer suddenly appeared in a fury, as Azazeal had expected, and also as he had expected Lucifer's expression changed completely upon seeing Elizabeth.
It was a feeling Azazeal knew well. How often had he come to Cassie in exactly this state? Still it almost made him blush, not in embarrassment but in a strange desire to be looking at Cassie in that same way. Have I pleased you? Lucifer's eyes glittered expectantly with the question and his whole body seemed to somehow ask the same question. And she smiled, rose and put her arms around him and he knew that he had.
Azazeal was the only one, other than Elizabeth and Lucifer obviously, who fully understood what had happened, but even he hadn't been aware that it was possible. When Daemon had lashed out at Elizabeth, she, in her determination, had angrily cast the psychic blast aside and it had dissipated harmlessly. Now, Azazeal and Lucifer had taught the girls how to block psychic power, however, he wondered how long it would take Elizabeth to realize that she had channeled Lucifer's power to do it. None of the angels knew exactly how it worked but many had reported and both he and Lucifer were aware of this phenomenon of mates somehow being able to access their power or their talent without knowing it.
Once she had protected herself that was when the real astonishing thing happened. But then again it was mostly astonishing in that it was possible not in that it happened. Elizabeth must have known exactly what she had intended to do once she got Daemon's attention, but when he attacked her, she must have realized that she could not accomplish it on her own. So in a quick flash of will, she had instructed Lucifer to do it, consciously or unconsciously, it didn't matter, because he had sprung into action and the deed was done.
Elizabeth had always complained, not to him but to Cassie, that Lucifer was hard to manage because he would only do exactly what she said and what she asked today she would have to re-ask tomorrow, there were no standing orders. That had started to change once he had trusted her completely and stopped evil all together. However, what she hadn't realized, but Azazeal suspected that she knew now, was that the problem had mostly been that she had been using only words to express herself to him. Words were limiting, mortals didn't usually understand that, but pure thought works much faster than words that have to put themselves together in the correct order to express meaning. Obviously, Elizabeth had learned how to create an effective command with thoughts and emotions that gave Lucifer the information he needed to immediately act upon her will in a more complex fashion than Azazeal had known they were capable of.
"Are they set up?" Elizabeth asked him for the benefit of the others who would not know what Lucifer had done.
"Yes," he replied smiling brightly, having pulled back from nuzzling at her neck in order to respond, "They will have to stay in the Church because there was no place secluded in their world that had any food or supplies, so I ordered the sentry angels to keep everyone out. Jaenelle will let us know when it's over."
"What?" Lucivar asked in confused agitation.
"He's in rut, they have to be alone and they have to eat, what part of this is confusing?" Lucifer looked at Azazeal, honestly baffled by Lucivar's confusion, probably because his being was still too pleased with itself over his accomplishment to consider that others may not find it so obvious that…
"You didn't kill him?" Lucivar breathed.
"No," Lucifer smiled innocently, but Azazeal knew that by tomorrow, he would remember that Daemon had attacked Elizabeth and circumstances may change.
"Okay, boys," Elizabeth interjected, "I trust that you can fill Lucivar in while we get this place set up for tonight and get dinner ready."
She extracted herself, after some effort, from Lucifer's possession and the ladies went off to the kitchen start on some food. Elizabeth's house was a small one, not at all like Azazeal's Church. There were three bedrooms, but only two had beds. After leaving the cooking in the skillful hands of Marian, who nearly clobbered them when they tried to help, Cassie and Elizabeth put fresh sheets on the two beds and gathered spare blankets and pillows in order to make a sleeping space on the floor in the living room later. Normally Elizabeth would have suggested removing to the larger ranch house, but both she and Cassie knew that it would be teaming with angels displaced from the Church. Marian might have handled it, but Lucivar was not in a state to meet a gaggle of curious angels tonight.
At dinner Lucivar was calmer, but now his worry for Jaenelle was greater than his concern over their location.
"She will be fine," Marian had assured him in private when they had spent a few minutes freshening up in their room, "After all I've handled you quite well a few times now haven't I."
He had smiled at her, "Yes, but I'm the most wonderful husband in the world and you're a very feisty little witch."
"And you don't think Jaenelle's feisty enough?"
"She's innocent in many ways, Marian," he had said a little solemnly, "And if he has been holding it back as Lucifer said…"
"She will be fine," Marian concluded with as much conviction as she could muster.
After a pleasant dinner and kudos to Marian's delightful cooking, they settled in the living room to talk for a few hours, but everyone soon wanted to be alone so the couples paired off. Lucivar and Marian had the guestroom, while Cassie and Azazeal took the master suite. At first, Lucifer was annoyed at having to give up their room but as soon as he'd arraigned himself along side Elizabeth on the living room floor, he forgot all about it. Elizabeth, who had a wing under her and a wing over her and a dreamily contented angel snuggled up against her, was pleased at how they had handled the situation when she fell into a deep sleep.
Daemon slept too that night, though Jaenelle had not expect him to. He had been ravenous with desire but now he slept peacefully enough holding her tightly as if she might escape at any time. She stroked his hair and kissed his forehead taking a few moments to herself before letting exhaustion envelope her.