When the girls had separated themselves from the boys, they made quick work of obtaining the essential information about each other's world. Cassie described her world's society: most mortals were ladens and unaware that fallen angels lived among them, men typically were in charge and ruled governments, women tended to be more of the silent strength behind the men but men and women were relatively equal in status. Janelle described the jewels, the male and female castes systems, the role of the Queen and the males who served her, and how the ladens interacted with the Blood. She told them that Daemon was her lover (blushing a bit as she did so) and that Lucivar was her First Escort. She then went on to explain the corruption of Terreille and her childhood as a feared outsider.
It was strange to her to find herself telling them all this, but seeing them listen to her with rapt attention made her open up in a way that she had never done with anyone in her own world.
When she had finished by expressing her pain at being to different from everyone else, Cassie said as encouragingly as she could, "Welcome to the club, honey, we're all a bit weird here! And you have a standing invitation to come here and be as strange as you like because I can't image you causing anymore problems than dear old Lucifer."
Jaenelle beamed at this and she couldn't explain why but somehow this offer of open hospitably from these strange women soothed the part of her that had felt like an outcast her whole life. Of course what neither she nor Cassie (nor Elizabeth for that matter) knew was that Cassie and Elizabeth both had access to the powers of their angelic lovers, who in typical angelic secrecy had agreed never to tell them. Cassie was faintly exuding Azazeal's ability to cultivate trust and Jaenelle was happily caught up in it.
Janelle now turned to Elizabeth and inquired about the troublesome Lucifer, apologizing and explaining at the same time about Daemon's attempt to harm Elizabeth.
"He is a being that requires…well a master, really," Elizabeth said. "He tends to get frustrated and sometimes dangerous when he must act on his own because he was never meant to do anything but obey the Creator. I won't let him rely on me completely though because there is part of him that relishes the freedom and I love that part of him, but as you could see tonight, he cannot always be allowed to act on his own."
"And you punish him with physical pain?" Jaenelle asked simply. Elizabeth flinched at the question and the plainness with which it was phrased.
"I have," she said quietly, "But only when he turns towards evil and that doesn't happen anymore. The evil was always just to get attention and once he fell in love with me he wanted my attention. Everything about Lucifer is exaggerated so, sometimes it would take a forceful and dramatic action from me to persuade him that I cared enough to make him obey me when he was wild with fear that I might lose interest and he would be alone again. He was making me prove that I was strong enough, that I loved him enough, although he didn't really know what he was doing at the time and neither did I."
After a little pause, Cassie added playfully, "But you're not being entirely honest because I know for a fact that your little sex toy still likes it rough."
Elizabeth smiled guiltily and then in a sad tone said, "Once he discovered what forgiveness felt like, he got bit obsessed. Him doing evil made me angry enough to punish him which lead to his submission....which lead to my forgiving him. Pain equaled forgiveness for him for quite a while but now he gives it out of love....he can do that."
Elizabeth finished in a low, almost embarrassed, tone and has lifted her eyes to see Jaenelle's reaction when Lucifer sat beside her and licked her ear…
"I have dreamt of this place," Janelle said to Cassie when Elizabeth had left with Lucifer, "Not here but another world different from ours and I thought I was crazy."
"Well, obviously not!" Cassie laughed. "But see, I've had several years to get used to the fact that strange and fascinating things happen around angels so I don't get nearly as shocked as I used to."
"Tell me about Azazeal," Jaenelle said, "He's is your lover?"
"Yes, he is my lover and my angel," Cassie said fondly, "Like Lucifer, he had a purpose that was taken from him when he fell and now he serves me. But he was created to act on his own and lead, protect, and teach, so he doesn't have Lucifer's problems. What he needs is a more subtle form of guidance. He must have an overall mission or goal that he will put into action but that needs to come from me."
"And what about the other angels? Are they yours or his?"
"Azazeal is the leader of the fallen angels. I'm more like their mother who keeps them out of trouble or helps them get out of it when they invariably do something problematic. Elizabeth and my son, Malachi, help out too because sometimes they need to hear it from someone else to get it into their heads." Cassie smiled in mock annoyance.
"I never wanted to lead," Jaenelle said, quietly, "but I am what I am and no one else will be able to save Kaaleer."
"I know how you feel," Cassie said sympathetically, "well not exactly, but…It took both me and Elizabeth some time to accept the roles that Azazeal, Lucifer, and the rest of the fallen angels wanted us to play. But it was worth it, if it helps you at all to know that."
Janelle smiled at Cassie and then both of them turned to see Lucivar and Azazeal moving towards an open area to challenge each other. After a brief moment of concern, the girls realized that the boys were just playing and they started to resume their discussion, but they were soon drawn to the display of fighting skill.
"Weapons?" Lucivar asked with delight in his eyes.
"I think hand to hand would be better and…let's try not to ruin the furniture," Azazeal replied smoothly.
"Fine," Lucivar said, leaping at Azazael as he spoke.
But when he got to Azazeal, the angel was no longer there. Giving a snarl of rage, Lucivar whirled to find Azazeal behind him and swiftly lunged to attack again. Azazeal disappeared and this game continued a few more times before, upon reappeared Azazeal was met with a burst of Black power that sent him hurtling across the length of the church and slamming into a wall in the distance.
Daemon tried to look innocent but Jaenelle was not fooled. She didn't have a chance to yell at him because Azazael was back again laughing and complaining that he was going to have to get Lucifer to fix that wall.
"You're cheating," Lucivar accused but he was stifling a laugh.
"Of course," Azazeal replied deviously, "But I'm ready for weapons now if you are!"
But before they could begin discussing which weapons they should fight with, Elizabeth suddenly appeared behind the couches and everyone but Azazeal jumped. All eyes turned to her. She looked tired and worn out but was smiling pleasantly at everyone.
"Sorry, I wanted to come back and say goodbye to you all properly. It was rude to…"
"Elizabeth," Cassie said, "Where is…?"
"He's fine and…uh, unconscious," she mumbled and then shot a devious smiled at Cassie who looked a bit flustered at this but not surprised. She knew quite well how exhausted the angels got when they threw themselves into the mental and spiritual act of worship while maintaining physical form.
"So, he doesn't know you're here?" Cassie asked accusingly and with not a small amount of fear.
"No and it's going to stay that way," she replied with great certainty, standing up straighter and squaring her shoulders. There was also concern and fondness in her face as well.
At this both Daemon and Lucivar, saw the Queen in her for the first time. She didn't have great psychic strength, she didn't hold Court, and she only had one male but she was just as much a Queen as Jaenelle and Cassie. And considering the male that she did have, he was clearly enough of handful all by himself to equal the difficulty of ruling a whole Court of males. But what made her a Queen was that she understood the magnitude of what Lucifer entrusted to her and she was never going to betray that.
"I'm glad you came back, Elizabeth," Jaenelle chimed in and stood to face her. "I think I understood everything else, but what did Lucifer mean when he said he wanted you to…"
"My dear," Elizabeth interrupted her, glancing at Daemon, whose entire body was burning at the thought of hearing Elizabeth explain to Jaenelle any one of the sexual acts Lucifer had mentioned.
"There are some sexual acts that a lover may enjoy that you will have to let him request and teach you," Elizabeth finished much to Daemon's relief, but Jaenelle looked disappointed.
"It's generally best not to surprise a new lover," Elizabeth added, "but if you have any questions about things you've already done…" she shrugged and smiled. Then lowering her voice to a whisper that Daemon could still hear, "And then maybe later on we'll come up with some things that will twist him in knots, alright?" Jaenelle's face lit up and Daemon's stomach plummeted but there was another part of him that leapt up in excitement.
"Now let me take my leave properly and I hope we will all see each other again soon." With that she walked directly over to Daemon and gave him a hug and a bright smile.
He smiled back and wondered what it had been like for her to feel a being as powerful as Lucifer burning with love and willingly defenseless before her. And he wondered what it would feel like to Jaenelle when he surrendered his body and his mind to her. He wondered if Lucifer had thought even for a moment that this time she might tear him apart and torture him for her amusement or had he absolutely trusted that she would return his love and claim him again as her own. And he wondered what it would be like the first time Janelle's feral side was provoked in the bedroom and he risked destruction at her hands, would he be able to do what was necessary to soothe her?
Then he thought of Lucifer at that very moment in blissful oblivion believing that Elizabeth was safe his arms…
"I'm sorry that I…" Daemon started.
"Don't worry, you misunderstood, Jaenelle explained, but you'll have to be careful with Lucifer. He's not so understanding." She said this as if they would all be seeing a lot more of each other in the future.
"Why is he not your husband?" Daemon blurted out to his own surprise and realized suddenly just how much he wanted to be Jaenelle's husband someday.
She looked at him strangely and replied, "He doesn't want to be. He despises the idea of marriage with the ceremony and rings. A being like him does not understand the point of it."
"No, those are the visible symbols of marriage," Daemon said gently becoming the kind advisor he sometimes was with the Coven. "He wants to be yours in all the ways that he can be and you're denying him that. He wants the title of husband even though he doesn't understand it yet, because it means something to you."
Elizabeth considered this and smiled, "I guess I'll have to teach him then." She gave him another quick hug and went over to Lucivar who gave her a bone-crushing hug that made her laugh.
"Will he smell us on you?" Lucivar asked with a sudden fierce concern, pushing her away a little roughly.
"No, he won't," she assured him, amused by his abrupt concern.
"You should get back to him," he replied and it was almost an order.
"I'll be back in his arms before he knows it and I don't expect I'll be leaving the safety of them for quite some time." She smiled and laughed a bit and it was clear that she was in for a fair amount of Lucifer's style of fussing in the days to come, but that she wouldn't really mind. Lucivar pursed his lips and was almost jealous that Lucifer would not get snarled at for fussing…but not quite.
Elizabeth then went back to Jaenelle and hugged her soundly before smiling at Azazeal and Cassie. She then said a final goodbye before disappearing.
"I think we should go now too," Janelle said tiredly to Cassie.
"Of course, you look dead on your feet and I have to admit I'm a bit tired too," Cassie said as she hugged Jaenelle, "But you must promise to come back soon."
"I promise, but I think you're going to need Lucifer to agree to it first," she replied and both she and Cassie laughed.
Cassie also hugged both Daemon and Lucivar, who really weren't anymore prepared for her hugs than they had been for Elizabeth's. They both gave her warm but brief hugs, still naturally wary of Azazeal's presence and possible reaction to any wrong move, and they in turn watched him carefully when he hugged Jaenelle. The boys settled on nodding respectfully to each other before Jaenelle, Daemon, and Lucivar disappeared through the window and back home.
Daemon would not have an opportunity surrender himself to Jaenelle as he had planned or introduce some of the new ways of giving pleasure that he had gleaned from Lucifer's rather instructive mental pictures, because not too long after their visit to the other world, war threatened to break out between Terreille and Kaaleer.