I have not yet read Tangled Webs so I don't actually know if that book has a real Halloween theme or just a spooky house.
As it turned out the seasons and holidays were not exactly same between the two worlds, but a year after their first meeting Cassie insisted that Jaenelle and the rest of her family join them for their annual Halloween celebration. It would be different this year, as only family and a select few angels would be invited so as not to overwhelm their exotic guests. Azazeal had been left to explain to the rest of the rather large community of angels who were not invited that they would need to hold their party elsewhere, but once Elizabeth had volunteered the ranch for their party, all was well. Angels just love to gather!
Cassie had tried to explain that one should dress up as something for Halloween but Jaenelle only asked, "Like what?"
"Like anything other that what you are?"
Jaenelle thought about it but Cassie was not sure how it would work out. Actually, at Cassie's parties they never dressed up for Halloween either, except for the kids, but this year she thought it would be fun.
On the evening of the party, Cassie surveyed her creepily decorated church, the table of delicious refreshments, and smiled to herself. She had outdone herself this year even though it would be a much smaller party. She looked over at Azazeal, dressed as a priest (he thought this was very funny), who was talking to Malachi, their son, who was dressed as a vampire. She saw Ella not far away in her old and rarely seen fallen angel slaying attire but she was caring a wooden stake and garlic to go with Malachi's costume. Ella was deep in conversation with Sara, Cassie's daughter, who was a fairytale princess. There were a few other angels about, most notably Ramiel (as a conquistador and Cassie suspected that the costume was…real) and beautiful blond Araquiel (a beach bum…it had been Sara's idea), who were Azazeal's most trusted friends, as well as Luke and Bryan, who were Elizabeth and Lucifer's sons.
Just then, speak of the Devil, Elizabeth and Lucifer arrived to open the window for their friends to come over for the party. They were immediately accosted by Luke and Bryan, who separately were relativity innocuous, but together could be almost as mischievous as Malachi. Both were wearing identical deep-red velvet suits and they had little horns growing out of their heads and rather active red tails swishing behind them (not fake, but real…illusions). Elizabeth was an ancient priestess dressed in flowing blue robes with a gold cord belt and a crown of flowers. As Cassie walked up she heard Luke ask with amusement, "Dad, why aren't you wearing a costume?"
"Your mother wouldn't let me," he responded with a fake pout but his eyes were glittering with amusement.
"That's not true!" Elizabeth exclaimed and she turned to Cassie, "He wanted to come…you know…as the Devil…as the actual, real one," she laughed, "I think that's a bit of an over kill. Don't you agree?"
"Yes, of course," Cassie agreed, "That would be too creepy."
"Well, the whole point," Lucifer lectured, "is to blend in with the dead and the demons that are going to cross through this world when the veils between the realms are thin, my dear. Costumes that are not scary are not going to help."
"That's just a children's tale," Cassie said and then jumped as Azazeal came up behind her, "Right?"
Azazeal merely shrugged and smiled mysteriously.
"Well, I think your costume's great," Elizabeth told her.
Cassie was wearing a witch costume that consisted of a long black dress made out of gauzy material that had a cobweb pattern. It had an off the shoulder her neckline, which pleased Azazeal greatly, and it sparkled with crystal accents. She had the traditional pointy black hat, because you had to have the pointy black hat, a pentagram around her neck and old, well-used stick broom that Cassie was quite sure Azazeal had procured from a real witch a long, long time ago.
Then it was off to have Lucifer open the window and greet their guests, which consisted of Jaenelle, Daemon, Marian, Lucivar, and Surreal. Everyone but Surreal had already met all of the family and the other angels present so introductions were short.
"Welcome, welcome," Cassie said once all of them were through the window met by the core family, "Surreal, this is Malachi, our son, and his lover Ella. This is Sara, our daughter and her husband Luke, who is Elizabeth and Lucifer's son. And this his Bryan, who is their other son…where's your wife, Bryan?"
"Dancing with Araquiel, always dancing," he smiled and greeted Surreal with a winning smile.
Cassie should have known that these magical people would turn to illusions to create their costumes…they would fit right in from what she'd seen of some of the angels costumes. Jaenelle was an Arcerian cat complete with striped skin, whiskers, and ears (Kaelas had been proud) and she wore an outfit that matched her skin coloring. Daemon was a gypsy of sorts (they travel in all worlds) with a gold earring and splendidly colorful attire that accentuated his deeply brown skin and gave him a cheerful look that Jaenelle enjoyed. Lucivar and Marian were dragons, easy enough since they already had wings. Jaenelle had given them scaly skin modeled after Lorn's body and their gold eyes worked perfectly to finish it off. And Surreal…
"What no costume?" Lucifer chided Surreal. They always had some healthy banter whenever they met, as you can imagine.
"Sugar, I am assassin, that is my costume," she responded touching the knife she wore boldly at her hip that was the extent of her costume.
"If you say so," he smirked.
"Where's your costume, then?" She retorted.
"Do you want to see?" he rumbled.
"NO!" Cassie and Elizabeth shouted simultaneously.
Daemon put a warning hand on Surreal's arm and murmured with a laugh, "Don't provoke him, he's liable to send you screaming your lungs out and hiding in the corner, just for his own amusement."
"I doubt it," she mumbled.
After that Lucifer excused himself so that he could get into trouble with his sons and Azazeal left to do much the same with Daemon and Lucivar, while the ladies took Surreal to meet everyone else.
"I like your outfit, Cassie, I take it you're a Witch, I have a similar gown, but I thought you were supposed to dress up as something you're not," Jaenelle said.
"Well, it's not a requirement. I just thought that it was the best way to explain it to you."
"Ah," she laughed.
"What's with the pointy hat?" Surreal asked.
"This isthe traditional hat for a witch. It works as a scary costume for Halloween because in this world they are…well, not actually as real as they are in your world and they were seen as evil. They were persecuted here, you know."
"That's horrible!" Jaenelle exclaimed.
"Well, when the world is mostly mortal, it's hard for them to understand people who have powers that they don't."
"I'll teach them to understand," Surreal grinned.
When the angel in charge of the music announced the firstofficial dance, the boys suddenly materialized.
"My lady," Daemon grinned at Jaenelle and offered his hand, which she took with a smile and followed him to the area that had become the dance floor. Lucivar also offered his hand to Marian who took it shyly and said, "Be patient with me," because she will still rather new to dance.
"I always am," he replied and she rolled her eyes.
All Azazeal had to do was smile at Cassie and she floated over to him and they were dancing before she realized it.
"Come here woman," Lucifer said, grabbing Elizabeth and whirling her around in the air before setting her down on wobbly legs. She laughed nonetheless and followed him to join the others.
No one but Daemon, Lucivar, and Janelle knew the court dances so they stuck to partner dances and switched partners for the first four dances of the evening so that each of the ladies had an opportunity to dance with each of the men. You would have thought that they boys had somehow been plotting this all along by the sly grins on their faces, but the ladies couldn't tell for sure.
Surreal had been asked to dance first by Araquiel and then was invited dance after dance by a different friendly angel, but she angrily refused each one and then attached herself to simple Araquiel who obligingly protected her from further invitations and answered all of her questions about this world.
Eventually once the men had let them go and they returned to their rather complicated and competitive card game that apparently Lucivar had taught them based on some Eyrian training camp game, the ladies naturally found themselves together. Surreal was still happily engaged with Araquiel whose disarming manner had gotten the best of even her.
"Wow," Cassie said, "I knew Daemon moved with grace, but he is an amazing dance partner."
"I know," Jaenelle said, "He was trained for court. Lucivar knows a thing or two as well, but he was too violent to stay at court too long, so is not quite as polished."
"Well, I still feel stiff out there," Marian said, "but I have to admit, Daemon makes the dance feel more flowing even with my clumsy steps."
"You're not clumsy, Marian," Elizabeth said, "A bit unsure of the steps but never clumsy, dear." Marian smiled.
"Azazeal was very smooth and graceful too, as one might expect," Jaenelle said with a smile, "And that smile of his is enough for you to forget any mistakes he might make anyway."
"And Lucifer," Cassie said, "I've seen him dance with Elizabeth but I would never have believed him to be so good at leading and so in control of his body."
"Well, I could have told you," Elizabeth smiled naughtily.
"So, have you decided," Azazeal said smoothly and the ladies halted their conversation and stared and the grinning angel, flanked by the equally amused Daemon and Lucivar. Lucifer was nowhere to be found.
"Oh, no," Cassie said knowing what he meant immediatly, "The last time there was a bet about something, I think it nearly came to blows so please tell me…"
"Cassie, we just want do know who the best dancer is," he said casually as if there wasn't something probably very important riding on their decision.
"What makes you think we were even comparing notes?" Jaenelle said.
"Because, my dear, you were!" Daemon said his eyes laughing.
The men moved to take their places next to their women and the couples rearranged themselves, leaving Elizabeth on her own loveseat to await Lucifer. Then they merely smiled and waited, making it clear that they were not leaving until they got their answer from the ladies.
"So, we're actually expected to vote then?" Elizabeth asked.
"That should work," Daemon said.
"I want to know what's riding on our decision," Marian interjected.
"Me too!" Jaenelle said.
"Now, now, ladies," Azazeal purred, "That would take the fun out of it, just…"
"Stop it!" Cassie said, shaking her head trying to get Azazeal's subtle encouragement out of her head and then saw the other women following her example.
"I told you to let me do it," Daemon said and then switched to his sexy croon, weaving a seduction spell around all of them, "We know each of you has an opinion, just tell us…"
Azazeal's face was burning with irrigation as each of the ladies' eyes, Cassie's most notably to him, glazed over with desire and he was about to put a stop to it when suddenly a large black panther leaped out of nowhere on to the couch next to Elizabeth, hissing and yowling at everyone. Of course after this little display was over, you could clearly see amusement sparkling in the cat's eyes and Cassie, who had jump up at the cat's appearance, muttered, "Lucifer," under her breath for the benefit of those who hadn't caught on and sat back down.
The panther then proceeded to walk back and forth across Elizabeth's lap a few times before laying down, settling his shoulder against her leg and splaying his long black body over the rest of the couch regally, his tail flicking casually as he inspected the people opposite him. Elizabeth had watched all of this calmly and once he had found his spot, she began to pet him, as if this were a normal occurrence, in long strokes from his head to as far down his body as she could reach, and he purred deeply.
"Well," Elizabeth said with a conspiratorial look at the females, "I vote for Lucifer."
"And I vote for Azazeal," Cassie said.
"Daemon," Jaenelle called out.
"Lucivar," Marian said finishing the ladies twist to this game.
"It seems we have a tie, boys," Elizabeth said innocently.
"Hell's Fire! Now how are we going to assign the forfeit," Lucivar muttered in annoyance.
"I think you should all loose," Jaenelle suggest, "It's only fair."
"Particularly, if the forfeit involves something that we will enjoy," Cassie added with a greedy smile.
"The worst dancer had to dance with Surreal," Lucivar said.
"That doesn't sound so bad," Cassis said.
"That's because," Jaenelle said, "You haven't noticed her fending off your sociable angels and I think she's just about ready to stab the next male who asks her to dance."
"I see, well, that would be fitting I suppose, but I claim another dance as forfeit," Cassie said taking Azazeal's hand and rising, "And what I may require later, I think is better left…unspecified."
Marian and Jaenelle likewise claimed their husband's hands for another dance.
As they had been talking Lucifer the panther had, unconcerned about the proceedings, rested his head and a paw on Elizabeth's thigh and had closed his eyes as his purring became a quieter rumble and then stopped all together. She had let her hand settle on one of his powerful shoulders and he had let out a contented sigh and fallen asleep.
Now Elizabeth smiled at them and shrugged, reluctant to move him, so she watched them dance as she stroked her panther again absent-mindedly.
Cassie couldn't help but smile at them. She had come to realize how glad she was that Elizabeth was who Lucifer had ended up with. Maybe he had always known deep down that not just anyone would be the right person for him, after all he had asked Cassie to help him find a mate rather than finding one himself, but generally you couldn't credit him with that much foresight. However it had worked out, Elizabeth was perfect for him and that was a blessing because she knew now that in the wrong hands, he could have become something horrible. If he were with someone irresponsible or weak, he would just exacerbate their mortal weaknesses and allow them to bend the rules more and more until they were corrupted. If he were with someone ambitious or ruthless, he would become a dangerous weapon. But with Elizabeth he was merely playful and annoying.
Lucifer was hers completely; there was no doubt about that. She commanded and he obeyed, but what she mainly chose to ask of him, which worked much better once she had realized that she had to accept the control in order to ask it, was that he try to learn to live as if he were human (well, most of the time). Along the way, of course, she also allowed a good deal of messing around and playing, because she was at heart a fun loving prankster herself.
Later that night, Cassie watched Azazeal sleeping stretched out on the bed next to her, utterly spent and breathing deeply in his exhaustion and she grinned. He looked so innocent when he slept, not at all like the devious fallen angel she had first met or even the loving but controlledman that he was now. It was the only time he wasn't thinking and planning and calculating…well not the only time…
Azazeal was like a volcano, building up with pressure under the weight of his own control until it had to be released. And he gave up so much when he relinquished the control, when he abandoned the restraint and the calculation and let pure physical sensation and emotion take over. She felt it in the way his body moved and in the way his mind felt just before he went over the edge, just before the angelic would start, just before she would be enveloped in his warm and gentle love. It wasn't fear or even reluctance, but a small hesitation that to Cassie seemed to be an acknowledgement of the significance of what he was about to do. Even in that he had to have the last word. But when he gave in, there was nothing else like it.
In those moments, he couldn't tell her enough, he couldn't show her enough, he couldn't give her enough before his being would tire of his wild adoration and he would drift off to oblivion still trying to express his love for her. It was such a contrast to his everyday self that she cherished it each time, knowing that this was a part of himself that he shared only with her. Oh, everyone knew how much he loved her, but he was very private about displaying its full depth and his devotion to her.
Cassie rolled over to snuggled up next to him and fell asleep herself.