Daemon watched Jaenelle thoughtfully has she composed herself outside the large drawing room where the entire Coven was waiting. He'd never seen her this uncertain before but there was a first time for everything and they were dealing with powers beyond their control.

"They're waiting, dear," he said gently and she glanced up at him with a quick smile before losing herself in thought again.

Jaenelle was hesitating because she wanted to be sure what to say and how to put it. She didn't want to scare them, but she knew that what she was about to tell them was a lot to digest and it was probably inevitable that they would balk at it. Daemon and Lucivar hadn't exactly been models of wisdom and understanding when they had first met these angels. And of course, Lucifer had already let his strangeness out for all to see. She'd just have to…

"I think I may be able to help you out," Azazeal said smoothly and materialized in the hallway. Although he had actually approached them visibly, he still appeared to have come out of nowhere.

"I appreciate the offer, but…" Jaenelle started.

"It's what I do," he replied with a winning smile, "Besides Cassie sent me," he added as if that explained everything.

"But you're an angel too, and while you're not as terrifying as Lucifer can be, you're still not one of us," Daemon explained.

"You just let me worry about that," he said and opened the door and held it for Jaenelle and Daemon.

As Azazeal introduce himself, giving his angelic rank and titles, and started in on an explanation of what the hell was going on, Daemon watched the expressions on the Coven's faces turn from distrust to simple wariness to avid interest in record time. How did he do that?

But then, of course, there were the glances at him. The looks that said "you knew and didn't tell us." Lucivar didn't receive such looks, however he'd never betrayed their trust before. Despite that, it made Daemon angry. He served Jaenelle just like they did, even though the Court was no longer official, and if she required silence from him, that's what she'd get. How could he betray them if he was obeying her?

Daemon was thinking these things and not listening when he heard Azazeal said his name.

"…and he was been very understanding of our request that our true natures be keep secret initially to allow us some time to adjust to your world," Azazeal finished with a private smirk at Daemon that let him know he had seen the tension developing towards Daemon.

Daemon took a look around the room and saw that he was no longer hated for this concealment and the benevolence towards Azazeal now extended to himself.

"So unless anyone has any questions, I'd like to bring in Cassie, Elizabeth and Lucifer so that we can all mingle before dinner," Azazeal suggested to the swift agreement of all present.

Only a few moments later the three arrived, being summoned telepathically, which in this crowed was not particularly fascinating.

Unfortunately, Lucifer was in a playful mood and soon had the boyos riled up again with snide remarks and casual challenges of power.

"Do you really have to goad them?" Azazeal whispered to him, "I did such a nice job of calming them down."

"But it's so fun and they're so easily led," he replied, "Besides they still think she's corrupt and you know I can't stand for that."

"But…" and that was as far as Azazeal got.

"Come on, boyos!" Lucifer exclaimed, "I know you want to have a crack at me, everyone always does, strangely just before they scream in terror and cry for their mommies, but don't let that stop you!"

Just as the boys were exchanging looks and gathering their forces, a voice spoke out clearly and forcefully over all of the other noise in the room.

"No!"

It was Elizabeth and at this the challenge left Lucifer's face and a fond smile took its place.

"Come over here," she added firmly, not unkindly, but it was not a request.

"Maybe next time boys. It seems my presence is required else where," and though the words might have come off in a snotty tone, Lucifer said them in a tone that matched his fond smile. There was no annoyance at being called off, but rather a calm acceptance. Without further response, he turned and joined Elizabeth and the circle of Ladies that surrounded her.

"I told the ladies that we could show them our world, you know images."

"Of course," he replied and the boys, having overheard her request, started to meander over towards them.

Lucifer looked down at the coffee table in front of the couch some of the women were sitting on and immediately everything on it vanished. He approached it with Elizabeth next to him and said, "What would you like to show them?"

With everyone gathered around the table Elizabeth thought for a moment and picked England to start with and proceeded to take them all on a tour of the world. Azazeal watched with amusement the few times Lucifer had to patiently make various adjustments to get the view Elizabeth wanted when she would forget to give him mental instructions to go with her verbal ones. He never bothered to remind her, as Azazeal would have, that words hardly ever conveyed enough information for him to get it right the first time. He just let her give order after order with infinite tolerance and Azazeal suspected that he actually enjoyed it.

Azazeal thought to himself that perhaps that was what was adding to his reluctance to trust Cassie completely. Sure, he had his issues with the fact that his talent for gaining trust could easily be seen as manipulation, but there was also some shame. Shame that he had come to this, needing a human to feel fulfilled, desiring her approval, wanting to please her. It wasn't that he didn't adore Cassie with everything in him, but he was capable of recognizing the disparity between this and what was in heaven. He knew this existence was less and yet Lucifer didn't see it, or refused to see it, or maybe just didn't care.

And it was all up to him. Cassie was trying and he felt that if he did ask her to accept the fact that anything he might do, good or bad or inspired or thoughtless, was all for her, that she would understand. She would guide him and not judge him. But that would mean accepting this existence and getting beyond the shame. Why did he have to be so human?

He shook his head at himself and heard Kalush said, "Azazeal said angels have wings."

"Yes, my dear, they do," Lucifer replied as he replaced the items on the coffee table from wherever they had been in the meantime. Apparently the tour was over.

"Show them," Elizabeth said simply and Azazeal noticed again the words she was using were not typical. She always, always, said could you and would you. She only ever forcefully demanded when she had to, but this was different. It was a command, not polite request as usual, but not an authoritative demand either. Just a command, just a simple, confident order that didn't need to be nice and expected immediate obedience.

Lucifer, of course, smiled and with a little seductive glint in his eyes as made room for himself and stripped off his jacket and shirt. His wings grew magically out of his back, quickly reaching their full size. There were some quiet oos and ahs as he ruffled them slightly and set them proudly behind him.

"They're lovely," Gabrielle said.

Morghann, who was the closest to Lucifer on this left side, reached out a hand to touch one but Lucifer snatched it out of her reached and graced her with a look of mild distain.

"Here," Elizabeth said, "You'll let Jaenelle touch them, right?"

Jaenelle rose and walked over to him. As she did, Lucifer considered her carefully, but then extended his left wing toward her in acquiescence.

Azazeal caught his eyes for a moment and wondered of Elizabeth knew what she was asking. When Jaenelle's hand touched his wing and stroked it ever so gently, his body jerked away from her even though he held the wing rigidly in place. Jaenelle looked confused and worried, while the expression on Lucifer's face was unreadable.

Elizabeth rose quickly, as Jaenelle backed away and she clearly hadn't known this would cause a problem. To her credit, she calmed him by first caressing the place where Jaenelle's hand had been, as if wiping away the foreign touch and reclaiming that place as her own.

"They're very sensitive," she remarked as she allowed her hands to wander over his left wing. Lucifer's expression turned pleasure-filled and both wings drooped like a dog's ears when you scratch their head.

Azazeal shuddered and knew that Cassie, who was standing next to him, noticed. Their wings were sensitive. Even though they were filled with power and could be used to protect, they were also an extension of their physical form. Just coalesced spirit like the rest of their bodies, and like the rest of their bodies, they responded to sensation. And it was a unique sensation, pleasurable, but not quite sensual, though in the bedroom it was hard to feel the distinction. They were a physical manifestation of their angelic nature. The rest of them was human but their wings…they were different, they felt…angelic. It was impossible to describe to feeling but it was more intimate than any other touch and both he and Lucifer had never been touched that way by anyone other than Cassie and Elizabeth (until now). Azazeal also suspected something about the sensation was what had lead Lucifer to the shocking decision to allow Elizabeth's spirit to touch his own in an even more intimate way.

And that's when it happened, and when it happened Azazeal knew Elizabeth had planned this eventual outcome before she'd even stepped in this room.

Lucifer sank to his knees, his wings trailing haphazardly and yet regally on the floor. Elizabeth stroked his face and ran her fingers through his hair in a tender yet possessive manner before raising her eyes to meet the gazes of those around her. And though she was no longer looking at him, Azazeal was sure she knew that Lucifer had raised his eyes to her with that expression of undiluted adoration.

She didn't say anything but challenged everyone in the room to condemn her. She had clearly displayed her control over him and he had willingly acceded to everything she had asked of him. He knelt now of his own volition just as before. You could see it, you could sense it. Of course, Azazeal was sure she would have admitted that his explanation of their angelic natures had assisted in them all reaching this silent understanding…but he didn't really need the confirmation.

"Well," Elizabeth said finally, "I think we'll just wash up a little before dinner and join you in the dining room." She didn't wait for anyone to respond and they disappeared in a blink. She had known of course, that while his angelic nature had happily submitted, his physical body translated that bliss into physical desire. She could ask him to restrain his body and save his passion for later but she rarely did, preferring instead to accept the male offering of pleasure when it presented itself, as if it were a gift that one did not dismiss lightly. Though Lucifer's relatively easy arousement generally meant that they were often excusing themselves.

Azazeal shuddered again and Cassie gripped his hand a little tighter for a second. He wanted that, he wanted what he knew was going to happen between them, what had already happened between them. It wasn't the sex, even though that would be the form that their expression of love would take, it was the trust, the acceptance, the spiritual ecstasy that all of the mortals in this room, except Cassie, could not comprehend. The things that he kept himself from experiencing to their full extent because he was afraid and ashamed.

Then he suddenly turned to Cassie and his face said everything. He was afraid but if she would ask he would give. Cassie didn't need any further encouragement and after swiftly excusing themselves until dinner as well, she set to work gently stripping away more than just his clothing.

And they weren't the only ones who excused themselves, indeed every couple paired off, leaving Karla bemused. But only Elizabeth and Lucifer knew that before abandoning themselves to pleasure, she had ask him for one last favor, to influence a little distracting sex to clear everyone's mind…Lucifer added the not so subtle shove to Azazeal but his friend was too caught up in his own emotions to notice.