"What's the verdict?" Cassie asked Azazeal when he returned from his discussion with Ella and Malachi.
"Well, he challenged her to a fight to find out who was stronger…and somehow they ended up in bed." He looked appreciative of Malachi's method. They had not told him about the wager.
"Who won?" Cassie asked
"It appears that they are still deciding that question." he smiled and suggestively added, "But I don't think they'll ever get around to finding out.
"So they're in love then?"
"I don't know about love but they are connected, always were, so I have a feeling that their bond will increase," he said mysteriously.
Moving close to him she asked, "I wonder how you will feel when our precious Sara starts dating."
He just laughed and said overconfidently, "There will be no reason for me to worry about her."
"Well, we'll see how you feel when the boys start coming around for her," she teased and he leaned down to kiss her.
"You know, I just realized today that I haven't left this town in a long time. How come you get to go gallivanting around and I just stay here?" she said playfully.
"Why would you want to leave?" And he kissed her again, obviously distracted by her lips and not really listening.
"I don't want to leave, I just thought it would be nice…to get away and…take a break from all…this." But she now was also distracted and she forgot her point, for the time being.
After a few days, all seemed to return more-or-less to normal. Elizabeth told Cassie that Lucifer was by no means a push over, but he was changed. Outwardly, Lucifer did not appear to change at all because, like Azazeal, there were certain parts of his personally that would always be the same. Cassie however noticed some subtle changes, small signs of respect, towards Elizabeth that evidenced the difference that Elizabeth had told her about. The main thing that she noticed was that his politeness towards her, for lack of a better term, had become more pronounced. Now Elizabeth never touched a door handle of any kind when he was around and he had a cute way of walking just a half-step behind her in a protective and yet deferential way. He also had a pet name for her, naneel, which when he once let slip, caused all of the angels to hush and look at them. He, of course, stared them all down, daring them to say anything. Cassie had asked Elizabeth what it meant but she had only replied with a laugh that she didn't know and didn't want to know.
Elizabeth told her, with a grin that was by far too pleased, that there was still some "negotiating" that took place between them but she appeared to be satisfied with whatever changes had taken place. Elizabeth was unaware, of course, that sometimes Lucifer resisted her more than he needed to, because he knew she'd begun to enjoy the sensual aspect of the game he had been playing. And besides, it gave him a sense of wicked pleasure to be forced into the surrender that he knew he would have given her anyway.
He knew that she had realized, as he had, that when he used come to her taunting and teasing her with a recounting of the day's wicked deeds, when he had laughed at her horror and dared her to punish him, when he had sought the pain and then surrendered his body to it...he was seeking forgiveness. In his mind he'd been abandoned by heaven, but not punished. Abandoned and never forgiven when he would have endured anything in order to be forgiven. Elizabeth had applied her human view to him and when he repented, she forgave him. Unfortunatly, he was unstable and he had been repeating the process over and over again.
Elizabeth wasn't ready to comprehend the rest so he left her current understanding of him as it was.
Lucifer and Azazeal had been hatching a nasty little plan related to skimming some money off of some big international crime organization when Azazeal ask him a question he'd been meaning to ask for a few days.
"Lucifer," Azazeal said, anticipating with delight the notion that he might have something to annoy him with, "Why exactly is Ella not a succubus?" Even though it was apparently unnecessary for her to be enthralled with Malachi, Azazeal was irritated that Lucifer's plan had failed.
"Oh, I don't know, perhaps the circumstances were not ideal."
"So, you're not going to admit that you were wrong." Azazeal challenged.
"Why would I possible do that?" Lucifer responded with a mix of amusement and irritation. The two stared each other down for a moment and then Lucifer raising his voice to Ella who had been sitting with Malachi just out of ear shot, "Ella, dear, I really must thank you for bedding our little anti-Christ. I really think he needed it."
"Glad I could help," she responded sarcastically as Malachi stood and walked over to them.
"Why do you do that?" Malachi asked so only they could hear, but he was very annoyed.
"Who me? She's just so serious all the time, Malachi, you should get her to loosen up. But I must applaud you too, getting her into bed, what a brilliant plan…I should have though of it," he said smoothly.
"She's not just a plaything, Lucifer."
"Of course not, my boy, of course not. She's perfect for you, she'll push your abilities. And someone with your inheritance couldn't possibly be satisfied with a normal woman."
"But you certainly are." Malachi quickly shot back, now full of swagger.
"Careful, little one, that woman refer to could tear you apart."
"Really, I'd pick Ella over her in a fight any day."
"Malachi," Azazeal interjected.
"No, no, it's fine, perhaps we'll wager on it if the opportunity arises."
About an hour later, the three boys were still in the alter area while Cassie, Elizabeth and Ella had gravitated towards the front of the church with Sara merrily playing in their midst.
Suddenly, Raphael appeared, grabbing and lifting Ella up by the arm, and pulling her against him, "You belong to me!" he hissed.
Ella became immediately frightened but wondered to herself why she could stand up to Azazael and even Lucifer, but Raphael always disconcerted her.
Lucifer, Azazeal, and Malachi rose in unison at the other end of the church but before they could act, Elizabeth, in her typical way, walked right up to Raphael and said, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Ella, here, has a job to do and she's lost her focus, haven't you, Ella?" he said in his little French accent.
"Ella, does not belong anybody, least of all you?" Elizabeth retorted. And then she swore at him in French, her major in college, and added a little something in angelic at the end that brought a snicker from the boys.
Cassie turned to look at them, wondering why they weren't doing anything. Lucifer was noticeably tense, Malachi was worried, only Azazeal was calm and seemed unconcerned. Elizabeth, however, knew that their proximity was unimportant and that if it had been one of them that confronted Raphael it was almost guaranteed that there would be a fight.
Straightening and trying to become more official he said, "God has given her a mission to complete," he said but he was looking at her covetously.
"Raphael, there is nothing left for her to do here, you know this. Let her alone." Elizabeth said, and then more gently. "Go home," she added. And she said the word 'home' in a way that shot right through him and caused him to yearn to be there.
"The Lord will not be happy," he said, using this statement as a protest even though it was not really true.
"Then have him see me about it," she said with a kind smile, trying to encourage him to go.
After he'd left them, Ella thanked her and asked, "How did you do that?"
"I told him that he was just another horny angel that was ready to fall and he should just get on with it already. I think all of this was getting to him a little, so I just reminded him of what he would be giving up."
"I'm impressed!"
"Thank you!"
"I just don't understand why I was unable to fight him myself. He has always made me weak."
But none of the girls could come up with the answer, most likely because it was simplest answer: her power came from the same place as his.
As the ladies returned to more pleasant conversation, it took them a little while to realize that Malachi, Azazeal, and Lucifer were now engaged in a heated debate, which evaporated quickly when they were approached.
Lucifer had determined that he had won the little bet that he and Malachi had so recently discussed, while Malachi insisted that what had happened with Raphael proved nothing and that since the terms had not been set, they could not name the price now anyway, so they should abandon the whole thing. Lucifer was quick to point out that he had not specified a physical fight, but Malachi would not concede.
"Tricky, tricky, Malachi but just because Ella does not enforce the terms of your wager with her, does not mean that you will be able to convince me," Lucifer teased.
"Perhaps, we should just forget it." Azazeal said, "As much fun as it would be," he admitted with a smile, "I can't image them taking kindly to this idea."
"Oh, you're just bitter because, Cassie doesn't figure into this…but on second thought, she could make this more interesting," Lucifer said, meeting Azazeal's glare with an arrogant smile.
Then the three of them turned to see Cassie, Ella, and Elizabeth looking at them questioningly.
"What's going on over here?" Cassie asked, suspicious but used to this kind of mischievousness.
For a moment, none of them responded, each looking at their mate as innocently as possible, which immediately let all three girls know that something was up. But it was Ella who saw a glimmer of the truth in Malachi's face, probably because of his recent attempt get out of the bet with her.
"I think there's some sort of wager between them and by the looks on their faces, it has to do with us."
"Unbelievable," Elizabeth said but of the three of them she was the least surprised or angry.
"Alright, one of you spill it," Cassie insisted, but none of them were willing. They all appeared amused at being caught but not regretful and keeping the secret was still more fun.
Finally, Lucifer could no longer contain his amusement.
"We," gesturing at all three of them, "were discussing which one of you fine women…would win in a fight."
"Unbelievable," Cassie said, joining Elizabeth in her state of annoyance
"Hey, don't lump me in with you two," Azazeal said to Lucifer trying to suppress a smile, because Elizabeth versus Ella would have been a sight to see, "I was not the one who started this."
"Malachi!" Cassie now turned her attention to her son, who she knew caused all sorts of trouble without thinking about it.
"What? He was teasing me about Ella so I merely suggested how entertaining it was that Elizabeth was a mere mortal while Ella…is something more."
"Well, well, prideful as ever, I see." Elizabeth said, smiling at Lucifer who just shrugged back.
"Ella would win, I'm sure," Elizabeth said, turning to smile at Ella but Cassie could see from Ella's expression that Elizabeth's eyes told her differently, but Ella did not feel threatened.
"I have no skills for fighting," Elizabeth continued mildly, "nor any magical powers," gesturing towards Cassie, "I don't see why there's a discussion." She looked at Malachi and he could see in her eyes that, while she was telling the truth and firmly believed that Ella and Cassie possessed more power than she, Lucifer was somehow right about her.
The subject was subsequently dropped but continued to remain a running joke between them all, which was more of a reprieve then the boys had originally hoped for.