My papa smiles at me sadly and shakes his head.
"I"m sorry, my little cherub. I promised Lucifer I wouldn"t tell you where I am. But, don"t worry about me. I"m in a good place, and no, I"m not in Cirrus. Levi hasn"t harmed me in any way. You have no reason to fear for my safety."
"Did Lucifer bring you here to talk me out of marrying Malcolm?" I ask.
I see immediate confusion and alarm appear on my papa"s face.
"Marrying Malcolm?" He asks, as though the two words shouldn"t even be joined in the same sentence. "Why on earth would you be doing that?"
"Exactly!" Lucifer says triumphantly.
I look over my papa"s right shoulder and see Lucifer standing behind him with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
"I guess I"ll let the two of you talk privately for a little while," Lucifer tells us, sounding pleased with himself because he obviously thinks he"s won this particular battle. "I think you have a lot of catching up to do."
Lucifer phases.
"Oh, Lord Andre," Millie says happily, "it"s so good to see you again and to know you"re safe. We"ve all been worried sick about you."
"Thanks, Millie," my papa says, chancing a glance at her but quickly returning his attention back to me. "I"m perfectly fine. There"s no need to worry."
"That"s so wonderful to hear," Millie says, looking between the two of us. "I"ll just go finish preparing some things so the two of you can discuss matters."
Millie turns around and heads back into the bathroom, making what looks to me like a hasty retreat.
I stare at my papa for a moment, almost feeling like I"m a kid again who has done something wrong. Yet, I"ve done nothing wrong except find the man I"m supposed to marry and build a family with. Surely, he"ll understand that.
"Tell me, Anna," my papa says, still looking worried "Why are you marrying Malcolm?"
"He"s my soulmate, Papa," I tell him, hoping that it"s reason enough for him.
"Malcolm?" Papa says in utter disbelief. "You"re absolutely sure about that?"
I nod. "Yes. Why do you sound so surprised? Honestly, I thought you of all people would be happy for us. You"re his best friend, aren"t you?"
"Yes," Papa says, "which is probably why this news makes it feel so strange to me. I know him better than almost anyone, except for maybe Jered. The three of us have been through a lot together over the years." My papa takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Give me a moment to think about this. You"ve kind of thrown me for a loop, Anna."
I remain silent while my papa seems to have a silent conversation with himself, as if he"s weighing the pros and cons of Malcolm and I being soulmates. He shakes his head, and then nods it. Then he shakes it again and still looks mystified by the news.
"I love him," I finally say, hoping this will erase any doubt he has that I"m making a mistake marrying Malcolm.
"It"s just..." He says, shaking his head. "You"re my daughter, Anna. I realize you"ve figured out that I"m not your biological father, but I"m still the man who raised you. I love you as my own flesh and blood and nothing will ever change my feelings for you."
"I love you too, Papa."
"But," he says, raising one hand to his forehead to rub his temples and propping his free hand onto his hip as he continues to come to grips with the news. "I have to say, the possibility of you marrying Malcolm never even crossed my mind. I"m having a little trouble imagining it."
"Why?"
"Because you"re both family to me!" He says, raising both of his hands in the air to emphasize his point. "Basically, I feel like my daughter is marrying my brother! I need some time to wrap my mind around the situation."
"I think Lucifer was hoping you would try to talk me out of it," I tell him. "You"re not going to try to do that, are you? Because I"ll tell you the same thing I told Lucifer. It won"t work. Even if you disapprove, Papa, I"m marrying Malcolm tonight one way or the other."
I"m not sure if it was my words or the way I made my proclamation, but my papa let out a deep sigh of resignation and looked at me in surprise.
"I think this is the first time you"ve never wanted to know my thoughts on a subject," he says, looking proud and sad at the same time. I"m no longer the little girl who relied on him to make the important decision for me. I suppose realizing your child has grown beyond the need for your guidance is a hard thing for any parent to come to terms with the first time.
"It"s not that I won"t listen to what you"re thinking," I tell him. "I would never disrespect you in such a way, Papa. But, I know me. My life would never feel complete without Malcolm as my husband. I need him as much as I need the heart beating inside my chest. Without either, I would be dead inside. As long as I have Malcolm, I feel like I can make it through the rest of the mission G.o.d has given me. I know I can succeed if we"re together, and the vows we make to one another tonight will make our bond even stronger."
It takes a few seconds, but my papa finally smiles at me.
"I guess you really are a woman now," he says with pride. "I"m glad I raised you to listen to your heart and allow it to tell you what"s right and what"s wrong. I can"t say the whole situation isn"t still odd for me, but I trust your judgment. If getting married is what you both want, then I have no reservations about it whatsoever. I"m not going to lie and say it"s something I ever expected to happen, but all I"ve ever wanted was for you to be happy, Anna. As long as Malcolm makes you happy, you have my blessing."
"I don"t suppose you could explain that sort of logic to Lucifer?" I ask in jest. "He seems h.e.l.l-bent on stopping me from marrying Malcolm."
My papa sighs heavily. "The two of them have had a very difficult relationship with one another over the years, Anna. I"m not sure if there"s anything that can fix the animosity that"s built up between them. But, they both love you. Therefore, they do have some common ground. I"m just not sure it will be enough to keep them from trying to rip each other"s throats out. Maybe in time they can come to a mutual understanding where you"re concerned."
"I hope so," I tell him. "Papa, why don"t you tell me where you are? I can come and get you and this whole mess can be over. You don"t owe Lucifer anything. You don"t have to keep your promise to him."
"Anna," my father says in that disappointed voice that I always hated to hear as a child, "you of all people should know me well enough to understand that I can"t just break my word once I"ve given it. If a man doesn"t keep his word, he isn"t a man worth knowing, in my opinion. I won"t break it just to save my own skin. I"m sorry my being trapped like this has been so difficult for you, but I"m perfectly fine where I am. I am disappointed that I won"t be able to walk you down the aisle though. It was always something I wanted to do if you were ever allowed to have a real wedding."
"I"m sorry you won"t be here for that too," I say, unable to stop the tears formed from my own disappointment.
"Oh, cherub, don"t cry," my papa says to me. "We"ll have plenty of time later to make other memories. We"ll find a way to be together again."
"So," Lucifer says. I look over my papa"s shoulder and see that he"s returned. "Have you been able to talk some sense into her yet? Have you explained what a fiasco her life will become if she marries Malcolm? You know him well enough to explain what a cad he can be, Andre, especially where women are concerned."
Papa turns around to face Lucifer. "I"ve given her my blessing, Lucifer. You should know better than anyone that when two soulmates meet nothing can keep them from wanting to be with one another. Even though you don"t want to admit it, Malcolm is an excellent choice for her. He"ll take care of Anna better than any other man in this world."
Lucifer rolls his eyes like he expected this to happen.
"Did you at least talk her out of retrieving any more of the seals?"
"Why would I do that?" Papa asks, sounding confused.
Lucifer looks at me. "I thought you would have talked about that too."
"No," I tell him. "We didn"t."
Lucifer looks back at my father and says, "The seals are changing her. Their combined powers are evolving her into something darker. She needs to stop collecting them!"
My papa looks at me in alarm. "Levi mentioned you were gathering the seals, but he didn"t say they were causing you to change. Why didn"t you say anything?"
"It"s nothing to worry about," I tell him. "I can handle it."
"No, she can"t!" Lucifer says in exasperation. "She"s only collected two seals so far and that guardian angel of hers came close to losing her the last time she died."
"The last time she died?" Papa exclaims. "How many times have you died since I"ve been gone?"
I hesitate but know I have to answer. "Twice."
"Anna!" Papa says with a mix of surprise and worry. "Tell me everything."
I go on to give my father a truncated version of the events that took place after his incarceration by Levi. I omitted my recent conversation with Helena, however. I didn"t want Lucifer to know h.e.l.l was preparing to make me its master instead of him. He seemed to have enough problems to deal with. Plus, it would have just been another hit to his pride, which I didn"t feel he could suffer through right now.
Papa listens to my tale closely, allowing me to get through the retelling of recent events before asking any questions.
"And are you feeling any different?" He asks me.
I look between my papa and Lucifer, debating whether I should admit it or not. However, I think my hesitation has already given them the answer they want.
"Yes," I say. "I feel more powerful."
"In what way?"
I look around the room and see the chair Millie has been laying my daily clothes out on for me. I lift it with my new telekinetic power, rotate it while it"s in the air, and set it back down in the exact same spot it was before.
"Her powers will only increase," Lucifer says emphatically.
"I can handle them," I try to say with conviction, but there is a small part of me that doubts I"ll be able to. "With Malcolm with me, I"ll be able to finish this mission and take the seals back to Heaven. I"m stronger when he"s with me. I can do this."
Papa doesn"t say anything. He just looks worried.
"What does my father say about it?" He finally asks me. "Does He think you can handle what the seals will do to you?"
"Yes," I tell him. "He wouldn"t have sent me here to take them if he didn"t."
My papa takes in a deep breath and slowly lets it out.
"I"ve always trusted His judgment about matters like this, and I don"t see any reason to doubt Him now. Do what you need to do, Anna. You have my full support."
Lucifer lets out a feral growl. Before I know it, he charges towards me walking through the holographic image of my papa and grabs the crystal out of my hand. He squeezes it with enough force that I hear it crack and the projection of my father disappears.
"Why did you do that?" I scream at him.
"Because Andre was completely useless!" Lucifer yells back. "I had hoped he would be reasonable and tell you to stop this travesty of a marriage and to stop collecting the seals for your own good!"
"He trusts my judgment. It"s something you should learn to do."
"You"re twenty-one years old! You haven"t lived long enough to understand the powers you"re playing with." Lucifer grabs the tops of my arms and shakes me a little bit. "You will end up killing yourself, Anna! Stop before it"s too late!"
The worry in Lucifer"s eyes tells me that he"s only doing this because he truly cares for me.
"Then help me through it," I plead. "Instead of trying to stop me, help me instead. With your knowledge about things like this, I"m sure I can succeed. Either way, I"m going to try, with or without your help."
Lucifer lets me go with an aggravated growl and pushes me away from him, making me lose my balance and sit on the bed behind me.
"You"re just like your mother. Completely stubborn," he says, looking down at me.
"And if she hadn"t been so stubborn," I tell him. "She might have listened to other people and stayed away from you."
"Maybe she should have. We might have all been better off!"
"You don"t mean that," I tell him, seeing through his attempt to belittle what he had with my mother. "She made you a better man. Look at you now. You"re trying to save my life. Do you honestly think you would have even cared if it hadn"t been for the love my mother brought out in you? I think you want to be more than you are, Lucifer. You just have to admit that fact to yourself."
Lucifer is silent. He just looks at me, but I can tell my words have hit a spot of truth.
"Perhaps your "husband to be" will be able to talk some sense into you when he learns what the seals are actually doing," Lucifer says. "I a.s.sume you haven"t told him everything yet?"
"I will," I say in my own defense. "I just haven"t had the time."
"Ri-ight," Lucifer says. "I think you"re afraid he"ll tell you to stop."
"He won"t."
"I wouldn"t bet on it," Lucifer says knowingly. "If Malcolm actually does love you, he will. You can bet on it."
Lucifer begins to phase, but I reach out and grab him, forcing him to stop.
"Come to my wedding," I beg him. "Share in the happiest moment of my life."
Lucifer looks at me and shakes his head. "I can"t be a witness to the beginning of the end of you, Anna. I"m not strong enough for that."
I let go of Lucifer, and he phases away, back to h.e.l.l.
I wonder what memory Helena will make him relive while he"s there. A red-hot hatred builds up inside me, and I have a sudden urge to go down there and knock her senseless. It"s an absurd thought because she isn"t real, just a manifestation that h.e.l.l devised to communicate with me.
"Are they gone?" Millie asks, peeking her head out of the bathroom.
"Yes," I tell her, standing up because I realize I"m sitting on my wedding dress. The last thing I need to do is wrinkle it. "They"re gone."
Millie walks over to me. "It was so good to see your father again."
"Which one?" I ask.
"Both I suppose," Millie admits. "But Lord Andre more so than Lucifer, if I"m being honest."
"Millie, the way you talked to Lucifer made it seem like the two of you knew each other quite well. I seriously doubt he would let just anyone speak to him the way you did."
Millie looks uncomfortable about my observation.
"Oh, that..." she says, wringing her hands together obviously not liking the turn of the conversation.
I cross my arms over my chest. "What aren"t you telling me, Millie?"
Millie looks at me with an almost guilty expression.
"I promised Lucifer I would never mention it...to anyone."