Welcome, Father of Lucifer.
Ser moved through the newly opened gateway. The human part of Analise didn’t bother to hide her pleased response to his reaction. Who she was, her memories, and her name were displayed before him—an intricate tapestry of all life.
You came into the world to become my son’s bond and life mate?
I did. Will you accept me as Lucifer’s Consort and life mate?
Ser dropped to his knees and bowed his head. “You honor us, my lady.”
“Okay,” Analise’s human side said nervously. “You aren’t going gaga over who I am, are you?”
“Gaga?” he repeated, rising to his feet.
She lifted her eyes to Ser’s face. “I’ll translate later over a glass of wine. Do I get a pass?”
Ser peered at his son before directing his narrowed gaze to Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel. Their efforts to conceal their grins failed. Ser’s expression warned there would be retribution. He placed his hand on Analise’s head. “Analise Saria Willoughby, you are fit to become Lucifer Raphason’s Consort.”
Lucifer squeezed her hand as he drew her up. His expression serious, he said, “I have chosen Analise Saria as my Consort and my life mate. She has accepted me as her Consort and life mate. Will you honor my choice, Father?”
Ser nodded. “I will, Seraphim.”
Lucifer’s expression softened when he turned to face his mother. “Will you honor my choice, Mother?”
Rapha smiled warmly at Analise before inclining her head. “I will honor your choice, Seraphim.”
Air stirred over the group and an expectant hush settled over the courtyard. Analise cursed audibly. Without directing her gaze to the sky, she knew exactly what she’d see if she glanced up. Satan hovered above the courtyard. His voice was amplified when he said, “Our parents may approve, brother. I don’t.”
Analise rolled her eyes and muttered, “Not exactly what I intended when I handed out free will cards.”
Chapter 27
Lucifer’s fingers tightened slightly around her hand when Satan and Uriel land about twenty feet from where they stood. A dozen angels, with drawn swords, drifted down to take up defensive positions behind Satan. The sudden hiss of metal caused Analise to jump and she glanced around the courtyard. This was not good. Before she could intervene, she felt the molecular displacement that announced her warriors’ appearance. Izem stood ten feet from Satan. The Imohag warrior eyed the Seraphim, turned his back to Satan, and strode up to her.
“Tamahaq,” he said with a bow.
Eleven black warriors appeared, interspersing themselves among Lucifer’s guards. Analise opened her mouth only to shut it when visible bands of energy rippled and became wolves, leopards, cheetahs, eagles, and hawks. The remaining warriors had formed a defensive perimeter between her and Satan. She looked at Izem, her gaze demanding an explanation.
He shrugged. “Your warriors protect you, Tamahaq.”
The shifters resumed their human element, their faces once more hidden behind tagelmusts and their swords gripped in brown fists. Analise was about to step forward to end what was fast becoming a major headache when Ser moved to position himself before his younger son.
“Satan.”
“Sire.”
“You acknowledge my right to the name and title?” Ser demanded.
Pain briefly clouded Satan’s blue eyes. “I have never denied your status as my father and Sire.”
“Then you will join my Consort and I in celebrating Lucifer’s bonding,” Ser said.
“I cannot, Sire,” Satan replied. “I claim the right to take Analise as Consort and bond mate. The prophecy did not foretell my twin would have a second Consort.”
“Did you not take the life of your brother’s first Consort?” Ser asked.
Satan waved his free hand. “Immaterial to the matter at hand. Lilith was a casualty of war. I regret the loss of my twin’s Consort, but it has no bearing on my claim. Technically, I met Analise before he did.”
“Technically you didn’t, but that’s not a story sufficient for your ears,” she stated drily. Analise searched the crowd before she declared, “Any more claimants to come out of the woodwork? All I need are demons to complete this love triangle.”
Rapha pressed her lips together to stop her laughter. Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel exchanged a quick look before Gabriel murmured, “You took out Azazel, but there is still time for Mephistopheles to show up. Belial is merely an archangel but he’s probably interested in the job.”
Analise stiffened. “Please tell me you’re joking, Aragorn.”
Gabriel shrugged and focused his gaze on his brother Uriel when Satan strode up to Lucifer.
“I chose Analise Willoughby before you slithered from wherever you were hiding,” Satan declared. “I challenge your right to claim her as your Consort.”
Analise felt the nervous shudder rippling through the group of angels closest to her. She glowered at Satan. “Obviously, I’m missing something here. A challenge? Are we talking about a medieval joust?”
“More or less,” Michael interjected. “While there are some similarities, the single difference is a combatant dies.”
Analise’s eyes went to Lucifer’s face. His expression grim, she opened her mouth to speak before she decided what she had to say was best done privately. She opened a telepathic path for him. Is this true, Dream Candy? If you two fight the only outcome is death?
Yes. Such challenges are rare. I cannot recall one in my lifetime. My brother is determined to possess you.
Analise exhaled her exasperation. I should have managed you angels better. I could have nipped this shit in the bud. Warriors.
Two of the shifters created an opening. “Okay, Peter or Satan, let’s talk.”
Satan walked through. The opening closed and Satan’s guards assumed a fighting stance. The warriors did likewise. Analise stared at Satan. “Call off your guard dogs. At the moment, we’re talking.”
“You are the perfect Consort for me, Analise,” he drawled before making a sign to his guards. “Do you mind if Uriel joins us? I should have at least one friend to see to my back.”
She nodded to the warriors who allowed Uriel entry. Satan reached for her and she took a step back. “Nothing has changed. No matter the outcome of this dipshit plan, I can never belong to you. I will never be your Consort. You also can’t claim me as a life mate since Lilith was yours. Remember, widget?”
Anger flared in his eyes. “I claim you as my bond mate. You don’t have a choice, Analise.” Satan’s gaze went to his brother’s face. “Just as Lilith didn’t have a choice.”
Behind her, Analise sensed the movement of a film crew toward them. “You realize the cameras are rolling? Your ability to hide behind Peter Nathanson is over.”
He shrugged. “This bonding ceremony brought angels front and center. Human beings should know what they face.”
“Why?” She questioned. “Why are you doing this? Do you truly hate your brother so much you would kill him?”
“This isn’t about hate, Analise,” Satan said, reaching for her once more. “This is about love.”
She evaded his grasp. “You aren’t in love with me. Your only love is for yourself. It is why you were not firstborn and why Lilith became your twin’s Consort. Warrior.”
Izem withdrew a sword from inside his djellaba and offered it to her. She accepted it and held it at her side. “Before you fight your twin, Consort, I have something to say to the asshole.”
She ignored the soft nervous laughter moving through the angels. “As Peter Nathanson, you came to me for my company. I was of little use to you except as a tool for revenge, even as a child. You took from me as a child. I blamed myself. You and your demons took from me as an adult and I blamed myself. I’m done blaming myself for what you and yours have done.”
Analise slowly moved to her right. “You can’t claim me, Satan. Return to your hole, crawl in, and stay out of my life. The Tamahaq refuses.”
“Give me a minute, Consort. I’m not finished.”
Angelic faces wore either open amusement or shock to hear her talk to Ser’s heir as she did.
I did it again, didn’t I? Forgot to shield. Lucifer nodded. Oh well, they’ll have to get used to me.
She raised her sword’s tip to Satan’s torso. “I will never become your Consort, Satan. Your twin has my heart. He is my life mate and my Consort. Despite what you may think, I have a choice as do you.”
A smirk twisted Satan’s thin lips. “You have no choice, Analise. You are human and I can bend you to my will.”
“Then I will accept my Consort’s decision,” she said formally. “Lucifer?”
“I cannot refuse the challenge, Consort.”
She nodded and motioned to the Imohag warriors. They escorted her to where Rapha stood. The Seraphim took her hand between hers and squeezed it gently.
“Your fingers are chilled, Analise Saria.”
“I’m troubled by this foolishness,” Analise said. “Aren’t you concerned one of your sons may die because of a woman?”
Rapha gave her a rueful smile. “The prophecy warned this was one of two paths they would have to follow, especially Satan. His belief he can challenge powers greater than his own has led him down this road. What he fails to grasp, and never did, is the challenge will not change the outcome.”
Squeezing Analise’s fingers, Rapha continued. “You are Lucifer’s Consort. The only thing to come of this battle will be more hatred and conflict. Angel kind is at war, and sadly humans are a part of it. Satan’s challenge was inevitable.”
“Perhaps,” Analise sighed. “Still, I can’t help but feel I’ve made things worse.”
“You are human, Analise Saria,” Rapha said. “You believed my younger son was the human Peter Nathanson.”
Analise let the assumption fall like a dead tree in a forest. Ser hadn’t shared with his life mate the truth about their son’s Consort. She wondered how Rapha would react once she learned her new daughter-in-law was Fate. The sudden appearance of a translucent dome over the area where Lucifer and Satan stood startled her. Light shimmered on the surface but cast no reflection. Analise looked at Rapha.
“The dome is to protect others from the challenge. Our battles involve more than swords. If not contained, my sons’ powers will devastate this world.”
Satan struck first, a pale blue bolt of fire sizzled from his fingers aimed at Lucifer’s chest. Lucifer easily absorbed the energy and retaliated. A slender strand of cobalt snaked out from his hand, coiling and growing until it formed a thick band and wrapped itself around Satan’s wrist.
Analise shuddered at his howl of pain when the band exploded. She had the power to end the challenge, even before it began. She only needed to reveal herself to Satan. Once he knew the truth . . .
Her eyes shut tightly, Analise practiced the breathing technique that usually staved off panic. Rapha’s sharp intake of air sounded like a drum in her head before a collective gasp raced through the crowd. She opened her eyes. Satan was bent over, his palm pressed against his chest, blood trickling beneath his fingers from where Lucifer struck.
As Lucifer retreated, Analise felt the sharp edge of a blade against her throat. Like others, she focused on the battle inside the dome and not on Satan’s angelic partners in crime. Her cheetah growled softly and she shushed her. Sending a silent command to her warriors to remain where they were, Analise ignored the sudden hiss of swords behind her. She knew the swords belonged to Lucifer’s Guardians.
When fingers circled her throat, she shook her head. “What prompts this foolishness, Uriel?” She asked.
“I must admit you have been by far the most entertaining of Satan’s women,” Uriel said. “To think, three months ago, I was complaining of boredom.”
He repositioned himself so he faced her. Uriel pressed the tip of his knife against the base of her throat. “I hadn’t expected this much drama from you, but then you were full of surprises from day one, Analise Willoughby. I assume you are Lilith’s last Tamahaq descendant?”
Analise frowned. She’d given sentient creatures far too much freedom. “You really want to play this hand, Uriel?”
“I’m excellent at poker, Ms. Willoughby. The question is, do you want to call my bluff?”
Analise sensed the mounting tension around her and knew it was a matter of seconds before Aragorn attacked. She also didn’t want Lucifer distracted. Raising her hand, she lightly dragged a finger along the flat surface of Uriel’s knife. The metal darkened then flamed silver. Energy whipped along the knife’s edge and Uriel howled, dropping his the weapon.
Her fingers went to her throat. She hadn’t been injured. “Be glad today wasn’t the day you give up your life, Uriel.”
Izem and Gabriel immediately surrounded the archangel. “How does it feel to have a blade at your throat? In time you’ll discover the reason you failed and be even more embarrassed by your brainless act, Archangel. If you’ll excuse me, I need to teach your master a lesson.”
She strode over to the dome and laid her palm against it. A door shimmered into existence. As she entered, she gazed at Lucifer. His sword hand was empty, and he bled from several cuts on his chest and arms. Satan’s sword was poised to behead Lucifer. Analise raised an eyebrow at Lucifer.
It is difficult to battle when your life mate has a knife against her throat.
You weren’t supposed to let your emotions interfere, Consort. These widgets anticipated it.
Analise walked over to where Satan stood. “We’re done here, Satan with no surname.”
Satan edged the blade closer to his brother’s throat. “You’re supposed to wait until one of us is dead, Analise, and we do have a surname.”
“Angelic rules don’t apply to me,” she stated. “As to the surname thing, just trying to get your attention. I see why Lilith had such a difficult time with you. You don’t listen well, do you?”
At the mention of Lilith’s name, Satan pressed the sword against Lucifer’s neck. Blood trickled from the slight cut. Satan’s grin was malicious. “I see my brother failed to teach you how a Consort should behave. He really needs to be more of a dom.”
“He didn’t fail. I wasn’t interested in the job until your ferals got out of hand. I think your corporate management skills need work.”
Analise flexed her fingers and her dagger appeared. She slid it between Satan’s blade and Lucifer’s throat. “Please remove the sword from my Consort’s neck.”
Satan flashed her an arrogant smile and lowered his weapon slightly. “Are we to fight over Lucifer? This is a change. You do realize—me Seraphim, you human of sorts—and therefore no contest. By the way, if we’re to play with swords, there’s no shifting allowed.”
“I should have recalled or put an expiration date on your free will card, Seraphim,” Analise said. “Since I want to get on with my day, I’m going to let you inside my head.”
No, Analise Saria.
Her gaze went to Lucifer. “If there was another way. . . .I don’t think our little chat will take long.”
She signaled Izem and the warrior strode into the dome to get between Satan and his twin. Lucifer stared at her for the longest time before he nodded and left the enclosure. Analise lowered her sword’s tip and watched Satan’s face. “Are you still willing, Seraphim?”
“Of course, Analise. I look forward to claiming you, teaching you the difference between a master and a weakling.”
A joyless smile on her lips, Analise warned, “Be careful where you tread, Seraphim.”
She lowered her mental barriers. With a gleeful grin, Satan darted inside. Analise telepathically slapped him.
The invitation was to see who I am, not engage in a hostile takeover.
Quiet blanketed the fort, all eyes focused on the silent battle taki
ng place inside the dome. Lucifer stood between his father and mother, unable to stem both his worry and frustration as the silence in the dome lengthened. He jerked when his mother’s fingers enclosed his wrist.
Lucifer, who is she? The fear I see on your brother’s face. . .it . . .it is obvious Analise Saria is more than human or angelic.
He glanced at his brother. Satan’s fear was palpable. Sweat formed on his forehead and a slight tremble shook his body. Lucifer stared at his mother concerned face. Analise Saria is Fate.
“Fate walks among us?” It a few seconds for Rapha to grasp the significance of Fate’s choice. “Nothing in prophecy indicated a bond between Fate and a Seraphim. I always thought a human would. . .what does this mean?”
An enraged howl drew Rapha’s eyes back to the dome. Satan staggered away from Analise, his fists clenched tightly at his hips. His fury rode the air like dark clouds and he raised his fist to strike. Analise refused to retreat. Satan slowly lowered his fist.
“Impossible,” he stammered. “How could I have not known?”
“Your act of rebellion produced two paths for angels and resulted in different interpretations of those paths. Advanced knowledge wouldn’t have changed things, Satan. If it makes you feel any better, the Tamahaq had no idea who she was until you attempted to seize control of our will.”
Analise put distance between them. Brightness framed her. “Foolish Seraphim, you were the reason Lilith accepted Lucifer’s bond, became his Consort. She became human and suffered premature mortality because she loved you. It was her decision, just as to rebel was yours. Your pride and thirst for revenge would destroy all life. I cannot permit it.”
She reached for him and he avoided her touch. “It is not too late to change your path, Satan. You have free will.”
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