Redemption (Book 4, The Redemption Series) (10 page)

“I don’t want you to go back to Hell,” I tell him. “Helena is just using you to strengthen herself. You don’t need to give her anymore power over you.”

“Yes,” Lucifer says with a nod, “I know. I’ve already decided not to return until this mission of yours has ended one way or another.”

I breathe a sigh of relief at this news, but do remember something that happened once before.

“Is she able to pull you into Hell any time she wants? She brought you back to her once before,” I say, remembering the night Helena made Lucifer phase to Hell and relive the memory of my birth.

“I can fight against her doing it if I want to,” he tells me. “Don’t worry. I won’t let her take me. And I promise I will try to find out what I can about where Millie and Lucas are being held.”

“Thank you. Malcolm and the others are searching for clues too, but I have a feeling they’re just wasting their time on a wild goose chase. I doubt Baal and Mammon would be stupid enough to leave any tracks.”

“Probably not,” Lucifer agrees. “But I have spies everywhere. One of them might have overheard something important. I’ll check with them today and let you know if anything turns up.”

I give Lucifer one more quick hug. “Thank you…Dad.”

Lucifer hugs me back. “You’re welcome.”

“So I’ll see you tomorrow?” I ask, pulling away.

“Yes. I’ll be there.”

I feel reluctant to leave Lucifer, but I know I need to return home.

If Malcolm and the others are back, I need to tell them what I learned from God. I just hope they’re ready to hear the truth about me.

Chapter 9

I can’t deny it. I felt extremely disappointed when I returned home to find it empty of Malcolm's presence. I prayed that meant he found something worth investigating further and was on the verge of discovering where Millie and Lucas were being held. However, I didn’t allow my hopes to get too high. The boys had been searching for my father since Levi abducted him. A long search that had yielded no clues about his whereabouts so far. The odds simply weren’t in our favor that we would find our loved ones before the next day.

Our best, and only hope, was the trade Baal and Mammon seemed to want to make. If everything worked out, it would mean a win-win situation for me. I would get their seals without having to kill them, and Millie and Lucas would be returned to me safely.

After I returned home, you would have thought Linn and Daniel were my parents considering the way they doted on me. They immediately took me down to the kitchen to make me something to eat. It was lunchtime, and I hadn’t eaten since the night before. Yet, I lacked much of an appetite. My thoughts were with my loved ones, wherever they might be.

My first breakfast with Lucifer had been ruined not only because of the kidnapping but also by Helena’s cruel selfishness. Just the thought of us both being conceived from Lucifer’s soul makes me cringe inwardly. Even though God reassured me that I had been made from the best parts of Lucifer, I still wondered if a small piece of his darkness had also been incorporated into my soul unintentionally. No one's soul could be completely pure, least of all mine.

In an attempt to keep me preoccupied while waiting for Malcolm’s return, Linn and Daniel showed me how to make some dim sum dumplings. Daniel and Bai were given the responsibility of preparing the meat filling while Linn and I made the small, circular dough wrappers. Vala watched us as we worked and kept an eye on Luna, who was sleeping soundly on a soft pillow underneath the table. The poor little hellhound pup was still recovering from her injuries from the night before.

“Do you remember the first time we made dim sum together?” Linn asks Daniel, a soft smile lighting up her face at what must have been a fond memory.

“It was the first night after we got married,” Daniel replies, stirring the meat in the skillet on the stove before looking at Linn over his shoulder with a smile of his own. “As I recall, I was extremely hungry.”

“How did the two of you meet, if you don’t mind me asking?” I say, rolling the soft dough Linn made into walnut sized balls for her to roll out flat on the kitchen island’s butcher-block top.

“I used to be a very famous concert pianist in Cirro,” Linn tells me with pride in her artistic skill but not arrogance. “One night I received a dozen red roses in my room backstage. The card was simply signed ‘Your Eternal Admirer’. I was used to being lavished with gifts from men, but none of them ever sent them anonymously. Most of the men in Cirro like to flaunt their wealth, thinking it will make them more desirable. But their strategies to garner my attention never worked on me.

After that first night, I kept receiving roses from my secret admirer. Each bouquet would have one less rose until the night came when I knew only one rose was due to arrive. I have to admit that my expectations were extremely high by then. For eleven nights, I tried to imagine who my admirer might be. I can remember pacing back and forth in my room backstage that night waiting on my last rose to be delivered. I was so anxious when the knock finally came to my door that I practically jumped out of my skin. Thank goodness I didn't let my nerves prevent me from opening the door. When I did, I saw my destiny waiting for me on the other side.”

Daniel turns away from the skillet of meat cooking on the stove, lays the spatula he’s holding down on the countertop, and walks over behind Linn. He takes her by surprise as he spins her around and dips her backwards.

“I knew I couldn’t win the heart of a woman so extraordinary with just some ordinary introduction,” Daniel tells her, kissing her softly on the lips as he smiles down at her adoringly.

Bai giggles at her parents’ show of affection. I’m sure it’s something she’s probably seen displayed many times before in their own happy home.

Linn smiles at Daniel with so much love you can feel its warmth fill the room.

“I’m not sure if you won my heart or completely stole it from me,” Linn says, reaching a loving hand up and running the tips of her fingers across one of Daniel’s cheeks. “But it belonged to you the moment I saw you, and it will belong to you until the day I die.”

Linn and Daniel’s display of love for one another simply makes me miss Malcolm that much more.

As if he magically felt my need to have him close, Malcolm phases into the kitchen. My heart begins to beat so fast with excitement I feel like it’s about to leap out of my chest and run to the love of my life without me. I immediately toss the dough in my hands back into the bowl and go to him. He welcomes me with open arms and holds me close just as I wrap mine around his waist. I hear him sigh contentedly, mirroring my emotions in that instant. The warmth of his touch helps drive away the ache of our separation from inside my chest.

“Any luck?” I hear Daniel ask Malcolm.

“No,” Malcolm admits, sounding defeated. “We couldn’t find any trace of them. Desmond and Jered are still out speaking to some of our contacts, but I think our best bet will be to wait until we can meet with Baal tomorrow.”

“Will the others be back soon?” I ask Malcolm, holding onto him even tighter.

“I’m not sure,” he replies. “Why do you ask, my love? Do you need them?”

I pull back just enough to look into Malcolm’s eyes. He looks worried, and I know it’s not just worry over Lucas and Millie. He can sense something is wrong with me.

“I need to speak with all of you, preferably at one time,” I say. “God showed me some things while I was with Him, and you all need to know what it was. My past is a lot more complicated than any of us could have imagined. I just hope none of you hate me after I tell you who I really am.”

The puzzled look on Malcolm’s face disappears and all he shows me is his love.

“Nothing you could say would make me hate you, Anna. Don’t you know that by now?”

I simply lay my head back on Malcolm’s chest and hold him without answering his question. I have no idea what he will think of me once I reveal who I was in Heaven. Will he remember Seraphina? Did they even know each other in Heaven? I'm sure he will remember that Seraphina forged the first human soul. I doubt something so monumental could be kept a secret, even in Heaven. Although Lucifer was the one who actually started the war, Seraphina created the cause for his impetuous overreaction.

Daniel volunteers to round up the others for us, allowing Malcolm to stay with me.

Malcolm and I help Bai and Linn finish make the dumplings while we wait for the others to return.

There isn't much in the way of small talk as we work. Our problems aren't small and trying to fill the void we all feel with our loved ones missing just seems disrespectful. Malcolm watches me like a hawk as if he's waiting for me to crack because of the pressure I’m under. Weakness is a trait I've never possessed, and there is far too much at stake for me to inherit it now. Too many people are counting on me to remain strong and do what needs to be done in order for our lives to go back to normal, or at least something resembling normalcy.

By the time Daniel returns with Desmond, Brutus, and Jered, the dumplings are cooking, and we leave Linn and Bai in the kitchen to watch over them. It's as good an excuse as any to keep them preoccupied. I wouldn’t mind Linn learning the truth about me, but Bai is simply too young to understand all of the ramifications. Perhaps when she and Lucas are older, I'll tell them my story. I ask Vala to join us because I want her to know the truth too. She’s been with me through the most important events in my life. This one should be no exception.

Once we reach the sitting room, I tell the others, “I think you should all take a seat before I tell you what I learned from God.”

The worry in Malcolm's eyes intensifies after hearing my request, but he doesn't argue against it. All of them sit down, but I choose to remain standing and begin to tell them the story of my life in Heaven.

When I reveal who I actually was, there is a collective gasp. But they all remain silent and allow me to finish my story before asking any questions.

“You were Seraphina?” Malcolm asks, sounding astounded by this revelation in particular.

“Yes,” I answer. “Apparently, I was.”

“After Lucifer’s expulsion,” Jered says, “we wondered what happened to you, but no one would tell us. We asked God. We even asked the other guardians. None of them would say what happened to you, but we knew something did because we all felt it.”

“You felt it?” I ask. “What exactly did you feel?”

“Like our father told you,” Malcolm says, “when the other guardians restructured your soul, it affected everyone. We just didn’t know what was happening at the time. A lot of us just assumed it was an after effect of the expulsion of the rebellion angels to Earth. We all felt like a piece of us was missing. I have to say I never associated it with the creation of soulmates though.”

“It’s incredible,” Desmond says as he looks at me in wonder. “We all knew how close Seraphina and Lucifer were, but I never could have imagined you would go to such great lengths to save him. It shows just how far you’re willing to go to help someone you love, Anna. I can understand why God sent you now. If anyone can help save Lucifer from himself, it’s you. Does Lucifer know who you really are?”

“He’s known since the moment I was born,” I tell them. “He’s always known.”

“And have you told him you know the truth now too?” Malcolm asks, looking troubled by the prospect.

“Yes,” I tell him. “He knows. And after he found out, he let me use the bracelet on him.”

Malcolm’s apprehensive expression changes to one of surprise.

“And how did that go?” Malcolm asks, sounding curious about what I discovered.

I walk over to Malcolm and kneel down in front of him, resting one of my hands on his clasped in his lap.

“I know you and Lucifer have had a rocky past,” I tell him. “But his love for me is just as great as yours. He couldn’t hide his feelings from me, and he didn’t want to hide them anymore. He took a giant step forward today and trusted me with a part of himself that he hasn’t shared with many people. Malcolm, will you help me save Lucifer from himself? Will you help me make sure Seraphina’s sacrifice wasn’t made in vain?”

Malcolm remains silent and just looks at me. His brow creases, and I can see how difficult it is for him to consider my plea.

Malcolm begins to slowly shake his head. “I don’t know if I can help you do that, Anna. I love you, but so much has passed between Lucifer and me. We’ve spent centuries hating one another. I’m not sure I can just let that go. I’ve tried to be understanding in your need to develop a relationship with him, but what you’re asking me to do might be beyond my ability. In my opinion, the only good thing Lucifer has ever done is make you.”

“I understand why you hate him,” I tell him, empathizing with Malcolm’s animosity towards Lucifer but still feeling disappointed in his refusal to aid me in my quest. “But, I think he wants to change. He just needs some support and encouragement to do it.”

“I’m not sure it’s in his nature to change,” Malcolm tells me, attempting to be gentle with his words to me. I can still hear his deep hatred for Lucifer in the undercurrent of his tone. “I’m not sure he’s strong enough to be the man you want him to be. I don’t know if he can go back to being the person he was before the war. “

“You changed,” I remind Malcolm. “You allowed the evil inside you to take over for a time, yet you found a way to overcome it. Why can’t you give him the same benefit of the doubt?”

“It’s not exactly the same,” Jered says to me. I turn my head to look back at him. “I don’t think Malcolm is saying he doesn’t want to see Lucifer ask for forgiveness. I think we all want to see that happen. It’s just hard to imagine he would do it of his own free will. If you could remember the war in Heaven the way Seraphina saw it, you would be able to understand why we think it might be impossible for Lucifer to humble himself like that to our father.”

I let go of Malcolm’s hands so I can stand and face the others.

“Like you said, Seraphina did witness the war, and she still had faith that Lucifer could be brought back to Heaven,” I tell them. “I can sympathize with what all of you went through and the fights you’ve had with Lucifer during your time here on Earth. All I ask is that you give him a chance to prove himself to you. I believe he wants to change, and I’ll do whatever he needs me to do to help him.”

“If you believe he wants to change for himself,” Malcolm says to me, “then I don’t believe it matters if we help or not. We can’t change him. Only he can do that. I may not be willing to hold his hand to help make it happen, but I won’t stand in the way of it either, if that’s what he truly wants. From my own personal experience, I know you can’t make someone change who they are just because it’s what you desire.”

“But you had Lilly to help you,” I remind Malcolm. “I simply want to help him like she did you.”

“Like I said, I won’t stand in your way. If you think you can help Lucifer, by all means, do it. I wish you luck, but I just can’t make myself actively help you. Honestly, I don’t think Lucifer would want any of our help anyway. He’s about as stubbornly independent as you are. If we tried to push him in a certain direction, I think that would work against what you want.”