Anna (Book 2, The Redemption Series) (15 page)

Daniel seemed to have endless tales involving the children under his care. I felt sure Daniel and Linn would enjoy living in Cirrus, but I could also s
ee how important his work at the orphanage was to him. I had a feeling no matter how hard I might try to get them to, he and Linn would not be moving to Cirrus.

Brutus was chock full of funny stories concerning his exploits in thievery. He made sure to tell Lucas that what he did wasn’t right and that you
should try to never steal. In Brutus’ case, I couldn’t chastise him too much. I knew he only stole from those in the cloud cities. Though, he did admit to stealing from an overlord in his own territory once.

It made me wonder what the other overlord
s in the down-world of Cirrus thought about Malcolm. There was no doubt he was the richest of them all, but I had a feeling Malcolm’s wealth was one that had been acquired over a long period of time, not just one lifetime. He had been waiting for me to be born for a thousand years after all. I felt sure he kept himself busy during that time. It would certainly explain how he was able to afford to give so much of his earnings every year in tribute to the Amadors.

After supper, Millie was true to her word and made Malcolm a warm bath in the claw foot bathtub which sat in the middle of a large bathroom connected to his
upstairs bedroom. She laid out a pair of scissors and towels for him too.

“
You might want to trim up that mess on the top of his head after he washes, my sweet,” Millie tells me as she prepares to leave the room.

“
Good idea,” I reply. “He does look like something the cat dragged in, chewed up, and spit out.”

“
Thanks,” Malcolm grumbles, preparing to take off his pants.

Millie walk
s out of the bathroom into the bedroom.

“
I’ll leave the two of you alone,” she says with a knowing wink, heading out the door. “I’ll tend to Lucas and get him ready for bed. You two take all the time you need with one another.”

“
Thank you, Millie,” I say, as I watch her walk out into the hallway.

When I turn back around, Malcolm is
already sitting in the water filled tub. He quickly submerges his whole body into the water to wet his hair. He sits back up and wipes the water from his eyes with one hand. When he opens his eyes, he looks over at me and smiles.

“
Would you wash my hair for me?” He asks. Though from the come hither look in his eyes, it seems like he wants me closer for more than just that simple task.

But I can’t say no to him. I have
absolutely no will power where Malcolm is concerned. I walk over to the tub and pick up a glass bottle labelled shampoo in frosted print from a metal basket hanging on the left side of the tub. I pour some of the clear liquid into my hand and set the bottle back down in its spot. I rub the shampoo between my hands and thread my fingers through to Malcolm’s scalp, working the suds into the thickness of his hair. I have to work at loosening the blood matted portions and have to ask him to dunk his head underneath the water to rinse the shampoo out so I can wash his hair a second time.

“
This feels nice,” Malcolm sighs as I continue to massage his head during the second washing. “I don’t think I will ever tire of your touch.”

“
I hope not,” I tell him, “because we’ll be with one another for a very long time.”

“
And it still won’t feel like it’s long enough.”

I smile at the sweet sentiment. Then,
swiftly push down on Malcolm’s head, forcing him to dunk it underneath the surface of the water again. He bobs back up sputtering.

“
Why you little vixen,” he says, swiftly spinning around and grabbing me by the waist with both of his hands.

I soon find myself pulled into the tub and laying on top of Malcolm.

“Malcolm!” I shout but can’t help but laugh because he’s laughing as he holds me to his naked body.

A good portion of the water sloshes out of the tub
and onto the bathroom floor from the physical activity, but there’s still enough to cover us.

“
Now my clothes are all wet,” I complain.

“
Then maybe you should take them off,” Malcolm says without a hint of shame at such a suggestion.

I look up and see the teasing way he’s looking at me.

“Then we would both be in trouble.”

“
But it might be worth it.”

“
Not if you fall asleep during the middle of it,” I tell him.

“
I think it’s worth a try.”

I shake my head.
“No.”

“
Yes.”

“
No,” I say more stridently and phase out of the tub, my clothes dripping wet with bath water now.

Malcolm stands
up in the tub not in the least bit concerned that he’s completely naked in front of me.

“
Yes,” he says, only wearing a smile on his face.

I have a hard time not looking down the length of him as he stands completely
shameless before me.

I clear my throat because it
’s a little tighter than before.

“
No,” I say with a lot less conviction.

Malcolm steps out of the tub
and begins to walk over to me. I immediately phase to the bedroom. He walks out of the bathroom to find me. His skin is glistening from the water of his bath and his hair is still a mess, but for some reason, its disheveled appearance makes my heart skip a beat. I find it hard to breathe or even think as he approaches me. The evidence of his arousal at our play is extremely distracting. I try to keep my eyes focused on his face.

“
Yes?” He asks hopefully as he draws nearer, and I stand still.

I shake my head
, but I can’t seem to say no this time.

“
At least come over to the bed first,” I say, unable to deny him anymore.

“
I like the way you think,” Malcolm teases, sauntering over to me with an even bigger grin on his face.

“
Not for that,” I say feeling completely embarrassed now. “And, do you have a robe or something you can put on?”

Malcolm
stops walking towards as he looks at me in confusion.

“
Why?” He asks.

“
So you’ll be covered up in case this is an epic fail. Plus, I’m finding it really hard to keep my eyes on your face.”

Malcolm chuckles.
“Am I the first man you’ve ever seen naked?”

“
Of course you are,” I answer, wondering why he even feels a need to ask the question. “Who else would I have seen naked?”

Malcolm shrugs.
“I thought perhaps you and Auggie might have played doctor as children.”

“
Auggie was never interested in that sort of thing with females. We kissed but that was more of a test of our attraction to one another than anything else.”

Malcolm p
laces his hands on his hips.

“
And did you ever feel an attraction for each other?”

I shake my head.
“That was never a possibility for the two of us. All we could ever be was best friends.”

“
What would Auggie think about the two of us being soul mates?”

“
He would be happy for me. All he ever wanted was for me to find happiness with someone I loved, and I’ve found that.”

“
I will do my best to keep you that way,” Malcolm promises. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Anna. Nothing.”

“
Then please put on a robe before we try this,” I say to him, unable to keep myself from glancing down the length of Malcolm. “And why in the world would Celeste call that you’re
Little
Malcolm?”

Malcolm’s cheek
s grow red, and he starts to chuckle softly. He turns away from me because I think he might actually be embarrassed by my comment. He walks over to a door on the wall behind him and opens it. It leads to a walk in closet. He walks into it but quickly walks back out slipping into a dark green robe. He ties the sash of the robe to close the front opening before coming to stand in front of me.

“
Better?” He asks.

“
Yes,” I say, grabbing him by the arms to change his position so that he’s standing near the side of the bed. If the poison is still in my body, he should just fall backwards onto the mattress this way.

“
Are you sure it’s worth trying?” I ask him, remembering what happened the first time we kissed, and he wasn’t able to take in a breath. “Doesn’t it hurt to suffocate like that?”

Malcolm
quickly pulls me up against him.

“
For me, trying is better than the torture of not knowing at all,” Malcolm says. “And if this works…the possibilities are endless, Anna.”

“
I’m getting you all wet,” I tell him, realizing my water soaked clothes are drenching the front of his robe.

“
Hopefully, you won’t be in them long enough for it to matter,” Malcolm says in a husky whisper as he brings his lips down closer to mine.

“
Please let this work,” I sigh as Malcolm touches his lips to mine.

Not wanting to waste whatever time we might have, Malcolm ravages my
lips. I involuntarily whimper from the pleasure of feeling him tantalize my mouth with his. I wrap my arms around his waist as we taste and tease one another with our lips and tongues. A small glimmer of hope shines brightly that the poison won’t stop us from consummating our love for one another this time. At least until Malcolm stops breathing.

I pull back just as he closes his eyes and falls back on the bed unconscious.

I just stare at him as I stand there breathing hard and feeling completely bereft of hope that we’ll ever be able to make love. With a frustrated groan, I go to the other side of the bed and pull Malcolm up by his armpits so his whole body is lying comfortably on the mattress. I grab one of the pillows and position it under his head. Not seeing that it will exactly hurt anything now, I kiss Malcolm’s lips one more time before pulling the bedcovers over his body to keep him warm.

I look down at myself and realize I
don't have a change of clothes. It suddenly dawns on me where I might be able to find an outfit that would fit.

My mother’s room.

Chapter 12

When I reach the door to my mother's bedroom, I'm hesitant to enter. I almost feel like I'm invading her privacy. It's a completely silly notion since she's been dead for as many years as I've been alive. Yet, I continue to stand in the hallway with my hand hovering over the door knob, trying to find the courage to enter her room.

“
Stop being stupid,” I whisper to myself, grabbing the handle and twisting it to open the door, hoping I'm not about to step into a Pandora’s Box of memories.

I walk in and close the door behind me. The room is dark now as night falls outside, and I can barely see where I'm going. I walk over to where I remember the nightstand being and turn on the light there. The faint illumination from the old fashioned lamp makes the room appear even more desolate. There's a sadness that hangs in the air, making me wonder if my mother's spirit has truly moved on
, or if it lingers here, hiding in the dark corners of the room. I look past the bed and see a door which has been left slightly ajar. I walk around the ornate wrought iron bed and open the door further, finding my mother's closet. I see a chain hanging in the darkness and tug on it. A light embedded in the ceiling switches on. Every item inside the closet is neat and orderly. It’s as if someone came in here and lovingly preserved my mother’s possessions after her death.

I let the tips of my fingers drift over the clothes on each hanger and can't help but wonder where my mother might have worn each article. I pull out a soft, dark purple turtleneck sweater. I stare at it and wonder what life event she might have experienced while wearing it. Did she wear it while she was pregnant with me? Did she have it on underneath her coat in the video I saw of her and Lucifer? I had no way of knowing, and she wasn't here to tell me the story of her life.

I looked up from the sweater and let my eyes wander around the closet, realizing this was all I had to remember my mother by. I suddenly realize this is the first time in my life I'm able to connect to her in anyway. I'm surrounded by her things. Yet, I know virtually nothing about her. I have no idea what she liked to eat. I don't know what her favorite color was. Did she like to dance? Did she play an instrument? What made her laugh? What made her cry?

She was my mother, but she was also a complete stranger to me.

I quickly find a pair of jeans and a sturdy pair of walking boots to wear. I step out of the closet and over to the chest of drawers across from the bed where I find some undergarments. I quickly change out of my wet apparel and dress in my mother's clothes. They're a perfect fit.

I feel a
cool draft in the room and look over at the window to find that it's not completely sealed shut. I walk over to close it and happen to glance outside to the courtyard below. I see someone I didn't expect to seek me out again so soon.

Lucifer is sitting on a w
ood bench in the middle of the courtyard Malcolm's home is built around. He's staring straight at me like he knew exactly where I was. He has to be here to see me, but I’m not sure why. There’s really only one way to find out.

I phase to Malcolm's room and grab my leather jacket. Before I walk out the door, I go to the man I love and tenderly caress his cheek. H
is breathing is steady now, and I hope he gets some much needed rest after all that he’s been through. I fear there will be a lot more that we’ll have to endure, but I don’t have any doubts that Malcolm and I will meet any challenge set in our path and find a way to conquer it.

It doesn't take me long to find my way out of the house and down to the private courtyard. During the warmer months, I can imagine the
enclosure in full bloom with all the rose bushes scattered around and full grown trees now bare of leaves, dusted with snow. Lucifer is sitting underneath a small shade tree watching me as I approach, his expression indecipherable.

I tuck my hands into the pockets of my jacket as I
make my way over to him.

I don't say anything to Lucifer, and he doesn't speak to me
. I sit down next to him on the bench and hear it creak with the addition of my weight. I look down at my lap going over what I want to say to him in my mind first.

“I appreciate you helping me s
ave my family and handling Levi.”

Lucifer doesn't say anything, but I can feel his gaze centered on me. Finally, I turn my head and look at him. His expression
gives nothing away about what he’s thinking, and I have a feeling he's hiding his emotions from me on purpose. I don't think he wants me to know what he feels when he looks at me, but I'm not sure why it would matter if I did.

“
Why were you in your mother's room?” He asks, turning his head to look away from me and up to the window of my mother’s room.

“
I needed a change of clothes,” I tell him.

He looks back at me and stares at the jacket I'm wearing.

“The jacket isn't hers. It used to belong to Jess,” he comments knowingly.

“
Yes, I know,” I say. “Jered told me that you and Jess used to be friends.”

Lucifer lets out a harsh laugh but doesn't say anything else
on the matter.

“
Can you tell me what you plan to do with the princes now that you have them back?” I ask point blank.

“
You're rather blunt,” he says, looking at me with a wry grin. “You sounded just like your mother. She was never one for beating around the bush much either.”

“
Are you going to tell me?” I prod.

“
All you need to know is this. As long as you don't bother them, they won't bother you.”

“
You know I can't do that. I'm meant to retrieve their seals and take them back to Heaven.”

“
My father doesn't need the seals,” Lucifer says with a twinge of disgust in his voice. “All he wants to do is cause a ruckus down here that isn't necessary. Either that or he just wants to weaken me by having you kill all my brothers. Do you intend to kill me too, Anna?” Lucifer asks. “Are you really so vicious that you would kill your own father just to do God's bidding?”

I don't have an answer for him. The truth is I'm not sure if I'll be able to kill him
if, or most likely, when that moment comes. I’m simply trying to take things one step at a time.

So I decide to change the subject...

“You still haven't said what you plan to do with the princes now that you have them back,” I remind him.

“
It's none of your concern. Like I said, stay out of their way and they will stay out of yours. I've also told them that this house is off limits to them. You're safe for as long as you remain here.”

“
How did you get them to agree to that?”

“
I told them if they didn't stay away that they would meet the same fate as Levi.”

“
How do you trap their souls inside the bodies they inhabit?” I ask.

“
It's my gift. I can do many things with a soul.”

I hesitate for a moment, wondering if this is the right
moment to ask him for a favor. Our relationship with one another is just beginning, yet, I have to ask him for the one thing only he can fix.

“
Would you do something for me?”

Lucifer
leans his back fully against the bench and crosses his arms over his chest with a stern expression on his face as he looks at me.

“
What exactly do you want?”

“
I want you to revoke your curse on Malcolm.”

Lucifer lifts a dubious eyebrow at me.
“And why, pray tell, would I want to do that? It gives me an immense amount of pleasure to know he's in so much pain because of me.”

“
He's the man I love, and I don't want him in pain anymore. Hasn't he been through enough without you continuing to torture him?”

“
Not nearly enough, if you’re actually asking me that question and not simply being rhetorical. If I could double the pain he's in, it would make me exceedingly happy and probably leave you a virgin for a while longer. Or, at least until you found someone more worthy to bed. Just the thought of that mongrel pawing at your flesh turns my stomach, Anna.”

“
How do you know I'm still a virgin?” I ask him, not understanding how he could know such a thing about me.

“
When you've been involved in as many virgin sacrifices as I have, you tend to develop a sixth sense about that sort of thing,” he says in a way that almost sounds like he's making a joke. “You're still as pure as the day I held you in my arms after you were born.”

“
Wait...,” I say, taking in what he just told me. “You were at my birth? But Jered said you refused to see my mother while she was pregnant.”

Lucifer doesn't make a response for a long time. Finally he says,
“I couldn't let her leave this world thinking I was mad at her.”

“
Is that when she asked you to raise me?”

“
No. She asked me a hundred times before then, but that was the last time.”

“
What did she say when you told her no?”

“
I didn't tell her no,” Lucifer admits. “I promised her I would before she died.”

“
You lied to my mother on her death bed?” I ask, not sure why I'm shocked that the devil would lie, but considering the relationship he and my mother shared, I have to admit that I am.

“
I thought it would ease her mind in those last few moments we had left together. Otherwise, she would have just kept begging me to do it.”

“
Jered said you didn't want to take me because you were afraid I would become just as jaded as you are. Is that true?”

“
Well if Jered said so, it must be true,” Lucifer says sarcastically.

“
Well is it?” I ask, pressing for the truth.

“
Does it matter?” Lucifer asks, fidgeting in his seat like he's getting agitated by my questioning.

“
It matters to me,” I say, realizing it's the truth. For some reason, I want to know that what he did was for my benefit and not just his own. There's a small part of me which yearns to know for a fact that my father didn't abandon me because he hated me.

“
Having Andre raise you was the best thing for everyone involved,” Lucifer replies. “He was a far better father to you than I ever could have been.”

“
Do you know where Levi is keeping him?” I ask, a desperate plea in my voice. “Can you help me get my papa back?”

Lucifer glances over at me but makes no reply.
Instead, he bends over to the side of the bench and grabs something off the ground. I know then he has no intention of responding to my heartfelt request.

When he turns back to face me,
I see a medium size brown wicker basket in his right hand now. He sets it on his lap.

“
I brought you something,” he tells me, looking uncertain at how I will react to his unexpected gift.

“
What is it?” I ask, staring at the basket’s closed lid.

“
Levi told me he killed your pet,” Lucifer says. “I'm sorry he put you through that, but you can rest assured he paid the price for such an act. I uh...thought you might like this.”

He s
ets the basket between us on the bench.

I lift the lid on one side of the basket and gasp at what is laying inside.

“A hellhound puppy?” I ask, closing the lid gently so as not to wake it. “I can't have something like that around Lucas. What if it bit him?”

“
Hellhounds aren't born evil,” Lucifer tells me. “They’re just like any other pet. As long as you treat it with love and respect, it will grow up to be extremely loyal to you and protect those you love. If you treat it with cruelty, it will become vicious and act only in its best interest.”

“
Why are you giving this to me?” I ask.

Lucifer shrugs his shoulders.
“I just thought it might help ease the pain over losing your pet. I know she meant a great deal to you.”

Lucifer suddenly stands up
from the bench.

“
I would advise you to do what I've said, daughter,” Lucifer tells me. “Stay away from my brothers and live out your life in peace. Don't pick a fight with them. It's not worth the price you would have to pay to succeed.”

“
And what would be the price?” I ask, feeling as though Lucifer is warning me about something dire.

Lucifer shakes his head.
“You don’t want to have to pay it. Trust my words to you, Anna, and leave things alone.”

I feel as though Lucifer is just about to phase. So, I grab his hand before he can.

He looks down at our joined hands, and I see a fleeting moment of confusion pass across his features.

“
Thank you,” I tell him.