David came out of the shadows and into the light, then gently wrapped his arms around Lousphy.
“I was so afraid that you would reject me because of my demon needs.” (David)
David kissed her cheek and backed away, then held her hand.
“I’m so sorry Lousphy, but I had to know that you would accept the demon in me, as I have accepted the angel in you. This whole thing was a lie. I don’t need to feast, I never have, but there may come a day when I must act like a demon. It’ll be a day when you’ll be disgusted with what I am. I don’t want to lose your love because of that, so I came up with something like this so you can understand.” (David)
Lousphy took her hands away and was truly angry at David and Luna. The trick was something that David had a right to do, but Lousphy still felt hurt. It was better to lie about a situation now in order for her to prepare for one to come that might be worse. Lousphy loosened the grip of her fists, then hugged David. She felt his hands gently touch her below her wings, but the placement of his hands was much lower than normal. For the first time, she noticed more to them than before.
“Tell me David. How many wings do I have now?” (Luna)
She waited long enough to ask the question when the romantic moment was over.
“Six. I wondered where they came from. If you don’t feel like it’s right to talk about such divine matters with me though, I’m fine with that.” (David)
Lousphy hugged him a little harder. It wasn’t that she only grew her own wings, but they came in a spurt.
“When an angel matures, they have an opportunity to grow more wings like I have. Sometimes, we wait our whole lives but never have more than two, and sometimes, we grow them after a great revelation. It’s very rare for an angel to grow more than two at a time. I know I was going to be allowed two more as a promotion in rank, but this changes things slightly. If I grew my own, then that means I can’t be denied my rank which is now something similar to a lieutenant. In other words, my growth is in direct relation to marrying you. A blessing like this can’t be denied by the divine.” (Lousphy)
Lousphy signaled for Luna to join in the hug, then she gently nuzzled her neck between a grouping of their arms.
“I’m glad you didn’t forget about me. You know I had to lie to you. Please forgive me for that.” (Luna)
David turned to her, then spoke harshly.
“It was me who suggested it. I’m the one who should apologize.” (David)
Lousphy hugged them both a little harder.
“Stop it, you two. No apologies are needed. You did it for love, and that’s good enough for me.” (Lousphy)
After a few more minutes of embracing, Lousphy decided to check on the terms of the wedding. Only David told her he loved her as she left. Lousphy then went through her divine portal and intended to find Sir Ralph in his office, but she found out that he was at a wedding altar instead, reading over a tablet. He quickly noticed Lousphy in front of him. He was amazed at the new additions to his subordinate.
“After some discussion and researching for a way for your wedding to happen, we have devised a solution. A new temple will be constructed instead of where the weddings are normally held. We’re doing it this way so it doesn’t become tainted with the presence of a demon.” (Sir Ralph)
Lousphy smiled, but she still wondered how long it’ll take to build. Time wasn’t an issue, but she hated waiting.
“Why don’t we perform it outside?” (Lousphy)
Sir Ralph looked at Lousphy, annoyed.
“Come now, child. You must know that even acknowledging a wedlock between you and this demon is a dangerous thing. With only high ranking angels1angelsspecies as witnesses, it’s still a tricky deal.” (Sir Ralph)
Lousphy was hurt while looking at Sir Ralph because she had to keep her love a secret.
“I understand sir, but it still doesn’t feel right.” (Lousphy)
Sir Ralph then moved from the altar.
“Lousphy, what feels right and what IS right are usually two completely different things. What is right for an angel is to banish the demons2demonsspecies. What is right in this case… is for you to join with him.” (Sir Ralph)
His acknowledgment put her heart at ease.
“It still seems like more effort than actually needed. Perhaps, we could use a location away from so many unneeded eyes. I still don’t know why it couldn’t be in David’s realm.” (Lousphy)
Sir Ralph sighed.
“Lousphy, you aren’t old enough to know this, but now you have the rank.” (Sir Ralph)
He looked around a little worried.
“Demons might be immortal based on the term that they don’t age like normal, but that doesn’t mean that they’re immortal as we are. From the strongest to the meekest, they can only live if they want to. Some time or another, no matter how sadistic their desires or needs are, they find themselves bored. Even conquest and war is boring to them after a while, so they have begun to die of age. The first step is that they start to seclude themselves. When the father finds one or more of his offspring that are worthy of becoming his replacement, they eventually go into a final battle where the father demon pushes the very limits of his spawn. He will push them far enough to surpass him, then the cycle is complete. It then stays like that until the cycle begins again.” (Sir Ralph)
That made Lousphy have a cold feeling.
“Will that happen with David too?” (Lousphy)
All Sir Ralph did was nod, so Lousphy sadly closed her eyes. The day had been full of misery for her. The last several hours have been testing her heart and will over and over. Once she passes a test, another one takes its place. She just wanted to cry. However, she couldn’t do that now.
“You still haven’t answered my question.” (Lousphy)
Sir Ralph nodded again.
“You may still be too young to understand. Perhaps, you are too close to him to recognize that this is a balance of power. He has to relinquish it in order for balance to exist. As an angel, you must understand balance.” (Sir Ralph)
She only nodded, then she noticed that her hand ached. The ring didn’t feel right. Was it telling her that she wasn’t asking the right questions? Was it hurting her for the doubts that she was having? She tried to listen to its complaint, but she soon discovered it had no feelings. This was David’s heart. She didn’t know what was wrong, but she knew that it told her something, and that it was here for her.
Before she knew it, her hand was being held by Sir Ralph while he looked at the ring.
“Tell me what it told you.” (Sir Ralph)
Lousphy suddenly jerked her hand back.
“What! Told me something?” (Lousphy)
She gripped the ring on her hand.
“It can’t tell me anything. It only let me feel what David’s opinion is about what I’m thinking about.” (Lousphy)
Sir Ralph backed away.
“I see. Interesting. Is that all…. or all David told you to say?” (Sir Ralph)
Lousphy hid the ring with her other hand.
“I don’t know, but I can ask David.” (Lousphy)
The ring hurt her again. This time, it was a more general discomfort instead of pain. She rubbed it, which felt a little better.
“However, you must remember that I can’t tell you everything. Even if David permitted me to, I might feel like I don’t wish to in order to protect him. You won’t actually know if what I tell you is the truth. Now, listen Sir Ralph, I’ve been patient. I let you and David dictate my wedding. David has some rights, and I understand the circumstances. However, all you see of this situation is a power play. At least David has tried to make some effort to comfort me.” (Lousphy)
Sir Ralph stepped back quickly, which Lousphy obviously noticed. She didn’t know when, but she extended her wings and noticed she was angry, which was well within her right when she thought about it. She realized that her anger has been building up for weeks. She wasn’t known for bouts of rage, but she made up for that in bulk. However, after recognizing it, she immediately calmed herself down.
She clasped her hands and bowed, while folding her wings back.
“I’m sorry sir, it’s just…. a wedding is a groom and a bride’s special day, so I feel left out. I haven’t decided on anything about it so far. My love feels constrained by that. I didn’t mean to lash out.” (Lousphy)
Sir Ralph got out of his alert stance, then waved his hand.
“Your anger is justified. It’s true, I’m acting under the divine’s best interest and not yours, but I forgot that I’m supposed to be acting for you as well. What’s left has no real consequences. You can be free to have your wedding and all after that. If you see it fit of course.” (Sir Ralph)
Lousphy sighed in relief.
“Thank you sir. I’ve been under so much stress and so much worry since I discovered I loved David. I just want all this to be over so things can become quiet for awhile.” (Lousphy)
Sir Ralph smiled gently.
“I can relate to that Lousphy. I have been so busy since you met him, it’s all been red tape and paperwork. However, I believe your efforts are a good thing. If this demon wants peace, then that’s fine. Go have a fine life and remember the blessings of the divine are always with you.” (Sir Ralph)
(Some time later on a private hilltop)
“We are here under the light of the moon to wish this demon, David, and this angel, Lousphy in holy… unholy… matrimony. If there is anyone who wishes to object to this… union, speak now or forever hold your… objection…” (Sermon Angel)
The angel was clearly confused. The terms he normally used would mean nothing to a demon. There was one other person present other than the groom, which was his mother. She was a succubus who was more interested in seeing if she could manipulate the situation to her favor in any way. She was made to take a blood oath with David to keep quiet during the ceremony unless she was called on by David or Lousphy. She objected of course, but what demon wouldn’t? The others have already met her and have been in her presence for the past three hours before the moon reached its peak in both size and glow, before the wedding even started.
There was a superstition that this was the peak time for night creatures to come out, but it was just the opposite. The light just made things harder for the creatures of darkness. She kept quiet, despite how annoyed she was of her oath. She felt prideful when she learned of her son’s agreement and his achievements. Not many demons can say that they conned the divine, only David could boast about such a thing. The ceremony continued without incident. In the end, they each took a ring from a pillow and placed it on each other’s ring finger on their left hands. The succubus didn’t notice a second ring on the same hand of the angel.
Instead, she was concentrating on the white digit that held the ring on her son, then she also noticed that it didn’t burn him. After that, they kissed, then the dragon carried David down to the cave as the angel followed behind them. Luna didn’t let anyone past her as they went deep into the dark dank passage. Lit by floating fire made by David, he walked forward while carrying Lousphy. He purposely left the door open so he could enter without annoyance. Inside, there was a candlelit dinner with rich soup already served and red wine in glasses. David set her down so Lousphy could stand on her own.
“Honestly, I have no idea what comes after a divine’s wedding ceremony, so I figured whatever it is, we could do it on a full stomach.” (David)
Lousphy turned and kissed him before taking a seat.
“Honestly, I’ve missed your cooking. It’s not everyday that I eat something other than bread and water.” (Lousphy)
David pushed her chair in before sitting down on his own.
“No meat and no fish. It’s only plants and plant products.” (David)
After a quick prayer, Lousphy slowly tasted the broth of the sweet soup.
“It’s good.” (Lousphy)
David smiled.
“You shouldn’t tell anyone, but demons of my type are oversensitive to the sense of taste. If our food has even the slightest defects in it, it’s ruined for us. Whenever I fix something, I take extra care in it.” (David)
Lousphy ate the stew hungrily. It was very good, and David was very happy to stand up and get her seconds, even a third serving before he finished his first.
After the meal, Lousphy was satisfied with the food, and she didn’t want to eat another bite.
“David, you know me so well. For the divine, we should make love.” (Lousphy)
David lifted his eyebrow. He had completely forgotten about that again. In fact, he knew the definition just because he forgot about that fact before.
“I know Lousphy, but sex can be common enough between us. I thought we could do something special.” (David)
Lousphy felt undesirable for a moment.
“It’ll be my first time.” (Lousphy)
David set the dishes down.
“Mine as well.” (David)
David smiled gently. He was now determined for them to make love, not rape.
“I’ll be submissive, so try not to be so in control.” (David)
Lousphy stood up from the chair, then sat down on the bed. She pictured David uncaringly naked. This time, it wouldn’t be a crime on her innocence because he was her husband now. She tried to be as uncaring as David with her own sexuality as he came over to her and kissed her romantically.
