I can’t help but chuckle. You can see the doomed expression on some of their faces, and the look of hope on others.
“Which one is it?” Gareth asks, looking hopeful.
“I said soon. It’s not time to tell yet, but she will be in need of her sin soon,” he says.
Wow, if he had acted like that before I met my bride, I would have gone crazy.
This time, there is a weakness in our family; the brides. Until all the bonds are formed and completed, the whole family is at risk.
I look at my father when a thought pops into my head.
“Do you get a bride?” I ask.
My brothers go quiet looking at each other, and then at my father, like the thought never occurred to them.
He doesn’t say anything for a moment, but gets this look on his face of sorrow and longing. He lets out a long sigh before he speaks.
“I had a bride once. She was my everything. Lilith was my world. She was taken from me too soon. We had created you boys together. Talked about what each of our sons and daughters would be like; having this big family. We were ready.”
He stops talking and looks away like he’s gathering the courage to keep going.
“What happened?” Jasper asks quietly.
“The first time someone tried to take my crown, they nearly succeeded. My Lilith had died during the fight, and I wasn’t sure If I could keep going on without my bride. During herlast moments, she reminded me of our promise to create the family we had always wanted. I turned my grief into rage and annihilated anyone who dared to question me. It’s how I stayed in power after losing my love.”
The silence feels so loud in this moment.
I can tell on his face that the loss and agony from losing his bride never went away.
Without a word, my dad gets up and heads to his quarters.
“I can’t believe none of us thought about our father having a life before us,” Lorenzo says.
“It’s weird to think of our own parents having lives. I just always thought he made us. I never thought about him doing it because of love,” Gareth says.
“Your dad has lived for a long time. The sorrow he feels never went away or lessened. He just moves along, taking everything moment by moment, but he mourns constantly,” a voice says from the hallway. I look over and see my bride leaning against the wall with a sad expression on her face.
I hold out my hand to her. She walks over and sits directly on my lap.
“You knew?” Otis asks, sitting up straighter and looking at Serenity.
Serenity gives a little smile. “Of course I knew. Your father had let me take his hand one day so I could learn more about him. I think he wanted to open up to someone without actually saying the words out loud. The pain he feels is almost like it’s fresh and happened to him yesterday.”
“I wish we could bring her back for him,” Leopold states.
“I had been looking into a lot of your books and files in the library that you guys have here. The dust is so thick in there; when was the last time anyone went in there?” Serenity asks with wide eyes.
“Centuries. You were saying…” Lorenzo asks.
“In the library, I found information on reincarnation, and I think that there might be a possibility Lilith might have been put back on earth without her memories. The goal was to separate Lucifer and Lilith. They succeeded, but they didn’t know where to send her soul. They likely just recycled her,” Serenity says excitedly.
“That’s a good theory, but there is no way to find if that’s true, or where she even is. Someone could have also taken her soul. We don’t know for sure if it was recycled,” Lorenzo says thoughtfully.
“Maybe it’s just a matter of time. We have no idea what kind of powers the other brides have but, as you guys have said, the family will be weak until each bond is formed and completed. That will also include Lucifer’s bride,” Serenity states.
“That’s true. I can’t believe no one realized that,” Otis says with a sigh.
“I think we need to wait and see what other powers are going to be added to the family,” I tell my brothers.