Chapter 27

The words out of Lucius Satani's mouth hung in the air between us, so heavy that I could almost picture them written in the air before me. I blinked up at him, unable to speak to answer him straight away.

There was a part of me which wanted to leap into his arms and promise him that yes the next wedding would be ours – I had already kind of promised that by default. And yet there was the part of me which was rational. A part of me that knew his words were nothing more than the wedding fever infecting his brain.

"Is that supposed to be a wedding proposal?"

Lucius settled Danny between us, pulling us all into a hug – our strange and slightly dysfunctional family. "Do you want it to be a proposal? I planned on doing the full works – dinner, the ring and the romantic gesture but then again, when did normal ever suit us?"

I laughed unable to stop myself from doing so and then kissed him on the lips, intending just to give him an affectionate peck but lingering as delicious warmth filled me. I don't think I could ever get used to the feel of his lips against mine. We had been dancing around each other for so long I still couldn't believe that we were really kissing.

I pulled away, lips parting from his reluctantly.

Sighing loudly, I stared up at him and shook my head. "I'm not letting you off that easy. I want dinner, the ring and the big romantic gesture you big oaf."

Lucius kissed me on the lips smiling widely but quickly stilled. Pulling away just enough that he could look into my eyes, he asked, "Is that a yes though?"

I paused, tapping my finger against my chin. It was kind of fun to allow the man to sweat just a bit. AI already knew what my answer would be – I loved the man and it wouldn't make a difference if he asked me now or ten years from now. The answer would still be the same because I knew deep within my heart and soul that this was right. This was how things were supposed to happen.

"It's a buy me a ring and buy me dinner - I'll most probably say yes." I responded seriously, eyes holding his and my lips struggling not to lift up into a smile. "...if you get me a really nice ring."

Lucius threw back his head and laughed before ticking my sides.

I gigged and smacked him playfully on the chest. I felt lighter, much lighter than I had for a long time. I had my son and I had Lucius – the two most important parts of my life.

When we stopped to catch our breath, Danny still chuckling from within Lucius arms, I paused between my giggles long enough to say, "Of course it's a yes."

Throwing back his head Lucius whooped happily. Then he spun around rapidly while Danny clung on to his neck. The serious smile of my son's face fell away and for a moment he was the carefree child he had been before his time with the Angels. It was hard to describe the feelings that flowed through me as I watched the pair with an answering smile on my lips. There was warmth in my chest and I felt content – truly content. It was blissful.

In that moment I knew that I was making the right choice - the best choice for my family. He was the Devil, a fallen angel and one of the rulers of hell but he was also a man – a great man.

He swooped by, taking my hand so that he could pull me into a spin, dancing us towards the exit of the throne room. Snorting at the wide, unrestrained smile upon his face, I added, "It's not like I was ever going to say no to you, Lucius. I love you even if I don't say it out loud very often. I am always thinking it."

He closed the distance between us, his lips pressing against mine fervently. With that one kiss so many unspoken things were said. With that one passionate kiss the deal between us was sealed. I had promised my soul to the Devil but I wouldn't have it any other way.

"It's about time." A voice cut into our moment pulling me back to the present.

Pulling my lips away from Lucius' with much reluctance, I glanced up to see Castiel standing just a few feet away, his arms folded across his chest while a smirk played across his lips. It was a strange expression to see on his face but then the man had changed a lot. Even now, when he was teasing us, I could see the lingering shadows which continued to haunt him.

"Do you know he's been insufferable since the moment he met you?" He chuckled, the lines around his eyes relaxing for a moment as he did so. "He's constantly talking about you. It's quite annoying actually."

The guards who had been stood on either side of the doors to the throne room stood off to the side, their lips twitching up into unwilling smiles while they tried to look anywhere but at us.

Lucius pouted but didn't release me; instead he pulled me into his side. His arm wrapped around my waist and he laid his hand across my stomach in an almost territorial move. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and instead relished in his touch. I wasn't one for public displays of affection but even though he had just told me he wanted to marry me, the relationship between us was still new and untested.

"Anyway, let's get back to the real reason I am here." Castiel said, unfolding his arms and pushing up onto his feet. "Hades is looking for you Lucius. He said you two had a few things to discuss." He raised a single brow.

"Thanks Cass," Lucius responded, making no attempt to answer the unspoken question. "Come on, we're missing the party of the year."

Without waiting for a response, the arm around my waist was guiding me past the curious guards and past Castiel. The dark haired fallen angel chuckled and shook his head before following behind us.

The festivities were in full swing as we emerged outside into the courtyard of the palace. There were dark wings, light wings and skins of every colour imaginable. It was a beautiful sight. After so much fighting and so much death it was incredible to see so many people coming together. There was no sign of hate or distrust. There was only joy and happiness as they all came together in celebration.

Entering into the crowds, I was overwhelmed by the scents of rich wine, the sweetness of the most potent ambrosia and the soothing notes of burnt sage. Bodies pressed tight to us on all sides. Hands stretched out and stroked at our arms , faces and hands. Voices called out greeting from all sides, adoration written into their features as they made their way through.

Looking up at the man who held me so tightly, I felt blessed. These were his people, he was their King and they loved him. I could only hope that they would judge me worthy enough to stand at his side.

"You okay?" Lucius voice asked, his lips brushing against my ear as he spoke.

I lifted my eyes to meet his and smiled, offering a small nod at the same time.

For a second our gazes locked and nothing was said. He opened his mouth as if to say something and I knew that it was important because he was rarely this hesitant. And then his eyes lifted ever so slightly, his gaze focusing on a point behind me. His mouth clapped shut with a click as his teeth snapped together and Lucius released a long sigh.

Leaning forwards he pressed his lips to my forehead before passing over into my arms.

"Stay here for a moment," he spoke loudly so that his voice carried over the noise of the crowd. "I need to speak with Hades. I won't be long."

He leant forwards and pressed a kiss on to the top of Danny's head. Attempting to move past me, I caught hold of his arm and held him in place until his blue eyes were focused on me and only me.

"Are you okay? Is everything okay?" I asked, almost afraid to know what the answer would be.

He paused, lips quirking up at the sides before he laid his hand over mine. "Everything is fine. I just need to speak to Hades," he reassured me, his thumb stroking over the back on my hand as he did so. "I'll tell you all about it shortly. Go and get some food. Dance and enjoy the party. I'll come and join you in a minute."

Releasing my hold on his arm, I allowed him to slip away from me. My eyes however refused to release their hold and I watched him weave a path through the celebrations until he finally reached the beaming blonde man. Hades crown flashed with Zeus' lightning at frequent internal which only made his hair glisten and glow.

As soon as they were within arm's reach, the men embraced and then immediately started bowed their heads in conference. My lip reading skill still required improvement so I turned away from the pair and headed into the merriment. Accepting a drink off of a passing tray, I took a sip of the fruit juice and sighed. The red wine was so tempting. I knew that the wine in the underworld was exquisite but I was not alone and I could not forget my responsibilities.

Hugging Danny closer to my body, I proceeded to dance my way through the crowd. His excited giggles warmed my heart and my arms clutched him tighter to my body. he was here, he was safe.

A tap on my shoulder drew me out of our little bubble. I glanced over my shoulder and smiled up at the radiant woman standing there. I didn't know the woman well but the few times I had spoken to Hades' new wife I got the impression that she was kind and maybe a tad shy. She only over spoke softly, as if her voice was afraid to break the tranquillity of the world around her.

There was none of that today. Her smile was wide and there was a rosy flush on her cheeks. And as she leant close to wrap an arm around me and my son, I caught the overly sweet smell of ambrosia. I tried not to balk at the overt display of affection and instead patted her on the shoulder.

"Congratulations, I'm so happy for you." I offered by way of greeting.

"Thank you." Nicolette replied, her face relaxed under the intoxicating influence of the golden nectar. "I'm so excited to go back to the surface. There's still so much I need to see. I suppose I should be thanking Lucius. It's the greatest wedding present I could ever have had. "

I frowned.

A loud cheer in the crowd drew my attention away from the blushing bride for a moment. A woman was being spun in circles, her vivid green hair fanning through the air as she laughed loudly. All around them people were clapping and cheering.

I shook my head and looked back at Nicolette. "What did Lucius do?" I asked.

"He's taking over so that Hades and I can go on our honeymoon. Didn't you know? I assumed he would have told you." Nicolette chirped as her face flushed with excitement. "He'll be down here for six months after all. It was so nice of him to offer this gift when I told him how much I wanted to return to the surface."

I sucked in a sharp breath. Lucius was staying in the underworld? Realising the woman was waiting for a response, I gave a non-committal shrug. "Yes, so nice."

After a few more pleasantries, the bride was called away and Danny was invited to play by some adorable leather winged children. I allowed him to go, my eyes never straying from his small form. Yet now that I was alone, the doubts started creeping in.

Lucius was leaving me?

He appeared almost as if my thoughts had summoned him.

"Is everything okay?" Lucius asked, stepping up to my side and pulling me into the safety of his body. I relished his warmth while steeling my heart in preparation of what was to come.

"Why don't you tell me?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Pulling away, I looked up at the man. "Nicolette told me."

His face went blank, his eyes closing off from me for several long seconds and then he let out a weary sigh. "Ah."

"Ah? Is that all you can say? You're coming down here for six months and you can only say ah?" I gave him a thump on the arm and shot him a glare.

"I don't see what the problem is. We stay here for six months so they can enjoy being newlyweds and we can have a bit of R and R away from the humans. Then we return home."

My heart skipped in my chest as I squeaked out, "We?"

He was quiet, his eyes watching for several moments and then he laughed. "Did you think I would come down here for six months without you? You're going to be my wife – I'm not letting you go."

I blinked away the tears which threatened to fall. Then, unable to stop myself, I leant forwards and pressed my lips to his while my arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

The kiss started slowly, a gentle caress of my lips which had soothing warmth flooding through my body. My hands twitched with the need to hold Lucius close and I did just that. Fisting my hands into the fabric of his shirt, I pulled myself as close to him as possible, my body pressed up against his so that I could feel the hard planes of his body against mine.

There was still so much to discuss, so much to figure out between us but there would plenty of time for that in the future. So instead, in the midst of strangers and old friends, I allowed myself to enjoy the sensation of being in Lucius arms without worrying about the consequences.

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