Reunited Family

**Natalie POV**

Lord Devon, Shiuku's ex-lapdog, stood glaring down at us skeptically.
Devon kept the blade of his sword at his side as he made his way down. Two steps in, we could all see what the hill had concealed. A fresh corpse, still bleeding from the wound in his neck, was dragged down behind Devon.
It wasn't until he reached the bottom and laid eyes on his wife that he released his bloodied weapon and victim. Quickly, he placed his hands under Aileen's arms and hoisted her up, encompassing her in a bone-crushing hug.
"What's going on here, love?"
Aileen got up on her tiptoes and pulled him into a lingering kiss. The two of them weren't here anymore; no corpse, no blood, no anger, just their world. Heck, I was getting caught up in their reunion.
Forcing my eyes away from the couple, I glanced up at Trevor. A nervous smile was in place of his previously mischievous grin.
"I'm not privy to such information affecting my people's and my family's lives. Prince Trevor has made his decision clear on multiple occasions now."
The Lord of Vernen's aura was a dark gray shade swirling in a tornado around his body.
Devon pointed to a folded paper in his pocket. Whatever it was, it made Trevor twitch. "Keep my wife and children safe. You swore!"
"I will. I am one of the DSS' best." They stared at each other knowingly until Trevor looked away. Something was still crawling under his playful surface. He needed to stop bottling it up!
Devon clicked his tongue and then gestured to the corpse. Something crossed his mind, pausing him.
Gently, he took Aileen's cheeks in his large hands again and kissed her temple comfortingly.
Lowly, almost whispering, Devon asked, "I'm here now, so explain why and how that dead man bears Shiuku's mark."
Aileen gasped, clutching her mouth. Devon was quick to pat her back right before she began puking.
"Aileen!"
"Stay back, Prince Trevor. If that man found our private training area and at this exact time, someone here is clearly a traitor." Princess Aileen stood back, wiping her lips on the back of her hand.
Trevor faked a smile, only pissing Aileen off further. "Well, my Cupcake and I have finally gotten together, and she's going to stop the assassin with me! She's proving to be an asset in finding him."
Aileen's attention snapped to me, regarding me with new suspicion. She wore it plainly as a neon face tattoo.
Aileen wagged her finger, opening her mouth.
She was interrupted by her own kids. "DADDY!!!" They both came barreling for their parents. Devon scooped them up, mindful to keep them faced away from the gore behind him. They clung to him, one in each arm. Kisses being rained on their heads, the children whined for their Dad to sing to them, stating how horrendously Trevor and Mommy do. Kalum went as far as to call it a punishment.
"Oh babies, I would love to! In return, maybe you two can help me convince Mommy to give you a little sister."
"Dev, I need to speak with Natalie first, and I need you there."
Devon squeezed and swung his kids before dropping them by Trevor. Their eyes met, taking the other in as if reading one another's minds. After a minute, Devon nodded, trusting his wife. He knelt to the kids, "I will sing to my star and sun soon. Spend a little more time with Prince Trevor. I do hope I can entrust their safety to you?"
"Of course, but I should hear too if it's that serious. Not only am I a prince charming, but I found out Natalie is my Swe-"
"Family only," Aileen stated, turning back to the castle. "I will add this is a direct order. Follow us, Natalie."
"Sis…"
Princess Aileen simply crossed her arms, stubborn and unyielding.
I kissed Trevor's cheek, hoping to reassure him. If this was about what was suggested last night, I had to know what more she learned. Tilting my head to the side, Trevor gave me a hard kiss. I let myself be solaced by his warm lips on mine. When we parted, I saw love and concern reflected back in his eyes. In my ear, he swore to be there for me when Aileen's discussion was finished.
Devon addressed the rest of the group, who were silently watching. "My apologies for being crass, but I do not take my family's safety lightly. I will be speaking with each of you privately starting at sunrise tomorrow. Prepare your defense."
His threat delivered, Devon joined his wife with me on their heels into the castle. We gave some people pause, but soon they recognized their princess and the Lord of Vernen. Aileen may not be wearing a fancy dress, but she held herself elegantly, not to mention the silver necklace adorned with symbolic charms she always wore. Her fingers trailed over the music note anxiously.
A shiver worked its way up my spine. *Wasn't that a gift from Shiuku?* Diana had been fuming when she'd heard about the present.
A gentle hand touched my elbow. Princess Aileen was lightly escorting me. That soft familiar feeling tried to wriggle around under my skin.
Upon entering her wing, Devon wasted no time offering his hand to his wife. Sure enough, he tugged her up into a tight embrace. Stuck in his trap, Aileen was carried the rest of the way to her chamber until they reached her bed. I didn't miss the shy leery smile she gave to her husband.
Devon and I sat on either side of Aileen while she laid back, her ponytail dangling off the bed. We both stared confoundedly at her, waiting for her to say something. When she did, Devon was clearly caught off guard. He must not have had any insight into the matter.
"Natalie, how did you wind up with Diana Kitz?"
I stayed silent, unsure why this was the direction she was steering the conversation.
"I'm not asking. Talk Pinkon; we are family after all." What? There's no way that…I mean, King Ulrich is- "let me just inform you, I may not have inherited my Father's ruthlessness, but after a rather cruel life lesson, did achieve his perception and judgment. Important skills when constantly around potential allies…or enemies."
My throat was dry as I thought of what was safe to reveal.
In a smoker's voice, I cracked out, "saving my Mom." *Get the words out. Just talk, use facts, but not detail.* If we're related, then she's also related to… "I was tricked by Shiuku and given to Diana. She marked me."
I watched the expression shift on Aileen's face as she sat up. I felt her heartbeat accelerate at the mention of Shion's Father. She took several deep breaths to compose herself.
"I assume Diana tortured you. Izzy mentioned random men joining. What happened to them?" Just like our walk here, the princess held my hand. "Take your time. I'm sure it hurts."
I wished she hadn't said it that way. Controlling my emotions while hearing those words was impossible.
"She did…and those men disappeared."
Caring or not, she could still turn out to be an enemy. I hated this, but someone at training was tricking me; us. There are too many unknowns. Technically, Devon was the only one who couldn't be the betrayer. The traitor started outwardly aiding the assassin the same day the princesses showed up. Devon was still in Vernen.
"You truly are a master at omission…So, the day the DSS attacked, why were you there?"
"Diana and Darren's help was requested."
"Okay, you mentioned you became Diana's to save your Mother. Have you thought about what I said yesterday? About your Father?"
Words struggled to leave my lips. Memories of the nasty things he did and said overwhelmed my mind. "I…I… hated Demon Lord Darren and Diana." I rested my head in my free hand. "My sister…and Dad."
Devon sprung up to his feet. "It takes more than blood to be Dad. He is only your sperm donor!"
"Love, sit," Aileen ordered gently, seeing the aggression on her husband's face. "Did Darren ever hint at you being his?"
"No."
Aileen nodded. "He is a rather despicable man. The only person I've ever hated as much I met that day as well. Trevor's true love." She spat out the last three words staring at me.
I hadn't even spoken back then. I was mute, too afraid of Trevor. I bit my lip and kept a straight face. They weren't going to see how much those words stung.
Aileen shifted the conversation. "Dev, please explain how you wound up working for Shiuku," in a light tone, she urged Devon.
Clearly uncomfortable, he rubbed at his neck.
"I was sold to Shiuku when I was a baby."
"What did you do for Shiuku?"
Devon bit his lip. "Infiltrate the DSS. Betrayed the DSS after thinking my true love was dead. Years later, helped Shiuku abduct her. And pretty much led her to his bed."
"What did you do during the battle for freedom against Shiuku?" Aileen prompted, squeezing her thigh.
Devon itched his blonde hair, thinking over his following words.
"I fought against my biological parent while the final guardian and her group all went to rescue those bound by Shiuku's mark. My Sperm Donor did not consider me his son. I wasn't a full demon like my freshly murdered sister. We battled, and he got away... However, during our fight, he gave me this scar that my wife finds irresistibly sexy. Then we all escaped Shiuku's hideout, and Aileen gave me two incredible children..." Devon pointed to his eye and heart as he flirted.
Aileen winked at him before he added, "in the other dimension, Shiuku hasn't given up on tormenting my wife and children, but I will never allow him to claim what's mine ever again."
Princess Aileen stood up abruptly. All joy was replaced with horror. Her skin was pale, as if she were ill and nauseated. Devon tried to stand up but was halted by his wife. Understanding passed between them, and he relaxed. Aileen leaned over and handed me a rolled-up paper from her nightstand before turning for the door. As she left, Aileen's fingers clutched the heart charm on Shiuku's necklace.
Beside me, I could see the hurt and helplessness glossing Devon's piercing blue eyes. His genuine love was plain for the world to see.
"All these years, and she still surprises me. Giving me this despite her mental state." Devon said in awe.
Confused, I unrolled the paper. It was Darren's family tree from yesterday. Written in black ink under a different Mom was…
"My sperm donor was Demon Lord Darren." With a friendly grin, he asked, "may I hug you, sister?"
I didn't answer him. Instead, I wrapped my arms around him. Tears spilled from my eyes; I didn't care to stop them. It'd been so long since I'd felt the warmth of family. Finding out Diana and Darren were related to me was a blow, one that was subsiding with this strong man holding me like a lifesaver in the middle of a raging ocean.
One of his large hands stroked my hair, his own cheeks wet. "I'm so sorry; I just stood there all those years ago. I had no idea. I have a sister, blood that doesn't want to kill me…I hope." He laughed in between sniffles.
The idiot! "Don't apologize. At least I had Mom's memory, and Izzy was by my side. Shiuku was all you knew growing up, who I'm positive wasn't a warm caregiver, right?" My heart tore, wondering how I would have survived without those two. Devon had to.
"Shiuku wanted me degraded so I wouldn't know how strong I was. That I was a demon lord's son. I was raped, humiliated, forced to cum, and…taste it…He had me murder those I respected, including Squad Leader Nye of the DSS. I was considered an executioner and lapdog… but none of that was the worst. It was being tricked into giving my true love to Shiuku. Several times he would have me wait outside their room, listening to them fuck, all while my love was being manipulated. Her weaknesses exploited."
His admission caused his shoulders to shake.
"You suffered so much on your own because of our Dad."
"Not our Dad. You were right under his nose and being abused. From the sounds of it, he let it happen."
I buried my head in his chest. I'd already almost lost my true love because of lies and hiding. I wasn't risking my brother too.
"You're right; he's not our Dad. And he never considered me his daughter. Our sister would put her fingers inside me and force me to cum. The worst was when they would torture Izzy too. Make me watch while being pleasured. Sometimes Darren would whip me during the scene. After he'd force Izzy and me to eat dog food out of a bowl near his feet while caressing my chest…He was planning on taking my virginity when we returned from Shiuku's hideout. He wanted to hear the pathetic teensy assassin scream."
Droplets from Devon plopped onto my tight fists balled behind his back. He kissed the top of my head, his hands still holding me.
"In the cold of night, in the light of day, I will be there to protect you. I'll be there to defend you. I'll be there to give you strength. Just look to me when you need me. For I love you most. Let me in; I will not boast. Let me in this harsh, harsh world."
He had a deep baritone, perfect pitch, and passion for the song he sang. His honest feelings translated into each note. No wonder his children…my nephews, begged him to sing.
"A heaven's lullaby sung by a grieving fallen guardian angel," I said lamely.
He relented on his hug enough to meet my gaze, grinning wide. "The first time I sang for Aileen, she quipped that I could never sing for other women. I would swoon them too easily."
"Yes, well ya know it wasn't just you. The song was beautiful itself. I already have one ego head to deal with, ya know. Don't need a second one! Anyways, I won't rat you out to your wife for singing to me."
"My wife and I keep no secrets. Love doesn't deceive."
Unable to ask if he knew the truth about Shion, I changed the subject. "So, did you write that sweet song?"
Shaking his head, he explained, "It's the Lutz family lullaby. Apparently, Aileen wrote it down one day in the other dimension, homesick. Trevor snooped on her room, found, and learned it to soothe Aileen. The song means so much, to my wife and family, so I learned it. I did write a song for my children though. I sang it as a present to Shion while his Mother was still pregnant with him."
No doubt, Devon unconditionally loved those two kids. It was in every word he uttered about Shion and Kalum.
Devon hesitated, his face turning serious again. "Things are going to get difficult as we uncover the truth… I'm certain there was a traitor at the training grounds in your group of friends. Just know, it might be several years late, but big bro is here for you…hmmm… guess this means I have to have the big brother conversation with Trevor. Let him know if he ever breaks your heart, I'll have a reason to beat his ass now. Oh karma is wonderful!"
We laughed while he wiped my remaining tears away.
Letting your hardships out and just letting them flow is a seemingly basic but soul-lightening need. I just had to get Trevor to see it too.
"Ya know, we'll figure it out. All of us, together. But we won't hurt alone ever again. No matter who the betrayals are from, I will protect my loved ones too…" I grabbed Devon's hands in mine, peering up at him innocently. "So ya know since we're family… can you teach me the song?"