Luka

The underworld is surprisingly quiet when we arrive. It's still pretty early, but I would've expected to see some liveliness. It's so quiet I can hear the hissing of steam every time a hot rock falls into the river and the crunching of the gravel under our feet as we walk toward Luka's family home.

"Is it always this quiet in the morning?"

"Yep, you know what they say; morning is for the living," Samael replies, smiling over at me.

"I thought that saying was for the vampires," I reply, shooting a smile back at him.

We are here to try and find more information on Lilith and visit her sisters in the hopes that they might have information that hasn't been shared about the Queen of Succubi. Even though we're here on a mission, it is nice to get away with just Samael. Our lives have been so crazy; we really haven't had time alone together. So just walking by his side as we head toward his home is a present, especially when I see the stress melting off his shoulders.

"And where do these Vampires reside, Professor?" Samael taunts.

"Punk." I tease, rolling my eyes.

It happens in a flash. One moment we're walking side by side just on the outskirts of the house, and the next, I'm being pinned up against the brick wall, only the vines from Persephone's flowers cushioning the impact. Samael's body is pushed up against mine. His face is mere inches from mine; his eyes are blazing as he stares down at me.

"Can I help you?" I ask, smirking innocently, knowing exactly why he has me pinned to the wall.

"You can help me get rid of this." He growls, grinding himself against me, his erection pressing against my thighs, making my breath hitch.

"Your highness, what would your subjects think if they walked by and saw you rubbing yourself wantonly on an innocent passerby?" I ask as I widen my eyes and blink up at him innocently.

His hand strikes out, grabbing my chin, forcing me to gaze into his eyes. With Katrina, he holds back, afraid of hurting her, but I get the full force of his brutality, and fuck is it hot.

"My subjects would love to stumble upon their Prince in the throes of passion." He growls, his free hand roaming between us and cupping my cock, causing my breath to hitch, "Unfortunately for them, I'm very busy today," He smiles wickedly before stepping away.

Except I'm not about to let him go that easy. I grab his arm, pulling him back toward me, turning our bodies so now it's I who has him pushed up against the castle walls, my hot breath fanning his skin. As I trail my tongue against his jaw, our phones ping, interrupting the sexual tension in the air.

**Katrina's Sex Slaves**
*Beckett: Family Meeting tonight*.

Hmm... I wonder what Beckett's found. I shoot a quick text back, my interest piquing.

*Me: What's up?*
*Samael: Everything okay?*
*Aphelion: See ya then, Daddy.*

I can't help it when a laugh escapes, fucking Aphelion. He's definitely the sunshine in our group. Even in times of stress, he seems to bring a smile to at least one of our faces, if not all. I wait a few minutes to see if Katrina or Miles are going to respond, and when they don't, I slide my phone back into my pocket. I still have Samael pinned against the wall, but the fire that was there only minutes ago is gone now, but I'm not ready to release him yet. So instead of trying to provoke him and forcing him to lose control, I let my lips brush against his, wanting to feel the touch of his kiss. The way Samael kisses, you're lucky if you don't become lost in it. He kisses with his entire soul as if he's trying to fill you with his very essence. He captivates every part of your body, making you a slave to him. When his lips leave yours, you're left with an ache, an emptiness inside, and you're left waiting, wanting, needing his lips on yours again.

"Come on." He whispers against my lips, "We'd best hurry up; the quicker we get what we've come here to get, the quicker you can have me in your bed." He winks, sliding out from underneath my arms, grabbing my hand, and pulling me toward his home.

When we open the door, we're surprised to hear voices coming from the dinning hall. Samael had thought his parents would be on the surface, but it seemed they'd come home for the weeked.

"Samael, baby, is that you?" Persephone calls.

"Yeah, mom." He answers as he starts to walk down the hallway.

"Your father and I weren't expecting you this weekend." Persephone replies.

I can faintly hear a chair scooting out and the click-clack of heels against the tile as she makes her way toward us.

"Yeah, uhh... the professor needed something for one of his lessons, so I offered to help him get it from the archives," Samael replies, grimacing, knowing he'll no longer be able to run down the hallway.

"Oh, that's nice of you." Persephone states as she enters the walkway, "Oh... you... you are...oh wow." Her cheeks flush red as she looks from Samael to me and back again. "Sorry," She flushes. "I didn't mean to stutter. It just took me by surprise; I wasn't expecting it... I mean, you're fated to Katrina." She finally manages to get out.

Wait, how did she know we were together? We took a potion concealing our bond; no one should be able to see that we've completed a bond. Yet, when I use my sight to see our auras, you can clearly see that they're woven together, curled into each other's embrace. Why wasn't the concealment working here?

"Seph." Hades calls, walking into the room, "What's..." And
then he pauses, his blue flames erupting from his skin, his eyes burning with rage, the look on his face full of hatred like he wants to strike me down where he stands. "No, absolutely not. This isn't happening. Not in my house. Not to my son. Not to the future King of the Underworld. I will not allow it. It is unacceptable."

"Father, you have no say in this," Samael responds.

"I HAVE EVERY SAY IN THIS. MY SON WILL NOT BeE MATED TO ANOTHER MAN!" He yells, his flames licking the walls, heating the room to unbearable heat.

Persephone and I are fortunate that our mate bonds protect us from the flames of the underworld; I've also noticed that Persephone has redecorated since the last time we were here for dinner. Her vines and flowers are no longer strung throughout the home as decor. Which is probably a good thing, seeing as how fired up Hades is.

"MY SON IS NOT A FA..." Hades starts, but his sentence is cut off, surprisingly, by Persephone. She's wrapped his mouth with a thorny vine, sealing it shut.

"Hades, your behavior is despicable. How dare you try to stop what the stars have aligned. If you cannot accept our son, accept him for who he is, then you have no place being here. You can find somewhere else to go, someone who'll accept your pigheadedness because I will not tolerate it. Who are you to think that you can undo the strings that fate has wove? Accept your son, accept his bond with Luka, or leave," Persephone hisses, her eyes filling with tears as she chooses acceptance over her son, over her husband's misguided notions, the vines around Hades' mouth turning black as her heart bleeds.

Hades says nothing in response. He flashes away, disappearing, leaving Persephone standing there, sobs wrenching from her body.

"Mom." Samael calls, striding over to her and pulling her into his arms, "You didn't have to do that."

"Yes, I did, Baby." She whispers, pulling away, grabbing Samael's cheeks in her hands, tilting his head down so she can look into his eyes, "The moment I held you in my arms for the first time, I vowed to protect you from the cruelty of this world. I vowed to accept you for who you are. I vowed to love you unconditionally. And while I soon discovered I couldn't protect you from all the evils in this world, there were still things I could do. Like telling your pompous ass of a dad to kick rocks until he learns to get the fuck over his own issues."

Persephone gets up on her tiptoes and kisses Samael's forehead, cradling his face in her hands, before she pulls back out of his embrace."I'm sorry for the way I reacted early. I was just taken by surprise. I am so happy for you," She smiles at Samael before turning to me, "and you, Luka. It's nice to know that my baby will have two people who love him unconditionally at his side." She steps forward, taking me in her arms and hugging me. "I've always been fond of you, Luka, since you were just a little lad; you have a heart of gold. I couldn't have asked for anyone better for my son." Taking a step back, she smiles at the both of us, and I can see that she is truly happy for us, "Now, I'll let you boys get back to it; if you need anything, just holler. I'll be in the dinning room; I need to finish redecorating." She smiles, turning away from us and walking back in the direction she came.