Katrina

Aphelion's outburst startles me awake, sending me jumping from his arms. What has gotten him so riled up. I can see his fingers clenching a photo making me wonder if the photo is the culprit of his anger. Did he find out Zeus was also tied into this somehow? Is that why he's so upset? It wouldn't surprise me if Zeus was somehow tied into all of this. He's seemed to hate me from the very beginning. It honestly wouldn't be shocking if being judged by the council was a front for my capture. I could totally see Zeus working with Braham and Kek. There are angels in the sky kingdom; I'm sure Zeus has to interact with Braham occasionally. I can almost picture them scheming together over a bottle of whiskey.

"Shit, sorry, Princess." Aphelion grimaces apologetically, pulling me back into his arms and kissing the top of my head. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"It's okay, Sparky. You wanna tell me what all that yelling was about, though?" I ask, turning around so my legs are around Aphelion's waist and my back toward Beckett, who instantly wraps me up in his arms.

At his crestfallen look, I can tell I'm not going to like what he has to say. I feel Beckett go rigid against me. Miles has a fire in his eyes as if he wants to burn down the world, Luka looks like someone just kicked a puppy in front of him, and Samael's expression can only be described as shock. What the hell had these men learned in the short time that I'd fallen asleep?

"I'd rather not tell you, Princess. It's going to upset you, and I don't know if I can handle seeing your reaction without stalking down and murdering him on the spot." Aphelion growls, eyes imitating Miles.

"We promised each other no more secrets," I state firmly, narrowing my eyes at him. "The Good, The bad, and the ugly. I want to hear it all. No matter how the other person reacts, we need to be prepared for anything. Besides, " I smile, trying to ease his mind, "If I break, I have all of you to put me back together again."

Aphelion opens his mouth to say something, closes it, bites his lip, and opens it again, but words aren't coming out. He's silent, and his nostrils are flaring. I don't think I've ever seen Aphelion this angry, and I've witnessed incidents where he was all riled up.

It's Luka who manages to recover the quickest, reaching over and plucking me from Beckett and Aphelion, pulling me into his lap, and staring into my eyes.

"First, a kiss," Luka murmurs against my lips before bringing his down to mine.

There's something about the way Luka kisses. Each kiss, no matter how soft or rough, erotic or not, feels like he's making love to mouth, declaring how much he loves me in a way only touch can. His lips are soft and gentle against mine and the kiss ends too soon for my liking, his nose brushing against mine before he pulls away. I let out a soft moan, earning me the briefest of smiles before the light dims from his eyes once more.

"Aphelion saw your mom today."

Eyes widening and jaw-dropping in shock, I can't stop the millions of thoughts running through my mind. Aphelion saw Lilith. Where? Why didn't he say something earlier? If she's safe, why hasn't she come to find me? And again, Why didn't Aphelion tell me when he first saw me? He knows how hurt I am by my parents disappearing without a trace, leaving me at the Orphanage, even if it was for the best. And why didn't Ares and DeGe know of Lilith's sudden reappearance? Why hasn't she gotten in contact with the people who helped her disappearance?

My heart rate accelerates, and I can feel the sweat begin to prickle on my nose as the anxiety creeps in. My chest tightens and my breath hitches, the signs of an oncoming panic attack.

"i know you probably have a lot of questions..." Luka starts.

"That's an understatement." I murmur, earning me that "really" look only teachers can make.

"But," Luka continues, "We are just as shocked as you are and don't have any answers to your questions." He states bluntly.

How the hell would he know? He hasn't even heard my questions yet.

"Aphelion saw your mother in Simmins office before he left for the Sky Kingdom. Simmins introduced the woman as his Wife's cousin, Lilly. They left abruptly after the introductions." Luka explains.

"How did you not know it was Lilith?" I ask, turning slightly to look at Aphelion, "Her photo is plastered everywhere in the Demonic and Angels studies classroom, and I'm sure in the history books."

"She doesn't look the same. In all the pictures I've seen of her, she has pitch-black hair, and her brown eyes are so dark they appear black in most photos. The woman I saw looks like this." Aphelion states, passing the picture to me.

The picture was taken from a distance; the camera zoomed in as close as possible but not close enough to make out the surroundings. The woman is the focal point, the only clarity in the photo. Her hair is up in a bun, the blonde so light it appears white, her eyes a piercing blue, reminding me of the sky on a cloudless day. She's heavily pregnant and has a smile on her face. She's standing with a man whose features I can't really make out, but I'm assuming it's Loki from how friendly they appear; his features too dark to be Michael. I absently mindedly caress the photo, running my finger over the picture, my heart tightening. I look like my mom. From what I've seen, I thought most of my features came from Michael, but looking at the woman in the picture, is like looking at a slightly older version of myself, making me wonder how old she was when she had me.

"Either being on Earth has brought back some of her angelic features, or her powers have grown, and she's able to transform her entire look," Aphelion states, his eyes downturned.

"Anything else you want to share with the class?" I ask, putting the photo in my lap before leaning toward him to grab his chin and pull his face upward so I can see his expression. I don't want him to think I'm upset with him because I'm not. No, now I'm just angry. Not at Aphelion for not recognizing Lilith, but at Lilith for having been this close to her daughter and doing nothing about it. I'm mad at Headmaster Simmins for keeping secrets. Even if he doesn't know my parentage, he should've told the Heirs to the Kingdoms about Lilith's presence instead his hiding things.

Aphelion looks guiltily at me. His eyes are everywhere but into mine; whatever he's about to say will either upset me further or possibly lighten the mood.

"Err.." He brushes his spiky hair back, the copper tone of it glinting off the lights, his biceps bulging with emotion, making my core clench. Fuck, these men make me horny, but right now is definitely not the time for that. "Well.." He looks nervous now, "Alright, but don't get mad," Oh, this is going to be good. I shoot him a glare, waiting for him to continue, "Your mom's a total MILF." He blurts, faces flushing, ears tinging pink, "When I met her, it felt like her beauty overcame me. The amount of lust rolling over my body was almost uncontrollable. I'm not sure how I would've reacted if we weren't fated." He replies sheepishly, "I'm ashamed to admit it, but she also felt eerily familiar, like we'd met before. Simmins said something to her, and it was like the air in the room cleared, and everything went back to normal."

I can't help the laugh that overcomes me, my entire body giving into it, shoulders shaking, bellyaching. I want to tease him for lusting after Lilith, but instead, I'll let him in on a little secret of mine. "I thought Zeus was totally Daddy material when I first met him, but then I realized he's only Father-in-Law material, if that."

Aphelion looks horrified, and Beckett lets out a growl of irritation, muttering something about him being the only Daddy in my life. Sorry to disappoint Sharkboy, but if Michael is alive and comes back into my life, you won't be the only Daddy anymore. And yuck. That thought alone is disgusting and makes my stomach churn. I'm sure I'm grimacing outwardly. I might have to stop calling Becks, Daddy. I can almost picture it, we are all at dinner, and I ask Daddy to please pass the rolls, causing Beckett and Michael to reach for them simultaneously. Yeah, yuck. That's not going to happen. On second thought, Fuck Michael. The daddy position has been filled; you can be Father since you are all angelic and shit, basically priest-like. I'm sure there are plenty of Father Michaels out there, so I'll just add you to that list. Of course, this thought causes me to chuckle, bringing all the attention in the room to me. Yep, my guys probably think I've officially lost it.

"So, you aren't mad?" Aphelion asks worriedly.

I think for a minute, even though I know I'm not mad at any of my men, I just like to watch them sweat; hmm... maybe I am a little bit of a masochist in some ways. It must be a part of being a sex demon, you've got to have a surplus amount of kinks to qualify, and of course, I'm smiling once again at my inner jokes. "Nah, not at you, Sparky. The world maybe, definitely Lilith, possibly Michael, and a little Simmins, but you're all safe from my wrath."