Chapter 48: Samael

Are you going to tell me what the fuck that was?" Luka asked after we departed from the cyclopses, Lilac and her troupe having led us to the prison entrance.

"I don't know what you want me to say," I responded, feeling guilty for not having told him before we entered Tartarus that he was the heir to the kingdom. "You wouldn't have believed me."

"When did you find out?" Luka asked as he walked toward a locked cupboard pressing his hands against the wood, calling to the magic inside to reveal its contents.

"When I went home. Beckett was pissed that I hadn't intervened when you mated Katrina. We haven't gone head to toe since we were kids, but this wasn't something I would back down on. I fully supported you and Katrina, and if Beckett couldn't, I wasn't going to allow his negativity to flow around you and Katrina. Eventually, Aphelion was able to calm us with news from his father that Katrina was to be brought forth and introduced to the council, and then Miles told us all the reason your mating made sense. He told us that as Loki's closest descendant, you're heir to the throne of Tartarus. Lilith gifted Loki Tartarus, making him ruler of the land; while Loki doesn't claim the throne, the lands still belong to him and his heir; with the throne left unattended, it's up to you to claim that title. You're the prince of darkness. You're the mate to Katrina's darkness."

"Were you ever planning on telling me any of this?" Luka asks, a hint of hurt flashing in his eyes.

"Yes." I replied, watching in awe at how freely Luka's magic worked through the shields of Lilith's prison, unlocking and opening each mechanism it came into contact with, "I just hadn't found the right time. I was so distracted by the Etir and my attraction toward you, and then with our mating, it honestly slipped my mind." I grabbed his arm, turning him away from the contents in the armoire he was now rifling through, "I'm sorry, Luka." I whispered, gripping his chin in my hands and staring into his eyes, letting my emotions speak freely, "if I have to, I'll spend the rest of our lives making it up to you?"

"The rest of our lives?" Luka asks, raising an eyebrow and smirking at me.

My face flushes red with embarrassment. To me, being mated meant forever. I didn't second guess that I'd spend eternity with Katrina and Luka for a moment. Our lives together were woven in the stars when our world was but a sparkle in Jehova's eyes. We were end-game.
"Yess, forever." I declared once I got past my initial embarrassment, jutting my chin out, showing that he wouldn't be able to change my mind.

"Well, in that case, you're forgiven. Although I'd have loved to see the prince of the Underworld grovel." Luka replied teasingly, placing a chaste kiss on my lips before turning to search through the armoire again.

"What does the elixir look like?" I asked Luka as I started to sift through another cupboard.

"Like liquid sunshine, the complete opposite of the Etir."

We searched endlessly through the prison, opening every nook and cranny, but Freyja's elixir was nowhere to be found. There was only one room left to search, but Luka grabbed my hand, pulling it away from the handle when I reached out to open the door.

"That's Lilith's chamber." He stated, his brows curled with worry.

"And?" I asked, wondering why Lilith's chamber would cause Luka to worry.

"There's enchantments in that room that will drive you to insanity. Only a descendant of Loki, Eris, or Lilith can enter that room."

"Well, I'm not letting you search it yourself," I replied, crossing my arms and folding them firmly across my chest.

"I'm sorry, Sam, but if it helps the kingdoms, you can't stop me from entering the room," Luka answered, raising his hand and grabbing my arm.

It took me a second too long to realize that he'd used an immobility spell on me, rendering me useless in this situation.

"I'll be right back, I promise." He replied, answering my stunned expression. "I'd ask for forgiveness, but I know I'll be forgiven when I walk out with the elixir." He smiled before turning the door and walking inside.

I'd hoped that his magic would release me when the closed door severed our connection, but it held tight, and for the first time in my entire life, I felt helpless. If danger was lurking behind that door, Luka was on his own. As I stood frozen in time, counting the seconds as they passed, I couldn't help the overwhelming sense of dread that crawled over my body. Someone close to me was going to end up injured. Being the heir to the underworld kingdom, I was given the gift of premonition. Of course, my gift came with stipulations. I could only sense negativity, and it was never clear where it was happening or who it was happening to; I'd only learned recently that it affected those close to me. I cautiously reached out to my mate bonds; Katrina felt safe and secure, and while I couldn't get a real reading on Luka's, I could sense that he was okay, meaning the danger wasn't toward them. I reached for my familial bonds. Next, Mom and Dad were safe; it felt like they were in the sky kingdom; they were probably visiting Zeus and Athena on Mount Olympus, not that it mattered; they were never in the Underworld. I searched for each of my cousins next. Aphelion and Miles' bond felt similar to Katrina's, meaning whatever they were doing, they were doing it together, not that that left much to the imagination. Beckett's bond was harder for me to reach; while we were cousins and were destined to rule one of the four kingdoms, Beckett and I weren't close, which caused our bond to be weak, something I would have to rectify at a later date. I strained to reach Beckett's bond; pure agony and pain washed through my body. I could feel Beckett's nearness, and I could tell that he'd been gravely injured.

The door to Lilith's prison cell opened, and I let out a sigh of relief as my blond-haired man walked out unscathed with a bottle of golden elixir in his hand. His aura was stronger, and I could tell that he'd unleashed his true power, battling against whatever trials resided in Lilith's cell.

"Still mad?" He asked, waving his hand over me, releasing me from his cell.

"We will discuss that bullshit later. Right now, I need to find Beckett. He's in trouble." I replied, grabbing Luka's hand and leading him toward the stairs, heading in an upward trajectory.

"Wait, what?" Luka asked, his tone laced with confusion as he tried to pull away from me.

"I can't explain it right now, but I sense that Beckett is in danger. He's injured, and I don't want to know what will happen to him if I don't reach him in time." I replied, taking the stairs three steps at a time.

"Where is he?" Luka asked, following closely behind me.

"Above us toward the top of the prison. I think he's on one of the sea kingdom levels." I replied breathlessly, worried that we wouldn't make it in time.

"Show me what you saw," Luka replied, yanking me by the arm, stopping me mid-step.

"Luka, his connection is barely there. He's fading out. I don't have time..."

I could feel Luka invading my mind. I could feel his powers sorting through my thoughts; plucking threw them until he sought what he was looking for, an image of Beckett, covered in blood, laying on a cold, muddy floor, a beautiful siren with red hair leaning over him.

"Ursula." He mumbled as his pitch-black aura surrounded us, encasing us in its darkness.

As the darkness encompasses us, I feel weightless, my stomach lurching like I'm on a jet that has just taken off. The sensation is over as soon as it's begun; Luka's darkness evaporates, revealing to me that he's transported us. Beckett is lying mere feet away from us, his usual tan skin a very pale color.

"HELP! PLEASE, SOMEONE, HELP US!" The red-headed female cries looking over at us.

"Ursula," Luka yells, the woman's head jerking toward him at the sound of her name, "What the hell happened?"

"My stupidly reckless nephew ventured down here. Something attacked him, and he was wounded. And, of course, Posideon has taken my magic from me. I can't heal him." She cries, sobs wracking through her body.

I glance over at Beckett. He's been pierced by something. A bunch of torn, bloodied pieces of cloth surround him, showing that the woman, this Ursula, removed his makeshift tourniquet to better look at his wounds. His wound is still wide open; his body's natural ability to heal itself has done nothing to mend the wound back together.

"Please help him." Ursula cries, grabbing at Luka.

"I can't," Luka replies, looking over Beckett's wounds as his eyes filled with despair. "I'm not that kind of God."

"You!" Her bony finger shaking, she points at me, "You're an heir; you heal him."

" I...I...I" I stutter, the words unable to leave my mouth. There's nothing I can do to help my cousin; I haven't the ability to heal him, my powers only aid.

I feel anguish wash over my body, anguish that's not just my own, and then I hear a faint female voice screaming in the distance, "BECKETT NO!"

Beckett is surrounded by white magic, a magical signature that calls to both Luka and me, an aura that we know and each other.

"Grab ahold of Beckett!" Luka shouts, grabbing Beckett's arm as Ursula and I grab onto something.

"What's happening?" Ursula cried panic in her eyes as I was once again overcome with the feeling of takeoff.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**
***Updates will be on the sporadic side of things while I deal with some personal mental health issues. Hoping to overcome the challenges of life quickly so I can start to update more frequently. Thank you for your continued patience. xoxo Marriah.***