“Thank you, father.” I incline my head at our greeting.
Asmodeus, my father, inclines his head and smiles in greeting while waving us all into their suite. I take a moment to look around their apartment. I’ve never been here but it has my mother’s stamp all over it. The large open atrium is sleek in design. The travertine floors gleam with a high polish. The suite is at least two stories and I look up to watch my mother descend the spiral staircase with my father, Leviathan, in tow. She sweeps her arms out dramatically as she spots LJ at my side. My mother is beautifully clad in a stunning gown of shimmering silver that hugs her body. When she reaches the last step and moves toward us she reaches for LJ. Her smile lights up the room.
LJ curtsies and bows her head and then says, “I’m honored to make your acquaintance.”
“My dear, it is I that is honored! Come, ladies, let us get acquainted while the men catch up.” She pulls LJ and Poppy after her. Cara looks back at me, her dark brown eyes questioning, cocking her head she studies me before turning to follow LJ.
Dismissing Cara and her curious look my way, I turn to both of my fathers and say in hushed tones, “I need to speak with you privately. Do you mind?”
“Follow us. I have a feeling I know what is on your mind.”
They lead me into a room that looks like a study with all warm-colored woods and supple leather-bound chairs and couches. Both of my fathers are decked out in similar attire, dark suits and laurels befitting a prince. Levi turns to me and hands me a crystal lowball glass with a dark amber whiskey on ice, and asks, “I assume this has something to do with the lovely goddess you have invited into our midst and her intriguing friend?”
Taking a deep gulp of the liquor while mulling over my concerns, I turn to both of them and ask, “How can I keep both of them safe from Mammon tonight? He outranks me. We came here to see if we could ferret out a growing faction of followers for the fallen goddess, Morríganna, but now that we’re here, I realize that I should have come alone. I never should have agreed to bring her with me. I had no idea as to the foothold that he has here. How can I keep LJ safe tonight? Is it possible for us to bow out of this gathering?”
Asmodeus eyes me, his chocolate brown eyes twinkling but his concern bleeds through before he responds, “So, she is the one.” He says it as an affirmation and not a question. “You should know that Mammon is aware of all of us from The Underworld that has gathered here and his invitation is not one that can be declined. Son, you must attend and at the very least, your little goddess with you. The intriguing otherworldly beauty may be able to avoid the summoning this evening, but I sense that she will steadfastly follow her friend.”
“There must be something that can be done!” I demand, not wanting to admit defeat so quickly.
“Stake your claim, Daxell. If Lillie Joanna is your heart’s desire then you should brand her as your own.”
“Father, you don’t understand. It’s not that easy. I can’t just claim her, she’s a goddess.”
“So?” Both of my fathers ask, “We really don’t understand what the problem is here. At least ask that she wear your colors, the colors of our established house in our realm. She’s halfway there, she’s all in black, you just need to add a splash of green and crimson.”
“I know that you both are used to taking what you want but … I want her to understand just what she is getting into. I don’t want her to leap first and regret it later because it will be too late at that point. My demon is proving to be a possessive bastard. She needs to be sure and we barely know one another.” I turn to view the night sky beyond the floor to ceiling window but all I see is a reflection of the room behind me. I’m surprised by the look on both of their faces, they look contrite which is not a look that I’ve ever seen them wear.
Levi moves to stand by my side, nodding, he acknowledges my concerns, “Son, I envy the newness of this relationship. Discovering what you have and what is still to come. What I don’t envy is how you are holding yourself back. That is not something that I would ever want to relive.” His hand comes down on my left shoulder as his words sink in.
Asmodeus is on my other side, he picks up where his brother left off, “That’s right. As much as we knew we didn’t want to live without your mother, we also didn’t want to damn her to live in The Underworld with us. We get it, but in the end, it was her choice and she surprised us at how strong and resilient that she has been. Initially, we were going to let her choose between us, but she would have none of that. She said, and I quote, “I have enough love in my heart to love you both, equally.” She changed our lives Daxell. Your mother is beyond compare and we are the luckiest males alive to have her accept us both into her heart. All I’m saying is, don’t underestimate your little goddess, because
