Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

That's all that was going through my mind after Lilith just mind-fucked us all. After she left, the entire room remained dead silent. I couldn't even bring myself to look at Queen's father after finding out what he did.

I looked over at Syn whose arms were crossed as he looked lost in thought. I'd be lost too after what Lilith said. Him and Queen, soulmates?! What the fuck!

Syn was never one to follow rules. He never aligned himself with any parameters set for him by others. I couldn't imagine how he felt finding out that his relationship was some cosmic plan that he went along with.

Queen still wasn't back so I was sure that wasn't calming his nerves. I wasn't even sure he wanted to be with her anymore after that. Knowing him, he'd probably end things because he doesn't like being controlled.

Finally having enough of his brooding state, I took out my phone and sent him a text.

Me: Hi...

He slowly took his phone out of his pocket and read the message before his fingers began typing.

Syn: Hey.

Me: Well fuck. Right?

Syn: Fuck indeed.

Me: Come with me after this to get cheese fries and milkshakes pls!!!

Syn: You know I don't like milkshakes.

Me: You've never even had one. But Queen is coming...

I watched as the chat bubble appeared and disappeared a couple of times. I lifted my head to look at him and watched him shut his phone off and slide it into his pocket. In a stressed-out manner, he laid his head in his hand and closed his eyes.

Frowning at the scene in front of me, I turned my phone off and put it away. Since Syn didn't seem to want to be bothered, I turned my attention back to everyone else in the room.

"Who are you sleeping with, Xyla?!" Felix snapped as he glared at Xyla.

She looked pissed at his tone but kept her features stone cold. "Don't yell at me. I've already told you she's lying."

Lilith was one shady bitch. After what she revealed about Xyla, it took everything in me not to start laughing out of shock. Syn would rather rip out his throat than sleep with her and Genesis hated her guts. Besides Felix, that only left one other SinClaire.

Julius...

I wondered if anyone had been able to make that deduction, but I rather enjoyed my quiet knowledge. As perceptive as Syn was, he probably would've told everyone had he not been so distracted by Lilith's revelation about him and Queen.

"I believe the wedding should be moved up, especially considering Lilith will come back and say God knows what," Jonathan spoke up. With everything Lilith said about him, I was shocked that he even had the balls to speak again. I furrowed my brows and waited for Julius to protest the request as he did earlier, but he remained silent. Jonathan looked at him with a questioning gaze. "We don't know what she may reveal next." He said secretly. "Let's get this over with and cut our ties."

With a loud exhale from beside me, I watched Julius sit up in his chair and nod. "I agree."

"You just said we should wait!" Genesis spoke up from her seat.

"That was before I had time to think about it," Julius muttered. "The wedding will be moved up."

"No," Genesis said as she looked between the two kings. "I'm the Queen here and Syn is my son. Surely I should get a say."

"But you are no King, Genesis. Let us do our job," Julius said. Although they didn't have a great relationship she was still his Queen, he shouldn't have disrespected her in front of all of us.

"Great," Jonathan said. "How does one week sound?"

"That's too soon. I can't decorate a royal wedding in a week," Julius protested.

"What about two?" he asked.

"I don't kn-"

"The wedding will be in two months as it was before. End of story." Syn abruptly interrupted Julius before standing up from his seat and leaving the room.

Julius scoffed from beside me at his exit and looked around the table. Genesis was holding back a smile just as I was and I wanted to stand up and applaud.

"This will be discussed further." Jonathan spat. "That thing has no place in deciding these matters." His voice was full of so much hatred and venom that I almost flinched. But I wasn't scared, I was pissed.

"What the fuck do you mean thing?" I asked.

Jonathan scoffed and looked at me as if I was some peasant and I crossed my arms in defiance. There was no way I was going to let him speak that way about Syn, especially since he wasn't here to defend himself.

"Thing. Creature. Mons-"

"That's my fucking son you're talking about!" Lucifer roared as the lights in the large room flickered on and off wildly.

Jonathan looked around in fear and sunk into his seat. "My apologies."

"Fuck your apology," I said in disgust. "If I hear you say anything like that again, I promise you Lucifer will be the least of your worries." I let my eyes quickly switch to their fully black and demonic hue and I smirked when he gaped at the sight.

Good fucking job, X.

Where the hell have you been? To be completely honest though, I did agree with myself. In this palace, I was sweet to everyone, and in general, I wasn't a mean person. But hell was different, I tortured people as a hobby.

"Let's all just calm down," Julius began. "We will discuss the wedding at another time. As for now," he said as he pushed his chair back and stood up. "There will be a masquerade ball in this palace in one week. I will be sending out personalized invitations, but you all are invited."

"A ball for what?" Felix asked.

"Is there ever a need for a ball?" Julius asked mischievously. His eyes moved to Xyla and I watched as a rose shade tinted her cheeks. Eww. He was definitely the 'SinClaire' Lilith was talking about. "It could be a farewell ball in a way if you truly need a reason. I know you all will miss me."

The mixed reactions in the table were almost comical, but the most profound was Genesis. She choked on her wine and began laughing into a napkin.

"Why a masquerade ball though?" Xyla asked shyly.

"It's more exciting, isn't it? Not knowing who you're with until it's too late. You see, the anonymity of it all is thrilling. You never know who you'll end up with on that night." He grinned slyly as he pushed his white hair from his face.

I didn't know if anyone else at the table got the same eerie feeling I did, but it was odd. He was throwing signals at Xyla that only a selected few in the table knew of. I wondered if there were more feelings between Xyla and Julius than I had previously believed. Were they just sleeping together or was there something else? I let the thoughts drift in my head before I started imagining Xyla and Julius as a couple. They would truly make a horrible pair.

"I must begin planning. Enjoy the rest of your stay." Julius bowed and turned to leave the room. I watched in open horror as Xyla's eyes followed him out.

Queen walked back into the dining room a few minutes later and gave everyone a small smile before taking her seat. "Did I miss anything?"

"Just Syn and I finalizing plans. We are going to get married in two months," Xyla said innocently. I had sort of become a filter to Xyla's bullshit and I could clearly tell she enjoyed saying that to Queen.

Queen's smile dropped as she ran her hand through her hair and looked down at her hand. She looked next to her at the empty seat and then back up at the table.

"And where is the future groom?" She asked sarcastically.

"He left," Genesis muttered.

"You look just like your mother," Lucifer said as he looked at Queen and shook his head. "I don't know how I didn't notice." Queen sent him an apologetic smile and looked away from him.

"Queen," Jonathan called. "We never meant for this to happen."

Queen laughed in her spot and looked up at him with an amused expression. I tensed at her now red eyes came into vision and I gripped my chair. "Never meant to kidnap me, never meant to kill my father, or never meant for me to find out?" She ranted angrily. "You've done a lot, Jonathan."

"I am your father!" He slammed his hand to the table and stood up.

Queen glared at him. "Sit down!"

He immediately fell to his chair and he gave her a shocked expression. "What are you doing?!"

"Tell me why you did it," Queen said.

"I won't tell you anything. It's none of your concern."

"It is my concern when you ruined MY life!" She yelled back with the same viciousness he spoke to her with.

"We still gave you a good life. At least a better one than those heathens could've."

My mouth almost dropped to the floor at what he said. Does he have a death wish?

Queen scoffed as she sat back and a moment later she sat up, leaning her arms on the table as she looked at her family with disgust.

"Xyla," she said. Xyla looked at her, a thin brow raised in question. If she was scared, she didn't show it. If anything, she looked a bit elated Queen was out of control. "Pick up the knife in front of you."

With Queen's words, the fear seeped into Xyla's eyes and I sat back. There we go. She shook her head wildly, but if it's own recognizance, with a mind apart from Xyla's...her hand moved to pick up the knife. "No!"

"Hold it to your father's neck and Jonathan, I want you to remain completely still no matter what she may do to you," Queen said.

"You can't hurt angels!" Felix yelled from his seat. "That is an offense punishable by-"

"Oh, I don't have to worry about that. I'm not hurting angels," Queen said with a smug smile.

Lucifer chuckled at the scene which he found amusing while the "angels" gawked at Queen. They knew that she knew and they began panicking, rightfully so. I'd be terrified too if I was keeping a secret that big.

"Still, even just touching Angels!" Felix yelled.

Queen ignored Felix and turned back to Xyla and her father. "Hold the knife to his neck, please."

With unwilling eyes and a red face, Xyla did as she said.
"Thank you," Queen looked at Jonathan. "Now, I'm going to ask you a few questions and if you don't give me an answer, your daughter will be killing you today, okay?"

Jonathan tried to move in his frozen state, but he couldn't after Queen's command. He remained looking at her with panic-stricken eyes.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said. "Why was I taken?"

"I needed you," The king said in a strained voice.

"For what?"

"Your blood. We needed it!"

"For?" Queen pressed.

"I can't say," he said.

Queen glanced at Xyla who sobbed as she gave the king a cut on his neck. It wasn't deep enough to hurt him, but it was enough to warn him. "Why did you need my blood?" Queen repeated dryly, her face and voice not showing any emotion.

The king's eyes moved around frantically. "I cannot say!"

"You're clearly not taking me seriously," Queen said to him, sighing as she turned to her sister.

"Remove the knife from his neck, and hold it to yours."