The entire family was seated quietly, waiting for Raguel to speak. Raguel glanced at Anna who was looking very nervous.

“Steven caused a lot of trouble to our family,” Raguel spoke. “Firstly, Samael’s soulmate, Julia, who was additionally Maria's sister, was killed by Steven. He had somehow forged a spell on Maria and Elena and additionally took and kept them captivated.

“It was because of the spell he had used on Elena and Maria that made it very hard for Samael to find them once he was done killing the demons who killed his soulmate.

“Elena's mom was very special and so is Elena because she is half Angel and half-human. She has the powers of her mother transferred to her by birth, and connecting a bond with an Angel made us special,” Raguel said pointing to himself and Elena. 

“Steven desired the power that came with Elena and that was why he forged a spell on her. He pretended to be her father for so long until Samael showed up one fateful day when I and Elena were captured by demons”.

“But that did not stop Steven. Even after the spell was removed from Elena and Maria, he waged a war against us, and we had to fight for our family.

“And I think you know what happened next?” Raguel asked as he looked at Grey. 

Grey was dumbfounded. He turned to look at his mother.

“Did you know about this?” Grey asked as he stood up and looked at his mother in fury.

“I do not understand all this, Mom. Why would uncle Beelzebub tell me something that is not true? What did he intend to gain?” Grey asked, raising his voice. “Why did you not tell me?” he asked his mother.

Anna was silent.

“Mom, answer me,” Grey shouted. 

“I was not allowed to tell you,” Anna said, yelling.

“What do you mean by that?” Grey asked.

Anna did not say anything. She was simply looking at her son. “I'm sorry, Grey,” she mumbled finally.

“Mom, please just tell me. What's going on?” Grey asked with pleading eyes.

But Anna did not say anything. She was struggling to keep herself calm.

“Wait a minute, Mom. You knew I was going to connect a bond with an Angel before I did,” Grey stated as he remembered the discussion he had with his mother before he met Ariel. “What do you know, Mom?” he asked again. 

But Anna remained adamant as tears flew down her cheeks. “I can’t simply say it, son,” she said.

“Why, Mom?”

Anna shook her head. “I'm sorry, son,” Anna said as she stood up and left the living room.

Grey wanted to follow her but Ariel quickly held him back.

“Give her some time,” Ariel suggested 

“But...”

Ariel shook her head at Grey. “Just give her some time. She wishes to be alone,” she said as she wrapped her arms around him.

They stood with each other there for a minute.

“Let's go upstairs,” Ariel said, as she led him to her room. “Lie down. You need to rest,” she added. 

Grey wanted to protest but Ariel pulled him down, and Grey held onto Ariel's hand. 

“Stay with me,” he requested softly. 

“I was not going anywhere,” Ariel said as she laid down next to Grey.

Grey pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

His head was still spinning from the revelation a few minutes back. He could not believe his Uncle would do such a thing and his Mom was refusing to tell him what was going on.

“Just go to sleep”, Ariel said because she could feel Grey's distress. “We will talk about it when you wake up,” she added.

Grey nodded his head and Ariel placed a kiss on his lips before they both drifted off to sleep.

                              ***

The following day, Ariel woke up before Grey. She stared at him for a very long time. She loved the feeling of waking up next to her soulmate next.  She felt so secure wrapped around his arms. She ran her fingers slowly down his arms.

She still felt Grey's slight distress. For the entire duration of the night, he got up so many times, hoping to get answers from his mother. However, Ariel stopped him from going to his mother's room.

She sighed softly. She wondered why it was so hard for Anna to answer her son's questions.

Ariel placed a kiss on his forehead and tried to stand up from the bed but Grey held onto her tightly.

“Where are you going?” Grey murmured. 

“To take a bath,” Ariel stated, smiling at Grey, who had not opened his eyes.

“Don't go yet. I love it when you stare at me,” Grey said.

Ariel raised her eyebrows and chuckled softly. “I don't know how you usually know that I'm staring and yet you claim to be sleeping.” 

“I was sleeping,” Grey said as he opened his eyes to look at Ariel. “Good morning,” he greeted her. 

“Good morning,” Ariel replied. “How was your night?” Ariel asked. 

“Not good,” Grey replied. He knew there was no reason to lie to Ariel about his night. He was aware she could feel his emotions.

Ariel nodded her head in understanding.

“I do not know why she is so reluctant to divulge any information,” Grey said. “We are no longer in the demon's zone, so she can speak freely here. I do not just understand what or, should I say, who is keeping her from saying anything.”

“We don't know what she is going through. From what I noticed yesterday, she did not actually like withholding the secret from you but there is just something stopping her from saying it out loud,” Ariel said.

“Maybe she does not care about me,” Grey said sadly. 

“Don't say that. You and I both know your mother loves you. Possibly, she is trying to shield you,” Ariel protested.

“From what exactly? I'm a grown man. I can protect and take care of myself,” Grey pointed out.

“That can't stop a mother from worrying,” Ariel said. 

Grey sighed softly as he let the difficulty slide. Ariel made another attempt to get up from the mattress but Grey still held her tightly.

“I need to take a bath,” Ariel started smiling.

Grey grumbled something under his breath that Ariel could not hear clearly. 

“You can join me if you want,” Ariel murmured.

Her declaration caught Grey's attention. He sat up abruptly.

“Really?” Grey asked with exhilaration in his tone. 

“Yes,” Ariel said, smiling at Grey's reaction. “Except if you don’t want to,” she added. 

“No way. I want this,” Grey said as he stood up and pulled Ariel alongside him to the bathroom, shutting the door behind them.

Ariel was feeling shy all of a sudden. She did not even know why she said those words. It simply came out on its own.

Grey looked at Ariel, and he could see she was looking a little uncomfortable.

“You can still change your mind,” Grey said softly. “You can take your bath first and I will have mine later,” Grey added as he attempted to open the door, however, Ariel held his hand, stopping him from leaving.

“I want this,” she whispered.

Grey smiled at her as he took a step backward, so he could get rid of his clothes. 

Ariel watched him as he removed his shirt. Her eyes roamed around his chest and she had to play with her hands to stop her from trailing her fingers down his abs. She looked up and met Grey's eyes who was staring at her with a smirk on his face.

Ariel averted her eyes, blushing softly. She took a deep breath before she removed her clothes.

They were both standing in front of each other with no clothes on. Grey let his eyes roam around Ariel's body. His eyes met Ariel's who was blushing. 

“Are you feeling uncomfortable?” Grey asked.

“No,” Ariel whispered. 

“Come here,” Grey said as Ariel took a step closer to Grey. He wrapped his hands around her waist and kissed her softly. 

Ariel returned the kiss with equal passion and wrapped her hands around his neck, as she pushed their bodies together. She could feel the body warmth radiating from him. Grey dared to deepen the kiss but this time Ariel did not pull back. She followed Grey's lead and kissed him.

Grey slowed down the kiss and placed a smooth peck on her lips before he pulled back. 

“You did well,” he said, heaving deep breaths.

“Really?”

“Yes,” Grey said as he kissed her one final time before they fully separated. 

Grey turned to put on the shower and Ariel saw the marks on his back. It made her furious that Grey's Uncle was accountable for most of the marks on his back. She stepped closer to Grey and ran her fingers over his scars. She placed gentle kisses on them before they each washed themselves up and exited the bathroom.

They both headed downstairs after they finished putting their clothes on.

The entire family was seated in the living room and Grey's eyes met with his mother. He could see the pain in her eyes.

Grey averted his eyes from his Mom and settled next to Ariel on the couch.

Anna felt as if a knife was pierced to her chest as her son refused to meet her eyes.

She stood and left the living room. Grey watched her leave, however, he did not attempt to stop her. He was still indignant with her. He also felt sorry for her because he knew she was in pain. He wished his mother could tell him what was going on.

The whole family ate their breakfast in silence but Anna was not present, and it made Grey worried.

After breakfast, Grey walked to his mother's room and knocked softly before he opened the door. 

He noticed his Mom was seated on her bed with tears rolling down her face. 

“Grey,” she whispered, stretching out her hand to her son. 

Grey took her hands and sat next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder. 

“I'm sorry,” she whispered.

“It's okay,” Grey said softly. 

They sat in blissful silence until they heard a knock on the door and Ariel entered with a tray of food.

 She placed it next to Anna. "You have to eat something," she stated. 

Anna nodded her head and attempted to pick up the spoon however Grey beat her to it. He picked the spoon up and fed his mother.

Ariel smiled tenderly as she watched Grey and his mother.

Do you guys have any idea why Anna is refusing to tell Grey what is happening?

Stay tuned for more updates.