Minutes turned into hours but still Lucius he did not return. Sensing my restlessness, Danny refused to leave my side for even a moment. When he started to yawn, his grip on my hand was unrelenting. We eventually arrived back at the throne room, the place where all of this trouble started. I sat in the same chair I had that morning, sitting vigil as I waited for more news.

With his ear pressed against my chest, Danny slept peacefully in my arms. He was aware of my concern for Lucius even if it didn't truly register with him. I wished for a moment I could be as oblivious as him. My entire body felt leaden, exhaustion was pulling at me with its every fibre, but I forced sleep away with every inch of my willpower. I wouldn't be able to sleep until Lucius was home.

No sconces had been lit; instead the only source of light was coming from the row of thrones at the front of the room. Watching the hell fire flickering within the crystal seats of power was oddly mesmerising. I found my attention drawn to them and my mind drifting away for periods of time. Yet, no matter how hard I tried to distract myself, my thoughts always came back to Lucius.

"Milady, you must come quickly."

Blinking, I lifted my head and stared at the meek young woman shaking my shoulder. I hadn't even heard her approach.

"Milady?"

"Yes?" I asked tiredly staring at the familiar young woman at my side. She had been the one who helped me into the beautifully big red dress, had witnessed my hungover state, and had not spoken a word of weakness to the other members of the household.

"His Lordship Castiel told me to get you. He needs you in the entrance hall right now." She stated meekly, her eyes on the floor the entire time she spoke.

"He's back. Lucius has got to be back." I muttered to myself.

Looking at the young demon before me, I smiled at her so wide my face hurt, not that she was even looking at me, before turning my attention to the body laid across my chest. "Can you take my son up to his rooms? It would mean so much to me."

"Of course, milady." The young demon bobbed a curtsey and then accepted my precious cargo into her arms. Danny whined in his sleep at the jostling but after a few moments he slipped back into his deep sleep, his head resting on the demon's shoulder while his arms and legs dangled limply. Pressing a kiss to his head, I then placed a hand on the young demon's shoulder. "Thank you."

And then I was running.

The staffs, which were busy attending to the cleansing of the castle, leapt out of my way. I called a hasty apology over my shoulder but my steps did not slow. Nothing would stop me. The smile on my face was unrelenting. Lucius was home – he had to be.

And then I was skidding into the entrance hall, my feet sliding across the polished floors as I attempted to slow my momentum. Castiel caught me before I could fall over. My cheeks grew hot even as I stepped out of his hold and brushed down my clothes.

"Where is he?" I asked while turning my head from side to side as I searched through the halls.

But there was no sign of Lucius's familiar frame. The entrance hall was oddly empty. There were staff here cleaning or making preparations for whatever event was happening next. Instead there was just Castiel and a young female demon.

At another time I would have remarked on the demon's appearance. I had seen demon come in many different forms during my visits to Hell but this young woman was beautiful in her own extraordinary way. Her face was bisected, one half covered in tan-coloured, blemish-free skin while the other was covered in emerald coloured scales which shimmered in the light. Despite the slightly feral quality to her, she was exotically beautiful.

My smile dropped as I took in their expressions. Grim would be the only way to describe them. There were no smiles. There was no relief at Lucius's return. Instead they had matching frowns and both cast pitying eyes in my direction.

"Where is he? Where is Lucius?" I asked, hating the way my voice cracked.

Castiel stretched out a hand and placed it on my shoulder. Giving a small squeeze, he looked to the young woman before him.

"Savannah, this is Sonakshi. She's one of the newly trained guards." Cass introduced his voice steady and calm.

I felt his fingers flexing around my shoulder. He was far from calm and it was enough to make my pulse pick up its pace.

I smiled at the guard. "It's nice to meet you Sonakshi. Yet, you haven't answered my question. Where is Lucius?"

"I was getting to that part. Sonakshi was with Lucius and she was just giving me an update." Castiel explained before waving his hand at the demon before him. "Carry on, Sonakshi."

Pulling back her shoulders, the young demon met my stare head on. "We went to the edge of Tartarus. His lordship asked me to remain at the edge. He said to wait there and if they didn't return after a four hours, I was to come back for reinforcements. I waited but they never returned."

"Thank you. You did well." Castiel stated, nodding formally to the young guard. "I need you to go to the barracks and round up all of the guard, even the ones which are off duty. We'll meet in the yard in an hour."

"Yes sir," the young guard agreed. Her jaw was tight and her hand hovered on the hilt of her sword as she did so. With a nod to us both, the demon turned on her heel to carry out his order.

"And do it quietly. We do not need the people panicking. Is that understood?"

The demon paused for a moment, glancing over her shoulder and nodding stiffly. And then she was striding away with purpose.

I watched her go, dread setting in with every step she took away. Then I called my sword into existence and felt its comforting weight settling into my hand. It vibrated in my hand, almost as if it could sense my nerves and anxiety.

"Savannah, there is something we need to discuss." Cass stated hesitantly, his gaze on the blade in my hand.

"What is it? We have more important things to deal with than standing around here talking. We need to go and get Lucius. He might be in trouble -." I sucked in a sharp breath as the image of his lying on the floor broken and bleeding appeared within my mind.

"And that is exactly what we need to talk about." Reaching out a hand, Castiel unwrapped my fingers from around the sword and pulled it from my grasp. I allowed him to do it as I watched his face.

"What is it?"

The man sighed. "You cannot join the search party."

"I'm sorry. I think I just misheard you."

"You didn't mishear anything. You cannot come on the search party."

"Cass, you have obviously his your head a few too many times if you think I will just sit here and twiddle my thumbs while you all go out and look for Lucius." I said hotly, jabbing a finger into the man's chest as hard as I could.

Cass didn't appear moved. Instead he just drew himself up taller.

"You must stay here. Whether you like it or not, with Lucius missing and Hades in the human realm, you are the acting ruler here."

"Well, that should mean you listen to me and I want to look for Lucius."

"Savannah, you need to stop being selfish." Castiel stated. He had a frown between his brows and I could feel his disapproval radiating from him. "This is about more than your guilt. We have demons who would take any sign of weakness to cause trouble. Terran isn't the only Demon who has desires on the throne. We need to present a strong front. Lucius has already openly declared you as his future bride so you need to step up and fulfil the role. Or was he wrong in choosing you?"

I gulped and looked away feeling more than a little chastised.

"This is the responsibility of being a ruler. Sometimes you must sit on the throne while the people you trust to represent you are the ones on the front line."

Holding my sword out to me, I took it in both hands and stared down at the shining blade. "I don't like this Cass. Not at all."

The man sighed and rubbed a tired hand down his face. "I know. But it is what must be done. I want you to go back to your rooms, get ready for the day and keep all of your engagements. Act like there is nothing wrong."

Turning away, I slashed my sword down at the ground. It hit the floor with a satisfying clash, sparks emitting where it made contact. It didn't ease the knot forming in my gut.

"So I'm just supposed to sit through tea with some snooty cows while you all risk your lives. I hate this!"

"I know it's hard but it's for the best. Lucius needs you to do this."

He played the Lucius card. It was a low blow but one I had to listen to. I was new to ruling, heck I hadn't even been crowned, but Castiel had been by Lucius's side since his fall. He understood demon politics better than I even could.

"Fine. I'll stay but understand that I hate this. I want to be out there with you." I stated, bowing my head in defeat.

"Thank you, Savannah."

"I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for Lucius. Now get out there and find him. Bring him home to me." I ordered, waving a hand at the door.

Castiel stared at me for several long moments before he spun away and headed for the door. His trench coat flapped dramatically behind him as he power walked away.

I gulped and looked around at the empty space around me and felt more alone than I had in a long time. Willing my sword away, I forced back the weariness lingering in my body. Drawing back my shoulders, lifting my chin, and forcing a smile upon my lips, I did exactly as Castiel asked.

With my mask firmly in place, I put on another far too expensive dress. This one was purple, a royal colour as the helpful maid had told me. And as the maid fiddled about with the skirts and lacing up the back, I watched the troop of demons exiting the castle and heading off towards to Tartarus without me.

Their footsteps should have thundered and shook the ground they walked upon but it was as though each and every one of them was walking on tip toes. Castiel led them from the front his face flat and emotionless as he marched them onwards. As if sensing my gaze, he turned. He looked back at the castle for one last lingering glance, and then he was gone.

And while they blindly tried to find Lucius and the others who were missing, I dealt with demon politics. I made nice with a gaggle of snobby demons that did nothing but chatter about inanities. I listened to staff as they came to me with housekeeping issues. And all the while I kept wishing I was somewhere else.

Doubt was an ugly companion – one that reared its head over and over again. I could not help but wonder how he could find Lucius when he still didn't know all of Tartarus's secrets. I forced the pessimistic thoughts away and continued playing queen. I had to trust in Castiel.