Chapter Twenty

"Oh! Jasper, yes."

Wren's pleasant cry echoed in the shower as I held him against the tiled wall, watching water rain down on his flushed face, his swollen pink lips parted. He clenched his arms around my neck, yanking me in close so he could deliver a sloppy desperate kiss to my cheek as I slammed my hips up against him.

He bounced against the wall, crying out again as his fingernails scraped down my back and shoulders. My breath left me in hot gasps as I stared down at his body, admiring the way the hot water pinkened his skin more, soaked him until he was like a wet kitten.

I gripped his hips and grunted low as my arousal burst at once. I had to support myself on the shower wall, breathing hard as I thrust my hips against Wren's, wet skin slapping and echoing as Wren rammed himself against me.

"Yes," he panted, his eyelids fluttering open to reveal melty chocolate eyes that gazed up at me with such a tenderness that it took my breath away as I leaned down to stare into his face. His lips fell open in a soft cry as he came, thrusting his hips against me, cupping his hand around the back of my neck and yanking me in for a hard, hungry kiss. Our fangs clicked together from the force and I felt his tongue get caught between it, a little taste of blood landing on my tongue. I growled and covered his mouth with mine, sucking his breath away, cleaning the blood away, tasting every inch of his hot wet mouth.

A few seconds later, I was gently letting Wren down onto his trembling legs, his arms still around me like he was hesitant to let go. He looked at me, clearly not trusting me to sneak away and I just gave him a smile, not wanting to lie to his face. He slowly let go of me, almost slipped and fell, but I caught him around the waist and he groaned as our cocks touched in the process.

"I'm never going to get out of this shower," he mumbled, sliding his leg up against mine. I growled at his teasing, taking hold of his thigh and following it up over his ass cheek, reaching in between his cheeks to feel that he was dribbling me out of there.

"That's hot," I murmured, delving my fingers inside of him and he pressed up against me, hanging onto me again with a moan.

"I need to actually get clean," he moaned, sinking his fingernails into my arms, like a warning, and I smirked. In response, I pushed three fingers inside him and he arched against me, gasping.

"I'm just helping," I mused, using my fingers to scoop what was left of me out of him so it went dribbling to the floor, disappearing down the drain. For a brief moment, I had an insane possession to actually stuff myself back inside him and fill him up again. It was a very sudden, very primal sensation that started hot in my chest and I knew Darling had something to do with it. I could practically feel him salivating through me as I dug around inside Wren with my fingers.

"No," Wren moaned, slumping against me helplessly, wiggling his hips as I cleaned him out, "Ah, Jasper, that... harder... deeper." I smiled slowly at that and obeyed his command, pushing my fingers deeper inside, giving them a curl and Wren yelped, gripping me as he came in an abrupt spurt against my stomach.

I grinned triumphantly as Wren pulled back to stare up at me breathlessly with glazed over dark eyes and flushed cheeks.

"One more time?" He asked. My mouth watered.

"One more time."

Okay, one more time turned into two more times in the shower, and a third time back in bed, which led to yet another shower. The second shower, I was banished from as I sat on the bed, lacing up my boots and listening to Wren shower. I glanced towards the bathroom and debated between just going back in there for another round, or throwing Wren over my shoulder like a fucking cave man and taking him as far away from all this bullshit as possible.

I swallowed hard, because of that urge to lock up and protect something... someone I loved; it had been so long since I felt that way and it was both exciting and alarming. Exciting because I felt strangely empowered by Wren, in a way that reminded me of Milo, but it was alarming because Wren was getting closer and closer to my heart.

The last time someone got that close, they died.

I started to chew at my lip nervously, but quickly banished the habit as I got to my feet and headed for the door.

I still had one last order of business if I was going to end up setting up shop with Hades.

I needed to let D'Angelo go. He was still part of the plan. I needed him in order to alert Yhwhwa and Bethany about what mother was up to. He was the insurance policy I needed to set mother's plans back by a few months. It would be a lot harder for her to attack us if Yhwhwa was chasing after her too.

She'd activate her security plans to cover her ass. Doing that would require her to close down almost all of her headquarters that are in locations that deal with Heaven, which included Hades. While the Greek underworld itself never did too many direct dealings with Heaven, given the shaky nature of their relationship, there were still threats involving Heaven here with Lucifer around.

The fact that Lucifer himself didn't seem to quite understand what the mother was doing was also a bit alarming, so it had to deal with something that may be even older than Lucifer himself.

And he was one of the first angels to exist.

So whatever mother was fucking with was ancient and dangerous. Enough to concern Yhwhwa.

Hence getting him to go after her while the rest of us regrouped long enough to formulate a plan against her.

I just hoped I made it back from the apartment in one piece.

I moved quietly as I opened the door and closed it behind me.

"Well, good mornin', sunshine." I whipped around to see Stanton standing across the hall, leaning back against the wall with his arms folded over his chest, an eyebrow arched at me. I glared at him.

"Dude, were you out here all night?" I asked. Stanton's face screwed up.

"Absolutely not," he deadpanned, then rolled his eyes, "Got a text that said I might need to come hang out for a few minutes, that's all." I frowned curiously at that, then stiffened when I heard the bedroom door open behind me. I turned to see Wren coming out, adjusting his leather jacket.

"Thanks, dad," he said to Stanton, who inclined his head and vanished a second later. I watched him go, then turned to Wren, who was adjusting his collar.

"Did you call your dad to babysit me?" I demanded. Wren stared at me.

"If you weren't notorious for disappearing, maybe I wouldn't have to," he said when I folded my arms tightly over my chest to express my irritation and Wren cocked his head, "But it's also for your protection because I know for a fact that Hera is going to start gunning for you when she sees you on those cameras. I don't care what barrier we have around us. Hera isn't going to lay a finger on you if she doesn't want to end up in bloody chunks under my feet." I stared at him and he stared back. For a moment, I was caught off guard by his hostility, not towards me, but mother. I knew he hated her, but there was almost a personal hatred there that didn't quite make sense to me.

Wren had never met Hera personally, right?

"Let's get some breakfast," Wren said, then surprised me when he reached out and took my hand. I was so caught off guard by the casualness of it, the normality, that I didn't even say anything or fight him. I let him take me by the hand and lead me down the hallway back toward the lounge.

The pizza party set up from last night was gone and replaced with a really nice breakfast banquet. An array of all kinds of filling breakfast foods from egg and rice to potatoes and bacon, even yogurts and cereals.

Of course, breakfast wasn't just set up for us.

Three was already there, practically inhaling biscuits and gravy, some strange concoction they invented in the mortal realm. Beside him, Six was sipping on coffee while smiling shyly at some texts.

I glanced over at the sofa to see that Elias was sleeping there. He clearly had fallen asleep there last night, bundled up in a blanket, and whatever quiet noise was happening at the table, he didn't seem to notice at all. I was surprised he managed to sleep there.

I walked over to tug the blanket up further over his shoulder and he sighed in his sleep, snuggling against the pillow that had been provided. I paused when I saw a bandaid on his shoulder, though.

"He's okay," Three said, making me look up to see him grabbing another baked treat from the spread, "I just gave him something to relax last night. He's still sleeping it off, so he won't wake up for a bit." I frowned, walking over to the table and I paused when Wren pulled a chair out and looked at me expectantly. I sat down and he sat beside me, grabbing my plate before I could.

"His overall health is okay," Three informed me, drawing my attention away from Wren, who appeared to be loading up my plate, "He's obviously a bit malnourished and his growth is stunted, but that seems to be a common thing with the artificials when they escape." I frowned.

"I noticed that. Polly is also very small for her age." I left out the part about Polly probably getting her height from Blaine's side of the family. I wasn't entirely sure if they knew her lineage yet and I didn't want her to find out through gossip. I wanted her to hear it from me, or Hades.

"It's because of the fucked up diet she got us on," Three replied, making me tense in surprise when Wren put a fully loaded plate in front of me, "Luckily we can still repair that damage by actually eating right. Calorie counting is a bunch of bullshit. We all need different variations of nutrition. No body is the same."

"Wow," Six said, looking up at Three, impressed, "And here I thought you ignored everything Hades said to you." Three scowled at him, but I ignored them to look at Wren, who was now filling some food on his plate. It wasn't particularly strange or anything, but it reminded me of Milo a lot. Like, it was exactly something he'd done for me all the time when we were growing up.

It was so strange to see Wren doing it, and so strange to experience it after having spent so long since ignoring food.

"Hey, you guys actually made it to breakfast," Niko's voice said. We looked up to see Niko coming into the room, and close behind was the person I recognized from Niko's thoughts. His name was River, and he was Niko's husband. He was tall, a little bit over Niko's height, with dark curly hair, dark skin, and eyes the color of a crackling fire, very orange and vibrant. He dressed like an aristocrat, so it was very strange to see him coming in beside Niko, who was wearing a crop top and joggers.

"Oh yeah," Niko said when River gave me a curious stare, "River, this is Jasper, he's like basically our big brother. I know technically he's my uncle, but I'm getting real tired of the technicalities of relationships around here. Jasper, this is my husband, with no technicalities."

I looked at River and he stared back.

Immediately it was easy to read his mind. I didn't even do it on purpose, he just had everything floating on the surface. Images of him and his father, his mother who had passed away long ago. Images of his half-siblings, his step-mother, the entire Windstorm clan that was currently taking back possession of Tartarus, with the blessings of the Hadifer family. That appeared to be the title they used to refer to Hades and Lucifer's combined family.

And, of course, River didn't appear to notice my mind reading and just offered me a friendly smile, extending his hand.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Jasper. I am River Windstorm, guardian of Tartarus and head of the Windstorm clan," he introduced. He was so polite and normal. I looked at his hand, took it and gave him a firm shake that he seemed to appreciate.

And as soon as his orange eyes turned back to Niko, that was all he saw.

His mind was afloat with images of Niko. They weren't even all sexual, which was a little strange considering River was an incubus. While some were certainly a little mature-rated, some of them were just images of Niko sleeping comfortably in bed. Others of Niko kneeling in a garden, pulling weeds and listening to some chaotic music in the background. Images of Niko smiling up at him, those sapphire eyes sparkling with life in a way I had never seen them before.

All the things River saw of Niko were beautiful and clean and loving.

My heart swelled.

"Thank you," I murmured without thinking and River blinked, looking at me and I stared at him, "For taking care of Niko." River stared at me. He seemed startled by the comment and I could tell he was trying to remember if I could read minds, and when he did finally remember, I just smiled at him and he flushed a little.

"I love him with all my heart," he answered stiffly, clearly feeling awkward at having me in his head.

"I know," I replied.

"Ew," Niko deadpanned, making Three sigh and River cover his face with his hands, "S'kinda creepy of you to get in River's head just to see me naked."

"Yeah, that was definitely my intention," I said sarcastically, which made Niko wrinkle his nose up in amusement, then glanced at my plate with a raised brow.

"Wow, he's still filling your plate like a fucking baby," he said, making me look up with a frown and he gestured to Wren, who frowned at him as well.

"Still?" I asked.

"Shouldn't you be eating too," Wren said instead before Niko could answer and Niko scowled at him, "Also, where's Five? I thought she left with you last night." Niko snorted.

"She did, but she got a call from Lumen and fucking vanished. She's probably in her room with Lumen, if she showed up. Speaking of crazy twins, Pretty Boy will be here in a couple of hours. Hades wants to meet with all of us," he said and when we stared at him, he frowned, "Artificials and Cousins. Apparently we're all in trouble."

"What did I do," Three asked dryly, "The mission was a huge success."

"Who knows," Niko said with a shrug as he stared to load up a plate, "Probably someone farted into the mic while Hades was talking." Three gave him a weird look and Niko stuck his tongue out at him.

"Jesus Christ, what are you, three?" He asked dryly. Niko stared at him.

"No, you're Three. I'm Niko."

"I'm going to murder you."

"Do it, pussy."

"How about we have a nice peaceful breakfast without any murdering of any kind," River asked, putting his hands on Niko's shoulders to gently guide him down into his seat and Niko just grinned up at him, "And don't you dare. I know what you're thinking." Curious, I wanted to know what he was thinking too, and while I didn't want to risk getting into Niko's head, I could see River easily picturing Niko jumping across the table to throw Three over the back of the sofa.

Funny how well River knew Niko by now.

It didn't take long for Five to join us, and when she did, she arrived with Lumen, Hadrian's younger sister. I hadn't met her in person, only seen her in the minds of others. She was very pretty in person, tall and slender, a dancer's physique, with short brown hair and sparkling hazel eyes. Her hair was held back by one of those plush headbands, her face clean and bright from a skincare routine, and her hand was firmly planted in Five's.

"Oh," Five immediately let go of Lumen's hand when they saw the room was full, though, and I saw Lumen look a little disappointed by it. I hoped she didn't take it personally. Five was used to hiding affection because of the compound, and still hadn't adjusted as well as the others to displaying it.

"Good morning," Five murmured, her cheeks flushing a little. I could tell she was nervous about what we would say about her and Lumen, but I wasn't quite sure where that part came from. It was no bother to us, clearly, but she still seemed a bit self-conscious.

"Morning," Three greeted with a yawn, then tapped the seat beside him, "I saved you a seat, but no promises on how much bacon is left since Niko showed up."

"Excuse you," Niko said, "I'm actually not that big into bacon anymore. I kinda like the sweet potato thing." Three grimaced, eyeing the colorful breakfast hash that Niko was plowing into.

"Potatoes shouldn't be sweet."

"Yeah, well, goes to show how wrong you are."

"Someone woke up spicy this morning," Six commented, glancing at Niko, who shrugged.

"Some days I wake up and choose evil. Some days I wake up and choose good. Today, I woke up and chose chaos."

"You mean you don't choose chaos on a daily basis?" River asked. Niko grinned at him teasingly and River smiled slowly, clearly amused. They seemed to have some kind of silent conversation with the way they stared at each other, their minds a flurry of excitement for each other. It was so goddamn sweet that I actually had to mind my own business for a second because I was a little embarrassed.

"Is Hadrian here?" Six asked Lumen, who nodded.

"He's downstairs with Hades."

"Where's Lucy," Niko asked abruptly, making everyone look at him, "Is it just me or does that guy keep disappearing into the ether?"

"Hades said he's been going to Malachi's a lot lately," River pointed out, making us look at him, "I am unsure what the situation is there. Only that they require assistance very regularly, but it's only ever Lucifer who goes. Although, Lucifer was here yesterday very briefly."

"Did Thirteen ever find him?" Niko asked. River nodded.

"Lucifer left with braided hair, so my assumption is yes," he replied. Niko grinned.

"And here I thought just Hades walked around like fucking Elsa."

"Who?" Five asked confused.

"Elsa," Niko replied, "The ice princess from TV. Hades braids his hair the same way. Do you think he wants to be an ice princess?"

"I think he wants his hair out of his face," River said politely and Niko snorted.

"Nah, I'm officially convinced Hades wants to be a Disney princess."

"You really did wake up and choose chaos today," Six mused. Niko shrugged.

"Gotta keep everyone on their toes. You never know what life is gonna throw at you, including a princess Hades."

"Wasn't Elsa a queen, though?" Three asked. Niko gave him a droll stare.

"Of course you'd know that."

"Fuck you."

"Not interested."

Despite the sassiness of the conversations that ensued, everyone seemed to be thoroughly enjoying each other's company. Everyone was eating, filling up, sharing opinions without actually killing each other, and just overall, there was a sense of normalcy at the table that morning.

It gave me anxiety.

There was a comfort there that I hadn't built up yet. They conversed as friends, as family, as teammates. There was a comradery there that I almost didn't feel privy to. It probably stemmed from years of being forced to avoid them. Mother had never wanted me to get close, and when I showed that attachment early, she put a stop to it almost immediately. It was almost like I was trained not to be comfortable around them, and it made my heart sink because I wanted that.

I wanted to be part of that team.

Part of the group.

Part of the family.

I clenched my teeth. Was that even fair to ask of them after everything? The reassurances from them were nice and all, but it still didn't change the fact that I had assisted in hurting them, one way or another. I hadn't done enough to protect them, each and every one of them.

It was difficult to eat with that weight in my stomach.

I glanced over where Elias was still asleep on the couch. Or at least, he was pretending to be. He'd woken up a few minutes earlier, but was pretending to be asleep so no one would bother him. I could hear his mind racing, though, as the conversations at the table continued carelessly.

Elias didn't understand anything they were saying, of course. Their jabs at each other confused him, their laughter that followed also confused him. Their blaise and relaxed demeanors seemed to throw him off, because for some reason, he was expecting violence here.

No. Not for some reason.

Because that was just what he was used to.

He'd watched everyone at that first compound kill themselves and abandon him. He spent two weeks living alone in that cell with no food or water, no care or attention. We brought him back to the Styx compound, where he was once again met with violence and blood and death.

Now suddenly he was in a strange place, surrounded by people he'd seen fighting and killing, surrounded by food and smells and sights he didn't understand or recognize. Because his world was based on the compound, on a sterile white environment and having to request things he wanted, in hopes of getting approval. He was used to being tended to like a hamster in a cage.

The world outside was nothing like that.

My heart ached for him because I wanted to see him where the others were at.

I wanted to see him smile like Niko, that genuine happy smile that came from true peace and freedom.

"Kali," I said suddenly, making everyone look at me, "I haven't seen Kali."

"Last I heard she was heading downstairs to the meeting hall," Lumen murmured thoughtfully and I nodded, immediately getting to my feet.

"You haven't finished eating," Wren said, grabbing my arm.

"I have to make sure Kali is okay," I said, touching his hand to reassure him before pulling away. Unfortunately, Wren didn't take that as a wait for me. He stood up and pushed his chair in.

"You don't have to come with me," I started, but Wren gave me a droll stare.

"Oh no?" He asked. I couldn't really say anything to defend myself, considering my track record, so I just nodded and headed for the exit. Wren bade everyone farewell before we headed out of the room.

"Is something wrong with Kali?" Wren asked me. I shook my head.

"I just. I need to check on her and make sure she's okay. She puts on a brave face, but I'm worried she's panicking inside," I admitted honestly. I was surprised I even answered him, and Wren seemed briefly surprised too, but quickly went to carry on the conversation.

"She'll be okay, and I'm sure Hades treated her very well. He's not as prickly as he might seem at first," he replied. I gave him a droll stare.

"Says the guy who had a childhood crush on him," I said. Wren flushed.

"It wasn't a real crush. I was like eight. I just thought he was really cool."

"Is that why you like me so much? I look like Hades?" I asked. I was mostly joking around, even though a little part of me wondered if that was the case. Of course, Wren stopped me from walking to grab my arm, turning me to face him as he gave me a stern stare.

"You look nothing like Hades," he said, and when I raised an eyebrow of disagreement, he narrowed his eyes, "Kay, first of all, you are way hotter than Hades, so let's get that out of the way."

"Wow, there goes my ego."

"Second of all, you're not as smart as Hades."

"Uhm, ow, way to knock a guy down."

"I'm not gonna stand here and lie to your face," Wren deadpanned, making me smirk, but it faded as Wren studied me, reaching up to cup my face in his hands, "Hades was just the cool big grown up when I was little. It was nothing more than a dumb childish crush. It doesn't mean anything to me as an adult now. Hades is just my grandpa. That's it."

"And I'm your old uncle?" I asked dryly. Wren rolled his eyes.

"Hardly. We're not actually related," he reminded me and I shrugged, but he studied me sternly, "No, Jasper, what I feel for you goes beyond a childhood crush. It goes beyond finding a partner. It goes beyond feeding. Beyond whatever weird arbitrary social constructions we build for ourselves. When I look at you, I feel like I own the whole universe. I feel like... I found a piece of me that has been missing for so, so long."

"Does it have to do with this?" I murmured, touching the ring on his finger that was touching my cheek. Wren squeezed my face a little.

"I don't know what connection I have to Milo exactly. I know it's related to reincarnation, but honestly I couldn't give a shit about that whole situation. The only thing that matters to me from here on out is keeping you safe and destroying Hera. Anyone who gets in my way better pray to whatever god they serve because I will have no mercy." Darling purred deep inside my chest and I felt the sound rumble up my throat.

Wren smiled a little, clearly understanding where that came from.

I sighed and Wren squeezed my face again, squishing my cheeks so he could pinch my lips forward.

"Don't," he warned and I looked at him, wondering how he could take my face seriously when he was squishing it like that, but he still smiled and stroked my cheeks with his thumbs, "Don't even think about telling me it's not possible. Don't tell me it's too hard. Don't tell me it's too dangerous. I already know all that and I still don't care. I might not be some almighty powerful god or demon or fucking whatevever else is out there, but I am strong enough to protect the ones I love, and you just have to accept the fact that you are one of those people."

I didn't even know what to say to that. Everything I wanted to say, he'd thwarted so fast.

So I said the only thing I could think of at that moment as he gave my face another squeeze.

"Wuv woo," I answered. Wren froze for a second, then swallowed, his cheeks pinkening.

"You say the weirdest things at the weirdest times," he muttered, letting go of me and walking ahead to the meeting hall. I smirked, moving to keep up with him quickly. I wasn't going to add anything else to what I said, like yeah, maybe I was being serious, but also now I'm kind of nervous because... was I being serious?

Love was such a... big word. For being so small, for being so simple, it was so incredibly complex and had a massive impact on whoever used it, whoever received it. My heart had soared the first time Milo told me he loved me, and vice versa. It was strange how easily I felt that for Wren, and maybe it did have something to do with Milo's reincarnation. Maybe there was a part of me that ached to have that back, to have that love and affection and devotion, and that's why I was so quick to accept Wren's feelings.

Or maybe, I just genuinely loved him back and hadn't come to terms with it.

It was a scary thing to ponder when life hung in the balance.

When we came down the hallway to the meeting hall, I saw Kali standing outside the hall and she looked the same, yet so different. Her long wavy black hair was braided down her back, with a few additional braids threaded through the sides, a few loose locks framing her nervous face. Her blue eyes were searching the floor until she seemed to sense us coming, her head kicking up and those eyes finding me immediately.

She gasped and immediately ran to me.

I caught Kali when she threw herself into my arms.

"Jasper!"

"Kali," I breathed, relieved to feel her intact as she stepped back to look up at me with those worried blue eyes, "How are you feeling?" Kali swallowed nervously and gave me a little smile, then paused when she seemed to notice Wren suddenly. Her eyes widened slightly and she stepped away from me, but Wren gave her a smile.

"Don't mind me, I just wanted to make sure Jasper got to you safely. I'm going to go track down Hades," he said, then paused and turned to me, making me frown as he pulled something out of his pocket and placed it in my hand, "And don't think I missed you skipping breakfast. Eat something." He left the protein bar in my hand and walked away.

I watched him go, Kali doing the same with an arched brow. She turned to look at me as I tucked the protein bar in my back pocket.

"Can I get an update before I drag you to a hospital myself?" I asked. Kali rolled her eyes, stared after where Wren had disappeared, then turned back to me.

"I'm fine," she assured, making me frown suspiciously and she gave me a firm smile, "For the most part. Little nervous." She reached up to twist a lock of her hair around her finger and I noticed she kept side eyeing the hallway.

"Are you waiting for someone?" I asked. Kali looked at me warily.

"Hades has taken the liberty of contacting my genetic carriers," she said, making my eyes widen slightly because what the fuck was he on, "Apparently they are enroute to the palace now to meet me."

"Did he even ask you first?" I demanded. Kali frowned.

"No, but I had a feeling if I said I wasn't interested, he would've done it anyway," she said, making me sigh in frustration, "Don't worry, Jasper. I'm sure they're just curious."

"How are you feeling about meeting them?" I asked. Kali cocked her head thoughtfully for a moment, then shrugged as she took a step back and leaned against the wall by the hall doors. I came to stand beside her so we could talk.

"It doesn't feel real," she admitted quietly, "I... was scared when Hades brought them up first. He assured me they wouldn't do me any harm, only wanted to meet me."

"Are you up for that," I asked, making her glance at me, "Do you want me to be there with you? Should I get a weapon or—"

"Oh my god, don't embarrass me," Kali laughed, elbowing me in the ribs and I smiled at her, bumping my shoulder into hers to show her I was teasing... kind of, and she gave me a little smile, "I think I just... I'm mostly nervous about what they're gonna think." I frowned.

"Of you?" I asked. Kali shrugged. For a weird moment, I felt like I was looking at someone else, because I wasn't used to Kali second-guessing herself. I wasn't used to her being nervous and fidgety and scared, at least, not openly like this. It made me worried for her future in the outside world, because if just meeting her genetic carriers made her question herself, what about when she met the rest of the world?

"What if they don't like me," she asked and I looked at her, surprised.

"Why wouldn't they like you? And who cares if they like you?" I asked. She looked at me.

"Because I... I'm starting to wonder if this is just it," she said at last, making me push away from the wall to face her as she looked down with this expression of shame I'd never seen before, "What if, no matter where I go, nobody wants me, Jasper? What if I get out here in this big world and it's just full of people who are worse than the Mother? What if I get out here and not a single person wants me here? What if I can't find someone who loves me, even just a little?"

I clenched my teeth.

This was definitely April's fuckery.

Kali was worth so much more than a fucking babymaker or a wife. Kali was a strong, confident female with a heart as big as the sun. Her warmth, her laughter, her care. And her strength, her incredible resilience, her ability to move from serious to carefree. She fucking beautiful, from her long legs to her thick lashes, the speckles of galaxies tattooed from her fingertips all the way up to her shoulders.

My Kali was too good for this world.

"Hey," I said, reaching out to take her face in my hands and she peered up at me, looking so sad and defeated that it broke my heart, "No. First of all, I would like to remind you that you don't fucking need anyone to define your worth, do you understand me? Fuck the rest of the world, and fuck both of your genetic carriers if they don't look at you and feel like the luckiest sons of bitches on the planet. Second, you are more than worthy of love. You are more than worthy of respect and kindness. And, for the record, what am I? Chopped liver? I fucking adore you. I love every part of you, Kali."

Her eyes welled up with tears.

"Jasper." Her hands found mine on her cheeks.

"You are absolutely the most intelligent, the kindest, most caring, most loving, most powerful female I have ever met in my life. Without you in my life, I would have died a long time ago, and we both know that is a fact," I murmured, wiping the tears falling down her cheeks, "I love you, Kali, alright? I love you so much." Kali sniffed.

"You're gonna make me look like a puffy-faced baby when they get here," she managed. I smiled, then tipped her head to plant a kiss on her forehead before pulling back to look into her face.

"You'll be fine. They'll love you. And if they don't, fuck 'em," I added. Kali laughed a little, wiping at her tears and blinking a few times to keep from crying more. She sniffed again.

"What about yours?" She asked at last. I frowned, brushing the hair out of her face.

"My what?"

"Your genetic carriers."

"Oh, I think they're around here somewhere," I said dismissively, making Kali blink and look at me, "Do you want me to stay with you until they get here, or even after?" Kali stared at me for a second, then nodded slowly.

"I... I would like you to, but, Jasper, have you not met..." Her voice trailed because we both sensed a pair of presences new to the palace. Or rather, Kali did. I'd been in the presence of both the powers that had arrived, though, never visible to their eyes.

I said nothing as I turned to face the hall where Xiphrus and Michael were coming with Hades, who was handing Michael some file folders. Xiphrus led the group, monstrously tall with his long black hair, dark skin, and piercing blue eyes. He looked just like Kali, he even had a few tattoos, though different from Kali's. His were almost faded and a swirling design of Atlantean tribal work while Kali's were just fun spatters of the universe up and down her arms.

His size was clearly intimidating, but Kali didn't shrink away. She held her ground beside me and I felt my heart swell a little because I could see her confidence returning, see her getting ready to face what would hopefully be a good interaction.

It was hard to tell given that Michael didn't look particularly thrilled to be there.

In fact, I'd say the archangel was pretty pissed. It was a little weird given how pretty he was with that golden spun curly hair, those clear blue eyes, flawless smooth skin. He looked like the definition of a pretty archangel alright.

Too bad his expression said otherwise.

"Oh good, you didn't run away," Hades said when he saw Kali, who stared at him in surprise.

"Why would I run away?" She asked incredulously.

"That's his version of a joke," Michael deadpanned, making Kali turn to look at him, "You'll find that only Hades thinks he's funny." Hades gave Michael a sour look.

"Actually, you'll find that a lot of people laugh at my jokes," he said to Michael, who glanced at him dismissively.

"No, I think they're just laughing at you, not with you," Michael replied.

"How about we try this again," Xiphrus suggested, clapping his hands together to stop their banter, then Xiphrus turned to Kali with an apologetic smile, "Hello, little... Ah, I suppose you are not little anymore, are you?" He paused to give Kali a slow once over, like he was taking in the appearance of her fully before meeting her eyes. Kali stared up at him, clearly wanting to say something, but she was a little tongue-tied.

"She's six foot six," I said without thinking. Kali blushed and Xiphrus smiled.

"Your height comes from my lineage. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kali. My name is Xiphrus, and I am one of your fathers," he said. Kali swallowed nervously.

"Hello," she answered quietly.

"She has a Beast?" Michael's comment was said in the same kind of tone a parent would use when they found out their kid had an STI. I glared at him and Kali tensed, immediately taking a step back towards me and Xiphrus frowned, turning to look at him.

"A Beast?" He asked.

"Yes," Hades replied, "That's what I was trying to tell you earlier, but you just kept asking about her physical state."

"I would think having a Beast has to do with her physical state," Michael snapped, shoving the file folder at Hades, who shrugged as he took it back.

"Kali's Beast is dormant," I said, making everyone look at me, "It hasn't come out in a very, very long time. If you're so fucking concerned about it, then maybe you should just leave."

"Jasper," Kali managed. Michael glared at me.

"You must be Hades's new brother," he muttered. I stared at him.

"Nope, I'm Kali's. If you're not going to treat her with the utmost respect and dignity, then I assure you that my Beast is not dormant and always very hungry," I answered. Michael stared at me and Xiphrus wiped his hands down his face, clearly stressed out by this introduction not going the way he planned. Hades glanced at Michael, clearly waiting for the guy to throw a fit about my commentary.

Michael looked surprisingly calm, however. His anger seemed to be fading a little as he glanced between Kali and I. Kali was looking at me anxiously, like she wanted to grab me and get the hell outta here. Xiphrus clearly didn't want Kali to go anywhere because he wanted to meet her and that was great and all, but it was Michael I was hesitant about.

"I didn't mean offense in bringing up her Beast," Michael said firmly, glancing at Kali, "My apologies for my language and my introduction. I am an archangel of Heaven and we have certain protocols when it comes to those who carry Beasts. And yes, Hades, before you open your wonderfully informative big mouth, I realize that my husband has a Beast, but Fido is a different case."

"Fido?" Kali asked, looking at Xiphrus, who smiled proudly.

"Stanton named him," he answered, then paused, "Ah. Stanton and Rowan are both my children as well."

"Let's not get into the," Michael paused to stare at Hades, who scowled at him, "Sorry, I don't even know what to call your family. Family wreath? Family mangrove? Or is an Appalachian swamp more apropos?" Hades stared at him.

"Should I just bring up the Catholic church and leave it at that?" He asked. Michael glared.

"What the mortals do is not a reflection of Heaven itself."

"Weird, cuz you guys don't have a problem still chatting up the occasional mortal for prophecy."

"We don't use mortals for prophecy anymore, and actually, speaking of prophecies—"

"Can we please not do this right now," Xiphrus asked gently and Michael blinked, looking surprised by himself, then cleared his throat uncomfortably as he adjusted his tie, "It is my hope to encourage Kali to be a part of our family and community, not send her running for the hills screaming for mercy."

"Michael's her other dad," Hades said, making Michael glare at him, "I'm surprised she's not running already." Kali looked at me helplessly and I sighed.

"Kali. Welcome to the family."