Present

"No please, he doesn't like sweets. Get rid of the cake and cupcakes, and bring- I don't know...lettuce?" I said in an unsure tone. The servants looked at me as if I was asking instead of demanding them and I rubbed my temples. This was sad. How wasn't I aware of the food my son liked to eat? As a mother, that should've been basic knowledge next to knowing his favorite color or song...yet I knew nothing.

He never talked to me.

"Good morning, mother." Felix wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed my cheek, making me relax a bit and look back at the chaotic dining room.

"Felix. You're aware your brother is coming today?"

"I'm aware," he grumbled as he dropped his arm. "Although, you nor father have told me the reason. He's been just fine in Hell so why is he coming back to Jeradua?"

"How do you know he's been just fine? Has he told you that himself?"

"Come on." He looked at me over his shoulder, heading to the long table in front of the window that held the food. I followed behind him to listen to his words, already knowing the answer, but still curious. "I haven't spoken to that man in years."

"That man is your brother."

"He is not."

"How not? I am your mother, and therefore he is your brother."

"But you are not truly my mother though, remember?"

"By blood or not, I am your mother, Felix. Tara is gone."

"And whose fault is that?"

Mine, of course. Everything seemed to be my fault when things came to Felix, even when it wasn't. The therapy classes every month did little to mend our deep-seated issues, in fact, it may have opened old wounds.

A short while after getting pregnant with my own son and using his father to gain power over Julius, getting rid of Tara was the first thing I did. She was an annoyance and a great stress on my mental health during my pregnancy...or at least that was what I told Julius. Therefore making him more inclined to let her go.

I was always transparent with the events that transpired between his mother and me, yet sometimes I wish I never told him. I can not stand the way he looks at me some days. At least I was honest with him, is what I'd tell myself so I could feel better. But what is honesty when one of the people you love most, looks at you like you're the monster in his nightmares?

"I thought we moved past this," I said to him, stepping out of his way as he waved his finger over the fruits, unsure of what to eat.

"We are past it. Ah!" He exclaimed in thought as he peered over my shoulder. I stepped aside, and instead of reaching out for food as I thought he would, he grinned at a nearby servant and held his hand out for hers. "May I?" She nodded quickly, nervously giving the prince a half bow before placing her hand into his. He raised the sleeve of her shirt, exposing her wrist, before sinking his fangs into her flesh.

I cringed as the droplets of blood landed onto the marble floor that the servants had cleaned so well that I could see my reflection in it. All their hard work had been reduced to a small puddle of blood staining the floor because my son, couldn't take his meal outside. "Must you do that here?"

"What's wrong?" he questioned, dropping the young girl's arm from his hold; the open wound gushing blood still spilling onto the floor.

I groaned, snatching a rag from the pocket of her pocket, and wrapping it around her wrist. "Please go get cleaned up, dear. Next time, say no to my son." She nodded, staring down at the floor before holding her wrist and scurrying away. "And please, have someone bring a mop!"

I turned back to Felix whose lips were now a bright red color painting his chin and the collar of his white button-up. "Go get cleaned up as well. The rulers of Eden will be in an hour."

"They're going to be here as well?" He questioned loudly, shock prominent in his voice. "With..."

"With your brother, yes. This meeting requires him, King Jonathan and Xyla," I muttered lowly, allowing the disgust to seep through my words.

"How do you expect to have breakfast with God's people and--...evil reincarnate?"

"He is not evil reincarnate."

"Find me one person in all the realms who would disagree." He scoffed.

"They just don't understand." I sighed. "You know how Syn is...he just- he doesn't understand, Felix. You know this. Before your strange dislike of him, he was your little brother. You above all people should understand."

"He kills people. That is what I now understand," he said. "Haven't you heard the worries and terrified whispers of our people? No one wants him here, and if you were honest with yourself, you don't want him here either. You're the one who sent him to Hell in the first place."

"So he could bond with his father."

"You and I both know there's more to it than that," he whispered.

"What's going on in here?" A voice boomed through the room. I spun around to see Julius at the large double doors, a black flowery centerpiece in his hands, and marching into the space. " Why are you all getting rid of the cakes? Do you know how many hours I spent creating this menu?!"

"Ask mother," Felix ratted me out, letting out a huff of laughter before crossing his arms.

"What happened to my floor?!" He screeched, pointing at the blood puddle beside us.

"Ask your son," I retorted, earning a scowl from Felix as if his father wouldn't have deduced it from the blood on his face and clothes.

"Someone! Clean this shit up!" He ordered, a group of servants quaking at his tone and rushing to the spot. "And you, get out and clean yourself up. We have an image to maintain. We don't need Angels to think we are heathens, do we?"

"Well." Felix clasped his hands together, not paying attention to his father's words or tone. "I'm going to go get ready. I'll see you both in a bit." He walked away and left the room before either of us could say anything else, and I watched him disappear into the long hall.

"Are you ready for today, Genesis?"

"Not at all," I admitted. "I can't imagine you're feeling confident either."

"Why not?"

"You and my Syn have a lot of history, Julius. I've forgiven you for what you've done to him and me in the past, but we don't know how he will react to seeing you again."

"I am not afraid of him," he said. "I am almost one thousand years old, Genesis. He's a child compared to me. Not to mention he's tiny. I won't let myself fall coward to a puny child."

"Tiny? Puny? Surely you've heard the rumors, haven't you?" I questioned, lowering my voice and stepping towards him. "I haven't seen him in a while either, but the recounts of the people in the kingdom say otherwise, Julius."

"I've heard the rumors and I won't trust hearsay over my own eyes. People are only afraid of him because his father happens to be Satan," he spat. I smiled and bit my lip at the mention of his father and Julius scoffed as he looked at me. "Control yourself, woman. You've shamed this kingdom enough with that affair of yours."

"As if you didn't shame the kingdom with yours?" I countered. "It's the twenty-first century, Julius. Your head may remain in those thousand years you grew up in, but my infidelity is not worse than yours because I happen to be a woman. Get over yourself."

"You know," he began. "I am still your King. Respect would be nice."

"Same to you." I stood with my head held high, not giving way to the anger raging in his eyes, challenging him to hurt me as he obviously wanted to. In the past, he may have if I stepped up to him in any way, but now, if he dared to lay a single hand on me, Lucifer, along with his arsenal of demons wouldn't hesitate to show him true evil. "Now if you'll excuse me. I need to go get ready."

Before walking away, I curtsied. Looking straight into his eyes, not giving him the satisfaction of lowering my head to him in a proper bow. My eyes caught his hands ball up into fist as his anger grew and I laughed in his face, knowing there was nothing he could do. Oh, how the tables have turned.

꧁꧂

"Welcome." I bowed half-heartedly as King Jonathan gallantly strode into the room, his wife and daughter following close behind him. A permanent diamond crown that seemed to always be seated on their heads sat comfortably, oddly contrasting with their modern clothing. The King wore a white suit, matched with a long white robe, the faux fur looking like it could make you sneeze if you were close enough. His wife wore a matching suit tailored to her body, her hair tied into a high ponytail exposing her pointed fairy ears.

They walked together in unison to a couple of empty chairs at the table and took a seat, silently looking around and judging. They were discreet about it, but I learned over the years that followers of God judged people more than any other group of people, even though their "lord and savior" strictly prohibited it.

"Is your son here?" Jonathan questioned.

"He will be here momentarily," I said.

"So he is late?" Xyla asked, pulling a seat out next to her friend Mia. A girl just as infuriating as her, yet lived with us as her father, a good friend of ours, maintained Jeradua's army.

"It would appear so," I answered, keeping a plastered smile on my face so rigid that my cheeks began to pain. "But Felix and Julius are here, so that should keep your annoyance at bay, hmm?" Xyla froze and her smile dropped at my words, but her parents must've taken my words as directed at them because they spoke up.

"Ha, yes!" Queen Zara smiled. "King Julius's presence at this moment perhaps would calm us. We'd like to make this meeting as quick and proactive as we can as we have other matters to attend to."

"I wouldn't think that peace between our kingdoms is just one of those matters to attend to," I said in a questioning voice, perturbed by their belittling of this meeting.

"I am sure they know the gravity of our situation," Julius spoke as he walked into the room, his voice attempting to ease the tense air in the room. "Let us all sit."'

He gently grabbed my arm and guided me to the head of the table where two chairs were placed, a stack of papers laying on the table in front of them. He sensed my irritation and gave me a knowing look before pulling out a chair for me to sit, and letting go of my arm.

I sat down on the chair, glancing down at the papers in confusion. I turned to Julius, my mind filled with questions and he side-eyed me, shaking his head slightly as if telling me to wait.

"I'm here. No need to wait any longer." Felix held his hands out grandly as he walked into the room, gathering the attention of everyone at the table. He skipped the traditional greeting to everyone in the room and walked directly over to Xyla, taking a seat beside her.

"Where is the son we're truly waiting for?" Jonathan asked.

"Ouch, I'm wounded." Felix held a dramatic hand over his chest, laying his head back against the seat.

"He'll be here soon," Julius answered them, the uncertainty that should've been detectable in his strong voice hidden to their ears.

"He's over two hours late," the Queen spoke in irritation.

"Thank God we arrived later or we would've been subjected to wait all this time as well," Xyla said, making my skin itch. I took a deep breath to calm myself down and relaxed into the wooden chair. Good for my son to make these people wait...they sucked.

To pass the time, we all engaged in an uneventful conversation about border security within all the realms. I almost fell asleep but became alert whenever Hell was somehow mentioned. I noticed their disgusted gazes directed towards me whenever Lucifer was mentioned, but I just winked at them.

As I looked across the room, my eyes landed at the doorway where my best friend Jess was lurking. I snuck a funny face in her direction and her eyes widened, making me laugh at her expression. I waited for her to make one back but instead she tilted her head in the direction of the hallway, a certain urgency filling her eyes. 'He's here,' she mouthed.

I mouthed his name in question and she nodded, her pink hair flying every which way at the sudden movements. "My son is here," I announced, standing up from my seat. The conversation ceased as I did so and I lingered in my spot, not being sure whether to wait for them to acknowledge my words, or leave.

"Well, are you going to get him?" Julius interjected.

"Oh yes, of course. I was just going to do that." I stalled, nervousness beginning to grasp onto me. Moments ago, when his arrival wasn't yet a reality, I was just fine. But now, a mix of fear and worry reclined in the pit of my stomach, making my legs beg to remain planted to the spot I was in. I slowly walked out of the door and took a deep breath as Jess took my hand in hers, walking beside me at a leisure pace to the entrance.

"You'll be okay," she said.

I doubt it.