I stepped through the dark portal as Syn had and my heel landed on the concrete sidewalk. Even after all the portals I had been in on my stay here, they still made me dizzy. I blinked, letting the swaying street in front of me still, and took a deep breath. "This is the address Xavier gave me," Syn mumbled, his eyes scanning the buildings around us.

"Syn!" Our attention turned to Xavier as he waved at us from the door of a restaurant across the street.

Syn clicked his tongue as he grabbed my hand and led me across the street to the door. My heart pounded as whoever was inside would be seeing us like this; holding hands and color coordinating our outfits. No one besides Xavier and Genesis knew we were together so I was anxious about who would be finding out tonight.

I should've been more apprehensive about it and stepped away from Syn, but I didn't have the energy to do it anymore. Tonight, I was borrowing from Syn's 'I don't give a shit' attitude.

His grip on my hand loosened as we reached the door and I tightened my hold on him, making him look down at me. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

He nodded, adjusting his hold back onto my hand and Xavier grinned at us. "Look at the happy couple!"

"Shut up," Syn grumbled. "You gave me the wrong address."

"It was across the damn street," Xavier defended himself.

"You-" I gently grabbed Syn's arm with my free hand and ushered him through the glass doors before he and Xavier could get into an argument. The sibling-like arguments between the two were adorable, but they lasted years.

My eyes landed on Genesis who was wearing her same red gown from earlier, and I sent her a smile. She was probably one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen and it wasn't hard to tell where Syn had gotten his looks. Her eyes were almost identical to his and her striking black hair was obviously a trait passed down to him.

She conversed with a girl who seemed to work here and when she saw us, she flashed us a bright smile before holding her finger up. Syn wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me against him as we waited for her to finish and I took a relaxing breath.

"Okay. Thank you, Ella. You can start bringing the food out in about twenty minutes. We're waiting for a couple of guests," she said. The girl nodded before disappearing through another set of see-through doors that led to what looked like a dining room. Gen looked at us, her smile slightly dropping as she noticed our clothes. "You guys changed? You got wet, didn't you?"

"Something like that," Syn muttered and I jabbed his side with my elbow.

Gen blew out a raspberry breath and buried her face in her hands. "It's all my fault."

"Do we look that bad?" I joked.

"No, you look amazing, sweetheart." She smiled. "I just should've checked the damn weather. I'm sorry you all had to go all the way home to change."

"It's alright, I promise," I assured her. "Thank you for all of this."

"Don't thank me, just enjoy..." She checked her watch, ", the last hour of your birthday." I laughed softly and she pointed at a table in the far corner of the room. "You have a lot of gifts to open, but anyway, everyone else is already seated. You guys go on and join them, I'll be there in a few minutes."

Everyone else?

"Well? Are you people going to walk?" Xavier scoffed from behind us as he moved to walk past. "Some of us are trying to eat, damn."

"Your dates aren't here, are they?" Syn asked, making Xavier pivot on his foot and turn to us.

"Nope, they'll probably flake. I've been pushing the time back all day. First with the banquet, and then this. They asked me if I wanted to hang out with them while we wait for the dinner to start and I turned them down. I wouldn't be surprised if they thought I was trying to blow them off.

"Why did you turn them down?" I asked. "Do you not like them anymore?"

"No, I think it's the opposite. I like them a lot, but they just make me nervous," he admitted. "It was different when I was just a sex demon at their house-" I coughed at his choice in words and he gave me a seductive smile, making Syn shove his shoulder and shoot me a glare. I cleared my throat, holding back a smile and Xavier laughed before continuing. "They might not like me outside of the bedroom, so fuck."

"I'm sure they'll love you," I assured him. "You're amazing."

"In and out of the bedroom, right?" He teased.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Syn hissed lowly, glancing between us.

I laughed, shaking my head and Xavier slapped his shoulder. "Relax. Your girlfriend is hot and if you fuck things up I may have to-" Syn lunged at Xavier, making him laugh out loud as he stumbled backward. They got into a small fight in front of me, making Gen snap her fingers to get them to be quiet as she held her phone against her ear.

"Finish that sentence, asshole," Syn cursed, holding Xavier in a headlock. Xavier's face was turning red as he tried his hardest to hold back a laugh, and he got out of Syn's hold, temporarily gaining an advantage over the scuffle until Syn grabbed him again.

"Hey, enough!" Gen finally snapped, her stern voice hitting them like a whip and making them separate. "I have been here for hours. I've downed TWO damn bottles of Pinot Noir and I am this close," she pinched her fingers together, "to losing my shit. If you want to fight, take it the hell outside. If you want to calm me down after my long ass day...I suggest you both get your asses to that table and sit the fuck down."

"Damn," Xavier whispered with wide eyes, just as surprised by her outburst as I was.

"Who pissed in your cereal this morning?" Syn retorted. Genesis took a step towards him and Xavier stepped in front of Syn.

"He didn't mean that." He laughed. "We'll behave." He turned Syn around and ushered him through the doors and I turned to Gen.

"Those boys are going to give me grey hairs."

"Same," I said. She laughed, slightly shaking her head before returning to the podium and resting her forearms on it. I had seen Gen work under more high pressure situations than this one, yet she looked more drained than ever. "Are you alright?"

She shrugged, placing her chin into her palms. "Julius is getting on my nerves."

"What did he do?"

"Be himself," she muttered.

I smiled and sat on the stool beside her. I took her hand into mine, earning a sigh from her before she gave me a small smile. "Can I ask you something?" She nodded. "You're with Lucifer so why can't you just leave Julius? It's not like people don't already know the two of you aren't invested in one another. Sorry if I'm intruding."

"You're not." She rubbed her forehead. "I can't leave him." She sighed. "Jeradua is...this place is mine. I'm not sure how much you know, but my father was King before Julius invaded." I nodded in understanding. "I was never really interested in boys growing up and since I was his only child, he dedicated all of his time teaching me how to be King and Queen. Because one day, I would have to.

"When I was nineteen we heard about Julius and his army's emergence into the kingdom, but we had no idea where they hid. I was out one day just strolling through the kingdom and met this charming writer. I fell in love hard and fast, but it was all a lie. It was Julius and his only goal was to use me to get to my father's throne. And he was successful.

"My parents were banished and they wanted nothing to do with me after Julius turned me. I haven't seen them since all those years ago, but I still remember everything my father taught me. I can't abandon my people, Queen. Julius would destroy everything good about this place.

"I've been waiting for the day when he would step down, and it's coming. I hate that he had to take a life for it to come, but I'm tired. After the wedding, I'm moving to Hell with Lucifer. I trust Syn enough to be able to take care of everything and I'm his mother so I'll always be around somehow."

"Damn," I whispered. "How long have you and Julius been together?"

She scoffed. "Thirty long ass years."

"It's so strange to hear you talking about all this time passing. You look so young. You could pass as Syn's sister, honestly."

"Oh?" She raised a brow, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Well, thank you." She laughed. "I was nineteen after all. A stupid nineteen-year-old."

"Would you change it if you could go back?"

"Change what happened?" She asked.

"Yes."

She pursed her lips in thought for a few seconds before shaking her head. "No, not at all. I may have lost my family, but I got Syn and Felix. They were worth it all, so...I wouldn't change a thing about my past."

"And Lucifer," I teased, bumping her shoulder.

"Yes, I got his annoying ass too." She laughed. "After all this time, I'm a firm believer in everything happening for a reason."

"Me too...kind of." I nodded.

"Can I ask you something now?"

"Sure."

Her eyes landed on me and I nervously smiled at the seriousness in her expression. "Would you ever consider turning?"

"Into a vampire?" She nodded, and I looked down at the walnut colored podium in front of us in thought. After a few moments, I looked back up at her and shrugged. "Depends on the reasons."

"Okay." She clicked her tongue. "Say that you fell in love with this emotionless yet...gentle...kind of?" She said unsurely. "But he really cared about you, regardless of everything going on...within him...?"

"Are you okay, Gen?" I laughed as she struggled to find the words to use.

"Okay, ignore all of that," she whined. "Let's say that he had really hot parents. Would you stay with him forever?"

"If he had a hot parent then...of course." She slapped my arm at my sarcastic tone and I grinned at her. "For the right person, I would."

A grin spread across her face, but before she could say anything else, the entrance to the restaurant door opened, sending a breeze into the room that made me shiver. My eyes landed on a stocky gentleman with bright blue hair and pointed ears. "Eww," Genesis said, loud enough that he scoffed as his eyes landed on her.

His lips upturned into a disgusted smirk and he crossed his arms. "Genesis."

"Nate," she spat. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I invited him," Jess chirped with a bright smile as she emerged from the dining room. She practically jumped into his arms and they locked lips in front of us, making my stomach turn. Just days ago, she was crying because he kept leaving her and now she was making out with him. This was the man she chose over Xavier. "I missed you so much."

"I know," he said. Oh wow. "I've been busy."

"I completely understand."

"Are you kidding me?" Genesis asked her.

"Gen," Jess warned, taking Nate's hand and leading him to the double doors into the dining rooms.

"I'll see you both inside." Nate smirked, making Gen scowl at him. She raised her middle fingers to his back as he walked away, and once he was gone, she ran her hands through her hair.

"I'm so sorry, Queen. Your dinner is officially ruined."

"Is he that bad?"

"You can be the judge of that." She sighed. "We should head inside."

I grabbed my purse and hopped off the seat before following behind her. I adjusted the nude mini dress on my body before entering the door she held open and my eyes landed on Xyla and Felix occupying seats at the long table.

Oh, fuck my life.

Xyla and I hadn't spoken since my outburst in her room and I sure as hell wasn't excited to see Felix after what he did. After thinking about how the ring could've ended up in the room when I saw him take it, I was convinced he planned something. I didn't know what exactly, but I refused to stick around to find out. Whatever chance I'd give him to redeem himself was long gone.

"Well," Genesis said, "I had no idea we'd be having an uninvited guest pop up so we are missing a seat and one person will not be eating anything since the food was prepared in accordance with the guests."

Gen took a seat on the other side of Jess and I looked around for where to sit. My eyes landed on my name tag in front of the seat where Nate was occupying and I sighed. "Umm, I'll just-"

"Come." I looked at the head of the table where Syn was seated and he held out a hand for me. The eyes in the room turned to me and I tried my hardest to ignore them as I walked over to him. I accepted his hand and he pulled me onto his lap. My eyes widened at the fact that the secrecy of us had just disappeared right in front of my eyes.

His arm wrapped around my waist, making me slightly relax and I calmed down. The worst part was over. "What is this?" Xyla pointed at us. "Why-there's no way." If I wasn't so nervous I would've laughed at the shocked look on her face, but I just looked down at Syn. He was already looking at me when I did, and as if he could read my mind, he gave me a single nod that told me he understood my tenseness.

"Anyway," Gen spoke up, downing the wine in her glass before pointing at Nate. "Why are you here?"

"I told you I invited him," Jess said.

"You invite him to a lot of places and he never shows up," Gen pointed out. "Why is he suddenly here now?"

"I just missed my fiancé," he answered as he took Jess's hand into his. "I haven't been the best version of myself these past few weeks-"

"Months...no wait, years!" Gen corrected. "Shit, let me stop trying to go give you the benefit of the doubt. Decades! You haven't been here for her for decades."

"Happy birthday," Syn whispered into my ear before sitting back and looking at me. I smiled at him before turning back to the argument at the table. I could feel Xyla and Felix's eyes still on us, but I ignored them to the best of my ability.

"Gen, please stop," Jess begged. "He's here now. That's what matters."

"And I love you," Nate said to her, making a blush appear on her cheeks as he kissed her hand.

"Bullshit," someone said. All the attention in the room shifted to the source of the sound and I was shocked to see that it was Syn.