Part 45: Epilogue

imp a/n at the end!

"Is he in there?"

The guard trembled under her stare before nodding his head. "Yes, your highness."

The two doors of the room split open, and Talia stood in the darkness of the doorway, smiling at the two servants who held the doors open for her. She took a step into the room, and they shut the doors behind her a moment later. Her mate, the Demon King, stayed sitting, watching her approach towards his throne. She wasn't scared of crossing the bridge anymore, effortlessly gliding across the place Talia ruled alongside her husband.

She hadn't seen him in hours, waiting for her husband to get ready for their special dinner in the evening. Lukas had a lot of pending cases to deal with, which was why he left quickly after breakfast.

Talia was dressed in a long yellow gown, the light fabric floating behind her in waves, running off her arms. A slit in the front of the dress shifted every time she took a step, revealing a flash of her tanned leg and a barefoot before it disappeared into the folds of the dress again. Her tan was the result of staying in Olympus beach with her sisters, lazily sipping her wine and watching the kids run along.

Her wrists, fingers, and throat glittered, countless diamonds decorating her skin. The demons against the wall stared straight forward, refusing to either look directly at her or even to look away.

Talia’s eyes fluttered, breathing in the smell of spicy vanilla and musk as she inched closer to her mate.

"My love," His voice immediately echoed in her ears, standing to greet her. Talia melted in his arms as he pressed a kiss under her jaw. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm tired," She huffed, feeling her temples throb lightly. Maybe the Queen should have rested in her grand chamber instead of walking all the way here. Talia couldn't stay put in the Castle anymore. "Please take a break."

"In a moment, my love," Lukas said, "I'm just finishing up in here."

Talia pointedly stared at the person on his knees in front of Lukas. Dean was always hovering over him, possibly excited at the tortures he could bestow upon the accused. He will never change.

"Can I sit here then?"

"I would love to have you here." He hummed, immediately asking the guards to put the chair next to him. "Make yourself comfortable."

"Wonderful," She moaned. "I plan on being here for a while."

Lukas chuckled and reached behind her, squeezing one of her hands and pulling it forward enough to kiss her jewellery adorned knuckles. The air always seemed to lighten when he did that, the room becoming less dreary for that one brief moment.

The moon princess slid away from him, her hands falling, and she wandered, casting an amused smile to Dean. Talia moved her feet towards her throne, feeling the Demon Kings intense eyes tracking her.

She chose to escape the Castle for a lot of reasons, mainly because the moon princess couldn't stand Kira stressing her about the upcoming dinner. Now that she's promoted to be a housekeeper of the house, her duties increased. The servants were running around under her leadership, the cacophony of vacuum cleaner whirring around paired with clattering of utensils in the kitchen giving her a headache. The moon princess was sensitive to sounds these days.

Not only that but she also missed having her mate close to her.

Dean read all the crimes of the man as Talia idly flicked the paper she bought along. It was a gossip rag more like. Her lips curved when she found her upcoming dinner party being the highlight of the paper, written in bold letters and on front page.

She had no interest in playing along with Lukas and punishing the victims on daily basis. That's because she was incapable of handling them harsh punishments, feeling her heartstrings tug at their tears stained faces. Talia only intervened when Lukas got out of hand or if he's unnecessarily cruel.

Talia glanced at her husband for a brief second, who gazed back evenly until he finally lowered his eyes towards the accused. The King stood up and slowly walked towards the man on his knees. She watched in rapt attention as Lukas dictated his punishment, being whipped by Dean before throwing him in the Pit, of course. The standard one. Most of them who did evil deeds in their life received extreme ends, which she didn't like to think.

***

Once everyone filtered out of the room, Lukas raced to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist before pulling her in.

"Hello, gorgeous," The King murmured. Before she could burden him with her own set of questions, Lukas leaned over and pressed their lips together roughly. One of his big hands came up to frame the side of her head, hand spanning to her jaw with ease.

The kiss was almost lazy like he's got all the time in the world to be kissing her just like this. She was unable to suppress the quiet whine that worked its way out of her throat, cracking through the flimsy apprehension that they were both immersed in.

Another big hand slipped down her stomach, a warm palm flattening which made the Queen shiver. Lukas parted her lips with his tongue, licking into her mouth carefully and languidly. She mewled, lifting her hands and curling them around his neck, trying to pull him even closer. Lukas was warm and firm against her, overwhelming in every way possible.

The King let out a soft grunt as he pulled away, tilting her head for better access as he dragged his lips down Talia's throat. There's something in the way he touched her that's not changed over the course of years - like she's something delicate and precious - and it made her feel even more dazed, bare her neck.

Groaning quietly, Lukas mouthed over the exposed flesh, inhaling deeply. He grazed his teeth over the juncture between her neck and shoulder, making the Queen jerk.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, breathing through her mouth, lips swollen. "Are you done for the day?" The moon princess asked, "I sometimes know you forget."

"No one will be coming to visit me for the rest of the day, my love. I'm all yours."

"Good," Her lips curved in a smile, "Because I was wondering if you'd forgotten what today is."

"I could never." He made a sound. "Happy anniversary, my love."

They got married and exchanged vows a month after they returned to Hell. It was a small ceremony. Only friends and family. She was heavily pregnant and didn't want to attract attention, especially in her last trimester.

After their baby was born, they planned a grand engagement alongside the baby naming ceremony. It was a colossal affair and talk of the town for several months because it's Zeus beloved daughter and King of Hell's union. They were blessed by the fairies all over, their little bundle of joy bestowed with gifts and showered with love from all his uncles and aunts, grandparents, cousins.

She smiled at the memory. Shaking her head, Talia took his hand and guided it down to her waist, blinking at him innocently. "Then what are you waiting for, my King?"

Lukas devilishly smiled, then shifted a finger. The click of a deadbolt rattled the room as he pulled her closer, burying his face in her neck.

***

After an hour or so, they decided to walk back to the Castle and check on the ongoing decorations. The moment Talia opened the door, a loud giggle echoed around the hallway, and footsteps rushed their way.

"Daddy!" Her tiny hands wrapped around Lukas legs, face burying in his knees as she made a sound.

Selene, their bundle of joy, was easily picked up by Lukas, gathered in his arms. She immediately hid her face in the crook of his neck, tiny fingers holding on to his cloak. The moment they saw her, Talia decided to give her late mother's name.

"Hello, my little love. When did you wake up?" He questioned, peppering tiny kisses down her forehead.

Another reason Talia left the Castle was Selene fell asleep in her chambers. Lauren tried to teach her painting when the three-year-old gave up and decided to nap instead. The painter's feelings got hurt, but she'll get over it.

"Just now, daddy!" She softly answered, rubbing her eyes.

Talia let out a sigh. They returned in time, or Selene would have missed them both. Even though she's daddy's girl, the three-year-old always wanted at least one of them around.

The Queen noticed that Lauren stood near the stairs, watching Selene with a fond smile. She waved at Talia, who mouthed her 'thank you.

"Baby, come on, let's get you dressed up."

"For the party, mummy?" The little enquired, blinking her doe eyes. She was a mini Lukas, with her full mouth, thick eyelashes, doll eyes and pointed nose.

"Yes. You want to meet your cousins, right? They will be dressed up as well."

She bobbed her head excitedly. Talia picked her up and carried her to the room while Lukas got ready in the other room.

***

The party was in full swing. Yama and his new girlfriend showed up already. Leo also bought Anna with him. He finally had the courage to confess his love and come clean about his deception. It took her time to accept him, but eventually, they made it work. They also had a kid, a one-year-old boy who Selene adored. Most of the time, she thought of him as her doll and refused to let him go.

Hades and Persephone also arrived with Zeus, Artemis, Clio and the rest of her family. Hera was still not on talking terms with Talia, and that's alright. She didn't miss her stepmother, who wanted her dead.

Dean was dancing with Lauren. The guard finally came to terms with his feelings and proposed to her. They were to be wed in four months.

Selene was the centre of attention, with everyone fawning over the colour coordinated dress she wore. It was Talias idea. She asked Myra to prepare outfits for three of them with the same cloth, design and pattern.

The Queen took her seat next to her husband and kept her hand laced together as the servants bustled around them, setting down trays and bowls and cups to the arriving guests. They had all of Talia and Selene's favourites; red wine and grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, spaghetti with meatballs, lots of ice cream and buttered breadsticks.

"You have given me a wonderful three years," The King said softly, gripping her hands tighter, "And you look just as beautiful as you did when you bumped into me in Olympus party all those decades ago."

Flush crawled over her cheeks as she let those words soak in. It's not been easy. The number of times they fought over silly things, the countless nights they stayed up because of baby Selene, the responsibilities that came with having a demi child. Everything was intense, but they are still making it work.

Talia choked up, almost blinking back the tears. She was so tempted to cry. Instead, the Queen focused on sharing the news with him.

"I got you a present for today," She smiled, and he tilted his head with interest.

"What?"

"Close your eyes and hold out your hands."

Lukas made a face but still did it, dropping her hand to hold both of his own out. She wrapped her dainty hands around his wrist and placed it over her stomach. Talia was just about to tell him to open his eyes when his smile twitched into a smirk. They made another baby.

She took the pregnancy test a week ago and had been itching to tell him since then.

"I knew it!" He almost yelled, quickly lowering his voice. Lukas face broke out in a wide grin, hands cradling her cheeks. "I could feel something different about you."

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"I don't know...I was waiting for you to say it, I guess. Love you so much, my love. You have given me the best gift."

She turned red. Lukas just brought his lips down to hers and kissed his mate, slow and softly, taking in every ridge of her mouth, every flick of her tongue.

Someone tapped on Lukas arms, abruptly tugging at his shirt. Talia blushed, noticing Selene hovering around their table.

She pouted. "Daddy!" The three-year-old pointed towards the mini arcade they built for kids in the corner. "Let's go play that game."

"Okay" Lukas got up, gather her in his arms before giving Talia one last look.

"Go. We will talk later."

Talia wanted to tell him that she loved him back. But Selene was getting impatient. She watched them as they disappeared in between the crowd. Then again, they had all of eternity to do that.

***

The End!

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