~

Waking up to someone banging on the door wasn't the most pleasant way to wake up. Lucifer was still sleeping on my chest. I brought my hand up to check his temperature. It was back to where it should be.

The banging didn't let up. Irritated, I carefully slid him off my chest, and laid him on the couch. I walked over to the door and yanked it open, revealing a frantic looking elf. He had white and black hair, which was an unusual combination on an elf. They usually took great pride in their pure white hair. His amber eyes were panicked, and he looked about ready to burst.

I stepped out of the room, and shut the door behind me. "What is it, elf?" I asked.

The elf flinched under my gaze, but that didn't hinder him from relaying his message. "My name is Arod! My village leader, Haldir, sent me to deliver a very important message."

I began walking down the hall, and motioned for him to follow me. "And it was...?" I hinted, urging him to continue.

"Ah, right!" He stumbled, stemming nervous. "Th-the rebels have set a confirmed date on when they want to commence with their siege on the capital!"

I chuckled. "Is that so? When?"

"Exactly two days from now!" Arod exclaimed, sounding worried.

"Calm down, elf. There's no need to shout," I said calmly.

Arod stammered, "B-but..."

"The Rebels are a group of people who feel I am unfit to rule. They want to oppose me in my own kingdom. I've been here since the beginning of time. I'm not going to be afraid of a few humans who haven't even been here a century," I scoffed.

Humans honestly baffled me. They had died. End of story. There was no reason for them to retaliate. But the humans in the rebellion weren't given the chance to be reborn here. They were the humans who souls refused to accept change. The ones who believe that their way to live was the only way, and anything other than that was unacceptable. I would just have to put them in there place.

"O-oh..." Arod said, sounding awed. "We-well... Haldir has offered his support. He has spies in important positions in the Rebellion army. So if you ever need assistance..."

I smirked. "That could actually work. Here," I said, stopping in front of my study. I opened the door and walked over to my desk. I rummaged through all the papers, trying to find the right plans. Once I found it, I rolled it into a scroll. I held an arm out. Arod stared at me quizzically.

"Transform, so you can deliver this to your leader," I ordered. Arod flinched, then quickly did as told. His hawk form perched on my arm, being careful not to scratch me with his talons. I slid the scroll into the carrying pack that was strapped into him. After securing the lid, I walked over to one the window, and pushed it open.

Before letting him go, I said, "Show those to Haldir. Tell him that those are the plans that'll win us the battle." Aron gave a jerky nod as a response. With that, I let him go. He took off in a flurry of feathers, quickly disappearing into the distance.

It hadn't even been a few minutes before a maid burst into the room. "Your Majesty, there's a shifter claiming to be the Fallen Angel's brother!" She exclaimed.

I sighed. "Bring him here." Things were just getting more and more complicated. based on what I could see, Lucifers family abandoned him, moving as far as they could from Lucifer. I walked over to my desk, and picked up the record book. It kept track of anything and everything related to my angels.

Flipping through it, I finally got to Lucifer's section. Skimming through it, I quickly located his brother's profile.

Liam Rosette. 22 years old. Platinum blond, ice-blue eyes. His current height was 6' 0", almost reaching my height. Despite leaving Lucifer alone at a young age, the old brother kept tabs on his younger brother. He kept most bullies off Lucifer's back, but a few slipped through. There was a bunch more stuff, likes, dislikes, personality, but I skipped all that. The only one I needed to know about was Lucifer. I kept turning the pages, until I found what I was looking for. Species... shifter. As of age 16, his shifter genes took over, and he was escorted to my realm by the shadow dogs. It made me wonder what he had been doing up till then, but that explained the incidents that happened to Lucifer. His Guardian angel was gone, so the bullies swarmed.

Done searching, I shut the book, and placed it onto my desk. The door to my study was knocked on, making me smirk. Finally, someone who showed respect.

"Come in," I called. The door was opened slowly, and in walked Liam Rosette. "Take a seat," I said, waving to the chairs in front of my desk. He complied, walking over to the chairs, and sitting down. I myself sat down in my seat on the other side.

"What can I do for you, Liam?" I asked, leaning forward to rest my head in my palm.

Liam's face was placidly cool, free of any emotions. It baffled me, but obviously, I couldn't let it show. "My brother... Lucifer," he started, "Is he here?" He asked. I pursed a brow.

"Why?" I asked, leaning forward the slightest bit. Mysteries always managed to intrigue me.

"I just need to speak to him," Liam said, still not showing anything on his face. I stared into his eyes, searching for any hint of emotion, but there was nothing. I was about to give up when I saw the smallest flicker of feeling pass through his eyes as he blinked. He was feeling... remorse.

My smirk widened. "Talk to him? About what? How you abandoned him? How you let people bully him? How you did nothing to stop your parents from walking away?" I jabbed, hitting multiple nerves.

His clasped hands tightened the slightest bit. "And I should tell you because?" He asked coldly. Honestly, if I had been anyone else, he would've gotten away with the cold, indifferent act. But I noticed every tiny detail about what set people off. Then I made it my mission to crack them.

"Because Lucifer is . And I won't let you see him until I know exactly what is it you want to say to him," I said confidently.

Liam's eyebrow twitched, but other than that, he showed no other emotion. "Alright then guess I'll be leaving then. I came to take to Lucifer, not his overprotective mate." He stood from his chair, making me sigh.

"How boring," I said. I stood up too, so he couldn't look down on me. "Lucifer is sleeping right now, but you can talk to him when he waked up," I said, walking over to the door. "A maid will escort you to a parlor where you can wait."

Hearing my words, a maid ran over.

"Perfect," I said. "Follow her."

I didn't wait to see if he listened. I left the study, leaving Liam and the maid behind. I ran a hand through my hair as I walked back to the room Lucifer was in.

Things are going to be pretty hectic, I thought, not looking forward to how much work I had to do.

~