Saving the King of the Underworld #2

Forty-One

Dedicated to @Uxnxkxnxoxwxn your comment was just what I needed.

The distinct feeling of being watched as I slept jolted me awake.

As I looked around the room, my eyes fell on the man sitting on my father's recliner. I moved too suddenly, rolling over on the couch and falling on the tiled floor with a yelp.

"Gods," Asmo mumbled. "The Underworld is doomed."

I looked around the living room from the floor. Azazeal still stood next to me. He didn't seem to have moved at all throughout the night. No one could get him to leave after the fight and he didn't seem to be a threat to anyone as long as no one made any threatening action.

The couch that Damien had been set on the night before was empty. The blanket that I placed on him was over the back of the couch.

"Where's Damien?"

"Relax," he sighed, exasperated. "He asked me for a change of clothes. He's upstairs taking a shower."

I stood up from the floor, sitting back down on the couch I had fallen off of. I placed my head in my hands. My head was pounding.

"Has anyone told you that you sleep a lot?"

I frowned in my hands.

"Like, a lot. I've been coming back all day waiting for you to wake up-"

I didn't know what it was about what he said that bothered me so much. "Seeing as how I just pulled the soul of a genocidal maniac out of your cousin's body, I think I earned a break, dick."

Asmo laughed and after several moments, he spoke again, "I need to reconvene the Council. I can't do it without your permission."

I sighed, tired. "Why do you need my permission?"

"You're Queen now."

I snorted. I couldn't hide the sarcasm in my voice. "Yeah. Okay."

He sighed in exasperation. "I need explicit permission from the Crown. An 'okay' is not enough." He didn't seem to understand what I really said okay to.

Asmodeus paused and looked me over. After a moment, he spoke again. "You are much more clever than I gave you credit for, Emylin."

I frowned.

"Here you are. Queen. On your own. Never having to marry anyone to do it."

"All right, now I need an explanation. What on earth are you talking about?"

Asmo gave a sly smile. "Damien knelt before you. Placed his fist over his heart. He pledged his loyalty to you. You are queen now. Even above him."

I shook my head as he continued.

"You are only equal to the other four queens in our realm. Beneath no one in the Underworld."

I raised an eyebrow as I stood. "If that's the case, then I need to talk to Damien. Come back later, after I've spoken to him."

He scoffed as he stood from his own chair. "You don't need him to make decisions."

I watched him. "What is it with you and going against him? You do realize I won't undermine him. If he says pigs can fly, I will take his side."

He took a deep breath through his nose. "I am not your enemy, Emylin." His voice was low, soft. "You killed that person last night."

I felt a slight twinge in my chest.

I killed him. Robyn begged me for mercy. He wanted me to release his soul and instead, I crushed it. I crushed his soul with my power. He ceased to exist.

I did that.

And despite Robyn deserving it, despite knowing what he did to the Light faeries, to Julian, to Damien, to me ...

I still felt a twinge of pain at being told I killed him.

I took a small moment to close my eyes and push the memory away.

At that moment, Asmo made up the distance between us gripping my upper arms gently. Azazeal moved slightly towards us, reaching for his sword.

Asmo didn't move.

I frowned as I looked at his hands on me. He'd changed. Whatever happened in the dungeons the night before, whatever hell Julian had freed him from changed him. I could see it in his eyes, could feel it in the new aura emanating from him.

It wasn't dark, it wasn't polluting ...

At least not anymore.

I looked at his dark eyes as he watched me. "I'm sorry for whatever he did to you," I whispered.

He let me go quickly almost as if his hands were on his fire. He knew what I meant. He stepped back placing the same space between us again.

As soon as he did, Damien appeared in the room.

It took everything in me not to run to him.

It took all sense of self-control to stay rooted in my spot as I watched him cross the room towards us and place a protective hand on my shoulder.

It took absolutely every resolve I had within me not to buckle under the comforting strength of the small action.

"Asmo," his voice was level, calm. "What is going on?"

I didn't turn to Damien as I answered. "He's asking for permission to reconvene the Council." I didn't mention what I'd just learned. "I asked him to wait for you to come back."

I felt Damien's gaze on me. "I don't think it's unreasonable, do you?"

I shook my head. "As long as it's in the benefit of the people of the Underworld, I don't see why not."

Damien squeezed my shoulder slightly. It was almost as if I'd taken him by surprise. I felt him lean closer but I didn't move.

He smelled freshly showered, the scent of soap was familiar. I didn't take my eyes off of Asmo as Damien whispered in my ear quietly, "Repeat after me."

I repeated every word. "I, Queen Emylin, first of my name, grant you, Asmodeus Elsmied, permission to reconvene the Grand Council of the Underworld under the original terms created by King Warren.

May your wisdom and love for your realm and people guide your decisions and bring the Underworld to glory. "

Asmo, surprisingly, took a knee in front of me. He grabbed my left hand and brought it to his lips. "As my Queen demands," he mumbled against my knuckles.

Asmo didn't spare Damien a glance as he disappeared.

I let out a long breath as I watched where he stood previously.

"I'd be wary of Asmo," Damien finally said. I still didn't turn towards him. "He's had an unhealthy obsession with humans for years. You especially. You said something to him when you met him once and he's been consumed ever since."

I shook my head, my fists shaking at my sides. "Can we not talk about Asmo right now?"

His hand gingerly touched mine and when I opened my closed fist, his fingers entwined with mine. He turned me towards him. His free hand reached for my cheek and his thumb gently brushed my cheek.

My eyes met his and I realized with a heavy heart that he changed. His eyes had aged, the amethyst turned cold. It was like he had seen too much, knew too much. And I understood with absolute certainty that it was all because of me. I had done this to him. He would never be the same again.

And it was all my fault.

Despite this, despite knowing that I was the one that got us into this mess in the first place, he pulled me into a hug. He wrapped his arms around me and brushed his lips against my ear, "Thank you for saving me, Em."

And I lost it. I completely lost it as he hugged me.

I clutched at his shirt and held the fabric in my hands as my body shook from the sobs. I buried my face in his chest, the black shirt absorbing my tears as I cried. He did nothing, only held me, placing his cheek on my head.

"I'm sorry," I choked out. "I'm so sorry."

He held me tighter. "You have nothing to apologize for. Absolutely nothing."

I shook my head. "I did this. It's my fault. This was all my fault."

He pulled away and watched me. His eyes held mine. "You stopped a terrible and cruel man. You have the strength even my father didn't have." He smiled sadly. "You brought me back from the dead, Em. You saved my life. Three times. You never gave up on me."

I sniffled, still shaking. "I couldn't give up on you. I wouldn't. I love you. I couldn't not save you. Even when they told me you were dead."

He chuckled. "Telling the Light fae that someone is dead. How absurd."

I choked a laugh. "I refused to believe it, I couldn't accept it."

He pulled me into a hug again. "And here we are."

I gripped his upper arms as he held me, my fingers practically digging into them. "It really is you, isn't it?"

He didn't even need to tell me. The darkness that I had sensed from him yesterday was gone. It no longer lived in him, it wasn't befouling his soul. Damien stood before me just as he had been before everything began.

Although I had been human before, I recognized his energy. I recognized his soul. I recognized the kindness and patience and selflessness I'd always associated with Damien.

Damien was with me.

He was in my arms. He was the one holding me.

He chuckled softly. "Your hair is silver now."

I stepped back from him, wiping the palms of my hands against my wet cheeks to dry them. "Yeah," I answered. "I can't get used to it either."

He smiled as he looked me over. "Your eyes are the same."

I smiled back. "Eyes don't change. Even with glamours."

He nodded. "That's right, they don't."

Glass crunched underfoot behind me and when I turned, I froze.

Oren, Elvina and another Guard stood in the kitchen watching us.

I leaned over to Damien. "How long have they been standing there?"

"They just arrived, I promise."

They had left at some point during the night then, I deduced. They knew that Azazeal would protect me.

I looked at the mess the house was in. The night before it had been too dark to assess the damage. In the daylight, the damage was much worse than I initially thought.

My hands went to my mouth. "Oh, my parents are going to kill me."

Damien laughed as Oren spoke. "We have a team that can come and fix everything. They can also have your parents forget that it ever happened."

I shook my head. "No, I don't want to hide anything from them anymore." No more secrets. I wanted to tell my parents everything.

"Where are your parents, Em?" Damien asked from behind me.

I turned towards him.

"Robyn suspected you took them to the Underworld. Is that where they are?"

I gnawed on my bottom lip as my heart beat wildly in my chest. "Yes." I paused. "They're in the Underworld. In Skryen." I paused again. "With Julian."

If he knew of anything between Julian and me, he didn't show it. Instead, he tilted his head. "How did you get them there?"

I swallowed. "Asmo helped me. He gave me pomegranate juice so they could be spectered there safely."

Damien raised an eyebrow. "What did he want in return?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. He didn't want anything. He just wanted to help me."

Damien crossed his arms over his chest. "I guess he got what he wanted with the other bargain he made with you."

I sighed deeply. "I had to do it. I had no choice."

Damien placed his hands on my shoulders. "We will figure out how to get you out of that bargain, Em, don't worry." He paused. "I wonder if your new title would help-"

"Speaking of which," I said looking at him. "Did you really make me queen?"

He didn't hesitate. "Yes."

I swallowed my sudden panic. "Why?"

He gave me the smile he always did. The half cocky smile I loved so much. "It's only temporary. I did it as a precaution. Just in case Robyn wasn't really gone. I prefer you'd be queen before he had that kind of power again." He paused and placed a silver stray hair behind my ear. "My queen."

I shook my head. "Take it back, he's gone."

He shook his own head. "I rather not. Not yet, at least."

I swallowed, whispering. "You're crazy."

At the words, he pressed his forehead against mine closing his eyes. "No, not anymore. Thanks to you."

My heart pained as I watched him. I wanted to ask him how he was, I wanted to know what he knew, I wanted to unburden him of the pain... but I wouldn't force him. I wouldn't ask him to tell me anything he wasn't ready to say.

It was probably the same reason why he didn't want to give his title back.

It was with new dread that I wondered if he still felt the same as before.

Not once today had he called me 'love', the new nickname that he'd given me after he confessed he loved me.

And after everything that happened, did he love me still?

Could he look at me and not be reminded of what happened to him?

"Alteaza."

I turned to Oren as he addressed me.

I swallowed.

Temporary. It was only temporary.

"I hate to ask this of you but we need to return to the Underworld. We need to make it official." He looked at Damien. "We cannot delay this any further."

Damien nodded. "Of course."

I gave a wry laugh. "What? Like a coronation?"

Damien gave my favorite smile. "It's signing some boring documents in front of witnesses. No coronation. You don't even need to wear a crown." He paused. "Unless you want to, of course."

I scrunched my nose as I shook my head. "Oh, gods, no." I looked down at my clothes. They were ripped, still dirty. I was still missing a shoe. "I probably should shower and change first."

He placed a kiss on my cheek. "I'll be right here when you come back."

I couldn't help the blush to my cheeks as I looked at his mauve eyes. "Do you promise?"

He smiled, nodding. "I promise."

[A/N]: Next update soon, I hope?