I Decree

Sebastian

Waking up to a decree from those weasels was irritating. The fact I was up to the middle of the night planning and setting up the paperwork to keep Lilith here was the icing on the cake. I didn't even know if I could go through with my plan.

I stood in the foyer, reading over the paperwork I needed to sign and have ready for my father before he arrived home. I flipped through the pages as Troy and Cranston approached me.

"Troy, please check the perimeter, them doing this means they're definitely planning on getting Duke Spry out shortly." I took in a deep breath and then turned to Cranston.

"Can you search up some warding spells? Ones to keep us safe, also ones to repel specific... things?" I raised a brow at Cranston who nodded.

I halted on a page as the baby Griffin busted through the back door, flying around as Victor cussed at it, chasing it around. I ground my teeth; the noise is so irritating. I pinched the bridge of my nose cussing alongside Victor. I heard the melodic laugh from Lilith which caused me to turn my attention to her.

Troy turned, heading to do what I asked but collided with Annalise who was carrying laundry. The two fell to the floor as he feebly attempted to help her out. He stammered out some weak form of apology, standing up and mumbling to himself.

"Hey, flirt on your own time. Go do that perimeter check. Cranston, go do that research I asked you to do." I order. Troy bowed and hurriedly left while Cranston replied with, "My lord", bowing and turning to leave. He walked by Lilith whose eyes widened when she saw the mark drawn into his head.

"Oh, my goodness! What happened to him!?" She asked surprised as she approached me.

I flipped the paper I was looking at behind the others, hoping Lilith didn't see it as I responded, "Same thing that happened to the duke … he knew where you were." I unintentionally responded flatly. She furrowed her brow towards me.

"He's lucky he's not dead," I added as I glanced over her shoulder spotting Victor.

"Hey, Victor, come here." I waved him over, and he trotted up, huffing.

"Yes sir!?" He saluted, sweaty and out of breath from chasing the baby Griffin. I reached into my pocket, pulling out a rolled-up piece of paper with my family seal on it.

"Please send this to Estra as soon as possible." I handed it to him. He bowed, replying, "Yes sir!".

"Is there anything I can help with?" Lilith asked as she turned facing me with a smile. I managed to get a grunt out and pointed to the kitchen.

"Eat." I roughly said as I brought back the papers up to my face. She frowned, nodding, and turned to the kitchen. I felt bad being so short with her. I really wanted to grab her, kiss her, hold her, and rub her. Have her writing underneath me like the past two days but I had to focus. I reached out, grabbing her wrist.

"One more thing," I stated, bending down and planting a kiss on her. I felt her melt into me, leaving me with a feeling of not wanting to leave. I released her and gazed into her eyes, searching her wonderful yellow irises and memorizing every detail of her face. I grinned, then smacked her butt.

"SEBASTIAN!?" She hollered out in surprise. I chuckled as I turned and walked off to my father's study.

I set the papers down as I took a seat, pulling out a pen and my family's seal. I ran my fingers over the words of a copy of the letter I sent to my family. Azazel hummed as I kept re-reading it over and over.

"Dear mother and father,

I, Prince Sebastian Aster of Astion hereby declare that I wish to take a bride. I wish to marry Lilith of the Lahnust clan. With my family's approval, I will proceed to inform her clan of my decision. Until then, Lilith is to stay in the palace and remain safe due to several of the high families protests. They threaten her and the throne, and I will not hesitate to declare martial law to keep the city safe from the conspiring dukes. I'm writing you in hopes you can overthrow the decrees the dukes have set, claiming that I am mentally unstable.

Love, your son,

Sebastian Aster"

I tapped my fingers on the table as I pondered what Lilith would like in a wedding dress. Azazel was giddy with excitement. I flipped through the other papers I had whipped up. They were decrees to protect the mythical creatures from the dukes and laws for them to reside in the city indiscriminate. I sat there for a while working on them, Azazel was distracting with his humming, excited about my proposal.

"Calm down, we still need to get a yes from her." I flipped the page over. "We also need to do this right. I know her clan is trash..." I flipped to another page. "But I don't want any loopholes for anyone to interject." I leaned forward as I closed my eyes, placing my hands under my chin as I leaned on my elbows.

"I wish we knew more about her clan, I don't like functioning blindly." I sighed.

"Well... I was there when Onxyia made the deal." Azazel grumbled.

"Excuse me, what?" I sat up straight, angry. Azazel shrugged.

"I asked you and you lied to me?' I hissed at him. He growled at me.

"Honestly, the information is a lot and I wanted to be sure before I told you." He firmly stated. "Onxyia offered her lineage to some dragon who wanted eternal life. He agreed that he would split his powers into deities and they would inhabit her children's bodies. The deities were fire, water, earth, electricity, air, ice, shadow, light, poison, fear, energy, dragon, and gravity. But there was another that no one talked about. His core." Azazel paused, then continued. "The core was hell, the most volatile of his powers. Where I come from. He was my right hand and wanted to overthrow me. Hence the great demon war. It ended up sucking everything and everyone into it though. Dragging the humans and every other species into the war. He lost, that's why he made that deal. Onxyia backstabbed him though, and in return he cursed her to constantly be reincarnated, and with each reincarnation she'd lose more and more memories of who she was."

I gritted my teeth as my thoughts landed on Lilith.

"Since I'm being honest... Onxyia is the first woman to take his hell power. She... she ended up mate-bounding with me and used his power against him for me. She died to throw the war into my favor. I've been searching for her...that's why I agreed to inhabit your body."

"Jesus Christ Azazel!" I stood up fuming. My mind felt like it was about to crash from all the information. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I sighed out in frustration.

"Lilly is... the reincarnation of your mate?" I asked as I folded my arms. He nodded.

"The feelings you're feeling for her are your own if that's what you're worried about. I'm tethered to you, and Lilly is tethered to Lilith." He sighed. "And Lilly doesn't know she's my old mate, the curse makes her forget."

I pushed away from the table, heading out of the study to find Lilith. I needed to see her; the pull to her was more intense now that I had this information. The need to be with her, around her, and in her presence overthrew everything else.

I stormed my way into the kitchen, halting when my eyes set on the emptiness. I turned and headed to my room, hoping she was there. My stomach sank with dread as I climbed the stairs, the feeling from when she left crashed into me. I flung my doors open; the room was empty.

I clutched my chest as Azazel roared in me. I felt flashes of forest snap through my mind, as her slight giggling rushed through my ears. I clutched my head as I saw glimpses of Troy and Annalise. My body felt exhausted, overworked, a pain in my back and like I was gaining a fever. I also felt something that made my heart sink. Sadness. I fell to my knees as I gasped in air.

"Told you things would start to arise..." Azazel grumbled. I stood up, leaning on the door frame as my face dripped with sweat.

"What... the hell was that!" I huffed out as I found my footing.

"Our emotions snapped, in effect one of the perks of our mark. A connection to her when we can't find her." He grumbled. He was happy to know she was safe, but he didn't like the feelings we were feeling for her