A Few Months Earlier.
A warm breeze rustled the leaves. Somewhere in the distance, Seraphina and Lizzie were terrorizing the kitchen staff with wooden swords.
It was late.
The kind of late where the palace was asleep, the halls dark and echoing.
Eugene found himself walking beside Rhysand through the quiet palace corridors.
The laughter of their family was still echoing behind them, but it felt like a different world entirely.
There was a long pause.
Then Rhysand spoke, voice calm. "Julian… Veris."
The name alone stirred a chill through the night air.
"You know him ?"
"I did "
Eugene turned toward him. "Who was he?"
Rhysand's gaze drifted skyward. His eyes shimmered with a flicker of memory.
In the High Gardens of the Celestial Realm.
Four towers rose from the corners of the realm, each a pillar of power and legacy, bound by ancient laws and divine blood.
At the heart of it all stood the Grand Courtyard—where destinies collided and heirs were made.
"Crown Heir," a smooth voice called.
Rhysand stood at the center of the court, his golden eyes glinting beneath the golden sun, his cloak trailing like a shadow behind him.
Even at seventeen,
He moved with the quiet certainty of a storm—still unmastered, still sharpening his edge.
Crown Prince of the Line of Life, the blood of Marduk ran in his veins.
Life manipulation: the power to draw vitality, mend flesh, and bend the very threads of existence itself.
Ishtar, once a High Priestess of Fertility at the southern tower, had married into the Main Line, blending her magic with that of Demeter, grounding Rhysand in a rare duality—life and abundance.
A gift, and a burden.
"Heir to Kur," a smooth voice called.
Jacques stepped into the light, his pale hair glowing like moonlight, his robes obsidian.
Death clung to him like perfume, cold and serene. He was the son of Ereshkigal, raised on silence and ash.
"Still trying to find a heartbeat to match your own?" Jacques smirked. "How poetic."
Rhysand didn't rise to the bait. "Better than choking on your own silence."
A laugh echoed—rich, amused.
Azeraphil strolled in next, emerging from a ripple in the air, the telltale shimmer of mirror magic still dancing around his cloak.
His eyes were crystalline, opalescent with ever-shifting hues. He was beautiful, strange, and cruel when he wanted to be.
"Heir to South Point"
"Do I sense tension, boys? Honestly, we should be celebrating. Another year of peace. Another year we haven't killed each other."
"Yet," Jacques muttered.
Then the last arrived—Juliian.
He never announced himself. Never needed to.
The wind shifted, a chord swelled in the air, and then there he was: the golden-haired prodigy, strumming invisible strings with fingers that could command hearts and break wills.
He was named heir to the West after Ishtar had married into he throne of life, not that he cared, he hated political anything, but there was little harmony in Julian's soul.
He loved people of all kinds.
"You're all so loud," he sighed, stopping beside Rhysand. "No wonder the realm's on edge."
Rhysand rolled his eyes. "You came late on purpose."
"Of course I did," he said smoothly. "I enjoy entrances. And making you wait on me "
The four of them stood in a square—Life, Death, Justice, and Love.
The next generation of celestial council. Together, they should've been unstoppable.
But that story has already been told..
Years later,
Only one fulfilled his role.
The light struck him, searing through flesh and spirit alike. His magenta hair, once radiant, bled into white, his wings catching fire to the bone. He grunted a scream while his teeth sharpened into a predator's grin.
Julian lifted his head, eyes burning with violet flame, "Bastards… you think yourselves above judgment." His laughter was hollow, "Nevertheless, a day will come when darkness claims even those who stand closest to the sun—one written in wrath and fire—And by the looks of it…there will be no redemption for this so-called…City of Light," he snarled, "Go on then—pass your shame and deceit through me, and call yourselves bringers of peace and justice—but I tell you—true justice will come! along with your irreversible fate. Shatter what's left of me…grant me that final blessing, Do it! Better I fall into the abyss with a missing heartbeat and still feel…than keep these useless wings all the while chained in this gilded prison you dare to call heaven," he spat. "To hell with it…"
The bells tolled again. The floor beneath him cracked. The chamber quaked as the last of his feathers burned away, falling like ash on the council floor. His fingers curled upward into a perfect, unbroken gesture with both hands, middle fingers extended, a final salute to their hypocrisy.
Rhysand stepped beside Eugene, leaning against the railing.
"He was one of the heirs. Not to the throne, but to the First Circle—those next in line to lead the Celestial Orders. Julian was… different. Brilliant. Dangerous. Unpredictable."
Eugene swallowed. "So what happened?"
Rhysand's jaw tightened slightly.
"He didn't fall."His gaze turned upward, toward the stars. "He was pushed, and we did the pushing."
Eugene's brows furrowed, eyes sharpening.
Rhysand continued."They said he was corrupted. I never believed it, but I had no choice; the vote had to be unanimous." He scoffed. " Or else his sentence becomes yours ."
Eugene turned to face him fully now, his heart pounding.
"He was exiled?"
Rhysand nodded. He glanced at Eugene now, more serious.
"But he thrived. Fought his way up. Not to become a king—Julian never cared for crowns—but he became their voice. In my first week on the job, I lifted the degree on the demon realm. I offered them back home if they wished, but they used them. They wanted to be led by Jullain. I don't know who he was, but he gave them hope. They made them feel loved. After 300 years of waiting, they were at peace because of him. They loved and respected him as he did everyone else, every animal, every human; he loved them all."
Eugene's heart twisted.
He remembered the sharp teeth. The glint in Julian's eyes when he fought. The tenderness he showed Thomas, his pet rat. Rest in peace. The way he touched him was like he was glass and gold at once.
"He never told me," Eugene said quietly.
"Maybe you're the only one who ever saw him for what he really is. Maybe that's why he didn't have to."
Eugene's voice was steady now, his heart firm.
"I hate this," Eugene muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Lying to them… it doesn't feel right. I want someone to know. Anyone."
Rhysand paused, then glanced over at him. "Then let me meet him."
Eugene blinked. "You would?"
Rhysand gave a small shrug, lips curling into that easy, infuriatingly charming smile of his. "Who better than an old friend ?"
Eugene nodded slowly. And the more he thought about it… the more it didn't seem like a bad idea at all.
So, he opened the veil to his private dimension.
And immediately regretted not knocking.
Julian was sprawled across the air, half-lounging on a cushion of floating books, shirt half-unbuttoned, hair slightly mussed from something far too intimate.
His long legs were lazily crossed, and a thin book hovered near his fingertips.
His magenta gaze snapped up the moment the portal bloomed open—and locked straight onto Rhysand.
There was a long pause.
Rhysand, for his part, didn't flinch. "Nice to see you again," he said calmly." Jules."
Julian's eyes flicked to Eugene, then back to Rhysand with a sharp glint.
"You're too close." his stare was sharp enough to cut glass. "Rhys." He said the name like a slur.
Rhysand blinked. Once. Then let out a slow, amused chuckle. "Ah. I see. Protective." He stepped back half a pace in deference, then added—"Apologies. I'm the same way with my wife—Eugene's sister."
That seemed to settle something. Julian's shoulders relaxed by a margin. The shadow of a fang disappeared behind a languid, feline grin. He slid off the book cushions, walking with that smooth, feral grace only he possessed.
A few steps later, he was behind Eugene, arms draping loosely around his waist like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Yes, I heard about your union," Julian said dryly. "Congratulations on breaking a few laws and getting away with it."
Rhysand lifted a brow. " Barely."
Julian didn't care to count the conversation any longer.
He nuzzled into the crook of Eugene's neck with barely veiled mischief. "Hello, my darling," he murmured, his lips brushing the sensitive skin behind Eugene's ear.
Eugene jolted, face burning. "Hey—can you not—we have company—!"
He swatted at him half-heartedly, torn between exasperation and affection.
"Had," Julian said with a smug smile, not moving. "He's gone now."
Rhysand, already stepping through the portal exit, throwing a wave over his shoulder—
Eugene flushed deeper.
Julian just purred.
"You could at least try not to threaten the first person I introduce you to."
"I didn't threaten him." Julian tilted his head, pretending to think. "I just informed him he was standing too close to what's mine. There's a difference."
Eugene groaned, covering his face."
Julian just nuzzled into his neck.
But Eugene didn't feel relaxed.
He stood by the hearth, arms folded.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Julian looked up slowly, one pink-violet eye visible beneath the curtain of white hair.
"About what, exactly?"
Eugene stared at him, brow furrowed."That you used to be celestial."
Silence.
The flames snapped once, loudly, as if reacting to the tension.
"He said you were one of the heirs," Eugene pressed, stepping forward. "That you were cast into the demon realm. But you never told me any of it. Why? Why keep secrets from me when you know how much I hate it?"
Julian was quiet at first. Then he exhaled through his nose, slowly.
"Because…" he said softly, " I didn't want you to look at me differently."
Eugene blinked, surprised by the honesty in the words. But he had always been that way.
Julian continued, voice quieter now, but firm.
"I was born from a celestial bloodline, yes. But I was different from the start. My nature wasn't clean enough for them. They said it would lead to darkness." His lips curled slightly. Not in amusement, but in something more bitter."They weren't wrong."
A moment of silence stretched on.
"Then answer me this," Eugene said as he leaned on a nearby desk. He fixed his gaze on Julian, taking a deep breath, "Why do you act as though you can't live without me…" he said softly, "and then shut me out of your life?" He paused, his emerald eyes searching Julian's magenta. "Why is it… that the closer I get to your past, the more you run from the future?"
Julian also took a breath; his voice was barely a murmur. "You know… the first time I saw you," he began, his eyes lowered, shoulders tense. "I thought it was my curse playing tricks on me. To love anything that draws breath, whether it be what I wanted or against my will..But even in the darkness that night… I saw those emerald eyes."
Eugene flushed on the spot but didn't interrupt.
"They reminded me of the greenery in the celestial realm… the fields I used to lie in. There's nothing like that in the demon realm. I try to replicate the feeling for the people who miss it just as much as I do, but it's not real. Just an illusion, above cold stones. Every full moon, I take a few at a time to touch the grass in the forest in the human realm. That's why I was there that night."
A bitter smile ghosted across Julian's lips. "Then I heard this heartbeat, a symphony only a soul could be responsible for. You were so… nostalgic. I told myself it could not be real. That you couldn't possibly look at a monster like me and see past —" His voice caught. "—these fangs—these urges I can barely control. To look past —" He opened his hands. "These… that are stained with the blood of thousands …" His hands clenched. "But you did. You looked. And it scared the hell out of me. You saw me, not what I was supposed to be. The me I used to be. The me I thought I could never be, again." A breath trembled out of him. "Why? Why do you do that? Why do you give me hope? Like I deserve it…" Finally, he looked up at Eugene, His eyes filled with pain and longing. "I do not."
Eugene's voice was soft but unyielding."Because I love you."
Julian flinched, stepping back like the words physically damaged a vital organ, "You have not the slightest idea of what you're talking about." He said firmly.
"I do." Eugene's voice stayed firm.
Julian shook his head, voice breaking. "You don't—you can't. Love. me."
"I do!" Eugene's voice rose, "You said it yourself—you're afraid. You're afraid that I'll see you. The real you. I am seeing you, Jules. I see you bolting from the truth with every chance you get." He paused to catch a breath. "Especially, when it's staring you dead in the face."
"Enough…" Julian rasped.
"No." Eugene snapped. "I love you. And there's nowhere left for you to run."
"Gods…" Julian whispered.
"You don't worship the gods—so don't pretend they can save you now."
Silence stretched between them.
"Answer me." Eugene's voice softened. "Why after—eight years—can you not say it back, even though I know in my heart and soul you want to?"
Julian's eyes narrowed, his voice breaking. "Give me one good reason why I should—" he hissed.
Eugene took a slow breath. "I'll make you a deal."
Julian blinked. "What?"
"You stay where you are. And every step I take, I'll give you a damn good reason. If it's not, you can take a step back. I'll let you walk away. But if it is, then you'll stay and you'll answer me."
Silence.
Then Eugene spoke, "You are the most caring person I've ever met." Taking one step forward.
Julian remained frozen.
"You make me feel like I'm not alone… in this cruel world full of indifference."
Another step.
"You remind me what it means to —feel something—for someone, when for so long, I didn't think I could. I care deeply for my family, but I never understand their version of love..I thought maybe there was something wrong with me, that I was just different and that's all there was to it, I thought maybe I didn't need to feel anything at all…But I was wrong. You proved me wrong. Because when you look at me…. I feel. Trust me, darling, I feel…"
"Stop.." Jullian begged. He tried to back away. But couldn't. Celestials are bound by their word.
Even in Exile.
Eugene took one final step—face to face now, noses nearly brushing. "Even within the great library in the palace, every book I've nurtured.. every piece of text I've poured my my existence into— hoping that whatever I find might find grants me comfort in my deformities and acknowledgment in my father's eyes…"
A breath.
"None of it gave me what I sought. Jullian, None of it." Eugene's voice dropped to a whisper. "Until you."
"Please.." Jullian closed his eyes. Hoping to shut out the world along with his voice.
"None of it compares to you. I've never felt more at peace… than when I'm in your arms. I've never felt more at home. You are my home."
Julian froze—then his walls crumbled. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes to the most unmovable man he had ever met.
"That's a damn good reason, isn't it?" Eugene's eyes bore into him, "So—Answer me ."
Jullian swallowed, his voice barely audible, "Because for the first time in my existence—I wasn't a celestial, or a demon, or a mistake…" he paused, " it was just yours.. and nothing else mattered."
He looked at Eugene —truly looked at him—as if memorizing every detail of the man who had unraveled him, as if it might be the last time.
"I couldn't say it… because if I did… I wouldn't be able to let you go even if I wanted to. I couldn't stand by and let you be second prince of the realm—noble and perfect—No—I would make you stay, by my side and only my side, in this universe and every other, even if you didn't want to. Because that is my true nature. My curse. I am the Sin of Lust."
He chuckled bitterly
"Do you truly think I wouldn't ruin a soul as pure as yours? That I wouldn't bind you, Mark you, Corrupt you so no one else would dare to touch you—all on purpose, so you could never leave me? "
A beat. His fangs threatened to show, but a snarl came in its stead.
"I am a demon, Eugene.. I will hurt you—and worse. I would enjoy it. I would relish it. Take pleasurein it."
"You couldn't hurt me if you tried," Eugene said softly.
Jullian's fangs appeared against his will and better judgment. " —I want to." He trembled as he forcibly swallowed them back. "But. I won't. Because you deserve better than what I have to give. And what I have—" A sharp breath "Is nothing. No blessings from the gods will find you. No redemption to cleanse the blood I'll smear on you." His voice broke completely. "You deserve children. A wife. A future in the light. Not this—not being trapped in the shadows.. with me." Eugene's throat tightened—but the silence now wasn't tense. It was trust. It was the truth.
Jullian was trying and failing to fight back the sting in his eyes. "There is no Future worthy of you that I am within. Why can you see that?" A broken whisper. "Why Eugene?" He said with an aching whisper, "Why, after eight years of knowing exactly the man I am capable of being, do you still persist?"
Eugene smiled faintly, drinking it all in. Because for the first time in eight years, he found the last piece to the puzzle he adored so dearly.
"Because, luckily for you," Eugene murmured gently, his voice warm. "I don't much care for children; I barely tolerate my siblings or their spawns." A pause." I don't mind the smell of blood, at least not any more nor do I pay mind to the scars on your hands, and most of all, I enjoy watching you try so hard to persuade me you're not the man I know is capable of loving me, when we both know better."
He reached forward, taking Julian's trembling hand.
His gaze softened, "And last time I checked—I was very much, Irreversibly in love with you."
A broken laugh shook through Julian—eyes shimmering with emotion. He lifted Eugene's hand and kissed the palm softly.
"Please…" he whispered, aching. "Please don't make me say it. Don't make me ruin your life."
Eugene smiled faintly. "My most sincere apologies, darling. That is not a good enough excuse."
Julian looked confused. "Isn't this the part of the game… where you take a step back?"
Eugene's emerald eyes gleamed. "No. No, it's not, I won that game, which means you stay."
Julian panted—gaze flickering from Eugene's eyes to his lips, to the floor—then back again. He whimpered softly, fingers trembling. Julian's magenta eyes darkened to black.
Eugene whispered: "Do it."
"There's no coming back from this…" Jullian warned.
"That's what I'm hoping for."
Slowly, Julian reached out—hand trembling—fingertips brushing Eugene's neck. Then he leaned in… and sank his fangs into Eugene's neck, Eugene's breath hitching.
When they finally parted, Eugene's skin shimmered—where the bite turned into an intricate magenta mark, a binding sigiletched into his skin.
Julian pulled aside his collar, exposing the side of his own neck. He motioned—inviting. Offering one last chance. To step back.
Without hesitation, Eugene leaned in—his lips grazing the skin—then sank his teeth in turn, sealing the bond.
A wave of pure ecstasy rippled through Julian—his body trembled as a green sigil bloomed across his skin. They were mated. Bound for life.
Julian's eyes shimmered—wet with tears. He looked at Eugene, voice breaking: "I love you."
Eugene pulled him into a hungry, unrelenting kiss—blood staining their lips and jaws.
It wasn't soft. It was raw—feral—a hungry love.
Julian was trembling—his demon instincts on the verge of breaking free.
But Eugene whispered against his mouth: "It's alright. I love him, too."
Julian's eyes shot up, the mark pulsing on his neck as it expanded through his veins to his chest. A shuddering breath escaped him—
Eugene barely had time to breathe before Julian pinned him against the wall by the throat—lips crashing against his, teeth grazing,—hungry, desperate—trying to claim.
But Eugene wasn't yielding.
He growled deep in his throat, grabbing Julian by the waist, slamming him back against the nearest wall with a thud—knocking over books and scrolls.
"Not so fast," Eugene hissed, eyes blazing emerald. "You think you're the only one who wants this?"
"How did you know—" Jullian hissed.
"I'm the only one who would—" he smirked.
Julian snarled—a low, guttural sound—and lunged again, trying to flip their positions.
Eugene bit his lip. "You won't win…" he growled.
His strength was supernatural—beast-like—They tangled—bodies locked—fighting like wolves in heat. No softness. No control.
"Watch me," Jullian said as he shoved Eugene off, knocking over a desk, straddling him by the waist, pinning him, baring his fangs. "Yield," he demanded, voice broken with need.
But Eugene's answering growl was feral."No."
With a sudden twist, Eugene grabbed Julian by the hips and flipped him flat onto his back—pinning him down with surprising strength—one hand locked around Julian's throat, the other forcing his wrists above his head.
Julian gasped, eyes wide—his demon instincts roaring—but he couldn't break free.
Eugene's eyes gleamed with triumph.
Julian bucked beneath him, writhing, claws digging into Eugene's arms. "How the Fuck—"
"I have two brothers, and my sisters are basically Wild animals. You're not going anywhere, Jules. Yield."
Julian moaned helplessly—his body arching despite himself—instinct warring with need.
"Say it," Eugene growled against his ear.
Julian whimpered—writhing—trying to fight. But Eugene's grip was unrelenting—his scent, his strength overpowering.
Julian's breath hitched.
"I—I can't—" he gasped.
"Say it," Eugene demanded again, "I want to hear it."
Tears prickled at Julian's eyes—not from pain, but from the unbearable wave of submission washing over him. His body was betraying him—trembling—already surrendering.
And at last… the words broke free:
"… you're alpha…"
Eugene smirked—victory blazing in his gaze.
Without another word, he seized Julian's wrists again—dragging them over his head—pinning him completely.
Julian cried out—his demon side shuddering, thrashing beneath him—but he couldn't fight anymore.
" Cute," Eugene growled. "But that's not what I meant, Darling."
Jullian nuzzled against his neck, breath ragged but gentle now. Realization now dawning on him.
"Say it." Eugene's voice was low, commanding. "You know what I want."
Julian's breath hitched, his fight faltering—emotion swelling in his throat. And then—his voice broke, soft but resolute:
"I love you…" He whispered, "Darling— for the rest of my life, I'll love you. In every lifecycle, in every universe, I'll only love you."
Eugene's heart clenched at the words—but his grip didn't waver. " I'll love you, too," he murmured, leaning in to brush a kiss against Julian's parted lips.
"I… I didn't hurt you, did I…?" Julian whispered, voice raw and hoarse.
Eugene smiled softly. "No. Never."
Julian held him tighter, listening to the steadying rhythm of his mate's breath, until finally—he relaxed completely in his arms.
He had lost. And that was okay.
Because he won something more precious than the wings he lost when he fell. And instead of fighting his way back up—He'll stay—. He had everything that made him whole.
Right where they left him to rot.
Eugene leaned in, forehead to forehead. He broke the silence.
"Can I see it?" he asked softly."The past you're so afraid of."
Jullians's gaze drifted downward, fingertips tracing invisible symbols in the fabric of the air.
Then he stood and reached out to Eugene's hand.
He took it.
And the moment their fingers intertwined, reality folded.