30. Hell to the no.

**BEA**

All she knew was the direction in which her supposed soulmate was dragging her. Bea had a habit of giving people the benefit of the doubt; it didn't matter how long she'd known them or what they'd supposedly done. The man standing before her was no better than a stranger she'd meet on a walk through the castle. Alright, that wasn't entirely true. She'd felt something for him from the moment she'd seen River, even before the soulmate thing had come up. Instead of getting into unnecessary discussions, she hurried towards where her parents were supposed to be. No doubt she soon found the strange-looking passageway between reality and the Vampire coven. Bea sighed, closed her eyes, and hurried towards the illusion. Only when the wind hit her in the face did the Princess open her eyes and squeal with excitement. Bea was home. She ran; she ran as if her speed would be the difference between life and death. After only a few minutes, she could see the high walls surrounding the castle, the only thing that convinced her that things were real. Bea ran past people, ignoring anyone who tried to call her name or stop her. The lost Princess was home, where she belonged. She didn't care if her so-called mate followed her; all she wanted was to be free, to leave the nightmare of secrets and suffering her family had to deal with. She'd fall into her parents' arms and cry the pain out.

"It's her, it's the Princess," guards cheered, whose shouts of astonishment were followed by gasps of shock. "Call the King, call the Queen; their child has returned!" an older woman shouted over the crowd, reminding everyone what their main job was. No matter how loud the crowd got, Bea couldn't rid herself of the wide smile she wore. Something inside her snapped, tears came flooding down her cheeks unbidden. It was only now when she finally reached the vast gate, that she realized how much she'd missed her family and the people she held dear.

"Mom, dad!" Bea screamed at the top of her lungs. She knew her parents would be happy to see her, but sooner or later, she would have to live with the consequences. After all, Bea had followed Lillith willingly and had never bothered to contact her family because of her curiosity. If only she wouldn't be so obsessed with the secrets the vampiress was hiding, she'd get home a lot faster.

The moment Bea noticed her parents, her heart broke. They both looked like they couldn't believe it was her, not to mention the tears that escaped their eyes as violently as Bea's own. The longer she looked at them, the worse she felt. Her mother and father had lost weight, both looked exhausted, and the dark circles under their eyes made them look like they were about to collapse. And it was all because of her. Because of Bea, who was selfish and didn't care how everyone else was doing.

She was going to run up to them and beg for their forgiveness. As soon as she took a step towards them, River appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of her, blocking her view of her parents.

"Get out of my way!" Bea screamed at him, slamming her fists against his back. No matter how hard she tried, the man wouldn't budge. Even when she tried to run past him, he was one step ahead of her every time. She felt like River could predict her every move.

"I wish I could, but there's some unfinished business between you, me, and your parents. Your mother, to be exact." River seemed calm, but she sensed a hidden storm raging inside him. To make matters worse, the Queen was growling, and as far as Bea could tell, her father was trying everything he could to hold Eve down.

"We're not doing this now! I want to see my parents, please," she tried to plead with him. Perhaps a change in her behavior could change River's mind. Who'd want to see their mate begging, desperate for this one thing, and still take away her chance to have it? That's right, no one.

River shrugged. "Sorry, not sorry, darling. The sooner you ask the question, the sooner this will end. Just ask," of course, he wasn't going to let her go until she found out the truth about something he wanted Bea to know. What was it about her family, their secrets and curses? How in the world could they still function as a normal part of society?

"Okay?" Bea sighed. She wanted to face her mother as she spoke, but someone surely wouldn't allow her that luxury. The Princess whispered as if it were a foreign word, taking a little time to taste it. "Mom?"

Eve immediately stopped struggling against Eros. Her body nearly collapsed in his arms. She was so close to her child, yet so far away. "Yes, baby?" Eve did everything she could to sound firm, to appear strong in front of someone who'd more power than her. Bea didn't know it yet, but she couldn't live without River, but she could certainly survive without her parents. Not only that, but the man who was going to take her daughter away from her hid limitless power. They hadn't even seen a fraction of what he was capable of. With this man came secrets and far too many unanswered questions.

Bea let out the breath she'd been holding and focused her gaze on River's back. There was only one thing she couldn't deny no matter how much she wanted it; she felt safe. As long as River was by her side, she felt like nothing could happen to her. But that was something she couldn't focus on right now. Bea had to question her mother in front of everyone. Otherwise, only the Goddess knew what River might do. Bea cleared her throat and asked the question she was looking for an answer to. "Is he telling the truth?"

While the Princess took her time to think, Eve didn't. She blurted out her answers as if her life depended on it. In this case, it was a counter-question. "About what?"

"About this man, being my soulmate." Bea's words silenced everyone. Well, almost. Some of the people surrounding her gasped in surprise. Not everyone knew that Princess Bea had met her mate before she came of age.

"Yes," Eve whispered. Admitting that River spoke the truth was almost as hard as accepting him as Bea's mate. Eros kept repeating how Eve should see the good in the situation - how River would protect their daughter and how he'd treat her as she deserved to be treated. The King didn't see an issue with the deadly sin, nor with his overprotective behavior. If only his wife knew how many he'd killed for her, perhaps then Eve would have a change of heart. Not that Eros would always admit to being guilty of such a crime - sleeping on a couch wasn't his life-long dream.

River chuckled and shook his head in amusement. "That's not the right question, darling," he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Bea must understand that she can't get past him until the Queen admits what she's done. If only she hadn't banished him, if only she'd let River stay - then there wouldn't be such a thing as someone taking his mate away from him.

"Alright, I'll ask her. Why does he resent you? What happened, mom?" Bea's voice cracked in between words.

Deep inside, she felt as if her heart would break in half. Technically, she was on the side, but emotionally, Bea was right between two enemy camps. On one side, she had her parents - loving, caring, and absolutely irreplaceable. On the other side was a man she didn't know yet felt like being around him was the right thing to do. There was no way she could choose just one side - family and soulmate were equally important to her. However, if forced to choose, she had an answer prepared for them. None. The Princess would leave for good, live as long as the Goddess let her, and focus on herself. Her family and soulmate must understand that they couldn't force her to choose between the people she would love despite everything.

The tension around them grew. No one dared say a word; some even seemed to hold their breath. Far too many eyes and ears were involved in the drama that wasn't theirs. Family matters becoming so public irritated Bea, but what annoyed her even more was that she could do nothing about it. The few minutes they spent in dead silence felt like weeks, and some people left the scene without anyone looking at them.

Finally, Eve relented, "Can we please discuss this inside? I don't think our family issues should be brought out into the open. I promise there will be nothing to put you in danger or make you doubt your safety, River." As her mother spoke, Bea smiled, hoping he'd take her up on her offer. The Princess wanted to go home and see the faces she'd missed so much.

"Hell to the no," River laughed. The amusement was gone; Bea could only feel was hate and anger emanating from him. "Why don't you tell my dear mate here that you're the reason she doesn't know about my fucking existence? The mighty and beloved Queen Eve banished her daughter's mate for a crime that saved the Princess' life. You can keep praising the light and shun the darkness, but remember one thing - angels can show you the way, but demons will always deal with the core problem. Sure, it might be a little messier, maybe a little more heinous, but the job is damn well done. Tell your daughter why you banished me from your Kingdom. Look her in the eye and tell her why you separated us!" River screamed at Eve. To calm him down, Bea placed a hand on his shoulder, and the deadly sin's body instantly relaxed. He looked over his shoulder to meet Bea's gaze and smiled at her. When the Princess nodded her head, River stepped aside, letting Bea face her parents.

"Mom?"