Chapter 71 — The Meeting

Tatum's POV:

I hear Drew and Amelia sigh just before nodding their heads in agreement.

“Fine. We will meet with the council but Amelia and myself will be in attendance. I will make no exceptions on this.” Drew says sternly.

I nod my head at him in agreement and then he vanished just as he had appeared.

“You two should get some rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day.” Amelia says just before turning to leave the room closing the door behind her.

“Tatum, I’m sorry.” Luna says in almost a whisper.

“Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything wrong and we will make the council see that tomorrow.” I reply.

“Because I dragged you into all of this.” Luna says as she stands and motions to everything around us.

I can see the fear and doubt in Luna’s eyes as she looks at me and I feel a sudden pain shoot through my chest as our bond allows me to feel what she feels. The pain in my chest is dripping with sadness but I can’t figure out why. I slowly reach out to Luna and gently caress her cheek with my hand and pull her into me.

Luna’s POV:

As soon as Tatum takes me in his arms I begin to cry. I’m terrified on top of everything that is happening. I’m afraid that even the mate bond can’t save us and I don’t want to lose the man holding me but at the same time I would understand if he wanted to walk away. I squeeze him tightly trying to get as close to him as I can and allow his scent to flood every ounce of my being.

“Why are you crying princess?” I hear Tatum’s voice as it vibrates through his chest.

“If you want to leave I understand why.” I say in a whisper as my grip tightens.

I am suddenly lifted off the ground and carried to the large bed in the middle of the room. Tatum slides on top of me and begins kissing me slowly as if he’s savoring every moment.

“If I wanted to leave I wouldn’t have hunted you down after they took you. I knew completely what I was getting myself into.” He replies between kisses and I feel my body start to respond to his touch.

“You are my mate, my wife, my other half. Nothing can ever change that and scare me away from you.” He continues.

“I love you Tatum.” I respond and wrap my arms around his neck.

Tatum deepens our kiss and we spend the night savoring every inch of each other.

The next morning Tatum and I are gathered around a large table with Drew and Amelia as we begin to come up with a plan.

“Our wedding is in two weeks so whatever we do we have to act fast.” Tatum says as he leans over the table.

“I agree.” Amelia says as she looks out over the table.

“We will need a few days of planning at least but I think we will have everything in place at your office by the end of the week. You need to contact your mother and tell her you want a meeting. If the council refuses you can tell her to return to them and let them know that the demon Queen wasn’t asking. That should get them stirred up enough to make an appearance.” Drew replied.

Everyone nods in agreement at what we have come up with so far and Amelia excuses herself to finish up the final touches at the office. Tatum calls his mother and explains everything to her in detail and after some convincing she agrees.

We spend the rest of the week going over everything and eliminating any threats or loopholes we may have missed until the day to meet finally arrives.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Drew asks as we begin to prepare to leave.

“I am. We need to settle this.” I reply as Tatum walks up to me.

I grab Tatum's hand, and he gives me a nod that says he is ready. I take a few deep breaths and blink both Tatum and I into his quiet office. Amelia is sitting in the corner and when she notices us she stands from the chair and waves her hand in the air.

“Everything is ready.” Amelia says as Drew appears.

“You should sit down, my queen.” Drew speaks as he offers up Tatum's office chair to me.

I nod my head and sit as Drew places a hand on my shoulder. Tatum positions himself at the front corner of the desk and Amelia stands by the door. A few moments go by when Angel suddenly appears with a man in a hooded white cloak.

“What is the meaning of this!” The man says with a raised voice.

“We are here to negotiate.” Tatum says as he crosses his arms and leans against the desk.

“As if we have a reason to negotiate with you.” The man replies.

“I think my queen would disagree.” Drew speaks as his grip on me tightens.

“Your queen should be with the council not gallivanting around in the underworld hiding.” The man retorts.

“She saved two members of a celestial family! I think that amounts for something Robert!” Amelia says.

The cloaked man named Robert remains silent, glaring at me.

“We want you to leave Luna alone, drop any charges you have and we want Samael and Russel dealt with accordingly.” Amelia continues.

“She has to be held responsible in some form.” Robert says calmly.

“Are you saying Luna is guilty?” Tatum says in a low growl.

“I said no such thing. Samael and Russel await in purgatory but without Luna nothing can be done. Her powers have grown, and she needs to be taught properly how to use them because next time, everyone might not be so lucky as to make it out alive. If her powers keep advancing at this rate and remain unchecked, there will be an imbalance among the realms.” Robert says as he looks towards Angel.