I gasp when I hear that in order for Julian to reascend to his throne I would have had to take his place as essentially the queen of hell.
I peek over Christopher's wings, and my eyes lock with Julian’s. I see the truth reflected in his golden orbs that are shining at me, and my heart swells. My heart cracks at what he gave up to protect me. He gave up his throne, his rightful kingdom, to keep me safe. He does love me, after all.
I can’t hold myself back then. I duck underneath Christopher's wings and rush over to Julian. Christopher is so startled by my sudden movement, he doesn't catch me.
A sigh of relief escapes me as I feel Julian’s hands on my shoulders, but then he’s grabbing me and pulling us to the side, shoving me behind him just as a black ball of energy explodes where Julian and I were just standing.
“Stay behind me, Amelia!” Julian orders me.
I don't dare disobey him. I watch with wide eyes as Julian raises a strong hand, and a fiery ball seems to form out of his hand mid-air.
He throws it at Christopher, but Christopher dodges it and throws a dark ball of what looks like black fire back at Julian.
Julian uses his arm braces to block the attack. His brace seems to absorb the black fire, and my eyes are wide as I stand hopelessly by and watch the fight that looks like something out of the movies happening right before my very eyes.
The two winged creatures go on like that for a while—back and forth, batting back balls of fiery energy.
Julian is silent and concentrates on the fight, but Christopher is mocking and goading his brother as if he's enjoying every minute of the spar.
“Look at you,” Christopher taunts. “The lengths you’ll go to for love.” Christopher snarls the word “love” like it’s a distasteful term.
“You always were too soft to rule the celestial kingdom. Why do you think I took it from you?”
“You had your own kingdom,” Julian finally answers back. “Why couldn't you be happy with that?”
Christopher sneers. “Two seconds!” he rages as he throws another fiery ball ,which Julian blocks.
“You were born two seconds before me! That hardly makes you the older twin!”
I blink at the knowledge that Julian and Christopher are twins. Of course, it makes sense. They look just alike except for their slightly different coloring.
“You pushed your way out two seconds before me and gained the right to the better throne!” Christopher continues to rant. “Everyone knows the perks are better up in the Celestial Realm than in the Nether World.”
Julian shakes his head. “That's the problem with you, Christopher. You were never happy with anything you got. You always wanted more. You always wanted what I had.”
“Because father gave you the best of everything!” Christopher screams before a smug smile twists his lips. “But you know what? Revenge is going to be so sweet because I'm going to take the one thing it looks like you really want.”
Christopher's eyes cut over to me. “I'm going to take your precious human and marry her myself. I’ll make her the queen of my Celestial Realm, and you’ll never see her again. I’ll make her love me.”
While Julian had kept his cool throughout their entire fight, when Christopher makes that threat, Julian lets loose a deafening roar as he conjures up the biggest ball of fire yet. He uses both his hands and flings it toward his brother.
Christopher's eyes widen as if he wasn't expecting that much power to come out of Julian. The ball of fire that Julian tosses him is too large for him to duck. He doesn't make it out of the way, and I scream as the dark version of Julian goes up in flames.
The next thing I know, Julian is pulling me to him, and I feel his wings wrapping around me as he transports us to safety.
I tremble in his arms as he strokes his fingers over my head soothingly and whispers to me, “It’s over now, my love. You’re safe. He will never be able to touch you now. No one will ever touch you again. I'll never let you go again. Please forgive me, my sweet child. I’ll keep you by my side forever. I'll always protect you.”
I pull back from him and look up into his golden eyes. While his words are a balm to my heart, I can’t help worrying about what he’s giving up. “What about your kingdom?” I ask him.
“To hell with the Celestial Realm,” he tells me. “They were always a bunch of stuck-up snobs anyway. All I need is you,” he tells me firmly before he presses his lips to mine and kisses me passionately.
I surrender to his kiss, all the shattered pieces of my heart mending back together as I accept the love he communicates to me with his lips.
Julian cradles my face in his palms and drops his forehead to mine. His golden eyes glow down at me as he tells me earnestly. “If you’re meant to rule in the underworld, then so am I. We'll do it together.”
My heart soars at his words.
“I don't care what we do or where,” I tell him honestly, “so long as we're together.”