Page 96 of Lucifer's Redemption

“He’s wanted to plant his seed in me, to have children of his own, for the past twenty-five years, and I cannot give it to him. Ares puts on a strong front, a funny one, and yet I know it worries him, even if he hasn’t talked to me about it.” Mariah leaned closer to me, finally spilling her secrets.

“I visited Aphrodite. Her sub-power is fertility, but she says nothing is wrong with me! It has to be, though! It has to be!” Mariah choked. Letting go of her hand as her tears fell. She collapsed to the side, her head dropping into my lap. The gentle movement of my fingers playing with her hair calmed her. Mariah’s sobs lightened, her walls restoring to the stronghold they were earlier.

This power inside me was overwhelming. It was like I unlocked a whole new world. I could not only feel lies and take away guilt, but I could look inside and extract the deepest and darkest secrets.

Letting out a breath through my lips, when Mariah sat up, I muttered, “Let’s go see Ares.”

Mariah shook her head, her palm wiping away the leftover tears. “He’s sleeping. He isn’t having a good day.” I bit my lip.

This can’t last much longer. Mariah felt that it was her fault she couldn’t bear a child, but obviously, that wasn’t the case.

It all lay with Ares and some secret he was keeping from his mate. She was suffering. The constant doting upon him—making his plate, petting his hair and cheek—was taking its toll upon her. They obviously loved each other, but now, thinking back to the times they sat together, there was always worry in her eyes. Why didn’t I notice it sooner?

“Then we visit while he sleeps.” Leaving no room for argument, I stood up and walked to the door.

Ares was strong, no doubt about that. It was clear from the way he walked and the way he carried himself that he had a cocky attitude about him. He displayed his strength and trained warriors with his mate constantly. Everything he did was to display his manliness. What if he was hiding something else? What if there was something deeper inside that prevented them from bearing children?

The warmth in my body led me to Mariah’s room, without her guidance. The pull to find him was much stronger than I ever thought.

“How do you know where to go?” The warmth radiated from Mariah, it felt the same as her glow.

“I honestly don’t know,” I whispered. “I’m just following the pull of my powers.”

Just to the edge of the wing that housed the King of the Underworld’s family, there stood a dark wooden door. It was more rustic than the other doors in the house. It had enormous hinges and a big handle, and everything inside screamed ‘power’ when it opened. Mariah stood at my side, grabbing my hand.

“He’s over here,” Mariah whispered, pulling me to the enormous bed. It was the size of three king-sized beds and adorned with large pillows and animal furs. A single torch lit the room, just enough to register the outline of a sleeping Ares. His breaths were low and steady, but there was a hint of twitching in his sleep. I knew it was disturbed. His head faced the opposite direction, preventing me from studying his expression.

Mariah hovered over me, watching as my hand covered Ares’ hand which lay against his chest. The light of my power glowed brighter than with anyone else I had touched. I winced at the scorching sensation it left in my hand, but I dared not recoil.

Worry, pain, suffering, and regret all swirled together inside my mind as I forced myself to delve deeper. My eyes closed, really concentrating my power for the first time. Urging my power to search within him, I could see the darkness that loomed inside. Inadequacy, lack of worth, and fear swirled inside him. Judging from the exterior, someone would be crazy to describe Ares, the God of War, with these words. These feelings were ingrained so deeply, that they entwined with his soul, forming evil black tendrils that encompassed his heart.

I could visualize my hand as it pushed the tendrils away, keeping the darkness from seeping into his heart. Mariah’s hand touched my shoulder, squeezing it tightly. It gave me a jolt of power as I untangled the surrounding darkness, pulling it all away until Ares woke from his slumber.

Ares grabbed my hand, but I continued to let the golden light pull the negativity from him, sucking up every bit of guilt, worry, and doubt until I felt those feelings that were buried deep within him come with it. The feelings of being inadequate and unworthy were all right there, but I couldn’t pull them out. I couldn’t take them from him before I lost the grasp of the light and dropped to the floor.

“Uriel!” Mariah lifted me to my knees, Ares’ hand still wrapped around my wrist. Shaking himself from his sleep, he finally let go. Mariah pulled me up to the overly gigantic bed and sat me softly on the mattress. Unable to sit up, I laid at Ares’ feet while he rested his back on the headboard.

“What happened?” His voice was softer than I had ever heard it. Mariah gasped before running to him and burying her face into the crook of his broad neck.

“Baby, what’s wrong? Why do you cry?” The funny, playful god’s eyes now brimmed with tears as his mate cried. I laid and watched, too drained to get up to get a better look.

“Uriel was comforting you.” Mariah put both hands to his face. “She was trying to make you feel better.” Mariah sniffed, her thumbs brushing away Ares’ tears. His fingers went to his face, feeling the wetness.

“What is this?” he continued to let the water flow.

“Tears, baby, they’re tears,” Mariah cooed. “You have been keeping something from me for so long, haven’t you?” Ares shook his head, shaking the wetness away.

“Lie,” I whispered, smirking as he looked down at me.

“Right,” he chuckled. “You brought the lie detector.” Mariah hummed, kissing his lips.

“It’s about me not being with child, isn’t it?” Ares bit his lip, rubbing his mate’s thighs as she now straddled him. She nodded, urging him to continue.

“It’s my fault,” he breathed in heavily. “I can’t get you pregnant, and Kronos, I want to get you pregnant. I want you to be swollen with our child.” Ares rubbed Mariah’s stomach, lovingly kissing her cheek.

“Why do you think it is your fault? Maybe it is me?”

Ares shook his head. “I know you went to Aphrodite,” he muttered. “I can’t leave you the fuck alone for five minutes, and you suddenly wanted to go hang out with Ember for the entire afternoon one day. I followed you, and I heard everything.”

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