Page 124 of Hell Fae Captive

Which was odd since Melek had been reading from the middle of the book, not the beginning.

I tried opening it from the other end, just to see what it would do.

More Nightmare Fae.

I flipped through a few more illustrations of the various Nightmare Fae, then crossed another section on paradigms.

“I don’t want to see this,” I informed the book as I settled onto the bed and crossed my legs. “I’m curious about the stars.” Maybe if I gathered enough of them, I could use the power to barter with Lucifer for my freedom.

I refused to accept my fate here, even if it included a sexy and shirtless Midnight Fae making breakfast in the other room.

“I need something useful,” I murmured, speaking to the book as though it were a real entity. Which maybe it was. It certainly had a mind of its own—something it proceeded to prove as the pages morphed into something new.

My eyes widened as an illustration appeared without words displaying a mystical landscape littered with stones.

Wait, not stones.

Graves.

What the fuck is this book trying to show me?

A crest at the top suggested that this might be a kingdom of some sort, or a royal graveyard. The latter sent a chill down my spine.

Throwing myself back onto the pillows, I pressed my palms against my eyes. “Why is everything so fucking cryptic?”

“What’s cryptic?” Ajax asked from the doorway, his gaze on my breasts.

Because, yeah. White shirt.

No bra.

Sigh. Males.

“The book I’m reading,” I said, fighting the urge to cover my chest with my arms, particularly as his attention was making my nipples come out to say “hi” back to him.

“Book?” he asked, finally meeting my gaze. “What book?”

I motioned to the place on my lap. “Yeah, the…” I trailed off when I realized the book had vanished again.

Weird.

“Never mind,” I said with a sigh, then I swung my legs over the edge of the bed to stand. Which, of course, drew his gaze downward again. “So how about that breakfast?” I asked, desperately needing to be away from the bed and that burning stare of his.

He cleared his throat as though he felt similarly and cocked his head toward the living room. “This way.”

* * *

“You’re full of surprises,” I said around a mouthful of hash browns and egg with melted cheese.

“Because I know how to cook human food?” he asked as he sipped a mug of coffee that I suspected had blood in it. “Most Midnight Fae know human preferences.”

Glancing up, I found him watching the pulse in my neck as I swallowed.

Yeah, I knew Midnight Fae preferences, too. And I was sure that I’d be a lot tastier than his blood coffee.

“I was going to say that it’s surprising that you have the morning off,” I lied. That hadn’t been at all what I’d meant, but it seemed like a safer route than admitting how much he’d surprised me since waking up. “Aren’t you the Warden?” I teased, hoping for a lighter tone that would dispel some of the residual intensity warming the air between us.

He gave me a pointed look. “Yes, and I’m doing that job right now by making sure my charge is protected.”