Page 78 of Hell Fae Captive

I made my way back up to the platform in the center of the field, the archway glittering with power. Several of my royal lieutenants stood around the magical arch of obsidian stone, their gazes giving nothing away. They were all in their humanoid forms, too. Something they’d done to placate the females in the field.

Not all Nightmare Fae could shift, though.

So only those with the ability to do so had been invited for today’s opening game.

As soon as the candidates disappeared, the others would venture out to observe the trial. Some were even participating today.

But most had sent delegates from their home kingdoms to test the candidates.

Just as I’d added a few dangerous beings of my own to see if anyone noticed the difference between them.

My goal was to show everyone that looks could be deceiving.

Those who learned the lesson would succeed.

Those who didn’t would die.

I raised my hands to capture the focus of all the females in the field. Not that I really needed to move, as they were all watching me anyway.

No,I realized.No, they’re not watching me.

I glanced to my left to see whom they were really watching and found my prince casually walking toward me. Relief stroked my heart, lessening some of my inner agitation.

Melek, I whispered, thankful to feel his mind opening to me once more.

My love, he replied, gifting me with a smile that had several of the women in the field sighing. I ignored them all, my focus on the angelic being strolling across the platform.Open the portal and begin your game.

He spoke before I could grab him, helping me focus on our audience. Something I quietly thanked him for, as I’d been about to devour him in front of all six-hundred-plus women, and that would have set a very different tone for today’s festivities.

Melek paused beside me, his arm brushing mine as he redirected his smile to the women in the field.

I followed suit and cleared my throat. “Today marks a historic occasion, one where the hopes for the future of the Hell Fae rest in your feminine hands. Your sacrifices will be counted, and you will be awarded a star for every achievement. A star that you may keep, or a star that you may place at the feet of your future mate, should you deem him worthy.”

My words stirred a curious murmur through the crowd, coming from both the candidates and my subjects.

Melek hid his smirk well, but I felt his amusement.

The stars were metaphorical, of course, not tangible. However, the power that the Hell Fae Source would award the females who proved themselves worthy would be equal to their actions and their achievements.

While the candidates didn’t have a choice in their mates, I would allow them a choice when it came to their power. Which meant they could either choose to share their increased abilities and energy with their intended mates, or they could keep the Hell Fae Source’s gifts for themselves.

A true mate-bond would be rewarded, and so I would encourage my subjects to woo their potential mates just as much as these females were instructed to woo their benefactors.

It was a dance that both sides would play, with a potential of high rewards for each.

“Today’s trial will not be easy,” I continued. This trial would actually be one of the more difficult, an intentional tactic to thin the herd. “I advise you to follow the rules.”

A few inquisitive glances had me indulging myself in a grin.

I swept my arms out and released my power. Heat surged through me as I opened the gates of the Hell Fae Source. It burned brighter every day, its power threatening to flourish and purge all the realms with its eternal fury.

Fortunately, I knew how to control it, as it was just as much a part of me as I was a part of it.

I tamped down the stream of power like a faucet, ebbing the flow so that it thrummed through the ground and lit the brilliant arch that I used as a conduit.

Those inquisitive stares implored me to finish my statement.

I curled my fingers into fists as I sent the power from the arch blistering through the six hundred and sixty-six females anxiously awaiting their trial.