Page 125 of Hell Fae Commander

I nodded, accepting his praise, then quietly waited for him to answer my question.

His long lashes fluttered over his sharp cheekbones as he looked down, inspecting my palm.

“Depending on the nature of your dreams, I can attempt to suppress them. At the very least, I can offer you an anchor to reality, one you can pull on when you wish to escape. That’s a technique that might take practice, if the dreams are of a magical nature. But I will require insight into your soul to offer any assistance. That’s where dreams come from, after all.”

I didn’t want to give Melek any sort of foothold into my soul, but if I was being honest with myself, I was desperate. And he had made himself a regular resident in my life anyway.

He’s also my mate, so he already has access to my soul,I thought.

Still…

“Giving you access to my soul in exchange for a good night’s sleep doesn’t sound like a very fair deal,” I countered.

He nodded. “Who’s to say I don’t already have access to your soul?”

I’d suspected as much, but the confirmation didn’t exactly leave me with warm feelings.

“Although,” he continued, “this would deepen the connection between us, indeed, and allow me enough insight to help you with this matter. It would also better allow me to protect you. Is there an amendment you’d like to make to your end of the bargain so we can proceed?”

He was being nice to me. He could have pressed the issue, but his offer informed me that amendments were always possible until the deal was forged. When it was time to make my deal with Lucifer—assuming I had one to make—I could backtrack if needed.

His gaze sparkled. “If you want to broker a deal with Lucifer, you’re going to have to offer him something he can’t turn down. A deal hecan’tresist.” He kissed my palm. “You, my little angel, are definitely irresistible to me.”

Too bad I wasn’t irresistible to Lucifer, or the simple solution would be to offer up myself.

Not a deal he would be intrigued by, surely, nor one that Ajax would possibly allow.

I wrinkled my nose as I rolled words over in my mind, thinking of the right sequence for Melek. “My end of the bargain would need to match the risk. I propose that you stop the dreams and?—”

He held up a finger. “I can only offer you assistance to stop them yourself with the anchor, as well as a suppression spell.”

Chewing on my lip, I amended, “Okay, you assist me in stopping the dreams myself and provide a suppression spell, as well as a vow that Ajax cannot be killed by you, Lucifer, or anyone he or you commands.”

There, that should be specific enough.

He raised a brow. “I have done nothing but try to protect both you and Ajax, little angel. However, I cannot bind my soul to a deal I cannot uphold. Lucifer is a creature of his own mind. As much as he listens to me, you’re the one who will ultimately decide Ajax’s fate.”

Back to cryptic shit again.

“What does that even mean?” I sighed.

His fingers now moved to my wrist, stroking the raised bite Az’s beast had left behind. “I can promise you this. I will place a seed in Ty’s mind, one that I’ve been toying with for a while now. It’s dangerous, but perhaps it’s exactly what we all need.”

I swiped my free hand over my face, not caring that my sheet fell again.I’m doing all of this for a fuckingseed?

“Will this seed of yours result in Ajax’s life being spared? No matter what happens to me?”

Melek seemed to ponder my question, then slowly nodded. “Yes, if it grows into a tree that bears fruit, paired with the correct deal you make with Ty on your end. It’s the best chance Ajax has. And you.”

I knew this deal wasn’t in my favor, but if there was any hope in hell—literal Hell—that Ajax could come out of this mess alive, I wanted to take it.

He’d done the same for me. He’d thrown away everything he had just to save me. He hadn’t known if his risk would pay off, if we’d be accepted here, or if there would be any future to be had at all. I owed him one, and I paid my debts.

“Then the terms are set,” I said with a nod. “You will help me create this reality anchor, as well as give me a dream suppression spell, and you will place a seed in Lucifer’s mind that will be the best chance for Ajax’s life to be spared.”

Gods. That sounded like a load of crock.

Assistance. Seeds. Chance.