Page 149 of Hell Fae Commander

His jaw clenched.She wilted.

CHAPTER32

CAMI

I stared at Az.

She wilted.

What… what did that mean?

Did she…?I trailed off, swallowing and attempting to find the courage to finish my question.Did she die?

But he’d just said Black Phoenixs were immortal, right?

Black Phoenix females are very protective of their young. And she blamed herself for me accepting Vivaxia’s deal. My mother…He trailed off, his throat working.She burrowed herself in her nest, refusing to eat, to preen, tolive, for decades. By the time Typhos found her—after I told him about my deal with Vivaxia—my mother was a shell of her former self.

My heart hammered in my chest, my eyes pricking with the sudden urge to cry. I wasn’t close to my parents, but it was clear that Az cared a great deal for his mother. That he blamed himself just as much as she’d apparently blamed herself.

She’s better now,he added softly.She lives in Lunar Fae Realm.

Lunar Fae?I repeated, unfamiliar with them.Another breed of Nightmare Fae?

He shook his head.No. They’re a unique breed of wolf shifters. One of the Alphas imprinted on my mother. She lives with him now. She’s happy. That’s what matters.

And she knows you’re safe?I guessed.

Yes. But our relationship has never been the same. She essentially grieved me as though I’d died.He flicked an invisible piece of lint from his pants.I suppose that was a mutual experience. All those deaths took their toll on my spirit. Eventually, I taught myself to just stop caring. If it didn’t bother me, it didn’t hurt so much.

I was beginning to see why Az favored pain with his pleasure.

As well as understand his need for dominance.

He’d never let anyone control him ever again. And with good reason.

Anyway, the reason I’m telling you all this is to help you better understand my relationship with Typhos. He saved me, Cami. He saved my mother. Without him… I’m not sure where I’d be today. Perhaps Vivaxia would have eventually figured out how to thwart my immortality and kill me for good.

I shivered at the thought.I’m glad she didn’t do that.

His resulting smile was almost soft. Or as soft as it could be with his sharp cheekbones and chiseled features.I’m thankful she didn’t kill me as well. But for as horrible as she was, she taught me a lot of valuable lessons. Typhos, too.

So how did he end up beating her?I wondered.How did he eventually save you?

He didn’t really. Instead, he fell into the pit the Virtuous Fae had created for their rejected creations,Az replied with a shrug.But something he did changed the course of history. And while I could explain it, I think that story really needs to be shared by him.

Hmm, I see. So today’strainingis meant to intrigue me about Lucifer’s past so that I’ll ask him about it,I deadpanned.Good to know.

Today’s discussion is to help you understand me, Cami. And to do that, you need to understand Typhos, too.

And where does Melek fit into all this?I asked him.He’s a Virtuous Fae, you said. So… he was obviously there, right?

You can ask him for that story,Az replied.Consider it my payback for his meddling.

I relaxed into the arm of the sofa behind me with a sigh. “All of you enjoy telling me half-stories, don’t you?”

“No, actually, not all of us. I told youmystory. The others can share theirs.” A hint of finality underscored his tone.

While I wanted to press him, I couldn’t deny the fairness of his statement.