Page 150 of Hell Fae Commander

He’d shared his past, and it wasn’t his responsibility to share the pasts of the others.

“Thank you for telling me all this,” I said, meaning it. “I… I know that couldn’t have been easy for you.”

“It was easier than I expected it to be,” he admitted. “Perhaps because it all happened so long ago. Or maybe because I’m joined with my Phoenix, and he trusts you. Therefore, I trust you.”

“And Ajax?”

“The way my bird reacted to Ajax when he’d wielded a version of the taming spell told me that, deep down, my soul trusts Ajax. Otherwise, I would have been pissed, not hurt.” Az palmed his chest, as though reliving the pain that spell had reignited.

I could feel the residual ache inside him, our bond allowing me to experience the sensation as though it were my own. Just as I could sense Az rebuilding his walls, not to shut me out but to protect me once more.

His energy was fiery. Potent.Hot. At the back of his mind, he kept thinking about his need to expel his fire, yet marveling at how it felt tamer than usual.

Out loud, however, he continued discussing his Phoenix’s reactions.

“My beast isn’t weighed down by humanlike thoughts or emotions. He knows what he wants. And some of that primitive knowledge is helping me heal now. There’s no fighting what we are together, and honestly, I wouldn’t want to fight it even if we could.”

“You and your Phoenix are stronger now,” I said. “Because you’re together.”

“I meant us, Cami,” he replied softly. “There’s no fighting what you and I have together now. And even if I could, I wouldn’t fight it. My Phoenix is right. You were meant to be our mate. Ajax, too.”

I frowned. “But how do you know that? We don’t… we don’t really know each other… right?”

Az’s intense gaze held mine. “I imagine trust isn’t something you come by easily. I’ve read a bit of your file and know that your parents essentially abandoned you in your youth, forcing you to live on your own. So perhaps it’s difficult to accept a fate like ours. But our souls… they know each other very well. Deep down, I sense that.”

A startled laugh escaped me. “Are you saying we’re soul mates?”

“Yes,” he replied seriously. “I am.”

My eyebrows shot upward. “That doesn’t exist.”

“In the Human Realm, no. But in the Fae Realm, it can and it does.” He leaned forward on the couch, his violet irises swirling with inky flecks, the man and the Phoenix joined as one. “I’ve wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you, Cami. You fought Ajax while every other female in that camp ran the opposite direction from him. You’re strong. A warrior.Mywarrior.”

My amusement died in a breath, my heart seeming to halt with his words. He’d uttered them with such conviction, suchcertainty, that I… I didn’t know how to respond.

I’d expected him to say something about wanting to fuck me the moment he’d met me. Something about my looks or the lust that burned hot between us.

Not his comments about my strength.

“You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met, Camillia,” he added, his palm wrapping around my hand near my leg as I continued to hold my knees up like a shield between us. “You’re fierce. Intelligent.Aware. And there’s a kindness inside you that calls to my Phoenix. A softness I long to explore. Because I suspect you rarely allow anyone to see that side of you. I want to know you better, Cami. I want to be with you.”

He gave my hand a squeeze and released me.

“But I know you don’t trust me yet. That’s okay. Patience is something I mastered long ago. And for you, I think I would wait an eternity if I had to.”

My chest warmed all over, his declaration echoing in his mind, his earnestness a palpable presence in our bond.

He meant every word.

I… I didn’t know how to handle this side of Az. This sentimental male. He was always so harsh, borderlinecruel, and intensely sensual.

But this…this is who Az will be with me.

When alone.

When it was just us.

The man and the Phoenix with their mate.