Page 166 of Hell Fae King

And it seemed she wasn’t done.

“I’ll re-create you and your mother,” she went on. “Then you’ll worship my Source. Obey me. Exist to amuse me.”

I wanted to frown at her, to ask how that sort ofexistencewould be enjoyable for anyone. But it seemed all Vivaxia truly desired was to be revered as some sort of creationist Goddess. She wanted minions to serve her in every way imaginable.

Except, no. She’d had that in the past, when she’d owned Az. When she’d tried to manipulate Typhos.

I… I remembered some of it.Because of Typhos’s memories…

The stone pulsated again, grounding me as my knees finally gave out. I was surprised I’d lasted this long.When was the last time I took a breath? How am I even still alive?

“And I shall be inside the Source,” Vivaxia continued. “Showering you with power while I observe from my ascended place from above. It will be glorious.”

What?I wanted to ask her.Ascended place from above…?

That sounded divine in nature, like she was trying to become some sort of supreme being. A creator from the sky. But in a non-corporeal form.Magic redefined.

That last thought reverberated through my mind, stirring something deep inside me. A knowledge. An understanding.A realization.

Typhos redefined his magic.

After siphoning his parents’ essences.

And creating his own light.

He thought Vivaxia didn’t know about his past, that she wasn’t aware of him being a siphon.

But she’d known all along.

She’d planted a virus inside of Vita, a corrupt little morsel that had allowed her access to Typhos’s mind for millennia. Hehadn’t sensed it because it’d been deep inside Vita’s pages, lost in his mother’s entries.

Every time he’d released a memory for storage inside Vita, Vivaxia had been there to review it. And a handful of those memories—very specific ones regarding Vivaxia—had been tucked away for good.

Such as the day he’d realized that she knew he was a siphon and she was one, too.

Part of him had always known that, of course. He’d felt her presence over the years, testing his gates, playing with those portals. But he hadn’t considered her a significant threat because a few key moments from their history had been hidden from him.

Memories from the day of his fall.

I saw them now, playing out in real time.

“Oh, sweet Typhos,” Vivaxia had cooed, her palm on his cheek, her expression affectionate. “I knew your soul would reject mine.”

Typhos had said nothing, his expression not giving anything away.

But I was in tune with his mind now. His memories.His life.

And I felt that thread of uncertainty inside him, the thread that worried he’d missed a detail. Because healwaysmissed something when it came to Vivaxia and her games.

Her lips curled into a grin, one that suggested she, too, knew his thoughts.

“Now you owe me a sacrifice. One underlined inblood.” She drew her sharp nail across his cheek and down to his mouth, her gray irises following the movement. “You’re going to fall for me, Typhos. You’re going to assume that’s the price I require. And I’m going to let you believe that for a very, very long time.”

My heart skipped a beat as I watched—learned—this history. It… it was so strange to hear and see. Because I knew I still stoodin the Strigoi throne room, yet every part of me was tuned in to this history. Reliving it.Observingit.

“Your power needs some fine-tuning,” she went on. “But you’re well on your way to greatness, my love. I can feel it in your light, see it in your strength. Your fall is going to irrevocably alter the Virtuous Fae Source. Well, that and Melek reneging on his deal with me.”

Typhos’s jaw clenched. “What deal?”