Page 40 of Hell Fae King

CHAPTER 11

MELEK

You feel frustrated, Ty murmured into my mind before I could reply to Cami.Are you all right, little prince?

I’m fine,I answered a bit more curtly than intended.Just preparing Cami for today’s training.

Hmm, and what have you shared?

Not enough, apparently,I muttered, more to myself than to him. But he heard every word, his confusion trickling through the bond.I haven’t given her any hints or tips,I went on before he could comment.I’ll let you explain. I’m just trying to prepare her.

This isn’t a test, Melek.

I know,I replied.But she doesn’t understand that. She sees everything as a trial.

Which brought me back to her comments and the screen before us.

I love you, Ty, but I need to concentrate on Cami. Forgive me, please.I didn’t like to cut him off, but Cami needed me to focus right now.

Or rather, I neededherto focus. Not on the past and what she thought she knew, but on the future and what it actually meant.

No forgiveness needed, little prince. You train her in your way, and I’ll train her in mine. We’ll be along in thirty minutes or so. Just waiting for Ajax to meet me in the dungeons.

Thank you,I replied, noting the timeline while studying Cami’s impatient expression. “Ty will be here in thirty minutes,” I told her. “He was just letting me know.”

She winced. “Oh. Okay.”

“That means we have thirty minutes to discuss the purpose and your training,” I added as I shifted the screen to give her another angle of the gym. Not all the brides were engaged in the current game. Some were on the sidelines chatting and laughing with some lingering Hell Fae males.

Cami observed them for a moment, then glanced at a couple strolling along the sidewalk in black fatigues. “Did they just come from the, uh, gym?” she asked. “That is a gym, right?” Her eyes flew up to mine. “Where was the gym on the campus?”

I bit back the urge to chuckle at her rapid-fire questions. “It’s an enchanted arena of sorts,” I explained. “And it’s new.”

“Oh. So they’re using this to train for more trials.”

I didn’t miss the subtle annoyance underlining that final word.

Cami’s view of the Hell Fae Brides was skewed to her own experience, an experience that was deeply biased. And if I didn’t help correct that viewpoint, it could impact her relationship with Ty.

While he should probably be the one to correct her misgivings, I felt compelled to try. Primarily because Cami was right—I’d been cryptic for too long. Her comments about myriddleswere both amusing and frustrating.

I didn’t mean to speak in riddles.

Or maybe I did.

Straightforward answers often eluded me. And where was the fun in spelling things out?

Alas, for her, I’d try. And we’d begin here.

“When the trials were suspended, the brides grew restless. Rather than send everyone back to their home realms, which could have dangerous consequences given their exposure to the Hell Fae Source, Ty decided to focus on community development. And part of that was by allowing the candidates to work with their suitors to create something.”

“And they chose a gym?” she asked, sounding incredulous.

“No, they chose an arena filled with activities,” I corrected her, panning the screen to show a pool, followed by a lounge, and then brought up an indoor ice-skating rink. “It’s a place for them to relax and bond. A place for courtship without the harshness of the trials.”

I returned to the lounge, then zoomed in on a table where several fae sat around, enjoying a meal.

Cami watched, her expression shifting between surprise and confusion. Her thoughts followed suit.