Page 48 of Hell Fae King

And I pounced.

Weapons formed in his hands upon impact, the deadly daggers twirling and slicing as I unleashed Phoenixfire all over him. His blades blocked my attacks, sending them back my way to be absorbed into my skin.

My eyes narrowed. It’d been a while since we’d last sparred. Ajax was my preferred partner now. However, recent events had made me a bit nostalgic for my brother. Or perhaps I was just intrigued after our last meeting.

Something was going on with Maliki. Something big. It might not be my place to learn more, but my curiosity was piqued. So I figured I’d drop by for some sparring and some potential answers.

But it seemed my brother only wanted to fight.

Fine by me.

Ajax had ramped me up with all his brooding and quiet fury. He didn’t trust Typhos. While I might not feel the same way—because I could hear Typhos’s current intentions—I understood Ajax’s feelings.

And, unfortunately, it was up to Typhos to regain Ajax’s faith.

Which he seemed to be doing a piss-poor job of right now because every time I checked on Ajax, all I heard was murderous thoughts.

Typhos had kept a lot from him.

I supposed I had as well, something Ajax and I would need to work out later. But the prison’s wards and the magic within it weren’t mine to reveal or to explain. Those cells and the souls inside of them belonged to Typhos.

Only, I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of guilt for how much I’d kept from Ajax over the last decade of friendship. It hadn’t been intentional, just intrinsic.

Typhos was my mate. Therefore, I protected him and safeguarded his secrets.

But Ajax was mine now, too, and in a very different way from Typhos. I probably?—

Pain lanced through my jaw as Maliki’s fist connected squarely with my face.

No. Not his fist. His fuckingfoot.

“I thought we were sparring,” he drawled. “But you’re over there daydreaming.”

I grunted and spit a mouthful of blood onto the ground. “You’re an asshole.”

He threw his arms wide, his lips curling into a cocky grin. “Never claimed to be a saint, big brother.”

“All right.” I called upon my sword, the enchanted blade appearing as easily as my Phoenix.

Maliki’s golden irises swirled with similar power, his own weapon appearing, the magic flickering with golden specks while mine burned with violet flames.

“Rules?” he asked, giving me a chance to set the terms again.

“None,” I replied, a growl underscoring the word. He might have adopted some new tricks, but so had I.Because of Ajax and Cami.

Crouching, I waited for Maliki to make his move.

That smirk died on his face as he disappeared into a shadowy mist, his essence all over the vacant Soul Yards we’d chosen to spar in. This was his playground, the cemetery-like field littered with eerie magic that flickered in the air.

But unlike the ghostly strands of old souls floating around, my brother’s spirit was very much alive.

And connected to mine in a way no one else’s was. Because he was my flesh and blood. Which made it easier than it should be to focus on his ghostly form.

My sword shifted left only to swing back to the right and clash against his metallic blade, sending purple and gold sparks up into the air.

He disappeared again and we repeated the dance, causing another lightning bolt to shoot up from our position.

I didn’t watch where that jolt ended, but heard it explode somewhere high in the sky.