Page 54 of Hell Fae King

I stared up at him, at a loss for words.

When he’d told me to meet him in this dungeon, I’d assumed it would be some meager lesson about how to pick a creature for Cami to practice her magic on. While I’d somewhat begun to understand that dark souls were masked as Nightmare Fae, meaning none of the beings housed here were true Nightmare Fae, I had no idea how deep the magic went or how intricate everything was.

“You should have explained this place to me long ago,” I told him now, both irritated and awed at the same time. “You basically made me a babysitter for your pet project.”

“I did,” he conceded. “And now I want to make you a true Warden, to give you my masterpiece and let you manage it however you want.”

“Why?” I wondered out loud. “Why would you give this to me?”

“Because I’ve extended my powers too far. I need help.” He looked away from me and toward someone just behind me.

Cami,I realized, sensing her heat and scenting her flowery perfume. She’d said she was here. I’d known that. And yet, I’d been so consumed by Lucifer that I’d nearly forgotten.

“Melek told you I created the trials to find a mate. Or a queen, I believe.” Typhos glanced at Melek and then back at Cami. “Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t. The point is moot. You’re part of this circle now, regardless of your feelings for me.” His focus shifted to me. “As are you. Which means it’s up to all of usto find balance, to ensure this realm survives. Making you a true Warden is the obvious next step.”

I studied him for a moment, thinking through everything he’d said to me over the last…Fuck, was it only an hour or so?

It felt like he’d imparted a lifetime of knowledge upon me in a day.

But something he’d said to me before reaching this cell played through my mind now, reminding me of what had brought us all here to begin with.Cami’s training.

He’d wanted to select a dark soul for her to extinguish, to help her learn control while also offering me a gift of sorts.

Dakota’s death.

She’d been the one to walk my parents up onto that stage. Emelyn, too.

I could still hear her tauntinglaugh.

Only, she wasn’t laughing now. Actually, she appeared almost dead. “Is she even coherent anymore?” I asked.

“You tell me,” Lucifer returned, clearly taking his role as teacher seriously.

Rather than press him, I focused on Dakota. But then I thought better of it. “Cami?”

“Yeah?”

I glanced back at her. “Can you sense anything? With Dakota, I mean?”

Cami frowned and moved to my side. “I…” She trailed off and swallowed. “I only sense darkness in her.”

“What do you sense in Ajax?” Lucifer inquired softly.

Cami shot him a look, one that said she wasn’t pleased with him. “Pain. Because of you.”

Lucifer grunted. “Look deeper, Camillia.”

“Why?” she fired back, her feisty energy causing my lips to quirk. Leave it to Camillia De la Croix to amuse me in an otherwise dark situation.

“Because he’s trying to teach you,” Melek interjected. “This might not be the venue Ty originally intended to use for today’s lesson, but he’s improvising.”

Cami crossed her arms. “And I’m supposed to just accept that?”

“Are you intentionally being a brat?” Lucifer asked, arching a brow at her. “Because you should know that I have a penchant for putting brats in their places.”

That only had Cami narrowing her eyes more. “I amnotbeing a brat.”

Melek coughed.