Page 13

MELEK

Y ou 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 needed her to 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 my riddles were 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.

“They look almost normal,” she whispered after a few moments of silence.

“You mean, like they weren’t kidnapped and dragged here?” I drawled, using her previous terms purposefully.

She cut me a look. “You can’t blame me for saying that. It’s exactly what happened to me.”

“I would never blame you for anything, little angel,” I promised her. “I’m merely trying to show you that your experience is unique. Very few brides were unaware of the contract arrangements. Many even penned their own signatures in those contracts.”

“Well, I didn’t.”

“A fact that isn’t Ty’s fault, but your father’s,” I told her gently.

“Lucifer still shouldn’t have agreed to take my life without talking to me,” Cami muttered.

“Maybe,” I conceded. “But he had no way of knowing that your father wouldn’t share the contract with you. As I said, most of the other brides were more than aware of their fates. And not only that, but they also embraced their candidacy with open eagerness.”

I returned my focus to the screen and brought up an image of two females sparring on a mat. Cami frowned at it, her anxiety spiking as the fae spun around each other, their flare of magic blurring across the video feed.

When a glint of metal appeared, Cami winced, her mind telling me she expected the worst.

But then the girls went tumbling down in a fury of fire and ended up laughing on their backs, their daggers thrown carelessly to the side.

My lips twitched. “They’re power-drunk.” The longer the Hell Fae Brides remained in this realm, the closer they came to the Source.

Not in the same way as Cami, of course. She was literally able to wield Lucifer’s power. However, all Hell Fae tapped into the realm’s Source as a result of merely existing here. The candidates were no different.

I explained all that aloud while the two brides were replaced by a pair of male Hell Fae.

Cami listened to me while observing them engage in a routine similar to that of the females, only they didn’t land on their backs in a fit of laughter.

Instead, the energy built until it exploded around them in a wave of spectacular fire.

Cami gasped as it almost instantly vanished, leaving embers behind that fluttered to the mat below.

“How did you do that?” one of the females asked, clearly as impressed as Cami beside me.

“I’ll show you,” the Hell Fae offered, inviting her onto the mat. “It’s all about control.”

“An excellent segue into our training discussion,” I mused, closing the screen.

“Hey!” Cami reached for it like she wanted to bring it back up. “I wanted to see what happens next.”

“He’s going to do exactly what he promised—show her how to harness and manage the power humming through her soul from the Hell Fae Source.”

My little angel blinked at that. “Because the brides are strengthened by Lucifer’s power.” Not a question, but a statement.

“Yes,” I confirmed, even though she didn’t need it. She’d been listening when I’d elaborated on how the beings in this realm benefited from the Hell Fae Source.

“So what they were just doing is basically what Lucifer plans to do with me.”

I hummed, agreeing and not agreeing. This was a delicate discussion, one that required finesse and privacy.

While I could switch to a mental conversation, I opted to weave a quick incantation instead that masked our voices to anyone stupid enough to be eavesdropping.

Almost all the fae who strolled by acted as though they didn’t see us sitting here in the middle of the courtyard, but I wasn’t naive.

This area of the palace grounds typically saw maybe twenty Hell Fae throughout the day, most of them opting to enter through the main doors around front, not the back doors.

Yet several dozen had meandered by throughout the last hour, confirming word had spread that the Hell Fae Prince and his new mate were picnicking out here.

If they thought they were being clever with their sneak peeks at us, they were wrong. I saw them. Each glance. Every tiny smile. Glimmers of intrigue. All of it.

However, I didn’t mind.

This was all part of being a member of Ty’s personal court, and it was something Cami needed to get used to.

Once the privacy barrier—not too dissimilar from the one Ajax had crafted the other day in the Netherworld Kingdom—settled into place, I magicked up another cappuccino for Cami, handed it to her, and set about finishing my crêpe.

Cami watched me. “That hum wasn’t an answer, and your thoughts suggest Lucifer’s training will be different.”

“Because it will be different,” I said before shoveling a bite into my mouth.

She stared at me. “So we’re back to riddles?”

I studied her as I chewed, then swallowed. “No. I’m just hungry.”

“And now you’re stalling.”

“Actually, I’m eating, something you should do, too,” I replied as I gestured to her barely touched plate.

“If I eat, will you at least try to give me useful information?”

I arched a brow. “I believe I’ve already done that and more, little angel.” I took another bite.

Meanwhile, she eyed her cup, her thoughts telling me she was debating throwing it in my face. But she quickly decided that would be a waste of perfectly good caffeine.

“Thank you,” I murmured, acknowledging the result of her mental debate. “Hot coffee is quite unpleasant.”

She huffed. “You’d deserve it.”

“I wouldn’t,” I told her, tossing back my final bite before setting my plate aside. I’ve been very forthcoming, I added mentally. And I made you come four times this morning on my tongue.

Her cheeks reddened beautifully, the flush creeping down to her collarbone and disappearing beneath her tight tank top. A gorgeous sight, one that had me regretting her afternoon plans.

Fucking all day would be far more fun than what Ty had in store for her.

Alas, his training was important.

“I’m not trying to be vague or provide half-truths,” I went on, returning to a verbal conversation. “I showed you what the Hell Fae Brides are up to because it’s important to understand how they’re changing and what it means.”

“Okay,” she conceded. “Tell me what it means.”

I smiled at the hint of sass underscoring those words. If Ty were here, he’d arch a brow and likely start musing about various punishments for her demanding little mouth.

But I wasn’t Ty.

And honestly, I probably deserved that command after all my perceived “crypticness.”

“The Hell Fae Source is finally accepting females,” I told her. “That’s what it means. And you, my darling little angel, are the reason for that.”

She frowned. “Because I keep touching the Source?”

I shook my head. “No. Because you’re teaching our Hell Fae King how to trust again. His openness toward you, the fact that he’s accepting you into his inner circle, is changing the very landscape of magic in this realm. And it’s bringing a much-needed balance to the equation.”

Rather than give her a chance to comment, I elaborated on how the Source was connected to Ty, how the beacon of energy was empowered by his essence, and how that connection created an ingrained bias.

“Because Vivaxia betrayed him,” she said, her thoughts providing a glimpse into what she knew about the situation between Ty and Vivaxia. It wasn’t much, something I needed to fix.

“It’s so much deeper than a betrayal,” I murmured. “Which is something Ty should explain, but I’m not sure he can.”

He trusted Cami now; that wasn’t the problem. It was more that Ty might struggle to recount the history in a fluent manner.

So many of his memories were kept in Vita, allowing his mind to thrive despite his ancient history. The unique outlet granted him a way to conceal past hurts and to heal.

And opening up that historical thread might bring back too much pain, a weakness he couldn’t afford to embrace right now. Not in our current state of vulnerabilities.

“So that’s why Vita stores his memories—to help open up his mind to new experiences. That’s fascinating,” Cami marveled aloud after I explained why he might not be able to tell her everything about Vivaxia’s betrayal.

“Yes,” I confirmed. Then I pushed forward and elaborated on the deal he’d made with Vivaxia—the one that had freed Azazel and essentially protected me—and explained how Ty thought he’d won.

“She wanted him to be her mate, but he knew deep down that they weren’t compatible.

That his soul would reject her upon the final level. ”

Cami frowned. “He knew?”

I nodded. “Just like I knew my soul would eagerly mate yours. On some level, we all know. But knowing requires caring.”

At her puzzled expression, I went on to tell her how Vivaxia had been too caught up in her own ego to even consider that her soul might be incompatible with Ty’s soul.

Or maybe she knew all along , I thought to myself, thinking about her note from the other day. Maybe she’s been playing the long game .

Ty had wondered something similar, his mind having puzzled out that perhaps she’d anticipated his rejection and had waited until he had something of true value to take from him.

“Their deal was crafted around his power, his light . That’s why she wanted to mate him—to steal his gifts. And she layered that agreement to ensure she could. Only, his energy isn’t something that can just be taken. Hence the cause of his fall.”

I elaborated a bit more on those events, how the Virtuous Fae Source shattered as a result of Vivaxia’s deal, and how the end result was him creating the Hell Fae Realm in what used to be considered Virtuous Fae wastelands.

Some of the details were ones she’d already heard, and some were new. But repeating this information mattered because I needed her to fully grasp the history to understand the present.

“His power has been growing ever since,” I stressed. “And that growth has consequences, Cami.”

She leaned forward, her food still forgotten on her plate.

I considered reminding her to eat. However, time was not on our side. And I wanted to finish this conversation before Ty arrived with Ajax.

So I continued by telling her my concerns out loud.

My concerns about the Source and how large it had become.

My concerns about the impact on Ty’s soul.

My concerns about potential vulnerabilities throughout the realm.

And ended with my biggest concern of all. “Ty is at risk of losing control.” The words were so soft, spoken as a whisper between us. Because I’d never once admitted them out loud.

Oh, Ty had overheard the worries in my thoughts. But I’d never been so blunt before.

“He won’t admit it. Or perhaps he simply can’t. However, the truth is he’s exerting too much energy, has taken on too much of a burden, and it’s only a matter of time now before everything implodes.” I paused to let all the information settle between us, my heart racing in my chest.

This was a lot to confide in her, and it was also a lot to lay on her shoulders. But she needed to know what she meant to me, to us .

“These Hell Fae Bride Trials were about finding mates for the Hell Fae, but they were also about finding a Hell Fae Queen,” I added, voice still low.

“Ty just hasn’t realized that yet. However, he’s beginning to.

Because he’s finally starting to see you .

Now you just need to see it in yourself.

And that, my sweet angel, is what today’s training is about. ”