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TYPHOS

T he word please lingered on my tongue like a curse. I rarely used it. Rarely meant it. But with Camillia De la Croix, it seemed utterly appropriate.

She’s terrified of me, I thought for the thousandth time since entering my bedroom.

The woman had frozen upon seeing me, making her visibly frightened. That, coupled with Melek’s mental comments, confirmed the cause— me .

She thinks you’re going to kill her for mating me, Melek had said, sounding somewhat annoyed. You should fix this, Ty.

Then he’d kissed me and disappeared without further comment, telling me his words were more of a command than a suggestion.

I’d sighed, thinking it could be fixed once we all sat down to eat and discussed what I’d remembered, but Camillia hadn’t even been able to look at me, let alone move.

And something about that had hurt.

She was naked in my bed, still partially aroused from Melek’s ministrations, yet frozen and unable to do more than flinch because she feared what I might do to her.

I really fucked this up, I realized again when she didn’t reply to my request for a truce. I couldn’t blame her for hesitating; she had no reason to trust me.

Just as I’d had no reason to trust her initially. She was a threat to my Source, to me . That threat aspect hadn’t changed. But I now knew her intentions weren’t nefarious. She was a pawn. A weapon encased in a beautiful, feminine exterior.

Melek had understood her worth long before I’d been willing to consider it, my history having made me too biased to see the queen standing before me.

But I noticed her now.

Camillia De la Croix may just become my equal.

And much, much more…

I inhaled, reveling in her bouquet-like aroma. So innocent and alluring. Except beneath it was a subtle scent of death, one that reminded me of wilting flowers.

That scent belonged to Vivaxia.

It was reminiscent of the gift she’d left behind inside Camillia, a gift designed to extinguish my light.

“You’re dangerous,” I whispered, my lips barely touching hers. “So fucking dangerous.”

My nearness now was a testament to that. I’d been drawn over here as a result of a raw emotion tugging at my heart. An emotion I didn’t fully understand but thought might be guilt.

Then I’d sat on the bed because I’d needed to be closer to her. Which led to me leaning down to this point, leaving our mouths close enough to touch without actually kissing.

“Trusting you will be my greatest challenge,” I told her. “You were created to destroy me and everything I hold dear.”

My touch moved from her chin back to her cheek, my palm easily engulfing the side of her jaw.

“But I see you now, Camillia. I realize you don’t want to hurt me.

However, you won’t have a choice in your current state; the power inside you will come to fruition and destroy us both.

Which is why we need to work together. Because I can’t kill you.

I won’t kill you. Not just because of our mates, but because I see potential in you. ”

“Potential for what?” she asked, her wariness pricking my chest. I might not be able to read her mind, but I suspected the direction of her thoughts. She assumed I meant to use her.

“Potential to be anyone and anything you desire,” I told her honestly.

“You’re strong, and I don’t just mean in terms of power.

I mean you , Camillia. Your spirit is a beacon, one that caught my eye the moment I first saw you.

It might have been Melek who courted you in the beginning, but I noticed you, too. ”

Fuck, I’d more than noticed her. She’d been the first female in thousands of years to tempt me, to give me pause and force me to evaluate her potential.

That was partly why I’d considered her to be a threat these last few months. I didn’t like how much I was drawn to her. And I hadn’t appreciated that my men were falling for her, too.

An enchantress , I thought, evaluating her now. And so much more…

Camillia shivered beneath my touch. “Why are you telling me all of this?”

I pulled away from her mouth, needing to see her storm-like eyes. “Because I need you to know that I have no intention of harming you. I want to help you. More than that, I want us to work together.”

She studied me for a long moment. “Because we share mates.”

I lifted one shoulder. “That’s one reason among many.”

“And you’re… not mad?”

I frowned. “About you touching my Source?” I guessed, thinking of the last time I’d acted angry toward her.

“No, about Melek.”

My frown deepened. “What about Melek?”

Have you been up to something, little prince? I immediately asked him via a thought.

Always, my king, he murmured back. But she’s talking about me mating her.

Cami confirmed that in the next instant with her words, causing my frown to shift upward into a grin.

“No. I’m not mad.” I chuckled at the thought. “Melek does what he wants, and in this case, it’s you. I’d be a fool to punish him for following his desires.”

Especially when I was beginning to understand the allure of said desires.

“I must be dreaming,” she muttered.

I arched a brow. “Does that mean you’re going to try to kiss me again?” Because I might not mind that, though I wouldn’t admit it aloud.

She was a temptation I couldn’t afford to taste. A sin meant to tip the scales and drown my light.

Wanting her was forbidden.

Which naturally made me want her even more.

Perhaps after we dealt with the threat lingering inside her, I could consider exploring her with my tongue.

Until then, I— we— needed to focus.

“Yes,” she said, the single word making me wonder if she’d come to the same conclusion as I had regarding focusing. But then she grabbed the lapels of my suit jacket and pulled me downward.

Her lips met mine in the next instant, the touch so unanticipated that I froze.

The same thing had happened to me yesterday, the shock of her unexpected touch rendering me momentarily stunned.

But the electricity humming through my veins hit my heart faster this time, allowing me to react quicker than our previous embrace.

However, I still wasn’t fast enough as she pulled back before I could properly grab her and deepen the kiss.

She fell away, her eyebrows drawn down. “Real.”

“Very,” I emphasized. Every bit of this was real . The threat. The desire. The unequivocal need . I blamed Melek for stoking my inner flame, his fantasies having more than primed this infatuation.

But it was also Camillia De la Croix.

She really does have a magic pussy, I mused.

A pussy that tastes like ambrosia , Melek replied, his voice a deep murmur. She’s fucking addicting, my king .

Hmm , I hummed, not wanting to commit to that opinion. But one look into my mind would provide him with confirmation of how I felt.

Clearing my throat, I pushed away from the bed. “Can we talk now, Miss De la Croix?” I asked her.

“Are we back to using titles?” she countered, some of her trademark fire highlighting her voice. “ Your Majesty .”

My lips twitched at the snark underlining those two words. I wrapped my palm around her throat and leaned back down to press my lips to hers. Hard. Purposefully. With barely restrained need.

She gasped, the sound cut off as I squeezed her delicate neck and deepened the kiss, just like I’d wanted to mere seconds ago.

Her hand went to my wrist, the opposite going to my head. But rather than push me away, she held on while I devoured her, not caring at all that I’d restricted her airway.

By the time I finished, she looked dazed. “Breathe, Camillia,” I told her as I released her pretty throat.

She did as I commanded, her pupils blown wide with a mixture of confusion and arousal.

“Now put on the robe and join me for breakfast,” I added in the same tone. “And don’t address me formally. You’re naked in my bed. Formalities are not required.”

“But you?—”

“Miss De la Croix,” I interjected. “You’ve been using my last name. I was simply returning the favor. If you’d prefer Camillia, then call me Typhos.”

I actually didn’t mind her referring to me as Lucifer. It was much better than formal greetings.

And yes, I saw the irony in my preferences, given the lecture I’d bestowed upon her mere weeks ago.

However, everything had changed. I had changed.

I wanted to hear my name on her tongue. Not my title or Lucifer. But Typhos . Just once. At least once. Probably more than once.

“Okay,” she whispered, staring up at me with a strange gleam in her gaze, one I couldn’t quite decipher.

“Okay,” I echoed, straightening and leaving the bed.

I turned away as she sat up, my instinct to watch her too strong. I needed to tame this forbidden craving before I did something rash.

Like rip the robe from her, splay her on the bed, and turn her midnight fantasies into a reality.

Melek appeared in front of me, his beautiful wings fluttering once before vanishing at his back. He’d abruptly departed the room a bit ago to give me a chance to speak with Camillia. Hopefully, his return meant he was satisfied by whatever progress I’d made with his mate.

Or, more likely, he’d overheard my mental musings and wanted to observe my reactions to his female’s magic pussy.

Thirsty, my king? he asked, his mental voice innocent and confirming my suspicions regarding his timely arrival.

I grunted. Stop teasing me.

Never , he replied, holding out my glass. At some point he’d refilled it, his trademark garnish glittering along the glass’s edge.

I accepted his offering and took a sip while holding his gaze. You realize I’m going to take all this need out on you later, yes?

I do. I’m looking forward to it, Your Majesty, he practically purred into my mind.

He uttered that title just like Camillia had, making it clear that I was now linked to not one but two bratty subs.

I sighed and set my glass down to rub my aching temple. Melek reached up to brush his lips against my jaw. “I love you, my king.”

I grabbed his nape when he tried to pull away and crashed my mouth against his, responding to his words with my tongue rather than with my voice.