Page 41

AZ

A Few Minutes Earlier

“ C ami?” I whispered, her skin abnormally pale. “You said you gave Vivaxia access to break through the gates. Explain what that means.”

“It’s the book,” she said, her glassy gaze meeting mine. It was almost like she’d fallen asleep while awake, her expression oddly dreamy. “Vita, Az. I pushed all that power into Vita, and Vita was the original siphon.”

My brow furrowed as I tried to decipher what she meant.

But it was Ajax who said, “I don’t understand. How is a book a siphon?”

“Typhos turned it into an extension of his power, one meant to hold his memories. But Vivaxia had the book in her possession before he enchanted it.” Her expression cleared a little, her eyes less glassy than before.

“What if she left some sort of trigger inside it? Like the one she put in me? Something that… that would open and feed the power directly to her…”

“If provided with enough of an energy boost,” I finished for her, understanding her logic now. “You think Vivaxia left behind an old enchantment.”

Cami nodded.

“One you activated,” I added.

Another nod, this one with a slight tremble. “The book is no longer enchanted,” she whispered. “It’s… it’s his mother’s journal again.”

Frowning, I finally looked at the book in question, as did Ajax.

“That’s Vita?” Ajax asked, sounding uncertain. “I don’t remember it looking like that.”

“Because it used to be layered in Typhos’s essence,” I said, my voice softer than intended, as I was in shock.

“Cami’s right.” And not just about Vita, but about everything she’d said.

“Something’s wrong with Typhos.” They were the exact words she’d uttered mere moments ago, but now I felt it in my soul. “ Very wrong.”

Because he was no longer inside me at all.

The palace trembled around us, like it was agreeing with our assessment. Or perhaps warning of a catastrophe to come.

“Melek’s wounds are a distraction,” Cami said, her focus on the Hell Fae Prince. “A way to tamper with my emotions and force me to react. All while Vivaxia hides whatever it is she’s really doing.”

“How do you know that?” Ajax asked.

“Because it’s what she’s been doing the whole time,” Cami told him, her voice regaining some strength as frustration broke through.

“The portals, the chaos, hurting you and Az… It was all a distraction. Or maybe it served as a layer in her plan, to instill distrust in others. Regardless, she’s been up to something for a very long time. ”

She pointed at the book and then at a quill on the ground.

“Vivaxia never stopped playing this game with Typhos,” she went on, sounding angrier by the second. “And whatever is happening right now is her real play. Because she’s here. I feel her everywhere .” That last part came out on a growl.

I studied Cami, concerned. “Tell me what it feels like, Cami. Because I don’t sense her at all.” Which meant whatever Camillia was picking up on might be related to her link with Vivaxia. Or perhaps it was linked to whatever had happened with Vita.

How did we miss it? I wondered. If Vivaxia had put something inside the book, why did none of us sense it?

Because we thought it was over.

Typhos had fallen, and she’d remained in her precious Virtuous Fae Realm. It wasn’t until recently that we’d even realized she was the one behind all the portal attacks.

Her goal seemed to be founded on revenge. But Typhos had wondered if perhaps she’d merely been playing the long game.

Which would only add credence to Cami’s assessment regarding Vita.

“Cami?” Ajax prompted as her eyes took on a dreamy quality again.

Nothing. Like she hadn’t heard him at all.

“We need to wake up Melek,” Ajax said after a beat.

I glanced at him, then down at where Melek lay prone on the floor. “Wake him up how?”

“By flooding him with energy,” Cami replied, suddenly with us again. “Help me, Az.”

It wasn’t a request but a demand. And it was like my question and Ajax’s concern hadn’t been heard at all.

“I can channel some of the magic I absorbed from the quill back into him, but I don’t know if it’ll be enough. So I need your inner Phoenix to blast him, okay?” She wasn’t looking at me while she spoke, but it was clear she was talking to me.

“Okay,” I told her. Though, I was trying to figure out what she meant about the quill . As in the quill that had stabbed Melek? I wondered, noting the old-fashioned pen on the floor. The feathers appeared to be wilted, like the object had recently died. Because she siphoned the spell out of it.

Wait…

I looked over to the corner, my eyes widening.

That wasn’t just any quill; it was the quill. The one Typhos had used to sign his deal with Vivaxia.

A quill that had been riddled with magic for eons.

Just like Vita…

I blinked, the puzzle pieces finally starting to fall into place as I realized what Cami had been trying to say—Vivaxia had enchanted both of those items. Then left them in plain sight, all while what? Waiting for her endgame?

An endgame that Cami had triggered… I slowly comprehended. When she shoved the energy into Vita…

Oh, fuck.

It made so much sense. Too much sense .

Vivaxia adored these kinds of plays, her immortal mind not caring much for the passage of time. She would wait an eternity if it meant she would win.

She’d desired Typhos’s light from the very beginning. His siphoning ability was so incredibly unique, to the point of being one of the most powerful talents in existence.

Because his power was a step beyond creation.

He literally transformed negative energy into something positive, something vital .

His Source.

It was contrived from raw energy, one that had created a whole new world. Which was something Vivaxia could never do.

Or I didn’t think she could, anyway.

I assumed this was what fascinated her about Typhos, why she craved his power.

A power that was probably even more expansive than any of us realized because he’d locked most of it away after accidentally killing his parents.

Typhos focused his ability now by applying it to deals, where he siphoned power for the greater good and redirected it to those who needed it most.

That was how he’d created the Hell Fae Source.

A Source of power that had slowly become something too vast for him to manage. Melek and I had felt that imbalance but trusted Typhos to manage it.

And thus far, he had.

Alas, Vivaxia… She’d been waiting for this moment to take everything from him. Waiting for his light to burn so fucking bright that it would explode and she’d be there to pick up the pieces.

She’d just needed an instigator.

And that instigator was Camillia De la Croix.

A siphon created to steal his power. A being who nearly functioned as his equal. A fae whom Vivaxia had planted her own seeds inside, allowing her to become the ultimate puppet master.

But she couldn’t have foreseen my reactions to Cami, let alone the reactions of Melek, Ajax, and Typhos.

Which meant her plan wasn’t foolproof.

Hence Cami’s reactions now. She wasn’t allowing Vivaxia to control her emotions or her responses. Instead, she was focused on problem-solving.

However, that dreamy look in her eyes… I swallowed at the thought, concerned by what that could mean. Is that her fighting Vivaxia’s control?

Typhos had said the outlet inside her was what Vivaxia had planted in her. But what if it was more? What if it was a switch of some kind that none of us could sense? Not even Camillia herself?

“On my count,” Cami said, oblivious to my runaway thoughts. “Three, two…”

I called upon my Phoenix, the power pooling in my fingertips.

Just to lose my balance as the floor shifted.

And the sound of claws on marble followed.

Fuck.

“Hellhounds,” Ajax muttered, his wand falling into his hand. “I’ll handle this while you two revive the prince.”

Except, as they rounded the corner, their wolfish features didn’t display feral madness, only panic. I stood, blocking their view of Melek on the floor.

Of course, they would still be able to smell him.

But it was my job to stand in as their Commander, especially with their king and prince being out of commission. “Report,” I demanded, causing Garmr to shift into his human form.

“We’re under attack by an unknown entity,” he informed me in his gravelly voice.

“An unknown entity?” I repeated.

He nodded. “We can’t see it. But… but buildings are imploding, like bombs have been set from within. And some of the kingdoms claim their skies are falling apart.”

“From portals?” Ajax guessed. “Similar to what happened in the Underwater Kingdom?”

Garmr shook his head. “No, Warden. This… this seems different from that.”

“It’s the Source,” Cami said. “It’s… it’s self-destructing.”

I blinked and looked over my shoulder at her. “What do you mean?”

“You can’t feel it?” she asked, seeming confused. “You can’t feel what she’s doing?”

“No, Cami. All I feel is the palace shaking.” I didn’t voice it in a snarky tone, just a straightforward one. “I don’t sense Vivaxia at all.”

She stared at me, her throat working on a swallow. “I feel her everywhere.”

“Yes, you mentioned that. What does it mean?”

“I don’t know,” she replied in a whisper. “I…” Her brow furrowed, her focus falling to Melek. “You need to wake up,” she told him, her hand covering his chest. “I need you coherent right fucking now .”

Electricity singed the air as Camillia exploded with power.

Shit . I took a step forward, ready to intervene, but her power pushed me back.

Ajax cursed out loud, the two of us trying to reach her now.

But in the next breath, everything went silent.

And Melek opened his eyes.

I gaped at him and then at his bloody chest. His hand flew upward to the wound, his shoulders jolting with the effort. “Fuck, little angel,” he rasped out, wincing. “That hurt.”

“Sorry,” she whispered. “But I need you. We need you.”

The palace trembled around us, underlining that claim.

Yet all Melek did was smirk a little and say, “It’s nice to be needed, little angel.”

Of course he would be carefree about being zapped back to existence while recovering from a chest injury. “How the hell did a pen do that much damage, anyway?” I demanded, looking at all the blood again.

“It twirled,” Melek told me. “ A lot .”

“I siphoned the magic out of it,” Cami informed him. “It won’t hurt you again.”

Melek arched a brow, then shot her another smile. “My little hero.”

Ajax palmed the back of his neck and blew out a breath. “Right, well, Melek is clearly fine. What do we do about everything else?”

“We rely on Cami’s instincts,” I said without hesitation. “She says this is from the Source and it’s something Vivaxia is doing to it or to Typhos. So I say we find Typhos, but as a team. We can’t split up. Not when we can’t hear each other. And we need Cami’s guidance.”

She stared at me for a beat, her throat working again. Then she nodded. “Did Typhos make it to the Morpheus Kingdom?” Her eyes widened as she finished the question. “Yes. Yes, he did. That’s why I feel so out of it. It’s a kingdom of dream creatures, right?”

“Not quite accurate,” Melek coughed out.

“Strigoi dreamwalk but need blood to survive. Kind of like vampires. And Ghouls primarily eat nightmares,” I added but quickly reverted back to the topic at hand. “What do you mean by out of it ?”

“Everything feels muted,” she told me, her brow furrowing. “Like I’m too calm. Like everything is, well, a dream . I…” Her frown deepened. “Az, I think the Source is trying to tell me that the Morpheus Kingdom is in danger. I can’t explain why I feel that way; I… I just do.”

“A queen’s instincts,” I murmured, nodding. Then I shared another look with Ajax. “You feel anything?”

“Not a thing.” He glanced at our Hellhound audience. “Have you heard anything from the Morpheus Kingdom?” he asked Garmr.

The lead Hellhound shook his head, causing his long silver hair to dance along his bare shoulders. “Want me to see what I can find out?”

“No,” I replied, taking over the conversation and facing him head-on. “But I do want you to help us find safe passage to the Netherworld Kingdom.”

From there, we would use the tunnel to reach the Morpheus Kingdom.

Because if something was happening to Ty there, I suspected we wouldn’t be able to just ash in. We needed to approach this carefully. Evaluate the situation. And figure out our next move.

Vivaxia might be a queen on her side of the board, and she might have captured our king.

But we had our own queen to play. One Vivaxia would likely underestimate. She’d created Cami, probably considered her a puppet in this game.

However, we knew the truth.

Camillia De la Croix was our Hell Fae Queen.

Which made it our job as her protectors to maneuver her through the realm. Get her there unharmed. Properly charged.

And ready to fight.

Because it was time for Vivaxia to fall, once and for all.