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TYPHOS

M y eyes flew open as power rippled all around me. Through me. Inside me.

“Camillia,” I breathed, sitting up and nearly knocking heads with Melek. He was quick, though, jumping back with Azazel and Ajax, the three of them kneeling around me. “What the fuck is going on?” The question came out as a rasp, one that had my brows drawing downward.

Then a pang went through my head as a screech rent the air.

A furious. Feminine. Screech .

“ Fuck ,” I muttered, grabbing my head. It sounded like a Banshee. Except it wasn’t. It was Vivaxia .

I could sense her everywhere. In my head. My soul. My heart. My realm .

But it wasn’t just her I felt—it was Camillia, too.

Her presence was just as potent as Vivaxia’s, her essence touching every part of my being as she unwound invisible strands from my core.

I stole a deep breath, my heart suddenly beating with renewed purpose as my Source heaved a sigh of palpable relief.

I had no idea what Camillia De la Croix was doing, or how she was doing it, but it felt right. It felt good .

And the shock wave of fury that followed from Vivaxia told me she did not approve.

“Where is she?” I asked, looking around the dark cavern, my brow furrowing once again. “Why the fuck am I down here?”

“You fell,” Melek said, sounding irritated. “ Again .”

“It was from some sort of fail-safe,” Azazel added. “You?—”

“I was blocking Vivaxia from sinking her claws deeper into my mind,” I interjected, remembering now.

And it wasn’t just that incident I remembered.

It was everything . My full history with Vivaxia and so much more.

“That bitch has been playing with my memories for far too long,” I growled. The ire underlining my words was directed more at myself than at Vivaxia.

Because I should have known what she was doing to me. I should have felt her. Though, I supposed that on some level, I had. Which was why my Source had reacted to the intrusion.

Not just today, but on every other occasion where she’d attempted to tamper with my realm.

It’d all been a way to instill distrust in my fae while also keeping me on guard. She’d wanted me to be emotional and reactive.

And I had been to an extent.

But not to the lengths she truly desired.

Which was why she’d escalated her endgame. Why she’d manipulated my Strigoi King and engaged in her final move.

Only, she hadn’t anticipated her pawn becoming a queen. And a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have expected it either.

However, the men around me had forced me to see Camillia’s worth. Her true potential. Her power .

Which had my lips curling now despite the furious energy warming my veins. Because, unlike Vivaxia, I’d known Camillia could be a queen. And not just any queen, but my queen.

Another wave of hot energy washed over me, dismantling Vivaxia’s aura before it could even touch me again.

She’s still trying to sink her hooks into me, I realized, sensing the clawlike sensation of Vivaxia’s gift lingering in the air.

I’d forgotten how potent her ability could be, how suffocating . She’d stolen those memories from me, altered their foundations, and coaxed me into being her little puppet. Grooming my power. Guiding my instincts. Ensuring my failures .

I sensed it all now. Her purpose. Her goals. Her desire to ascend .

Fuck, she was a crazy immortal bitch.

And Camillia is battling her alone .

I pushed up off the floor, urgency flooding my veins. There wasn’t time to explain everything out loud, so I shoved the knowledge via my bond links to Azazel and Melek… and Ajax .

Blinking, I turned slowly to look at the Midnight Fae, one eyebrow arched.

He held up his hands, his mind telling me he was wary of how I was about to react. “They told me to bite you.”

My eyebrow arched higher.

“It was the best way to force my power into you.”

“By forcing a bond on me?” I asked, clarifying his statement. Because he’d bitten several times, ensuring we were fully mated.

Ajax bristled. “It’s not like I wanted to do it.”

My eyes narrowed, my mind instantly interpreting his desires from his thoughts. “That’s a lie, Warden.”

His jaw clenched. “We’ll discuss it later.”

“We will,” I agreed.

With that, I granted him full access to my thoughts, feelings, history, and everything else I could.

Because I didn’t mind this mating at all. What I did mind was his lie about not wanting it.

However, as he’d said, we’d discuss it later.

The blue outline in his eyes seemed to pulse, nearly overwhelming his mostly black irises. I saw myself in that color change, my power obviously having claimed him as mine, too.

Good.

He needed the energy boost. We all did. “Let’s go find Camillia.”

I didn’t wait for agreement, just flared my wings to take off, and froze when I felt the feathery sensation at my back.

“Ty,” Melek gasped, his eyes widening at what I could already feel.

No more embers or burnt strands. Just a full set of black plumes with golden tips. Camillia… healed my wings.

I had no idea how that was possible. But I felt it in my very soul. She’d pulled me out of some sort of web, untangled me from Vivaxia’s influence, and set my soul free.

Except, no. It was so much deeper than that.

It’s my Source.

Camillia was… changing everything.

Rewriting my power. My realm. Crafting a new balance, one free from Vivaxia’s creative control.

You’ll never touch these fae again, I heard her thinking, her mental voice a kiss to my fucking spirit. They’re under our protection now.

Our, I repeated, curious about that term.

And everything stopped. Typhos, Camillia breathed. I…

Don’t stop, I urged her. Don’t you fucking dare stop, Camillia De la Croix. Keep cleansing the realm. Keep saving us all.

I could swear I heard her heart skip a beat at my words, could feel the sweat perspiring down her spine. Could taste her confusion.

But perhaps most importantly of all, I could hear her resolution. Her determination. Her power .

It hit my senses with the force of a thousand suns, burning me alive inside and out. And I fucking bathed in that light. In her . In her power. Her presence. Her everything .

Gods, that feels fucking amazing, I told her. Keep going .

A shiver of pleasure traveled through our new bond—a bond that I didn’t fully understand but absolutely supported.

The world blinked in and out of existence around me as I ascended to her side, her soul a beacon my spirit couldn’t deny.

She stood where I had in the Strigoi throne room, her focus on a furious Vivaxia as power whipped around the room.

I reached out a hand, placing it on Camillia’s shoulder as I helped anchor her. It was the most natural of movements, a response to a need she hadn’t spoken aloud but conveyed with her soul.

Her eyes closed, her lips parting as more energy whirled around her. Through her. Inside her .

I have no idea what I’m doing, she whispered.

You’re creating a Source , I told her. One that appears to be mated to mine.

“What?” she asked out loud, seemingly drawn out of her daze as she looked right at me. “How?—”

Power jolted across the room, hitting Camillia right in the chest and shoving her backward.

Melek and Ajax appeared just in time to catch her before she went crashing into the wall. But flames erupted all over her as Vivaxia’s toxic magic engulfed every inch of Camillia’s body.

Azazel roared with fury as he arrived, his sword appearing in a flash as he attempted to drive it into Vivaxia. However, she caught the sharp end, twisted it from his grip, and seized him by the throat. The movements were so quick I barely caught them.

She’d always been powerful. But this was so much more than that. How many Virtuous Fae souls reside inside her? I wondered, recognizing the magic I saw spiraling through her aura now.

It seemed she was what was left of the Virtuous Fae Realm, her power nearly as robust as a Source.

Only, she wasn’t able to control it. It simply orbited her in waves of chaos, ones she absorbed energy from, but it wasn’t… it wasn’t the same as what I did with my power outlets.

Unfortunately, though, it still empowered her.

As it did now when she began mouthing a spell, one Azazel knew well. One that had me growling in fury. One that had Camillia… screaming .

No. That was the fire . It was eating her alive.

Melek shouted something, as did Ajax, the two of them trying to douse the flames. But whatever magic Vivaxia had cast was too strong for them to battle. Or too unknown.

Azazel hissed in fury as the pet spell began to take hold. A spell that shouldn’t be allowed to exist. Because it went against our original deal, the one that had set Azazel free.

Which could only mean one thing—Vivaxia had found a new spell to use on him. One that wasn’t subject to the bounds of our original agreement.

Or maybe she just doesn’t care about our terms anymore, I thought.

Then another blast shot out of Vivaxia toward Melek, the rope of fire catching around his neck as she yanked him away from Camillia.

It all happened so fast, too fast .

My heart splintered at the sight, my soul torn between an impossible choice. Melek. Azazel. Camillia.

And now Ajax.

Because the fire had spread from Camillia to him, the flames supernatural in nature and seeking to destroy .

I growled, the sound rumbling across the floor in an echo of torment. Pain. Fury .

Vivaxia had sought to force an emotional reaction from me, and she’d finally won. Because seeing my mates— all four of them —in agony had my heart cracking wide open. And with it, my Source.

“You want my light?” I asked Vivaxia, my voice deeper than ever before and riddled with unspoken power . “ You can have it. ”

Energy flowed from my fingertips as I raised my hands in her direction, my Source empowering my rage as light shot from deep within.

All my being.

All my vitality.

My entire fucking soul.

Because I was more than willing to die for my mates.

Camillia would survive. She’d hold them together. She’d be their queen.

And together, they’d serve as her kings.

The ultimate sacrifice.

A true fucking fall.

All in the name of love.

Not just for my circle, but for my Nightmare Fae. My Hell Fae. My realm.

I die for you, I told them, my eyes closing. All I ask is that you survive… of your own free will .

Because the gates would forever be open now.

No more rules. No more discrimination. No more false undertones of protection.

My Nightmare Fae and Hell Fae deserved to live . To prosper. To reign.

I closed my eyes as my Source flowed through me and out of me, and into Vivaxia. Overpowering her. Teaching her what true light looked like.

It was a gift she’d never be able to handle.

Because leading required sacrifice. Compassion. A heart .

And Vivaxia had none of those things.

She’d forever be alone. Ascending into her own personal hell. A place where she can no longer create .

Enjoy , I thought, my knees giving out. You’ve earned this fate just as I’ve earned mine.

Melek shouted my name. Azazel, too.

They knew what I was doing and how this would end.

But it was too late to stop it now.

You were right, little prince, I whispered to him as my palms hit the floor.

Camillia’s the key. Our Hell Fae Queen. Love her for me, please.

Love her fiercely. Cherish her. Protect her.

And know… know that I’ll always be there, little prince.

I’ll be smiling from the stars. Brightening the Source. Existing forever inside you all…