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She straightened her shoulders, her gaze on the ghastly sight while she clutched the rock in her hand.

“Fight a fiery portal with heat,” she said.

“Douse Hellfire with warmth. Take down a dark soul with death .” She held up the stone while she spoke, her words not making sense to me until I saw the lines she’d drawn in her mind, her history linking to the present.

All those camping trips with her parents had served a purpose.

Hell Fae Rule #13: Nothing Is What It Seems.

The rule rolled through her mind, along with a dozen others. Including one that caught my attention now, one that didn’t quite fit with the rest.

Hell Fae Rule #6: Only Look Out for Yourself—No One Else.

That’d been about survival. But Cami realized now that worrying about others was what made the Source thrive. Typhos had created a new light that supported everyone and everything under his control. She’d emboldened that power with her own strength.

And through the guidance of her parents. Of who they’d helped her become.

Culminating in the death stone she now held in her hand.

Hell Fae Rule #7: When You Can’t Win a Fight, Run into the Shadows.

Vivaxia couldn’t be defeated in the traditional sense.

But her darkness could be contained in shadows .

Cami lifted her hand as power swirled around her, the ribbons invisible to me, yet I could hear her processing them in her mind. She was unraveling Vivaxia’s essence and siphoning it into the stone… while simultaneously freeing all the souls inside.

Souls that had been trapped for fae only knew how long.

Energy and vitality swirled in response as the lost spirits joined a new form—the Hell Fae Source.

It was so natural. So invigorating . I could sense their presence around us, their existence possessing new meaning. These were beings who had died and hadn’t been allowed to move on. But they could reside in our realm, in our beacon of power, and thrive .

Cami shivered, their cool essences slithering all around her. Or one in particular. One she recognized.

Dad, she thought, a tear pricking her eye.

But the furious hive vibrated too close by for her to focus on the spirit for long. Though, I swore it wrapped around her in a hug as it guided her hand higher toward Vivaxia’s form.

A whisper of a kiss graced Cami’s being, eliciting another tremble, then the presence disappeared and left her to finish this.

Her jaw set, her gaze narrowing as she took in the seething mass vibrating in the wind.

It wasn’t just Vivaxia, but the power she’d created, the souls of hundreds or maybe thousands of Virtuous Fae. Cami could see them all, hear their screams, and feel their pain.

Ty sensed it all, too, his ire mounting by the second.

The Source tried to shove the furious energy out, to remove Vivaxia from our realm, but Cami connected to Vivaxia via an invisible strand—her own essence reaching out to siphon the furious swarm of energy.

Only, she didn’t pull that energy into herself.

She unraveled it.

Freeing the souls that didn’t belong to Vivaxia while ensuring the darkest thread remained. The swarm shifted and writhed, the mass lessening by the second, until only smoke persisted.

“You’ll never be free again, Vivaxia,” Cami said in a voice underscored with determination.

It was the voice of a queen. Our queen .

“No choices. No independence. Just a life inside a rock where you won’t be able to move, breathe, or speak .

Because that’s what the death stone desires and you are its new pet . ”

A scream wavered from the mist, or what I assumed was meant to be a scream. But it came out as a raspy whimper instead.

A whimper that slowly disappeared as the stone absorbed every wisp of Vivaxia’s form.

Cami didn’t move for a long moment, her focus on the place the Virtuous Fae had just been. Her brow furrowed, her lips quivering a little. “I… I guess those camping trips were more important than I ever realized. And yet, I hated my parents for… for everything .”

Ty slowly turned her in his arms, his palm reaching for her cheek. “They were under Vivaxia’s control, Camillia. There’s no way you could have known.”

His words were kind for her, but his thoughts weren’t so kind for himself. Because deep down, he felt he should have sensed it. At least in Pierre De la Croix.

Vivaxia was in your head, my king , I reminded him softly.

I should have sensed her, too, he muttered.

Maybe , I agreed. But it’s over now.

It’s over now, he echoed.

“Your parents are free now,” he added out loud to Cami. “All the souls Vivaxia had imprisoned and controlled are free. Because of you.”

“You mean they’re dead,” she replied, swallowing.

I frowned. Not all of them, I nearly said.

But then she continued, her words clarifying what she meant. “I feel them, Typhos. I feel my dad… and my mom. They’re… everywhere . Their essences. Their history. Their thoughts .”

Our king remained quiet for a moment, his mind whirring with knowledge and intuition as he deciphered what she was feeling. What she was hearing .

I couldn’t pick up on the same essences, my ties to the Source very different from hers and Ty’s. But I absorbed the information from Ty, the details making my heart ache for our little angel.

Vivaxia had siphoned the souls of so many Virtuous Fae, Cami’s mother included. But not her father’s. He’d been trapped in the death stone—on purpose.

Her mother had put him there to hide him from Vivaxia. And then Mystika had given the stone to Zen. Or rather, left it somewhere for her to find.

That history—that memory —resided in the Hell Fae Realm now.

Because her parents were here now. In spirit .

I shivered, realizing what that meant. They’d sacrificed their lives for Cami. Though, it could be argued that their lives had already been forfeited due to Vivaxia’s manipulations.

Still, they’d fought for Cami.

And in the end, they’d saved their daughter by giving her the tools she’d needed to destroy one of the most powerful entities in existence.

“Mystika and Pierre are part of our Source, Camillia. Just like my parents,” Ty whispered, summarizing aloud everything I’d just learned. “And I guarantee they’re not only at peace but also proud of the queen you’ve become.”

He leaned down to kiss her again, softer this time.

Grief radiated from our queen, her mind processing everything she’d learned, everything she’d now become, and the relationships she would never have with two people who should have mattered so much more.

Except, they had. They’d mattered so incredibly much. Because they’d ensured their daughter knew how to survive. And in doing so, they’d saved us all.

Ty gradually pulled away from Cami, then released her to Az and Ajax, who quickly embraced her.

I would have gone to her as well, but Ty turned to me, his blue eyes holding a note of amusement in their depths.

I arched a brow, focusing on him while keeping my mind very in tune with Cami and her thoughts. The moment Az and Ajax stopped kissing her, I fully intended to take over.

Ty would sense that desire, too. And the look in his eyes said he wouldn’t fault me for it at all. She was our heart now. Our future. Our mate.

“It looks like you’ve won, little prince,” he murmured.

“Oh?” I asked, feigning innocence. “And what game were we playing, my king?”

His lips curled, his amusement deepening. “A dangerous one, Melek.”

“Hmm. Would I engage in such an activity?”

“You would,” he replied. “For the right prize.”

Now it was my turn to smile. “I have many prizes in mind, my king.”

“I know you do.”

My eyebrow winged upward. “Are you saying it’s time to collect?”

“Perhaps. I believe I also still owe you a boon,” he murmured, his hand clasping my nape as he jerked me into his embrace. “So I suppose we’ll be playing with ribbons?”

“Red ones,” I confirmed. “When our prize is ready.”

“When our prize is ready,” he agreed, his lips brushing mine. “Perhaps on her coronation night.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Oh, I do like the sound of that.”

“I thought you might.” He kissed me with a lot less force than I’d anticipated, his touch abnormally sweet. As was his mind when he mentally whispered, Thank you, little prince. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for protecting me, even from myself. And thank you for seducing Camillia De la Croix.

I chuckled a little at that last line. Trust me, the pleasure was all mine.

I have no doubt.

She’s mine, too, you know.

I do. His tongue traced my lips, seeking entrance. She’s ours.

Ours, I echoed. Our mate.

Our mate, he whispered back. Now let’s make sure the realm welcomes her properly. And afterward, we’ll show her what it means to be our Hell Fae Queen.