Page 9

AJAX

W hy the hell is Hades here? I asked, both confused and shocked by his godly presence. Last I checked, the Mythos Fae—whom the Nightmare Fae often referred to as Gods —rarely visited their kingdoms.

Because my brother is his favorite pet, Az muttered, pushing out of the booth. “You might as well dismantle the barrier, Ajax. I suspect Hades has already penetrated it anyway.”

“I have,” a cultured tone deadpanned in reply. “But you can keep your barrier up. I have no interest in the Virtuous Fae. Only Maliki and a certain Goddess that he’s supposed to be guarding.”

“You mean babysitting,” Maliki corrected him as he deftly climbed to his feet, his smooth motions reminding me of a predatory cat. “Your Goddess is asleep.”

“And dreaming of another God,” Hades bit off through his teeth. “Yes, I’m aware. Very aware.”

Maliki’s lips curled a little. “Jealous?”

“Hardly.”

That denial only had Maliki’s grin morphing into a smile, one that seemed to be edged in cruelty. “Then you won’t mind me embarking on a favor for my dear brother while Morpheus babysits the sleeping beauty for me?”

“You will not be playing with time,” Hades said, his hard tone matching his stony features as he stepped out of the shadows and into the flickering lights of the bar.

Wow, Cami thought, her appraisal instantly grabbing my attention. I can see why he’s a God.

Careful, little rebel, I murmured back to her. I would hate to start a fight with a God out of jealousy.

Her stormy eyes found mine. I didn’t say I want to fuck him.

Yet you’re admiring him like you’d enjoy seeing what he looks like without that suit, I returned. And considering the way both Az and Melek were looking at her right now, they’d noticed, too.

I don’t think I could handle adding a fifth fae to my harem, she drawled, causing my eyebrow to inch upward.

A fifth? Who’s the fourth?

Her cheeks pinkened in response, her eyes widening. I… I meant fourth. Or fifth. I don’t know. Lucifer is… well, he’s… he’s linked to Az and Melek and…

I just continued to stare at her, not giving anything away with my mind or my expression.

I don’t… She gritted her teeth. I don’t know, Ajax. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know how to feel. I don’t ? —

I stepped forward and wrapped her up in my arms, the two of us ignoring the conversation flowing around us.

All that mattered was demonstrating to Cami that I would be her ally no matter what she chose.

No matter how she felt. No matter what she needed.

You’re my mate, I whispered into her mind.

I’ll accept anyone you need me to accept.

Although, the flex of power warming my back seemed to be testing my words before I could even finish them.

Except maybe Hades, I amended. But I was really only half joking. If Cami wanted him, I’d find a way to accept it.

I don’t want Hades , she told me. I was just… I mean, look at him, Ajax. He’s exactly how I would picture the God of the Underworld.

Netherworld, I corrected her.

Pretty sure my mythology professor would disagree with you, she muttered in response.

What?

Nothing. Never mind. I don’t want him. I… I want you. Az. Melek.

And maybe Lucifer? I hedged.

I don’t know, she admitted on a whisper into my mind. I… I dream of him. She uttered the words like she was confiding some big betrayal, one that appeared to be layered with guilt.

It’s okay to dream of him, little rebel, I told her. It’s even okay to want him. But I still don’t trust him. And I wouldn’t be able to trust him until I understood his intentions. Which, as Az had so eloquently stated, were in a constant state of flexibility.

Whatever the fuck that meant.

I don’t trust him either, Cami returned. Not yet. Those last two words were underlined with hope, an emotion that had long died within my soul.

At least until Cami had come along and rekindled the fire inside me.

But that flame only burned for her now. And a little bit for Az, too.

Thinking of my other mate had me glancing at where he now stood shoulder to shoulder with Typhos, the pair of them seeming to be in some sort of standoff with the God of the Netherworld.

What did we miss? I asked, frowning at Az’s back.

Lucifer asked Hades for his opinion on the Virtuous Fae magic used to manipulate the Death Fae and Corpse Fae, Az explained. So now they’re negotiating terms for an exchange of information.

Because Hades won’t just answer the question? I guessed.

Nope.

I couldn’t help the smile taunting my lips. And Lucifer has to bargain for it?

Yep.

My amusement bloomed into a chuckle that had the Hell Fae King glancing back at me. “Is something humoring you, Warden?”

“Yes,” I answered honestly.

“Care to share?” he drawled.

“Sure. I’m amused that you’re being forced to play your favorite game—from the other side,” I replied, not caring at all if my words pissed him off.

Because fuck holding back. I’d bowed at his feet for over a decade.

And he’d paid me back by threatening me and my mate, issuing ultimatums, and forcing me to partake in his fucked-up version of punishment.

Hell Fae King or not, I was done submitting to him.

His sapphire gaze held mine for a beat, his own lips curling at the edges. “Who says I’m on the other side?” he asked before returning his focus to Hades. “You seem rather keen on this portal, Hades. Perhaps I want more than information as payment for allowing it.”

“Let’s be clear, Typhos. If I want to open a portal, I will. This exchange of favors is purely for your benefit, not mine.”

Lucifer folded his arms, the muscles seeming to flex beneath his dress shirt. “You mean you’ll have Maliki open the portal on your behalf and test my mercy again.”

Silence fell, the two dominant males squaring off once more.

Maliki opened that portal for Hades? I asked, my mental words for Az. The one that went to the monsters’ ball thing?

Monsters Night, Az corrected me. And apparently, yes. This is the first I’m hearing about it.

I glanced at Az’s muscular back since I couldn’t meet his gaze. Is that why he allowed your brother to leave his custody?

Maybe, Az replied. However, I think Maliki’s release had more to do with whatever conversation Typhos had with Hades.

I wonder what they talked about , I thought more to myself than to Az, but he heard the words anyway.

Me, too, he echoed.

“To understand the hows and the whys, you must first evaluate your realm and the satisfaction of your fae. What makes a former creation vulnerable to his creator? Displeasure, perhaps?” Hades’s cultured tones echoed through Death’s Den, the power underlining his voice causing the hairs to dance along my arms.

His ability to break through my privacy spell—one I hadn’t bothered to disable even though Az had recommended it—wasn’t surprising. I’d never met a Mythos Fae in the flesh, only heard rumors of their strong auras and obvious prowess.

Seeing Hades now, I believed those rumors.

“Your fae respect you,” he went on. “You saved them. Cared for them. Created this realm for them. But doing so also isolated them. Until the trials. You knew they needed mates, yet turned it all into a test. I understand that. Admire it, even. However, your fae might not feel the same. And that hint of uncertainty…”

He trailed off.

But Lucifer finished for him by saying, “Creates a fracture that can be exploited.”

“Yes.” Hades took a step back. “Although, that fracture goes deeper than a fragile mental state, Typhos. One can turn a fae into a puppet with a mentally channeled spell. Controlling a few dozen fae at once, however, requires physical access.”

“Meaning my walls have been breached.”

“A fact I believe you already knew,” Hades drawled as he looked at Cami. “A siphon’s energy goes both ways.” He shifted his dark eyes to Maliki. “Now you have no need to time-travel and can return to the task I gave you.”

The lethal fae merely folded his arms and leaned against a nearby cracked wall. “We’ll see.”

Hades narrowed his eyes, clearly not pleased with Maliki’s dismissive words.

But rather than comment on it, he looked at Lucifer again and said, “Might I suggest you handle the issues in Morpheus Kingdom? I suspect the building tensions there could be considered a weak spot in the realm. All those vulnerable minds…”

He trailed off once more.

This time Lucifer didn’t finish the sentence, just nodded and replied, “I won’t interfere with your hunt.”

“Good.”

“But keep me in the loop, at least until this virtuous problem is fixed,” Lucifer added, his emphasis on the word virtuous clearly intentional.

“There won’t be any ‘loop’ for a while. My quarry doesn’t appear to be ready to run.”

I frowned, wondering what Hades meant by that. This guy talks in riddles just like Melek.

Except Melek is playful, Az returned mentally . Hades is just deadly.

“Then I’ll expect your kingdom to remain portal-free for now,” Lucifer said, drawing me back to the conversation between him and the intended Mythos Fae.

“For now,” Hades echoed.

“Let me know when that changes.”

“Sure,” Hades agreed. Although, it didn’t sound quite like an agreement so much as a placated statement. “Maliki?” He didn’t wait for the male to respond, simply disappeared into a cloud of smoke and left a sole black feather in his wake.

Maliki sighed loudly in response, shoving away from the wall to retrieve the plume as it drifted through the air. “Duty calls,” he deadpanned. “Next time, try not to start a bar fight, yeah?” That last part seemed to be directed at Az.

“Like you didn’t enjoy it,” the Commander drawled.

Maliki’s mouth curled into a sinister grin. “I didn’t enjoy it. I fucking loved it.” With that, he vanished. No smoke. No feathers. Just… disappeared.

His nickname—Ghost—really was fitting.

Lucifer turned to face me and Cami, then glanced at Melek and looked over him like he was searching for something. I followed his actions and took in the Hell Fae Prince’s suit-clad form, his pressed pants and crisp shirt as flawless as ever.

“Are you all right?” Lucifer asked, his voice soft.

“I’ll be fine,” Melek replied, the edge in his tone capturing my attention. “Ajax’s barrier is helping.”

“My barrier?” I echoed, flexing the protective spell around us. “You mean the one Hades and Lucifer both penetrated without so much as a blink?” I couldn’t hide the annoyance in my tone. Powerful beings or not, it wounded my ego that they’d so easily infiltrated my spell.

It’d taken years for Shade and me to perfect our abilities to slip through enchantments, yet those two had done it in a matter of seconds.

“Your magic invited me in,” Lucifer told me. “And as for Hades, his abilities reside on a different plane of existence. Don’t take it personally.” He moved forward to look over Melek, his expression exuding a concern I’d failed to notice before. “You’re sure?”

“Yes. As I said, the barrier is helping.”

“Helping what?” I demanded, not liking this cryptic conversation. I’d assumed Melek had wanted me to create a privacy bubble to mask our conversation, but it seemed his intentions went deeper. “What haven’t you told me?”

“A great many things,” Melek replied with a wry smile. “But in this case, it’s simply a weakness on my part that your magic is helping me mask.”

“The Soul Yards in this kingdom drain his magic,” Lucifer explained, surprising me. “Melek is all about life, while this place exudes death. It’s why he never comes here.”

My brow furrowed, a memory niggling. “You… you mentioned that once.” What was it he’d said?

“Ty told me the next trial is in the Netherworld Kingdom. It’s the one place I can’t go. And I’m worried Cami won’t survive it.”

His words flowed through my head, causing me to glance at Cami in alarm. “Are you okay?”

She frowned back at me. “In general or right now?”

“Both.”

“Then no, but yes,” she replied.

I blinked at her. “Melek worried you wouldn’t survive here…”

I returned my focus to the male in question, my instincts instantly tightening the barrier around us and bolstering the protective spell with another wave of power.

“Why did you tell me that?” I demanded. “Why were you worried about her survival in the Netherworld?”

“Because I knew she had Virtuous Fae gifts, but not what kind,” Melek replied, his voice serious again. “My magic doesn’t work here. I’m basically a human in this kingdom.”

That had my eyebrow inching upward. “Really?” How ironic. My Midnight Fae soul was more than at home here in the Netherworld, the chilling energy calling to my Death Blood origin. Yet Melek was distinctly uncomfortable. Weakened. Powerless .

“Having murderous ideas?” Melek asked, sounding amused, yet there was a hint of exhaustion underlining those words.

“There’s a lot I need to teach you,” Lucifer interrupted before I could reply, his large form moving between me and Melek as though he thought I might actually embark on some of the ideas Melek had just mentioned. “Both you and Camillia, I mean. So we should go.”

“I wasn’t going to attack your prince,” I told Lucifer honestly.

“I know.” His blue eyes flickered with fire. “However, if today has proved anything to me, it’s that you and Camillia are both woefully unprepared for your roles in my court. That’s my fault. And I’m going to fix it.” He held out his hand. “Starting now.”