Page 85 of Hell Fae Prince

He didn’t speak right away, instead settling into his leather chair, his muscular body engulfing the entirety of the furniture as his dark hair splayed out behind him. The lock of white hair against his face was an interesting addition, one that made him more approachable somehow.

“There’s something going on between Erebus and that runaway bride you lost during the portal madness.” He glanced at me, fully aware his words had just struck a nerve. “Do you recall?”

I bristled at the insinuation that my Phoenix and I hadlosta target. “I did notloseher,” I said through my teeth. “The Unseelie purposefully diverted me.”

And I’d also been distracted by Cami absorbing Typhos’s power to heal the vortex in the sky.

But the former reason was the most important—I should have been able to capture that bride in seconds, yet she’d disappeared with the help of the Unseelie surrounding her.

“Can you prove that they interfered?” Typhos asked.

“Can I prove it? No,” I admitted. “But it’s the only explanation for my inability to track her. Besides, you know the Unseelie. They’re even more devious than Melek.”

This also wasn’t what I’d come here to discuss.

But I supposed I’d angled the conversation this way by asking him why he’d invited me in while talking with Erebus. He’d obviously wanted me to overhear the conversation, yet he still hadn’t told mewhy.

Typhos sighed. “Fair. But they’re loyal.”

I couldn’t argue that point, so I didn’t comment.

Because yes, they were loyal Nightmare Fae. I wouldn’t counter that declaration, as I agreed with it.

“Loyalty is very important to me, as you know,” he went on. “But it’s something I’ve been questioning lately.”

I arched a brow. “Are you accusing me of something, Typhos?” I wondered aloud. “Perhaps questioning myloyaltybecause I blocked you from my mind and mated the female you view as an enemy?”

His gaze narrowed, his lips sealing around his glass as he took another long, purposeful drink. “No, Azazel. I trust you. But all of this has made me view loyalty in a different light.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant, so I remained quiet and sipped my drink instead.

He set his glass down. “Hades made me realize that I was being unfair to your brother. I released him while you were away.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t been aware of that. “Hades spoke to you on Maliki’s behalf?”

I wasn’t quite sure of my brother’s relationship with the Mythos Fae, but I’d gathered they had some sort of history. One I hadn’t truly cared about before. Now, however, my interest was slightly piqued. Maybe when this nightmare was over, I’d pay my brother a long-overdue visit.

“Hades met with me,” Typhos rephrased. “He confirmed what I already knew, that the Virtuous Fae have something to do with the portals and the chaos. Their interference has made me question everyone’s loyalty, even those who have proven time and again to have our realm’s best interests in their hearts and minds.”

“Are we still talking about the Unseelie?” I asked, not quite following his logic.

“Yes and no.” He picked up his drink again for another sip. “You asked why Iletyou overhear that conversation. I was showing you that I’ve seen the error in my judgment.”

I leaned forward. “Go on.”

His lips twitched, probably because my encouragement had come out more like a demand than a prompt. Our dominant tendencies rarely led to conflict, mostly because my Phoenix bowed to the Hell Fae King.

Or it used to, anyway.

Cami and Ajax had changed that.

Fires, they’d changedeverything.

“My point is, or rather, the lesson I’ve learned is that I can’t punish the pawns. They were manipulated against their will. Imprisoning them is wrong, even if it was initially for reasons of protection.”

I suspected we weren’t talking about the Unseelie anymore.

Or maybe we were, but only tangentially.