Page 12 of Hell Fae Warden

“Not all of us use rope the way you do, little prince.” Typhos kept his steady gaze on me while he spoke, but I didn’t miss the hint of indulgence in his response to Melek.

I ignored the rope commentary and instead replied to Typhos’s question. “She’s not being very forthcoming. She’s instead pretending to be shocked that thirty days have passed.”

“Pretending?” Melek didn’t hide the skepticism in that parroted reply. “What if she means it?”

I snorted at that. “It’s a ruse meant to hide her true whereabouts. Which I’ll prove once I thoroughly interrogate her.”

“Yet you’re here instead of doing that,” Melek said. “That’s interesting.”

I met his multicolored gaze. “I’m here to inform Typhos that we found Camillia, and to let him know why we took her to the Midnight Fae Realm instead of directly to him as he asked.”

Okay, that wasn’t entirely true.

I was also here because Ajax had recognized my need to blow off some steam. He’d probably thought it was just anger and my Phoenix’s need to punish Camillia for her antics.

But that hadn’t been the source of my contention with my animal at all.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

My Phoenix had wanted to embrace her and protect her, which was not going to happen.Ever.

“I agree with keeping her away from here until we have more answers.” Typhos closed the hologram on his table and stood. “But I’m only giving you three days to break her, Azazel. This has already taken too long, and I really need your help within our world here.”

I nodded. “I understand.”

“The sooner we can restart the trials, the better,” he went on. “However, the Netherworld trials and Morpheus trials are canceled indefinitely. They chose to acquire mates outside of the process. Therefore, they can test them on their own.”

“A worthy punishment,” Melek praised, referring to the way Typhos had chosen to handle the aftermath of Monsters Night.

He’d told the Netherworld Kings and Morpheus Kings to organize their own set of trials to determine the true worthiness of the females acquired during the illegal raid on the alternate realm. The edict forced the kings to take on some of the leadership burdens that Typhos often carried, thus providing a necessary lesson in respect.

It was a lesson that traveled down through the ranks to the very fae who had used that portal, too. Because most of the females weren’t claimed yet, and as there weren’t many of them, the various types of Netherworld Fae and Morpheus Fae had to be careful with their vetting of the potential mates.

Or they’d risk losing them all.

And Typhos wasn’t going to give them any others after the stunt they’d pulled with that portal.

“If the Netherworld Fae and Morpheus Fae want to regulate themselves, then have at it,” he’d told them. “Let’s see if your kings are up to the task.”

“Three days,” he repeated to me now. “If she’s still silent, you can leave her there to rot.”

Melek’s eyes widened, his usual smirk dying behind a concerned mask. “Typhos.”

“Is there anything else, Azazel?” Typhos asked, ignoring his prince.

“No. I’ll handle it from here,” I promised him.

“I know you will,” he agreed, confidence underlying those words. Or perhaps it was a bit of a threat.

Because Melek had established initial ties to Camillia, making this a very important task. One I couldn’t fail.

It also meant I might not be able to hurt her the way I needed to in order to make her talk.Because Melek can feel her,I realized, meeting the male’s hard gaze in question.Well, shit.

That was going to complicate things.

Of course, it wasn’t my fault Melek had tied himself to her soul.

But it would be my fault if he was hurt through my actions, and Typhos certainly wouldn’t appreciate that either.