Page 17 of Hell Fae Warden

CHAPTER4

AJAX

I hate it here.

Not the old Council dungeon, but thisrealm. I rarely returned to the Midnight Fae world, partly to avoid memories I’d rather not revisit. But the real reason I hated this place was the constant influx of power.

Power that reminded me of the very one that had taken everything from me.

I supposed that was why I’d chosen this location to take Camillia De la Croix—because I despised her almost as much as I despised the Midnight Fae Council.

She’d used me.Distractedme from doing my job. All the while playing on a piece of my history that I desperately tried not to think about. I’d mentioned Emelyn to her, perhaps not by name, but that wasn’t needed. I’d given Camillia enough by admitting that she reminded me of someone from my past.

And she’d used that information against me, finding a moment of weakness where my guard was down and choosing that precise moment to escapemyprison.

I was the Hell Fae Warden. Not Ajax, the Midnight Fae who’d lost everything. But a being of power and respect. And this female had tainted that image, reducing my worth in the cruelest of ways.

Well, now she would pay.

Because she was inmyHell now.

“I’ve already told you. I don’t know,” she said, her gray eyes reminding me of a brewing storm. “You asking me the same question a hundred times isn’t going to change my answer.”

I narrowed my gaze at her. “We’ll see.” I was just biding my time until the real help appeared.

Honestly, I was surprised he hadn’t arrived already. Shade typically foresaw situations such as this, a benefit of being part Fortune Fae, part Midnight Fae. Although, knowing my oldest friend, he was making me wait for a reason.

I twirled my wand between my fingertips as I circled Camillia for the thousandth time. She was covered in snake vines—nasty little creatures with a penchant for biting when they felt threatened.

Which explained the three marks on Camillia’s nude form.

She’d quickly learned that moving beneath their writhing bodies was a bad idea. I could have warned her, but she didn’t deserve my help. Not after what she’d done.

Still, I wove a little spell through the air to aid in her healing. It wasn’t because I cared, but because I needed her mind focused on the interrogation, not a minor snake bite.

Alas, she proved to be quite stubborn.

“This would go easier on you if you simply told the truth,” I said conversationally. “Of course, I won’t believe a damn word you have to say anyway.” Which defeated the entire purpose of this activity.

I angled my wand upward and muttered a spell to nudge Shade. Just a little puff of glitter that would express my impatience.

He’d likely have a few things to say about it when he eventually arrived. But if it made him move faster, then it would be worth his choice remarks.

“Then what are we doing here?” Camillia asked, her tone exasperated. “You won’t believe anything I say, and I’m not changing my answer, because it’s the truth—I don’t know.”

“I’m waiting for permission to kill you,” I lied.

“For what?” she demanded. “For not knowing how I ended up in my old dorm room?”

“For distracting me with your damn pussy and using that distraction as a chance to flee, thereby ruining my entire fucking reputation as Warden,” I snapped at her.

Her eyebrows flew upward. “Oh, so your ego was wounded and that gives you cause to kill me. I see.” She flinched as the snakes hissed around her in warning, not liking her tone.

Useful little pets,I decided. I used to hate their slithering vines around the Academy walls, but I definitely found them interesting now as they slithered and writhed around Cami’s midsection. They were hiding her tits from my view, which was fine. I didn’t need to be tempted into anotherdistraction.

“You know, Azazel warned me that you would probably call our time together a mistake and run away in the process. But he failed to mention that you’d also revert to being an asshole again.” Her voice was softer now, but her expression was just as hard as before.

“I’m not running away from anything, Camillia. And I never stopped being an asshole.”