Page 22 of Hell Fae Warden

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Ajax argued.

Zakkai slid his hands into his pockets, his wand having disappeared without a trace. “I didn’t come here to help you make sense of it, Death Blood. I came here to help you pull the truth from her, and that’s what I’m doing.”

“Detail your last twenty-four hours.” Zeph’s voice caused me to look at him, noting his billowing cloak laced with dark green leaves along the edges. The color matched his eyes, which I suspected was the point. It seemed like the kind of gift a woman might give her mate, making me wonder if Aflora had made it for him. Because the leaves seemed to move, almost as though caught up in a breeze.

I blinked away from the draw of magic surrounding him and focused on his words.“Detail your last twenty-four hours.”

“It was a really long fucking day, but all right.” I started with the trial, talking about the Centaurs.

“That wasn’t—”

“Let her finish,” Zeph interjected, cutting off Ajax.

Finishing up my account of the Centaur trial—where I mentioned being able to see through the veil into their true actions—I started into the Minotaur maze.

Zakkai and Zeph watched me with intrigued expressions, while Ajax appeared ready to kill me.

But I ignored him and focused on the other two men, hoping they might actually believe me and help me escape this situation.

Hell Fae Rule #9: Allies Exist in the Most Unexpected of Places.

When I wrapped up the maze, I talked about ending up in my cell, Melek’s unwelcome visit, and waking up in Ajax’s bed.

Which led me to provide a rather explicit description of what came next, something I hadn’t meant to do, but I couldn’t seem to stop talking.

Zakkai and Zeph both reappraised Ajax while I spoke, some fucked-up sense of admiration coming through. However, I didn’t comment on it because I was too busy detailing how I woke up again and my quick conversation with Az.

Then I continued with what Ajax had said and how he’d gone off to shower, and ended with the book’s appearance and the strange events that had followed.

“I went to get some water, and suddenly, Az and Ajax were there in all their pissed-off glory. Then they manhandled me here and tortured me with snakes,” I summarized at the conclusion. “The end.”

“Well, that’s… that’s quite the day you’ve had.” Zeph sounded surprised and a tad bit mortified. “You must be starving.”

“I am,” I admitted. “And thirsty. And really fucking pissed off.”

He nodded as though understanding my situation. “So you really don’t remember thirty days slipping by?”

“I’m not even convinced thirty days have passed by. I woke up in bed, ready to play with Az and Ajax again, then things just… literally went to Hell.”

“So you enjoyed playing with Az and Ajax?” he pressed.

“Very much so, yes.”Why am I admitting that out loud?

“You like them? Or at least, you did before now?” That came from Zakkai.

“Before now, yes. Right now, no, I really don’t.”Okay, stop talking, Cami.“I thought we were becoming… something. But they’ve made their feelings for me very clear.”Seriously, no more talking.“Instead of listening to me, or even attempting to believe me, they’ve treated me like a prisoner. Which hurts… And I really want to stop rambling now.”

“Side effect of the truth spell, I’m afraid,” Zakkai explained. “If I’m understanding the situation correctly, then from their point of view, you disappeared for thirty days without a trace. What’s your point of view?”

“I woke up feeling gratified and ready for more, only to be thrown into another version of hell where I’m being rudely interrogated by the two assholes who were just giving me pleasure mere hours ago,” I answered, wincing at how sad I sounded. “Well, two assholes, and now two much nicer fae.”

Zeph smirked. “I don’t think anyone has ever called menicebefore.”

“Well, nicer than Az and Ajax,” I muttered.

“Meaning your point of view is mere hours compared to their thirty days,” Zakkai translated for me.

“I guess, yes. I don’t know how I lost thirty days. But apparently, if I’m to believe the two asshole fae, then I did.”