Page 62 of Hell Fae Warden

Instead, I pressed my mouth to his and told him without words that I cared about him. That I was here. That while we might not be the sort to emotionally share with one another, we were still bonded by brotherhood. By life. Byexperience.

Perhaps mine was different from his, but that didn’t belittle the friendship between us or the affection I felt for him.

He tried to shove me away, but I didn’t let him, my mouth demanding that he accept my possession.You’re my friend. My lover. My something more. I’m sorry I couldn’t control my Phoenix. I’m sorry about the truth serum…

“Stop,” Ajax growled against my mouth. “Just stop.”

“No.” I grabbed his hip, grinding him into the wall, and forced him to take my tongue.Mine.

His jaw started to clench, but he stopped at the last second, aware of what would happen if he fully clamped down.A mate-bond. Midnight Fae couldn’t help it. One bite was all it took to ignite the spiritual link between two fae.

Oh, a human was fine. He could bite them all he wanted, and did since he required their blood to fuel his magic.

But he couldn’t bite me.

Not without marrying our souls.

It was why he hadn’t wanted to bite Cami either.

My Phoenix would one day share a similar act, and I, too, would only need a single bite. But Shifter Fae had to be in their animal form for an imprint to take place, and as a Black Phoenix, I was technically part Shifter Fae. Which meant I could do all the biting I wanted while in my human form, something I intended to take full advantage of where Cami was concerned.

Because her blood tasted euphoric, making it something I would absolutely be doing again. Especially if it was for Ajax’s benefit.

His tongue traced mine as though he were thinking about it. Or, more likely, he was tasting our sweet little warrior’s pleasure in my mouth.

It was combined with his unique flavor as well, their fucking having created a decadent dessert I’d enjoyed just moments ago.

Until Melek interrupted, I thought, remembering why we were back in the palace.

I didn’t like to keep Typhos waiting, but Ajax seemed to need me. And I felt compelled to make sure he was all right before we went searching for the Hell Fae King.

“Tell me what’s bothering you,” I whispered against Ajax’s mouth. “Is it what just happened with Cami? Because trust me, Ajax, she enjoyed that even more than you did.”

“We were supposed to be interrogating her, not fucking her,” he growled.

I huffed a laugh and shook my head. “Sex is a fantastic interrogation tool. You know that better than anyone.” I pressed my groin against his, purposely reminding him of our first few times in bed where I’d sensually tormented him for hours. My Phoenix had wanted to make sure he was trustworthy—not just for me, but for Typhos.

And he’d proved to be quite admirable indeed.

Ajax narrowed his gaze. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Are you feeling guilty for fucking her?”

“I should be, yes.”

“Ah, but that’s not what I asked. Do you feel guilty?”

He ground his teeth together, his annoyance palpable. “No.”

“And that’s bothering you because you think you should feel bad about fucking the prisoner when we were supposed to be working,” I translated, understanding his mind after years of friendship. “That’s ridiculous.”

“It’s not ridiculous. I fucked up when she escaped, and it was my job to capture—”

“Ourjob,” I interjected.

“—her again,” he finished. “And I was tasked with gathering answers, which I did, but they’re not going to appease Lucifer.”

“Why not?” I asked, genuinely curious. “Zakkai administered a truth spell, and she told you everything, didn’t she?”