Page 68 of Hell Fae Warden

Then when I reached the back, two bloody scars ripped down the sides of his spine. They looked painful. Agonizing, even.Realistic.It provoked the strangest urge within me to reach out and offer him comfort.

But I refrained, only slightly aware that this was an inanimate object.

“Ty asked for this to be placed at the entry to his personal wing so that all those who are close to him remember what brings us together,” Melek informed me softly, his presence by my side both welcome and startling. I’d almost forgotten he was here.

“And what brings you together?” I asked.Pain? Sacrifice?

“Rejection,” he replied, the word one I hadn’t considered yet but found made perfect sense with what I’d recently learned.

Lucifer had fallen.

That was what the book had shown me. However, it was so much more than that. His fall had been significant, but I suspected it was whatever had happenedbeforehis fall that truly defined him.

He had been cast out of his home and, I could only assume,rejectedby those who were supposed to be his family.

Just like all the abominations he had taken under his broken wings.

Unable to resist, I returned to the front of the statue. I stepped forward and ran my fingers over the perfect stone. It was so large that I could only brush its fingers—but to my surprise, it was warm.

I felt like I was understanding Lucifer better now. The creation of a new source hadn’t been a show of grand power or control.

He’d just been trying to survive.

And in doing so, he’d brought other fallen races under his protection.

Some might even call that admirable.

Minus the whole kidnapping-forced-brides issue.

Melek went to the balcony and tucked his arms behind his back. His soft blondish-brown hair swayed with the heated wind, reminding me of feathers.

I joined him and sucked in my breath as I finally took in the outside view.

It was impressive, to say the least. Buildings of red and gold and black decorated a marble street in the distance, with courtyards of flames and charcoal rock separating the palace grounds from what I assumed was the town.

“Is this the heart of the Hell Fae Realm?” I asked, unfamiliar with all the various kingdoms within Lucifer’s gates.

“This is the Hell Fae Kingdom,” Melek murmured. “It’s where Lucifer and I live, as well as his Hell Fae and the outcasts—orabominations, as the other realms like to call them—under his command.”

I nodded slowly, my gaze attempting to see beyond the glittering town buildings. “So the Barren Lands…” I trailed off, not seeing anything nearby that resembled the dry landscape I’d recently become acquainted with during the trials.

“The Barren Lands is another kingdom,” he replied. “It’s one of the many areas where Nightmare Fae reside.”

I frowned. “And what’s the difference?”

He was quiet for a moment, his gaze on the outside world rather than on me. “The book showed you Lucifer’s fall, but did it explain how or where he landed?”

I recalled the pain I’d witnessed in Lucifer’s features, how I’d seen a glimpse of Melek’s smirk, and the visceral fury that had followed, how it’d shaken me to my very core… and then… “Everything derailed after he burst into light,” I whispered, my throat suddenly dry. “He was so angry…”

“Rightly so,” Melek murmured, his expression darkening for half a beat before he refocused on me. “When Lucifer fell, he landed in the pits of Hell. That was where, we’ll call themoutcastsfor this discussion, were sent. You would know thoseoutcastsas today’s Nightmare Fae.”

I studied Melek’s profile, surprised that he was speaking in terms I understood rather than in riddles. But I refrained from commenting on it, as I didn’t want to risk ruining the moment.

“There weren’t many at first,” he continued. “But there were enough. They didn’t have any order or a home, no kings or leaders to guide them, just dejected souls scurrying about in a plight to survive.”

Melek glanced back at the statue, a note of admiration in his features.

“Lucifer took on the burden of becoming their light. Over the vast millennia, he’s provided structure and protection. Kingdoms were created, the lands perfectly suited to the Nightmare Fae who reside there. But the harsh environments are not suitable for all, which is why this was created.” He gestured to the palace and the city beyond it.