1. Cami
CHAPTER 1
CAMI
I ’m on fire .
Not literally.
Or maybe literally.
I… I couldn’t say. Everything just burned . And it was all because of the powerful male purring beneath me.
Azazel. Az . The Hell Fae Commander.
Violet flames danced in his irises, his inner Phoenix peeking out at me while the man evaluated my expression. My mind. My wants .
It should be fairly obvious to him what I craved. I’d straddled him on this couch for a reason. Clasped his muscular shoulders beneath my palms. Molded my clothed chest to his bare one. Kissed him.
Yet he observed me as though he were debating what to do with me.
“Teach me,” I whispered, the plea in my tone impossible to hide.
Fae, I wanted him. Yearned for him.
He’d given me something I couldn’t define. A truth that knocked down my walls. Penetrated the last of my reserves. Annihilated all my doubts.
A Virtuous Fae— Vivaxia —had made him her pet. Fuck, if I ever met that bitch, I’d kill her.
She’d enslaved Az’s Phoenix. Forced him to do despicable things.
With a spell.
Similar to the one Ajax cast , I thought, swallowing.
Only, Az had beaten that spell.
Freed himself.
No, not quite. He’d… he’d mended his spirit, combined the man and the beast. But he’d left his Phoenix in charge as a way to show respect. To me. To Ajax. To apologize for everything he’d done wrong. To demonstrate his worth as… as a mate.
I wanted to demonstrate my worth now, too. To show him that I forgave him. Accepted him.
And most of all—that I could handle him.
“Show me how you fuck,” I added out loud, the words an echo of the ones I’d just spoken into his mind moments ago. “Please, Az. Please?—”
A wave of intense heat stole my voice, leaving me gasping in its wake.
“I don’t want to fuck you, little warrior,” Az murmured, his lips hot against mine. “I want to consume you.”
I shivered, his warmth seeping into my skin and strengthening the fire burning through my veins.
“What you’re feeling is only a fraction of my need,” he continued. “A dose of what I want to do to you.”
My throat worked, my body nearly paralyzed by the power sizzling across my being. You’re warning me, I realized, the words a whisper between our bond.
“I’m preparing you,” he corrected aloud, his nose running along my cheek to my ear. “I’m going to fucking devour you, Camillia.” He kissed my thundering pulse. “You need a safe word.”
A what? I knew what the term meant, but hearing the term on his lips surprised me.
“A word that’ll make me pause,” he explained, likely having heard my thought. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You could never hurt me,” I breathed, my thighs clamping down around his legs.
“I could,” he corrected, his grip tightening against my hips as he held me firmly against him. “I’m power incarnate, Cami. When I claim you, I’m going to destroy you. I need to know you can handle it. Now give me a safe word.”
“You never gave me a safe word,” a deep voice interjected, the owner of it sounding more than a little pissed off.
Ajax , I thought, glancing over my shoulder to see him standing just inside the door with a shoulder propped against the wall.
“All you’ve ever done is take ,” he went on, his dark eyes on Az. “And lie.”
Az bristled beneath me. “I’ve never lied to you.”
“Oh? So you didn’t pretend your bird was in control? Thus tricking me into leaving you alone with Cami?” He pushed off the wall, fury making his pupils pulse with power. “And what’s the first thing you do—seduce her?” His wand slid into his hand. “I should have known better than to trust you.”
Az lifted his hands from my hips in a surrendering gesture. “Ajax?—”
My Midnight Fae mate was already murmuring magical words, casting a spell of unknown properties.
“ Don’t ,” I told him. But the magic was already weaving around his wand. A flick of his wrist sent it toward Az.
I did the only thing I could—I dove toward it and absorbed the shock of his enchantment.
“ Cami! ” Ajax shouted at the same time Az hissed.
Electricity zipped up and down my spine, sending me crashing to the floor on a yelp that bordered on a scream.
Or maybe I screamed.
No idea.
Because fuck, that hurt. I couldn’t move. Breathe. Focus .
Static humming sizzled in my ears, irritating my senses.
I couldn’t hear or think beyond that noise, nor could I see.
It reminded me of the time Vita had sucked me into her pages and held me captive for a month.
Not again, I thought dizzily. I am not losing time again.
I also didn’t want to revisit one of Lucifer’s infamous memories of his fall .
Wincing, I curled into myself—not exactly literally because I couldn’t feel my limbs, but figuratively. Or… or I assumed that was what I was doing, anyway.
Shit .
Whenever I came out of this paralyzing state, I was going to give Ajax a piece of my mind. He’d intended to hit Az with this spell, after everything else that had already been done to him.
No.
Not okay.
Ajax was mad. I got that. I was pissed at Az, too. At least until Az confided his history to me. Now… now I wasn’t as angry.
Well, no. I was angry. At Ajax, though.
Cockblocker , I thought. Az and I had been having a nice moment on the couch, one that had obviously been leading to fun times in the bed or on the floor.
Then Ajax had to storm in here and interrupt the moment.
Although, I was pleased to see him. And hear his voice. He’d blocked me from his mind before venturing back to the Hell Fae Realm to meet with Melek and Lucifer.
I wonder what they said to him, I marveled numbly, then tried to shake my head. Now wasn’t the time or place. I needed to free myself from this sticky web.
Then I would have a word with Ajax about manners.
And spells.
And things.
After that, well, to be determined.
Growling deep inside, I writhed against the mental constraints. They weren’t real, but they… they were sort of tangible. Like a spider’s silky trap. All glittering ends and thin strands that appeared fragile in nature but were far too strong.
It was actually quite pretty.
I reached for one, surprised when I was able to move toward it. Or, wait, no. It moved toward me. Like I was calling the magic deeper into my mind.
A sigh overwhelmed me as I embraced the enchanted string. It was warm. Right. Perfect .
Maybe it wasn’t so bad here.
Maybe I could stay.
I blinked. No, that wasn’t right. I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to be free. To untangle myself. To… What was I doing, again?
So much glitter.
All around me.
Wavering. Swimming. Dancing .
I nearly giggled at the lightness of it all. So similar to stars. A world unlike any other.
My brow furrowed. What am I seeing?
So much white.
Veils.
Feathers.
Wings .
I—
The vision dissolved into a room covered in writhing vines, the ceiling decorated with blossoming flowers. I shook my head, dizzy from the abrupt change in scenery.
Pain shot down my neck in response, the movement entirely unwelcome and causing my stomach to clench with immediate pangs. “ Ugh… ”
“Sounds about right,” a cultured voice drawled.
My brow furrowed. Zakkai? I hadn’t spent much time with the Midnight Fae known as the Source Architect , but I’d been around him enough to recognize his amused tones. Or perhaps intrigued was the better adjective.
As current guests of the Midnight Fae Royal Court, I shouldn’t be surprised he was here.
Except I was because he hadn’t been here moments ago.
Unless I’m missing time again .
“When Melek returns for his next visit, tell him I want to chat,” Zakkai said.
“We can relay the message, but I can’t promise he’ll listen to it,” Ajax muttered.
“Oh, he’ll listen,” Zakkai replied, all confidence.
The sound of a door softly closing followed, then a warm hand drifted down my arm. “Cami?” Az whispered, his concerned features appearing before me. “Are you all right?”
I blinked. “What…?” I cleared my throat, my voice scratchy. “What happened?”
“Ajax cast a paralyzing spell. And you absorbed it.”
My brow furrowed. “Absorbed it?” That was a strange phrasing. “What do you mean, I absorbed it?”
“The enchantment was just meant to freeze Az for a few seconds so I could pull you away from him,” Ajax explained as he moved to stand behind where Az knelt on the floor, placing both men in my line of sight. “You moved and somehow caught the spell.”
“Caught?” Another strange phrase, this one from Ajax instead of Az. The latter helped me sit up as I struggled to move, my body oddly weak. “I leapt in front of Az so you couldn’t enslave his Phoenix again.”
Ajax made a noise in his throat, one that sounded slightly contrite. Or maybe annoyed. “That’s not the spell I cast.”
Yeah, I understood that now. Sort of. “You can’t do that to his Phoenix again,” I blurted out, needing Ajax to hear me. I tried to move up to my knees, to stand, but my body refused. Instead, I glared up at him from my seated position. “He’s suffered enough.”
The look my Midnight Fae mate gave me suggested he felt otherwise.
“I mean it, Ajax,” I rushed on before he could say something sarcastic or biting as a retort. “That spell is cruel, especially with his history.”
His brow furrowed. “What are you talking about, Cami?” He looked at Az, who had stood now with folded arms, clearly not liking the direction our conversation had taken. “What history? I’ve only used that spell once.” Fire danced in his gaze. “Had I realized it was from Melek, I wouldn’t have issued it. I thought Zenaida gave it to me.”
“Melek gave you that spell?” A responding flame flickered to life in Az’s gaze. “Fucking meddler.”
“I think they both enjoy meddling,” Ajax muttered.
“True, but the Virtuous Fae element to the spell should have made it obvious.” Az palmed the back of his neck while Ajax blinked at him.
“Virtuous Fae?” he repeated, looking as confused as I’d felt the first time I’d heard that term. “What the fuck is a Virtuous Fae?”
Az winced, his mind instantly radiating annoyance—not at Ajax but at himself. Shouldn’t have said that out loud, he was muttering to himself loudly enough for me to hear.
“What—”
“Is there somewhere we can go to talk privately?” Az interjected before Ajax could repeat his question.
Ajax glanced around. “You mean, like a bedroom? One where we’re the only ones here?”
He doesn’t want to risk being overheard by any of the Midnight Fae , I told Ajax via our bond.
Or he just wants to take us somewhere to ensure we’re alone when he attacks, Ajax fired back.
I finally managed to stumble to my feet. Ajax grabbed my hips as I nearly fell into him, concern entering his features as he stared down at me.
I need you to trust him, I whispered to Ajax. Please .
Not a fucking chance.
Then trust me, I said, my palms going to his chest. I’ve heard his story. I understand him better now.
Ajax snorted. So he’s manipulated you?
No, he’s confided in me, I corrected. “And before you consider saying something foolish about me being gullible or easy to persuade, think twice,” I added out loud, my tone leaving no question as to how I would react to such a statement.
Ajax’s jaw ticked, but I didn’t back down, my gaze locked on his as he debated his next move.
Eventually, some of the fire left his dark irises, allowing the blue ring to glitter a little more. “All right. A quiet place to talk is probably a good idea,” he said slowly, suspicion still evident in his tone and expression but his thoughts focused on trust—not of Az but of me. “I have some things to share with you both as well.”
Az arched a brow as he came to stand right beside us, forming a triangle with our bodies. “I assume it’s about whatever Typhos and Melek had to say?”
“As if you don’t know already,” Ajax muttered.
The Commander’s eyebrow inched higher. “Actually, I have no idea why he wanted to see you. I just know he vowed not to hurt you.” Az looked him up and down. “And you seem unharmed, so he clearly upheld his part of the deal.”
Ajax grunted. “And what did he ask you for in that deal , hmm?”
Az frowned. “Nothing. I was using it as a figure of speech. He promised not to hurt you, and I believed him because he doesn’t lie. But he didn’t tell me what he wanted to discuss, which I assume now was a deal of some kind?” An unsettling note entered Az’s voice toward the end, indicating he was at least a little disturbed by this development.
I shared that opinion. “What did Lucifer say?”
Ajax’s jaw clenched again, his cheekbones sharper as a result of his tense expression. “He proposed an offer that would guarantee Cami’s safety, as well as give me a respectable Hell Fae status. But there’s a stipulation.”
“Which is?” Az pressed, his unease more than palpable now.
Ajax said nothing for a long moment, causing my heart to race. “What’s the stipulation, Ajax?” I asked, needing to know. “What does he want in return?” Because whatever it was, it wasn’t good. I could see it in Ajax’s eyes, feel it through our bond, hear it in the way that his mind had gone silent.
“He wants me to mate him,” Ajax muttered. “And he wants my response in one week—at the Interrealm Fae Ball.”