19. Az
CHAPTER 19
AZ
V ivaxia had Cami.
That thought, fueled by Melek’s statement, set my soul aflame as the words ran on repeat in my head.
My Phoenix wanted to hunt. To destroy. To ravage .
But my mind, heart, and soul couldn’t leave Cami. Not like this. Not now.
So, instead, I stalked the fiery corridors of Typhos’s palace. Our home. Our past. Our present. Our future.
Because Cami would wake up. Hopefully, soon.
She’s safe. She’s here.
But Vivaxia had her…
There were so many unspeakable things that Virtuous Fae could have done to Cami. I could taste her magic lingering in the air, the perfume eliciting a hoard of bad dreams. Horrid memories. Fears .
Growling, I increased my pace.
The Hellhounds smartly kept their distance, no doubt feeling my churning wrath.
I hadn’t realized where I was heading until I made a certain turn, my spirit clearly guiding my steps. Typhos and I had some things to discuss. I’d locked him out for over a week, only choosing to let him back in during the ball so I could monitor his intentions with Camillia.
The Hell Fae King and I were at odds.
I didn’t like it.
My Phoenix didn’t care for it either. Especially right now.
Our alliance, our history , was more important than ever.
Thus, it made sense that my instincts had taken me toward his den. I could have just ashed here, but the stroll had helped to clear some of the nightmarish fog from my mind. A little, anyway.
Fucking Vivaxia. I’d loathed her for eternity, wanted her dead for thousands of years.
But this— taking my mate —made me want to rip her apart. Hear her scream. Torture her for eons until she begged for death.
First, though, I needed to figure out what the fuck she’d done to Cami. Because that damn floral scent still lurked in my nostrils, Vivaxia’s mark all over my female.
Typhos had absolutely felt it, too.
If Vivaxia hurt her…
The Phoenix inside me hissed at the very thought of it, furious that we were still here doing nothing about such blasphemy. All I could do was indulge him with mental fantasies of the ways we would torment the Virtuous Fae once we found her.
I’m going to wring that bitch’s neck with my bare hands, then carve out her eyes and leave only her mouth to scream.
That was one of the many deaths Vivaxia had imparted on me; it was only fitting to return the favor.
You taught me what I know about death, I thought at her. You only have yourself to blame, Vivaxia darling.
That damn nickname.
Her fucking voice .
I shook my head, clearing it from my mind. But her scent still lingered. Still taunted. Still promised there was more to come.
Which was exactly why Typhos and I needed to be on the same page as allies.
But I wasn’t sure of his intentions for Cami or Ajax—both of whom I’d left with Melek.
Ajax probably knew where I’d been headed without me telling him, but I whispered a thought to him anyway. Then I asked, Is Melek behaving?
He’s reading a book on the bed next to her, Ajax replied quietly. He’s oddly… silent.
Hmm. I’d picked up on Melek being a bit more reserved than usual at the ball, too. His typical devil-may-care attitude and playful riddles had been notably absent from our conversation. Let me know if anything changes.
I will, Ajax promised. And do me a favor—don’t talk on my behalf with Lucifer. I can handle myself.
Yes, you’ve made that quite clear, Warden, I drawled.
I mean it, Commander.
I’m going to him to talk about Cami, I told him. I’m sure she would also say she can handle herself, but she’s currently unconscious.
Ajax said nothing for a moment. Then very quietly, he replied, I can feel her soul. She’s alive.
I know. I’d been checking our connection, too. She’s healing. But she was also wrapped up in Vivaxia’s scent like a damn Virtuous Fae bouquet.
Ajax knew something was off, too. I hadn’t needed to tell him that; he could sense it. Find out what Lucifer thinks, he finally said. I’ll be here.
I nodded. Not that he could see me, but he likely felt my agreement. Or perhaps he knew I was now standing outside of Typhos’s den.
Rather than mentally announcing myself, I resecured my walls and knocked on the stone door.
“Come in,” grated the deep voice of the Hell Fae King through the heavy rock.
Taking the invitation, I stepped inside.
The posh living area was tidy and filled with maps and folders. A feathered pen floating nearby told me that those folders contained a few of his deals, ones he may have just inked. Or perhaps he just hadn’t gotten around to filing them.
“Yes, you can release him,” Typhos said, but not to me. He was talking to the Unseelie King on the translucent wall monitor.
Erebus was likewise in a luxurious environment, but his office consisted of mirrors. Tons of them. However, each one seemed to reflect the light in a different way, breaking it into rainbowlike patterns that hurt my sensitive eyes.
“We have new information on who has been tampering with the trials,” Typhos continued. “It wasn’t the fae you have in custody. He and several others were set up.”
Erebus licked his lips. “Does that mean the bride trials will continue?”
“Soon,” Typhos promised, which surprised me. But maybe it shouldn’t have. Even if Cami almost died, even if his own Source was under attack, he would still put his people first.
And what about his own fucking mate-circle? I wondered, my jaw painfully flexing as I listened to the conversation between the Hell Fae King and his lieutenant.
“This pleases me,” Erebus said with a smile. “As for the fae, I’m glad I can release him. He’s the father of one of the Hell Fae Bride candidates, a position of honor among us that I prefer to acknowledge rather than punish.”
“I know,” Typhos replied. “Speaking of Hell Fae Bride candidates, have you located the one who went missing in your territory?”
The light flickered around Erebus in fractured patterns as if he flitted those barely discernible wings of his.
“My soldiers are proving difficult to reach of late. Perhaps the girl is giving them a hard time.” He grinned as he tilted his head, the gesture not so much birdlike as mine would be, but playful. One never knew if Erebus was just being himself or hiding something. “You certainly know how to pick them, my king. When I have my hands on her, you will be the first to know.”
“Hmm,” Typhos hummed, not giving anything away, but I had a feeling there was something in this conversation I was missing.
The Unseelie King flicked his gaze to me as I purposefully ventured into view of the screen.
I was here to give Typhos an update on Cami, which, frankly, was more important than whatever games the Unseelie King was playing.
“I see you have company. I will leave you to your important matters, Your Majesty,” Erebus politely announced with a bow of his head. “I look forward to updates on when the bride trials will resume.”
Typhos nodded. “As I look forward to your updates, Erebus.”
The Unseelie King only grinned as the screen went black.
Finally, Typhos turned to me. “Apologies, but I have been providing all of my lieutenants with an update now that we have more information. I think we can safely assume Vivaxia and the Virtuous Fae are behind the attacks on our realm.”
I nodded, agreeing with that assessment. “It seems they’re no longer interested in hiding.”
“Indeed,” he returned, his eyes flickering with dark blue fire.
While I believed and understood Typhos’s statement about needing to update his lieutenants, I also knew that wasn’t the only reason he’d chosen to retreat to his den. He’d caught Cami in the sky, his body and power cradling hers in the fall, then he’d taken her to his bed.
That’d been instinctual.
Not purposeful.
And I suspected he was trying to digest that realization, perhaps even brooding a bit about the involuntary decision to take her into his inner sanctuary.
He studied me for a moment, then motioned to the leather chair next to a fireplace that lit the spacious office with Hellfire. “Let’s talk, Azazel. How’s Camillia?”
An interesting question, considering Melek was no doubt providing him with mental updates regarding her condition, just as Ajax had done with me.
So I chose to ignore the question and ask one of my own. “Is there a reason you had me overhear your conversation with Erebus?”
Typhos poured himself a flaming whiskey, always having a bottle from his personal stash in his office. Then he poured me one, too.
I took the glass and sipped from it while I waited for an answer.
He didn’t speak right away, instead settling into his leather chair, his muscular body engulfing the entirety of the furniture as his dark hair splayed out behind him. The lock of white hair against his face was an interesting addition, one that made him more approachable somehow.
“There’s something going on between Erebus and that runaway bride you lost during the portal madness.” He glanced at me, fully aware his words had just struck a nerve. “Do you recall?”
I bristled at the insinuation that my Phoenix and I had lost a target. “I did not lose her,” I said through my teeth. “The Unseelie purposefully diverted me.”
And I’d also been distracted by Cami absorbing Typhos’s power to heal the vortex in the sky.
But the former reason was the most important—I should have been able to capture that bride in seconds, yet she’d disappeared with the help of the Unseelie surrounding her.
“Can you prove that they interfered?” Typhos asked.
“Can I prove it? No,” I admitted. “But it’s the only explanation for my inability to track her. Besides, you know the Unseelie. They’re even more devious than Melek.”
This also wasn’t what I’d come here to discuss.
But I supposed I’d angled the conversation this way by asking him why he’d invited me in while talking with Erebus. He’d obviously wanted me to overhear the conversation, yet he still hadn’t told me why .
Typhos sighed. “Fair. But they’re loyal.”
I couldn’t argue that point, so I didn’t comment.
Because yes, they were loyal Nightmare Fae. I wouldn’t counter that declaration, as I agreed with it.
“Loyalty is very important to me, as you know,” he went on. “But it’s something I’ve been questioning lately.”
I arched a brow. “Are you accusing me of something, Typhos?” I wondered aloud. “Perhaps questioning my loyalty because I blocked you from my mind and mated the female you view as an enemy?”
His gaze narrowed, his lips sealing around his glass as he took another long, purposeful drink. “No, Azazel. I trust you. But all of this has made me view loyalty in a different light.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant, so I remained quiet and sipped my drink instead.
He set his glass down. “Hades made me realize that I was being unfair to your brother. I released him while you were away.”
“Oh.” I hadn’t been aware of that. “Hades spoke to you on Maliki’s behalf?”
I wasn’t quite sure of my brother’s relationship with the Mythos Fae, but I’d gathered they had some sort of history. One I hadn’t truly cared about before. Now, however, my interest was slightly piqued. Maybe when this nightmare was over, I’d pay my brother a long-overdue visit.
“Hades met with me,” Typhos rephrased. “He confirmed what I already knew, that the Virtuous Fae have something to do with the portals and the chaos. Their interference has made me question everyone’s loyalty, even those who have proven time and again to have our realm’s best interests in their hearts and minds.”
“Are we still talking about the Unseelie?” I asked, not quite following his logic.
“Yes and no.” He picked up his drink again for another sip. “You asked why I let you overhear that conversation. I was showing you that I’ve seen the error in my judgment.”
I leaned forward. “Go on.”
His lips twitched, probably because my encouragement had come out more like a demand than a prompt. Our dominant tendencies rarely led to conflict, mostly because my Phoenix bowed to the Hell Fae King.
Or it used to, anyway.
Cami and Ajax had changed that.
Fires, they’d changed everything .
“My point is, or rather, the lesson I’ve learned is that I can’t punish the pawns. They were manipulated against their will. Imprisoning them is wrong, even if it was initially for reasons of protection.”
I suspected we weren’t talking about the Unseelie anymore.
Or maybe we were, but only tangentially.
“Vivaxia has finally made her move after millennia of leaving us be, and she’s using every tactic she can to make me question my own faith.”
“Is that such a surprise?” I wondered out loud. “A few thousand years is nothing in our lifespan.”
“True,” he agreed. “But her methods and desires are not the point I’m trying to make.”
“Then what point are you trying to make?” I asked him, not in the mood for riddles. If I were, I’d be with Melek instead of Typhos.
However, it seemed Melek wasn’t in the mood, either.
“My point is that I owe you an apology,” he said, causing me to nearly drop my glass.
Typhos Lucifer rarely apologized.
In fact, I was pretty sure the last time he’d ever uttered that word in my presence had been while trying to save me from Vivaxia.
“An apology?” I parroted back at him, certain I’d heard him wrong.
He sat up and poured more whiskey into his glass, his gaze slightly unfocused. “Two apologies in less than twenty-four hours. I really must be losing my touch.”
A smirk lifted his lips a moment later, suggesting that either he found humor in what he’d said, or Melek had just whispered something to him.
I imagined it was in reply to his admission of losing his touch , something I highly doubt was true. The stack of deals nearby was proof of that.
Is one of those meant for Ajax? I wondered. A penned agreement just waiting to be signed?
My Midnight Fae mate had asked me not to speak on his behalf, and I’d honor that. But if I found an agreement meant for him, I would absolutely set it on fire.
But this was the Hell Fae King. His entire world revolved around those deals.
They were more than binding agreements—they were his religion.
Each word was doctrine, and if broken, Hellfire met the other end of the failed party.
Ajax would not be subjected to that fate.
“After everything we’ve been through, I hope you know what you are to me,” Typhos murmured as his gaze returned to mine. “You’re my mate, Azazel. And more than that, you’re my best friend. I should have consulted you about my intentions with Ajax.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “You should have.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
I arched a brow. “Does that mean the deal is no longer on the table?” This technically wasn’t me talking on Ajax’s behalf, but me simply being curious as to what Typhos’s intentions were now.
He didn’t immediately answer, instead swirling his drink. “There is no deal to be made. Ajax’s position in Hell Fae society is resolute, his role of Warden having already been reinstated. He’s yours; that makes him a Hell Fae. Camillia’s status has also been changed to note her as a Hell Fae mate. Both of them are safe here and under my protection.”
I waited.
When he didn’t continue, I hedged, “In exchange for…?”
“Nothing.” He took another sip, then set his drink down again. “If Ajax chooses to mate me, the offer still stands. But it’ll be his choice and nothing more.”
“You still want to mate him?” I asked, uncertain.
“I want to protect him,” Typhos replied. “I don’t fancy him the way you do. But I respect him. I care about him. And I want him in my inner circle. However, I won’t make him join me.”
Studying my Hell Fae King mate, I inquired, “Why the change of heart?” It wasn’t a matter of believing him—I did without question. It was a matter of not understanding his choice.
“It’s like I said, Azazel. I’ve been wrongly punishing the pawns and questioning the loyalty of others, even when their actions speak volumes regarding their intentions. This mess with Vivaxia has stirred chaos. And it ends now.”
I finished the drink he’d poured for me, then relaxed into the chair across from him. “So what does that mean for us? What does it mean for Camillia?”
“I’m going to train her,” he replied, surprising me. “No more punishments. No more threats. No more questioning her intentions. I see her now. I realize the mistakes I’ve made with her. And I’ll atone for them. But before all of that, I’m going to teach her everything I know.”
“Why?” I asked. “So you can use her against Vivaxia?”
“No. She’s not a toy or a weapon, and I won’t treat her like a pawn. I’m not Vivaxia. And you questioning my intentions shows just how tarnished our mate-circle has become. I’m going to fix it. And I’ll start by healing whatever spell Vivaxia has put inside Camillia.”
I leaned forward, caught up in what he was saying and zeroing in on that last line. “You feel the magic, too.”
“Of course I feel it. The stench of it is all over her.”
“Like a fucking bouquet of sickly flowers,” I muttered.
“Vivaxia’s trademark perfume,” he drawled. “We’re going to dismantle whatever gift she’s left inside Camillia, then embolden Camillia with knowledge and skill, so next time, she can properly defend herself. It’s what I should have done from the moment I met her. Instead, I tried to imprison her.”
“For protection,” I translated, recalling his earlier comments about what he’d done with all the pawns. “You feel bad for what you’ve done to her.”
“Feeling bad is irrelevant,” he said, his gaze falling to his glass. “I made a mistake. I’m owning that. Apologizing for it. And now, I’m going to fix it.” Tidal waves swirled in his irises as he looked back up at me. “Can you forgive me?”
I stared at him. “Would you forgive someone for trying to corner Melek into a mating agreement?”
His lips twitched. “He asked me something similar.”
“And what did you say?”
“That I’d kill the asshole.”
I almost smiled. “I suppose that’s one answer.”
“Are you saying you need to drive that flaming sword of yours through my heart?” he asked, arching a brow. “Would that make us even?”
“Not even close,” I admitted. “But I’ll consider it as an option for later.”
“Later?” he repeated.
“We have more important things to do right now,” I told him. “Like help Cami and take down Vivaxia.” I pushed away from the chair. “After that, I’ll consider stabbing you.”
He smiled. “It’s a date.”
“Don’t get too excited, Typhos. You know I’m going to make it hurt.”
“You realize that just excites me more, yes?” he said, standing as well.
I shook my head. “You’re a sadist, not a masochist.”
One of those neatly shaped eyebrows rose. “Been talking to Melek about my preferences?”
“I’ve been inside your mind long enough to know,” I tossed back at him. “But if you hurt Cami, I really will kill you.” That part I uttered in all seriousness.
He lifted his hands. “I have no intention of touching your female mate.”
I studied him for a long moment, recalling everything we’d discussed. “Hmm. We’ll see.” Because it seemed pretty clear to me that he was beginning to fall for Cami, just like the rest of us had.
“We won’t be seeing anything,” he informed me flatly.
I nodded sagely. “Okay.” If he kept saying it enough, perhaps he’d believe it.
Az, Ajax said, instantly seizing my attention. She’s starting to stir.
Melek must have said something similar to Typhos because his entire body went rigid.
We both shared a look, the two of us in sync once more. “Let’s go,” Typhos said, disappearing in a flurry of fiery embers.
I immediately followed.
Time to open your eyes now, little warrior, I thought as the bedroom materialized around me. We have a lot to discuss.