Page 80 of Hell Fae King
He hissed at me in response.
Frowning, I drew my wand from my boot and gouged a hole in the ground with raw magic, then filled it with salt water that wouldn’t evaporate. “Go on, get in,” I told him.
He merely hissed again, ignoring the water, which didn’t make any fucking sense.
Nor did the agony that continued to reflect in his flinching gaze, as if he were trapped inside his own head.
Which looked… familiar.
My eyes widened as I realized what was going on.
Vivaxia is using her magic on the Nightmare Fae,I told Az.It’s that damned pet spell.
A flinch of hurt crossed my senses. I knew it was a sensitive topic for Az, and I still regretted using that spell on him. Even if I hadn’t known his history, or the trauma I had been reopening for him, I shouldn’t have taken away his free will like that.
But now… now I understood the depths of Vivaxia’s depravity. She viewed Nightmare Fae and fae like Azazel as pets to be controlled.
She didn’t give a damn about free will.
I know,Az replied, his mental voice softer than usual.I recognize it. And I can also see that these aren’t dark souls. At least, not all of them.
My teeth ached as I clenched them. Of course Az could tell the difference between innocent and evil souls. He’d had that ability all along; he’d just never explained it to me.
I’d been left in the dark, not just by Lucifer but by Az, too.
You’re not in the dark anymore,Az assured me, having likely heard my train of thought.I share everything with you now. That’s a promise.
And I knew he meant it. The ferocity of his words left me craving him, not just to continue where we’d left off but also to show him with my body that I accepted his apology.
I accepted him. And I would show that soon by biting him for a third time.
Mmm,Az purred in my mind, obviously picking up on my intent.Will Cami watch?
If we all survive this, she’ll more than watch,I promised.
Our foreplay would be taming these beasts, together. Not by defeating them.
But by saving them—at least, the ones who deserved to be saved.
As I circled the Nightmare Fae, giving myself time to analyze them, I could see the difference between the Siren and the Naga now.
The Naga had a dark aura about it that I had thought to be some strange shadow, but it wasn’t a shadow. It was the aura of its soul.
The Siren did not have the same shadows.
It wasn’t an ability I had before. But then again, I’d previously been the Warden in name only.
Lucifer had given me the key—a symbol of the true power that came with the role.
I was indeed part of his inner circle now.
The Siren was one of Lucifer’s protected inhabitants, and Vivaxia was trying to confuse us, to get us to attack each other. The agony in his eyes was something I understood.
He didn’t want to be here. Meaning this was an innocent trapped by Vivaxia’s power.
Shit.
The Naga launched again just as I used magic to nudge the feral Siren into the pool I’d created and trap him there. I’d been distracted, leaving the Naga a chance to drag a claw across my leg. Blood seeped into the fabric of my pants, making me dizzy as stinging heat flushed through my veins.
