Page 44 of Hell Fae King
He’d been focused on Camillia, but his thoughts had been loud as he’d formulated what to say and how to voice it.
My little prince had been forthcoming, a trait I knew he struggled with deep down. He might not mean to be cryptic—another term floating through his mind on repeat—but he adored riddles and puzzles. Words were merely a tool to be used in a game.
However, he’d forced himself to be coherent and informative with Camillia.You really love her,I whispered to him.
He didn’t reply, but I knew he’d heard me. And I felt his agreement pulse through our bond.
“Do you love Camillia?” I asked my Warden, causing the distrust to deepen in his expression.
“Why? What are you planning to do to her?”
“Make her a queen,” I answered bluntly. “But that’s not why I asked. I…” I frowned, not actually sure how to voice the reason for my question. “Melek loves her. I wondered if you do as well.”
“She’s my mate.”
I waited for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, I arched a brow at him. “That’s not the same thing, Warden. Azazel is my mate, and I love him like a brother, not a lover.”
“Cami is my lover.”
“And that’s still not the same as sayingyoulove her.”
“How I feel about Cami is none of your fucking business,” he bit back. “And I don’t see how it’s relevant to what we’re doing here.”
I sighed. “It’s not. I… I shouldn’t have asked.” Because he was right. At this point, his feelings weren’t my business.
But I wanted them to be my business.
Which was a revelation in and of itself. One I wasn’t ready to face yet. However, I wasn’t sure I had a choice on that front.
Melek had thought about time being of the essence, mostly in terms of when I’d arrive for Camillia’s training. Except deep down, he’d been thinking about the Source, too.
My imploding power.
My potential inability to hold this realm together.
My need for help.From a queen.
“Melek thinks Camillia can balance my power,” I confided in Ajax, causing his brow to furrow. “If he’s right, then your love for her will be imperative. Because she’ll need you and Azazel for balance, too.”
When he just stared at me, I decided to elaborate and shared everything Melek had just told Camillia. I wasn’t sure what he already knew, so I didn’t leave out a single detail.
And by the end, it seemed a little of that distrust had left his expression.
Or perhaps that was just wishful thinking.
Either way, I’d bared my soul in a way I’d never done before.
“Even if Melek is wrong about her potential as a queen, Camillia is at risk,” I went on. “Because if I implode, Azazel and Melek will be impacted.”
“Which Cami will feel and experience, too,” he translated.
“As well as you,” I pointed out. “So you can hate me all you want, Ajax, but you need me right now. And I need you.”
His expression appeared to thaw just a tad bit more. “All right. And you think having Cami extinguish a dark soul is where her training should begin?”
I nodded. “Yes. The goal is to help her learn how to focus her power and master her control over it. This is also a simple task, one that she should be able to handle quickly. Which, if I’m right, will boost some of her confidence, something I think she needs.”
He considered me for a moment before angling his chin in agreement. “All right. I see your logic.”
