Page 157 of Hell Fae King
A tremble tickled my spine, that final word one that reverberated through my head.Free. I’d longed to experienceliberation many moons ago, when I’d been trapped by Vivaxia’s spell.
I’d tasted independence since, been allowed to exist of my own free will.
However, I felt… weighed down again now. Like she’d somehow tightened her noose around me once more.
My gaze narrowed.No. I wouldneverbe hers again.
She could play. Flaunt.Threaten. But I was my own Phoenix. My own fae. My ownman.
“You’ll have to do better than this to trap me,” I told Vivaxia. Because I had no doubt she was the cause of this nightmare.
I’d sensed her presence the moment we’d entered the Morpheus Kingdom. It was as though she’d taken over, her aura thickening the air with her familiar perfume and nearly making me gag. Melek had picked up her scent, too. I’d seen it in his expression.
We both recognized her brand of immortal madness.
And this mirage she’d created was just the beginning of her games.
Fuck, I hope Ajax and Cami are okay. They’d never played in Vivaxia’s mental mazes.If they didn’t see through her tricks…
No. I couldn’t think that way.
Cami had proved very capable of identifying mirages while in the bride trials. She’d recognize this for what it was.
And Ajax…My lips twisted. Ajax should be able to figure it out, especially in his role as Warden. Typhos had done something to bolster his power. Surely it would?—
Energy swirled in front of me, causing me to jump back, the bright light nearly blinding my sensitive eyes.
“Thank fuck.” Ajax’s familiar voice had me blinking in confusion, my eyesight still hindered by the unexpected light. “I was beginning to think Kuro had lost his mind.”
A huff came on the heels of that pronouncement, followed by the ruffling of feathers.
I blinked again and again, my vision slowly registering the sight before me.
Ajax stood just outside of a portal, his wand in one hand with his familiar perched on his opposite shoulder.
I frowned at the owl. “When did he get here?”
“Around the time you all vanished into thin air,” he told me. “Vivaxia tried to ensnare me with her spell as well, but my defensive instincts kicked in before she could pull me into her paradigm-like enchantment.”
Paradigm-like,I repeated to myself. “She cast a mirage.”
“Yeah. One I couldn’t see but could feel.” He glanced around. “Although, I guess she stuck you down here. Because this is real, not an illusion. That’s why I was able to find you. Or Kuro was, anyway. He can still sense you.”
I stared at the owl. His golden eyes held mine, his expression one of indifference. “And here I thought you didn’t like me.”
The owl huffed again, as though to say,I don’t.
“We need to get above ground,” Ajax said, ignoring my standoff with his familiar. “Cami’s up there somewhere, so I need you to help me hunt her down.”
My inner Phoenix perked up, his desire to track instantly engaged.
Except… no. That wasn’t quite right. My Phoenix had already been tracking someone.
Typhos.
I’d been tracking him above ground with Melek, Ajax, and Cami, searching for his power. We’d reached the Strigoi Palace Courtyard, and everything had shifted.
Vivaxia’s influence had been everywhere at once, and these walls had appeared.
