Page 24 of Hell Fae King
Leaning my head back now, I explained all of this to Az while his brother listened.
“When Shade originally gave me that stone—on behalf of his grandmother—he’d told me it was for my date.” He’d been cryptic as fuck, which was nothing new. “I’d assumed he was just trying to imply he knew about Cami. Apparently, his intentions went deeper.”
It didn’t surprise me at all. Shade had always worked seven steps ahead, and sometimes even five paces sideways.
“I don’t understand why he gave it to you so long ago,” Az said, a frown marring his features. “It’s like he expected this to happen sooner.”
“Or perhaps anticipated several different types of events,” Maliki added. “He’s part Fortune Fae, right? His mind is a web of potentials. All he knew was you’d need that stone eventually. I care more abouthowZenaida acquired it.”
“Likewise,” Melek inserted, his tone and expression uncharacteristically serious. “Ajax, would you mind creating a protective barrier so we can speak freely?”
I stared at him for a beat, surprised by his request. Melek rarely asked me for anything. Hell, we barely spoke to one another until recently.
But the way he looked at me now made me feel seen.
I wasn’t sure if I liked that change or not.
Rather than dwell on it, I glanced around to determine my enchantment options.
The club was vacant, the Corpse Fae and Death Fae—those who were awake and alive—having vanished in a cloud of icy mist. No one wanted to be here when Lucifer returned.
No one except the four of us, anyway.
However, that didn’t mean there weren’t any nosy fae lurking around outside.
With that thought in mind, I cast a fluid spell around the four of us, one that could not be seen or felt. But it basically silenced our voices for anyone outside our invisible bubble.
“You couldn’t have done that the other day?” Az asked me. “Instead, you made a paradigm to show off?”
I arched a brow at him. “I don’t need toshow offfor Cami,” I told him, aware of the instance he was referring to. “Shade and I used to crack this enchantment all the time to listen in on conversations between my parents and a local tavern owner.”
Anrika.
Recalling her name sent a jolt through my heart, her death one that still haunted me.
Just like the deaths of my parents and Emelyn.
All at Constantine’s hand.
I braced for the wave of anger to assault my spirit, the fiery heat one I’d long embraced. But the usual fury didn’t come, rather all I sensed was a hint of nostalgic amusement.
“I couldn’t use this spell in the Midnight Fae Palace because I knew Shade would be instantly intrigued and fuck with my spell.” Our elders had reprimanded us for spying on countless occasions, which only provoked us to perfect our technique. “We wouldn’t have sensed him, but he would have been there.” I was sure of it.
“Instead, Zakkai played the part of spy by breaking into your paradigm,” Melek mused. “I do very much enjoy those Midnight Fae.”
I frowned. “Zakkai did what?”
Melek gave me a look. “Come now, you can’t be that surprised. You were talking about Virtuous Fae. Naturally, he wanted to listen.” His focus went to Maliki. “A topic that bringsus full circle to why I requested some privacy—-that stone is riddled with Virtuous Fae energy.”
“I know,” Maliki drawled. “That’s why I asked how the Fortune Fae acquired it.” He narrowed his gaze at Az. “Your little mate is quite a treat, dear brother. Care to explain how she knew what to do with that dangerous stone?”
“Cami is a gift,” Melek murmured. “Ourgift. Her talents are not for you to understand. So let’s keep our focus on the origin of the stone and leave our mate out of this discussion.”
Maliki grinned. “Possessive, hmm?” He glanced around the three of us, his golden irises twinkling with devilish intent. “That’s fascinating.”
“And entirely off topic,” Az returned, his tone holding a bite to it. “What do you know about the stone, Melek?”
The Hell Fae Prince pursed his lips, his vibrant gaze falling on the pebbles once more. “It’s a relic, one created by Vivaxia.”
