Cami watched me. “That hum wasn’t an answer, and your thoughts suggest Lucifer’s training will be different.”
“Because it will be different,” I said before shoveling a bite into my mouth.
She stared at me. “So we’re back to riddles?”
I studied her as I chewed, then swallowed. “No. I’m just hungry.”
“And now you’re stalling.”
“Actually, I’m eating, something you should do, too,” I replied as I gestured to her barely touched plate.
“If I eat, will you at least try to give me useful information?”
I arched a brow. “I believe I’ve already done that and more, little angel.” I took another bite.
Meanwhile, she eyed her cup, her thoughts telling me she was debating throwing it in my face. But she quickly decided that would be a waste of perfectly good caffeine.
“Thank you,” I murmured, acknowledging the result of her mental debate. “Hot coffee is quite unpleasant.”
She huffed. “You’d deserve it.”
“I wouldn’t,” I told her, tossing back my final bite before setting my plate aside.I’ve been very forthcoming,I added mentally.And I made you come four times this morning on my tongue.
Her cheeks reddened beautifully, the flush creeping down to her collarbone and disappearing beneath her tight tank top. A gorgeous sight, one that had me regretting her afternoon plans.
Fucking all day would be far more fun than what Ty had in store for her.
Alas, his training was important.
“I’m not trying to be vague or provide half-truths,” I went on, returning to a verbal conversation. “I showed you what the Hell Fae Brides are up to because it’s important to understand how they’re changing and what it means.”
“Okay,” she conceded. “Tell me what it means.”
I smiled at the hint of sass underscoring those words. If Ty were here, he’d arch a brow and likely start musing about various punishments for her demanding little mouth.
But I wasn’t Ty.
And honestly, I probably deserved that command after all my perceived “crypticness.”
“The Hell Fae Source is finally accepting females,” I told her. “That’s what it means. And you, my darling little angel, are the reason for that.”
She frowned. “Because I keep touching the Source?”
I shook my head. “No. Because you’re teaching our Hell Fae King how to trust again. His openness toward you, the fact that he’s accepting you into his inner circle, is changing the very landscape of magic in this realm. And it’s bringing a much-needed balance to the equation.”
Rather than give her a chance to comment, I elaborated on how the Source was connected to Ty, how the beacon of energy was empowered by his essence, and how that connection created an ingrained bias.
“Because Vivaxia betrayed him,” she said, her thoughts providing a glimpse into what she knew about the situation between Ty and Vivaxia. It wasn’t much, something I needed to fix.
“It’s so much deeper than a betrayal,” I murmured. “Which is something Ty should explain, but I’m not sure he can.”
He trusted Cami now; that wasn’t the problem. It was more that Ty might struggle to recount the history in a fluent manner.
So many of his memories were kept in Vita, allowing his mind to thrive despite his ancient history. The unique outlet granted him a way to conceal past hurts and to heal.
And opening up that historical thread might bring back too much pain, a weakness he couldn’t afford to embrace right now. Not in our current state of vulnerabilities.
“So that’s why Vita stores his memories—to help open up his mind to new experiences. That’s fascinating,” Cami marveled aloud after I explained why he might not be able to tell her everything about Vivaxia’s betrayal.