Page 57 of Hell Fae King
“What about Melek?” Cami pressed, drawing my focus to her before I could question Az’s vagueness. “No. Let me rephrase. I’ll agree, but only if Melek comes with us.”
Lucifer’s lips curled. “You’re negotiating with me? After just criticizing me for my deals?”
She stared at him. “Can he come or not?”
The Hell Fae King’s smile grew. “Melek is welcome to go wherever he desires, little one. He’s my prince for a reason.”
“I’ll only go into your den if Melek comes with us,” she rephrased.
Lucifer eyed her with open curiosity. “Any other terms?”
“Melekstayswith me. By my side. Until I say otherwise.”
“Those are much better terms,” Lucifer praised.
“Melek also takes me to wherever we’re going, not you.”
“You think I mean to take you somewhere nefarious?”
“Denis a vague term,” she pointed out, causing Lucifer to fully smile now.
“Someone has been studying deals.”
“Someone recently tried to take my mate,” she informed him. “I was forced to learn.”
Some of Lucifer’s amusement died as he glanced at me, aware that she was talking about the mating agreement he’d tried to force on me. “Well, that someone was a fool. But unlike the souls in this prison, he seeks redemption.” Completely sober now, he dropped his hand and looked at Melek. “You know where I’m going.”
He didn’t wait for Melek to confirm, just blinked out of existence and left a solitary burnt feather behind, one that changed form and melted into a golden key.
I stared at it, startled by the magic and what it represented.
He’d said the dungeon was officially mine.
And he’d meant it.
I could feel the magic settling all around me, looking to me as its new master. He hadn’t removed his protections or his warped enchantments, just left it behind for me to wield and manage as though it were my own.
I could feel the power of it crawling over my skin, causing the hairs to lift along my arms.
It was… invigorating. Terrifying.Fucking electrifying.
“Ajax?” Cami asked, drawing my attention to her. “Are you going to be okay?”
I held her gaze for a beat, fully thinking through her question.
For years, I’d answered similar inquiries with sarcastic retorts or muttered affirmatives. I’d taught myself not to care, because deep down, I hadn’t been okay at all. I’d been in pain. Destroyed from the inside out.
But then a little rebel changed everything.
In this very fucking dungeon.
She’d challenged me. Called to me. Made me see her. Fall in love with her.
And Az had been there as the backbone behind it all, coaxing us to play, seducing us in every way.
The two of them had stirred my soul, forced me to live again, and taught me how to heal. I wasn’t all the way there yet, but I was on my way. Walking down a path toward a brighter future. One where I would be… okay.
More than okay.
