“A Manticore.”
“And Hell Fae are really fine with giant Hellbeasts wandering around the grounds?”
“Indeed. Who do you think put them there?”
My jaw ticked. “So, they’re Hell Fae creations?”
He considered me for a moment as we walked at his leisurely pace. “Hmm, well, rumors claim that Manticores—and others—are fae who broke their deals with Lucifer. Something I wouldn’t recommend if you want to keep your pretty figure.” His eyes roamed up and down my body.
I flushed at his full-on attention, but his words tore me away from admiring him right back. “That thing was once a fae?”
“Yes. Most transformed fae don’t get to keep much of their original bodies.” We paused at a crossroads and I stared at him, waiting for him to say which way we were supposed to go.
He leaned in, making my breath catch.
Why were all the fae in this place so damned beautiful?
I recalled the Warden’s words.
“And you let your eyes tell you what to believe? How very human of you.”
Closing my eyes, I tried to figure out what kind of fae Melek was.
Dangerous.
Untrustworthy.
My eyes flared open when I sensed his heat close to my skin. His lips were at my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “You would make a lovely Siren, as long as you don’t mind scales and eating human flesh.”
I shuddered.
He pulled away, his amusement palpable as I tried to figure out how to make my heart start again.
We arrived at the dorms without anything else attacking us. I still had the book clutched tight against my chest.
Inside, there was no staircase, and no gargoyles, just a single door where the stairs had once been. I frowned. “How do we...”
Melek approached the door and waved a hand over it. Aclicksounded and its surface turned murky.
“Ladies first,” he said with a smile.
Perhaps it was a trap, but there was nowhere else to go, and whatever awaited me couldn’t be worse than the creatures, so I stepped through.
My shoulders relaxed as I took in the living room and kitchen, the pile of books and documents just where I’d left them.
Magic hummed through my door as Melek stepped through a moment later.
“How did you do that?” I asked, both stunned and suspicious.
His gaze ran over me with a subtle flare of interest in his pupils. “Honestly, I’m much more interested in how you read that book.” His focus locked on the book in my arms—the one I’d almost lost when fighting that Manticore outside.
“Ah, yes, that was tricky,” I said softly, enjoying the flicker of curiosity in his expression. “I used my eyes.”
The stunning male laughed out loud in response, his face turning into the epitome of beauty and grace and reminding me of a fallen angel more than a devilish fae. This man would never blend in around humans. He was just tooother.
“Oh, I do like you,” he mused, those striking multicolored eyes capturing mine. “And in the same token, I used my hand to open your door. Fancy that!”
I nearly growled in annoyance, but I also acknowledged that I deserved that retort. “Thank you for helping me get back safely.” I couldn’t say “unscathed” since he’d let that thing attack me outside.
