I swallowed.The bride trials are resuming.I wasn’t exactly surprised, but I thought Lucifer would want to wait until after the portal issue was fully addressed. Apparently not.
“So…” Cami trailed off, her voice reminding me that I was still on top of her. I rolled to the side and she rotated with me, both of us sharing the same pillow. “Do we, uh, have to go to Purgatory to, um, watch?”
“Not likely. It would be too risky for you as the only female in the room, and I’m not exactly welcome there as an outsider.”
She frowned. “You’re an outsider?”
“I’m… distinctly other. A Midnight Fae with ties to the Hell Fae Source. It was the only way for me to become the Warden.” I explained to her how Zakkai had reassigned my power to be a mixture of both. “He essentially turned me into an abomination.”
“Melek said they don’t like that term here. He suggested ‘misunderstood creature.’?”
I smiled. “Then I’m a misunderstood creature.”
“That you are,” she agreed, making my smile grow. “But I don’t think you’re an outsider. I think they’re probably jealous that Lucifer has shown you favor. You have a title, and you’re clearly closer to him than most.”
“Because of Az.”
“Why because of Az?”
“Because Az is mated to Lucifer, just like Melek,” I explained.
Her eyes went round again. “They’re mated?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I reacted like that when he first told me. But it’s a different sort of mating. They’re more like best friends than lovers. While Melek…”
“Is his prince,” she finished for me.
“Yes. But Az is just as important to him, and Az’s friendship with me has given me a unique relationship with Lucifer. But we’re not close. Not really, anyway.”
“But closer than most,” she pressed. “So I’m guessing you’re not an outsider, just… envied.”
“Maybe,” I agreed. “However, to bring us back to your question, I have no interest in going to Purgatory. And I really doubt Lucifer will allow you in there. So we can watch the trials here if you want. It’ll aid in your lessons on Hell Fae life.”
“It’ll be kind of weird to watch them after I’ve lived through them,” she said slowly. “Especially with me knowing some of the candidates now.”
“True. Or it might provide a unique perspective,” I offered. “And you’ll know if they’re safe.”
“Or if they die,” she whispered, shuddering.
“Only the ones who truly deserve death will perish.”
“Because the source will find them to have nefarious intentions,” she added. “Yes. I remember you saying that.”
“Watching the trials would show you it’s true,” I hedged. “It really will give you some insight into what’s happening.”
“Because I’ll be able to see clearly through the mirages?” she asked.
I frowned. “Mirages?”
“The… visual… whatever…” Her lips puckered to the side. “Maybe they didn’t exist on the screen and only on the field.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, so maybe.”
“Then watching the trials might actually be kind of interesting.” Her gaze turned thoughtful. “Is there a way to check up on the candidates I know before then?”
“There are probably open feeds available on the screen, yeah.”
Her head moved against the pillow as she nodded. “I may be interested in that. But first I want to know more about the Marsh Lands.”
