“Oh.”Well, shit.“So it’s all related?”
“I used to think that. However, now, I don’t think it’s related at all. I think you somehow touched the source—which shouldn’t be possible, but that’s a discussion for later—and when you did, the source forced you out as a defensive measure.”
“Which would explain all the running,” I guessed.
“Indeed. As well as your loss of time and the fact that our best tracker, Azazel, couldn’t find you.”
“And you said Ty—” I swallowed, wincing at my use of what had to be an intimate nickname between Melek and Lucifer. “Sorry, I meant King Lucifer. You said the trials are on hold because of a threat to the Hell Fae Source. And that threat… it’s… it’s me?”
Because I touched the source, thereby potentially causing the portal to open to an alternate reality?I shivered, the intensity of my situation rolling through my mind.Fuck. Lucifer is going to kill me.
“No.” Melek’s single-word denial had me snapping my attention back to him. “If you were a true threat, the Hell Fae Source would have killed you to protect itself. Instead, it simply pushed you out. Almost as though you weren’t ready to embrace it yet.”
My eyebrows rose. “Ready to embrace it?” I recalled the vivid sensations the source had thrown at me. “I don’t know about that. It seemed pretty fucking pissed at me.”
His lips twitched. “Yes, I imagine it would. The source is Ty, just as Ty is the source. He isn’t one to embrace change with ease. And he doesn’t trust those outside his circle either.”
None of that made any sense to me. But I was still hung up on theembrace itpart. “I wasn’t trying toembracethe source. I was just reading the book.”
“Yes, it seems the book wanted to test your compatibility. And given that you survived, I’d say you passed. But it’s certainly come with some challenges.” He ran his fingers through his blondish-brown hair, the edges teasing his ears. “Fortunately, challenges are my specialty.”
Good for you,I nearly said. “I don’t want to be a challenge.”
“Unfortunately, fate has other plans for you, little angel,” he murmured, his irises reminding me of glittering opals as they flashed various colors at once.
Why does he have to be so beautiful?It was distracting, his soft features giving him an almost innocent glow. Although, that glow disappeared every time he opened his mouth. Because there was absolutely nothinginnocentabout this fae.
“Fortunately, however, it seems the portal wasn’t caused by someone tainting the source,” he continued. “Knowing the two incidents are unrelated is a relief. But now we need to figure out who gave Maliki and the Ghouls the tools to create that portal.”
He slid off the bed, his expression one of determination.
“You’ve helped me immensely, little angel. I’ll be sure to repay the favor soon. But in the interim, feel free to make Ajax suffer. Az’s Phoenix will approve.” He disappeared before I could say a word in response, but left behind a water cooler in his wake.
A literal cooler.
With a giant jug on top, a stack of cups, and temperature controls.
On the floor beside it was a vial with a note that read,Truth Serum for Ajax.
I arched a brow at it. Ajax must have requested that from Melek, probably because he still didn’t believe what I’d said while under the influence of Zakkai’s spell.
Asshole,I thought, rolling my eyes. I supposed the term applied to both Ajax and Melek, but at least Melek had seemed to believe me. He’d also left me a water cooler, which was useful and appreciated.
But what’s that on top?I wondered, noticing a subtle flicker of light.
I stood to get a better look.A feather. But it was no ordinary feather. It was glittering as though caught in some eternal light.
I glanced up at the dull bulb hanging from the ceiling, then at the smoke-laden torches.
Definitely not being lit up from any of those.
It was gloomy in here, making it a pretty standard dungeon cell.
Strange.
I picked up the soft item, allowing it to run between my fingers, and quivered as energy warmed my very soul. It reminded me of Melek’s healing gift—the one that had made me feel as though I was flying through the clouds.
Feeling slightly disturbed, I went to set it back down. Only, it burst into a puff of glitter that coated my skin. I tried to scrub it off, but that only seemed to cause it to anchor into my limbs. It almost reminded me of lotion.
