“My king feels very strongly about his deals and those who have wronged him. That’s what this Siren statue represents—an ultimate form of punishment.”
“Whatever you do, don’t ever touch this golden feather. I know it’s alluring, but it’s a bespelled relic from a very old fae realm. Ty would keep it in glass if he could. However, the magic refuses to be contained.”
That last item was floating in the middle of one of the reading nooks, the soft tendrils glittering with a light that reminded me of the Hell Fae Source. I gave the item a wide berth as I continued down the path Melek had set.
“And this is the contract room,” he said, gesturing to a set of massive double doors made entirely of metal. A crisscross of chains kept it secure, and a skull-shaped fastener with flames sputtering from it assured me that I would not be picking that lock. Not that I wanted to.
Okay, maybe I did a little.
I wouldloveto see if there were more details on the deal my father had made with Lucifer. Because the contract I’d read couldn’t be everything.
Or maybe it really was that simple.It wasn’t like my parents had ever really cared about me.
“But most fae only see a regular flame wall here,” Melek added, a note of curiosity in his tone.
It took me a moment to realize what he was saying. He’d been testing me.Did he interpret my scrutiny as trying to see through the mirage, or as me evaluating the doors?
Likely the latter.
It wasn’t like my ability to see things I shouldn’t be able to see was a secret. So rather than comment on it, I simply arched a brow and waited for his next move.
His lips curled in that devilish way of his, telling me that he knew exactly what I’d seen. But he didn’t outright say it. He simply said, “The residence area is next.”
That sounded like a promise and a threat, and reminded me of my unknown fate.
I trailed after him in silence, my mind spinning with a mixture of curiosity and dread. The former won as we moved through another melting door into a wide hallway glowing with more flames.
There were several Hellhounds in the corridor here, all of them sitting sentry by the walls again.
I swallowed.Definitely walking to my execution.
That thought only darkened as Melek stopped by a shimmering red barrier in the middle of the hallway. “After you,” he said.
I arched a brow at him. “You want me to walk through that?”
“Yes.” Those damn dimples flashed. “Unless you would rather sleep with the Hellhounds?”
I glowered at him. “What’s waiting on the other side?”
Melek gave me a playful look. “You’ll see.”
When I didn’t immediately move, he shrugged and stepped through the barrier, leaving me alone.
The urge to run locked onto my lungs and held me captive for a moment, my mind reeling with the maze in our wake.There’s no escape. The doors fucking melt here. There are Hellhounds everywhere. I’m literally in the heart of the Hell Fae Realm.
Or the Hell Fae Kingdom.
Whatever it is.
It’s Lucifer’s palace.
Fuck.
Even if I knew how to escape, I’d just be tracked down again. And then I’d definitely be killed.
Or taken in by Az and Ajax to be interrogated again.
Followed by more sex. Maybe. Hopefully.
