My chest heavedas I stormed down the hall in Lucifer’s domain.
I could have simply reached out to him via our mental connection.
Just as I could have ashed straight to his door, not a thousand steps away in one of the nearby wings. But I needed to get my shit together before I talked to Typhos.
More accurately, I needed to harness my Phoenix before it clawed straight through my chest. The tattoo that marked my animal’s spirit itched over my skin and burned as if I’d spread Manticore acid all over it.
It fucking hurt.
And it was all because ofher.
“Stop this,” I commanded my errant beast. “Camillia is not ours.”
My Phoenix replied with a hiss across my skin, once again threatening to force me to shift.
I leaned against a stone wall with a wince and stared at my reflection in a nearby mirror. The silvery decor in this corridor offered me a broken view of my face, but I could clearly see the black flames of my Phoenix dancing dangerously in my gaze.
My irises were supposed to be violet. But when my Phoenix came out to play, my true nature seeped through.
And right now, he was pissed off.
Not ather, like he should be.
But atme.
I wasn’t sure if anyone else could see him like I could. As a Black Phoenix, I shared my spirit with the beast. He was me, and I was him, but sometimes we maintained different opinions.
Such as our opinion on a certain little bridal candidate that had overstayed her welcome.
As if to remind me why I had once found the girl interesting, my Phoenix inspired a series of memories behind my eyes.
Admittedly, Camillia was beautiful with her warrior-like tendencies and athletic form. And fuck, the way she’d arched while coming in Ajax’s mouth had been a repeat in my nightly fantasies for weeks. My Phoenix was salivating for another taste, determined to mark her,breedher, make herhis.
It made no sense.
She wasn’t our fated mate, something I’d adamantly told him a thousand times. But the damn beast had a mind of his own, clawing at my insides and demanding that we sink our teeth into her pretty flesh.
Fuck.
My hands curled into fists as I clenched my jaw. “Enough,” I told my Phoenix.
It was almost as though he’d imprinted on Camillia, which was impossible. But he refused to listen to reason, leaving me with no choice but to bind him.
He hissed angrily in response, the echo of it fracturing my heart as I tugged him back into the recesses of my soul.Heel,I commanded.And stay.
I’d pay for this later, likely in blood. However, I needed him under control so I could properly focus.
While my Phoenix could apparently forget that we’d spent the past thirty fucking days hunting Camillia, I could not. It reminded me of her elusive father. They were perhaps the only fae in history who had ever been able to evade my Phoenix.
But we’d found her.
A victory, I thought, my celebratory instincts warming my veins. Only, it wasn’t a party or a drink that I craved in celebration so much as Camillia’s blood.
Because I wanted to punish her for escaping. For running.For being so damn good at hiding.
The female would learn her place. She was nothing to me. Sure, we had played, but that was over. The moment she’d disappeared without a trace, she’d proved she couldn’t be trusted.
That she’d hurt Ajax was all the more reason to punish her. He’d suffered enough for one lifetime. He didn’t deserve her adding to his already overflowing plate of death and betrayal.
