He broke his side of the deal.
He broke his promise.
Helied.
Shit.
Betrayal slammed into my gut, making me realize that I’d stupidly begun to trust Az—Lucifer’s Commander.
I’d grown too comfortable.
I’d made a mistake.
Because he’d been on a leash, first with a spell, then within the terms of a deal. Now, I realized how much false comfort that had really given me.
Damn it. Where’s my knife?
“A knife would be useless against me, little warrior,” Az said, his voice sounding tired. “And to answer your question, I’ve been in control for a while. Well. Sort of. It’s complicated.”
“Complicated,” I repeated. “Right.” It couldn’t be a coincidence that he was revealing this to me now. When I was alone.While Ajax…My eyes widened. “You sent him away, didn’t you? You and Melek… Where the fuck is Ajax?”
Az took a step backward. “What?” He studied me for a moment. “What are you asking, Cami? Who did I send away?”
“Ajax,” I seethed,reallywanting a blade. “Melek took him somewhere. Because you’re working together, right?”
He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender—something I would normally find humorous, but after learning the truth, I wanted to hurt him. Kill him for his betrayal.Find Ajax.
“Hold on… Ajax asked me if it would be safe for him to go with Melek. I told him it should be fine because Typhos doesn’t renege on deals. He won’t hurt Ajax.”
What’s going on, little angel?Melek whispered into my mind.Why are you seething?
You know why I’m seething,I snapped back at him.You and Az are working together to hurt Ajax. You both lied to me!
Silence fell, confirming my suspicions.
“Cami,” Az began. “I… I’m not plotting against you or Ajax. I swear it. I vowed to give my Phoenix control until I regained your trust, and I did that. I gave him control. It’s just… Mating you and Ajax did something to me.”
“Really? It did some things to me, too,” I drawled, my sarcasm evident.
“Yes,” he conceded. “But I mean it changed my relationship with my Phoenix. We’re… we’re closer now. I’ve been giving him the reins, just like I said I would. But I haven’t been able to lock myself in the back of mind. I’ve just sort of been hovering next to him while he calls the shots. Then you caught me off guard, and I… I took over on instinct.”
“How did I catch you off guard? By mentioning Vivaxia?”
Violence flashed in his gaze. “You’d be wise not to throw that name around when you don’t know what it means, Camillia.”
Ajax is safe, little angel,Melek breathed into my mind.I haven’t lied to you. And I’m guessing Az hasn’t either.
“I didn’t reveal that I was in control because I’m technically not in control. My Phoenix and I… we’re equally in charge,” Az added before I could reply to Melek. “I wasn’t sure how to explain it. Honestly, I’m still not sure how to explain it.”
My teeth ground together.
This all seemed a bit tooconvenient.
He’s Lucifer’s Commander. Can I really trust him? He’s essentially the devil’s pet Phoen?—
Az visibly flinched, his sudden anger slamming into me on a tidal wave of pure wrath.
I took a step back, my chest suddenly tight.
