I couldn’t allow that to happen.
I refused.
Come on,I thought, focusing on the wall in my mind.Let me through.
“At some point, he fell victim to his own creations,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “You see, his unnatural beasts clouded his judgment and altered his mind. It’s like he completely forgot how and why he’d created them all. Very sad, really.”
I frowned, that last part not registering correctly in my head. “Created?” Was she talking about the dark souls he’d turned into Nightmare Fae as punishment?
“Well, yes. Did he not mention his penchant for Shifter Fae pets?” She laughed, the tinkling sound irritating my senses. “Typhos was the king of abominations, which is why he fell into a pit with them in the end.”
That… didn’t match the story I knew.
Well, it was reminiscent of certain parts—that he fell into what was now the Hell Fae Realm—but he wasn’t the one who liked Shifter Fae pets. Vivaxia did.
“It’s only suitable that he rules his own mess, I suppose. But I would love for him to rise again, to return to us and restore the light,” she continued. “He made a mistake playing with life the way he did. However, I think he’s been punished for long enough.”
I fought the urge to gape at her.
She was making it sound like Lucifer had created all the Nightmare Fae, but Az had told me many of the Virtuous Fae enjoyed playing with souls and life, thus manufacturing various types of Shifter Fae to keep as pets.
“I see you’ve not been told about any of this,” she said, sounding sad. “Let me guess—he told you he fell as a result of a deal with me?”
When I didn’t respond, she heaved another sigh.
“The ‘deal’ he refers to is one all Virtuous Fae agree to upon birth—to protect and cherish life. It’s more of a vow, but the term is moot, as the moral behind it is what matters. And he broke that moral when he chose to carelessly create souls for entertainment purposes.”
She paused, her energy humming around me.
The world pulsed in shades of brighter whites and blues and greens, my hand nearly rising to shield my eyes from the blaring sun.
But a flicker of murky skies blinked in and out of view, reminding me that this was a mirage.
That she was crafting a careful lie.
One that painted Lucifer as the villain, not her.
A few months ago, I might have believed her. However, her story didn’t match what I’d seen through Vita, what Melek and Az had both told me about Lucifer.
He wouldn’t do what she’s saying he did,I thought, returning to the barrier in my mind again. I was almost through.I can’t believe her. Iwon’tbelieve her.
Even if her words resonated somewhere deep within.
Even if my mother stood behind her with a remorseful expression.
Even if… my heart ached a little at the possibility of Typhos deserving his fall from grace.
“It took eons for us to gather all his experiments up and give them a new home,” my grandmother informed me, her tone holding a touch of sorrow. “They were such broken creatures, their souls morphed for wicked amusement.”
Her gaze fell, a hint of regret crossing her angelic features.
But that sadness didn’t reach her eyes. Which was strange because there were tears glittering around her irises as she looked at me again, real remorse displayed there, yet all I could see was the cruelty lying deep within. Like those gray orbs were imprinted on my mind, skewing my vision of the sight before me.
“We couldn’t kill them,” she said, swallowing visibly with the words. “We… we just didn’t have the heart for it. So we provided them with a new home, then sent Typhos to join them, hoping he would learn from his mistakes.”
I studied her, trying to discern truth from fiction. Her story was so similar to Lucifer’s history, and yet… utterly different.
What if her version is the truth?I wondered.What if… what if I’ve been clouded by my mate-bonds?
