“Even if it were his room, I’m sure he, too, would like a reason for your unexpected visit. I don’t suppose it has anything to do with the Alphas hunting Hades’s Omega?” He looks at Sera again. “Should I assume that’s you?”
“Are you okay?” I ask, ignoring Ajax and giving her a means to ignore him as well.
She swallows. “They’re going to fight.”
“Maybe,” I hedge. “Or maybe they’ll talk.”
Her eyes finally leave the walls and lock on me. “Where are we?”
I smile, amused by her abrupt change in topic. And also pleased that I have a way to distract her from whatever Hades and Morpheus are doing to each other right now. “The Hell Fae Kingdom.”
She stares at me for a beat, then she nods like she expected that response. “Oh.”
“Specifically, you’re in the royal suite of the Hell Fae Palace,” Ajax inserts. “A place where visitors are never welcome.”
I meet his gaze, note the way the thin ring of blue resembles fire around his otherwise black irises, and say, “Clearly, we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t an emergency.”
“Hmm” is all he says in reply.
I blow out a breath and drag my fingers through my still-damp hair. “Sera?—”
“Thorns, what happened to you?” she demands, her focus suddenly on my torso.
I glance down. “Oh. That. Yeah, uh, Reaper plays rough.”
Ajax snorts.
I ignore him again, which is an easy feat when Sera begins to touch me. She’s gentle, her nails skimming my abs before heading up to my chest. “Are you okay?” she asks, her voice soft.
“Yeah, trouble. I’m already healing.” What I don’t tell her is that those fading bruises are from stab wounds.
Fucking Reaper.
I was a bloody mess before my shower.
My only point of pride was that I left Reaper equally as bloody. Perhaps even more so. Though, the lunatic was positively beaming with pleasure in response to my violence.Such a masochist.
“You look like you were mauled by a Minotaur,” my brother says as he appears. “Who did you piss off?”
“Why do you assume I pissed off anyone?” I counter. “Maybe this is from a violent sparring match.”
Which it is.
But I won’t do him the honor of confirming that detail for him.
Instead, I change the subject with “Can I have a pair of pants? And can Sera borrow something from your mate?” I look at Ajax. “Or maybe you could conjure up some clothes?”
Ajax snorts again. “Not likely.”
He’s never cared for me. Likely because I haven’t reallytried to get to know him. Or maybe he’s still annoyed about the whole portal thing from last year.
Regardless, I probably deserve his irritation. It’s not like I’ve been a great brother to Az.
Although, I haven’t exactly been a bad brother either. More neutral.
Az disappears rather than answers, his shadowing skills similar to my own. Except he’s also part fiery bird, our familial relation on our father’s side only. His mom was a purebred Phoenix Fae, while mine is a Corpse Fae Royal.
I explain this to Sera, more so that she understands where we are and why I shadowed us here.
