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“Ya filthy harpy,” Ezra exclaimed. “Ya let that angel poison me.”

“Ya went after my daughter with yer sword, ya pointy-eared bastard. I wanted to kill ya, but the angel made his own decision about yer fate. I only wish I could have left ya like that forever, but people have other plans for ya.”

Ezra lifted his sword and smiled to see that it was still working. “Yer power is no match for mine, Aran of The Dagda. I’ve become more powerful than ya could ever dream of being.”

“I’m not trying to match ya in power,” I said, blocking Ezra’s sword swing when it came down and clashed against mine. “Matching ya wouldn’t do any good. I need ya to know once and for all that I’ll not tolerate another minute of yer betraying ways. It’s time for ya to pay for yer faithlessness.”

Ezra glanced around, saw everyone watching, and grinned. “Are ya willing to risk yer friends to my sword? I could easily run away while ya attend to their wounds. Ya went soft in prison, Aran.”

“Is that right?” I asked, inching a bit closer. “Why don’t we see about that?”

Instead of heading for me, Ezra moved sideways and headed for Rasmus and Zara. I could have let them fight for themselves, but there was more than stopping Ezra at stake. I wanted to send him back to his people with enough fear of me that other fairies would think twice.

I let the sword go and pulled a charged dagger from the weapons belt I’d worn.

“Siste in loco!” I yelled as I threw it at him.

The dagger was meant to stop him from getting away. It hit Ezra in the back, right between his shoulder blades. His knees buckled and he hit the floor of the foyer on them. His energy sword faded away.

I walked to him, and then around him, until I could look into his eyes once more. Ezra was trying to speak but the magick in the dagger made that nearly impossible for him.

“Don’t bother trying to talk, fairy. I couldn’t leave ya able to speak a spell, now could I?”

His gaze was full of shock. For a moment, I saw the fairy I used to know—the less evil one. Then his gaze changed until he glared at me for daring to do what I’d done. Somehow I had missed knowing the second Ezra. Maybe I’d never looked close enough.

I smiled at him. “I know. Ya never thought I’d hit ya from behind because I’m not that kind of fighter, but ya see, that actually was something I learned after being in prison. I’m unwilling to let anyone hurt me again and walk away unscathed. For the record, though, I tried to send ya back as ya were but yer kind wouldn’t take ya. So it’s come to this, Ezra. This is the inevitable moment ya never saw coming.”

I pulled a sharpie from my pocket and stepped closer. He tried to bring his arms up to block me but they wouldn’t obey him.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’m not going to kill ya. When I pull out the dagger, ya’ll heal up good as new. But I’m taking half yer accumulated power first, especially anything ya stole from me or mine. Consider it recompense for trying to kill me and Fiona.”

I drew the symbol from the spell I’d rehearsed early this morning. I’d been still on the fence about what to do about Ezra despite the lecture from Zenos. Hurting people, even those who deserved it, was not something I relished.

But even I knew Ezra needed to be an exception. I had to set a precedent about crossing any child of The Dagda.

Once the symbol was drawn on Ezra’s forehead, I pulled the bloody dagger from his back and cut my palm with it. I slapped our mingled blood over the symbol and quoted the spell. The Dagda stone heated in my chest as it absorbed the power I was pulling from the fairy.

Conn leisurely walked to my side. “How much do you intend to take from him?”

“Half,” I said, gritting my teeth at some of what was coming into me. “Can ya tell how much I’ve taken?”

“Take a little more,” Conn said, looking between Ezra and my chest. “Okay. Stop.”

I used one hand to pull the other away. I panted like an out-of-breath runner.

Ezra sank back on his ankles. His hands came around to hug his knees. The wound in his back must have closed over because he could speak again. “What have ya done to me?”

“I made ya pay for yer treachery to the people on this side of the veil. I’ll make every fairy pay if I hear of any other who crosses a human the way ya have me.”

“Ya took my power from me.”

“Yes, and I’d do it again, Ezra. Be lucky I’m not sending ya back empty-handed. I let ya keep some so they won’t toss ya back here right away. This is my way of putting all the Fairy Folk on notice. Kin or not, I won’t tolerate what ya did here. Ya’re going to serve as my example.”

“Ya had no right to violate me in that manner.”

“Ya had no right to try and steal mine from me. The moment ya pointed a sword ya become my enemy. Not a creature in any realm would blame me for taking yer life. Be grateful I’m sparing ya. I know for sure ya won’t have spared me or mine.”

I looked at Conn. “I’ll be needing the cage now.”