Page 20 of Night Fae (Monsters of Veridia #3)

"But you came here for me." Malik's grip was weak—they both knew Zev could break free without effort—yet the fae remained still.

"I was..." Zev hesitated, then sighed. "I wanted to check on you."

A smile formed on Malik's lips. Zev cared . He couldn't deny it.

That was enough to give Malik the courage he needed to push on. "You're sorry, aren't you? About what happened."

Zev tensed visibly. "Yes."

"You can make it up to me."

Zev's gaze snapped to Malik's face, wary and uncertain. "How?"

Malik's heart stopped. This was the moment to be brave, to ask for what he truly wanted. "Be here when I wake up again."

"Malik—"

"I know you don't like me the way I like you," Malik pushed on, the words rushing out before his confidence deserted him. "And I'm not asking for that. I just want..." He swallowed hard. "I just want you to be here."

Something shifted in Zev's expression—a softening around the eyes, a slight parting of lips. He seemed about to speak, then stopped himself.

Instead, after a long moment, he lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed. "Your dreams are too tempting," he said. "That is why I left earlier. I was going to take from you again."

"But you're calm now. You're… you." Malik couldn't think of a better way to phrase it. His eyelids grew heavy, exhaustion dragging at him once more.

Zev looked down at where Malik still held his wrist. With his free hand, he gently disentangled Malik's fingers, but instead of pulling away, he curled his own hand around Malik's.

That was nice.

That was really nice.

"Sleep," Zev said. "I'll stay."

Fae couldn't lie, could they? "Promise?"

A pause, then: "Yes. I promise."

As sleep claimed him, Malik felt the mattress shift slightly as Zev settled more comfortably beside him. The last thing he registered was the gentle pressure of Zev's hand squeezing his.

The room fell silent except for Malik's slow, steady breathing. Zev watched the rise and fall of his chest, fighting the urge to flee. He shouldn't be here.

But he couldn't leave.

He'd promised not to.

And besides, he didn't want to.

I know you don't like me the way I like you.

Malik's words replayed in his mind. The worst part was that Zev didn't know if Malik was entirely right about that. There was some sort of connection forming between them. Zev didn't understand it, but he'd never been one to deny the truth when it was staring him in the face.

The truth was that he shouldn't have slipped into Malik's dream without wanting to.

Something pulled him toward this human.

The door to the chamber opened with a soft click. Zev tensed, instinctively pulling on his magic before he recognized Knox's silhouette in the doorway.

Knox froze, clearly not expecting to find Zev at Malik's bedside. His eyes flickered between them.

"I didn't think you would be here," Knox said in a quiet tone as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

Zev didn't respond. What could he say? That the human had asked him to stay? That would only lead to more questions he wasn't prepared to answer.

Knox settled into a chair by the bed. "You seem to be more in control of yourself now."

Zev met his friend's gaze. "I apologize for the trouble I caused."

Knox shook his head. "Don't apologize. Tell me what happened in the Night Court."

Zev would rather not. He didn't want to relive it, but Knox deserved to know. "They captured us. My father... he offered me a deal."

"Serve them again?"

"Yes." The word tasted bitter. "With Malik's life as the price if I refused."

Knox leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I heard about the wolves."

Of course he had. News traveled fast in Veridia.

Silence stretched between them, heavy with shared understanding of the Court's cruelty.

Zev glanced at Malik. "Then they took him to a shadow path excavation site. Forced his hand into it."

Knox's expression darkened. "They what?"

"The shadow paths stole his emotions." Zev remembered Malik's empty stare, and how much he'd hated it. "Lady Morvena wanted to see what would happen to a human from Earth. I had to get him out of there."

"So you escaped through the paths?"

"It was our only option." Zev's gaze dropped to his hands. "I drew power from him to protect us, but it was… too good." Zev couldn't describe the rush he'd felt feeding on Malik. He didn't have the words. "It was different from anything I'd experienced before. I couldn't stop."

"I could tell."

Of course. Knox had been the one to save Malik from him.

"I don't know what happened," Zev admitted. He looked at Malik's sleeping form again. "I slipped into his dream."

Knox considered that. "You've formed a connection."

"I don't want it," Zev said without even thinking.

Knox huffed.

Zev's gaze darted to his friend. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just…" He paused, growing somber. "That is the exact initial reaction you had to Rhys."

That comparison hit Zev like a punch to the gut. He stiffened, the muscles in his shoulders coiling tight as a spring.

"This isn't the same." His voice emerged sharper than intended.

Knox raised an eyebrow. "No? You meet someone who changes how you see the world. You claim you don't want the connection, yet you can't stay away. Sounds familiar."

"Don't," Zev growled.

The memory came unbidden. A forest clearing bathed in moonlight, decades ago. Zev had tracked his target for days on Night Court orders. A werewolf who'd been trespassing where he shouldn't have.

It was supposed to be just another mission.

Until it wasn't.

Zev had expected fear when he finally cornered Rhys. Terror. Pleading, perhaps. Not calm acceptance. Not those brown eyes looking straight into his, as if Rhys could see past the assassin's mask to whatever lay beneath.

"If you're going to kill me, at least tell me your name first," Rhys had said.

And Zev—who had never hesitated before—found himself answering. One moment of weakness that changed everything.

He'd let Rhys live that night. Told the Court the target had escaped. One of many half-truths he'd tell over the following weeks.

They'd met in secret after that, Rhys asking questions no one had thought to ask Zev before. About his life. His thoughts. What he wanted beyond the Court's orders.

The knife's edge he walked every time he slipped away to meet the werewolf, knowing discovery meant death for them both…

In the end, death had claimed only one of them.

"You're allowed to care about someone again, Zev," Knox's voice pulled him back to the present. "I know you blame yourself, but Rhys was on the Court's hit list long before he became important to you."

The words cut like blades. Zev curled his fingers into fists, fighting the tide of emotion threatening to rise. "They'd forgotten about him."

"The Court doesn't forget."

Zev looked straight at Knox. "Then they'll come for Malik too."

Knox held his gaze. "Whether or not you deny yourself happiness changes nothing about what the Court will do."

Zev didn't know what to say in response to that. Was he denying himself happiness?

Knox rose. "I'll leave you two to get some rest. Tomorrow we need to talk about everything that's been happening with the barriers."

Zev had almost forgotten about the barriers. He'd had too many other things to worry about.

"Goodnight," Knox said as he left.

Zev only nodded.

Alone again with Malik, he exhaled slowly, studying the human's face, relaxed in sleep. No trace remained of the hollowness from before. Just peace.

Without thinking, Zev reached out, brushing a strand of hair from Malik's forehead. His fingertips lingered for a moment, Malik's skin warm against his.

"I don't know what this is," he whispered, knowing Malik couldn't hear him. "But I know I'm not ready for it."