Page 119 of Night Fae

Malik.

It had to be.

Zev recognized that gentle energy, pushing back against the entity trying to claim him.

"What interference is this?" Darius demanded.

Morvena's voice took on a note of outrage. "They've formed a mate bond! Impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible when it comes to Zev," Malik gritted out, grasping Zev's arm firmly.

Darius snarled, redirecting his spell to slash at Malik instead.

It was all the impetus Zev needed to break free of the magic that bound him.

No one threatened Malik. Not while Zev still had breath in his body.

The darkness that had invaded his veins began to change—black lines brightening to a vibrant shade of violet. Energy surged through him, and Zev used it to push his father back.

"This can't be happening," Darius hissed.

"You never understood," Zev said, straightening as the last of the invasive shadows transformed within him. "And now your time has come."

Darius abandoned his attack on Malik and redirected his power back toward Zev, shadows sharpening into blades. "You are still our blood! You will serve your purpose!"

No, he would not.

Zev moved with inhuman speed, ducking beneath his father's shadow blades.

All the tricks they'd taught him, he would now turn on them.

With Malik's energy reinforcing his own, Zev struck at Morvena first—the architect of so much suffering. His magic sliced through her defenses, purple-edged shadows piercing her chest. "For every nightmare you fed on."

She collapsed, dark robes pooling around her as blood spread across the fabric, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Darius roared in fury, summoning a maelstrom of shadow. "You ungrateful child! After everything we've given you!"

Zev didn't honor his words with a response.

Darius's magic converged on Zev from all directions, but his new purple-tinged power formed a protective barrier. With a gesture, he redirected the storm back toward its creator.

Darius barely managed to deflect his own attack, but the effort left him vulnerable. Zev closed the distance between them in an instant, blade poised to strike.

"For Rhys," Zev said, his voice deadly quiet. "For Malik." His hand drove forward with unerring precision. "For myself."

Then he stood and watched the life fade from his father's eyes.

It was the most satisfying kill of his life.

CHAPTER 26

Zev couldn't linger in the moment for long.

With the Night Court's vessel spell disrupted, unleashed magic exploded outward.

The temple floor cracked with a deafening roar, fissures spreading like lightning across the stone. More black liquid bubbled up through the cracks, hissing where it touched air.

"Move!" Knox shouted, yanking Adrian away as the floor beneath him dissolved into nothingness.