Page 16 of Night Fae

"Don't you?" Ashelon's smile returned, sharp as a blade. "I think you know much more than you're admitting." He extended a hand, shadows gathering at his fingertips. "Come closer."

Malik's feet moved against his will, dragging him forward until he stood directly before the Prince. Ashelon's hand hovered near his face, not quite touching.

"Lord Darius seems convinced his son will do anything to keep you safe," Ashelon said conversationally. "I find myself curious about what makes you so special."

The shadows reached out, caressing Malik's cheek, slipping toward his ear. He jerked away instinctively.

"Please don't."

"Please?" Ashelon laughed again. "How delightful. Manners in the face of terror." He leaned forward, his face inches from Malik's. "I could slip into your mind fully, human. I could walk through your memories like rooms in a house, opening every door, examining every secret." His breath smelled of winter and something metallic. "I could reshape your thoughts until you believed yourself to be my loyal pet."

Malik's heart beat too loud in his ears. How was he supposed to respond to that? What could he do?

"It's really too bad." The prince leaned back. "I've promised Lord Darius he could use you as bargaining chip to bring his son back into the fold." He stood, his body suddenly too close while Malik was still struggling to process what he was hearing. "Zevran likely thinks I'll kill you." One hand settled on Malik's waist while the other brushed hair from his forehead with mock tenderness. "But the two of us would have so much fun before that."

Malik couldn't breathe. The hand at his waist felt like ice burning through his clothes.

The prince's lips brushed Malik's ear. "You would make a pretty toy. I could keep you alive for hundreds of years past your natural lifespan. Wouldn't you like that?"

No, Malik wouldnot.

He didn't want to spend another second with the prince, much less hundreds of years.

But if the price for his safety was Zev's surrender… Wasn't that too steep a price to pay?

Beneath his terror, something else surfaced—determination. He wouldn't be the reason Zev returned to a life that would destroy him.

"Just let Zev go and take me," he said, the words tumbling out before he could reconsider.

Ashelon blinked, genuine surprise flickering across his perfect features. "What did you say?"

"Let Zev go free," Malik continued, amazed his voice didn't shake. "I'll be... whatever you want. Your plaything. Your source of information about Earth. Anything."

The Prince's laugh was like ice cracking. "How noble." His fingers traced Malik's jawline. "And how very tempting."

"Do we have a deal?" Malik pressed, trying to ignore how the Prince's touch made his skin crawl.

"You'd sacrifice yourself for someone you barely know?" Ashelon's silver pupils expanded, consuming the blackness of his eyes. "How fascinating humans are." His lips quirked. "But I'm afraid it's not that simple. I've made my deal with LordDarius, and I have my own reasons for wanting to see how this plays out."

The doors burst open without warning. A guard stood there, breathing hard. "Your Highness, forgive the interruption. The eastern border—it's happening again."

Ashelon's face hardened. He released Malik abruptly, causing him to stumble backward.

"Put him in the blue chamber," the Prince commanded. "And make sure he's fed."

As guards entered to seize Malik, Ashelon leaned in one last time, his voice pitched for Malik's ears alone. "We'll be together again soon enough."

Then the Prince was gone, dissolving into shadow, and Malik found himself being dragged from the room, his skin still burning from the cold of the Prince's touch and his mind reeling from what he'd learned.

The barriers were collapsing here too… and he found himself wishing he'd never crossed them.

CHAPTER 4

Zev stared at the ceiling, hating how powerless he felt. Chains bit into his wrists, the spelled metal humming against his skin, rendering escape impossible.

Dawn approached. Soon his father would return for his answer.

The choice before him wasn't really a choice at all. Resume his service as the Court's weapon or watch Malik suffer at the Prince's hands. Zev had seen what Ashelon did to his playthings. None lasted long.