Page 46 of Night Fae

"Stay here," he repeated before he started moving.

He approached the guards from behind, gathering shadows in his palms. With a quick gesture, he sent tendrils of darkness wrapping around both guards' heads. They slumped to the ground without a sound, caught in dreams of Zev's creation.

Zev beckoned to Malik, who hurried over, eyes wide at the unconscious guards.

"Are they...?"

"Sleeping," Zev assured him.

Inside the stables, horses nickered softly in their stalls, disturbed by the late-night intrusion. Zev moved to a large black stallion, stroking its neck to calm it.

"This one," he said, quickly saddling the animal. "You'll ride with me."

Malik looked relieved. "Good. I've never actually been on a horse before."

Zev shot him a look. "I figured. You have very few survival skills."

"I can't argue with that." Malik scratched the back of his head. "D&D didn't prepare me for this."

Zev didn't know what D&D was, but whatever it was, it certainly wasn't going to help this human survive Veridia. That job fell to Zev.

Without further comment, he finished readying the stallion and led it out of the stall. He mounted first, then extended his hand down to Malik. "Hold on to me."

Malik grasped Zev's forearm, allowing himself to be pulled up behind the saddle. His arms immediately circled Zev's waist, holding tight.

Zero hesitation.

Did he really not mind Zev's changed appearance?

Or maybe he just really didn't want to fall off a horse, which was smart.

In any case, now was not the time to ponder that. Behind them, alarm bells began to ring throughout the palace.

"They know we're gone," Malik whispered, his breath warm against the back of Zev's neck.

Zev refused to let it distract him.

Grimly, he urged the stallion into a gallop as they reached the edge of the palace grounds. Ahead stretched open fields, then the dense forest that surrounded the Night Court's domain.

The wind whipped past them as they raced across the dark fields, Malik clinging to Zev—as he should.

"They're coming," the human called, glancing back at the lights appearing behind them.

Zev could hear it too—hoofbeats, voices, the distant howl of shadow hounds.

There was no way they'd make it to the excavation site Malik had mentioned.

But there was somewhere else they could go.

The place where he used to meet up with Rhys.

Swallowing the emotions that accompanied the thought, Zev steered his stallion toward a copse of old trees that rose like sentinels along the western edge of the fields.

As they reached the trees, Zev slowed their mount, weaving between the massive trunks. The forest closed around them, branches forming a canopy that blocked out the moonlight.

Behind them, the sounds of pursuit grew louder.

And there was the howl of the shadow hounds again, raising the hair on Zev's neck.