Page 48 of Night Fae

It was what he should have done, really. They were wasting time.

Any moment, their pursuers might catch up with them.

But Zev didn't want to kill any more wolves.

Sadly, the wolves didn't care what he wanted.

The scarred one—now fully transformed into a massive beast that stood on two legs, its amber eyes burning with rage—lunged at Zev with supernatural speed.

Zev sidestepped, unleashing a whip of shadow that lashed across the wolf's chest. The creature howled in pain but didn't slow, spinning to attack again.

One of the other two circled around the horse, trying to swipe at Malik.

"Leave him!" Zev shouted, surrounding the horse with a barrier made of shadow, and while he did that, the third wolf joined the attack, coming at Zev from the side while the scarred alpha engaged him from the front. Claws raked across Zev's arm, drawing blood that shimmered almost silver in the moonlight.

Zev hissed in pain, retaliating with a blast of power that sent the third wolf flying into a tree trunk with a sickening crack. The creature slumped to the ground, whimpering.

Behind them, the sounds of hoofbeats grew louder.

"Zev!" Malik called, alarmed.

The second wolf had broken through the shadow barrier, swiping at the horse, which almost threw Malik off.

Fury surged through Zev. He caught the scarred wolf by the throat, darkness wrapping around his hand, amplifying his strength. The wolf thrashed in his grip, powerful but unable to break free.

"I could crush your windpipe," Zev snarled.

Instead, he slammed the creature to the ground with enough force to stun it, then turned to deal with the wolf attacking Malik.

Moving with inhuman speed, he seized the mutt from behind, one hand twisting in the fur at the nape of its neck, the other pressing against its temple.

"Sleep," he commanded, pushing a tendril of power into its mind.

The wolf struggled for a moment, then collapsed.

Zev pulled Malik off the horse. Fortunately, the shadow barrier had kept the mount from bolting. "Are you hurt?"

Malik shook his head, still pressed against the tree. "No. But Zev?—"

The clearing exploded with light as a dozen mounted guards burst through the trees, shadow hounds snarling at their heels.

At their center rode Lord Darius.

"Zevran." His voice was cutting and cold. "This pathetic escape attempt ends now."

Zev positioned himself in front of Malik, and then he scanned their surroundings.

They had the lake to their backs.

Already, Zev could hear its shadows whispering at him, beckoning him.

Lord Darius dismounted, his boots striking the ground with an ominous thud. "Guards, secure the human. My son and I need to have a conversation."

Oh no, they were not going to have a conversation here.

And Zev wasn't going to let anyone touch Malik either.

But what could he do?