Page 52 of Night Fae

Two Shadow Kingdom guards appeared by the door that Knox had left through. Zev paid them no mind. Neither did he let himself think about the weird fact that he was relieved to be in the Shadow Kingdom of all places.

His family would not follow him here.

But did that matter?

They'd already destroyed him.

Pull yourself together, he told himself sharply. He'd only done what he needed to do—and then he'doverdone it, yes, but there was no use crying about that now.

He pressed his palms against his face, feeling the unfamiliar sharpness of his features. His glamour had completely faded. He breathed deeply, trying to calm the storm inside him enough to pull his appearance back into something resembling normalcy. It was no use. The effort felt like trying to contain an ocean in a teacup. Power still surged through him, wild and untamed.

Power he'd taken from a human who hadn't even tried to fight him to save himself.

"Zev?"

His head snapped up at the familiar voice. Adrian stood in the doorway, eyes widening slightly at Zev's appearance before he schooled his expression.

"Are you all right?" Adrian asked, approaching cautiously. "I just saw Malik. Knox brought him to the healers."

A flash of guilt surged through Zev's chest, hot and painful. He pushed it aside, focusing on what mattered.

"Take me to him." It came out as a command rather than a request.

Adrian hesitated. "Knox said?—"

"I don't care what Knox said." Zev stepped forward, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I need to see him."

Adrian held Zev's gaze for a long moment, then nodded. "This way."

They moved through the wide corridors of the Shadow Palace in silence. Guards and servants moved aside as they passed, eyes tracking Zev's transformed appearance with undisguised curiosity. Idly, Zev wondered if they knew who he was and how quickly rumors would fly.

He found that he didn't give a damn.

"What happened?" Adrian finally asked, his voice low. "Knox wouldn't say much, just that Malik needed healing immediately."

"The shadow paths drained him," Zev said. "I took the rest."

The truth was simple and damning. He didn't bother softening it.

Adrian stared at him. "Why?" he asked after a moment.

Zev didn't have an answer for him. Not a good one, anyway. Not one thatexplainedanything.

Eventually, Adrian stopped in front of a door and pushed it open without ceremony. "We're here."

They stepped into a chamber lit by the glow of amber crystals that floated in the air over a bed surrounded by two fae healers and Knox.

Malik lay on that bed, his form still and pale.

Knox looked up as they entered, concern evident in his eyes.

"How is he?" Zev moved past Adrian, approaching the bed.

Malik's face was ashen, his breathing shallow but steady. The healers had removed his shirt to place some smaller crystals directly on his skin.

Knox stepped to Zev's side, eyeing him up and down. "Tell me what happened."

Zev kept his gaze focused on Malik. "We had to travel the path to escape the Night Court. I needed power to get us out."