Page 64 of Night Fae

The door to the chamber opened with a soft click. Zev tensed, instinctively pulling on his magic before he recognized Knox's silhouette in the doorway.

Knox froze, clearly not expecting to find Zev at Malik's bedside. His eyes flickered between them.

"I didn't think you would be here," Knox said in a quiet tone as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

Zev didn't respond. What could he say? That the human had asked him to stay? That would only lead to more questions he wasn't prepared to answer.

Knox settled into a chair by the bed. "You seem to be more in control of yourself now."

Zev met his friend's gaze. "I apologize for the trouble I caused."

Knox shook his head. "Don't apologize. Tell me what happened in the Night Court."

Zev would rather not. He didn't want to relive it, but Knox deserved to know. "They captured us. My father... he offered me a deal."

"Serve them again?"

"Yes." The word tasted bitter. "With Malik's life as the price if I refused."

Knox leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I heard about the wolves."

Of course he had. News traveled fast in Veridia.

Silence stretched between them, heavy with shared understanding of the Court's cruelty.

Zev glanced at Malik. "Then they took him to a shadow path excavation site. Forced his hand into it."

Knox's expression darkened. "They what?"

"The shadow paths stole his emotions." Zev remembered Malik's empty stare, and how much he'd hated it. "Lady Morvena wanted to see what would happen to a human from Earth. I had to get him out of there."

"So you escaped through the paths?"

"It was our only option." Zev's gaze dropped to his hands. "I drew power from him to protect us, but it was… too good." Zev couldn't describe the rush he'd felt feeding on Malik. He didn't have the words. "It was different from anything I'd experienced before. I couldn't stop."

"I could tell."

Of course. Knox had been the one to save Malik from him.

"I don't know what happened," Zev admitted. He looked at Malik's sleeping form again. "I slipped into his dream."

Knox considered that. "You've formed a connection."

"I don't want it," Zev said without even thinking.

Knox huffed.

Zev's gaze darted to his friend. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just…" He paused, growing somber. "That is the exact initial reaction you had to Rhys."

That comparison hit Zev like a punch to the gut. He stiffened, the muscles in his shoulders coiling tight as a spring.

"This isn't the same." His voice emerged sharper than intended.

Knox raised an eyebrow. "No? You meet someone who changes how you see the world. You claim you don't want the connection, yet you can't stay away. Sounds familiar."

"Don't," Zev growled.