Page 83 of Night Fae

Zev kept his expression neutral, though his heart pounded in his ears.

"Such fascinating results from our experiments," Andras's smile was cruel. "He should be quite valuable to us. Lady Morvena has plans for him—assuming he survives the extraction process."

Red edged Zev's vision. Andras was obviously baiting him.

Zev should ignore him.

He should retreat.

But Malik's face flashed in his mind.

Promise you'll come back. To me.

"Tell my father," Zev said, voice lethally soft, "that if he touches Malik again, I will burn the Night Court to the ground and sow the ashes with salt."

Andras laughed. "Bold words from a traitor who cannot even save himself." He glanced past Zev. "Your friends are leaving you behind."

Zev didn't turn to look. He could hear the others retreating, their footsteps fading as the mist of the Fields thickened between them.

"You've always been a fool," Andras said. "First for that mangy werewolf, now for a fragile human who will wither and die in an eyeblink. Pathetic."

The pendant at Zev's throat grew warm, pulsing with warning.Control your emotions. The Fields feed on emotion.

But rage—icy and demanding—surged through him despite the warning. Rage at what they'd done to Rhys, what they wanted to do to Malik.

Zev was going to shut this bastard up once and for all.

"Enough talk," he snapped, and attacked.

Andras met his blade easily, their swords ringing in the strange silence of the Fields. The other guards hung back as if the two of them were putting on a spectacle for their viewing pleasure.

As if all of this had been planned.

But Zev couldn't give ground now.

He knew Andras's techniques. They had once fought side by side. Zev also knew that he was stronger than the lieutenant, but Andras had clearly learned new tricks in the years since Zev's desertion.

A slash opened Zev's arm, another his cheek. He ignored the sharp pain as he landed his own blows, drawing bright blood from Andras's thigh, shoulder, and side.

Under different circumstances, they might have been evenly matched, but Zev was fueled by something Andras could never understand.

"Your father has already begun preparations," Andras said, blocking Zev's thrust with casual ease. "We've got everything ready for your little pet."

Zev's nostrils flared. His next strike came harder, faster.

"We found that humans from Earth respond quite uniquely to the shadow paths." Andras spun away from a slash, smirking. "By the time we're done, your human will barely remember his own name, much less yours."

Blood roared in Zev's ears. His blade whistled through the air, missing Andras by mere inches.

"You know who had the honor of executing your lover?" Andras's voice dropped to a theatrical whisper. "It was me."

"Liar!" Zev's vision narrowed to a tunnel of red. His sword became an extension of his rage, each strike carrying the fullforce of his fury. The sound of metal striking metal echoed strangely in the misty air.

Andras retreated. Blood seeped from a new gash across his shoulder, but his smile never wavered.

"Why would I lie?" he taunted. "It's such a happy memory for me, ruining your joy. You always thought you were better than me, but you're just a traitor."

Zev slashed at the filthy half-fae bastard again. His blade caught Andras across the thigh. The lieutenant hissed but kept moving backward, drawing Zev deeper into the swirling mist.