Page 98 of Night Fae

"I'm more real than you," Malik replied. His gaze locked with Zev's. "And I came to bring him home."

Home.

The word echoed in Zev's mind. When was the last time he'd thought of anywhere as home?

The false Rhys's form began to shift, the familiar features melting away to reveal something much darker underneath—a creature made of shadow and hunger, shaped by Zev's grief and longing.

"He'll never love you as he loved me," it said, voice no longer Rhys's but an eerie imitation. "You're nothing but a temporary distraction, a pale shadow of what we had."

Pain flashed across Malik's face, so brief Zev might have missed it if he hadn't been watching so intently. But then Malik straightened, meeting the creature's gaze without flinching.

"I know," he said softly. "And that doesn't matter."

The simple honesty in those words struck Zev with unexpected force. The tendrils around his throat loosened slightly, allowing him to draw a ragged breath.

"Then why are you here?" the creature demanded.

"Because he deserves to be free," Malik answered. "Because no one deserves to be trapped in their grief forever." He took another step toward Zev. "Even if he never feels for me what he felt for Rhys."

The creature howled, its form distorting further. It lunged toward Malik again, claws of shadow extending from what had once been hands.

This time, Malik didn't remain intangible. The shadow claws raked across his chest, tearing through his shirt, drawing blood. He stumbled backward, one hand pressed to the wound.

"Malik!" Zev shouted, finding his voice at last. He strained against the tendrils, fighting their hold with renewed strength. "Leave him alone!"

The creature turned back to Zev, its features constantly shifting between Rhys's face and something monstrous. "Choose," it demanded. "Him or me." Rhys's face solidified once more, perfect and beloved. "Stay with me," it pleaded, using Rhys's voice again. "I can be everything you want me to be."

Zev didn't have to think about it. "You're not Rhys," he said, his voice gaining strength with each word. "Rhys was never what I wanted him to be. He was himself—stubborn, principled, infuriating."

The tendrils constricted painfully, but Zev continued. "Rhys would never have used my love as a chain."

The clearing darkened further, the silver grass withering beneath them.

"And Rhys," Zev finished, meeting the creature's gaze, "would have liked Malik."

The words struck the creature like a spell. The image of Rhys wavered, revealing more of the terrible shadow beneath.

"You would abandon me again?" it asked.

"I never abandoned Rhys," Zev said quietly. "He was taken from me. And whatever you are, you're not him."

The creature snarled, lunging toward Zev, but Malik moved faster. He threw himself between them, one hand outstretched toward the nearest shadow tendril wrapped around Zev's arm. To Zev's astonishment, Malik's fingers closed around the tendril as if it were solid.

Power surged through the clearing, a shock wave that rippled outward from the point where Malik touched the shadow. Thetendril writhed, trying to escape his grasp, but Malik held firm, his face contorted with effort.

"Let. Him. Go." Malik ground out each word, and with each one, the tendril grew thinner, weaker.

The creature shrieked, its form dissolving at the edges. The other tendrils loosened their grip on Zev, retreating like startled serpents.

Malik pulled harder on the tendril he held, and to Zev's amazement, it began to unravel, energy flowing back from it into Malik's hand, then from Malik to Zev through their connection.

Strength returned to Zev's limbs in a rush. He tore free from the remaining tendrils, staggering to his feet. The clearing around them was disintegrating, the silver grass fading to gray, the ancient tree crumbling into dirt.

The creature made one last attempt, reforming Rhys's face, reaching for Zev with familiar hands. "Please," it begged. "Don't leave me alone again."

The words cut through Zev's heart, but he turned away, forcing himself to focus on Malik instead.

"How do we get out of here?" he asked, gripping Malik's shoulder.