Page 103 of Night Fae
He hadn't been ready for it, though.
Was he now?
"I'm not asking for promises," Malik said. "Just don't push me away."
It was the simplicity of the request that resonated with Zev. Not promises of love or forever, just presence. Acceptance of whatever lay between them, however complicated or uncertain.
"I won't," Zev said finally, tightening his grip on Malik's hand. "Not anymore."
CHAPTER 22
Malik woke to unfamiliar warmth. For a moment, he couldn't place where he was. Then he felt the weight across his midsection, the solid presence at his side, and memory flooded back.
Zev.
Carefully, Malik turned his head. Zev slept beside him, one arm draped across Malik's body. In sleep, the harsh lines of his face had softened. He seemed at peace in a way Malik had never seen him before.
He wanted to reach out and touch his cheek, convince himself that this moment was real, but he didn't want to wake the fae.
As if sensing Malik's thoughts, Zev stirred. His eyes opened—bright, violet, and for once not immediately sharp with alertness. For a precious few seconds, Zev simply looked at Malik with an open, unguarded expression.
Then awareness returned. Zev's eyes widened slightly, but instead of pulling away as Malik half-expected, his arm tightened almost imperceptibly.
"You're still here," Zev said, his voice rough with sleep.
"Where else would I be?" Malik asked.
A shadow passed across Zev's face. "The Fields... I thought perhaps..."
"That was real," Malik confirmed. "But so is this."
Zev's gaze traveled to the bandages visible above the blanket. He reached out, fingers hovering just above the edge of the poultice. "How does it feel?"
"Better. Still strange. Like... pins and needles, but not painful."
"The healer knew what she was doing. Shadow taint can linger without proper treatment."
"You sound like you're speaking from experience."
"In a way." Zev's fingers finally made contact, tracing the edge of the bandage with a touch so light Malik barely felt it. "You can't grow up in the Court without being tainted once or twice."
"And yet, here you are."
The faintest smile touched Zev's lips. "Here I am. Lying in bed with a human who threw himself into the shadow paths to save me."
"When you put it that way, it does sound a bit dramatic."
"It was foolish," Zev agreed, but there was no rebuke in his tone. "And brave. And I—" He paused, seeming to struggle with words that didn't come easily. "I am grateful."
Malik turned onto his side to face Zev fully, ignoring the twinge from his wounds. "You would have done the same for me. You did do the same, in the Night Court."
"That was different. I was?—"
"Protecting me. The same way I was protecting you."
Zev fell silent, his gaze searching Malik's face as if looking for something hidden there. Whatever he sought, he seemed to find it. His hand moved from the bandage to Malik's face, fingers light against his cheek.
"I didn't think," Zev said quietly, "that I would find someone like you."
