Page 26 of Night Fae
Zev said nothing.
"Now," Lady Morvena said, gesturing at the map, "the werewolves have grown bold in our absence. They encroach on Court territory, tampering with powers beyond their comprehension."
Of courseshe would find more werewolves who had wronged her.
Zev didn't know why he'd bothered hoping for literally anything else.
If there was any mercy in Veridia, it would not be found within these walls.
He'd made the mistake of coming home, and so he would be punished for his crimes until he broke—or until he found a way out.
His grandmother traced a long, sharp nail across the paper, indicating locations marked with silver pins. "Here. And here. And here. They gather near the shadow paths, performing their primitive rituals."
Primitive rituals that had never hurt anyone. Zev kept the words inside as his gaze followed her finger. The western forest. Thecliffs above the silver lake. The caves beneath the twin peaks. Places he knew well. Places he'd visited with?—
No. He shut down the thought before it could form. Memories were dangerous things.
"Why are you concerned about the shadow paths?" he asked, his voice neutral.
His father pushed away from the wall, approaching the desk. "They seek power they have no right to," Darius said. "The paths belong to the Night Court."
This wasn't strictly true. The shadow paths belonged to no one. They predated the Courts, predated most of Veridia itself. But saying so would only invite punishment.
"The barriers between worlds weaken," Lady Morvena continued. "Surely you've noticed. Things appearing where they shouldn't. People vanishing. The human in our custody is but one symptom of a larger problem. It's because the wolves are tampering with forces they don't understand."
That was so stupid.
What happened with the barriers wasn't the wolves' fault. It was Yuri's. All of this was Yuri's fault.
Oh, how Zev wished he could make that man pay.
Oblivious to Zev's thoughts, his father tapped the pin marking the western forest. "You're going here first. Eliminate the wolf that set up the ritual site there."
Zev wanted to say no, but what was the point?
He knew how this worked, and 'no' was not an acceptable response to an order from his elders. "When do I leave?" he asked instead.
"Within the hour," Lady Morvena replied. "But first, a precaution."
She rose from behind her desk, gliding toward him with that unnatural grace all ancient fae possessed. Despite himself, Zev tensed as she approached. Her power radiated from her like cold fire, pressing against his skin.
"Your arm," she commanded, extending her hand.
Zev hesitated only a moment before offering his right arm. Defiance would gain him nothing now.
Lady Morvena pushed up his sleeve, her cold fingers wrapping around his forearm. She began to whisper words in the old language of the fae. With each syllable, pain bloomed beneath his skin, sharp and insistent.
Darkness gathered around her fingers, sinking into his flesh. The pain intensified, burning through his arm like acid in his veins. His jaw clenched, but he made no sound. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction.
When she removed her hand, a mark remained—a thin black band encircling his forearm, pulsing with subtle magic.
"Insurance," she explained, her smile thin and sharp. "This will tell me when your task is complete. When the blood of your target spills, the mark will fade."
Zev stared at the mark, hatred a cold knot in his stomach. "And if it doesn't fade?"
His father stepped forward. "Then your pet human will suffer the consequences of your failure."
Zev glared at his father, wondering why he'd bothered even asking.
