Page 29 of Night Fae
Zev drew his knife, and then he rose from his hiding place, silent as a shadow.
He struck without warning.
One moment he was hidden in the shadows, the next he was behind the taller wolf. His blade found the soft spot between vertebrae, severing the spinal cord at the base of the skull. The wolf had no time to cry out, no chance to shift forms or defendhimself. His body crumpled to the ground with a soft thud, eyes still open in mild surprise.
The second wolf froze, tools clattering from his hands. His nostrils flared, catching Zev's scent only after it was too late for his companion. Recognition dawned in his eyes. He knew what Zev was.
Zev's body moved without conscious thought—muscle memory taking over. His blade was already in motion before his mind caught up, punching through ribs to find the wolf's heart with lethal precision.
The wolf's eyes went wide, then vacant, as he collapsed beside his packmate.
Silence settled over the clearing.
The deed had been done, the mission carried out.
Zev kept his mind blank as he knelt beside his first target's body to search through his belongings. He found nothing of great interest, but he decided to take the journal he'd picked up earlier with him.
There was something going on with the shadow paths. The wolves had known what.
Zev wanted to know as well.
"I did as you asked." Zev stood before his grandmother's desk, the stolen journal tucked under his coat, the mark on his arm now a faint gray outline instead of midnight black.
Lady Morvena extended her hand, and Zev rolled up his sleeve to display the faded binding. She traced the mark with one sharp nail, satisfaction curving her lips.
"Good," she said. "You have served the Court today."
Had he?
He'd murdered scientists, that was all.
"The wolves were studying the shadow path," Zev said. "Not messing with it."
"Don't be naive." His father stepped forward from where he'd been lingering near the window. "Other races lie. You know this. They only sought to justify their trespassing."
Lady Morvena's eyes narrowed slightly. "What exactly did you observe?"
"The path was near the surface," Zev said. "More visible than it should be."
"Interesting." His grandmother tapped her fingers against the desk. "And unfortunate. It seems our work is far from done."
She opened a drawer and withdrew a small silver box. When she lifted the lid, a three-dimensional map shimmered into existence above it—the territories surrounding the Night Court displayed in perfect miniature. Pinpricks of light marked locations throughout the map.
"Your next target," she said, pointing to a glowing red dot near the silver lake. "Another pack has established a camp here. They're more numerous, more organized." Her violet eyes fixed on his with obvious pleasure. "You exceeded expectations today. I knew I was right about you."
What was she talking about? "I only did what you forced me to do."
"The mark I put on you would have been satisfied with one kill, yet you chose to eliminate both wolves, as any good assassin would have. Thoroughness is a virtue we taught you well."
A cold weight settled in Zev's stomach. One death. The spell had only neededone.
He hadn't realized that.
He might have, if he'd taken a moment to think, to consider letting the second wolf run free.
But he hadn't, because that wasn't how he operated. They all knew it.
His grandmother smiled. Zev wanted to reach for his knife and carve her eyes out of her face.
