Page 134 of Skyla

Grave stepped in front of me, tilting my face up and distracting me from the fight in front of me. He took in my eyes. I saw the way they glowed, reflected in his own. “Trust your mate,” he said firmly. “Trust your king.”

Silver still held his hands wide as the two circled each other. “Your move, Fang.”

The warlock rushed him. Silver stepped to the side, catching the back of Fang’s neck to shove his face down into his knee. A sickeningcrunchand a scream followed, blood pouring from Fang’s face.

“You’ll have to do better than that.”

“Shut thefuck up.”

Fang rose, wiping his nose roughly. He gathered his strength, magic pooling at his fingertips. Silver didn’t even move. His mouth tipped up into a smile that said ‘come and get me.’

A spell that felt like death flew out of his hands, straight for Silver’s chest. It hit him, taking Silver to the ground, flipping him face down. I gasped, only held back by Wraith and Grave.

Fang laughed. “See what happens when you’re an arrogant prick? Discount us warlocks all you want, but we can fuck you in the ass when we need to.” He followed where Silver had fallen, pulling the knife I’d sensed out of hiding.

“It will never be enough,” he said, “but this will help.”

Silver moved so fast I barely saw it, intercepting the knife and redirecting it before slamming a fist into Fang’s gut. He had the man on his knees with his own knife to his throat.

Silver spoke as if to a lover it was so soft. The words were deadly.

“See what happens when you’re an arrogant prick? Assuming you know more about magic than a centuries old fae. I caught your spell, asshole. Shoved it into the fucking ground. Nice try.”

“You killed my father.”

“Did I?” Silver’s laugh made chills run along my skin. He lifted his eyes to mine, power so hot and heady I wanted to drag him back to the compound and fuck him. “And who told you I did?”

Before Fang answered, Silver pulled the knife tighter. “Was it your friends over at the Court of Sunlight? The fuckers who’ve been helping you the whole time?”

Fang went pale.

“You think you’re special,” Silver said. “But they lied to you. Well—” he chuckled. “They can’t lie, so they must have sold you quite the sob story about how I murdered your father in cold blood. The truth was, I respected your father enough to build a treaty with him, andI don’t break my promises.”

Things clicked together in my head. The Court of Sunlight had pointed the finger at the Iron Shadows before for destroying the Legion to save themselves. But it didn’t destroy the Shadow Court. If anything, it made them stronger. So one well-placed fabrication to poison Fang’s heart against both the Shadows and the treaty.

Get rid of the Court they hated and take final revenge on the club who stole and sold so many of their Court.

Brilliant.

Ruthless.

Fuck them all the way to hell.

“You don’t think this was exactly what they wanted?” Silver asked. “They probably hoped you’d take out more of us, but I think your death will be welcomed regardless.”

“Liar,” Fang seethed. “I don’t know how you’re getting around it, but it’s not true.”

Silver shrugged. “Believe what you want. It won’t matter where you’re going.” His eyes rose to mine again. “Skyla?”

I stepped forward, drawn by the sound of his voice. Silver’s power brushed against mine, a gentle caress. In that tiny spark of power I felt what he offered. The chance to finish this for real. To end it on my terms.

“Youarea liar,” Fang gasped. “You said you would kill me.”

“I said you would die, not that I would kill you.” Silver smiled and pulled the knife away from his neck and giving it to me handle first. He still had him by the hair, and now his shadows writhed around Fang’s knees, keeping him there. “I don’t think you’ve met my queen.”

I took the knife, slipping the one Silver gave me into my back pocket.

“Skyla,” Fang said. “Don’t do this. You know I would have treated you fine. We all would have. You would havelovedbeing with us.”

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