Daimon is only a few paces from us, close enough that he catches the small change in her stance.
“Zeph, don’t,” I choke out.
She doesn’t listen, her growl turning into a deafening roar so loud that the Lord of Shadows’ hair is blasted back.
Still, he doesn’t move.
My head is growing heavy, my vision blurring as I gasp desperately for air. Zephyr roars again and takes a step toward him, nearly nose to nose with him now. She tucks her wings close to her side, her body blocking mine.
“Lu,” Leda snarls from behind me, and the distinct sound of little zaps of lightning fizzles from where her voice is coming from—no doubt fighting against Daimon with her light. It isn’t enough.
Leda is back there, along with Brielle, Adrian, the wyverncrew, and likely the Lyle boys. The sounds of wyverns straining to break free from being held down block out the tormented cries of pain from my friends. They shake the ground as they crash into it, trembling the rocks beneath my shoes.
Everyoneis at Daimon’s mercy.
I could lose more than Graylen right now—could lose some of the only people I have left in my life. Leda, my incredibly strong and determined sister. Brielle, my mentor. Calix, Sidra, Maddox, and Orla, all of my new friends and wyvern team. Ican’tlose them, too.
Painfully sharp emotions burst through the cracks holding me together, pushing the world into focus.
The man before me is surrounded by tendrils of shadows, his face blank and cold. He is the antithesis of my mother, who controls light and has a face that beams with sunshine everywhere she goes.
This isn’t a man capable of love—of helping us. There’s a hollowness in his gaze that tells me the story of a man who would kill all of my friends without blinking.
I struggle against the restraints, moving every muscle I can to try and wiggle out of them. My panic grows, stifling any rational thought. But then the shadows tightening around my throat pause. They don’t lessen, but they cease constricting.
Zephyr is still growling as her muscles tense, her ears pinned back on her head. Her right wing stretches out to block him from my view for a moment. My heart pounds, searching for a plan that doesn’t end with all of us being killed by him.
“Daimon,” Brielle rasps from somewhere behind me. “You’re?—”
Her voice cuts off, followed by a strange gurgling sound.
Zephyr tucks her wings back in, just enough for me to get a glimpse of Daimon’s cruel face again. He isn’t smiling any longer. His head tilts up, focusing behind my shoulder, his expression grim, mouth pressed into a line.
I stare at him, my hands trembling, rage flooding me, brightand hot. I had always wished for a different father, for a man I could be proud to call family. Well, I got a new one, but Daimon makes Reichardt look like a saint.
The thought feels like a knife twisting in my gut, but I ignore it—letting the anger take over instead of the pain that taps beneath it.
The shadows around our throats slowly loosen, not completely gone, but giving us enough room to breathe. I suck in a full breath, coughing until my lungs fill with air. My muscles tense when his gaze settles on me. I’ve seen that look before—the look of a man without any mercy within him.
“How you answer next determines if someone dies or lives.” Daimon’s voice is hard. Detached. “What are you doing here?”
Faces flash through my mind of those behind me whom he could take from me; Leda’s sharp eyes fading into a dull stare as he ends her life—Calix’s bright laughter becoming nothing but a memory. Brielle’s determination fading.
Daimon’s words confirm the merciless look displayed across his face. I want his help saving Graylen and those trapped in the Vale more than anything, but this isn’t someone who wants to help us.
What we’redoinghere is trying to save all of those taken during our trial, but now there’s one more life to save along with the dozens already gone.
His eyes are still focused over my shoulder, and I twist my head just enough to see who his attention is on. My gaze briefly finds the group of fae behind me—my friends. Sidra, Orla, Maddox, and Calix. Leda stands just behind Brielle with Adrian on his knees beside Leda. From this position, I can’t see the Lyle boys, but they have to be out there, too.
Chains of darkness are wrapped around each of them, restricting their arms, legs, and necks.
I yank against the restraints, my skin burning as they tighten further. I’m not fighting my way out of this, but maybe I can convince him to let us go. A choked, crazed laugh wheezes outof my chest at the thought. Daimon didn’timmediatelykill us all, which has to count for something.
Talkingmy way out of this is a long shot, but I have to try.
“We were looking for the Lord of Shadows,” Brielle answers, seemingly having the same idea as me: play nice and maybe we can make it out alive.
Daimon pauses, waiting for someone to explain further.
