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My throat bobbed as I swallowed my rising panic and tried to collect myself. There was no way I’d survive any of this if I couldn’t at least engage in self-defense.

But then again, Leander had that cut coming.

My angst was short-lived when he spun on his heel and raised the sword over his head. Dropping to the floor, I rolled away as quick as I could and then the crow picked up where he’d left off, once again going after Leander’s bloody face and giving me another chance to move.

“Give me the dagger,” Leander growled. “You have no business with that.”

He wheeled around, ducking his head and swinging at the bird as he spun across the floor. I darted to the left, placing a chair between us. I didn’t answer him; it wasn’t like I was going to listen to him and hand anything over.

He was trying to track me and my weapon while, of all things, a crow was giving him a run for his money. Every time I moved my weapon, his eyes followed it like I was hanging onto a live cobra. The crazy focus he’d placed on my blade stuck out to me. If he was this all-powerful Fae, why hadn’t he just zapped me and the bird and killed us on the spot?

Then it hit me—everything had disappeared except the two of us and the dagger. The knife stayed, corporeal and solid. There were glasses and a few other things on the tables, but they were ghostly facsimiles, or the glasses would have shattered when his sword cut the table in two. Or did it? For all I knew, the table was still solid outside of this strange little bubble Leander had placed us in.

Why was he so focused on my weapon?

It was beginning to become clear to me. Kiam had been drained of energy after fighting the Kakian demons, and he needed blood to revitalize. The Fae were supernatural creatures too, so just how much energy had it taken Leander to separate us from the others into our own private world? He’d had no trouble hurting and confining me at his and Adrian’s rented mansion. Having an issue with a thousand crows bursting through your windows was one thing, like when Kiam came to get me out of there. But to have one single, solitary little animal give you a run for your money? Nah.

Add in how my pretty knife remained, and I was beginning to suspect it had magical properties of its own. I’d never had to fight anyone before, and I’d wounded him. Of course, I’d give myself credit for that, but when I put all the pieces together, I knew I had a real shot at getting rid of the asshole.

“Are you scared of a little knife?” I taunted him.

I winced when a chunk of feathers was cleanly cut from the crow. My stomach sank when I saw the way Leander’s eyes shone over his minor victory.

Are you okay?

“Yes,” the crow answered telepathically. For an animal, he sounded a bit out of breath.

The bird’s movements began to slow down, and Leander was gaining ground. He was getting closer and closer to me with every step. The wall was only about ten feet away behind me, and there was nowhere left to go. The upper area of the club wasn’t that large. I had to assume Kiam was still up here, even if he couldn’t reach me at the moment.

“Humans have no business with weapons like that.” Leander shoved a chair out of his way.

The crow ripped a chunk of his hair out, but Leander didn’t miss a beat. He was walking straight toward me, holding the sword pointed right at my heart.

This is it, crow. I’m going to aim below his waist. His leg, I think. There’s supposed to be a large vein in the leg, right? I don’t know what else to do.

“May the fates bless you,” the bird replied.

Leander pulled his sword backwards and the moment he made his move to run me through, I darted under the table to the right, came out the other side, and shoved my dagger straight into his thigh.

He roared with anger and his weapon fell. I pulled the blade out and he grabbed a chair, but I had no idea what happened afterwards. Everything went white and I heard the rush of wind in my ears. I threw myself to the floor, trying to escape whatever it was. As I crawled, I opened my eyes to see blood splattered on the floor, and a mess of black feathers. My heart sank, thinking about my corvid friend and I could only hope he made it through.

When the wind stopped, the scene changed. Everything came rushing back—the lights, the colors, the sounds. There was no one around, here on the upper level although I could hear voices down below.

“Kiam!” I yelled, pulling myself up off the floor. “Kiam?”

Everyone was gone. Glasses sat half full, or completely empty on the tables, but no one was there. My blood ran cold as I kept turning in a circle. Like twirling would restore everything to how it was before Leander had taken me away.

My adrenaline was crashing while my panic was rising, making my knees weak and shaky. I dragged myself to a chair before I fell down.

My crow landed on the table in front of me, bedraggled with bald spots and scrapes where shiny, ebony feathers should have been.

“Are you okay?” I asked and then winced at my words. Clearly, the animal wasn’t.

I will recover; Leander held himself back from truly injuring me. Kiam is gone. First Realm.

CHAPTER 31

Kiam