Page 65 of A Court of Darkness and Dragons

Jax tilted his head and called out in mock sweetness, “Here, kitty, kitty.”

Ferrula shot him a side-eye, but her grip tightened. “You’re insane.”

“Maybe,” Jax muttered, not taking his eyes off the beast. “But it’s about to find out I bite back.”

The air tightened as the predator growled again, lowering itself closer to the ground, preparing to pounce.

The moor cat launched itself at Jax, a black streak of claws and fangs. I shouted, but he was faster, his power surged like a crack of thunder.

The massive paw that should have ripped into his chest suddenly split open the cat’s own side instead. Blood spattered the stones as the beast roared, staggering mid-swipe before twisting back with renewed fury.

It whirled on Ferrula.

Her reflexes blazed to life. She dropped low, rolling with unnatural speed that blurred her form, her sword whizzing as claws barely missed her throat. Ferrula rarely invoked her gift, too proud, too certain of her own skill to rely on magic. But this creature was no ordinary opponent—it was shadow and rage given form.

She came up in a crouch, blade raised, moving with inhuman precision. Each strike of the moor cat’s claws was met with a parry so fast sparks danced in the air, her sword flashing like quicksilver.

“I can’t get close enough to the damn thing!” she hissed, dodging another swipe that gouged the stone where she’d been standing a heartbeat before.

“Guess I’m up.” Tae stepped forward, his usual grin gone. His blue eyes burned with determination as he locked onto the beast.

The moor cat froze, its growl cutting into the silence, as if something unseen had taken hold of it.

But then Tae gasped. His hands flew to his head, and he dropped to his knees, sweat dripping from his brow. “Run,” he rasped, his voice shredded with pain.

The moor cat turned on him—then paused. Its eyes flickered, the red glow dimming. It stared at Tae for a long, terrible moment, then with a guttural sound it bounded away into the shadows, vanishing back into the broken ruins.

“What did you do?” Ferrula demanded, chest heaving as I rushed to help Tae up.

He was pale, his body trembling as though the strength had been torn from him. His words came breathless, each one costing him. “The cat… isn’t evil. It’s fighting something—some kind of compulsion. It was… happy to follow my command instead of the one forcing it to kill.” He sagged against me, eyes distant. “It’s enslaved. Just like the black dragons. But it won’t come near us again.”

The squad went still at that. The silence that followed wasn’t relief—it was dread. If the Blood Fae could enslave beasts as well as dragons, then we weren’t fighting an army. We were fighting a plague.

Kaelith, I whispered into the quiet of my mind as the others caught their breath. Tell me there aren’t more surprises like that thing lurking in these ruins.

Her voice rolled through me, as low and heavy as the sea. There were many species living in harmony on the Fae Isle before corruption claimed it. The Blood King enslaved what he could twist, slaughtered what he could not. I do not know which of those creatures still endure, but Veralin has likely bent every survivor to his will.

My stomach turned. So it’s not just dragons and fae we’re facing.

No, she said, as grim as iron. Every shadow of the isle could hide teeth.

I relayed her words to the others, keeping my tone flat even as a chill traveled down my spine. “Kaelith says the isle was once full of different species—creatures that lived in harmony before Veralin twisted them. She doesn’t know what remains, but they will all be like the cat.”

Naia swore softly, adjusting her grip on her sword. “So anything that breathes here could be turned against us.”

Ferrula spat to the side, still catching her breath. “Great. As if fae and their black-scaled monsters weren’t enough, now we have to fight shadow monsters too.”

Jax set his hand on her shoulder, his voice rough but resolute. “Then we cut down what we must and keep moving. One enemy or ten—it doesn’t matter. We’ll clear a path.”

Tae groaned as he straightened, rubbing the back of his neck. His grin was thin, strained, but still there. “So basically… we’re a walking buffet.”

I arched a brow at him. “Excuse me?”

“Think about it.” He gestured weakly at the shadows surrounding us. “Dragons bonded to us, we have fae blood in our veins, and enough raw magic to light up the isle like a festival. Veralin’s little pets must be salivating already.”

Riven rolled her eyes, though the corner of her mouth twitched. “Trust you to make impending death sound like dinner.”

“Someone’s got to keep things entertaining,” Tae shot back, though the weariness in his eyes betrayed how much his attempt at levity cost him.