Zev’s eyes darted around, looking for any possible escape route, but the guards had them fully surrounded. Thalia stood behind him, tension rolling off her in waves.
“Zev,” she whispered. “We can’t take them all. Not like this.”
Zev turned his head slightly toward her but didn’t break his gaze from the guards. “I’m not going back,” he growled under his breath.
The lead guard, sensing the tension, took another step forward. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Zev. You know how your father gets when you defy him.”
Zev let out a dry laugh. “You think I care about that? I’m not going back to face his wrath over something *he* caused.”
Thalia grabbed his arm. “Zev, please, we don’t have to do this. We need to figure this out without making things worse.”
Zev’s jaw clenched. He ha
