Sabine stood in the alley behind Dax with Malek standing beside her. Everyone was in position, waiting for Dax’s signal. He turned to Malek and pulled out a knife, flipping it over and offering it hilt first. “A blood oath is required, or you will wait here in the alley.” His eyes flashed silver. “This is not a request.”
Malek narrowed his eyes but didn’t take the blade. “What oath?”
Sabine tensed, knowing this could get ugly. She had the impression Malek was as much a predator as Dax, and neither one was willing to back down. It was probably foolish of her to intervene in their argument earlier, but Sabine was curious about why Malek wanted to come along. She’d wrongly assumed Dax would have regulated him to accompany Javyn, but Dax had decided to keep Malek with them instead. If she ha
