Black Spring by Christina Henry Read Free Book Online

it. Which I didn’t want to do.
    Daharan nodded. “It would not be a good idea to ask for an audience while surrounded by warriors. Alerian might take it as a sign of aggression.”
    “I want to look for the shapeshifter anyway,” Jude said.
    I’ll help you. I can take Beezle with me and fly over the area,
Samiel said.
    “Who said I’m going?” Beezle said.
    “You’re going,” I said, then looked at Daharan, wondering what he would do about either of these two problems. It was like we were leaving our most powerful arrow in the quiver, as it were. But Daharan seemed to prefer to stay out of the squabbling of his brothers, professing that his only purpose was to keep me safe.
    “I am going to increase the levels of protection on this building,” Daharan said. “It would be best if any humans that came searching for you were unable to find you.”
    “Including Jack Dabrowski?” I asked. Maybe the blogger would give up if he couldn’t find me anymore.
    Daharan shook his head. “He knows too much about you to be fooled by any illusion that I might spin.”
    “Too bad. That would have been an easy solution to an annoying problem,” I said.
    I went to shower and attempt to make myself presentable. Maternity-wear shopping hadn’t been high on my priority list so I wasn’t sure what I had that would actually
be
presentable, but as usual Daharan had thought of everything. When I entered the bedroom I saw a white blouse and gray pantsuit on the bed.
    For a moment I was reminded of Puck, and another occasion when clothes had been left on the bed for me. I pushed that thought away, because when I thought of Puck my brain got twisted and angry. Those emotions would not be helpful in dealing with Alerian.
    I dressed, and of course the suit fit perfectly. I twisted my hair up in a knot behind my head—it was down to the middle of my back now—and found some lipstick that might have been less than five years old, but I couldn’t be certain.
    I was just finishing up when Nathaniel entered the room. He’d dressed in a black suit with a crisp white shirt. Despite the recent changes in his hair and eye color, he looked a lot like the old Nathaniel, the one I’d met and despised in my father’s court.
    But he wasn’t that Nathaniel anymore. Even though he was more powerful than he’d ever been, the old arrogance was gone. And he loved me. I knew that with the certainty of a woman who knows real love, because I’d had it once before.
    I’d lost that love, and so when I thought of Nathaniel, a part of me would hesitate. Thus far he had waited patiently for me to come around. How long would he be patient?
    “The others have gone to look for the shapeshifter,” he said.
    I nodded. “Beezle, too?”
    “Yes, with much grumbling.” He was silent for a moment, then said, “I want you to know that I do not think this is a good idea.”
    In the past I might have blown him off, said something snappy like “duly noted.” I would have charged forward with an arrogance of my own, a surety that I would succeed simply because I wished it to be so. But not anymore. The events of the last several months had taught me that the risks were far greater than any reward, and that winning was an illusion. The price I’d paid for success was death, whether by my hand or another’s. The death of Gabriel had nearly broken me. But the deaths I’d been responsible for weighed on my heart, too.
    And even though I’d tried my damndest, I’d yet to stop either Lucifer or Puck from getting what they wanted. In many cases I’d even inadvertently helped them. So there was no guarantee that I would be able to halt the progress of Alerian’s scheme. It was very likely that I would fail.
    So instead of dismissing Nathaniel’s concern, I turned around and met his eyes. “I know.”
    “Why are we doing this?” Nathaniel asked. “Why must you put yourself in harm’s way?”
    “Do you think I could live with myself if I allowed my baby