Shadow Queen by B.R. Nicholson Read Free Book Online

great wings hung
unfurled in a fiery stance.
    “Luka! Look, she’s awake,” said Ethen as he
hurried over to Astrid, his arms full of ratty desert garb. “Do you
need help with these?”
    Astrid tore her eyes off Luka and glared at
Ethen. “I can dress myself, thank you .” She pulled away from
Luka’s grasp and snatched the bundle of clothes from Ethen’s arms.
The room swirled around her head as she wiggled into her britches
and buckled her jacket.
    “Maybe you should sit down,” said Luka, his
hand reaching out to steady her.
    Astrid shrank away from his touch. “I’m fine.
Really,” she said, lowering herself to the rumpled bed of furs.
Astrid narrowed her focus to the task of pulling on her boots. The last thing I need is for these two to baby me .
    “Ethen, have you told him?” She looked up
from her boots, her hands resting on the buckles. Her eyes darted
to Luka, his fiery face unreadable.
    “I didn’t think it was important—”
    “—Of course it is! Why didn’t you tell
him?”
    Ethen’s face turned sour. “I thought you were dying . It didn’t exactly seem like a good time to bring it
up!”
    Luka cleared his throat, drawing their
attention to him. “Pardon the interruption, but what the hell are
you talking about?”
    Astrid glared at Ethen as she gathered
herself to stand. Though her feet were uneasy, she rooted them
firmly against the rocky ground. She puffed herself up, trying her
best to appear fierce. “We’re taking you back to Limra,” she said,
her voice firm as stone. “Now, we can do this the easy way or the
hard way, it’s up to you.”
    Luka flared his wings as he burst into a fit
of laughter. “Oh, please, I’d prefer the hard way,” he said,
shaking between laughs.
    Astrid’s chest sank while her face reddened
with rage. She shot Ethen a hard look to silence his own wayward
giggles. He looked away quickly, muffling his disobedient mouth in
a trembling hand.
    “Look, I’m serious. You’re needed in Limra.
It’s urgent.” Astrid looked hard into Luka’s eyes, searching for
any part of him she could reach.
    He stifled his laughter and drew his wings
closed. Sunlight poured in from behind him, glinting on his ruby
feathers. “There’s nothing left for me there,” he said, his voice
strained. “I left that place long ago. I don’t plan on ever
returning. It seems as if your journey here has been wasted.”
    “No!” Astrid grabbed at his arm as he turned
away. His eyes snapped to hers. They were full of hurt and a hint
of something darker. “Listen, I’m sorry. I haven’t even thanked you
for saving us… for saving me,” she said. His skin was warm and soft
in her hand. “I know you’ve been here a long time, hiding from the
world. You have a great gift. You don’t need to hide anymore.”
    She could feel Luka staring deep into her as
he weighed her words. “I will leave, but only for you.” His eyes
tore themselves from her gaze and lingered on the dying fire.
    Astrid nodded, perplexed by his sudden
agreement. “We will leave soon. It’ll take the greater part of the
day to ride back.”
    “You’re not possibly thinking about riding a glider all the way to Limra, do you?” Luka’s brow furrowed
as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. “You can barely stand,
let alone stay upright speeding across the desert.”
    “He’s right, you know,” said Ethen as he
fastened his jacket shut.
    “Well, what do you suggest I do?”
Astrid glare traveled from Ethen back to Luka.
    Luka shrugged his shoulders and unfurled his
wings. “How about this?” He grabbed Astrid and gathered her up into
his arms. “I’ll drop Ethen off by the gliders and follow him the
rest of the way,” he said, allowing Ethen to grab onto his arm.
Luka cast Astrid a sly look as he strode to the mouth of the cave.
“You might want to hold on tighter than that.”
    Astrid opened her mouth to curse him but the
word ripped from her lips. Her stomach jolted to her throat as