Read Online Crimson Wind by Diana Pharaoh Francis - Free Book Online Page A

healing. We’d better keep moving before the smoke kills us,” Max said to the others, shaking off Niko and Alexander.
    The two men exchanged annoyed glances and followed. Tyler led the way with Giselle.
    “Where to?” he asked Max.
    Alexander answered. “Dining commons. You need to eat and heal,” he said unapologetically when Max scowled at him. “Giselle could use something to eat and drink as well.”
    “Fine,” she said.
    She brushed away offers of aid, though clearly she was hurting more than a little. Typical. She never took help unless she had no other choice. He suppressed the urge to help her anyway. She might take it as a Prime challenge, and just at the moment, she might not be able to beat him.
    The memory of Magpie’s prophecy swept over him, and his skin went cold. He pulled away, falling back to walk behind.
    The dining commons was empty except for Magpie. Alexander could hear her in the kitchen. The scent of baking bread and garlic filled the air. A cold buffet table ran down one side of the serving area, and two hot tables were on the other side. A beverage bar sat in one corner, and chairs and tables were scattered through the large space. Pillars and screens lent an air of privacy here and there.
    Tyler set Giselle gently on a chair. She slumped, her eyes half closed. Her chestnut hair was pulled back from her face. Her face was pale and bruised-looking, and her clothes looked like they belonged on a much larger woman. Still, she emanated authority and power. Max slid into a chair beside her.
    Niko went to let Magpie know they were there, and Alexander filled two glasses with apple juice and set them on the table before the two women.
    “Drink.”
    He did not wait for a reply, but started gathering food from the buffet for Max. He stacked it on a tray and set it in front of her. Her glass was empty, and Giselle had at least sipped from hers.
    Wordlessly, he refilled the glass and then fetched a milkshake from the machine. He gave it to Giselle.
    “That looks good,” Max said, eyeing it longingly.
    “Your wish is my command,” he said, and went to get her one.
    “Why don’t I believe that?” she said, rolling the cold glass he handed her between her palms and sucking from the straw. “Oh, holy night, that feels good,” she said. “Cold.”
    Her skin was healing, and she no longer looked quite so raw. He sat down and Niko followed suit. Tyler remained standing behind Giselle to catch her if she started to fall.
    “What the hell was that?” Max said, opening up a sub sandwich. Her voice was deceptively calm. “Are you trying to kill yourself? Because no need to go to all that trouble. Say the word, and I’ll do it for you. With pleasure.”
    Giselle grimaced. “I thought you got over the whole hate-my-guts thing.”
    “Over you enslaving me and turning me into your own personal pit bull? Not so much, no. I just decided there were more important things to deal with. For now, anyway. Who knows what joys the future will bring? Like maybe pulling your lungs out through your nose. So were you just redecorating the place? Seems a little extreme. We just finished rebuilding in there. You could have waited a while before destroying it again.”
    Alexander saw Max rub her left arm surreptitiously—the same arm she had been favoring since she had come out of Scooter’s den. What had the creature done to her? His jaw tightened with frustration. The chances of her telling him were zero, if not less.
    “Sorry, I’m fickle,” Giselle said.
    The corners of Max’s mouth lifted in a reluctant smile. “So what happened? If you wanted to burn me to a crisp, you could have sent me out into the sun.”
    “Sorry.”
    Max’s brows rose. “You’ve done worse to me. No sense feeling sorry about it now.”
    “But now—I was trying to scry,” Giselle said. “I wanted to know exactly what was going on in Winters.”
    “Should have asked me. I can save you the trouble. The place is under siege by