Read Online Shattered Spirits by C. I. Black - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: C. I. Black
Ads: Link
risk that without her support.” Hunter blew out a long sigh. His gaze, through the reflection in the window, caught Grey’s. “I need you to watch Anaea. I need you to keep her safe.”
“Isn’t that your job?” But ice seeped into Grey’s gut. There were very few reasons for an inamorated drake to ask someone to watch over his beloved, and none of them were good.
“I have to find the Handmaiden. Someone has to. But Anaea needs to learn to control her magic. She can’t come with me.”
“And I’m sure you two have discussed this.”
“No, and if I talk to her I won’t have the strength to leave.” Hunter’s expression hardened. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. It’s the only way.”
“So you’re what? Going to leave her a text message? Oh, that’s slick. Even I know that’s bad form.”
“You need to let her know I’ll be in touch when I can. She’ll understand how important this is.”
“Gee, thanks. She’s a sorcerer. The only thing that has more fury than a woman scorned is a sorcerer scorned. And you’re asking me to play messenger.”
“And bodyguard.” Hunter pulled the medallion’s chain over his head and set it on the coffee table beside him. “She’s at Nero’s. Keep her safe.”
With a pop, Hunter gated from the house.
The fire snapped, its image flickering in the dark window where Hunter had stood.
This was just great. Regis was on a dragon hunt. Hunter, the only drake in a position to take over, was gone, and Grey had just been put in charge of keeping Anaea safe.
Sunlight danced at the edge of his vision. He could barely keep himself in the here and now, let alone keep Hunter’s inamorata safe. If anything happened to her, not even the Handmaiden would be able to save Grey from Hunter’s wrath.
The sound of a gate forming whooshed in the front hall.
“I’m home and I brought wine from Nero’s collection,” Anaea called.
Hunter had terrible timing.
“What are we celebrating?” Grey asked.
Anaea strode into the kitchen. “Hey, Grey. Is Hunter still outside flexing his wings? Give a drake shiny new scales and he becomes vain.” She set the bottle of wine and a bag of groceries on the counter and unzipped her coat.
“Actually, he…” Jeez. Where did he begin? She was Hunter’s inamorata. This kind of leaving didn’t happen; it would feel too much like heart-wrenching abandonment this early in their relationship. “Maybe we should open that wine and sit.”
Anaea’s eyes widened. “What’s happened? Has Regis done something?” She closed her eyes and frowned. “Hunter isn’t answering me. He’s blocking my mind call.”
The stemware in the glassed-in cupboard behind her started to rattle.
“If he responds, he’ll come back and he can’t do that. Not yet.”
“But he promised he wouldn’t return to Court without discussing it with me. If Regis has done something to him—” The cupboard door flew open. A glass leapt out and shattered on the counter, making her jump. “Shit.”
Another glass tumbled out and smashed.
“No no no.” She squeezed her eyes shut and drew in a slow breath, then another.
The glasses stopped rattling.
“Long day?” Grey asked, trying for nonchalance. It wasn’t every day he watched stemware commit suicide, but it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility in his world. Last time he’d seen Anaea, her telekinesis had just started to develop. Looked like it had gotten stronger.
“Long two weeks.” She pursed her lips and stared at the broken glass. “It’s getting so hard to control it. All of it. Yesterday, I almost set Nero’s library on fire and I’d just been reading a book.”
And losing her inamorator—even just for a temporary absence—was going to make it even more difficult to control her magic. Unstable emotions equaled unstable earth magic. But Grey still had to tell her about Hunter.
“Take off your coat. I’ll clean up the glass.”
“And you’ll tell me what
“Isn’t that your job?” But ice seeped into Grey’s gut. There were very few reasons for an inamorated drake to ask someone to watch over his beloved, and none of them were good.
“I have to find the Handmaiden. Someone has to. But Anaea needs to learn to control her magic. She can’t come with me.”
“And I’m sure you two have discussed this.”
“No, and if I talk to her I won’t have the strength to leave.” Hunter’s expression hardened. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. It’s the only way.”
“So you’re what? Going to leave her a text message? Oh, that’s slick. Even I know that’s bad form.”
“You need to let her know I’ll be in touch when I can. She’ll understand how important this is.”
“Gee, thanks. She’s a sorcerer. The only thing that has more fury than a woman scorned is a sorcerer scorned. And you’re asking me to play messenger.”
“And bodyguard.” Hunter pulled the medallion’s chain over his head and set it on the coffee table beside him. “She’s at Nero’s. Keep her safe.”
With a pop, Hunter gated from the house.
The fire snapped, its image flickering in the dark window where Hunter had stood.
This was just great. Regis was on a dragon hunt. Hunter, the only drake in a position to take over, was gone, and Grey had just been put in charge of keeping Anaea safe.
Sunlight danced at the edge of his vision. He could barely keep himself in the here and now, let alone keep Hunter’s inamorata safe. If anything happened to her, not even the Handmaiden would be able to save Grey from Hunter’s wrath.
The sound of a gate forming whooshed in the front hall.
“I’m home and I brought wine from Nero’s collection,” Anaea called.
Hunter had terrible timing.
“What are we celebrating?” Grey asked.
Anaea strode into the kitchen. “Hey, Grey. Is Hunter still outside flexing his wings? Give a drake shiny new scales and he becomes vain.” She set the bottle of wine and a bag of groceries on the counter and unzipped her coat.
“Actually, he…” Jeez. Where did he begin? She was Hunter’s inamorata. This kind of leaving didn’t happen; it would feel too much like heart-wrenching abandonment this early in their relationship. “Maybe we should open that wine and sit.”
Anaea’s eyes widened. “What’s happened? Has Regis done something?” She closed her eyes and frowned. “Hunter isn’t answering me. He’s blocking my mind call.”
The stemware in the glassed-in cupboard behind her started to rattle.
“If he responds, he’ll come back and he can’t do that. Not yet.”
“But he promised he wouldn’t return to Court without discussing it with me. If Regis has done something to him—” The cupboard door flew open. A glass leapt out and shattered on the counter, making her jump. “Shit.”
Another glass tumbled out and smashed.
“No no no.” She squeezed her eyes shut and drew in a slow breath, then another.
The glasses stopped rattling.
“Long day?” Grey asked, trying for nonchalance. It wasn’t every day he watched stemware commit suicide, but it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility in his world. Last time he’d seen Anaea, her telekinesis had just started to develop. Looked like it had gotten stronger.
“Long two weeks.” She pursed her lips and stared at the broken glass. “It’s getting so hard to control it. All of it. Yesterday, I almost set Nero’s library on fire and I’d just been reading a book.”
And losing her inamorator—even just for a temporary absence—was going to make it even more difficult to control her magic. Unstable emotions equaled unstable earth magic. But Grey still had to tell her about Hunter.
“Take off your coat. I’ll clean up the glass.”
“And you’ll tell me what
Similar Books
