Black Spring

We were among the last to enter the dining room, which was already arranged for the reception the next day. There was a long table at the front of the room for Lucifer and Evangeline and Puck and Alerian. Other groups were seated at small round tables scattered throughout the room. I looked for Michael, since his status as Lucifer’s only friend would seem to indicate that he be seated at the upper table. But he was elsewhere, with a small knot of angels who all appeared to have come from the same place as Michael. No fallen there, so they must have been Michael’s entourage.

“So, do we just sit anywhere, then?” I asked. I was still feeling a little woozy and wanted to get in a seat as soon as possible.

A servant materialized at my left elbow. “Ms. Black, you and your guests are to come with me. King Jonquil is to join his party at table thirty-one.”

It took me a moment to realize who King Jonquil was. J.B. frowned.

“I will take care of her,” Nathaniel said quietly.

“I know you will,” J.B. said. “I just don’t want to go back to my own people.”

I patted J.B. on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll be able to ditch them at the reception tomorrow.”

“Don’t be so certain,” J.B said. “I’m probably going to have to dance with every female in the group just so no one is offended.”

He walked away toward the faerie table as we followed the beckoning servant.

There was an empty round table just underneath the raised front table where Lucifer, his brothers and his bride-to-be were on display in front of the whole room. The servant indicated that Samiel and Jude should sit. I started to pull out a chair, but the servant shook his head.

“Ms. Black, you are to join your grandfather at the main table, as is your escort,” he said, indicating Nathaniel.

I gave the servant a dirty look. “No way.”

He seemed taken aback at my vehemence. “But Lord Lucifer wishes . . .”

“I’m not sitting up there like a monkey on display,” I said.

The servant hesitated, uncertain how to handle an intractable grandchild of his master. Suddenly Lucifer himself was there, speaking quietly to the servant, then guiding me toward the upper table. Nathaniel followed behind.

“There is no need to, as you would put it, shoot the messenger,” Lucifer said. I thought he would remark on my inappropriate attire, but he said nothing about it. “The servant was simply doing as I asked.”

“I don’t want to sit where everyone can gawp at me,” I said.

“But I do want you to sit where everyone can see you, especially after that little display,” Lucifer said, and his voice was filled with deep satisfaction. “Everyone in this room has now felt what my granddaughter is capable of.”

He steered me to the chair to his immediate left and seated Nathaniel beside me. There was a small plate in between our chairs for Beezle, who hopped down and rubbed his hands together.

“When’s the first course? I didn’t get any of those appetizers that were circling the room with the cocktails,” Beezle said.

Servants were moving around the room spooning soup into bowls, so Beezle didn’t have long to wait. I averted my eyes once he started eating. Soup and Beezle are not a good combination, especially since Beezle won’t wear a bib.

Evangeline was on Lucifer’s right with Alerian and Puck beside her. There was an empty chair next to Nathaniel’s. Lucifer saw me looking at it.

“That is for Daharan. I am frankly surprised he did not arrive with you,” Lucifer said.

“I haven’t seen him for three days,” I said. “He walked out of the house and never came back. I thought you might have something to do with his disappearing act, actually. You or Alerian.”

“Not Puck?” Lucifer asked with a raised eyebrow as he sat down.

“My impression was that he liked to keep his distance from Daharan,” I said.

Lucifer laughed, and Evangeline glared in my direction. That is, she glared as much as an eyeless person can. My many-greats-grandmother has no particular love for me. She does not like anyone who distracts Lucifer’s attention from her. I really wanted to tell her she could have him and all the baggage that came with him.

I studiously looked down at my plate as dinner was served. I was more than a little irritated that Lucifer had managed to turn the attempt on my life into an advantage for himself. Especially since he’d expressed no interest in the reason why I was using magic in the first place.

Unless he knows why, I thought. Unless he knows who the shifter’s master is. Unless he IS the shifter’s master.

I paused, my soup spoon halfway to my lips. It was possible. It was just possible that Lucifer, like Puck before him, was manipulating me. Lucifer wanted me to come to the dark side. What better way to get me over there than to threaten my life again and again, make me lose my control of my power?