Crimson Wind by Diana Pharaoh Francis Page A

that was as sharp and fast as a cobra strike, she flicked her fingers at him.
    A hard ball of black magic struck him in the chest and sent him staggering backward. The magic permeated Alexander’s chest and exploded inside his ribs. He gasped and convulsed, his arms and legs jerking wildly. His back arched as the shards of magic whirled like a hurricane of glass inside him. He dropped to the ground. His heart and lungs shredded, and blood filled his throat and ran from his nose. He choked and fought for breath, pain racing through him like a forest fire.
    Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the hurricane inside him turned to something different. He felt the magic soften and heat. His flesh mended, the blood draining into its proper channels, his heart and lungs coalescing back into themselves and starting to beat and pump as they should.
    He panted, every muscle quivering with the aftermath. Still, he refused to show weakness. He levered himself to his feet, bracing his legs wide and facing Giselle defiantly. He smelled Niko, Tyler, Max, and Thor as they came into the room, the ward of silence keeping him from hearing their footsteps.
    Giselle was watching him with cold implacability. Magic curled in her eyes like ribbons of smoke. His stomach clenched. Even this depleted, she still had deep reserves of power.
    “Never forget what I can do to you,” she warned.
    “That?” He shook himself. “Cleared my sinuses is all. Surely you can do better.” He wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand.
    She smiled. “Don’t tempt me.” She glanced past him, then back. “One last thing. Did Magpie’s prophecy say anything else?”
    “Yes.” He walked out of the ward circle. He scanned the others, his gaze lingering a moment on Max.
    She eyed him with that thousand-yard stare he hated. She was so far from him at the moment that she might as well be on another planet.
    “What was that about?” she asked.
    “Meeting of the minds,” he said, and headed past her toward the door.
    “Remember I want to see you, Slick.” Her voice was edged.
    “Yeah? Take a picture.”
    He turned and left.

Chapter 5
    DAMN. THAT LOOKED LIKE IT HURT,” NIKO SAID, following Alexander. “Glad it wasn’t me.”
    “Me, either. What do you think he said to deserve it?” Tyler asked as he joined them.
    “Maybe he told her she was fat.”
    “Or that she looks old.”
    “Never good to say to any woman,” Niko said. “Even if it’s true.”
    Alexander ignored them. He needed to think, to calm his Prime, and to figure out just what the hell he was going to do next. His fingers clenched. He felt like ripping something apart. He glanced over his shoulder. Niko and Tyler were exchanging knowing looks. Alexander turned forward before they saw him. So it was going to be an attack, was it? What did they want from him?
    He headed for his quarters. The two Blades continued to trail behind him. After a while, they fell silent. Alexander turned a corner. Now, he thought. Now they spring the trap.
    Niko snatched his shoulders and slammed him against the wall. Before Alexander could react, Tyler dug the point of a knife into Alexander’s ribs above his heart. Blood trickled down his side.
    Alexander did not move, reining himself in. These were his brothers now, and Horngate could not afford to lose either of them. Still, they needed a lesson in manners, and he meant to give them one. Just as soon as he learned what they wanted.
    “Here’s the deal, Slick,” Niko said, using Max’s nickname for Alexander. From her, it was annoying. From anyone else—intolerable. He hissed and his muscles flexed. Tyler’s knife jabbed deeper.
    “I will make you very sorry,” Alexander rasped past Niko’s grip on his throat.
    “Easy, now. Don’t get ideas,” Tyler said. “You won’t heal so well if I hack your heart into stew meat.”
    “We just want you to be very clear about the rules of your trip to California. If Max doesn’t come back