Blackbird Crowned (The Witch King's Crown #3) - Keri Arthur Page 0,58

you want to be able to find her again.”

“Makes sense.” I certainly had no desire to lose her again after all the trouble we’d gone through to find her. “Will my shifting shape in any way affect the spell?”

“It shouldn’t.”

“Good.” I shifted my grip on the sword, then slung her diagonally over my back. Though I could feel her presence, when I leaned against the back of the chair, there was no obstruction. I might not have been wearing her at all. “That’s a pretty impressive spell. I’m surprised you don’t use it for more than just swords.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Who says we don’t? But even in this day and age, an unseen sword in the hands of a similarly invisible Blackbird is a mightier weapon than a gun.”

I wrinkled my nose. “But surely death by sword would instantly point the finger at Blackbirds.”

“We haven’t survived this long without learning how to hide our kills.” He tore open the packet of jelly snakes and offered it to me.

I shook my head and grabbed the block of Darkmilk Salted Caramel instead. “So, there’s no problem with me wearing Elysian full time?”

“Technically, no.” He bit the head off a snake. “I wouldn’t recommend wearing her to bed or even in the shower. She may be in the gray, but the constant interaction with the physicality of this world can put pressure on the spell and even unravel it.”

“Good to know.” I swung her off my back and hooked her over the chair again. “I don’t suppose—when you’ve got your strength back—you could do the same to Nex and Vita?”

“Tomorrow.” He hesitated. “Are we camping out here for the night or heading back to the hotel?”

“Mo wants me here to keep an eye on the maps.”

“You can hardly do that when your eyes are just about hanging out of your head.” A smile tugged at his lips. “Very unattractive it is too.”

“So unattractive that your desire surges through our link?”

“That’s because I’m a man and the body is always more important than the face to certain portions of my body.”

My gaze swept down to his crotch. It was a rather impressive mound, even when seated. “Certain portions seem unimpressed at the moment.”

“Will of steel.” He grinned and popped another snake into his mouth. “Do you want me to head out and grab some camping beds and blankets?”

I shook my head. “I can kip on these chairs easily enough for one night.”

He nodded. “Then do so. I’ll keep watch.”

I wasn’t entirely sure I’d be able to sleep with him watching me, but was nevertheless disappointed when he rose, moved to the other side of the table, and picked up one of the many unchecked scrolls still in the pile.

I rearranged the chairs to form a basic bed shape, then stripped off my jacket to use as a pillow and lay down. Despite the ever-present awareness of Luc, sleep hit hard and fast.

The uncomfortable racing of my heart and a deep sense of wrongness woke me who knew how many hours later.

I thrust upright and looked around quickly. The room lay in darkness. Luc was asleep in a chair, his arms crossed on his chest and his feet up on another chair. I swallowed heavily and scanned the room, looking for changes or flashing runes. Nothing. And yet … something was definitely off.

I stood up, and from the other side of the table came a scrape of movement.

“Everything okay?” Luc asked.

“I’m not sure yet.”

But even as I said that, my gaze was drawn to the map that held the image of the main gate. Whatever I was sensing, it was coming from there.

That surely couldn’t be a good sign.

I walked across, flexing my fingers in an effort to ease the tension. Sparks flew in response, briefly resembling fairy lights that faded as quickly as they appeared.

The main gate wasn’t flashing, but the wrongness was definitely emanating from it.

Luc moved up behind me, his heat pressing into my spine even though he wasn’t touching me. “Is something happening at the main gate?”

“Yes, but I have no idea what.”

I raised a finger and carefully pressed it against the rune. It remained inert, and yet the twisting sense of wrongness grew stronger.

“It’s not opening, but whatever I’m sensing is coming from there.”

“Could it be Mo’s spell?”

“Oh fuck … yes. Max is testing his sword against the gate.” I grabbed my phone out of my pocket, even as the damn thing rang. It was Mo. Heart hammering, I