“Right,” I said. “So I’ve got no leverage.”

“Other than the fact that you are of Lucifer’s bloodline,” a little voice growled.

I looked down to see that Beezle had finally woken up and was struggling out of my pocket. The two wolves who had not met Beezle before looked shocked that the inanimate object in my jacket was talking.

“So nice of you to join us,” I said.

“You think that just because I’m asleep I can’t hear what’s going on?” he said, finally managing to extract his squat lower half from my pocket. “I’m a gargoyle. We can hear everything, even when we’re stone.”

“It’s not the sleeping that would impair your hearing. It’s the snoring,” I said sweetly.

“Fine, if you’re going to be that way, then I won’t tell you my brilliant plan.”

I rolled my eyes. “So sorry, Beezle. Now spill.”

He hesitated for a moment, like he was going to make me apologize further. But Beezle’s desire to have his intelligence admired from all angles overrode his injured pride.

“Amarantha wants leverage over Lucifer, right? That’s why she wants a child of his bloodline,” Beezle said.

“Yes. Although I’m not sure that wouldn’t backfire on her,” I said thoughtfully. “The two courts would be tied together irrevocably.”

“Right,” Beezle said. “So it’s your job to convince her that having Gabriel’s kid would put her at a disadvantage, and then offer your services to her instead.”

“Services?” I said. “Not the kind of services she wants Gabriel to provide?”

“Get your mind out of the gutter. No, you offer yourself as a kind of soldier when she wants backup.”

I could see a lot of problems with this plan. “First of all, I’m not a mercenary. Second of all, Lucifer probably would not be too happy if I allied myself with Amarantha, even temporarily. Third of all, having an extra hammer around to wield is nothing compared to having a tie of blood, even if that hammer is one of Lucifer’s.”

Beezle crossed his arms grumpily. “So what’s your brilliant plan, then?”

“To do whatever it takes to get Gabriel back.”

Wade looked at me speculatively. “Be careful. You wouldn’t want Amarantha to know that. She is excellent at taunting you with what you most desire.”

“And she’ll make you bleed for it in the process,” J.B. added.

A little pain was nothing if it meant getting Gabriel away from the queen’s clutches.

Amarantha wasn’t pleased with me at the moment, but surely she wouldn’t refuse an audience with her son.

“J.B., do you think you could get me in to see your mom?”

He looked troubled. “If that’s what you really want.”

What I really wanted was to be at home again with Gabriel and Beezle and all of this court nonsense forgotten.

“That’s what I really want.”

Even if I had to bleed to get it.

14

THE WOLVES CLEARED OUT WHEN J.B. AND I LEFT FOR Amarantha’s rooms. It would look too much like we were ganging up on the queen if we all went. Also, I was hoping that in the privacy of her rooms and away from her courtiers, she would be more reasonable.

Although I wasn’t holding out a ton of hope.

“Where’s Nathaniel this morning?” J.B. asked casually as he led me toward the wing of the castle that held the family rooms.

“Probably licking his wounds,” Beezle sniggered.

I glared at Beezle, who was perched on my shoulder again.

“So he’s the one who hit you,” J.B. said. “I thought so.”

“Nobody said that.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I took care of it, okay? So there’s no need to go all manly about it,” I said.

J.B. looked like he wanted to argue, but then closed his mouth. “Fine. I respect your ability to take care of yourself.”

I looked at him, shocked. I was so accustomed to everyone treating me like a helpless idiot that it was both surprising and refreshing to hear J.B. acknowledge that I was neither.

“You did survive Ramuell on your own, after all,” he said.

“She did not,” Beezle argued. “She got her human heart torn out.”

“Am I here or what?” I said crossly. “That constitutes survival.”

“The queen’s private chambers are at the top of this flight of stairs,” J.B. said. “I’ve sent a message ahead for Violet to expect to receive us.”

“And Violet would do just anything for you, Jonquil,” I said.

He looked at me mildly despite the provocation. “If you’re going to go all gooey-eyed whenever Gabriel is in the room, then you have no right to act jealous if I’m with another woman.”

I glanced down at the floor, properly chastised. “Point taken.”

“But I’d still prefer you to anyone in the world.”

I looked up, pleased and confused, which was the way I often felt around J.B. I smiled, but we had reached the top of the stairs. J.B. knocked on the door and Violet let us in, giving me a sideways glare.

“I did not expect Ambassador Black to accompany you,” she cooed.

“She needs to have a word with my mother,” J.B. said. “I thought I could speak with you in private while they did that.”

Violet glowed with pleasure at the thought of some private conversation with the prince. She left us in the receiving room, which looked a lot like Amarantha’s receiving room downstairs, and went into an inner chamber to consult with the queen.