Free Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep Page B

kept reaching out with my psychometry, trying to go even further back into Jason’s thoughts, but there was nothing left but darkness. So I went forward, sorting through all of the images and feelings again, but there was nothing new. Just the same memories I’d seen before of me and Oliver chasing him; his last, awful act of poisoning himself; and the blaze of hot, pulsing, agonizing pain that had followed. After a few more seconds, even those thoughts and feelings faded, and I knew I wouldn’t learn anything else from the dead boy.
    I opened my eyes, dropped Jason’s cold hand, got to my feet, and stalked back toward the steps. By this point, Daphne, Carson, and Alexei had joined Oliver, and the four of them followed me as I hurried up the steps, toward the side door, and back into the library.
    “Gwen?” Daphne asked. “Slow down and talk to us. You’re acting like a crazy person.”
    I let out a hard, brittle laugh. “Crazy? You haven’t even seen my crazy yet. And neither have the Reapers.”
    Pink sparks of magic exploded out of the Valkyrie’s fingertips like fireworks, letting me know how worried she was about me. She bit her lip and fell in step beside me.
    “You took a big risk touching the Reaper like that,” Oliver said, his voice cold, clipped, and angry. “I told you before that we didn’t know what other kind of poison he might have on him. But you went ahead and did it anyway, Gwen, just like you always do. And for what?”
    I stopped and whirled around so that I was face-to-face with him. “For Nickamedes . That’s who I did it for. Just like I would do the same thing if it had been any one of you lying poisoned on the floor instead of him.”
    Oliver winced, but he wasn’t done arguing with me. “Your killing yourself by being reckless isn’t going to help Nickamedes.”
    “I’m not killing myself,” I snapped. “I am trying to figure out what sort of poison the Reaper used. And if I have to be reckless to do it, well, so be it. All that matters to me right now is saving Nickamedes. So you can either help me, or you can stay the hell out of my way. Which is it going to be, Spartan?”
    Oliver took in my tight, balled fists, my stiff shoulders, my narrowed eyes, my flushed face. After a moment, his gaze softened with understanding.
    “All right,” he said, holding his hands out to his sides in a placating gesture. “All right. You win. You just—you worry me, Gwen. You worry us all.”
    I looked at my friends. Daphne and her crackling shower of pink sparks. Alexei and his stoic, impassive features. Carson and the concern that blackened his dark eyes. Oliver and the tension that tightened his face.
    I drew in a deep breath to calm my anger and slowly let it out. “You’re right. It was reckless. I’m sorry I scared you, but it was the only way I could think of to figure out what kind of poison the Reaper used.”
    “And did you figure it out?” Carson asked, peering through the snowflakes that had stuck to the lenses of his black glasses.
    “Not yet,” I said. “But I’m going to. Now, come on. We’ve got work to do.”

Chapter 8
    My friends and I went back to the main part of the library. By this point, the Protectorate guards had moved Nickamedes out from behind the counter and laid him down on top of one of the study tables. The librarian’s eyes were still closed, and his face was peaceful, like he was taking a nap—but I knew better. Metis was standing by his side, holding his hand in hers. Once again, the golden glow of her healing magic enveloped them both. I watched them for a second longer, then moved past them.
    I went back around the checkout counter, plopped onto my stool, and logged on to the library’s computer system. Vic was still propped up next to Nyx’s basket. The sword’s purplish eye snapped open, and he regard me with a serious expression, but he didn’t say anything. Nyx had curled up in her basket once again, and she raised her head and let