PRAISE FOR BLACK HOWL
“Another great installment of the Madeline Black series.”
—Urban Fantasy Investigations
“An incredible read from start to finish.”
—A Book Obsession
“An action-packed, sometimes-emotional roller coaster with a well-developed world and truly engaging characters.”
—The Qwillery
BLACK NIGHT
“The Madeline Black series employs a blend of two great common urban fantasy tropes… [and] creates a chemistry that adds new zest to familiar concepts, an energy that I thoroughly enjoy.”
—All Things Urban Fantasy
“Madeline Black is back and super badass in her second installment… If you’re looking for a brilliant urban fantasy with page-turning action, witty dialogue and fun characters—this is your book.”
—Rex Robot Reviews
“Playful and light, yet also adventurous and dark… The bottom line is that if you enjoy adventure stories, you will enjoy this book, especially if you’re a nonstop-action junky.”
—SFRevu
BLACK WINGS
“A fun, fast ride through the gritty streets of Chicago, Black Wings has it alclass="underline" a gutsy heroine just coming into her power, badass bad guys, a sexy supernatural love interest and a scrappy gargoyle sidekick. Highly recommended.”
—Nancy Holzner, author of Darklands
“An entertaining urban fantasy starring an intriguing heroine… The soul-eater-serial-killer mystery adds to an engaging Chicago joyride as courageous Madeline fears this unknown adversary but goes after the lethal beast.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Fast action, plenty of demons and a hint of mystery surrounding the afterlife make for an entertaining urban fantasy populated by an assortment of interesting characters.”
—Monsters and Critics
“Henry shows that she is up to the challenge of debuting in a crowded genre. The extensive background of her imaginative world is well integrated with the action-packed plot, and the satisfying conclusion leaves the reader primed for the next installment.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Readers will enjoy a fast-paced adventure with an interesting cast, especially Beezle, the gargoyle, and be ready and waiting for a future still yet unwritten. Pick up your copy of Black Wings today, and stay tuned for Black Night.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“A fast-paced first novel… Black Wings is a lot of fun.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Henry does an excellent job of unveiling the first layers of her unique world and its fascinating inhabitants. There’s plenty of kick-butt action and intriguing twists to ensure that this story grabs you from the very first page. One to watch!”
—RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
“The story was a nonstop action blast full of smart-alecky gargoyle guardians, devilishly handsome (and enigmatic) love interests, arrogant demons, wicked witches and more jaw-dropping revelations than a Jerry Springer show. I barely had time to catch my breath between chapters.”
—All Things Urban Fantasy
“Fast-paced, action-packed and hard-core—breathing new life into the vast genre of urban fantasy… Black Wings is intense, dark and full of surprises.”
—Rex Robot Reviews
“Amazing… Henry’s pacing is incredible and keeps you absorbed, plus the characterization is fantastic… I strongly urge all you [urban fantasy] fans to get this book!”
—Read All Over Reviews
“I recommend Christina Henry to readers who enjoy the dark humor of Ilona Andrews’s Kate Daniels series and the demon politics of Stacia Kane’s Megan Chase series.”
—Fantasy Literature
Black Lament
For Chris, because you are always there for me
1
LUCIFER PUT HIS ARM AROUND ME. IT FELT COMFORTING, like the act of a parent, a parent I’d always wanted—a father. The air filled with the scent of cinnamon. It reminded me so strongly of Gabriel that the tears that always hovered beneath the surface spilled over.
Lucifer said nothing, only held me as I wept. After a long while, it felt like there were no more tears to be cried. I lifted my head and saw Lucifer watching me with great compassion in his eyes.
“If there is one human emotion I truly comprehend, it is grief,” Lucifer said. “I lost Evangeline and my children so long ago, and I never stopped grieving for them.”
“So it doesn’t stop hurting, then,” I said dully.
“The pain becomes, perhaps, not quite so sharp. In the future, you may find that days may pass when you do not think of him at all, but when you do there will be a tenderness there, like a bruise that has never healed.”
I didn’t need Lucifer to tell me that. A piece of me had been taken forever when Gabriel died. You can’t replace the missing parts of your heart.
Lucifer released me. I felt lost again, empty, except for the flame that burned bright with anger at the thought of Azazel. He would not be able to run far enough.
“Still, all is not lost. Gabriel lives on inside you,” Lucifer said.
“Yes, I’ve heard all the clichés.” I sighed. Beezle and Samiel had been repeating them ad nauseam.
“No, I mean Gabriel really does live on inside you,” Lucifer said. “Here.”
He put his hand on my abdomen, and I looked up in shock.
Far below, deep inside, I felt it.
The beating of tiny wings.
A child. Gabriel’s child. Wonder smothered the grief, just for a moment.
“My grandchild,” Lucifer said.
There was such possessiveness in his voice, in his face, that I pulled away from his touch, covering my stomach with my hands.
“So that’s why you wanted me to marry Gabriel,” I said angrily. “So I can be a part of your supernatural breeding program?”
“That sounds so… indelicate,” Lucifer said.
“And yet still true,” I said.
Lucifer didn’t bother to acknowledge this. Instead, he said, “You and Gabriel are powerful beings born of my line. Your child, no doubt, will be magnificent.”
“You can’t have him,” I said fiercely. “He’s mine.”
Mine and Gabriel’s.
Lucifer took me by the shoulders and kissed me on the forehead. I stayed perfectly still, my hands fisted at my sides, until he released me.
“Careful, my dear. Every time you try to cross me you just get pulled further into my orbit.”
He climbed down the steps of my front porch and walked away down the snow-covered sidewalk. I watched him until he was out of sight, his words echoing inside my head.
Every time you try to cross me you just get pulled further into my orbit.