“Queen?” The man asked. “Like ‘Your Majesty?’”
“Yes. He called her that. He even went down on his knees at one point. And she spent…” The sales woman’s eyes widened, catching herself before blurting out an amount. “A lot. We’re supposed to deliver it today.”
“The hell you are,” I retorted.
“I gave her our address,” Daire said.
“Fuck. The last thing we need right now is a bunch of curious reporters spreading tales about a queen in Kansas City.”
“We’d better call Gina.”
The doorbell rang. Daire checked through the peephole before opening the door to the very person we’d been talking about. She saw the television on and nodded. “Good. You’ve seen. Has she?”
“Not yet.” My first reaction was to send Daire to knock on the door, but that was ridiculous when I had a bond with her. I just hesitated to intrude when she was obviously upset and needed some space, and Daire’s lighter personality might be more welcome than mine. :My queen.:
:Yes?:
Her emotions felt calmer in the bond. She’d mentioned a bath before too. Evidently the hot water was definitely something I needed to be sure she indulged in when she was upset and stressed out. However, she was still worried she might never be the queen I expected her to be, which was nonsense. I had no expectations other than she take my blood whenever she wanted. I let her feel that shining in the bond, though I didn’t say the words. :We have a situation. Gina’s here to discuss.:
Mentally she sighed. :I’ll be right there.:
2
Shara
A situation. Hmmm. That didn’t bode well. Maybe somebody saw us driving off the monsters last night? Or me lighting up a person on fire?
Not a person, I reminded myself, though my conscience twinged.
I pulled on my tattered jeans, wincing at the stains. I really needed to do laundry. That was one benefit of working at hotels so often. I’d been able to get my things washed for free.
The washer and dryer were down in the basement. I hadn’t been down there since I’d finally broken out of the safe room. I didn’t really want to see it. I didn’t want to remember.
Bracing myself, I carefully tapped my period blood. My nerves lit on fire, my hair shooting up with energy, but I managed a quick power wash of my clothes and then let the energy go. Whew. Intense. My hair had instantly dried but looked like I’d crimped it in a waffle iron. Rather than try to do anything else with it, I pulled it back in a ponytail. I checked my pocket and then dug around in my messy bag until I could find my pocketknife. I just felt better when I had a weapon on me, even if it was a small one.
:You have two formidable weapons at your disposal at all times.:
I’d forgotten he was probably eavesdropping through the bond. At that thought, I felt a sense of withdrawing from me. He truly was trying his best to deal with my prickly pride and grumpy mood and he certainly didn’t want to “eavesdrop.” Which implied a violation of privacy.
Rather than say anything, I reached through the bond and pressed against him in a mental hug, picturing my arms around his neck, my face on his throat. Even though that instantly made my stomach knot with hunger. And started the cycle of emotional turmoil all over again.
Giving myself a mental shake, I went downstairs to see what was wrong. Daire handed me a cup of coffee and I curled up in the corner of one of the leather sofas. “Good morning, Gina. What’s brought you over here so early?”
“Early?” She laughed as if I’d told a joke. “It’s nearly noon.”
I shot a glare at Daire. He’d told me it was six o’clock. He flashed that dimple and I instantly forgave him.
“Ever since you disappeared five years ago, I’ve had a team mining all local news stories that we could get our hands on that had anything to do with a ‘monster’ or unexplained and creepy events. I hoped we’d be able to find you that way, but you were always one step ahead.”
“I had to be,” I muttered, trying not to remember. Running, always running. Knowing where the closest bus stop was. Never unpacking. Never feeling safe.
Gina unfolded a large map and spread it out on the table, using the corner of the legacy box that I’d totally forgotten about to hold down one side. “Everything we felt was at least a seventy-five percent chance of being a thrall sighting, we plotted on the map. It’s pretty interesting when you look at several years worth of data.”
I leaned forward, cradling the warm cup in both hands. At first all I saw clumps of red dots, mostly centered around New York, New Orleans, and Dallas. The locations of the three other known American queens. “Wow, so the other queens are attacked regularly too? I guess I thought I was the only one, that it was a sign of my weakness.”
Alrik sat down beside me. Too close, actually, but I wasn’t about to complain. He felt too good pressed against me. “You were never weak. You just hadn’t come into your power yet. And yes, thralls are drawn to the nearest queen, not necessarily the weakest. That’s why I wanted to follow thralls, in the hope that we’d find a queen who was alone and in hiding.”
The center of the map was scattered with red dots with no discernible pattern. Unless you knew I’d been on the run in mostly the Midwest. Of course there were many in Kansas City, but the stickers had faded a bit and were a slightly different dye lot. There hadn’t been an attack in Kansas City in years.
Until I noticed a bright new sticker smack dab in the southern portion where Stuller should be.
“You’re still plotting the sightings.”
“Of course,” Gina said. “And more importantly, I would be surprised if the other conciliari were not doing exactly the same thing. So they will be quick to note last night’s events.”
“We made the news?”
“Oh yeah.” Daire hit play and allowed me to watch the tape. “I’m expecting the nice talkative saleslady to show up here anytime with the bill and hopefully no cameras and reporters.”
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing I saw where I want to move last night.”
Gina’s eyes lit up. “Excellent, I can’t wait to assist you in procuring a nest, but you don’t have to move if you don’t want to.”
“The last thing we want is to end up on the news. I mean, isn’t there some Triune law against that sort of thing? If not there should be.”
“The Triune definitely would not look favorably upon a major news story featuring the Aima, but some coverage is unavoidable in this day and age. It’s not the end of the world and you certainly don’t have to leave if you’re not ready.”
“What do you recommend?”
Gina tipped her head. “That depends on you. Will you want to retain this home in the future and return occasionally? Or would you rather sell it outright and distance yourself from this location?”
My immediate thought was to sell it, but I didn’t answer right away. I took several sips of my coffee, thinking. I had some good memories here, but I didn’t have to keep the house to preserve those memories. There were painful ones, too. Every time I looked down at the back entrance to the park, I’d remember my parents’ deaths.
And it was ridiculous to own more than one big house.
Daire made a low snarky sound, drawing my attention. “You already own more than one big house.”
“I do?”
Gina’s eyes widened. “Oh yes. We’ve invested in property all over the globe for generations. You’d be hard pressed to go to a major city in Europe or Asia and not have your own home ready and waiting.”
“Ready? And waiting? Like this?”
“Of course. If the Triune calls, you would need to go immediately, and there won’t be time to set up and open a house. They’re all fully stocked with goods and perfectly maintained, ready for occupants at a moment’s notice. Some are large enough that they’re staffed all year around.”
“You worry,” Alrik whispered against my ear, his voice low and rumbling like thunder. “My queen does not worry. You shou
ld have all the houses you could ever desire.”
His voice thrummed a chord inside me. My mouth ached, but that only pissed me off, because I wanted what I couldn’t have. For whatever reason, my fangs hadn’t come in. They may never come in. So the knife-thrust of hunger deep in my gut was torture, pure and simple.
I pushed away that longing, hardening my voice. “I guess I’ll keep it, then.”
“Very well,” Gina replied. “My next question, then, is whether you care to be a bit of a celebrity, or if you’d rather hide in obscurity when you visit this house. Because we can let her think you’re a minor royal princess from some obscure country… or you can lock the doors, draw the blinds, and post security to run her and anyone else off.”
I didn’t have to think about this one. “I’ve been hiding all my life. I’m sick to death of it.”
She grinned. “Then let’s have some fun with our nosy salesperson.”
3
Shara
Gina gave me her laptop to search for the house I’d dreamed about while she made a few calls. It didn’t take me long to find the manor house in Eureka Springs, situated on a beautiful river with forty acres of Arkansas forest.
It was for sale, of course. Because when a goddess sends you a dream house…
You can damned well expect to find it available for purchase.
Though the price tag made me choke.
She looked over my shoulder. “Oh, excellent. Nice size, nice location. I’ll have Angela look up the history on the place, see how long it’s been on the market, and make the offer today.”
“How long will it take? A few months?”
She laughed and patted me on the shoulder. “Oh honey, I see that I still have some impressing to do. Give me a few minutes and I’ll let you know.”
She walked over to the fireplace and started talking on her phone.
I turned my attention back to the real estate listing for my house.
My manor.
It was insane and awesome. Medieval towers rose above the trees and the main house had a Gothic castle feel. The pictures of the inside were just as cool. Rich, old wood paneling, hand-carved stair cases, huge stone fireplaces, and the master bedroom…
The ceiling soared two full stories above with exposed century-old rafters. I could already picture a huge bed beneath those rafters. Maybe two big beds pushed together… And candles. Lots of candles. And maybe something ridiculous like silk sheets and satin pillows and fur.
Nah. I had Daire’s fur to stroke.
Alrik stood beside me and somehow managed to swing a leg around me, sliding in behind me so he could cradle me against him.
I shot a wary glance at Gina, unsure what she’d think of such intimate contact.
“She won’t care,” he murmured against my ear. “She’s served queens before. She’s served breeding queens before. She knows how hard it is for me to sense your need and not do anything about it.”
“I don’t need anything right now.”
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. We both knew I was lying through my very human teeth. Need crawled through me, a clawing, desperate hunger.
Lightly, he stroked my arms, but otherwise he didn’t touch me, at least with his hands. His thighs pressed against me on either side, his dick hard against my buttocks, throbbing every once in a while to make sure I was paying attention. But he didn’t rub it on me.
His scent made my mouth water. I wanted his skin and muscle in my mouth. A good solid grip. I wanted to sit back and look down at his gorgeous body stretched out in my bed and see toothmarks all over him.
Not rings of human teeth.
But punctures.
I swallowed the drool pooling in my mouth and concentrated on the pictures. A huge formal dining room held a heavy antique table that could probably seat twenty.
Twenty Blood. All like him and Daire.
I leaned back more fully against him, and he wrapped himself around me. Literally, it felt like I was wearing him, a heavy man-sized cloak of heat and muscle that enveloped me.
Gina hung up and stepped back, a huge smile on her face. He was right—she didn’t bat an eye at him cradling me between his thighs. “Marissa’s on her way to Arkansas this very moment. The house should be officially yours by five tonight.”
My mouth fell open. “Today?”
“Money moves mountains. The seller was eager to accept our offer and the place was already vacated. Marissa will hire a general contractor as soon as she lands and take a crew out to make sure the house is in good condition. Evidently it’s been empty for awhile, so it might need some repairs. Otherwise, you can take possession as soon as you’re ready.”
I didn’t know what to say. I actually teared up a little. To have someone move those mountains for me was incredible. To have the money to do what I wanted on a whim…
“She’ll need a full staff,” Daire said. “Would the housekeeper here be willing to move with us? Because she fucking rocks.”
“He, actually. Timothy Winston, a very British butler, who has told me countless times that he misses having people to serve, rather than just keeping the house in order. I’m sure he would love to formally take charge of your household. With a nest so large, you’ll need an appropriate staff, and Winston has the experience to manage them for you. He doesn’t have family of his own and has worked for the Isador house for the last forty years. ”
I frowned. “Forty years? The poor man should retire!”
“The people who work for Isador do so for many reasons. Most of us have a touch of Aima blood that improves our longevity and health. As my grandmother attests, some of your staff will work right up to one hundred happily. They live to serve, and of course, they’re very well compensated. More, though, most of us have a deep sense of loyalty to your family and house. Our families have worked for your family for generations. We take care of each other. We know things are… different. So thralls creeping around don’t bother us.”
As she talked, Daire came toward me. I thought he was going to sit on the couch beside us, but he dropped to the floor and wiggled around until he had his butt planted between my feet. He leaned back against my knees, worming his way deeper between my legs, which pushed me wider against Alrik. So in the end, he was between both of our legs.
And I was sandwiched between them.
Two glorious walls of muscle and heat.
Gina’s lips quirked. “Neither do Blood hanging all over their queen.”
“The newest Blood is close.” Daire’s voice rumbled with the deep purr of his warcat. “Just making sure he knows his place.”
I closed my eyes, feeling for this new man’s location. The deep glow of his red lit the tapestry, the thunder of hooves loud, like a heartbeat. “Where’s that?”
Alrik tightened his thighs on me, which pressed me tighter to Daire. “A better way to phrase it would be to say so he knows where his place is not. His place is not at your back.”
Daire let out a growling purr. “And not between your thighs.”
4
Daire
I wanted to shift to my warcat, but I didn’t want to appear defensive, rude and jealous, especially when Rik was taking a new Blood so well.
He didn’t have as much to lose as I did. He already knew he was alpha.
I had no idea how far down the ladder I’d fall as our queen took more Blood. Fucking hell. I didn’t even know if I’d be allowed to sleep with her and Rik once more Blood came to her call.
My throat tightened and I fought down the warcat. He’d only pace and claw and roar at this new Blood, and upset Shara. So instead, he paced and clawed inside me so hard I could barely breathe.
From the throaty roar of the engine, the man had the pedal pressed to the floor as he drove up the street. Yeah, I’d flown to her side too. As soon as I’d felt her. I couldn’t fault him for screeching to a halt outside. The iron gate wouldn’t keep him from her, even if Gina had locked it shut behind her. He’d just vaul
t over it. Easy.
“What do I say?” Shara whispered, her thighs trembling against my shoulders. “Is there a handbook for this?”
“Talk to him as you did us,” Rik replied. “Gauge your interest in him, and his willingness to be loyal to you. You’ll feel it. You’ll know.”
“And if you need to taste him first, I’ll be happy to draw his blood for you.” I regretted the words as soon as they were out of my mouth. I sounded too weak. Too eager. Too desperate. I hated it.
Gina moved to the door. “Should I let him in?”
“Hold on.” Shara wrapped her arms around my neck, her chin on top of my head.
Then she stroked my bond.
Her mind reached into me, moonlight and rainbows, sweet jasmine on a gentle night’s breeze. She touched my hissing, furious warcat and he rolled over on his back and purred, winding like fur through our bond.
The man thumped at the door hard enough it shook the entire wall.
“Not yet,” Shara said absently, reaching deeper.
I knew she could see my fear. I didn’t try to hide it. I couldn’t hide anything from my queen, not if she was determined to find it. Her hand cupped my chin and she pulled my face around so she could look into my eyes.
“You’re not going anywhere.” She spoke softly, but her words rang with power, binding me to her. I saw us in bed with Rik, him at her back, me wrapped around her and him. Cat or not. She didn’t care. She wanted me there. She made me feel it. She showed me the aching hole in her heart if I wasn’t there with her.
“Let him in,” she said to Gina, but then she leaned down and pressed her mouth to mine.
I sank into her, willing her to take me. Use me. Drain me. Whatever she needed. I would give it. Gladly. I would knock out my fangs and give them to her so she could feed.
Queen Takes King (Their Vampire Queen Book 2) Page 2
