“Good, but not spectacular.” Rik scraped diced vegetables into the pan. “I’m not a chef, but I’m a passable cook. We need to start taking you to all the five-star restaurants in the country. That would be fun.”
Her mouth turned down. “Sounds too fancy.”
For me. Though she didn’t say it, I saw it in the way she ducked her head. I glanced at Rik and a muscle in his jaw ticked. “Nonsense. That would give us an excuse to do lots of shopping too. Not just leather jackets, either. Though if you want one in every color of the rainbow, I’m sure that can be accomplished.”
She heaved out a huge sigh, as if I’d told her we were dragging her to the dentist every day for a month. “I don’t need much. Really. I don’t place value on possessions, or fancy clothes. I have simple wants. And I certainly don’t want a bunch of crap slowing us down if we have to make a run for it.”
“You have a rock troll and a warcat at your side now.” Alrik tossed the sauteed vegetables with cooked pasta, added freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and swirled with a little olive oil to finish. “We don’t make a run for it. We stake your territory and then we bleed to keep it.”
I hit the wine fridge and pulled out a nice Pinot Grigio. I wasn’t sure of my queen’s tastes yet, but a crisp blanc would go well with the pasta.
We ate in the breakfast nook in the large kitchen rather than carrying everything to the formal dining room. The housekeeper definitely deserved a raise, even if Ms. Talbott was already paying her handsomely. The wine was fantastic and Rik had managed to find a crusty Italian bread too.
“This is a feast,” Shara said around a mouthful of pasta. “I can’t believe you threw this together in just a few minutes.”
“Simple but good food doesn’t need a lot of ingredients, but I’m afraid I don’t know a ton of dishes. You’ll get tired of pasta pretty quickly.”
“I can grill steaks, chicken, that kind of thing,” I added. “Plus we both can make pancakes and eggs, though my specialty is grilled cheese sandwiches.”
“Sounds good to me, and I want you to teach me so I can contribute.”
I wanted to protest that there was no need for her to cook, but she meant well. She wanted to do her part, and certainly didn’t want us to feel as though we had to wait on her hand and foot.
When that’s exactly what we wanted to do.
“We should also ask Ms. Talbott to find us a personal chef,” Rik said. “Especially as more and more Blood come to your call. It’ll eventually be difficult to keep us all fed without help.”
She buttered a piece of bread and nibbled on the crunchy crust before answering. “I don’t really want us to get that… big. I like it just being us.”
“Which I love, don’t get me wrong, but you need more than two Blood. Both for defense against thralls, and the other queens. It’s a cutthroat court.”
“But if I don’t go to court, why would I ever even see any other queens?”
“Daire’s better at understanding court etiquette than I am. Can you explain?”
I refilled our glasses and leaned back in the chair. “It’s like politics.” She made a sound of disgust that made me smirk. “Every queen has her own court, and yes, there’s jostling for position. The larger her court, the more her power and protection. But the larger her court, the more her Blood and sibs will struggle to gain her attention. All power trickles down from the queen, and naturally, those on the bottom want and need more.”
“We already talked about this. I said I didn’t want a Blood I don’t love and trust, and I don’t want a huge court of people I barely know.”
I took another sip of wine, trying to find the best way to explain. Then I decided to just lay it out on the line. “If you only have two Blood, we’ll love you and you’ll love us, and then we’ll die. Because we weren’t strong enough to hold your position.”
She gasped and Rik shot me a dark look. “He’s exaggerating.”
“No, I’m not. You and I both know it. How many American queens are there? Name them.”
“Our former queen, Keisha Skye in New York City.”
I held up one finger, waiting. I knew he’d have a hard time coming up with any others. America wasn’t known for queens for a very particular reason.
“Leonie. In New Orleans.”
“That’s two.”
“There’s one in Texas, I think. But I don’t remember her name.”
“Even if I give that one to you, I bet you can’t name a fourth.”
Rik didn’t like losing, even to me. “What’s your point?”
“America is still a young country compared to Isis’s kingdom. Most American queens are younger than the queens of the Old World, and thus, weaker. They don’t last long without allying with older, stronger queens. Keisha became Rosalind’s lover for that reason, though they’ll both argue the other is her queen-sib. Everyone leaves Leonie alone because it’s New Orleans and vampires are good for business, but last I heard, the Texas queen had fled back to Mexico.”
“If she has enough Blood…”
I leaned toward him, challenging him with a direct stare. He bristled, as any alpha would, but I wanted him to fight. For me, for her, for us. “Why did you want to leave New York City and look for our own queen, against all hope?”
“You know why.”
I tipped my head toward Shara without breaking eye contact with him. “She doesn’t.”
He stared at me, eyes narrowed, and I tensed, braced for war. No alpha appreciated a blatant challenge—especially in front of his mate and queen. His shoulders squared, his chest and arms bulging as he instinctively tried to intimidate me into backing down. Even when she looked back and forth between us, her brow furrowed with worry.
“Because,” he finally sighed and allowed his shoulders to relax. “There have been rumors.”
I slowly exhaled, relieved that he’d conceded. I’d rather use our energy to please our queen than beat the shit out of each other. “Rumors that some lesser queens have gone into hiding in order to stay under the Triune’s radar, and America is great for hiding. We were allowed to roam around the countryside and see if we could find anyone in need of protection.”
“And you found me,” Shara said. “Wait, allowed? By who?”
Ah, my queen did not like the thought that another had commanded us. “Our queen at the time. Keisha Skye.”
“The New York queen.”
I nodded. “She allowed us to leave with the hope that we’d find a harried, scared minor queen and bring her back into the fold. Her fold, naturally. We wanted to leave to find our own queen, and if she was strong enough, never return. No one expected us to find a lost Isador heir who could someday rival even Marne Ceresa in power.”
Her eyes widened. “I’m that strong? Or will be?”
“Absolutely. If you take more Blood. If you allow them to take sibs under you. Even better if someone like Leonie would consider becoming your ally.” I held Shara’s gaze, letting her see the truth in my words and the decades of court experience I’d honed. I’d known from the beginning I would never be an alpha. I needed other ways to protect my queen, if I ever was so lucky to find one, and so dedicated myself to court politics. “If you do nothing, you’ll be absorbed into another more powerful queen’s territory.”
“Or killed,” Rik said reluctantly. “All of us.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Shara
Great. Just great. The more I learned about the Triune and the other queens, the less I wanted to be a part of it. Which made sense. My own mother had given up her power and fled court to live in exile.
“You don’t have to make any decisions right now,” Alrik said, reaching over to lightly touch my arm. “It’s impossible to know at this point. We have no idea how many Blood will come to you, or how many lost or rogue queens may be secreted away. Goddess knows we had no idea we’d find you in Arkansas of all places.”
“It’s just…” I struggled to find the words to say what I was
feeling.
“It’s a roller coaster.” For once, Daire seemed somber, his eyes dark and solemn rather than dancing with amusement or mischief. “You were alone. Then we found you. And your whole world changed.”
“Yeah.” I blew out a sigh. “Don’t get me wrong—I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
“We blew your mind last night.”
There was his wicked smirk, and yeah, they had totally blown my mind. Remembering made my inner muscles clench. “Maybe I should blow your minds tonight.”
Alrik pushed his chair away from the table, evidently taking that as a signal that we should begin right away. Not that I had a problem with that. At all. Though I didn’t stand, even as Daire joined his friend. They stood, alert, eager, yet also… compliant. It was so strange. I had no idea that two such heavily muscled, powerful, strong attractive men could be so… so…
I couldn’t even think of the word. Submissive wasn’t the right word. They did wait for my command, but it wasn’t like they needed my command. They were just patiently waiting for me to decide when and how.
“Or for you to signal to one of us that we should take over.” Alrik’s voice had gone smoky and low, making my nipples harden.
I picked up my wine glass and stood, slowly, enjoying the way they watched me. “Can someone grab the bottle? I’ve never had wine before and I like it.”
Alrik grabbed the bottle before Daire could, so he grabbed the men’s glasses and stepped back into the kitchen to get another bottle. “Anything else, my queen? Chocolates? Strawberries? I think I saw some fresh ones in the fridge.”
“Maybe later.”
They both watched me, eyes growing heavy with desire. It made me put a little sway in my steps as I headed for the stairs. I glanced back over my shoulder, waiting for Alrik to look up from my ass and catch my gaze. It took him several long moments. “My queen?”
“Is it safe here?”
“Of course. We wouldn’t stay here at all if I felt you might be in danger.”
Daire stepped closer to him, pressing against his side. He draped an arm across his shoulders and whispered—but pitched so his voice would carry to me. “She means is it safe enough for us both in her bed.”
I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but Alrik’s eyes smoldered even hotter. He reached around Daire’s head and fisted his hand in his hair, pulling his head back a little, baring his throat. While he kept his eyes locked on me. “I’ll have to see the bedroom first. See how secure it is. And then our queen can feast on your blood while I fuck you.”
Oh. My. Hot chills raced through me, making me quiver. I should have turned around and led the way as quickly as possible to my room, but looking at them, I couldn’t move.
Alrik came up the stairs and lifted me against him, somehow without sloshing a single drop of wine out of my glass. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pressed my lips to his throat. His pulse pounded beneath his skin and he smelled so good. Hot stone, a hint of smoke, all that power and fury. I wanted to feast on him. On Daire. On them both.
I bit his throat and he let out a rumbling growl of encouragement, but I couldn’t do it. I pressed harder, I envisioned my fangs coming out, sinking into him, and I wanted it. I wanted to penetrate him with my own teeth and taste that first hot salty surge of his blood on my tongue. But my damned human genes wouldn’t let it happen. At least not yet. I made a frustrated sound half way between a growl and a wail.
And Daire was suddenly there. He actually knocked Alrik sideways into the wall with the force of his attack. A bottle of wine went rolling down the stairs. Hopefully that was the one we hadn’t opened yet. I smelled blood. Daire bit him higher, just beneath his ear, and let the blood trail down his throat to me. Sweeter than the wine, better than the food, better than anything I’d ever tasted before. The wound was bigger too, as if he’d torn open Alrik’s throat. So much blood. Surely that wasn’t good for him to lose so much blood…
“We’re Blood. This is what we live for.” Alrik shifted me higher against him. “Daire, go find us a bed.”
Daire licked up what I missed, swiping his tongue across the edge of my mouth and Alrik’s skin, but then he backed away.
Through the bond, I said, :Not my parent’s bed.:
“Which was your old room?”
I closed my eyes, clamping my mouth tighter to Alrik’s throat. My head buzzed as if I’d thrown back half a dozen shots, but I couldn’t get enough of his blood. I didn’t want to lift my mouth and waste a single drop. :Second door on the right, up the next flight of stairs.:
Daire raced ahead, scouting the way, and I felt the moment he entered my old room. Because a dark wall of rage hit me through the bond.
In a few moments, Alrik entered the room I’d grown up in. It was pitch black, but evidently they didn’t need light to see. There wasn’t much to see anyway. Just four walls, the door, and the bed.
I felt the need to try and explain. “It was the only room in the house that didn’t have windows.”
“This is a prison cell.” Daire growled, his voice so feral I could barely understand his words. “Not a bedroom. Especially for a child. Let alone a queen.”
“When I was little and Dad was still alive, I slept with them,” I whispered. “Mom said I never slept well alone. I would cry and fuss until she held me. She had no idea why, until she saw a monster trying to break through the window, tapping on the glass. After Dad died, I slept with her awhile, but as I got older, I really wanted my own space. I actually liked it up here. I called it my tower. The hatch in the roof made me feel like I could escape if I needed to, though I don’t know how I would have gotten off the roof without breaking a leg.”
Alrik leaned down and set me carefully on the bed. He didn’t straighten, but looked me squarely in the eyes. “This is not going to be your nest. We will find a place where our queen may have as many windows as she likes and still feel safe.”
“Deal.” I tried to hold his gaze, but he still bled. It stained his t-shirt, wet cotton sticking to his ripped muscles. Reminding me of the way his body had moved against mine last night. How much strength rolled through that big body of his. “So is this safe enough for me to have you both?”
He pressed his mouth to mine, stroking his tongue between my lips. Tasting his blood on my tongue. I forgot I still held my wine glass, until I felt Daire take it from my hand. He set the other glasses and the opened wine bottle on the nightstand beside the bed. Against my lips, Alrik whispered, “How do you want us?”
I pushed my tongue into his mouth, tasting the wine. Wondering what my blood would taste like on his tongue. “I want what you offered.”
“As my queen commands, so it shall be.”
Alrik
Blood still trickled from my throat. So I put it to good use while I waited for Daire to strip. I wiped fresh blood on the outside of the door in a large X and then shut and locked it. I turned, intending to pace the perimeter of the dark cell of a room, but every thought was wiped from my mind.
Naked on his knees before our queen, Daire was busy helping her remove her clothing. With his teeth. His bare, rounded buttocks a blatant invitation.
I’d fucked him many times over the years that we’d known each other. Out of every Aima I’d ever fed on, I’d fed on him the most, and I’m sure it was the same for him. Losing him would be like losing both of my limbs.
But I didn’t realize that I’d still want to fuck him even after we gained a queen. I’d assumed we’d take turns pleasing our queen and that would be the end. I didn’t realize I’d still want him. On his knees. For me and for her.
I had a moment to wonder if he felt the same way, or if he’d rather serve and please our queen than fuck me too, but then he glanced over his shoulder, that dimple in his cheek and twinkle in his eye telling me exactly what his intentions were.
He’d chosen to go to his knees with his back to me. For a reason.
But I didn’t want to offend or neglect Shara in any way. Huma
n sexuality was fraught with misunderstandings and inconsistencies. They didn’t fuck while they fed. But for us, it went hand in hand, and there were only so many queens. Would she care that I’d be as eager to fuck Daire as herself? Would that make her feel less?
I dragged my gaze from Daire’s tempting backside to check her reaction. Her eyes smoldered, her lush lips parted, and she stared at me, even as Daire pushed her shirt up and nuzzled her stomach. Shrugging off the leather jacket, she stood in order to allow him to work her jeans down her thighs.
I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it aside. Dropped my hands to my fly. Jerked my jeans open. I could feel her holding her breath, waiting, watching, as I pulled my dick out. I gave myself a long, slow pump, watching her pupils dilate.
“Get on the bed, D.”
With typical Daire flair, he did as he was told—but grabbed Shara first and tossed her up on the mattress. She squeaked with surprise, laughing as he fought to get her jeans and shoes off. Her laughter choked off into a groan when he buried his face between her thighs.
Hurrying now myself, I unlaced my boots and kicked off my pants. Her desire rose, simmering through the bond. I knelt on the bed behind Daire and ran my palm down his back.
She looked up, watching as I stroked him. I lifted my wrist to my mouth and tore the skin, letting my blood drip down on his buttocks.
He groaned, arching his back. I spread my blood across his skin, enjoying the splash of red on him. Marking him. But also arousing him to a fevered pitch. He reared back against me, leaving the feast between her thighs to lock his mouth on my wrist. I used that arm to lock him against me, his mouth around the wound, as I slowly slid into him. Since she was watching, I took my time. I pushed in a little, making him groan, denying us both. Sweet fucking torture. He rubbed his hips against me, silently begging, and his teeth dug into my skin.
Queen Takes Knights (Their Vampire Queen Book 1) Page 10
