“I was her Blood. She was my queen. Even though she left the nest and abandoned us, I was still her Blood. Do you know what that did to me? Do you? Imagine the furry pussy cat, here, still craving your blood. Bound to only you. Hungering for you. Unable to feed on anyone but you. But you change your mind and leave. You cut him off. You turn your back on your power and your legacy and everyone who’s sacrificed their entire lives to be at your side. What are they supposed to do then, Shara? Hmm? How are they supposed to live when the very air they breathe is intolerable without your presence?”
I sensed his location near the base of the broken light pole, though I didn’t see any movement. Just a feeling of… emptiness. A negative space that tried to say “nothing to see here.”
“She still loved me,” he whispered, and despite everything he’d done, those broken words moved me. Until he continued. “At first, she would sneak out to me occasionally, when the need became too great. We could no longer share power, and watching her wither was the greatest punishment I’ve ever endured until her death. All because of you, dear Shara. She withered away to nothing for you, and you weren’t even hers.”
My mind knew that. It was the only logical assumption given what I’d learned about Aima and the way they conceived. A human man, no matter how much she loved him, couldn’t have been her alpha. And if she’d been a breeding queen, she would have pulled Blood to her need. Her alpha—surely Greyson, by the way he’d followed her all these years when none of the other Blood had—would have been driven to mate with her. I would have been his child. Certainly not Dad’s.
I wasn’t half human and not exactly full Aima either.
So I couldn’t be Selena’s child.
“Who?” I whispered, my heart breaking all over again. I remembered the night I’d gone to the goddess’s pyramid. Mom had said she’d loved me. I knew that. But she’d lied to me my entire life. She’d died to protect me, and I wasn’t even hers.
“You know who,” Greyson whispered back, cackling beneath his breath. “The nameless one.”
My aunt, or rather, Selena’s sister. “What did she do to have her name erased like that?”
“She had you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Shara
My head ached so badly I honestly thought my skull was going to crack open. It felt like one of the ketars was jammed in my left temple. I reached up, touching my head, but it felt normal. No lump, no blood, just pain. Blinding pain that made my knees buckle.
Alrik caught me against him, lifting me up in his arms. “What have you done to her?” he roared.
“Nothing, nothing at all.”
I forced my head to turn and I saw him, finally, as he stepped out of the shadows. “Think you the ones who wiped out house Isador will be thrilled to know all their efforts to prevent an heir have failed? Let alone this particular heir. They’re very afraid of you, sweetheart. And they should be. Oh yes. We should all be afraid of what Isis has wrought in you.”
Despite the ice pick digging into my skull and stirring up my brains, I asked again, “What do you want?”
He came closer, wrapping one pale, dead hand around the iron bar of the gate. He sucked in a breath, a soft hiss of pain, but he didn’t release it. “I want to be Blood again.”
I blinked rapidly, trying to make my brain work through the pain. He wanted to be Blood. To a queen. Me. Which meant taking my blood.
:No!: Daire roared in our bond, at the same time that Alrik retorted aloud, “Never.”
“Since when does a Blood dictate what his queen can do? Which Blood she can take? When her others come, and they will, my friend, will you tell her no, never, then, too?”
“That’s different.”
“Is it?” Greyson whispered. “Even if he’s a king?”
Alrik trembled, his hands clutching me so hard I couldn’t help but gasp with pain. No one had ever said anything about a king. Only Blood and queens. I had no idea what a king was, but by my Blood’s reaction, I could only assume it wasn’t something he’d be pleased about. But I refused to show my ignorance in front of our enemy.
“Put me down,” I said. My voice was weak, shaking from the headache, but Alrik complied immediately. “Daire, move aside.”
He did, but when I took another step closer to Greyson, they both stiffened. Our bond blazed with urgency, as if they could hold me back with the force of the blood we’d shared.
Greyson was right… and very wrong at the same time. They did not dictate to me. Even though they were sworn to protect me.
I’d been alone for so long. Scared for so long. Having them with me was great. Fantastic. To be able to sleep, without worrying that something would break through the walls or salt lines to get me. Not to have to run at dawn, every day, hoping and praying I could get away before they tracked me down. I was tired of running.
And yes, I loved the sex. The companionship. The intimacy. I couldn’t imagine being alone now.
But if either of them thought that meant I’d be happy sitting back and let others make decisions for me, they were sorely mistaken.
I stepped close enough to lay my hand on top of Greyson’s. My fingers instantly went numb, as if he was sucking my essence through that simple contact. But I didn’t flinch away or show any emotion on my face. Up close, I could see that he used to be a very handsome man, though years of feeding off humans rather than his queen had damaged his appearance. His skin had grayed, sagged, and drawn back tight across his cheeks, making him look like a corpse. His long silver hair was pulled back in a queue at his neck and he had very aristocratic features. Honestly, he looked more like the traditional vampire prince Vlad than either of my Blood. He even wore an old fashioned suit.
“Are you under the same geas that prevents her name from being spoken?”
“The geas affects only the living, so no,” he whispered. “My queen.”
Alrik made a sound like a boulder slowly getting crushed into sand, but he didn’t interfere.
“Tell me my mother’s name, and I’ll reward you. I’ll give you what you seek.”
“Esetta Isador, high queen of Isis.”
“And my father?”
“That was not what you offered, my queen.”
I inclined my head slightly and allowed a smile to flicker on my lips. “But if you know… Would you tell me?” He hesitated, and I knew I had him. “You loved Selena. You watched over her, didn’t you? You only wanted to be with her. I can give you that again.”
“Leviathan,” he whispered roughly, as if each syllable was pulled roughly from his throat by force.
I felt a dead silence in the bond, a icy shock that made my stomach clench with dread. At least they knew that name, so I’d find out why my parentage was such an issue for the Aima court.
“Thank you.” I turned my wrist over, leaving the back of my hand against his fingers on the fence. “You may have your reward.”
He opened his mouth and it took all my will not to flinch back. Long, vicious black teeth tore into my arm. He didn’t have a pair of fangs, but a whole mouthful of teeth like a crocodile. I clenched my lips, refusing to cry out. Blood ran down my forearm in thick warm ribbons and puddled on the ground. He threw his head back, my blood dark on his ghastly pale lips. He paused like that, as if waiting for some great miracle. Only nothing changed. He still looked dead. He still had monster teeth and a skeletal face and he certainly didn’t gleam and glow with power.
He turned accusing eyes on me. “Give me my power. You promised.”
“No.” I jerked my hand out of his grip. “I said you would have your reward. What do you think is a fitting reward for the man who killed the only two people who ever loved me?”
He flung himself at the gate, howling, reaching for me through the bars. I didn’t step back. I didn’t flinch. Instead, I envisioned every drop of my blood inside him catching fire.
His eyes flared wide. He clawed at his face, tearing open the paper white skin. He opened his mouth to s
cream and flames blasted up his throat. His suit caught fire. He fell to the ground, screaming, howling, tearing at himself as if he could release my blood before I managed to kill him.
Because that’s exactly what I intended to do.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Alrik
I learned some very important truths about my queen this evening.
Her first gift from Isis was fire. And Shara Isador was not to be fucked with.
Greyson learned that lesson too as he burst into flame. She stood there, bleeding, until he was only a smear in the snow.
Softly, she asked, “Is he dead? Really dead?”
Daire leaped over the fence and batted one big paw at the stinking heap of ash. :Most definitely.:
“Good.” She turned to face me and swayed slightly. I caught her as her knees gave way. “Then he got what he wanted most of all.”
I carried her inside and up to her bed. I didn’t think the blood loss was affecting her, though she had definitely lost a large amount tonight, between us feeding from her and her ordeal with the thrall. No, she suffered from shock. Mental shock. Through our bond, I could feel the fragile tenderness in her temple where the pain had struck. Someone had intended her harm, or at least tried to stop her from learning anything about her parentage. One of Triune? A queen who wanted the third seat? Who had silenced Dr. Borcht? There was no way to know for certain, at least not yet.
I lay her gently on the bed and transformed back so I could hold her without worrying I might kill her if I sneezed. Daire lapped at her wrist, gently cleaning the jagged skin. Greyson had torn her wrist severely. She’d need a large quantity of blood from us to ensure it healed overnight.
Far from a hardship.
I stretched out beside her and drew her face to my throat. She nuzzled me, but didn’t try to bite. “Who’s Leviathan?”
Daire transformed too, joining us on the bed so we could hold her between us. “Not a who, but what.”
She stared to lift her head, to turn and look at him, so I answered quickly to keep her close. “Leviathan is a…” I hesitated, not wanting to worry her. She sent a hint of fire flooding through our bond, and I couldn’t help but remember the way the thralls had crisped. Though I knew she wouldn’t do that to me. At least deliberately. “Well, you would call him a demon.”
“A great demonic dragon,” Daire added, not so helpfully. “I think he’s even mentioned in the Bible.”
“So I’m not half-human… but half-demon?” Her voice rose. “Is that possible?”
“Anything is possible.”
“Demons are evil. They’re from hell. Right?”
“Triune courts are complicated, and can certainly be compared to hell.” I tucked her tighter against me, as if that alone would protect her. “Demons are closer to Aima than human, and we all come from Gaia. Some simply took a darker path and ended as part of the Skotos court, rather than the Aima court. They’re still Triune.”
“What if he’s right? What if my father was a… a… dragon demon?”
Giving up on feeding her, at least for the moment, I tipped her chin up so I could look her in the eyes. “You’re my queen. I’m your Blood. I don’t give a fuck who your parents are. Nothing has changed between this Blood and his queen.”
Her eyes filled with tears and overflowed, shaking me to my core. I clutched her harder against me, smoothing her hair frantically. “Please don’t cry, my queen. All will be well. I swear it. We will find out the truth of things for you.”
Daire rested his chin on her shoulder. “I should go piss on that pile of charred bones for upsetting you.”
She made a sound, ragged, harsh, and I glared at him. Until I realized that was laughter, not more tears. “Thank you, my Blood.”
I searched her eyes and wiped her tears away. “For what?”
“For wanting me to stay your queen even if I’m half demon.”
“I want you.” My voice rumbled deeper bass, but I didn’t try to lighten my tone. I wanted her to hear and know the truth of my words. “I love you. You’re my life, Shara.”
“Don’t say that,” she whispered, reaching up to cup my cheek. I turned my face into her palm, rubbing on her hand. “If something happens to me, I don’t want you to end up like Greyson.”
I looked at Daire over her shoulder. We didn’t need the Blood bond to agree. I looked back into her eyes and gripped her chin, firmly enough her eyes narrowed a little, her pride bristling. “For one thing, if something happens to you, that means Daire and I are both already dead, happily, because that means we died protecting you. But if goddess forbid something did take you from us, we will follow you in death. We will kill each other before either of us roams the earth like him.”
Her eyes softened. “Let’s hope nothing happens to any of us.”
“Agreed,” Daire said. “And can we also agree that you should tear into Rik and drink your fill from him before you rest?”
“Definitely.” I released her chin and offered my throat. But she only stared at me, her eyes going dark and sad again. “What’s wrong?”
“What if I never get fangs? What if I can’t ever feed from you without some assistance?”
Daire leaned up and bit me so hard I growled at him. The fucking asshole had torn a chunk out of my throat.
“Then it’s my great pleasure to offer my assistance, my queen.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Shara
I walked across moonlit sands toward the golden pyramid. Wind glided over the dunes, a soft whisper of night’s secrets, lightly perfumed with jasmine. Mom stood at the pyramid, staring at me. She moved her mouth, and though I couldn’t hear her words, I knew what she said. “I’m so sorry. I always loved you. So did she.”
She. My birth mother, whose name no one living was allowed to utter.
A man ran across the dunes, effortlessly floating across the shifting sands. Long silver hair fell loose about Greyson’s shoulders, his coat flapping about him like wings. Or maybe that was wings. It was hard to tell. He ran straight to Mom and fell to his knees in front of her. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled his head against her breasts. Their love radiated like a soft glow into the night.
She looked at me, her eyes streaming with tears.“Thank you.”
There were so many things I wanted to ask her, but I wasn’t sure that I wanted the answers. Or that she’d be allowed to tell me, even if she was willing. Had she really loved Dad enough to leave her nest and give up her power? Had she regretted giving up Greyson? Had she really gone to him off and on for years after leaving court?
Had she ever regretted taking me in, raising me as her own?
Before I could ask and shatter the pleasant memories I had of her as my mother, I turned away and walked into the night. The pyramid wasn’t for me tonight. I didn’t feel drawn there.
Suddenly I was in my backyard in Kansas City. Roses bloomed along the fence and the air felt warm and thick like a hot July night. I looked up at the house, and didn’t feel a sense of home or gladness. Even though light spilled through the colored glass window above the front entry, the one I’d loved so much as a child. I didn’t feel drawn here. I didn’t want to stay. Nothing held me here but memories.
I would find my own place of safety. I would build my own nest.
I closed my eyes and tipped my head back, letting the moonlight shine on my face. Spreading my arms, I cast my will out into the night, feeling, seeking anything of interest. I glided through the night on silent wings like a great bird of prey. Something pinged, drawing me south. I looked down at the city nestled in the cliffs and hills and recognized Eureka Springs. I had felt a deep resonance there, as if some part of my heart recognized it, though I’d never been there before.
I landed and walked on bare feet through the woods. Pine needles and snow muffled my steps. The trees parted and a magnificent river stretched out before me, shining in the moonlight like polished silver and frosted glass. Rocky cliffs rose across the wate
r and on top of the steep drop off, a large house sprawled in the trees. Odd medieval-looking towers, many roofs, a jumble of buildings that didn’t really seem to go together. But to me, that was its charm. I took a mental snapshot of the place so I could describe it to Gina. I wanted to find this place and make it my own.
Something came through the trees behind me. Twigs snapping. Pine boughs dropping clumps of soft snow to the ground. A heavy click. The ruffle of massive wings. Something brushed my cheek, soft like feathers.
“I will find you here, my queen.”
I turned my head, nuzzling my cheek through downy feathers. Black, soft, shiny, even in the moonlight. He smelled like blood and magic. Old magic. But not snakes. I didn’t think he was the one I’d dreamed about before. “Who are you, my Blood?”
“Nevarre.” His voice rang like drawn steel, his feathers bristling around me. “But I cannot be your Blood, my queen.”
His accent sounded British, or maybe Australian. I couldn’t tell. “Why not?”
“Because I’m already dead.”
I lifted my head, intending to search his face for answers, but he tightened his grip on me and talons pierced my skin.
The scent of my blood spiked my hunger. I suddenly wanted this man’s blood.
So I opened my mouth and sank razor teeth into him. Not fangs, but many sharp, pointed teeth. Like Greyson’s.
I jerked awake and sat up, panting. Alrik quickly sat up too, his arm going around me, drawing me close. Intensity vibrated through his muscles and I felt him scanning the room, listening for any threat. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
I started to say nothing, but there was something in my mouth. I tasted blood. I spat out the thing in my mouth.
A black feather lay wet on my thigh. Wet with blood.
I shuddered, wiping my mouth. Yes, I still tasted him.
Alrik picked up the feather and smelled it. “A raven.” He took another deep breath. “Druid.” His concern leaked into me. Not even a vampire would take Druid magic lightly. “Did he say anything to you?”
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