Page 49 of Queen Takes Queen
I wasn’t the only one impressed. Alice’s eyes were as stunned as mine. She looked at the jewels and then me, a speculative look flickering across her face. She was wondering if I was famous. An actress, maybe, or some minor royal. I hoped we could trust her. Just because she designed fantastic gowns didn’t mean she wouldn’t secretly take a few pictures of me and sell them to a tabloid. If the Triune came asking forinformation….
“These have been in the Isador legacy for centuries.” Gina lifted the necklace from the case. “Just waiting for you to pick out a purpledress.”
The necklace was heavy and cold around my neck. Oh. My. Vanity. The jewels looked incredible. Maybe it was my imagination, but the stones seemed to catch the light and spin purple rays into the air around me. The diamonds glittered even more, sparkling like crazy. Attuned to my body, they seemed to glow with my magic simply because they touched myskin.
“Earrings,” Gina lifted them out. “Clip-on, since they’re soheavy.”
Wow, yeah, super heavy. They caught fire and glowed like purple stars beneath my hair. I tucked the long strands back to admire the earringsmore.
“That’ll be next,” Gina said mysteriously. “Let’s go see what your mensay.”
They already knew what I looked like in the dress. They liked it, a lot, if the bubbling volcano in our bonds was anyindication.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped out from the behind thecurtain.
Gathered in a ring before me, my Blood went down to their knees as one. “Your Majesty, Shara Isador. Long live ourqueen.”
RIK
Iknewmy queen was powerful, beautiful, sexy, confident, gracious, and kind to a fault—as long as you didn’t threaten someone she caredabout.
But seeing evidence of herroyalty…
It felt like Guillaume’s hell horse had kicked me in the chest with both rear hooves, while Daire had jerked the rug out from underme.
On my knees, I could only stare up at her, and praise every goddess who’d had a hand in creating her in this world, and allowing me to serve at herside.
Gina motioned to someone behind us—another sign of how shell shocked we were by our queen’s magnificence, that another approached without our knowledge. Luckily, it was several women who then swarmed upon Shara with brushes and clips andcosmetics.
“Not too much makeup,” Gina warned. “Emphasize her eyes and lips, but her face should look natural andflawless.”
“Her skin already glows,” one of the women said. “I’ve never seen anything quite likeit.”
Because she had never seen a born Aima queen full ofpower.
They twisted and tucked Shara’s long hair into a loose pile of curls on top of her head that managed to look messy and completely natural, while baring her throat and letting the jewelssparkle.
“Now, the crown,” Ginasaid.
Shara’s head whipped around. “Whatcrown?”
“You’re the queen of Isador. Of course there’s a crown. Several, in fact. But since you’re the last Isador queen, you’re entitled to wear Isis’scrown.”
Turning a large square case away from her, Angela opened it and Gina reached inside, pulling out a heavy golden crown with sweeping horns holding a red disk in thecenter.
“I saw Her wearing that,” Shara whispered. “I can’t… I mean, it’s…” She swallowed, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears. “It’s Hers. I’mnot…”
“She gave this to Her line,” Gina insisted, holding the crown reverently. “I brought the other crown She also wore, if you’d rather see it. It looks more like a throne. This one…” She hesitated, her eyes hardening, her mouth firming to a hard slant. “I know the red may clash, but it’s the sun. Afterhisattack on you, I thought you’d want to wear the crown that shows the sun isHerglory. Nothis.”
Ah, Shara liked that thought. Her chin tipped up and she nodded. Gina stepped behind her and carefully set the crown on her head, adjusting her hair so that the heavy gold was cushioned and balanced on herhead.
She already glowed with power and beauty, a goddessincarnate.
But with that crown on herhead…
I, Isis, am all that has been and is and shallbe.
If I’d still been standing, I would have fallen to my knees. How could any man stand before such power? Daire took it one step more and stretched out on his stomach, neck straining to keep his eyes on her. Guillaume followed suit, and I remembered how he’d lain face down on the floor when he first saw her. Nevarre and Xin went next, easily, but Mehen and Ezra stared at each other a moment, daring the other to go first, and then both lowered to their stomachs at the same time, smoothly, asone.
