Page 54 of Queen Takes Queen
Shara lifted her other hand to her temple, her fingers trembling. “I still feel… fragile. Like my head will explode if I move too quickly.” She leaned forward a bit to sit up, but slumped back againstme.
I tucked her head up beneath my chin and wrapped my arms around her, giving her my body heat andstrength.
Guillaume stepped close, knife in hand. “May I feed you, myqueen?”
“I will,” Mayte cut in hurriedly. “Gladly. It’s the least I can do. Zaniyah is ready and willing to swear to House Isadorimmediately.”
Shara looked at her a moment and shook her head. “No. Not yet. I don’t know how I feel about that, especially…” She didn’t finish the sentence, but her meaning wasclear.
Mayte looked at her consiliarius, desperation sharp between them, and yeah. I was fucking glad. They needed to squirm a bit after what they’d done to my queen. Let them worry about facing Skye’s rage alone, now that her geas had been broken. Even hundreds of miles away, Skye would have felt that snap in her magic. I could only hope it’d laid her out coldtoo.
“I want to taste Rik first,” Shara saidsoftly.
I raised my wrist and Guillaume made a neat cut for her, mindful of her dress. I pressed my forearm to her mouth and glared at Mayte and her Blood. Especially her alpha. If Shara decided to take Mayte as a sib, I didn’t want those Blood anywhere near her. They didn’t deserve a single drop of her blood. Not after silently letting her step into a trap of Skye’smaking.
“Why doesn’t she bite to feed herself?” One of the other queen’s Blood whispered to his friend, a little tooloudly.
“Because she doesn’t want him to come until he’s inside her,” Daire said on a rumbling laugh. “Our queen doesn’t like to waste a singledrop.”
She fed a long time, enough that I started to feel a pleasant lassitude flow over me. But I didn’t stop her. I wouldn’t, not in front of these strangers who’d already allowed her to be harmed. Finally she licked the small slit and lifted her mouth, but she wasn’t done yet. In fact, her hunger had grown as she felt incrementally better. Guillaume made a cut on his wrist and offered his blood without a word. She fed from him almost as long again, making Zaniyah’s court uneasy. They whispered among themselves, watching as she went through us one by one, feeding deep and long from each ofus.
Her message was crystal clear, whether she intended to make the point or not. She was powerful enough to feast on seven powerful Blood and bring us to ourknees.
And still needmore.
That was simply how great her need—and her power—was.
Each swallow of our blood strengthened her, yes, but it also increased her confidence and her stature among these new Aima. It wasn’t common for a queen to feed from so many at once, let alone so deeply. She made them all wait while she saw to her need too, as her right as the highest, most powerful queen. When she was done, she didn’t apologize for the delay or ask for dinner to be rescheduled or moved. She simply turned to Gina and held out herhand.
For hercrown.
She placed it carefully on her head and accepted both Guillaume’s and Mehen’s offered hands to stand. She waited a moment, making sure she was steady. Then every inch the proud, regal queen, she looked at Mayte. “My Blood need to eatnow.”
“Of course, of course.” Mayte nodded to Bianca, who hurried out the door clapping her hands and calling out in Spanish. “This way, Your Majesty. Dinner isready.”
Shara turned to me and held out her hand. I wrapped her hand around my arm, folding her close to my side, and led my queen todinner.
Head held high. No more nerves. Shara Isador owned this fucking nest now, and by the goddess, she knewit.
21
Guillaume
It’d beendecades since I’d ridden into a queen’s nest and laid sword to her Blood. But for the first time since being freed of Desideria’s yoke, I burned to kill every single Zaniyah Blood in this nest of my own free will. For once, I relished my reputation. I kept my eyes locked on the queen’s alpha. His head would be mine. Rik wouldn’t mind. He’d told me to take over. And no wonder. I couldn’t imagine what it’d felt like to be trapped on the outside of the nest while our queen succumbed to such atrap.
We paused at an arched doorway leading out to a cobbled plaza. Tables had been set up with colorful lights and lanterns strung between the walls. The low roar of people talking suddenly silenced when they realized their queen had joinedthem.
Bianca called out in a loud voice, “Our queen, Mayte Zaniyah, and her alpha, EztliZaniyah.”
All the people pushed up to their feet and bowed as their queen walked past to take her seat at the ceremonial table against the opposite wall. She stepped up onto the platform and moved behind one of the grand wooden chairs waiting, but didn’tsit.
Bianca looked at me and then Rik, wondering which of us was going to determine the procession. I didn’t wait for Rik to say one way or the other. He’d take control back when he was good and ready. Besides, Rik was young enough he probably hadn’t even seen a formal procession. Me, I’d survived several. “Daire DevanaIsador.”
Daire immediately stepped up beside the other queen’s waitingBlood.
Her eyes widened slightly at his entire family name, but she announced his name in full as I’d given it. “Luis Zaniyah and Daire DevanaIsador.”
“Nevarre MorriganIsador.”
