Page 69 of Queen Takes Queen
Mehen opened up the wardrobe. "If you want us to dress in formal wear, we should ask Zaniyah if we can get a few thingspressed."
"No formal wear. But I do want you all to look mean and formidable. Something in black. I don't care if it's jeans, but black head to toe." The she looked at me and smiled. "Except you,Nevarre."
"I havepants..."
She shook her head. "You know I love thatkilt."
Daire gave me a dark look and tossed his hair back over his shoulder. He'd been pouting about my kilt ever since she called me the night she sealed thenest.
"You don't have the knees for it," I said tohim.
He snorted and pulled some black jeans out of his bag. "I don't think it's your knees she's lookingat."
I pulled on a plain black T-shirt with the kilt, thick socks, and my heaviest combat boots. The rest of Blood pulled on black jeans and similar shirts. Rik put on a pair of black cargo pants, but Mehen put on leather pants and a silky black shirt unbuttoned midway down. Daire laughed athim.
Until Shara slipped her hand inside Mehen's shirt and stroked the gleam of scales in hisskin.
Someone tapped lightly at the door and Guillaume called, "It's a young woman to help with your makeup, myqueen."
"Okay, let herin."
The young woman hesitated at the bedroom door, as if shocked to be allowed so deep into the queen's quarters. Her eyes widened as she looked around the room at all of us standing around our queen, still in protect mode even though we were dressing. Then she saw the blood splattered all over the sheets and a pink blush stole across hercheeks.
A minor sib, I decided. She knew what queen's blood meant. Especially on thebed.
"Your Majesty, I'd be honored to help you with hair and makeup, if you'dlike."
"Of course, thankyou."
Rik pulled a wooden chair out from the small desk in the corner for Shara to sit down in, and the woman set towork.
"A light touch, please. It's too hot for much make up. And something simple with myhair."
"Though it should be up," Gina added. "The back of the dress won't carry the same impact if it's half hidden by yourhair."
Sitting there, Shara fidgeted a little as the woman brushed her hair. My queen wasn't used to having people take care of her. She smoothed the skirt and her eyes suddenly lit up. "Pockets! A dress withpockets!"
I shared a confused look with Daire, not sure what the big deal was. He went to a tattered, faded bag that no one had touched yet, and pulled out a small pocket knife that he slipped into his pants.:I'll carry your knife for you until she's gone:he whispered toher.
Her eyes welled up with tears.:Thankyou.:
:Why is she sad?:I asked Daire softly, trying not to let her hear mywords.
:She's not sad. She's touched that we still carry her bag for her and that I remembered she likes to have her knife on her. Even if she's wearing adress.:
I looked at the faded bag, horrified that it was my queen's. It looked like something that'd been tossed in a corral with a flock of sheep for the winter. I'd known she wasn't raised in a nest, but I hadn't realized the extent to which she'd been deprived of a queen'slifestyle.
:With no idea of what she is, she survived alone, on the run, with no legacy or protection, for fiveyears.:
Now it was my turn for my eyes to well up with tears. Two years ago, I'd lost my Brigid. I, too, had been alone and on the run in a way. Though I knew what I was, and had enough power to not starve or fear for my life, it'd still been a miserableexistence.
That my queen had sufferedso...
:Intolerable.:Rik growled softly in ourbond.
And all the other Blood nodded withagreement.
SHARA
