Page 78 of Queen Takes Queen
"Are you going to kill the badqueen?"
I checked Mayte's face again to gauge how much she shielded her daughter and how open I should be. By the hard, fierce look on her face, I decided to tell her child the truth. "Yes, I'm afraid so. None of us will be safe until Ido."
Xochitl wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her cheek to mine, and I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I would kill anyone who threatenedher.
"Good. She made Mamacry."
I handed her back to Mayte. "Well, we can't allow that to happen again, canwe?"
"Please, sit, be comfortable." Mayte gestured to the chairs. Rik pulled mine out for me, and Gina passed a leather portfolio folder containing the contract we'd drawn up toBianca.
The consiliarius read the summary page, looked up at me, eyes round, mouth hanging open. "This is unprecedented. Are yousure?"
Taken aback, I looked at Gina for help. She'd drawn it up for me. I trusted her guidance implicitly, and I had a very hard time thinking she'd made a mistake. "Isn't everything inorder?"
"Well, yes, but...But..."
Mayte was looking a little pale around the mouth. Tepeyollotl pulled a chair out for her and helped her to sit. He looked at me with disgust, as if I’d called his queen a filthy name, and then turned a hard look on my alpha. His tattoos shimmered and moved on his skin, forming into spots. His jaguar. He bared his teeth at Rik and clenched his hands intofists.
I couldn't blame him for being upset that she wasupset...
But what had we done that was sohorrible?
Bianca passed the folder to Mayte. She scanned the page and then sat back in her chair. Hard. Even paler. When she started to cry, I felt worse than the lowest worm I couldimagine.
"Mama, Mama." Xochitl squeezed her neck and puckered up too. "Don't cry. The pretty queen said you wouldn't cryagain."
If the little girl started to cry, too, then I was walking out of here without lookingback.
Mayte hugged her and kissed the top of her head. "This is a good cry, precious. I'm just... shocked. I can't..." She closed her eyes and squeezed her daughter tighter. "Everything's going to be all right now. Everything. Ipromise."
Rik squeezed my shoulder.:I think she expected you to takeeverything.:
A small sound of surprise escaped my throat, and Mayte looked up atme.
"You don't even realize what you've done, do you? No. I can tell by the look on your face. At most, I hoped that you would allow me to keep my nest and continue to provide for my court as Zaniyah has done for hundreds of years. But I never really thought itpossible."
"Why would I take your home? I have a home. I have a nest. I don't wantyours."
"It's your right to demand anything of me now. Anything at all. Do you think Keisha Skye would have allowed us to stay here as an independent court? A nest of power separate from her stronghold in New York City? Of coursenot."
I was starting to be offended myself. Her shock, her tears. Why had she asked for my help if she truly thought I'd take her home from her? "I thought we'd already established that I'm not Keisha Skye. So why is he glaring at me like he's going to eat me forlunch?"
Mayte took Tepeyollotl’s hand and tugged him down beside her. "She's not only letting us keep everything, but she named Xochitl an Isadorheir."
"What does thatmean?"
Gina passed a heavy golden pen to Bianca. "It means that if my queen never has an heir of her own, your daughter will inherit the entire Isadorlegacy."
"I don't care about gold," the man grunted. "I only care that my family is safe and happy. For a moment, I thought we were going to have a chance to see how well Isador's alpha fought in hand to handcombat."
"And you're allowing this as the Isador consiliarius?" Bianca askedGina.
My eyebrows arched but I bit my tongue. Gina laughed, shaking her head. "My queen does as she will, but yes, I do support her in this decision. My queen would never take another queen's home or legacy. I knew better than to even suggest such a thing when we were writing up thisagreement."
"I lived most of my life without access to the legacy. I could live without it now if I hadto."
Rik squeezed my shoulder harder and his voice rumbled through me. "Not happening, my queen. You deserve every luxury and benefit the legacy will provide toyou."
