Page 20 of Queen Takes Rook
The cobra. Our queen.
:It was awful,:Daire whispered, his mental voice shaken.:But it wasn’t done so she could revel in his pain. If Skye had this power, you know she’d be pumping every male she could get her hands on with venom. But that’s not Shara. She’ll do what needs to be done, even if it’s terrible, because she’s one fucking badass queen and she’ll do anything to keep her family safe. Us. Her Blood.:
I gave him a grudging nod and turned my attention back to the new Blood on his back, waiting for the knife to sink into him. His face was calm and smooth with acceptance. In fact, he looked up at our queen with relief and reverence. His bond was full of black holes and shadows that gave me the sense of being guarded by rabid dogs. Evidently, he’d been fighting some internal darkness his whole life, and it was apparent, even to me, that he fully expected to die.
Hewantedto be sacrificed.
Shara turned to face the watching crowd. “This is the beginning of a heart tree, a powerful, sentient connection to our goddesses. I have one in my nest, and I believe it’ll be able to connect our two nests. My grove will power yours, and this will be the anchor. If your queen wishes to grow a full grove, she may sacrifice her blood as directed by your goddess.”
Mayte nodded. “I will, absolutely. I feel the call already from Coatlicue. We will have a grove here in Zaniyah.”
“To bring the heart tree fully to power, a great deal of blood and suffering is required,” Shara said solemnly. “I suffered and there was nothing my Blood could do to help me.” She touched the circular scar between her breasts. “My heart was punctured by a large thorn. I should have died, but Isis’ power kept me alive.”
She stepped to the side, making sure the crowd could see the man stretched out on the tree altar. “I would suffer for your heart tree. I would die on its branches and let Isis’ power bring me back. But Itztli has volunteered to make the heart tree sacrifice in my place tonight. He makes the sacrifice for you.”
Turning to him, she laid her hand on his shin, and even from feet away, I saw the fine shimmer of his muscles up his leg at the small touch. I couldn’t help but note that she never promised to resurrect him. She never gave him reassurances that he’d come back, because we all knew how fickle the goddesses could sometimes be. Her power had raised Rik and herself, but someday, it might fail to raise one of us back from the dead. It was a risk we accepted as her Blood. Our life for hers, even if her power failed.
“Are you ready, my Blood?”
“Yes, my queen.”
Closing her eyes, she tipped her head back and soaked in the moon’s glow. She had a fucking regal profile, the planes of her cheekbones gleaming with dark pearls and opals. The moonlight illuminated her perfectly, like a spotlight. Her breasts, high and full, the swell of her hips, the dark shadow between her thighs drawing my gaze. All her Blood stared at her sex. I burned to stroke her and give her pleasure. I ached to feel her skin against mine. Her sighs of pleasure, her hands on me, driving me harder.
I’d had Daire, and yeah, it’d been fucking great. I’d tasted her pleasure while I was fucking him, and I wanted more, more, more. Of him. Sure.
But I wanted my queen most of all.
I wanted to have her body beneath mine, writhing in pleasureIgave her. I wanted to touch her. Taste her. Feel her need. Forme.
:Soon,:she whispered in my head, making me flinch with surprise. I hadn’t realized I was projecting my lust to her.:I want my bear hooked inside me.:
My dick swelled so hard that I couldn’t hold back a grunt of pain, need, desperation. All the above.
Daire snickered and pressed his tempting body against me, but thank goddess he didn’t touch me, or I probably would have spilled right there.:Who’s the big bad bear now?:
:Shut the fuck up.:
The little shit started purring, his chest vibrating against my arm. His dick was hard against my thigh. I looked around quickly and realized all of us were erect.
Even the man preparing to die for his queen.
9
Shara
Ihad a feeling that we were headed for another bloody orgy. Not that I minded in the least. But I had to admit, I wasn’t too excited about having a hundred or so strangers watching while I fucked my Blood one by one.
I adjusted my grip on the obsidian blade until it felt right in my hand. It was longer than my familiar pocket knife, and much sharper. The glassy edge was so fine that I could easily cut him much deeper than I intended.
Rik touched my bond.:You’ll cut him? Why not bite him?:
My lips quirked at the heat shimmering in his bond, from all of the Blood. Of course, he’d want me to bite the Blood he trusted the least, over and over, like I’d done to Mehen that first night.:I’m not so cruel that I’d make a virgin come like that over and over again.:
He huffed out a low laugh.:It’d be fucking amusing to watch.:
Mehen grunted sourly.:If anyone’s going to be bitten over and over, let it be me, not the virgins.:
:My queen.:Itztli’s bond vibrated with tension.:Please, put me out of my misery. Make this quick.:
