Page 58 of Queen Takes Rook
Keisha had to know she was in trouble. Shara had broken Skye’s geas on House Zaniyah that no other queen had been able to break for fifty years.
So what nasty surprises did Keisha have in store for us?
Two beefy men stood guard as doormen, human, both armed. They gave Itztli and Tlacel a hard look, did a double take when they saw Rik, and promptly lost track of Ezra, who slipped off down the alley.
“Name?” One of the men asked.
Carrying a large leather satchel, Gina stepped up beside us. “Shara Isador to see Keisha Skye.”
Even though we were dressed like fucking royalty, they made us stand on the sidewalk while the other man made a big show of scanning a clipboard, flipping through several pages. “Ah. Here you are. Go up to the hundredth floor.”
Shara inclined her head like the fucking queen she was. The twins pulled open both glass doors, and she swept inside like she fucking owned the joint. Which she would, when we were done here.
Her face didn’t betray a single doubt or hesitation, even though she asked us in the bond,:No blood circle yet?:
:The bottom floors are rented out and open to the public,:Rik answered.:The elevator will only take us to the fourth floor, and then we’ll have to switch to a secured, warded elevator to get to the rest of the building.:
We stepped into the elevator, and she aimed a frown of displeasure at the rude doormen’s backs. Somebody would be looking for a new job tomorrow.
“Gina, make a mental note that we’ll need to buy out whatever leases are in effect. When this building’s mine, I’ll bleed a circle on the sidewalk outside. Nobody gets in that I don’t want here.”
“Excellent idea, my queen.”
We stepped off the elevator into a grand foyer complete with a huge chandelier, white marble, and lots of gold frames and vases. The public access areas were down a hallway to the right, with the second elevator directly across the foyer, where six women waited.
Women I recognized as Keisha’s Blood, or, as she called them, her Furies. At least there were only six. She certainly hadn’t sent her alpha, and couldn’t be bothered to come welcome a visiting queen herself.
I took a deep, calming breath, and put on my most winning smile as I took the lead. “My queen, let me introduce you to Ashlee, Caryl, Melissa, Aliyah, Bethany, and Lissa Skye, six of Skye’s Blood. Furies, this is my queen, Shara Isador.”
Lissa smiled broadly. “Daire! We missed you. Welcome home.”
It took all my training not to grimace. This place had never been my home, and after finding Shara… I would only equate Skye Tower with hell.
Each of them sidled up to one of us, and Lissa twined her arm with mine, leaning in to make sure she brushed her breasts against me. “No kiss?”
I pulled away slightly and gave a quick, apologetic glance at Shara. “No, I’m sorry. My queen doesn’t like other women to touch me.”
“Oh, she doesn’t? Well that’s too bad, isn’t it, sugar. Let’s get you upstairs. Her Majesty is excited to meet her new sib.”
Shara arched a brow. “Excuse me? I’m not here to become a Skye sibling.”
Lissa’s eyes rounded and she laughed nervously. “I guess that’s between you and my queen. We’re here to escort you into the nest and upstairs to her throne room.”
Shara nodded, stepping closer to Rik. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her firmly up against him, while Ashlee, a tall slim woman with blue-black hair, took his other arm.
Shara’s mouth flattened out in a hard, grim line. “Daire spoke truly. I don’t like anyone else touching my Blood.”
The woman laughed like it was a joke. “But we have to touch you to get through the nest.”
“No, you don’t. Not my three Blood who were formerly Skye. Hands off. Nevarre, Gina, with Rik and me. Itztli, Tlacel, with Daire.”
Caryl, a petite red-head, asked “Where’s Ezra? He’s supposed to be here.”
Shara shrugged. “He is, somewhere. He said he had some business to take care of.”
The Furies looked at each other, and I felt the tickle in the back of my mind. They were using their bonds to talk.
Since Lissa had allowed me to feed once or twice…
