Page 6 of Queen Takes Rook
Laughing softly, Mayte leaned up enough to loop an arm around my neck and pulled me down to lie beside her. Still unafraid, stroking my fur like it was the most natural thing in the world to lie naked with a giant cat. The wings flopped awkwardly, until Rik helped me fold them up close to my sides.
:How do I shift back?:
“My power is yours now, Shara. Call your cat back inside to sleep. She’ll obey without question.”
I hesitated, wondering if I could purr like Daire. How did he do it? I huffed out my breath, and it came out a growl again.
In the bond, Daire rumbled that low, deep purr, sliding through me until he found the spot low in my throat. He touched those muscles, making them twitch crazy fast. And yeah, a purr vibrated through me.
Oooooooh. I loved Daire’s purr without question, but it was a whole new crazy level of vibration to have my own organs humming from the inside.
He laughed softly in our bond.:Now you know the truth about why I purr so much. It feels fucking fantastic, and I get to make you feel good too.:
Rik fell down beside me as if I’d sucked the last drop of blood out of him, even though I’d only bitten him to make him come. He rubbed his hand up my side and caressed where my right wing sprouted from my back.
My eyes rolled back in my head, and my purr rumbled lower.
:Rest, my queen. Enjoy your new shape as long as you like. Transforming back will probably require a great deal of energy, at least this first time, and this trip has already taxed your reserves.:
I rubbed my face up beneath his chin and lightly touched my tongue to his throat. Thousands of tiny details flooded my brain. His body temperature. The number of blood vessels that were so close to the surface. How many ounces of blood would spurt on my tongue if I bit him. The cat wanted to grip his throat in her jaws and purr directly against his flesh, knowing how easy it would be to kill him. He’d let me do it. Without question. The thought made me queasy, because I knew how easy it’d be to accidentally tear open that paper-thin skin.
But my alpha didn’t even flinch. In fact, he dropped into a heavy sleep, with his vulnerable throat pressed against my wicked sharp teeth.
3
Shara
When I woke again, sunlight streamed in through the windows and Mayte was gone. Rik sat beside me on the bed, already dressed. I looked down at myself, relieved to see that I’d shifted back to my normal human shape at some point. Though I couldn’t help but feel vaguely cheated. I’d slept the rest of the early morning hours away instead of enjoying another Blood or touching Mayte in another delightful three-way session. I couldn’t believe I’d slept so long and heavily. My stomach rumbled like I hadn’t eaten for days.
Rik handed me a cup of coffee with a grin. “You needed it. There will be plenty of three-way sessions anytime you wish, my queen.” He waggled his eyebrows at me, deliberately making me snicker. “Or more, of course. We’re eager to serve in as many ways as you’d like.”
I took a sip and sighed with bliss. I might live after all. “But not with Mayte.”
He grunted softly. “Very true. I didn’t send her away. She woke an hour ago and scurried out of here like the house was on fire.”
Triggered by his words, the tapestry in my mind flared to life without conscious effort, sending me a mental picture of the entire home and beyond to the land and people living nearby.Hernest, now mine. I felt her with her child, laughing on her knees beside the bathtub. Her Blood were grumpy and silent, giving me a glare as I touched them briefly. Every living soul inside the perimeter, their health, needs, fears… available to me at a moment’s notice. It was staggeringly easy to immediately assess one hundred and twenty-three people.
Drawing back to my immediate vicinity, I couldn’t help but linger on each of my Blood. Mostly, I felt fierce determination mixed with some wicked glee and a healthy dose of possessiveness. But from the two newest Blood, Mayte’s twin brothers, I felt impatience and hunger bordering on desperation.
I focused solely on Rik’s bond.:I think I may have made a mistake.:
His eyes narrowed.:What concerns you, my queen?:
Despite my misgivings, I didn’t want to hurt the twins’ feelings, or give my other Blood cause to act out even more in some twisted desire to protect me. I sighed softly and slid to the edge of the bed while Daire and Nevarre brought me some clothes. Another pretty dress, this one made from a white gauzy material. White made me nervous—I had the annoying habit of dribbling blood all over me if I wasn’t careful.:I said I wouldn’t take a Blood I didn’t love. I don’t love them.:
:You felt the rightness of it, though, so my guess is that youwilllove them eventually. The foundation is there. You wouldn’t have even considered them if you hadn’t felt the possibility.:
:But?:
Rik made no noise, but I could hear the sigh in our bond.:I don’t trust them yet. I can’t forget that they did nothing to protect you from the geas, yet wanted to serve as your Blood.:
:They made it sound as though they didn’t know Mayte hadn’t told me.:
:It doesn’t matter.:His bond hardened, molten steel in my mind.:They wanted to be your Blood before we came here. They knew of the danger. They should have been present at your arrival to voice that concern, rather than trusting someone else, even their sister and queen, to take care of the warning. If they’re careless with your safety and assume another Blood will take care of a risk, no matter how small, then I’ll kill them.:
He said it calmly, though every single word reverberated with intent in our bond. He didn’t exaggerate. He’d snap their necks without hesitation if they didn’t live up to his expectations.
:Make them wait until they’ve earned the right to touch you. Remember that most Blood rarely ever touch or feed from their queen. It will do them no harm to wait until you’re fully assured of their love and dedication.:
