Page 46 of Queen Takes Checkmate
“What’s wrong?”
He sighed. “Nothing.”
I snorted and reached for the tea kettle. I poured a cup and added a cube of sugar, though I had no idea what blend of tea it was. It smelled perfumey without being too strong. “That’s a good thing, right?”
“You were exhausted at the tower, even after you fed from several of us. I carried you to the car. I expected you to sleep heavily and long, like you did after Venezuela.”
I listened internally to my body a moment and then shrugged. “I don’t feel tired any longer. In fact, I kind of want to go to the tower now and see if Gina’s found anything that might explain how those guys knew where to go.”
“It’s her reserves,” Guillaume said. “You’re filling them.”
“Finally.” Mehen smirked. “It only took draining eleven Blood to unconsciousness. Even our alpha.”
“But you’re still developing those reserves, or you wouldn’t still be so hungry,” Guillaume continued, though his eyes twinkled with amusement. “Adding another Blood tonight was the tipping point, though you certainly need a few more to ensure you can keep those reserves filled.”
Rik searched my body again, using the bond like a gigantic flashlight inside me. With a sigh, he sat back on his heels. “I still don’t know where you’re putting all that power. All that blood. I don’t sense any massive pools of power to tap.”
Guillaume knelt beside Rik and held out his hand. “May I look, my queen?”
I slipped my hand into his. “Of course.”
His bond didn’t slide through me like Rik’s. Guillaume’s bond hardened, shining like steel inside me. Cold, hard, and brutally sharp, just like his weapons, though as he moved through me, it didn’t hurt or cut.
His bond softened and he released my hand. “When you draw on your power, do you have a sense of where it comes from?”
“Not really. I just do it.”
“What about when you’re feeding? Do you have a sense of where the power goes?”
Now it was my turn to smirk. “I’m usually too busy to worry about anything but coming thanks to you guys.” I glanced at Vivian and smiled. “And lady.”
She grunted with disgust. “I’ve been called many things, but never lady.”
Finished with the sandwich, I leaned back into Daire’s furry side and sipped my tea. Now that my stomach was pleasantly full, my eyes were a little heavy. Though overall, I still felt great. Fantastic.
“I’ll try to pay attention next time.” I tried to adjust my grip on the teacup, and I almost spilled it all over me. These stupid silver nails were way too long. I glared at them, silently willing them to disappear. The other shapes that Isis had given to me came and went as I needed them, and I didn’t need to feed now. I didn’t have fangs all the time. “How can I make these go away?”
Rik took my free hand in his and lifted my hand to his mouth. He pressed a kiss into my palm, and I couldn’t help but note that my nails rested on his skin. His face. If they started to hurt him…
“You could never hurt me. In fact, I hope you use these on me next time, though I’ll always love your fangs too.”
“They feel fucking incredible,” Itztli said.
“Agreed.” Mehen and Guillaume both said at the same time.
I turned my glare on Guillaume. “How can you say that when I almost killed you with these fucking things? I buried them in your throat.”
He tipped his head back a little. “Do you see any scars, my queen?”
I blew out a sigh. “No, you’ve already healed.”
“Of course I did, because Shara fucking Isador is my queen, and your blood is so powerful that you can heal any of us in a matter of minutes, even from severe wounds. I only ask one thing, my queen.”
I focused on his face, noting how young and healthy he looked, even though he was the last Templar knight. Every strand of hair on his head was dark, thick and curly. His skin was smooth without a single wrinkle, other than a deep furrow between his eyes. He’d come a long way from the terrible condition in which he’d first arrived weeks ago, nearly starved to death. “Anything, my knight.”
My grim, deadly knight winked. Fucking winked. “If it comes down to a handjob with the nails, or a blowjob with the fangs, I’ll take them both.”
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