Page 9 of Queen Takes Checkmate
Guillaume grunted beneath his breath. “You’re strong enough to make the air weigh like a solid wall of concrete and granite if you wished.”
Another facet of my power of which I’d been completely oblivious. “When I’m making it hard for you to breathe, I want you to tell me. That way I can be more conscious of what I’m doing and broadcasting. I don’t want other queens to know how strong I am, unless it’s deliberate.”
Gina inclined her head. “Of course, my queen. That’s a smart strategy.”
“Should I select a sib before we leave for the night?”
She nodded apologetically. “That would be best, if you can manage it. That way she can be hard at work for you while you rest. Plus, taking a formal sib will give you even more power to draw from, so you can spare your own reserves more.”
I grimaced, but nodded. “I was thinking fondly of bed and Blood but I suppose I can wait a bit longer. I wish I had some clean clothes that weren’t quite so ostentatious. This dress served its purpose, but the lace is scratchy as hell.”
“Winston is waiting in a private room with some clothes you can choose from.”
“Thank the goddess. Bless you both.”
Stationed in a small room off the formal presentation hall, Winston had brought me several less-formal dresses, a couple of pant suits, and yes, even jeans to choose from. Of course, I chose the latter along with a soft, fluffy sweater. The hell with formalities. If I had to sit through sib interviews, then by goddess, I’d be comfortable. But maybe I wouldn’t have to spend much time on this…
I tugged on Llewellyn’s bond and he immediately stepped inside with me, Rik, and Nevarre. “My queen.”
The scent of his blood made my fangs throb and descend. I hadn’t intended to ask him to feed me, but now that I smelled his blood, that was all I could think about. He held out his bleeding wrist, a tidy cut, rather than punctures or tears, telling me it was likely Guillaume’s handiwork.
“Are you sure?”
Llewellyn’s eyes flared and the sparks tumbling through his dark eyes quickened like a meteor shower. “Forgive me, my queen, if you doubted my determination to serve you in any way you wish. I would have gladly fed you earlier once I was freed, but you had other more pressing needs to address.”
“It’s just… Um…”
He looked to Rik, his brow furrowed. “Is there a problem, alpha?”
Rik’s lips quirked. “Our queen revels in her Blood inallways.”
Llewellyn nodded, his brow still creased. “If I understand, that’s far from a problem. I’m eager to serve again. The promise of an Isador queen’s return was the only thing that kept me from embracing the darkness and turning thrall so I could slaughter at will.”
“You were her mother’s Blood. Even more, you were her alpha.”
“Ah.” Llewellyn met my gaze. “What would you like to know about her, my queen?”
A thousand questions fluttered in my mind. I wanted to know everything about my mother. How long had she tried to have me? When had she first decided to set her plan in motion? When had she gone to my father? But the most important question at the moment… “If you were hers… I don’t know how I’d feel if you were mine, too.”
His eyes widened again, and he looked back to Rik for help. “But I’m already yours, my queen. I’ve had your blood.”
“She means in bed.”
“You don’t want to fuck me because I fucked your mother?”
Now it was my turn to blink as he slowly came toward me, his eyes spinning like endless falling stars.
“What if I told you I fucked your aunt too? But I’ve never fucked anyone else, because I can only fuck Isador queens. It’s encoded in the blood that pumps in my veins. I’ve never lain with any woman who wasn’t an Isador queen, and I won’t. Ever. I can’t.”
He stopped in front of me, too close to be polite, but not touching me.
“Keisha and her Blood wanted to use me. They tried everything they could think of to arouse me, but gryphons mate for life, and I’m mated to House Isador. Keisha had to settle for having her males fuck me a few times, but they quickly tired of such sport when they couldn’t arouse even my fear, let alone my desire.”
He lifted his bleeding wrist, but only to tuck a strand of my hair back from my cheek. “Male gryphons have always been rare. We’re bred to serve any of the females in the family. I understand if that offends you, my queen. I will still gladly serve in any way you wish, though I will regret never touching an Isador queen again.”
My brain was still floundering at the thought of him fucking Mom—the woman who’d raised me—as well as the woman who’d birthed me, but I couldn’t deny the appeal of his blood. My hunger raged, all too eager to taste him. Even if he’d gone to my mother and aunt too. I cupped his wrist and drew the wound to my mouth. He watched me with those falling star eyes as I tasted his blood.
The rush of feathers and wings swept through me. He smelled more like Daire than Nevarre. Cat. Or, rather, lion, in this case. He bent down, folding himself around me despite his towering height. He didn’t have Rik’s bulk, but topped him by several inches. I’d never met anyone so tall. His blood tasted like fiery sparks, his rage a blazing fire that would never be banked. He would have gleefully torn apart every single Skye sib, tossing bloody chunks out the high-rise windows until the streets of New York City were littered with the dead.
