Page 34 of Queen Takes Checkmate
The sky brightened far off in the distance. A red glow slowly approached. It looked like a wildfire, although I was pretty sure the Atlantic Ocean lay in that direction. Something was coming to me from the east over hundreds of miles of water.
Light wasn’t necessarily a good thing with the sun god gunning for me, but I wasn’t worried enough to try and wake myself up. The reddish glow was warm and inviting. As it neared, I could see flickering blue and white flames too. It burned too brightly for me to tell what was inside the blaze, but the ground thudded heavily as it landed. It was big. Maybe not as big as Leviathan, but definitely something powerful.
I watched as the flames slowly died. For a moment, a massive red-gold bird with sweeping wings stood before me. A phoenix. So beautiful.
The flames banked, leaving behind a woman.
Tall and statuesque, the woman strode toward me confidently. Her ebony skin gleamed in the soft lamplight. Her hair swept down around to her waist, from black near her scalp to deep crimson and then brilliant orange-red fire. The long strands flowed around her shoulders like flickering flames, catching and reflecting the light. She wore black leather from head to toe with a silver chainmail chest piece over the top. Two sword hilts crossed on her back, rising over either shoulder.
She made no move to reach for her weapons. Her dark eyes sparked like the deepest blue of a gas flame as she dropped to one knee before me.
“My queen, I come in answer to your call.”
Slowly, I reached out toward her cheek, but I paused and dropped my hand. I didn't want to injure her with the silver tips. “What's your name?”
“Vivian.” She winced and dropped forward to her hands and knees, her glorious hair dragging on the ground. “You don't want me, then. It's hard to find a queen willing to take on a woman as Blood. Only Keisha Skye made a habit of calling female Blood, and I swore never to fall into her hands. I'd burn myself up in a fireball before I'd call that woman my queen.”
“Not wanting to serve Keisha Skye is definitely a bonus. She's dead anyway.”
“Yes, I know. You killed her, so they say.”
“Who says?”
She only bowed lower, dropping her face so low she was almost touching the ground. “I have no interest in your males. I swore long ago to gut the next man who laid a finger on me, and I meant it.”
I laughed softly. “That's not a problem, then. I’m a jealous queen. I don't want any other woman touching my Blood.”
She threw her head back so suddenly that her hair seemed to explode around her. Her eyes flickered with flames.”Don't tease me, Your Majesty. I can't bear it.”
My nose caught her scent and my fangs pulsed in my jaw. She smelled like burning cinnamon and herbs. Pungent but not unpleasant. I opened my mouth, letting my fangs descend. “Maybe I'll be the one to scare you away. My hunger is immense. Are you so sure you want to swear to me?”
She closed her eyes and a faint tremor rocked her shoulders. Then she launched at me, burying her face against my stomach. “Please, please, don't send me away. You don't even have to touch me much. Just enough to make the Blood bond final, and the occasional feeding to keep my flames alive.”
Gently, I used the tip of my index finger to lift her face up to me. “Mayte.”
Her eyes narrowed, her brow wrinkling with confusion. But suddenly my first queen sibling, Mayte Zaniyah, stood beside me, looking around her with interest.
“Is this where you are, my queen? Oh.” She noted the woman on the ground at my feet and gave me a sultry look that made my breasts ache. “Is this number ten?”
“Eleven. She doesn't believe that I would want to touch a female Blood.”
Mayte's lips quirked and a dimple appeared in her cheek as she sidled closer. “Surely not, my queen. Why would you want a woman when you have ten strapping men at your beck and call?”
She leaned in and pressed her lips to mine. So soft. Goddess. I wanted to wallow in her warm scent of flowers.
With a sigh, she leaned against me, tucking her face against my throat. “I'm so glad you're safe. I felt...” She shuddered, squeezing me tighter. “I can't imagine how bad it was for you and Rik.”
I swallowed the tears that wanted to fall again. “He's perfectly fine now. I'm just...” I couldn't say it. My throat refused to utter the words that one of them would die. Or Mayte herself. Or Gina…
“I know,” Mayte whispered softly.
The woman on her knees made a small noise that drew my attention back to her face. I thought to tease her a bit longer, but the abject longing on her face pushed me to action. I held out my hand, bending my fingers to show the silver tips. “I gained these tonight and severely injured several of my Blood while I was feeding. I didn't want to hurt you. I'm still getting used to them.”
“Oh,” she whispered. “So you don't... You wouldn't...”
I cupped her cheek and pressed the tips against her, just enough to lightly dimple the skin so she could feel how sharp and vicious they were. “When you're here, I'll accept your bond, my Blood.”
“I'm here, my queen.”
