Page 10 of Queen Takes Checkmate
My fangs ached, and I had to concentrate on not sinking them deeply into his wrist. There was no need to bite him, other than my hunger’s desire to claim him as mine. Make him remember the feel of Isador fangs.
:She could make me come just thinking about her fangs,:he whispered in my mind.:I can only hope and pray that the Great One saw fit to pass that gift on to you as well, my queen.:
In answer, I sank my fangs into him. He shuddered against me, and in our new bond, his gryphon shrieked. Pleasure surged through him, sweeping me along like a tiny stick in a ravaging flood. He hadn’t come in well over twenty years. Resisting that soaring release was impossible. I clung to him as we both shuddered, and I drank from him through every spasm.
Panting, he clutched me against his chest and kept his wrist pressed to my mouth much longer than I probably should have fed. He’d been tortured and denied for decades. He’d probably need me to feed him more often over the next few weeks, especially if I kept him drained like this.
But I couldn’t help but feel like each swallow of his blood brought me closer to my mother. I could almost taste her in his blood. Beneath the gryphon wings and talons and his raging fury, I tasted…
Moonlight. The quiet dapple of silver on sands. Perfect diamonds and crystals lying beneath a full moon.
:I will always carry your mother in my heart and soul.:
Tears burned my eyes.:Did her geas not affect you? You seem to remember more than anyone else.:
:I cannot utter her name, but I carry too much of her blood to be denied my memories of her.:
Reluctantly, I licked my fang marks and the thin cut on his wrist, making sure to clean up every drop. I looked up into his face and gasped. His once dark eyes were completely red-gold. The falling stars had taken over completely.
“This gryphon swears undying loyalty to you, my queen.”
“Shara,” I said softly, holding his gaze. I didn’t want to just be the next Isador queen he served. I wanted him to know me. Want me. Need me. Only me.
“What did you wish to ask me?” He said aloud, his voice a soft rumble. “Shara?”
“I need to establish a sib to hold New York City for me. What do you know about the queen sibs Keisha claimed? Is there anyone I should avoid, or anyone you know is strong enough to hold my territory in my stead?”
“There are a few strong enough to make decent sibs for Isador, but only one or two that I would guess worthy to serve you. Most of them were all too eager to fall in with Skye and embraced everything that Keisha commanded them to do.”
“Exactly. I don’t want to claim someone like that for us.”
“Then avoid Virginia and Alessandra. They both have strength, but I can attest to their willingness to abuse or take advantage of people they deem lesser than themselves. They both voluntarily watched as Keisha tortured Conall, her last alpha. Carys isn’t as strong as either of them, but she has a quiet strength that I think will appeal to you. She never watched the torture, unless Keisha ordered all her House to attend.”
“Thank you. That’s exactly the kind of information that I hoped you’d be able to share.”
His tone sharpened, vibrating with bloodthirsty intent. “Have you decided what to do with Vega and the rest of the Furies?”
“Did they participate in the torture?”
“Mine, or the alphas?”
“Either.”
“Usually the alphas, but they enjoyed making men suffer in general, so I wasn’t immune from their efforts. Though I believe my vengeance has already been delivered in part, thanks to your poisonous Blood. I heard that five of them perished in the elevator, and Ashlee was one of the worst offenders.”
This was the part I’d been dreading. My brain wanted to run away and concentrate on something else. I had so many crucial things to do, like choosing a sib and making sure the tower was secure. All valid and necessary tasks.
But first, I had to face the most unpleasant task of deciding whether several people should live or die. I didn’t want to be responsible for their punishment, but they were my responsibility now.
“You don’t have to make the decision tonight,” Gina said, touching my arm lightly. “Rest first. They’ll hold until tomorrow.”
“Will they, though? Or will they turn thrall and add human deaths to their list of sins?”
“If they turn, we’ll kill them immediately.” Llewellyn’s head cocked slightly, very bird-like, as if he’d spotted his fleeing prey miles away with his razor-sharp vision. “Then you don’t have to decide.”
I blew out a sigh. “That’s the coward’s way out.”
His eyes widened and he bent over my hand, pressing my knuckles to his forehead. Surprised, I didn’t know what to say.
