Page 21 of Queen Takes Knights
Alrik
My queen learned quickly. Her skin glowed with vitality, her hair flowing like black silk over her shoulders, her body strong and proud. She pulled on jeans and a shapeless hoodie, but even covered in plain human clothes, she reeked of royal power. Pride swelled in my chest and I couldn’t find the words to tell her how thankful I was that she’d called us to her side. Instead, I sent her a surge of emotion through our bond, surrendering my mind to hers. It was the greatest gift I could offer, short of laying down my life for hers.
Her stomach growled again, making Daire laugh. “Hurry up, Rik. We’ve got to feed her before she tears us limb from limb to satisfy that hunger.”
She checked the pockets of the jeans she’d worn last night, found the pocketknife she’d carried, and slipped it into her jeans. That knife was so fucking small I wouldn’t even call it a blade. “So what are we called exactly? Just vampires?”
I scanned the room, looking for anything she might have missed, but she’d kept her things in a single bag. She didn’t even have a hairbrush or toothbrush in the bathroom. I could only imagine the number of times she’d had to flee, leaving behind her things. “We’re Aima, the ancient blood of Gaia. All royal houses descend from the Great Mother.”
Daire picked up her bag and we headed to the door. She looked back into the room, nibbling on her lip. “Hosea was really nice to me. I hate to leave him such damage to fix.”
I took her hand and tucked her arm around mine. Daire went ahead and on outside to our bikes. I stopped at the concierge desk.
A young woman looked up from her phone and her eyes widened as she looked back and forth between us. By her reaction, it wasn’t every day she saw a man of my size. Let alone with her friend. “Shara?”
“Hey, Ellie,” she replied, blushing. “I’m taking off with some friends. Can you let Hosea know?”
“Oh, no. Sure. I’ll let him know.” She glanced back at me, and if possible, her eyes got even larger. “Does he owe you anything? It’s almost Christmas. I’m sure he’d give you a little extra for a bonus if you could stick around.”
“No, sorry, I really need to head out. I’m really really sorry, but there’s a bit of a mess…”
I started to lay hundred-dollar bills on the counter and Shara fell silent. Now her eyes were as big as the other woman’s and that pissed me off all over again. She acted like she’d never seen that much money in her life, when she had to be one of the richest queens alive. The Isador legacy had always been immense, and without her mother drawing on it the last thirty plus years, it had to have grown astronomical, unless the consiliarius was a complete idiot. Which I would believe, unfortunately, since Shara had been lost for so long.
“I broke a few things.” I tried to keep my rage out of my words, but Shara pressed against me, as if her presence could still my anger. And it did. “I forget how big I am sometimes. I’m a complete bull-in-a-china-cabinet. Please convey my apologies to Mr. Hosea. I believe this should be enough to compensate him for the inconvenience.”
“Oh. Oh. Yes. Uh. Yeah.”
I laid another hundred-dollar bill on the counter and pushed it to the young woman. “Thank you, and Merry Christmas.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and I suddenly wished I’d given her two or three bills. “Bye, Shara. Good luck.”
The roar of a motorcycle engine made Shara jump. “Thanks, Ellie. Bye.”
We headed outside. Daire was already seated, revving his engine. “What sounds good to eat? My queen, what’s wrong? Why is she crying?”
I pulled her to me, alarm rising, tightening my throat. Had I offended her? Hurt her? Neglected her in some way? I hadn’t felt any dismay through the bond, but I might have missed something while indulging in my own anger.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “That was really sweet. A hundred dollars will be the difference between her having a nice Christmas and maybe not having enough to eat when Hosea has to lay her off.”
Relieved, I lifted her up onto my bike so she’d sit in front of me. She might rather hold on to me against my back—but I’d die before I left my queen’s back unprotected. I helped her with her helmet. Daire tossed me my leather jacket and I tugged it on and buckled my helmet. I didn’t need either for protection—I doubted even a horrific accident would kill me—but it helped us avoid attention if we dressed like humans and followed their laws. “I can run back in and give her more. This is nothing, Shara. Honestly, you should have tens of millions times such a paltry sum.”
“No, if you take more to her, it’ll wound her pride. It’s still a windfall for her.”
I climbed on behind her, enfolding her against me. She was small enough that I’d have no problem seeing around her, and I’d serve as a windbreak at the same time. I started up the bike and let her get used to the way it rumbled beneath us.
She lifted her head, stretching up toward my neck, so I leaned down to hear her. “What kind of bike is this?”
“Harley.”
“I like it.” I started to sit back up, but something in the bond made me hesitate, listening, waiting. “Would it be too much to ask for a leather jacket like yours?”
I licked her throat beneath the rim of the helmet and grazed her skin with my teeth. “Nothing’s too much for my queen. If you want a jacket coated in diamonds and rubies, we’ll get it.”
She curled up against me like a kitten. “No jewels. Just leather. I like the way it smells. Almost as good as you.”
Daire raised his voice over the rumbling engines. “Where to, my queen?”
“Mom’s old safe house was in Kansas City.” She gave us an image of the map she carried in her head, with the candle flame to the north. “I think we should start there.”
