Page 48 of Queen Takes Knights
I stretched out beside her and drew her face to my throat. She nuzzled me, but didn’t try to bite. “Who’s Leviathan?”
Daire transformed too, joining us on the bed so we could hold her between us. “Not a who, but what.”
She stared to lift her head, to turn and look at him, so I answered quickly to keep her close. “Leviathan is a…” I hesitated, not wanting to worry her. She sent a hint of fire flooding through our bond, and I couldn’t help but remember the way the thralls had crisped. Though I knew she wouldn’t do that to me. At least deliberately. “Well, you would call him a demon.”
“A great demonic dragon,” Daire added, not so helpfully. “I think he’s even mentioned in the Bible.”
“So I’m not half-human… but half-demon?” Her voice rose. “Is that possible?”
“Anything is possible.”
“Demons are evil. They’re from hell. Right?”
“Triune courts are complicated, and can certainly be compared to hell.” I tucked her tighter against me, as if that alone would protect her. “Demons are closer to Aima than human, and we all come from Gaia. Some simply took a darker path and ended as part of the Skotos court, rather than the Aima court. They’re still Triune.”
“What if he’s right? What if my father was a… a… dragon demon?”
Giving up on feeding her, at least for the moment, I tipped her chin up so I could look her in the eyes. “You’re my queen. I’m your Blood. I don’t give a fuck who your parents are. Nothing has changed between this Blood and his queen.”
Her eyes filled with tears and overflowed, shaking me to my core. I clutched her harder against me, smoothing her hair frantically. “Please don’t cry, my queen. All will be well. I swear it. We will find out the truth of things for you.”
Daire rested his chin on her shoulder. “I should go piss on that pile of charred bones for upsetting you.”
She made a sound, ragged, harsh, and I glared at him. Until I realized that was laughter, not more tears. “Thank you, my Blood.”
I searched her eyes and wiped her tears away. “For what?”
“For wanting me to stay your queen even if I’m half demon.”
“I want you.” My voice rumbled deeper bass, but I didn’t try to lighten my tone. I wanted her to hear and know the truth of my words. “I love you. You’re my life, Shara.”
“Don’t say that,” she whispered, reaching up to cup my cheek. I turned my face into her palm, rubbing on her hand. “If something happens to me, I don’t want you to end up like Greyson.”
I looked at Daire over her shoulder. We didn’t need the Blood bond to agree. I looked back into her eyes and gripped her chin, firmly enough her eyes narrowed a little, her pride bristling. “For one thing, if something happens to you, that means Daire and I are both already dead, happily, because that means we died protecting you. But if goddess forbid something did take you from us, we will follow you in death. We will kill each other before either of us roams the earth like him.”
Her eyes softened. “Let’s hope nothing happens to any of us.”
“Agreed,” Daire said. “And can we also agree that you should tear into Rik and drink your fill from him before you rest?”
“Definitely.” I released her chin and offered my throat. But she only stared at me, her eyes going dark and sad again. “What’s wrong?”
“What if I never get fangs? What if I can’t ever feed from you without some assistance?”
Daire leaned up and bit me so hard I growled at him. The fucking asshole had torn a chunk out of my throat.
“Then it’s my great pleasure to offer my assistance, my queen.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Shara
I walked across moonlit sands toward the golden pyramid. Wind glided over the dunes, a soft whisper of night’s secrets, lightly perfumed with jasmine. Mom stood at the pyramid, staring at me. She moved her mouth, and though I couldn’t hear her words, I knew what she said.“I’m so sorry. I always loved you. So did she.”
She. My birth mother, whose name no one living was allowed to utter.
A man ran across the dunes, effortlessly floating across the shifting sands. Long silver hair fell loose about Greyson’s shoulders, his coat flapping about him like wings. Or maybe that was wings. It was hard to tell. He ran straight to Mom and fell to his knees in front of her. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled his head against her breasts. Their love radiated like a soft glow into the night.
She looked at me, her eyes streaming with tears.“Thank you.”
