Page 34 of Queen Takes Knights
Daire cuddled into Alrik’s side, looping his arm over my back. “Our virgin vampire queen needs no fangs to keep us happy.”
I snorted, rubbing my nose against Alrik’s chest hair. “I’m not a virgin any longer.”
“But you’re our vampire queen. And you will be able to mark us. I have no doubt.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Alrik
Before waking our queen, I watched her sleep for several moments. Her hair was a tangled mess. Her skin smeared with drying, flaking blood. She had one arm up over her eyes, even though it wasn’t bright in this room. How could it be with no windows? It was as if her body knew it was full day outside and was still shielding itself. She had one leg out from beneath the sheets, but kept the rest of her body covered. Not from chill, since I’d noticed she was rarely cold. She’d only wanted the leather jacket because we’d had one and she loved the smell and look.
I set the cup of coffee on the nightstand and carefully sat on the edge of the bed. At least we hadn’t destroyed this one. Through the bond, I felt for her mind, trying to see how close to waking she might be. If she was truly exhausted and wanted her rest, I’d leave her to sleep the rest of the day. We had no pressing needs. Just a desire to treat our queen like the extremely wealthy and previously neglected young woman who’d not yet enjoyed the privilege that her wealth and birthright provided.
She felt far away, as if she’d traveled a great distance in her sleep. I laid my hand on her arm, using the physical to connect to the metaphysical.
I was suddenly in her dream. A silent watcher in the shadowed night.
She stood at the iron gate, fully illuminated by the large security light, her arm stretched through the bars, reaching for something outside. Calling.
Darkness stirred. Something evil. I could feel its hunger and dark rage. She could too, but she wasn’t afraid. She didn’t yank her arm back or step away from the flimsy gate. I smelled her blood, saw it dripping down her wrist to dot the snow with crimson. Each drop hit the ground and roses burst up in full glorious bloom, their perfume covering the stench of the monster on the other side of the fence.
“It’s all right,” she crooned to the thing like it was a baby and she wanted to cuddle it. “I’m here to free you.”
Chains rattled and teeth gnashed like clanging swords. A massive shadow stretched toward her, drawn by her blood and sweet spirit.
I lunged forward, but I didn’t think I was going to make it. I could see the red glare of its eyes. Those vicious teeth nearing her flesh.
Gasping, I jerked out of the dream and pulled her with me. I had her on my lap, pressed against my heaving chest. Daire came running, though I didn’t know if I’d shouted for help or if he’d felt something through our bond. He charged into the room, ketars on each hand ready to slice whatever threatened us into tiny pieces.
“What?” She cried out, looking around wildly. “What’s wrong? Are they here?”
I clutched her hard, trying to settle myself so I didn’t alarm her further. “You were dreaming.”
“Dreaming? Then why are you so alarmed?”
I forced myself to loosen my grip on her, but I held Daire’s gaze so he would know the extent to which we needed to guard our queen. Even in her sleep. “Do you remember the dream?”
She was silent a moment. “I was outside. Calling to something on the other side of the fence.”
“Yes. Something that was… evil.”
Her head tipped to the side, and I felt her sifting through her memory of the dream. “It wasn’t Greyson, the monster that killed my parents. Was it?”
“I don’t think so. At least I didn’t recognize him or sense him. This was something else entirely.”
She shrugged and sat up, reaching for the cup of coffee. I resisted the urge to clutch her tighter, refusing to let her go. “It was just a dream.”
“Nothing is just a dream for you, my queen.” Daire removed the ketars and hung them on his hips. “The goddess gave you many powers. Walking the nightscape in dream form is one of them.”
I didn’t have to warn him that we had to start guarding her dreams as well as her waking moments. If she managed to call something evil like that to her side, even in her dreams, we had to be ready to defend her.
She sipped the coffee with a pleased hum that made me go rock hard in my jeans despite my fear for her safety. “I wasn’t scared. Not like the monsters.”
“That doesn’t mean this thing you called wasn’t as dangerous.” Maybe it was my lingering fear, but I pressed my lips against her shoulder and inhaled her scent. She smelled so good, warm and sweet and somehow luxuriously sexy. I wanted to rub on her like Daire’s warcat and make sure she carried my scent. “You will be calling Blood to your side. Let’s not call up a bunch of nightmare creatures that are just as dangerous as the thralls.”
“Mmmm hmmm,” she giggled. “Nightmare creatures like a rock troll and a warcat. Mustn’t call up anything else.”
Daire went down to his knees in front of us and rubbed his face against the tops of her thighs. “We thought to take you shopping but I’m starting to think that was a bad idea.”
