Page 14 of Queen Takes King
I passed the phone to her and she started typing rapidly. “So what’s the plan with thiswoman?”
“I contacted the shop this morning and expressed a polite but firm request that they guard your privacy if they wanted your business. Since they want you to sign a several thousand dollar receipt, the manager agreedprofusely.”
My stomach did an odd little flip flop. Several thousand dollars. In clothes. I hadn’t owned so many clothesin…
Rik dropped his arm around me and pulled me against him. Firmly. “I want to take her to Paris and New York for the best shopping, but maybe we should go to LA instead. I’d rather not deal with Keisha or Rosalind until we must.” Through the bond, I read his intent to be sure I had at least ten or twenty Blood before we encountered either queen or entered herterritory.
“Or London. No queen moved in after your mother left and the shopping can be quite an experience. Or Abu Dhabi, I’ve been told, has some fantastic, one-of-a-kindshops.”
“Where’s Marne Ceresalocated?”
“Rome.”
Note to self—not going to Italy any timesoon.
“The Isador jet can take you anywhere on the globe at a moment’s notice, as long as we notify any queen in the city of yourvisit.”
I’m pretty sure my mouth was hanging open. “We have ajet?”
“Two actually, though the oldest one is due for an overhaul.” Gina stood and moved to the door. “Go ahead and let Frank know to send her up to the house. Just be polite, eccentric, and vague. If you need help, we’rehere.”
I texted the new security guy and set the phone on the table so I could wipe my sweaty palms on my thighs. I’d never been too good with people. I certainly didn’t know how to pretend to be some kind ofcelebrity.
Let alone a fucking vampirequeen.
Alrik
Shara thought so little of herself it made me a little bitcrazy.
Okay, a lotcrazy.
I wanted her to have everything in the world that she’d lived without. Every shopping trip. Fancy cars. Jets. Mansions. She deserved the best and the Isador legacy could easily fund itall.
Instead, she sat nervously gnawing on her lip, rubbing her palms on tattered denim that should have been thrown in the trash a year ago. In the days that we’d been with her, I hadn’t seen her wear anything else other than the silver fairy dress we’ddestroyed.
I was desperately afraid that she had nothing else.Literally.
And that made me want to shift to the rock troll and smash this entire house intokindling.
That she also was hungry and weak and bleeding at the same time only added to my heightened instincts. She needed. I provided. I was alpha. Her needs were my sole reason to be here with her. And I wasfailing.
Miserably.
I couldn’t even get her to feed enough to bring her to fullpower.
Gina opened the door and stepped outside a moment. With some clanks and clatter, the two women dragged in a large clothes rack with items carefully wrapped inplastic.
“There’s two more in the van,” the woman saidbreathlessly.
I stood with my queen, but I wouldn’t leave her side, even with two humans.:Daire, Guillaume, we needyou.:
Both men stepped out of the kitchen. “Could you bring the other racks in from thevan?”
Guillaume tipped his head at the ladies. “Of course, mypleasure.”
“Oh my.” The woman laughed, a hint of lasciviousness in her tone that set my teeth on edge. “So…polite.”
I didn’t bother with human interactions much, but I had a feeling that wasn’t the word she really wanted touse.
