Page 19 of Queen Takes King
I winced, touching my throat. “I’ve been beheaded and lived to tell thetale.”
Her mouth fell open and her gaze dropped to the jagged scar around my throat. “How is thatpossible?”
“It’s my gift. My strength. I cannot be wounded and die, even if I’m separated from my head. That’s why I was Desideria’sexecutioner.”
“And why queens were willing to allow you into their courts,” the alpha whispered, his tone soft with respect. “They shared in that power while they fed onyou.”
“Yes.
“So you killed their Blood, but not thequeen.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to kill the queen while my blood worked in her veins, but my gift doesn’t transfer to secondary feedings, so the Blood were fair game. Desideria took great pleasure in running experiments to see how long it’d take for my gift to fade in a queen who’d fed on me. The record was two years and eighty-eightdays.”
“So when I feed on each of you, some of your individual powers transfers tome?”
“Usually, yes, though it depends on the gift. I doubt you would be able to transform into my hell horse, or whatever beast Daire is, but my imperviousness to injury and some of his hunting ability or predator senses might transfer toyou.”
She fell silent several moments. I didn’t want to rush her, but on one hand, the water would chill, and on the other, her hunger was driving me mad. I hadn’t been so hard in decades, though I had no idea if she’d care to use me that way as well as feed. But if all the years in unimaginable torture had taught me anything, it was patience. And I didn’t mean when I’d been inprison.
“Here’s the deal. Take it or leaveit.”
I nodded, focusing on her intently, both her face and her bond. She was inexperienced and green, but her core was true and strong. She reminded me of a master’s blade, fresh and hot off the forge, beautifully unmarked and untried, but I had no doubts that her blade might fail in battle. Just looking at her edge made me bleed inside. She’d be a queen to reckon with forsure.
I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was too late for us both. I couldn’t leave. I had tasted her blood. I was hers until her death. Whatever oath she wanted from me, she’d get. Goddess let it be something I could actually livewith.
“I swore earlier today that I wouldn’t ask for help until I had my own fangs.” She sighed heavily, dropping her gaze down to a scar on my chest. The six-inch long ugly scar was left when they’d cut out my heart, but even then, it wouldn’t stop beating. “I didn’t mean it as a formal oath, but I felt a heavy sense of…” She shrugged uncomfortably. “I think my power took it more intently than I meant, if that’spossible.”
“It is,” I said softly, my heart thudding with sympathy. “But you have no need to ask for help. A look is enough to tell me what you need, my queen. I feel your hunger. You never have to ask for permission. You’re queen. You take what you need without fear or worry because we offer itgladly.”
“But if I don’task—”
I picked up the knife. “My queen doesn’t ask. Shetakes.”
In three quick flicks of my wrist, I made a small cut on each of us Blood. Me on the throat and the other two on the thigh, the body part closest to me without making her fear I’d lunge for her again with a blade and this time stabher.
I’d made the cut on my throat fairly deep, hoping to lure her to me first. She’d fed on the other two already today, though they were certainly hardy enough to feed heragain.
With a low groan, she launched at me, bringing a wave of water with her. She locked her mouth over the cut and I closed my eyes, fighting down my need. Feeding her was the top priority, and she mightnot—
She threw her head back, blood running down her chin. Breathing hard, she finally looked into my eyes. “Will you swear to never kill any of myBlood?”
A fragile, delicate thing sprouted deep in the blackness that remained of my heart. That she would only ask for such a small thing, when she had my balls in a vise. “I will never kill any of Shara Isador’s Blood, current or future, directly or indirectly with intent to harm, so I swear on myhonor.”
Climbing onto my lap, she took my dick inside her and locked her mouth back over the cut. :I thought to ask permission first but you said I shouldtake.:
:Without question, my answer is alwaysyes.:
9
Shara
Ifucked them all.
I fed from them all.Twice.
Chilled, bloody water filled the tub. Guillaume looked like he was asleep, his arm draped over the side of the tub to keep him from sliding in over his head. Daire tried to climb out of the tub to fetch some towels, and it took him two tries to get to his feet. He wavered like a drunk after a week-longbinge.
And I still couldn’tstop.
