Page 20 of Queen Takes King
A sob tore from my throat, but Rik hugged me close, soothing me with his body, his big hands rubbing my back. “Shhh, my queen, all is well. You denied yourself too long is all. You’re not hurtingus.”
“But Daire can’twalk.”
“The hell I can’t,” he growled, holding up a fluffy towel. “At least get out of the cold water and let us feed you again inbed.”
G roused himself and took my other hand, helping me stand. I don’t know why I was woozy too. I wasn’t the one who’d been drained. “You’re high on power, high on sex, high on blood. This is what helps your power come in fully. It’s like filling up your cup until it overflows and cracks. Those cracks heal up and next time, you can hold even more. The harder you push us, the better. Though it will definitely be a good thing if half a dozen more Blood show up sooner thanlater.”
I stepped out of the tub and held on to the vanity, waiting for the floor to steady beneath my feet. Half a dozen? Right now, I could definitely go for that. Which told me more than anything that I wasn’t quite in my rightmind.
Rik propped himself against the tiled wall and took some deep breaths as if he needed to build up the energy to do something as minor as get out of the tub. “If we’re attacked by thralls right now, we’refucked.”
“Guess it’s a good thing Gina hired those security guards after all,” Dairereplied.
“Hey,” Rik retorted. “Lowblow.”
Snickering under his breath, Daire padded down the hall, a little more steady on his feet. “I’m going to find a phone and order ten pizzas. What do you guyswant?”
“What’s pizza?” G asked. Rik and I stared at him with horror, and he laughed. “I’m kidding. Even this Medieval knight knows what pizza is and I could eat tenmyself.”
I hated to burst their bubble, but… “I don’t know that they’ll deliver this farout.”
Daire snorted. “They will if I tip enough. Rik, where’s yourwallet?”
“Use your own wallet,dickhead.”
Wheezing for breath, G leaned heavily against the door frame and laughed. “I have missed the banter of fellow soldiers. It’s good to be Bloodagain.”
Rik slapped him on the shoulder and scooped me up in his arms. “Good to haveyou.”
“Put me down,” I protested. “You can’t get yourself up the stairs, let aloneme.”
“Watch me. Daire!” He yelled down the stairway to the first floor. “Put on some pants before you open the door, and let the security guard know we’re expecting adelivery.”
“Oh yeah.Thanks.”
I’m pretty sure he was grateful for the reminder aboutpants.
Rik shifted me in his arms and headed up the second flight of stairs to my tower bedroom. He paused half way up and leaned a shoulder against awall.
G came up behind us and paused. “Want me to takeover?”
“No, I can make it. Just catching mybreath.”
“So do I pay you a salary?” I asked, watching his face for his reaction. “Because if not, I should. How else do you havemoney?”
“The queen’s legacy funds everything,” G answered. “The nest, the food, the staff. We have no needs but yours, so we don’t needfunds.”
“But you’re paying for pizza, and there was that coat inSpringfield…”
Rik started up the stairs again. “Nothing but small things to make you smile, my queen. We have a cut of our birth house’s income to take as inheritances. Daire’s better off than I am, but I could easily live as a wealthy human for fifty years and not worry aboutmoney.”
“We’re not here for money,” G said softly. “We’re here for blood, for power, and most especially, for you. Because without you, none of this would bepossible.”
Pausing inside the bedroom, Rik groaned. “I forgot. I stripped the bedearlier.”
“Put me down. I’ve got some spare sheetsstashed.”
This time he cooperated and I reached under the bed for the storage container. “They may smell musty but they’re clean. They’ll be ruined by morning anyway so I guess it doesn’t matter. Unless you’ll let me put a tamponin.”
