Page 27 of Queen Takes King
“Why didn’t your blood kill methen?”
“Because Desideria drank me to the point of death. Luckily for me, she died before she could finish meoff.”
Rik finally licked his marks in her throat and sat back. For being dead a few minutes ago, he looked bigger and meaner than ever. His veins stood out in stark relief against ripped, tight muscles swollen with power. “So I’m poisonousnow?”
“To anyone who doesn’t carry our queen’s blood, yes. Her blood has the anti-venom that will counteract the poison. If our new friend here tries to drink from you before our queen, he’ll die and it won’t be a pretty, easydeath.”
Rik leveled a hard stare on the man, and then both me and Daire. “I’m glad to have another Blood, but do either of you care to tell me how you allowed him so deeply into our queen’shome?”
“It’s not their fault,” the man replied. “My gift isinvisibility.”
With that, he disappeared. I didn’t feel any movement, hear any steps, no shift in air currents, nothing. The man was simply…gone.
“I can still see you,” Sharasaid.
“Of course.” The man revealed himself, still on his knees beside me. “You’re my queen. I could never hide my presence fromyou.”
“Who areyou?”
He bowed his head. “Xin, my queen. Forgive me for not introducing myself sooner, but you were otherwiseoccupied.”
Her mouth twisted in a grimace. “Such a nice way of saying that I was too busy killing my alpha to notice a new Blood.” Her gaze fell on Daire, still curled into Rik, hiding his face. “I don’t mean to be rude, Xin, G, but could we have some timealone?”
“Of course, my queen.” I stood and held my hand out to the new Blood. “I’m Guillaume de Payne. Let’s go make somebreakfast.”
Xin let out a low whistle and shook my hand. “I’ve heard of you,Payne.”
I braced for the ubiquitous joke about keeping his head, or worse, our alpha keeping hishead.
Instead, he said, “I usually go for the stab in the backmyself.”
And I decided Xin and I were going to be very goodfriends.
13
Shara
Ireally was a monster.A terrible, poisonous monstrous snake that had killed my ownBlood.
I didn’t know how I would deal with this. I didn’t know if he and Daire could forgiveme.
“Forgive you?” Rik retorted, his voice low and hard. I’d never heard him speak that way before, let alone to me. “Daire is the one who needs to beg your forgiveness. You have nothing to apologizefor.”
My big, protective, tender caring alpha Blood. I might have only known him a few days, but he meant the world to me. I’d sworn to do anything to protect them and keep them safe, and the very next morning I killed him. My eyes filled up with tears and my throat closed off. I couldn’t say the words but I knew he heard and felt my emotions through thebond.
He cupped my chin, squeezing hard enough I felt the imprint of his fingers on my jaws. I didn’t want to look into his eyes and see condemnation. Or hatred. Oranger…
But he wouldn’t let me go. He squeezed harder, making my face ache. Until I relented and looked him in theeye.
Leaning down so closely his nose almost touched mine, he whispered intently. “You. Are. Queen. My queen apologizes for nothing. Even if you hadn’t resurrected me, I would say the same thing. Kill me. Use me. Drain me dry. I’m yours, body and heart and soul and blood. If you killed me and left me dead, then I would know that I had died in your service and your need had beengreat.”
“No need would excuse your death. I would rather diemyself.”
“Never. We need you alive. Without you, we’re nothing. You can find another alpha. You can find dozens of Blood. We cannot find another queen. We certainly can’t find another Isador queen. The goddess blessed you for a reason. She needs you. We need you. We cannot lose you. No matter what. Our lives are nothing as long as you live and complete the goddess’s plans for you in thisworld.”
He touched his forehead to mine and released my chin, but turned that fierce gaze on Daire. He had his face pressed against the mattress, still clinging to Rik. I felt his agonizing fear still trembling in the bond. He couldn’t bear to lose Rik. He loved him. He loved me. To have to choose between the two ofus…
“There is no choice,” Rik retorted, his voice harsh. “There’s never a choice. Her life above mine. Her life above all. Her needs aboveall.”
