Page 9 of Queen Takes King
His nostrils flared, his eyes narrowing with intensity. “You question myhonor?”
Before she could antagonize the last living Templar knight, I stepped around her and offered a hand to the man on the floor. “She doesn’t know who or what you are, since she wasn’t raised in a nest among us. I would not question your honor nor yourword.”
Guillaume took my hand and allowed me to draw him to his feet. We didn’t shake hands exactly, but took each other’s measure. I felt the immense weight of his age, century upon century stacked like slabs of granite across his shoulders. He’d lived a lifetime as a knight, was captured and tortured for years by King Philip’s henchmen, and was nearly burned at the stake. That had only been the 1300s. And though I towered a good foot above him, I’d never felt so small and young in my entire life. This man was a living legend and he had come to serve my queen, and indirectly,me.
“Alrik Isador,” I said quietly, not looking away from the dark burning intensity in hiseyes.
“Guillaume de Payne, born of houseAshere.”
Ashere, the line founded from the ancient mother goddess, Asherah. No wonder the man had managed to live for so long. I turned to Shara and held my hand out to her. She stepped around Daire and warily joined me, squeezing my hand like a lifeline, her knife gripped fiercely in her right hand. “My queen, SharaIsador.”
“I thought all Blood took their queen’s housename.”
He inclined his head but didn’t drop his gaze from her. “They do, unless they’re me. I’ve never taken a queen’s name, but I’m willing foryou.”
“Why?”
“Because no queen commands me to come to you. I come freely to your call. I’ll accept your name. I’ll accept youralpha.”
“Why?” she repeated, her voice dropping lower. I felt the first prickle of her power, as if she only just remembered that she was a formidable queen with magic of herown.
Guillaume’s nostrils flared again and he inhaled deeply. He jerked his gaze to mine. “She’s breeding. Young, yet laden with power, without a nest of her own, and only two inexperienced Blood to guard her. And you haven’t killed me on sight? You’re either a fool,or…”
He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to. Isis’s blood only ran through my veins thanks to Her queen’s willingness to share her blood and power with me, but I felt Her certainty. She had sent this man to be Her last queen’s Blood. Who was I to object, even though his words stung? I was inexperienced. So was Daire. We’d never served a queen before. Let alone one with Shara’s potentialstature.
He lunged toward her so quickly she couldn’t react. Eyes wide, she stared up at him, with her knife buried in hisstomach.
“My queen. Take me. I’myours.”
5
Shara
Istabbed him.Or rather, he stabbed himself on my knife. Hot blood poured over myhand.
I tried not to breathe. I didn’t want to draw the scent of his blood into my body. Because I knew what wouldhappen.
It already was. And it was already too late. It’d been too late the moment his red flame flared in mymind.
He smelled like horse. A big, steaming hot, pawing the ground, rearing up angry warhorse. With a hint of ash and sulfur swirling aroundhim.
My mouth throbbed where my nonexistent fangs should be. My stomach knotted with hunger. My hair flared out, tearing free of the rubber band to float about my head. And yeah, my pussy clenched with need, aching so hard that my eyes fluttered closed a moment and a groan of pain escaped. Fuck these cramps. Fuck my stupid hormones. Fuck this need to bite and rend and tear when I had no fangs. And fuck this desperate urge to bury this stranger’s dick inside me as quickly aspossible.
I started to withdraw the blade, but his fingers wrapped around my hand, pulling the blade deeper into his body. A man I didn’t know. Bleeding forme.
Making me ache like I hadn’t had sex inyears.
“Let go ofme.”
My voice sounded strange to my ears, fragile and breathy, so unlike me. At least he obeyed, his fingers leaving my wrist. I let go of the blade, leaving the knife in his body, and turned away. Found Daire, still on the floor, and I went to him. I dropped into his arms and buried my face against his throat. Seeking his scent, trying to get the other man out of myhead.
“I apologize for any offense I gave in ignorance, myqueen.”
Daire cuddled around me. I could smell his fur even though he hadn’t shifted. And I still wanted the otherman.
“It’s expected,” he whispered into my ear, so softly. “You need him. You need Rik. You need me. We knowit.”
“I don’t want to need anyone else,” I whisperedback.
