Page 11 of Queen Takes King
“Not when you’re not feedingyourself.”
Urgency rose in me. He needed my blood. A great deal of it. His hunger ravaged through our new fragile bond like a swarm of locusts devouring every scrap of greenery. He needed. He burned. He would die if I didn’t save him, and the loss of the last Templar knight in this world would be too great a travesty to bear. I heard Her silent promise in my head. If Guillaume de Payne died, so wouldI.
I had to bring him back to fullstrength.
Sweat broke out on my forehead, my heart beating tooquickly.
Rik jerked me into his arms and locked his own wrist to my mouth. Blood. I felt the torn skin against my lips and sent him a shot of accusation through our bond. He winced, but didn’t relent. He had to protect me, take care of me, even if that meant feeding me when I’d sworn I wouldn’t. Fat lot of good that did me. I’d tasted this new mantoo.
And still didn’t have a fucking pair of fangs to show forit.
His blood steadied me, though. My heart slowed back down. A languorous pleasure flowed over me. I fed one, while my alpha fed me. I connected them. I was their source, their heart, three hearts beating as one. In that moment, we were fullyconnected.
Except one was left out. Watching. Hurt. But afraid tointrude.
I sent a mental call and Daire came to us. I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted from him. I just wanted him to be a part of this. He needed to be touching me. Feeding.Connected.
His fingers settled on the fly of my jeans, a silent question. My hips arched up to him, so he unbuttoned them and tugged the denim down my thighs. My head was on Rik’s lap, his arm around me, his wrist still in my mouth. Guillaume still fed from my wrist like a starving man had found a table laden with a fantastic feast. And Daire lapped just as eagerly between mythighs.
It should have horrified me. My pants were around my ankles and I was bleeding heavily. We were all on the floor in the living room in broad daylight. We were expecting an overly inquisitive human to arrive at any time. Goddess only knew when Gina would be back. But I couldn’t find it in myself tocare.
Not when the symphony rose ever higher, a sweet piercing crescendo that hurt to hear. It was too beautiful for this earth. Tears leaked from my eyes and I came so hard I blacked out, only it wasn’t dark at all. The music exploded with color. Too many for my eyes to even acknowledge or make sense of. Magical music that pleased our goddess.Greatly.
Isis smiled, her eyes glowing like a million stars against black velvet and stroked mycheek.
“Well done, my daughter. Well doneindeed.”
6
Shara
Ididn’t openmy eyes right away. In fact, I didn’t know if I was going to ever be able to look any of my Blood in the eye again. Or at leastDaire.
Someone licked my wrist soothingly. Probably the new Blood. Gee something. What was his name? The stroke of his tongue didn’t feel like Daire. Solemn, not playful. Tender, not teasing. Rik’s arm banded around my front and I could still taste his blood, but I didn’t feel his skin in my mouth. My lower body suddenly lifted and my eyes flewopen.
Daire buttoned and zipped my jeans for me and dropped his chin on my pubic bone. “Allclean.”
Heat prickled my cheeks, but then I noticed his hair. I reached out and stroked my fingers through strands that hung well past his shoulders now. “It’s so long. Did I dothat?”
He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “You should see what elsegrew.”
“A breeding queen has great power,” the new man said to my left. “I like G. Though my queen can call me anything shedesires.”
His bond flowed inside me, tangled up in Rik and Daire. Touching his bond was like sliding into dark, cool water that had no end. So deep. So still. I had no sense of who he was from that small touch, and I didn’t feel like I knew him well enough to go scrounging around in hishead.
I turned my head to look at him and I gasped. The jagged scar across his forehead was almost completely gone. He looked so much younger now, his curly hair dark and full, his face still lined, especially between his eyes, but not haggard. I glanced at his fingers on my wrist, and they were no longer bent andtwisted.
“My sincerest apologies for draining you so deeply, my queen. As you see, you wrought quite the miracle in me. When I can repay the favor and feed you deep and long, I’m eager and ready.” He hesitated, his glance flickering to Rik and then back. “You need to be feeding as deeply and often as possible. It’s crucial right now as you come into fullpower.”
I sat up, avoiding everyone’s gaze. “Yeah, well, there’s a bit of a problem withthat.”
“What problem? You have three Blood with fangs, at least one with claws, and I’m always armed with blades. Direct me to which one you’d like to feed on first and I’ll cut him open foryou.”
“I’m game,” Daire purred, tipping his head to the side to show me histhroat.
Someone knocked on the door. “It’s me,” Gina called. “I have an update for you, when you’reready.”
I sighed, looking around at us. My jeans were disgusting. Again. The area rug looked like it’d been used to dispose of a body. Daire’s shirt was smeared like he’d taken a roll between my thighs, and I’d stabbed the new guy. The only one relatively clean wasRik.
