Page 35 of Queen Takes Triune
She trusted us. That touched me more than I could say.
I rested the entire time, feasting on the simple joy of having them close and touching like this. Their scents and the sensual heat from their bodies. Their laughter and banter when someone tried to act out a scene or switch to a new character voice for fun. I didn’t have to feed on their blood to feel my power and strength welling like the Fountain of Youth.
Though, yeah, I did feed. A lot. Sex and blood and more sex. Again, not that a single one of them complained.
But I did have work to do. I had no idea how long Marne Ceresa might give me before she made her move, but I knew one thing for certain. She was playing the game. Hard. And she’d probably already moved her pieces into place on the board without me having a clue.
If that wasn’t enough to give me insomnia, then I had to face the fact that the Dauphine was even closer. Guillaume was more worried about her than Marne, which told me exactly what we were up against. My Templar knight had served the most powerful Triune queen of the three. If he was worried…
I was a fucking nervous wreck.
I hoped Gina had found out more information with the extra days. Maybe there was something in the Isador folders that would help me piece together a plan of action.
I didn’t want to carve out more territory or claim more power. I didn’t want a showdown with the most powerful queens in the world. All I wanted was more of this. My Blood. Peace. Laughter.
If I had to kill to protect it…
So be it.
I couldn’t wait any longer to come up with a strategy.
Just in case Carys was still fondling Mehen’s beloved books, I asked Gina to meet me in the main living room. There were plenty of chairs, leather sofas, and large casual pillows cast about on the floor to make lounging comfortable, and it was close to the kitchen so we didn’t have far to go for snacks.
Overnight, we’d had nearly eight inches of wet, heavy snow that made me glad for the cheery fireplace. With Rik’s big body blazing heat against my back, a cozy fire on the hearth, and a cup of hot cocoa, I faced the mountain of folders Gina had gathered.
“First, I thought we’d zip through a few administrative items, if you don’t mind.”
I nodded. “Of course.”
“Have you made a decision about whether to keep Kevin as your second consiliarius? If so, we ought to get the appropriate paperwork signed as soon as possible.”
I snickered. “Vampire non-disclosure agreements?”
Gina wasn’t amused. “Absolutely. We need to lock him into silence before we let him any further into your house’s business. He’s been absolutely professional and competent as far as I know, but I thought the same with Madeline. You may also want to consider giving him a tiny amount of your blood to bind him to you, if he’s willing.”
Madeline had been Keisha Skye’s consiliarius. I’d actually been a few minutes away from making her my second under Gina, when we discovered that she’d been contaminated by the god of light. Her demise had not been pretty.
Kevin Bloom seemed to be a great replacement. He was young, bright, and extremely talented despite his age. He also had an eidetic memory, which could spell bad things for House Isador if he was going to betray me.
I touched Carys’ bond, and when she didn’t respond right away, I gave her a harder knock. I respected her privacy and would never use my sibling bond with her to force her into anything, but when I called upon her, I fucking expected a response.
:What?:She retorted.
I did the mental equivalent of raising my eyebrows in the bond, waiting to respond to her.
:My queen,:she added in a more civil tone, focusing more fully on me.:Did you know that you’ve got an incredible first-edition set of J. R. R. Tolkien’s books including The Hobbit? I can’t believe the previous owner didn’t auction some of these treasures off, especially if they needed money. You could practically buy the entire state without ever touching the Isador legacy.:
:I didn’t inquire about the previous owner’s history. I need to know what the probability is that Kevin will betray me if I make him my second consiliarius.:
:My gift doesn’t work that way. I need to see him and you together to make that kind of calculation. That’s why I insisted on accompanying you. I can’t do you any good if I’m not physically present.:
I wanted to snipe back,“that would have been nice to know,”but it wouldn’t gain me anything, though it might make me feel better.:Duly noted. Thank you for categorizing the library.:
My gratitude fell to the wayside. She was already lost in the books again. Mentally sighing, I touched Gwen’s bond. I’d been avoiding her the last few days to give her plenty of time to claim her Blood. After thousands of years, Guinevere was at last reunited with Lancelot. I sure wasn’t going to interfere in that reunion anytime soon, let alone risk peeking into her mind at the most inopportune moment.
:My queen,:Gwen replied at once, much more civilly than Carys had done.:I’ve been hoping you’d reach out so I could discuss a proposition with you. But your question first, of course, my queen.:
:What do you think of Kevin? Is he trustworthy enough to become my official second consiliarius?:
