Page 94 of Queen Takes Triune
“Well. I suppose your illusion still holds, Shara.” Marne’s lips curved slightly, but it wasn’t a smile of joy or hope or even mockery. It was too brittle and didn’t reach her eyes at all. “If you continue to remember where you came from, then perhaps it will last longer than mine.”
I didn’t try to tell her that my love wasn’t an illusion at all. She wouldn’t understand.
Rik pulled the crown from my grip and set it on my head, shifting it until it sat just right. “It’s time for your formal presentation to House Ceresa, Your Majesty.”
“Goddess help us.” She smiled, and this time I believed the wry twist of her lips. “My court will never be the same.”
29
Shara
Isqueezed Gina’s hand, fighting to control my nerves. I’d done this several times before, but never on this grand of a scale.
Dressed in white livery with gold buttons and trim, the man at the door called my alpha’s name in a loud voice. “Her Majesty’s alpha, Alrik Hyrrokkin Isador.”
Rik winked at me over his shoulder and then strode down the red carpet that lined the presentation hall.
Hall. Ha. What a joke. This was a fucking palace.
White marble pillars lined the walkway. The walls were all paneled in dark, rich wood draped in heavy red velvet. I hadn’t even gotten to the throne yet, which from here, looked like it was going to rival the glory of the sun god’s ornate seat.
:It’s a gaudy hunk of garbage,:Daire said, making me giggle.:It must be very uncomfortable. If she offers you a seat, you should definitely sit on Rik instead. He’ll be softer.:
Whispers and gasps drifted through the massive doors as Marne’s subjects took in my alpha’s appearance. She’d offered to have a new suit scrounged up for him when she’d sent her servants for some clothes for Okeanos, but Rik had refused.
The seams of his tuxedo pants still held—barely. His shirt was torn and bloody. He wore that stain proudly, and the onlookers definitely knew what it meant.
My Blood and I had tangled with the queen of Rome. But we were still here, still alive, and now, she was formally announcing our presence to her court.
I’d won.
Against all odds, I had stood firm against Marne Ceresa and won a reprieve. At least for now.
“Ma’am,” the man whispered. “It’s time.”
Gina squeezed my hand and then stepped over to the door for her announcement. Marne had insisted that each of us be presented separately. Her court, her rules. Even though the thought of having to walk down that red carpet with thousands of people staring at me almost made me run for the koi pond again.
“Her Majesty’s First Consiliarius, Gina Isador.”
Oh goddess. It was my turn now. My palms were clammy, my stomach rolled like I was a seasick tourist, and my heart pounded so hard I almost missed my own announcement.
“Her Majesty Shara Isador, daughter of Isis, She who is and was and always will be.” The man slammed a staff down on the marble so hard that the sound crashed through the court. “House Isador comes before Her Majesty Marne Ceresa, daughter of Ceres, High Queen of the Triune and queen of Rome, the cradle of civilization. Come forward, all petitioners, and be satiated by the goddess of the harvest.”
:Fuuuuuck.:Ezra’s bear growled in the bond.:There’s going to besatiating? Sign me up for that shit. But not from her.:
Guillaume cuffed the burly man in the head, the same as he’d done Daire earlier.:If you don’t shut the fuck up, I’m going to stuff your mouth with one of the new Blood’s tentacles.:
And so I found myself smiling, even laughing softly, as I walked down the red carpet. Hundreds of people stared at me, not thousands. It was still nerve wracking, but all I had to do was look at my waiting Blood, not the onlookers or the intimidating palace decorations. Certainly not the powerful, deadly queen sitting on the gaudy piece-of-garbage throne.
As I neared my Blood, a weight grew in my stomach. A heaviness, like I’d shifted into Leviathan and gulped down that gold throne and the queen sitting on it.
The weight grew with every step, crushing my organs. Making it difficult to breathe.
“Shara?” Rik whispered, reach for me.
But I turned aside. No. The other way. I whirled around. Yes. The weight tugged on me, deep inside. Insisting that I come.
Immediately.
