Page 11 of Queen Takes Triune
“Long live Shara Isador, queen of my heart,” Rik whispered against my ear.
4
Rik
Shara was the queen of my heart, but I had no doubt that she would also be queen of the world. She had the strength to bend anyone and anything to her will, whether it was the king of the depths who hated every Aima queen he’d ever met…
Or the queen of Rome.
But she wasn’t ready to face that aspect of her personality yet. She didn’t want those responsibilities, not that I blamed her at all. I certainly quailed beneath the mighty expectations of her future. Would I be alpha enough to help her? To keep her safe? Or would my love, and her love for me, for all of us, be a handicap?
As Guillaume had said earlier, her greatest strength was her capacity for love. I had no doubt that she’d burn the world down to save one of us. Any of us. All Marne Ceresa had to do was capture one of us and threaten to kill us, and I was dreadfully positive Shara would give her anything she demanded to protect us.
“I would.” She turned her head back enough to look into my eyes, sliding more into my right arm so she could see my face. “I know my weakness all too well.”
I stroked my thumb along the curve of her cheek, my heart swelling with so much love that my rib cage ached. “Everyone has a weakness, my queen. The trick will be using it to your advantage.”
She smiled ruefully and shook her head. “I have no idea how to accomplish that, but it doesn’t matter. I love you. I love you all. And what this queen loves, she keeps for all time. Coatlicue promised that we would all die together. If I lose one of you, then we all will walk in the afterlife together. No one will be left behind to grieve, and we’re certainly not going to be easy to kill.”
Llewellyn let out a soft grunt of derision. “Not by a long shot. Just remember one thing, my queen.”
She turned back to him, cupping his cheek as he slid closer to us.
“There are worse punishments than death in this world. Much worse.”
The stark pain in his eyes was a grim reminder to me of all that I stood to lose. Any Blood would be hard pressed to retain his sanity if he lost his queen suddenly, but an alpha who was so deeply tied to his queen…
How had Llewellyn retained his sanity after losing Esetta?
Shara whirled toward me so hard and fast that water sloshed over the edge. “Her name. You just said her name in your head.”
“I’ve known her name awhile. I guess I never had cause to think of her directly.”
The shining light in her eyes dimmed, which had not been my intention. “Because I killed you too, when I was the cobra queen. So you and Guillaume should both be able to say her name now. Can Nevarre? Since he was dead when he came to me?”
:I know that your mother’s name was Esetta Isador, my queen,:Nevarre immediately said in her bond.:I have heard her name in your bond many times, but I didn’t wish to cause you pain.:
I settled back against the edge of the tub and deliberately allowed my gaze to heat. “Kill me again, my queen. Though this time, kill me with pleasure.”
* * *
SHARA
Esetta. Her name echoed in my head, looping through my Blood bonds and amplified by Rik, Guillaume, and Nevarre’s knowledge. They’d paid the ultimate price before, and I’d never have to doubt their readiness to do the exact same thing again. Any of my Blood would lay down their lives for me. Even if I took their life myself.
“Kill me next.” Llewellyn said fervently. “Though I can almost hear her name without dying. I feel it in your bond. If you keep thinking and saying her name, I’m sure that you’ll break the geas she laid.”
Tears burned my eyes, but these were good tears. I’d be able to talk about her with someone. They’d be able to remember her. It’d make her more real to me too, though now that I’d seen her so clearly in Llewellyn’s memory, her image was firmly implanted in my mind.
Rik smoothed his big palm down my back in a slow, easy glide that stirred my hunger. His eyes burned with heat. “Later.”
It seemed like ages since I’d had his body stretched out beneath me. Since I’d been able to drop all my fears and concerns and just…
Fuck. Feed. And fuck some more.
In the safety of my nest, I could let down my guard. All of us could. Sure, some of my Blood would always be on guard mode even inside the nest, but the constant tension of danger loosened here. My nest was the safest place in the world. It would take a very unusual threat to breach my defenses, especially now that we’d added the grove and the birds.
I turned fully around to face him, straddling his lower stomach. Reveling in his strength, I ran my hands over the broad expanse of his chest and shoulders. Ripped muscle, hard and powerful beneath my hands, corded with tendons and sheer slabs of granite. Goddess. He was such a magnificent man.
