Page 22 of Queen Takes Triune
Mehen heaved out a long-suffering groan. “You’ll have every inch of the nest covered in rat piss and bird shit by this time next year.”
Several crows swept down from their limbs and dive-bombed my dragon, slapping him with their wings and cawing furiously while he tried to bat them away.
“I’ll bring food every single day for a year to the first one who shits on him,” Daire yelled, laughing so hard he could hardly get the words out.
Throwing his head back, Mehen roared with dragon fury at the birds and they finally flew back up into the trees. “Fucking nuisance.” He sneered at Daire, brushing off both of his shoulders. “No bird crap, either.”
Nevarre huffed out a laugh. “That’s because they don’t like you.”
“No shit,” Mehen snarled. “The feeling’s mutual.”
“You’re not really going to crap on me in this challenge, are you?” Daire asked, only half joking. “Though I hope we are friends. Just notthatgood of friends. No offense.”
We’d been inside the crow queen’s nest for so long that I was afraid that it might be too dark for the entertainment Nevarre had promised me. It was late afternoon, and the weak winter sunlight would only last another hour at most. Lightly, I squeezed his hand. “Is it too late in the day? We can always wait until tomorrow.”
“Not at all, my queen.” He lifted my hand to his mouth and lightly kissed my knuckles. “Besides, your warcat has been challenged. My honor won’t wait another day for satisfaction, though I assure you, I have no intention of shitting on him. Or even asking the birds to shit on him.”
It seemed like ages ago when Daire had made the nevermore joke. We’d been sitting in the limousine before heading into Skye Tower to face Keshia Skye. An entire history book of action had happened since then, even if it’d only been barely a week.
Nevarre had challenged Daire to meet him on the green. Whatever that meant. I couldn’t wait to find out.
Evidently the twins were in on at least some of the details of the challenge. Itztli had spread out a blanket on the ground in a sunny spot inside the circle of my grove. Tlacel had brought a picnic basket. If I knew Winston, it was packed with all kinds of sumptuous snacks. My stomach immediately growled, so Rik hustled me over and set me down on the blanket, while Tlacel started loading me a plate.
Nevarre came to stand before me, waiting until I looked up at him. He grinned and tossed his incredible hair back over his shoulder. I couldn’t believe how long his hair had gotten. It hung down to almost mid-thigh. “For your entertainment, my queen, I’ve challenged Daire Isador to meet me on the green. Do you accept my challenge, warcat?”
Never one to miss out on some mischief, Daire sauntered up to stand with him. He flashed a grin, making the dimple dance in his cheek. His tawny hair had grown out considerably since he’d come to me. All of my Blood had started growing out their hair, though they’d all have some catching up to do with Vivian, who held the record for the longest. “I have no idea what the fuck this is about, but yeah. I’m always up for a good challenge.”
Nevarre lifted his chin, signaling Ezra and Llewellyn to come closer. They each carried a massive log on their shoulders. Holy crap. They had to be at least twenty or thirty feet long and as thick as one of Rik’s mighty thighs.
My burly bear grunted with disgust, swiping at the sweat glistening on his forehead. “It’s already too fucking hot to be lugging giant logs around. Thank goddess you didn’t want to do this in the middle of summer.”
“It’s not that bad,” Llewellyn said mildly. His face and tone didn’t show strain, though in our bond, I felt the immense weight of the log pressing against his shoulder. He could barely hook his hand over the top to steady it in the cradle of his arm.
Daire was one of my shortest Blood, barely taller than me. The log was almost three times his height. And while he was stronger than any human, he surely wasn’t as powerful as Ezra or Llewellyn. Ezra’s thick barrel chest and wide shoulders were struggling to contain the log, and Llewellyn was significantly older than either of them, making him stronger. Yet even he was feeling the strain of holding such a large log.
Daire snorted. “You’ve got to be shitting me. A caber toss? Really?”
“It’s the best way to settle a friendly challenge,” Nevarre replied.
Daire started toward Ezra’s log, but suddenly changed direction. Breaking into a run, he called back over his shoulder. “I’ll be right back!”
“You fucking son of a bitch!” Ezra growled. “You’d better hurry or you can try tossing me first.”
Oh boy, I could all too easily imagine how a toss between Ezra and Daire would go. Laughing, I settled back against Rik’s big body. This was going to be even more fun than I’d thought.
Tlacel handed me a small plate absolutely loaded with goodies. Fried chicken, potato salad, brisket, and potato wedges, plus food under the chicken leg that I couldn’t even see. The plate was heavy enough that I set it down on Rik’s thigh. “Thank you, Tlacel. This looks incredible.”
Rik reached around me to pick up the chicken leg. He tore into it like a caveman, startling another laugh out of me. He was always so particular about making sure I ate enough, that I was actually shocked that he ate before me. Not that I cared in the slightest.
“Grab our queen a breast or chicken strips,” he said in between bites. “She doesn’t like dark meat.”
He was right, though I couldn’t remember ever telling him or eating fried chicken with him before. His bond simmered with smug amusement. :No one knows your stomach as well as I do.:
:No one knows any part of me better than you do,:I retorted back playfully.
:A-fucking-men.:
Tlacel handed me a deliciously crisp chicken strip that made my mouth water just looking at it. I took a bite and moaned. Winston had seasoned it beautifully, with enough cayenne pepper to make my tongue happy. I normally didn’t eat a ton of spicy food, but I definitely loved flavorful chicken.
