Page 33 of Queen Takes Triune
Shara interlaced her fingers with mine. “No. There’s no need.”
The soft yearning pulsed again in her heart and then eased. It wasn’t yet time.
I pressed a kiss to her knuckles, the same as she’d done to me. I didn’t need to say anything.
She knew.
My queen would receive exactly what she desired. I would make it so or die trying.
10
Shara
Iwaved goodbye to Dr. Borcht as her car pulled away. She’d drawn enough of my blood to make Rik jealous. Hopefully she could prescribe something to help before my next period started.
“I’ve gathered the information you requested,” Gina said as I turned back to go inside. “Well, at least as much as I could find. There’s not much.”
“I guess that’s not surprising, given that the Dauphine’s so good at hiding.” I started to go back toward the kitchen, but I hadn’t seen any of Gina’s folders in there. We might be more comfortable in front of the fire anyway. There’d be room for all of us, including Carys.
I frowned, trying to remember when I’d last seen her. The night we arrived, but not yesterday for sure. I’d actually forgotten about her.
Oops. I wasn’t used to having house guests, and with all our private festivities going on yesterday… Hopefully she hadn’t heard or seen more than she cared to know, either. “Has anyone seen Carys this morning?”
I could have used her bond, but I liked having all my sibling bonds quiet and masked in my head. In New York City, I’d gained nine more siblings counting Gwen and Carys, and if I listened to them all in my head, I’d go nuts. I even kept Mayte’s bond muted, though I did reach out for her more often than the others. We each needed our privacy and alone time with our families. I didn’t care to have my life spilling over into hers or vice versa, especially when it came to private moments with our Blood.
“I saw her in the library,” Daire said.
“WHAT?!” Mehen exploded into action, slamming doors and crashing into the wall as he skidded around the corner in a flat-out run.
I raced after him. I didn’t know what the problem was—only that I had the feeling we were headed toward dragon detonation. Opening Carys’ bond, I warned her,:Mehen’s pissed and headed your way.:
She didn’t respond or even acknowledge me, which was also troubling. I pushed deeper, eavesdropping more into her mind. She sat on the floor surrounded by piles and stacks of books, happily reading.
The library door slammed against the wall with a resounding crash. “Get your filthy hands off my books!”
Carys looked up mildly, glasses perched on her nose. Winnifred flapped with alarm from her nap in front of the cold fireplace to crash around the exposed beams. She rained feathers down on us. Hopefully, no bird shit.
“Your Majesty, you have such an incredible library,” Carys gushed in that baby-coo voice she usually only saved for her owl. “I found a gorgeous copy of Shakespeare’sComedies, Histories, and Tragedies, as well as a first collected set ofPoems. The value of these two books alone is probably as much as you paid for this falling-down manor.”
Mehen stalked a slow circle around the oblivious woman, his eyes glittering with pure murder. “Yes. Right beside the first edition Dumas andThe Workes of Geoffrey Chaucer. Books I have claimed for the purpose of reading to our queen as she wishes.”
“Oh, pish posh,” Carys retorted. “If she wants to hear some bawdy jokes, all she has to do is listen to this horny bunch of fools.”
“You crusty botch of nature! You have no idea what our queen enjoys. How dare you come intoherlibrary and lay hands on hertreasureswithout at least asking? The gall!”
Of course. Dragons always had a hoard. Evidently, Mehen considered this library to be part of his most prized, secret collection. No wonder he was so upset to see Carys going through the books.
“You’re a tedious bore. Books can’t be locked up behind glass and beheld from afar. They’re meant to be held and stroked, fondled as you gently turn each and every page to read the next wondrous passage.”
Daire snickered. “Sounds like you should take a few of these books up to your room for some private time, Carys. Or maybe get yourself a couple of Blood of your own.”
She sniffed with disdain, and I felt a strange sensation in my sibling bond with her. A pop, as if someone had opened a bottle of champagne.
Daire yelped and clamped a hand on his butt cheek. “Ouch! No fair! My ass is strictly off limits.”
She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right, tell that to half the men in this room.”
Still clutching his buttock like she’d struck him with an arrow, Daire limped about the room. “Hey, I resemble that remark. Not that it’s any of your business.”
