Page 36 of Queen Takes Triune
:I’d recommend him without question,:Gwen replied.:He helped me face Arthur with great courage, despite only being human. I’d trust him with anything.:
It could still be a trap. The man was Byrne’s grandson after all, who just happened to be Marne Ceresa’s American consiliarius.:Good to know, thank you. What did you want to talk about?:
:I have an issue that I need to deal with.:She hesitated, taking a deep, slow breath before continuing.:I need to leave your tower temporarily to retrieve another of my Blood.:
Her bond trembled with emotion, though she wasn’t afraid. She was pissed. I had a feeling that retrieving this Blood of hers was going to be quite the battle that had been a few thousand years in the making.:Of course. Let me do some checking with Gina and my Blood to see if I should come back to New York while you’re gone, or if the nest will be alright unguarded temporarily. When do you need to leave?:
:Well, soon, but there’s a wrinkle that I don’t know how to resolve. I need to leave the nest without Elaine Shalott knowing. I don’t want her to see me coming. If she knows, she’ll be too prepared, and I’m afraid you’ll be finding another queen to hold New York City for you.:
Gwen had warned me that she already carried a blood bond with this other queen. In fact, Elaine had used that bond to prevent Gwen from ever claiming her own Blood. Even more despicable, Elaine had done so because she intended to bond Gwen’s alpha for herself.
Luckily for Gwen, I was the stronger queen, and I was able to free her from that old oath. However, she did still carry Elaine’s blood. If she wasn’t as respectful of her sibling’s privacy as I was, then Elaine could easily pinpoint Gwen’s location. If she was strong enough, maybe even Gwen’s thoughts or intentions.
Not good, for either of us.
My mind raced. The more I thought about Gwen and her need, the more my blood seemed to spark in my veins. There had been a trick that I’d planned to try before we went to Skye Tower last month that might help us.:If I pull her blood out of you, would she still be able to track your location?:
Gwen’s bond jumped around in my head like a flaming kangaroo.:What? How? I don’t know. I don’t think anyone knows. I don’t think it’s possible.:
:It was only a test, but I was able to pull Keisha’s blood out of a sample of Rik’s blood before we came to New York. If I can do that on a larger scale and pull all of Elaine’s blood out of you, then surely she won’t have any way to monitor your location.:
:If you think it’s possible, I’m willing to try. Though I’m sure she’ll have eyes posted at all the major airports and ports just to be safe.:
My grove whispered in my head.Nest. Tree. Guard.
Along with the whisper, I felt a physical connection to that distant blood circle in New York City. I didn’t know if a tree could grow in the darkness of the tower’s basement, but evidently Morrigan’s grove had an idea.
My lips quirked.:I think I can get around that too. Hire a team to open up the concrete floor in the basement. I’ll need to be able to reach into the soil. Say at least six foot square, though larger is okay.:
:Immediately, my queen. When will you plan to arrive?:
Gwen was too polite to demand my presence at once, though if it were one of my Blood trapped somewhere, I’d be pretty damned impatient myself.:I have something planned for the full moon, but could come the day after.:
:Thank you, my queen. That gives me time to prepare.:I had a feeling that Gwen was the kind of person who could keep her face and voice completely modulated no matter what kind of shit was going down. However, her bond told me that she was crying happy, hopeful tears inside.:All will be ready for you.:
:Did you learn anything more about where Arthur’s ring came from?:
:Not yet. The only person who may know is my aunt, but she’s fully under House Shalott’s control now. If I can sneak into England without Elaine knowing, then there are a few places I can search for answers.:
I pulled back from her bond and focused on Gina. “Two things. Gwen says Kevin is absolutely trustworthy, and she needs my help in New York for a day or two. I’d like to head there the day after we have the full moon garden party.”
Gina pulled out her phone and started to send out the many texts to get another trip planned. “Will you want to stay at the tower or your mother’s house?”
“Mother’s, without question.”
“Magnum will be thrilled to have you back so soon. Alright, that’s taken care of.”
“So what did you find out about Leonie Delafosse?”
Gina handed me a disturbingly thin folder. “As you can see, not much. House Delafosse came to New Orleans in the early 1700s from a minor French house. They are loosely allied with House Valois, which is descended from the Dauphine. But most minor houses are allied to larger houses, or they’re swallowed up. Either they die out, or they get absorbed by the larger house and lose their own name.”
“Valois.” I turned to Daire. “Where did I hear that before?”
“Rosalind Valois,” he replied immediately. “She was allied with Keisha and also her lover.”
Oh yeah. She actually had her consiliarius reach out to me as soon as Keisha was gone to claim I was now her sibling by default. When I told her I’d be happy to accept her bond asmysibling, she suddenly wasn't interested. “Is Rosalind related by blood to Leonie?”
“Not that I could find, at least in the last two thousand years. All queens are related if you go back far enough.”
