Page 55 of Queen Takes Triune
It took all my strength to roll my head toward the voice I’d heard. Water. Dark and swirling. Around…
I blinked. Surely I was hallucinating.
A tentacle rose from the water long enough for me to see it and acknowledge it for what it was. Then the dark creature sank back down into the water.
My grotto wasn’t that deep or large, but that tentacle had been… Huge.
“Rik,” I whispered, searching the water. “Are your feet touching the bottom?”
“Of course.” His big palm slid up beneath my hair, supporting my neck. “Did you see something? Was it the lost queen’s Blood?”
My eyelids drooped. I nestled my face against his throat and breathed in his scent. Smoking hot rocks. Sparks from a forge. Red-hot iron.
“Monster.” My words slurred as sleep claimed me. “Mine.”
His chuckle rumbled through his chest, rocking me deeper into sleep. “Well, you are the queen of monsters. I look forward to seeing this new Blood you call, my queen.”
17
Shara
It was already evening before we arrived in New York City the next day. I'd slept heavily, barely even stirring as Rik carried me from the grotto to bed. I thought I'd dream of the other queen, or at least the tentacled monster I'd glimpsed, but if I dreamed at all, I'd forgotten.
As soon as I awakened, I'd searched outward for any sign of either of them, but I couldn't feel them anywhere. If the male voice I'd heard in the grotto belonged to a future Blood, then he was beyond this world or so far away that I couldn't sense him. I wasn't sure how he'd been able to reveal himself to me, but I had to hope that I'd be able to find him when it was time.
Because one thing I'd learned long ago: if the goddess sent me a Blood, it was for a very good reason. I would need this new monster. Desperately. Or She wouldn't have sent him to me.
I’d left Carys at home. She’d barely been able to look up from the stacks of books around her. If I’d torn her away from that library, she’d have been even grumpier than usual.
Gwen had arranged for an incredible meal in the tower. The food was just as good as anything Winston had ever made for me, though definitely high-end "citified" food. Everything was carefully plated and artistically arranged like a Michelin five-star restaurant. It was fantastic, but I’d honestly rather eat Winston’s family-style food any day.
Gina and Kevin sat with us, though at the opposite end of the table. Their heads were close, their voices low, as they caught up on consiliari business. I trusted Gina to fill me in on only what I needed to know.
Though Gwen sat apparently at ease while we ate, chatting about how things were going here in the tower, her Blood were another story. She’d introduced them to me immediately, and though they’d never actually served as knights in the Middle Ages, I could still see the legendary warriors that Lancelot, Bors, and Mordred must have been. They hovered around her, refusing to sit and eat with their queen, leaping at any chance to fill her glass or fetch the smallest crumb for her.
Her alpha, Lancelot, stood at her back, both hands on her shoulders. They’d all dressed formally in black suits, but he stood in a stiff guarding position, his steely blue eyes missing nothing.
“I still can’t believe I’m in the presence of Guinevere’s and Sir Lancelot’s descendants,” I said. “Though I wish you’d sit down and dine with us.”
“And I can’t believe that I’m in the presence of Sir Guillaume de Payne.” Lancelot gave him a salute, his fist over his heart. “I might be Lancelot reborn, but you were actually a Templar knight. Even in my time, you were already legendary.”
Guillaume flicked his wrist and a knife slid down into his hand. He saluted Lancelot with it the same way, hand over heart, but he kissed the blade before re-sheathing it. “It would have been an honor to ride with you.”
Gwen must have prodded her alpha in the bond, because his face reddened and he quickly added, “In the presence of the Great One’s last daughter, naturally we stand to show our respect.”
I snorted and picked up my wine glass. “I don’t require such nonsense. In fact, it makes me very uncomfortable when people start bowing and scraping. I’m just Shara, and I don’t want or need any formalities.”
Gwen picked up the wine bottle, poured more of the rich, dark wine into my glass, and then topped hers off as well. “Our queen deserves the absolute best from us. Without you, I wouldn’t be here with my Blood at all. You helped us accomplish what our lines haven’t been able to do for generations.”
“So now it’s time to defeat Arthur once and for all.”
Gwen gave me a tight, hard smile, her eyes glittering like sharp shards of glass. “The once and future king has always been my curse. But with your help, I can hopefully end his reign of terror for good. It won’t be easy, though.”
“Who’s the other Blood that you need to go after?”
“Merlin. He’s been trapped in Avalon since before the original Arthur’s death.”
“The wizard?” My eyes widened and I laughed sheepishly. “Are wizards actually real? I mean, I never thought vampires were real either, so I don’t know.”
