Page 66 of Queen Takes Triune
Gina gasped, and both she and Frank started running after me. “Marne Ceresa’s mirror?”
“The very one.” I smiled grimly at Winston as I climbed the front steps. “That’s a very nice gun you have there, Winston. It goes so nicely with your bowtie.”
He inclined his head, tucking the hefty gun against his chest. “At your service, my queen.”
Pausing on the top step, I arched a brow at him. I’d been in a hurry earlier, but I definitely hadn’t missed him calling me by my given name. “Already back to formalities?”
His lips twitched as he opened the door for me. “It appears so, though I’m sure I’ll slip once more if the nest ever comes under attack again.”
My rage had cooled slightly, from a punishing blizzard to only a killing frost of ice. I smiled, even though my face felt brittle. “How about I go on the offensive this time?”
He shoved the gun back over his shoulder, letting it dangle down his back by a strap, and headed for the kitchen. “Then I should put on a pot of tea, Shara, my queen.”
20
Mehen
It took all my self-control not to blast the entire fucking world with dragonfire.
Fuck them all.
Fuck the queens who plotted and schemed to hunt Shara down and kill her before she could ever find us. Fuck especially the Dauphine, who’d fucking hurt my queen.
Hurt her like I’d never felt before.
I’d been betrayed. I’d been hurt. My own fucking mother had exiled me. I’d lain in a festering prison locked away from the world for centuries with only the occasional rat snack and power-hungry queen to devour. Yet I’d never hurt as badly as I fucking did right now.
Fucking evil queen. I’d drag the Dauphine to my prison and bind her there in my place. Only I’d go there occasionally—just so I could eat off one of her body parts. A queen that old would live a long time. I could feast on her for eons.
And it still wouldn’t be enough to punish her for what she’d done to Shara.
My fucking queen. Fuckingcrying.
“Fuck that shit,” Ezra muttered under his breath as he shrugged on yet another fugly flannel shirt. We’d all started stashing spare clothing around the nest so we could easily dress after shifting if Gina or another queen was present. “Motherfucking zombie queen’s gotta pay.”
For once, I was in complete agreement with the grizzly. Normally I wouldn’t bother with clothes after an attack—hoping for another bloody orgy with our queen to help her recover. But this time even our queen’s heavenly body couldn’t lure Leviathan into subsiding completely.
“Oh, she will,” Shara replied, her lips curved in a grim smile that made my hackles rise with glee. “Nevarre, would you pick me out a new outfit?” He started up the stairs immediately, taking steps three at a time. She called after him, “Something comfortable and casual. Gina, let’s set up the war room in front of the fireplace. I want Gwen, Kevin, and whoever else needs to be a part of this discussion online if they’re available.”
:We’re always available for you, my queen,:Gwen replied in Shara’s head.
Itztli charged down the stairs as quickly as Nevarre had gone up. He held the mirror under his arm, still wrapped in heavy black velvet. I could smell the coffee grounds it’d been buried in. When the Triune queen of Rome sent you a gift, it was wise to treat it like a fucking Trojan horse.
“Keep the cover on for now,” Shara said. “Hopefully she can’t eavesdrop as long as the mirror isn’t activated, but everyone keep that in mind.”
Gina flipped on two new television screens on the wall, revealing Gwen and Kevin on one screen and two of her assistants on the other. “I’m so glad we had these installed. Can everyone hear?”
“Loud and clear,” Gwen replied. “Technology is cooperating today.”
Nevarre returned with clothing, so Shara stepped off to the side behind the couch and quickly dressed in worn, soft jeans and a black hoodie with the Isador logo on it. She arched a brow at him but slipped it over her head. “Isn’t wearing my own logo presumptuous? I don’t want Marne to think I’m trying to sell something.”
“It was the softest sweatshirt I could find. Besides, it’d only be presumptuous if weallshowed up in her court wearing matching Isador shirts, though I think it’d be fucking hilarious.”
She started to head back to the main group, but Nevarre reached out and lightly rubbed his thumb against some flecks of blood that had dried on her chin.
“Oh, yeah. Thanks for the reminder.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him.
That was the only warning we had before a fucking bomb detonated inside her.
