Page 19 of Queen Takes More
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” Xochitl said in a quavering voice. “I wanted to surprise you and ask you something.”
I dropped down to one knee before her and smoothed the mane back out of her eyes. “What did you wish to ask, sweetheart?”
“Did you have Christmas?”
Surprised, I tried to think back that far. It had only been a few weeks, but a load of shit had gone down since Christmas. I’d acquired several more Blood, grown the grove, gone to Mexico, killed the queen of New York City, and then hunted down Ra, the god of light, and smoked his ass in his own legendary city of Heliopolis. Somewhere in there, we’d had two major holidays. “Yes, of course.”
“What did Santa Claus bring you?”
We’d had a delightful Christmas orgy in the moonlight while I laid the blood circle around my nest, but I couldn’t tell the child that. “Santa brought me my dragon and my raven Blood.”
She glanced up at the two Blood slowly wheeling over us. Leviathan dwarfed all my other winged Blood, but she didn’t seem too impressed. “But did you have any presents? Mama’s Blood always make something to give her. That’s her rule. They have to make it themselves. No shopping allowed. But they still wrap everything up and sometimes make it a game for her to find all the presents. Did they do something like that for you?”
“Not exactly, but that sounds like a really nice tradition. Maybe we can do that next Christmas.”
Her eyes widened and she looked at her mother and then back to me. “You didn’t have any presents to unwrap? Not one?”
I kissed her soft muzzle. “I would rather have my Blood any day.”
She cocked her head slightly and then nodded. “Yeah. Me too. Keras is fun to play with.”
Smiling, I stood back up. “I’m glad you have a friend.”
“Home with you, young lady,” Mayte said firmly. “And next time, you must let me know before you go inside the tree, so I can contact our queen and make sure she’s home and available to see you.”
“Yes, Mama. But wouldn’t it be easier if I could tell her myself?”
I would need to taste the child’s blood to complete the bond and make her a formal sibling. “Let’s discuss that when you’re older, alright? Then if you still want to do so, you can become my queen sibling like your mother.”
Mayte lifted her chin and tipped her head my direction, giving her daughter a stern look.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Xochitl replied dutifully.
I leaned down and whispered in her ear. “How about you just call me Shara?”
Her eyes lit up but she looked at her mother first. “May I, Mama?”
“Not until you’re older.” Xochitl’s head drooped again, and Mayte quirked her lips. “You may call her Aunt Shara until you’re a queen in your own right.”
Her head jerked up and she hopped around me excitedly, filling the air with sparkles. “Aunt Shara! Aunt Shara!”
Tepeyollotl gave her a playful swat on her rump. “Off to home with you, butterfly. The queens have business to discuss.”
“Yes, Papa.” She reared up and gently braced her hooves on my shoulders so she could give me a pony kiss. Then she tore off toward the trees, her tail flowing in the wind. “Race you, Keras!”
The rhinoceros gave me a long-suffering look and blew out a disgusted snort, but he trotted after her.
Mayte kissed her jaguar god on the cheek. “Thank you, my heart. I’ll be along soon.”
He inclined his head to me politely. “Your Majesty.”
I blinked and he was suddenly a gigantic black jaguar. His eyes flashed in the sunlight like obsidian mirrors. He streaked across the snow after his daughter, distracting her so the heavier rhino could catch up.
Smiling, I met Mayte’s gaze. “I’m glad she discovered the tree would connect our nests. Now you can come whenever you wish.”
“Me too,” she admitted sheepishly. “But she needs to follow a few rules too, or I’m not going to survive until she’s a queen of her own nest.”
“So what’s up?”
