Page 42 of Queen Takes Sunfires 2
“Then we shall stay here as long as you wish, Your Majesty.”
It didn’t even bother me that he heard my thoughts now. It felt… right. It was a relief not to have to voice all the silly, ridiculous fears in my head. He just knew, and he didn’t care. He didn’t judge me either way. He didn’t push me to make choices or decisions. None of them did. Even when I dumped a flaming fireball of rage onto their bonds.
I closed my eyes, daring to nuzzle a little deeper into his embrace. His chest against mine. His throat against my mouth. His skin soft against my lips. The spicy scent of his sunfire, Cinnabar, only millimeters away in his blood that pounded beneath the surface.
That quickly, my hunger raged back as if I had been wandering a desert for eternity without sustenance. Never mind that I had drained all ten of them to the point of unconsciousness already.
“May I ask you something that is potentially… indelicate? Without you feeling the need to—”
“Absolutely,” he cut in before I could complete my thoughts.
My cheeks heated, shyness making my voice tremble ever so slightly. “Would it be improper for us to lie together? For you to hold me, like this?”
Without answering, he stood and swept me up, cradling me in his arms as he gently lay me down on the mattress. Eyes wide, I watched him remove his swords. He leaned down and untied his boots, kicking them aside. Then he lay down beside me on his side, facing me. Very carefully not touching me.
For a moment, I did have a flashback to Ra moving on top of me. Slamming deep. Thumping my head against the floor or the hard golden walls. Uncaring. Grinding my bones to dust, injuring me inside and out. It didn’t matter if I cried or screamed or struggled, though if he wearied of my tears, I would be punished. Severely. He never cared about what I had wanted. If I was afraid.
Sunzi watched those horrible memories flickering through my mind, and though it didn’t take those horrors away, he at least shared them with me. He was with me.
I wasn’t alone.
I scooted closer to him and pressed my face against his chest as before. His heartbeat steadied me. So strong and loud and unrushed. Present and consistent in a way that I’d never known before. Only now, listening to his heart, did I realize how often I had lain in my chamber and heard no sound at all. Not even my own heartbeat. Never felt the touch of another living person.
I refused to count Ra. He never touched me outside of his own pleasure.
Hesitantly, I tucked my arm around Sunzi’s waist, flattening my palm on his back. He mirrored my movement, giving me the weight of his arm around me, the faint heat of his hand soaking through my clothing. Tipping my head back enough to see his face, I asked, “Are you too drained for me to feed on you again?”
His eyes flared and a short laugh escaped his lips. “Drained? After you dumped all that power into us earlier? You could feast on us for eternity and never drain us now.”
My hunger intensified, my fangs aching with the need to be buried in his throat. Though I made myself wait a moment. I didn’t want to attack him, or make him think—
He arched his head back, exposing his neck for me. “Attack, Your Majesty. Only tell me whom you’d like to feed on next, and I will order him to be near.”
Closing my eyes, I locked my mouth on his throat, shivering with the sheer ecstasy of tasting his blood on my tongue. Roasted spices, flaming feathers. Cinnabar.
:All of them.:
His arm tightened ever so slowly, bringing me closer to him. My chest against his. Our thighs touching. And I wasn’t afraid. :As you will, so it shall be, Your Majesty.:
18
Eivind
The air reeked of soot, laced with the bitter scent of tar. Ash and burning leaves fluttered from the sky, sparking new fires as quickly as we could put them out. There was so much smoke, it was impossible to tell what time of day it was, though I thought it was almost noon. Though we’d managed to save the cabin so far, most of the trees had succumbed to the searingly hot air. My car was a burned-out shell of metal. All that remained was the largest pine that had always been Helayna’s favorite tree.
Anytime I had needed to find her, I knew she would be waiting for me under those mighty branches. If we lost it to the fires, she’d be heartbroken.
She’d dumped an ocean of water on the tree, over and over, but I feared the end was near. Despite draining all three of her Blood and me as well, she still slumped against the biggest Blood, her face wan and hollowed with shadows, as if she’d been starved for centuries.
My wolf insisted it was time to retreat to the forest on the mainland. Though our island was no longer surrounded by water. The burning lake had evaporated all the water. I couldn’t imagine what the human news stations would make of such a bizarre event.
A warning tingle itched across my skin, making my lips twist in a snarl. “A queen approaches.”
“Finally.” Helayna grasped her other Blood’s hand and slowly rose, wobbling slightly. “Help is arriving.”
Fucking great. The Triune queen she’d contacted for help. I’d met the Isador queen once. She hadn’t tried anything underhanded, and if Helayna’s surmise was correct, that same queen had somehow managed to visit her when she’d been trapped inside Jörmungandr. If so, I would be grateful, of course, but I would never trust any queen not to try and shackle me.
Even Karmen?A small, still voice whispered in my head. I closed my eyes, fighting down the wolf howl that echoed inside me.
