Page 25 of Queen Takes Blood
Into me.
A speck against the overwhelming dread of my darkness. And she didn’t turn away. She didn’t cower or run or wail or cry. Instead, she started to slide into sleep.
Even tangled up in the raw edges of my madness. The sinking sands poured faster, sucking us both down like a bottomless whirlpool. Time was meaningless—until it ran out.
“What is your name?” I whispered.
“Shara.”
I didn’t recognize it. She didn’t tell me her house. An accident? Or a deliberate omission? Did it matter in the end if she could free me? “Come and find me. Now, Shara. I won’t last much longer, even with that sweet dollop of power melting on my tongue. You must come soon or all is lost.”
I must have been convincing because she asked, “How long do we have?”
I let her sense the rapidly draining sands of the hourglass in my head. “Hours. Days. No more.”
“Why? Why are you dying now?”
It seemed so clear to me now. So obvious. The gossamer thread that had been tugging on me was here. Her. Shara. The sands blowing away were appropriate in her lineage, even though I didn’t know her house. “I felt the moment you took the first breath on this earth and the countdown started.”
Her chains wound tighter around me. Pinning my wings. Strangling me. Dragging me down to familiar darkness.
At least this time, I wasn’t alone.
13
MEHEN
She’s here.
Not even fully awake, I lifted my head and cracked my mouth open to inhale deeply. Muzzle tipped up toward the treacherous chute that would deliver my prey directly to my lair. A faint ripple spiraled through the air to kiss my scales, perfumed with her luscious scent.
No more fucking dreams.
No more fucking chains.
One of us was dying, and I didn’t intend it to be me.
Many have wandered into my tunnel and found their way to me. Animals seeking shelter. The occasional lost tourist. And of course, queens with full knowledge of who—what—lay in wait.
Leviathan. King of the Depths.
Determined to bring me to heel. To force me toservelike a chained lapdog.
I stoked my rage, embraced my hatred, and welcomed the coming darkness. I would need it all to defeat her.
Her name echoed through the black depths.Shara.
She carefully inched down the tunnel, tracing her hand over the rocky wall. I could almost feel her fingertips gliding over my scales. Feel the trembling strain in her muscles as she fought to keep her footing as the treacherous tunnel dipped.
The passage of no return. Too steep for her to turn back. Too slippery to climb back out.
Much to my disappointment, she made it to the bottom of the channel without falling. I preferred the quick rush and glide, the reckless tumble into the pile of bones. Though her fear tasted delicious, drawing out my anticipation. I lay still and quiet on the ledge, watching her strain to see. Stretching her foot out to see if she could guess how far down the drop might be.
She hadn’t called her power yet. I wasn’t sure why. A silly matter of pride, perhaps. She was bleeding. I could smell the tantalizing coppery goodness on the air. Or perhaps a deliberate attempt to force me to reveal myself.
Because my hunger stirred to a raging inferno.
Soon, I whispered, crouched low in the shadows.
