Page 7 of Queen Takes Blood
By dusk, Rik was practically frothing at the mouth with frustration. Without any more clues to go on, I finally convinced him that we should eat some food. Yes, we’re vampires, and I took every opportunity possible to drink Rik’s blood, but even Aima warriors needed to eat. Blood needed to eat even more to be sure they were generating plenty of blood to fuel their queen’s power.
When our queen finally called, I’d damned well be at full capacity even if Rik had to roll me to her side.
When most people saw his height, the width of his shoulders, and his bulging biceps, they assumed he’d be able to drink me under the table and carry me home for another round. And yeah, they weren’t wrong on either count, though if anyone was “drinking under the table” it’d be me pleasuring my alpha in the middle of the fucking restaurant. I didn’t have an inhibited bone in my body.
Though if we were talking about human food and drink, I definitely put away way more than him. I might look like a runt beside him, but the server’s pen ran out of ink before she got all of my order written down. The Rockin’ Pig Saloon boasted about their BBQ and wood-fired pizza. On top of the appetizers, naturally I had to try the pulled pork and their pepperoni pizza. Two of my favorite foods in the world.
I was halfway through the pizza before I realized he hadn’t even taken a single bite of his ribeye. Rare, of course, because was there any other way that a vampire would eat a steak?
“How is it?” I asked after a long pull on my beer.
He grunted sourly. “Good.”
“Suuuuure it is. You haven’t even taken a bite yet.”
Giving me a heavy scowl, he picked up his utensils and attacked the steak like he would slice and dice an entire nest of thralls rather than a fork-tender ribeye. “Having second thoughts yet?”
“About eating? Not at all.”
He jabbed the tip of the knife in my direction. “You know damned well what I’m talking about.”
I did. Not that I’d give in to him. I refused to entertain his fears about being too late. “We’re definitely in the right place. If we hadn’t come to Eureka Springs, then I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to try hot honey on a pepperoni pizza. What a fabulous combination!”
He rolled his eyes and stabbed a jagged piece of steak viciously. “Have you heard from Vega yet?”
“Nope.” Never mind that I’d turned my phone off hours ago so no one would be calling from New York City anytime soon. Keeping my voice light, I said, “When the time is right, we’ll know.”
“I don’t have time,” he gritted out.
For a moment, the spicy sweet bite of pepperoni pizza tasted like ashes in my mouth. Dread tightened my throat, making it difficult for me to swallow. I took another long drink, forcing the lump to clear out and buying me a little time to pull myself together.
I couldn’t bear to lose him. I couldn’t bear the thought of him hurt. Dying. Screaming in pain in some dark, horrible place while the Skye queen fed on his suffering. Yet that was the fate awaiting him if we didn’t find a way to leave House Skye forever.
Politics among Aima houses was a complicated game of multi-dimensional chess. Queens had all the power, and in this game, Rik and I were just pawns. Definitely not knights. Not yet.
“We’ve got to play this game smart.” I caught the server’s eye and lifted my glass, asking for another beer. “If we make a move out of desperation, we may fuck up the entire board.”
Rik grunted. “I hate it when you use chess metaphors.”
“It’s the best way to talk about how courts work, though we’re playing a game of life and death. Out of all the courts I could have been sent to for fostering, I ended up at House Skye with you. That wasn’t a mistake. The last place I wanted to go was New York City. Queen Devana had arranged for me to spend time in Rome first but at the last minute, she changed her mind and—”
A loud crash stilled my words. Gaping, I stared as Rik staggered to his feet, accidentally flipping the table between us over on its side. His chair went flying backward so hard it burst against the wall into a pile of kindling. Hands fisted at his sides, eyes wild, he panted, chest heaving. He seemed to get bigger and bigger while I looked at him, his shoulders and arms swelling so suddenly that his T-shirt ripped.
“Whoa, dude, what the fuck?” I whispered, shaking my head slowly.
Our waitress dropped the glass she was holding, staring at him in shock. It was like he’d stepped out of a comic book—though he wasn’t turning green. Yet.
Veins popped on his forearms, shooting up his bulging shoulders. Even his neck seemed swollen, thick with new muscle and roped, pumped-up veins like he’d been throwing a thousand pounds in the gym. He made a strangled sound, his jaws working. Again. Like he couldn’t speak through the ‘roid-rage muscles.
:Queen’s. Call.:
Holy shit. I jerked out my wallet and pressed a massive stack of bills into our server’s trembling hands to cover the damage. Rik had already disappeared out the door. I raced after him, flying down the front steps. A massive gong thundered in my head, knocking me senseless. Everything went numb. I crashed down the rest of the steps and landed in a heap on the icy sidewalk, too stunned to get up.
I could feel her. Our queen. Barely a mile away. Danger. So much danger. Her fear sliced through me, gutting me. Tearing me into ribbons. Breaking my bones. Headfirst into a meat grinder.
Something was trying to kill her this very second. And we weren’t fucking there to help her.
Crawl. I had to get to her. Now. My head spun, blood in my mouth. I pushed up on my hands and knees, scrambling toward her.
