Page 65 of Queen Takes Blood
“Sun Tzu, Keeper of Heaven’s Keys, come forward.”
A Soldier of Light stepped up beside me, the brilliant flash of his armor slicing my eyeballs.
“Give my spawn her heart’s desire and loose the wrath of Heliopolis on the human plane.”
With a sharp metallic rattle, the soldier inclined his head. “At once, Your Imperial Majesty.”
A low hum made my teeth ache. Power surged and blasts of fiery light shot from the two obelisks on either side of the Sun Throne, merging together into a shimmering pool of golden light and sunfire energy on the temple floor. Swirling like a whirlpool of solar flames, the puddle changed the floor into a fogged, misty mirror that shimmered into a hole through time and space. On the other side, I could see tall rectangles arranged in groupings that didn’t make sense at first glance. Anddarkness, sparkling with tiny lights.
I broke into a run, racing for that hole before Ra could change his mind. I’d dive through a lake of fire to escape.
Smoak flashed inside me, transmitting images rather than words. A spear tapping my shoulder. That was definitely the Impaler. A sword lifting in a soldier’s hand, a kind of salute. From Sun Tzu, the soldier who’d opened the portal. That didn’t make sense to me but I understood the message without words.
Get the fuck out while the getting’s good.
I plunged through the hole of darkness without hesitation.
36
VIVIAN
I’d come to hate New York City almost as much as Heliopolis, but I couldn’t make myself stay away. Always, the fucking city called me back, reeling me in closer and closer to my prey.
Keisha Skye, the queen of New York City. I could only imagine how pleased Ra would be if I managed to kill the strongest queen in the Americas. She even seemed to be the perfect queen to take me in. She preferred female Blood—and after I escaped Heliopolis, I killed any man who dared to lay a finger on me. Blood, sibling, human, it didn’t matter.
No man will ever touch me again.
Smoak was still with me, my constant sunfire companion, though he had changed over the centuries too. More male here in the human plane, the only safe male I’d ever been near for any amount of time. Though sometimes Smoak felt more feminine too. We kept to ourselves and avoided courts as long as possible, trying to protect the queens. Though inevitably…
I found myself kneeling before a new queen.
Staring up at Skye Tower, I made myself admit the truth.
I’m afraid.
Afraid she’d be the one to survive if she drank from me.
Keisha Skye might be strong enough to break the curse of Ra’s blood in my veins. But then…
I’d be forced to serve her every whim.
After growing up in the breeding grounds, I knew the signs of instability, insanity, and abuse. I read between the lines in all the whispered gossip about what was happening in House Skye, and I wanted no fucking part of it. I hated men, but that didn’t mean I’d gleefully torture one just because I could.
Sure, let me have a go at Sepdet or Aurelian, the two motherfuckers who’d hurt me the most in Heliopolis. They deserved what they got. But some random alpha from an insignificant Aima house didn’t deserve to die horribly simply because Skye got some kind of sick fulfillment from his torture.
The pull to be here was so fucking strong, though. Even Smoak flickered uneasily, flaring up at sudden, random moments to singe my liver. A hot enough surge that I paused, gasping for breath. Bent over, I held my abdomen a moment, breathing shallowly until the pain passed.:What the fuck is wrong with you?:
:Queen.:His communication skills had improved—or perhaps I’d simply gotten better at identifying the images he sent me.:Close.:
“Yeah, no shit,” I muttered out loud, giving a dirty glare up at the tower.
Determined to get a safe distance away, I turned around and headed down the street, walking as quickly as I could. Though I didn’t make it more than a block or two before Smoak’s antics drew me to a halt again. Panting, I leaned against a tree.:Stop tumbling around. You’re making me sick.:
:Queen,:he said more insistently.
It felt like my intestines were being dragged out of me. Deep, visceral tugs that jolted my entire body. Sweat dripped into my eyes despite the snow on the ground. The cold didn’t touch me but I didn’t care for the fluffy white layer covering everything. It was too close to a city of glittering gold, while also reminding me of soft white feathers and the stench of scorched meat. Despite my care, Dawn’s lone feather had crumpled to nothing long ago.
Shuddering, I pushed away from the tree and staggered another step down the sidewalk. I hadn’t thought of her in forever. Let alone the other queens who’d tried to bond me over the years I’d roamed the mortal plane.
