Dark Queen’s Quest

by I. T. Lucas

  “Why not? I can pretend to be one of the movers and shakers you wine and dine.”

  He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. “No need to pretend. You move me and shake me every day and every night.”

  The bright smile she flashed him was the best reward he could get.

  “You’re such a smooth talker, my love. But I’m not complaining, mind you. Keep ’em coming.”

  “Oh, I will. Did I already tell you how ravishing you look tonight?”

  Her hand went to the diamond necklace he’d bought her on a whim. “You did. But you can tell me as many times as you please.” She leaned forward and winked. “But first, call Losham. Enough stalling.”

  “Fine.”

  Sometimes he had a feeling that Kian had agreed to let Carol go with him to Washington just so she could spy on him. There was no doubt in his mind or his heart that she loved him, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t reporting what she saw and heard to Kian.

  His call to Losham wasn’t confidential, but he needed to be careful about what he said in front of Carol. He should assume that she repeated every word to Kian.

  Lokan pulled out his phone and selected his brother’s number.

  He’s not my brother.

  They weren’t related in any way, and he still had a score to settle with the guy over what his sadistic son had done to Carol.

  Taking a deep breath, he schooled his features, which helped him even out his mood and push the rage below the surface.

  The call was answered after several rings.

  “Lokan, what a pleasure it is to hear from you. How have you been?”

  “Busy. I’m still playing catch up. I need to come down to Los Angeles for a meeting, and I was wondering whether you are there already so we could meet for lunch or dinner.”

  “Splendid. When is your meeting?”

  “I wanted to check with you before scheduling it. I doubt I will have time for another West Coast visit in the near future, and I wanted to make sure that we can meet.”

  “I see. My assistant and I are flying down on Saturday, and the rest of the gang is driving down on Sunday.”

  That was a great opportunity to sneak a question about how many men Losham had with him. “Did you rent a moving truck or a bus?”

  Losham chuckled. “Neither. We are not taking any furniture with us. I’m renting out my house fully furnished.”

  “Are you planning on returning to San Francisco?”

  “I don’t know. But I like the place too much to sell it. The house I rented in Bel Air comes fully furnished as well.”

  “Bel Air, that’s fancy. I’m sure you’re not supplying Bel Air lodging for your men as well.”

  “Of course not. I bought a modest apartment building in Koreatown. It only has twelve apartments, but that’s plenty. The men can sleep two and three to a room, which is better than what they get on the island, so they will be happy enough.”

  Assuming each apartment had two bedrooms, it meant that Losham had between forty-eight to seventy-two warriors at his disposal.

  “Will you be available on Monday?”

  “Let's make it Tuesday. I want to make sure that my men are settled first.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll schedule my other meeting for Monday.”

  “Who are you seeing?”

  “A senator.”

  “Which one?”

  Right. That was bold of Losham to ask.

  “I’m not at liberty to discuss it. It’s a preliminary meeting, and I don’t know if anything will come out of it.”

  “I see. Well, you’ll know better by Tuesday.”

  “I hope so. Dinner or lunch?”

  “Let’s do dinner. Lunch will make the meeting rushed because we both have things we need to do in the afternoon. Dinner will allow us the freedom to talk for as long as we please.”

  “You are absolutely right. Dinner it is. Are you making the reservation or should I?”

  “I’ll make it. After all, Los Angeles is my turf now, so I’d better get acquainted with the best places to eat over there.”

  As Lokan disconnected the call, he debated whether he should call Kian right away, and how much of the information he should share with him. He could tell him about the apartment building in Koreatown and the estimated number of warriors, but not about Losham’s rented property in Bel Air.

  Except, Carol had been listening to the entire conversation, and she might mention it to Kian.

  Not that Lokan was under any obligation to share everything with his cousin. The deal was that he would warn the clan if Navuh decided to resume his offense against them. And he was also going to help with regard to the abductions, which he disapproved of anyway.

  Kian hadn’t asked for more.

  But he still might, and Lokan wasn’t sure he was okay with betraying his so-called brothers. After centuries of thinking of them as blood relatives, it was difficult for him to regard them as strangers.

  “Why are you frowning?” Carol asked. “You got him to tell you everything that you needed from him.”

  “I still think of him as a brother, and it annoys the hell out of me. We are not related in any way. On top of that, I still need to find out whether he knew about what his son was doing to you. If he did, I’m going to serve his head to Kian on a platter.” He smiled evilly. “In the shape of a meatloaf.”

  29

  Mey

  When they arrived at Ari’s suite, Mey expected the living room to be filled with the rest of the gang, as Arielle had called them, but they must have already left.

  Ari got up from the couch and came over to give Mey a hug. “I heard that you had quite a scare earlier.”

  “I did. But now I’m not even sure that anyone was following me. Yamanu didn’t see anything on our way here.”

  “Where is everyone?” Yamanu asked.

  Arielle took Mey’s hand and led her to the couch. “Ethan got fussy, so Eva and Bhathian had to leave. And then Uisdean and Ewan decided to leave too. Arwel is in his room.”

  They all had foreign names that Mey wasn’t sure about the origins of. Perhaps Scandinavian? Or maybe Scottish. Yamanu had said that his mother was from Scotland.

  Was there still a Scandinavian monarchy? Sweden had a king, right?

  Mey wasn’t sure. It had been years since she’d graduated high school, and her memory had never been great. Her mind tended to race, which meant that she often didn’t pay as much attention as she should have in class, thinking about a thousand and one other things. It was a miracle she’d graduated with decent grades.

  One of the bedroom doors opened, and Arwel walked into the living room. “I was waiting for you. Arielle didn’t let us touch the cake until you got here.”

  “There is cake?” Yamanu glanced around.

  “It’s in the fridge.”

  Ari smiled. “I sent my butler to get fresh coffee and hot water for tea. When he’s back, we will have us some cake.”

  Mey shook her head. “I can’t. I already overindulged today.”

  Ari patted her knee. “We can share a slice. I’m only going to have a couple of teaspoons.”

  Yamanu walked over to the fridge and pulled out three slices of cheesecake. “Oh, that’s rich even for me.”

  As he took the plates to the dining table, the butler opened the door and rolled in a cart with the coffee and tea Ari had ordered.

  “Come.” Arielle pushed to her feet. “Let’s taste that deliciousness.”

  Arwel and Yamanu both took a full slice of cheesecake, while Mey and Ari shared one.

  “It’s delicious,” Mey said after the first spoonful. “But I shouldn’t eat any more of it.”

  Regrettably, no one argued with her, so she had no excuse to take one more.

  “I want you to stay here tonight,” Arielle said. “I don’t want you sleeping alone in an empty apartment.”

  Frankly, Mey was grateful for the invitation, and would have loved to accept, but it felt like to
o much of an imposition and she was still wearing the clothes from the shoot.

  “Thank you, but I can’t. I have an early shoot tomorrow, and I need to change into the outfit I’m supposed to wear for it.”

  For a moment, Arielle looked disappointed, but then she smiled brightly. “Yamanu can go with you. He can sleep over and keep you safe.”

  Yamanu’s eyes shot daggers at his charge. “I can’t do that. I’m here to protect you, Arielle. But Mey is more than welcome to stay the night, and I’ll escort her home early in the morning.”

  Ari tilted her head. “I see that you spilled the beans.” She waved a hand. “Oh, well. No harm done.” She smiled at Mey. “I can lend you one of my nightgowns, and Ovidu can launder your things, so you’ll have fresh clothes for tomorrow morning.”

  She couldn’t refuse. The thought of going home alone was too scary. “Thank you so much. I don’t want to inconvenience you more than I have to. If you have a spare blanket, I can sleep on the couch.”

  Yamanu cleared his throat. “You are going to sleep in my bedroom, and I’ll take the couch.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he lifted his hand. “I’m the Guardian. It is my duty and privilege to guard you both, and the best way to do it is by watching the entry.”

  The entire floor was secure because no one could get up there without a key, so Yamanu was talking out of his ass. But if he wanted to be gallant, she wasn’t going to be a bitch and refuse.

  “Okay.”

  His chest deflated. “That was easy. I was expecting to have to arm wrestle you into the bedroom.”

  “Kinky,” Arielle teased.

  Yamanu shot some more daggers in her direction, and Mey felt her ears getting warm.

  She didn’t blush often, but the image that Yamanu’s innocent comment had evoked had been very arousing.

  Damn. She needed to get her libido under control. No sex for six weeks shouldn’t be a big deal. She’d gone without for longer than that. But back then she hadn’t been staring at temptation personified.

  It was easy to abstain when there was nothing to entice her.

  Arielle pushed away from the table. “Let me get the nightgown for you, so you can get out of those clothes and take a shower.” She ducked into the suite’s master bedroom.

  “I can go snooping around your apartment,” Arwel offered. “Check if anyone is lurking around. And I can also bring you a change of clothes, if you don’t mind me going into your closet.”

  The thought of him going through her underwear drawer made her a little uncomfortable, but if that was the only problem, she would have swallowed her pride. “Thank you for the offer, but I still didn’t pick up shoes and other accessories to go with the outfit that I need to wear tomorrow. I have to do it myself.”

  “I have a better idea.” Yamanu leaned and put his hand on Arwel’s shoulder. “Do we have any spare bugs left over that you can leave in Mey’s apartment? It would be interesting to see whether anyone tries to get in.”

  Arwel grinned. “I have plenty.”

  “Excellent.” Yamanu turned to Mey. “Is it okay with you?”

  “As long as you take them down before my roommates return, I’m all for it.” She reached into her bag and pulled out her keys. “I will write you the code for the entry door and my phone number.” She pulled out a pen and jotted down the numbers on one of the napkins. “If anyone asks, you are from the agency, and I sent you to pick up things for me.”

  30

  Yamanu

  Yamanu lay awake and stared at the ceiling. The couch was too short, so he propped his feet on the armrest. But that wasn’t what was keeping him awake.

  He could hear Mey tossing and turning in his bedroom, and he wondered whether she was awake and having trouble falling asleep.

  He couldn’t hear her heartbeat from behind the closed door or discern her breathing pattern, but he could sense her unrest.

  Was it because of him?

  Probably not. Mey had enough on her mind to keep her awake at night. Her sister had possibly gotten herself into some kind of trouble, working for some shady top secret organization that could be a government agency or not, and then she herself had someone follow her around.

  One had probably nothing to do with the other, and the creep who’d followed her had likely been interested in her feminine assets and not intelligence secrets.

  Which was worse.

  If he caught the bastard, he was going to make a pancake out of him. Arwel had planted a hidden security camera over her front door and another one in the living room. So, if anyone tried to get in, they would know. Tonight, though, Arwel hadn’t spotted anyone watching her apartment building, and no one had tried to get in.

  Tomorrow, Yamanu was going to get Uisdean and Ewan to guard Alena, while he went with Mey to her morning shoot. Kian would not be happy about it, but he could deal with him later.

  He wasn’t going to leave Mey exposed for even a moment.

  The soft sound of her footsteps confirmed that she hadn’t been sleeping, and a moment later the bedroom door opened.

  “Are you awake?” she whispered.

  “Yes. Do you need anything?”

  She walked over to the couch and sat on the edge. “I can’t sleep thinking about you on this couch. It must be torture. You are way too tall for it.”

  “I’m okay.”

  She reached for a strand of his hair and ran it through her fingers. “I wanted to do this from the first moment I saw you. Your hair is like silk.”

  He chuckled. “It’s not much different from yours.”

  “Mine is not as soft.” She leaned forward, letting her long hair brush against his bare chest. “Touch it.”

  Stifling a groan, he smoothed his hand over the crown of her head. “It’s soft,” he murmured.

  “Come to the bedroom. We can share the bed. I don’t mind.”

  Yeah, but he did.

  When a fake cough sounded from Arwel’s bedroom, Yamanu sighed. “We can’t talk in here.”

  Mey lifted her eyes and glanced at the closed doors. “They can hear us?” she whispered.

  “Yeah, the acoustics in this place suck.” He threw the comforter off. “We can sit on the balcony outside my bedroom. That’s as private as it gets.”

  Mey’s eyes were stuck on his bare chest and she didn’t budge.

  “I need to get up.”

  “Oh.” She pushed up to her feet. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It’s okay to look.”

  “Just not to touch, right?”

  Damn. The girl was direct.

  Arwel coughed again, and then Alena did the same.

  Busybodies.

  It was a shame Yamanu couldn't reprimand Annani’s daughter, but Arwel was another story. Tomorrow, he was going to have a man-to-man talk with his buddy, and he wasn’t sure words wouldn’t be exchanged.

  “Come on.” He took her hand and led her back to the bedroom.

  When he opened the slider to the balcony, cold air blew in and Mey shivered.

  “Wait here. I’ll get you a jacket.” He ducked into the closet and grabbed the first one off the hanger.

  “What about you?” she asked when he handed it to her. “Aren’t you going to be cold?”

  “I’ll get a T-shirt.” The cold didn’t bother him, but Mey’s eyes on his chest did.

  They were way too covetous, and he couldn’t give her what she wanted.

  Except, the white T-shirt he’d pulled on wasn’t enough to shield his body from her gaze, and the worst part was that he enjoyed it way too much.

  It felt like a soft caress, and he hadn’t felt a woman’s touch in so long.

  “It’s nice out here, "she said.

  “Good view.”

  She looked straight at him. “I agree.”

  Yamanu swallowed. “It’s because we are so high up.” It was a lame answer, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  Mey closed her eyes and breathed in. “You smell nice. Wha
t cologne are you wearing?”

  “Tom Ford.”

  “Which one?” She opened her eyes.

  “I don’t remember. I have several of them.”

  “You have good taste. In clothes too. You’re stylish without overdoing it.”

  “Thank you.”

  Fates, this was awkward.

  Perhaps he could steer the conversation to a safer topic.

  “Do you miss your parents?”

  “I do. I go back home twice a year, and they come here quite frequently too. My Bubbe is not doing so great. Her knees are bad, and she refuses to have an operation.” She smiled. “That’s grandma in Yiddish.”

  “I know. Where does your grandma live?”

  “In Brooklyn. With my grandpa. And my other grandparents live in Miami.”

  “It’s nice to have a big family.”

  “Yeah, but ours isn’t. My dad is an only child and my mother has just one sister. How about you? Are your grandparents still alive?”

  The last thing Yamanu wanted to do was talk about his lineage, but the other option was to reach for Mey, put her on his lap, and kiss the living daylights out of her.

  Except, that was the worst thing he could do. It would be the first step on the road leading to hell.

  31

  Mey

  Way to go, Mey.

  She had a hot guy out on a bedroom balcony, and they were talking about their grandparents.

  “Only my grandmother on my mother’s side is still alive,” Yamanu said.

  How was she going to get him from there to kissing?

  He wasn’t going to do it, that much was obvious. But should she?

  Mey wasn’t shy, but she wasn’t used to taking the initiative either. Hell, she didn’t want to.

  With her height, people assumed that she was assertive, and they weren’t necessarily wrong. She was, but not sexually.

  Her first had been the typical alpha male, who had taken charge and led in the bedroom, and he’d gotten her spoiled. She wasn’t willing to settle for anything less than that. Being the aggressor didn’t suit her.