Dark Queen’s Quest

by I. T. Lucas

  “What did you enjoy the most?” Yamanu asked.

  “Being with you.” She smiled. “And the restaurant was amazing. I don’t usually dine in places like that.” She chuckled. “None of my dates have taken me to such fancy places.”

  His brows rose. “A beautiful woman like you didn’t date any millionaires?”

  She pretended to think about that and then shook her head. “Nope. But just so you know, today’s fantasy boyfriend is a billionaire. Millionaires are so seventies.”

  “Interesting. Is that because of inflation?”

  “Not likely. Jin told me that prices double every fifteen years or so. A million in the seventies would be worth eight million today, not a billion. The inflation happens in the imaginations of today's Cinderellas.”

  He rose to his feet and pulled her into his arms. “And what would be this Cinderella’s dream?”

  She sighed. “I don’t wish for anything fancy. My best fantasy is owning my own business and running it with my sister.”

  “What about your dream boyfriend?”

  Mey smiled. “I’ve found him.” She lifted on her toes and kissed him.

  “Children?”

  “At least ten. We can adopt them from China, so they will look like me.”

  She hoped he knew that she was teasing. They had met only four days ago.

  Yamanu frowned, but she could see amusement in his eyes. “How are you going to run a business and take care of ten children?”

  “You are going to be a stay-at-home dad.”

  “I wouldn't mind. But what’s the point of having ten kids when you are working long days instead of enjoying them?”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I haven’t thought it through. I have to admit that the highlight of my day was getting to hold Ethan. He is so adorable and friendly. Usually babies don’t like it when strangers hold them.”

  “He’s used to that.”

  “Yeah, you told me.”

  She wanted to ask him about the single ladies back home, and why there was a shortage of babies to go around for everyone to get their baby fix, but nature was calling and she couldn’t wait to get out of the clothes she’d been wearing since five in the morning.

  “Do you need to use the bathroom before I get in there?” She shifted from foot to foot.

  He chuckled. “I can use one of the others. Go ahead.”

  “Thanks.”

  Tucking the bundle of clothes under her arm, she took the pouch with toiletries and ducked into the bathroom.

  As she stood under the spray, Mey closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself with a house full of kids. Ten was a bit much, especially if she wanted to fulfill her and Jin’s dream. But it had been fun indulging in a fantasy for a couple of minutes and imagining having a life with Yamanu.

  Except, she wasn’t Cinderella and he wasn’t a prince. He only looked like one.

  The truth was that she knew next to nothing about him, and before she allowed herself to dream about a future with a guy, she needed to find out who he was and what was his deal.

  The problem was coming up with a good excuse to be left alone in the suite’s living room. Her previous idea of saying that she needed to meditate and that she couldn’t do it with other people around wasn’t a good one. Someone would no doubt suggest that she could do it in Yamanu’s bedroom, and she couldn’t claim that it was too cramped because it wasn’t.

  Maybe something about beds?

  How about intruding thoughts of sex because of the proximity to the bed she and Yamanu had had it in?

  Not likely.

  She might have been comfortable to say something like that to her friends. But not to Arielle and her crew.

  They were all so formal and remote with her.

  Except for Ari, who was the opposite and treated Mey like a sister. But that didn’t mean that Mey would have been comfortable talking with her about sex either.

  Ari was like a princess, and everyone in her crew was treating her as one. Not because she was a spoiled prima donna or anything like that, but because they respected her and deferred to her.

  Why someone like Arielle would pursue a modeling career was another mystery.

  She was gorgeous, but she had so much more than looks going for her, and she obviously didn’t need to work for money. She was loaded.

  Mey chuckled. She should apply the same logic to herself.

  As Jin had often pointed out, Mey could do so much more than pose for the camera. Except, she needed to work to earn a living and to save for the business she and Jin were going to open one day, and modeling paid better than any other job she could get without a college education.

  44

  Yamanu

  Mey had been teasing, but Yamanu had sensed the deep yearning she’d tried to cover with humor. She really wanted a house full of kids, and he wanted her to have that. But the thought of her marrying some random human and having babies with him was enough to make his venom glands pulsate and his fangs elongate.

  Luckily, her pressing need to use the facilities had distracted her from noticing what was going on with him. He had to get himself under control before she was done with the bathroom.

  What a mess.

  He shouldn’t have allowed himself to get attached to her. Hell, he couldn’t believe that it had happened so quickly. When she’d reminded him that they had met only four days ago, he’d had to count back the days to make sure. It felt like so much longer than that.

  Which brought back to mind Eva’s suspicion that Mey might be a Dormant. Supposedly, there was a special kind of affinity that immortals felt for Dormants, and if that was coupled with physical attraction, the pull became incredibly strong.

  Except, unlike his fellow clansmen, Yamanu hadn’t wished for a mate because he couldn’t have one even if she fell into his lap.

  He snorted. Like Mey had.

  But Mey hadn’t done anything unusual or strange since he’d met her, and they had been spending a lot of time together.

  The only thing that could indicate otherwise was what the detective had said.

  Then again, not all Dormants had special abilities. Mey could be one of those. The problem was that the only way to test it was to have unprotected sex with her and bite her, which he couldn’t do.

  Rubbing his hand over his jaw, Yamanu wondered how the others had done it.

  It was a catch-22 kind of thing. It was wrong to induce a Dormant’s transition without her consent but telling her about immortals and what it took to transition was forbidden unless she was a Dormant, but determining that required inducing unless she exhibited very strong indicators like Syssi had.

  The only way around it was to tell her, and if she agreed to try, lock her up until she transitioned, provided that everything turned out well. If she didn’t transition, her memory would have to be erased. End of story.

  Talk about a convoluted situation. Lucky for him, he wouldn’t have to go through that with Mey.

  Or rather unlucky.

  Depending on how he looked at it.

  But what if she was a potential Dormant?

  What if she wanted to transition?

  Would he break his vow to induce her?

  He would have no choice because he wouldn't be able to stand aside and have another immortal male do it.

  Someone kill him now.

  There was no way out of this mess.

  If Mey was a human, he would have to let her go, and that would be bad. If she was a Dormant, he would have to break his vow to induce her and rob the clan of its best defense. And that was even worse.

  He couldn’t bring himself to hope for either eventuality.

  “Yamanu?” Alena said from the other side of the door. “I ordered coffee, tea, and desserts. Are you and Mey going to join us?”

  He walked over to the door and opened it. “Mey is in the shower, but I’ll ask her when she’s done.”

  “Ovidu went down to get it. He should be back any moment now.”


  “Are the others coming too?”

  “It’s just the four of us.”

  As he closed the door behind Alena, Mey stepped out from the bathroom. Clean faced and dressed in a pair of stretchy pants and a long T-shirt, she looked young and fresh and good enough to eat.

  Which he was planning on doing later. It wasn’t the smartest decision, but for as long as his sojourn in New York lasted, he was going to enjoy as much of her as he could.

  When it ended, he was going to be more miserable than he’d ever been, but at least he would have memories of her to sustain him.

  Reaching for Mey’s hand, he pulled her against his chest. “Arielle invited us to coffee and desserts.”

  “I heard.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “But after all I ate today, I shouldn’t eat anything more. I probably gained at least two pounds.”

  Yamanu chuckled. “And people think that a model’s life is all about glamour. They don’t realize that it’s mostly about going to bed hungry.”

  “And no partying because we need to be in bed early. Beauty sleep is important. Also, little or no alcohol, no dairy products, and the list goes on. I feel like a criminal when I order a milk-based cappuccino instead of soy.”

  “You can have some tea.” He led her to the door. “With no sugar.” He winked.

  “That would be nice. But let’s not stay for long.” She smiled suggestively. “I want to get to bed early.” Her tone of voice didn’t leave room for misinterpretation.

  Which caused a twitch where there should have been none.

  “Yeah, me too.” He opened the door. “Go ahead. I’ll be out in a minute. I need to use the bathroom.”

  “Okay.”

  That was a lie.

  What he needed was another dose of potion.

  It was good that he was an immortal and couldn’t cause himself permanent damage by overdosing on the stuff, or so he hoped. The herbalist had warned him not to take it more than twice a week or he would risk irreversible impotence.

  But that was good advice for humans. As an immortal, he could safely take one dose a day and sometimes two if he knew he was going to face strong temptation.

  Except, since meeting Mey, he’d increased the dosage to three a day. Perhaps he needed to consult with Merlin. Doctors were sworn to secrecy, right?

  Merlin wouldn’t let his secret get out.

  45

  Mey

  As Ari’s butler cleared the dishes and loaded them on the cart, Ari lifted the remote and flicked the television on. “Let’s see the movie offerings for today.”

  Mey cast a sidelong glance at Yamanu, trying to figure out whether he wanted to stay and watch a movie with his boss or retire to the bedroom for some private production time.

  He hadn’t said much in the past hour, but then Arielle had monopolized the conversation, asking Mey a ton of questions about every topic under the sun.

  It had started with the usual about moving from the States to Israel, then coming back, and how her parents were taking it that both their girls had left the nest. Then Ari had moved on to the topic of feminine intuition and if that was what had alerted Mey to the guy following her.

  They’d had a long discussion on whether intuition was real or not, and Mey had expected Yamanu to repeat what he’d told her about the subconscious collecting information and spewing it out when needed, but he’d seemed to be a million miles away.

  He still did. His pale blue eyes were trained on a random spot on the wall, and his expression was somber.

  She wondered what was going on with him. Had he had second thoughts about spending the night with her?

  Pushing to her feet, Mey stretched. "I'll have to take a rain check on the movie. I’m exhausted.”

  Ari clicked the screen off and waved with the remote. “Yeah, it was a long day. Do you have to work tomorrow?”

  “I don’t. I have the weekend off. I’ll finally get to sleep in.”

  “Wonderful. We can go shopping tomorrow. If you are up to it that is.”

  “Sure. Just not too early.”

  “No problem. Anyway, it takes Eva an hour to do my face. I’ll ask her if she wants to join us. She can leave Ethan with his daddy, and we can have us a girls’ fun day.” Arielle yawned. “I’m going to bed too. I might watch something to help me fall asleep, though. It’s so noisy in here. I’m not used to that.”

  Noisy?

  They were on the top floor of the hotel, and with the windows closed almost no streets noises could be heard. Had Ari been referring to the sounds of last night’s activity in Yamanu’s bedroom?

  Mey felt a blush spreading over her cheeks. Fortunately, with her skin tone it wasn’t noticeable.

  Or so she thought.

  As soon as they were alone in Yamanu’s bedroom, he pulled her into his arms and asked, “What were you thinking that brought about that enticing blush?”

  She answered with a whispered question. “What did Arielle mean by noises disturbing her sleep? Could she hear me moaning all the way from her bedroom?”

  Yamanu shrugged. “And what if she did?”

  Mey pushed on his chest. “It’s damn embarrassing, that’s what. But you wouldn’t understand because making a woman climax is a badge of honor for you.”

  “I promise you that the thought has never even crossed my mind. And there is no shame in orgasms, received or delivered.”

  “True, but that doesn’t mean that they should be advertised either.”

  Frowning, he stroked her hair for a long moment. “If it bothers you that much, we can put on loud music.”

  “That’s a great idea. Thank you.”

  She pushed out of his arms and reached for the remote. The hotel offered a good selection of music channels, and after flicking through them she settled on jazz.

  “Is that okay?”

  “Perfect.” Yamanu took her hand and led her to the bed.

  He didn’t seem in a hurry to get her undressed, though. Lying on his side, he wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned in to kiss her.

  It wasn’t a ravenous kiss, but a gentle, loving one that speared through her heart. Kisses like that could make her fall in love with him.

  Or maybe she already had?

  No, that was stupid. She still didn’t know much about him, and one tender kiss didn’t mean that he was in love with her either.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Damn, the guy was perceptive. “I might be falling for you, and I was berating myself for being stupid.”

  A sadness settling over his eyes, Yamanu nodded. “I understand. I can’t give you what you want. I can’t fully satisfy you, and I can’t give you a house full of kids.”

  Feeling like a jerk, she cupped his cheek. “That wasn’t it at all. You satisfied me and then some.” She chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever climaxed so hard and so many times as I did with you last night. The only thing missing was me responding in kind. I feel selfish.”

  The gleam back in his eyes, Yamanu smiled. “It brings me immense pleasure to witness your rapture. Hell, just holding you like that is priceless to me, and not because I’ve been lonely. I was doing fine until you showed up in my life and made me crave things that I shouldn’t.”

  Damn. He was making it really difficult not to fall for him.

  Mey closed her eyes and decided to take the plunge, asking the question that had been paramount on her mind but was probably too soon to ask. “Is there a time limit on your vow? Or is it in effect until the day you die?”

  46

  Yamanu

  Mey’s question had taken Yamanu by surprise even though it shouldn’t have.

  It made perfect sense for her to wonder about that, but the truth was that he’d never thought about the length of his commitment.

  When he’d made his vow, Yamanu had believed that he was only giving up meaningless hookups, and if he could get over the physical cravings, it would take most of the sting out of his sacrifice.

  After al
l, meaningful relationships with women had not been possible, and with the physical part subdued, it had felt like not much of a loss.

  But now that more and more Dormants were being discovered, perhaps he could be blessed with one as well. If the Fates indeed rewarded those who had sacrificed a great deal with truelove mates, then he’d certainly earned the right.

  Hell, he should have been first in line.

  And as to his vow, hadn’t he done enough?

  Perhaps finding his truelove mate would be the sign that it was time to re-evaluate his priorities?

  Was Mey a Dormant?

  Was she his truelove mate?

  How would he know if she was either without having intercourse with her?

  Mey sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “No, that’s okay. I’ve just never considered putting an expiration date on my vow.”

  Her eyes flared with hope. “And now you do?”

  “It’s not something I can decide on without giving it serious thought.”

  “Of course not.” She was still smiling, and her fingers were combing through his hair, making him want to purr. “Take as long as you need. Just knowing that this is not permanent is good enough for me.”

  It was just as he’d thought. Mey wanted a full partner, not just a partial one, and all her talk about adopting had been a joke. No big surprise there. He’d figured as much.

  “So, my celibacy is a deal-breaker for you. You just didn’t want to admit it because you didn’t want to hurt my feelings.”

  “No way. I was angry with myself for believing that I was falling for you after four days of knowing you, not because of your vow and the limitations it imposed on our lovemaking. I meant it when I said that you had me orgasming harder and longer than I ever had before.”

  She was telling him the truth.

  Yamanu let out a stifled relieved breath. “Careful. You are inflating my ego. Soon I won’t be able to squeeze into my clothes.”

  “You’ll be fine.” She lifted a strand of his hair and wound it around her finger. “I know that it’s too early to talk about the future, but I was dead serious when I said that I was fine with adopting children and not having them myself.” She looked into his eyes. “The way I feel now, I wouldn’t give you up even if you kept your vow of celibacy for the rest of your life.”