Queen Takes Queen

by Joely Sue Burkhart

  "No formal wear. But I do want you all to look mean and formidable. Something in black. I don't care if it's jeans, but black head to toe." The she looked at me and smiled. "Except you, Nevarre."

  "I have pants..."

  She shook her head. "You know I love that kilt."

  Daire gave me a dark look and tossed his hair back over his shoulder. He'd been pouting about my kilt ever since she called me the night she sealed the nest.

  "You don't have the knees for it," I said to him.

  He snorted and pulled some black jeans out of his bag. "I don't think it's your knees she's looking at."

  I pulled on a plain black T-shirt with the kilt, thick socks, and my heaviest combat boots. The rest of Blood pulled on black jeans and similar shirts. Rik put on a pair of black cargo pants, but Mehen put on leather pants and a silky black shirt unbuttoned midway down. Daire laughed at him.

  Until Shara slipped her hand inside Mehen's shirt and stroked the gleam of scales in his skin.

  Someone tapped lightly at the door and Guillaume called, "It's a young woman to help with your makeup, my queen."

  "Okay, let her in."

  The young woman hesitated at the bedroom door, as if shocked to be allowed so deep into the queen's quarters. Her eyes widened as she looked around the room at all of us standing around our queen, still in protect mode even though we were dressing. Then she saw the blood splattered all over the sheets and a pink blush stole across her cheeks.

  A minor sib, I decided. She knew what queen's blood meant. Especially on the bed.

  "Your Majesty, I'd be honored to help you with hair and makeup, if you'd like."

  "Of course, thank you."

  Rik pulled a wooden chair out from the small desk in the corner for Shara to sit down in, and the woman set to work.

  "A light touch, please. It's too hot for much make up. And something simple with my hair."

  "Though it should be up," Gina added. "The back of the dress won't carry the same impact if it's half hidden by your hair."

  Sitting there, Shara fidgeted a little as the woman brushed her hair. My queen wasn't used to having people take care of her. She smoothed the skirt and her eyes suddenly lit up. "Pockets! A dress with pockets!"

  I shared a confused look with Daire, not sure what the big deal was. He went to a tattered, faded bag that no one had touched yet, and pulled out a small pocket knife that he slipped into his pants. :I'll carry your knife for you until she's gone: he whispered to her.

  Her eyes welled up with tears. :Thank you.:

  :Why is she sad?: I asked Daire softly, trying not to let her hear my words.

  :She's not sad. She's touched that we still carry her bag for her and that I remembered she likes to have her knife on her. Even if she's wearing a dress.:

  I looked at the faded bag, horrified that it was my queen's. It looked like something that'd been tossed in a corral with a flock of sheep for the winter. I'd known she wasn't raised in a nest, but I hadn't realized the extent to which she'd been deprived of a queen's lifestyle.

  :With no idea of what she is, she survived alone, on the run, with no legacy or protection, for five years.:

  Now it was my turn for my eyes to well up with tears. Two years ago, I'd lost my Brigid. I, too, had been alone and on the run in a way. Though I knew what I was, and had enough power to not starve or fear for my life, it'd still been a miserable existence.

  That my queen had suffered so...

  :Intolerable.: Rik growled softly in our bond.

  And all the other Blood nodded with agreement.

  SHARA

  We paused outside a bright sunny room while the young woman who'd done my hair stepped inside and spoke to her queen. "They're here, Your Majesty."

  Mayte set a cup of tea down and stood, smiling, though I thought she looked tired. Probably as tired as I looked. I'd slept less in my life many times, but now that I was queen, I was tired all the time. I didn't know if it was the blood loss, or the battles, or everything combined.

  :It's exhausting just carrying the amount of power that you have,: Rik said in our bond. :You don't realize the toll such immense power takes on you, even if you're not immediately using it. Plus, you've been under constant attack in one way or the other since you came into your power.:

  I sighed. Yeah. Constant attacks definitely took their toll. I tipped my chin up a bit and put on a hopefully polite, but coolly reserved, face.

  "Good morning, Your Majesty," Mayte said, offering her hand. "I hope everything was to your satisfaction last night."

  Her cheeks colored slightly, her eyes bright despite the shadows beneath them. She knew exactly how satisfied I'd been last night. "Thank you, yes, and good morning to you too, Your Majesty." I slipped my hand into hers, and again, felt a heat grow against my palm, like we clasped a warm, flat stone between our palms. "Do you feel that?"

  "Yes," she whispered. "I felt it before too, but I thought it was the geas."

  Braced for the heat to flare and blaze up my arm, I finally took a deep breath when nothing else happened. "I guess it's a queen touches queen thing."

  She guided me to sit beside her so that we both looked out a large bay window, and Gina took a seat to my left. Mountains rose in the distance and horses grazed in the fields. Roses climbed around the windows, yellow, not black-red like the ones in my grove, but I still mentally flinched at the sight. I cast a quick look at her arms, bared by the short-sleeved pink dress she wore, but I didn't see any scars. Had the thorns pierced her like they'd done to me? Or did she just like flowers? I didn't feel like I knew her well enough to ask.

  "I've never felt that before," Mayte admitted as she sat down. "Though I can't say that I've touched many queens before, either."

  Her hair was pulled to the side and plaited loosely in a fat, thick braid. The pink dress was soft and flowy and frilly, extremely feminine, and not something I could pull off. On her, though, it looked beautiful, highlighting the dusky brown tones in her lovely complexion.

  Her alpha had his back to the wall, standing a foot from her chair, his hands casually jammed in his pockets. But he watched carefully as my Blood positioned themselves nearby. Rik on my left, though he stood, too. Guillaume and Mehen stood in the doorway, and the rest of my Blood took up defensive positions down the hall, guarding the other entrances. I didn't see any of her other Blood, or her brothers, thank goddess. Though Rik's bond shimmered with eagerness. He'd love a good fight, a reason to shift into his rock troll and thump some heads.

  "Have you met many queens?" I asked as she poured some ice water for me.

  "When I was a child, Grandmama had many informal dinners and parties here, though she was careful never to draw the Triune's notice. Keisha Skye even came here once when she was barely more than a fledgling. Many queens we used to know even a hundred years ago are long gone now. Would you like more coffee? And please, help yourself. I wasn't sure what foods you liked. I'm not much of a breakfast eater myself."

  "Yes, please." She lifted a carafe and Daire suddenly slipped up beside me to take it from her. He poured fresh cups of coffee for me and Gina, and added cream to my cup while Rik filled a plate for me. Despite it being an informal breakfast, Mayte had selected white china with a frilly silvered edge and soft pink rose border. My water glass was heavy, making me think it was real crystal. The linen table cloth was also a dusky rose pink.

  Note to self. Mayte's favorite color was pink.

  :What is your favorite color?: Rik asked with a rumble.

  :I like all colors.:

  He made a soft sound as he set my plate before me. Mostly fruit, with some kind of tart. I broke off a small piece to taste. Crispy on the outside but soft on the inside and lightly sweet like a bowl of oatmeal cooked into a cake. Delicious.

  "So where are your other Blood today?" I asked Mayte, nibbling another piece of the cake.

  She laughed softly. "They're occupied with keeping my brothers out of your hair until we can meet this morning. I
have to admit, they put up quite a fuss last night."

  I widened my eyes and quirked my lips. "It's taking four Blood to keep your brothers in line?"

  "No, not four..." She hesitated and flicked a quick glance up at my face. "They've waited a long time for a queen. They don't mean to be rude."

  "I find it very rude." I sank my teeth into a huge ripe strawberry, watching her reaction.

  "Oh." Mayte wrung her hands in her lap, dropping her gaze to her plate. "I'm terribly sorry."

  "For which part?" I kept my voice light as I finished the strawberry. "That your brothers want me only because they've had to wait so very long? Or that you didn't respect me enough to warn me before I tried crossing into your nest at your invitation? Or that you have a fifth Blood you neglected to mention?"

  "I already apologized about the geas." Her head jerked up, her voice sharpening. "And I don't--"

  "Don't compound the insult by lying to me."

  She sucked in a deep breath, her hands clenched tightly in her lap. "So one of your Blood was sniffing around my nest last night."

  She managed to sound insulted, despite being caught in a lie. "After the way I was welcomed into a vicious trap, do you honestly think I would sit quietly in my room and not send my Blood out to see if you were hiding anything else?"

  Defiant, she stared at me a moment, but then her shoulders slumped. "He said he felt something, but when he investigated, all he found was a faint wolf print at the outside door."

  I didn't say anything, choosing instead to continue eating. Sometimes silence was the best way to demand an explanation.

  "I've made a mess of this," she finally said with a rueful smile. "All my grand and careful plans thrown to the wayside."

  "I haven't done this queen thing very long." I set my napkin aside and took a sip of water before continuing. "But it's common sense that if you're wanting to make someone your ally, it's not going to go well if she's mislead from the very first step."

  "I know. I'm sorry. I have a very good excuse, I promise you. The only reason I haven't been completely forthcoming is because of what's at stake. I need your help very much. In fact, after meeting you, I can easily say that no one else will be able to help me like you can. I need your help, Shara. I formally ask for Isador's protection and will offer throat at your convenience."

  I hesitated, tipping my head to the side as I studied her. She met my gaze, her eyes resigned, yes, but also fiercely determined. "What's at stake?" I asked softly. "Who are you protecting?"

  "Come. I'll show you."

  27

  Rik

  I couldn't be prouder of my queen. She might claim not to understand politics, but she'd handled Mayte perfectly, down to quietly and calmly getting her to admit to everything. However, I did not like the place Zaniyah led my queen. Outside to the rear of the house, to an old cellar door with a massive antique iron lock on it. The thick oak and iron hinges would give even my rock troll a workout if I needed to bust Shara out.

  Mayte touched the lock and it opened without a key, so it was coded to her blood only. Her alpha grunted as he lifted up one side of the door and threw it back.

  I didn't look at Xin, so that the other queen wouldn't know which of us had penetrated her safeguards, but I gave him a salute in the bond. :How did you get inside?:

  :I have my ways.:

  :Impressive,: Shara said, her bond gleaming pearly rainbows. She was pleased with how things had gone so far, understandably, and she was eager to see what Mayte was hiding, until she saw the dark hole she had to enter.

  Mayte went first. "Let me get a light." She disappeared from view a moment, and then light bloomed from a large flashlight.

  Shara quirked her lips. She'd expected some kind of magical shit. We still didn't have any idea of the kind of powers Mayte had. Maybe she couldn't manage a light or a fireball. :Before you decide whether or not to accept her, you should ask her to display her power.:

  :Good idea. Is this tunnel safe?:

  :It will be.: I turned to Guillaume, Ezra, and Xin. :Guard the door and our queen's way out.:

  They nodded.

  I looked at Mehen, Daire, and Nevarre. :If anything happens, your primary objective is to get her out. Out of this hole, out of the fucking nest. Whatever it takes.:

  :Understood.:

  I gave a hard look at Eztli. "One of us goes first."

  The man gave a sardonic bow of his head. "Be my guest."

  I jerked my head at Nevarre and he went down the stairs and past Mayte, deeper into the tunnel. Eztli went next, then Mayte, Gina, and Shara, with me and her other two Blood close behind. My fingers itched to touch her, to keep a hand on her, but the tunnel was too narrow. I didn't like that I couldn't keep a hand on her. That would delay me one more second from getting her to safety.

  :Don't worry so much,: she whispered soothingly, giving me a squeeze in the bond. :I'm not completely powerless, you know.:

  :But I'd rather you not have to bleed today, unless you're choosing to feed us, not to save us.:

  "Just a little further," Mayte said after a few moments.

  Nevarre sent back a quick image of the tunnel ahead. A very large man waited, arms crossed and scowling just as Xin had showed us last night. As we neared, I could feel his power rolling off him in waves.

  Fuck. This man wasn't an alpha. He was something else entirely. Something more.

  I shook my head, trying to understand why Mayte had kept her most powerful Blood hidden away. Why did she fear Skye, when she had this kind of Blood at her side? Fuck, why was Eztli alpha at all?

  "Your Majesty, may I introduce you to Tepeyollotl. My heart, this is Shara Isador, descended from Isis. She came, exactly as you said."

  The man looked at each of us, his golden eyes flashing, even though the flashlight wasn't shining in his face. Predator eyes that mostly hunted at night. A black stripe crossed his nose and across each cheek. He wore jeans, but his upper body was bare, covered with tattoos and symbols.

  Focusing on Shara, he bowed at the waist, his fist over his heart. "Your Majesty. My queen has put all her hopes in you."

  "Me? Why?"

  He looked at Mayte. "It’s time to reveal all to her."

  "Yes," she replied steadily. "We can go no further until she knows the truth."

  Mayte laid a hand on the lock, same as before, and it opened. Even the big man had to exert force to get the door moving. It slid open with a grinding creak.

  I'd been expecting some kind of root cellar or unsavory prison cell, but the walls were stacked stone, and the ground was covered with flagstones. Eztli and Nevarre stepped through the door, followed by the queens. I hesitated, eying the heavy oaken door with wide planks that had probably come from a several-hundred-year-old tree. If this big man shut the door behind us...

  Even my rock troll would have a difficult time tearing through.

  :I came in from above,: Xin said in my mind. :If he blocks the way, I can still get her out.:

  More at ease, I gave the man a nod and stepped through, with Daire and Mehen on my heels.

  "This area used to serve as a wine cellar and overflow storage for the kitchen," Mayte said as they approached another door. At least this one wasn't locked and didn't look like it weighed a ton. "The original entrance was blocked off decades ago to create a more secure area. With Tepeyollotl outside, this is the safest place I could find."

  She tapped lightly on the door. "Grandmama, it's me. I have visitors."

  "Come in," a woman called softly from the other side. "But quietly."

  Mayte pushed open the door and stepped inside. She walked to an older queen sitting in a rocking chair with a sleeping child on her lap. She picked up the little girl and cradled her in her arms.

  "She just fell asleep," the older queen whispered.

  Mayte kissed the child on the cheek and then lifted her head, her eyes glowing with fierce determination. "This is why I hid the geas from you. This is why my most powerful Blood guards the door.
This is why I must be your sib. My daughter, Xochitl."

  SHARA

  A daughter. She had a daughter.

  So much became clear now. Why Mayte was so desperate. Why she would go to such lengths to secure assistance from me, even if she must lie, cheat and steal to do it. The same as I would do to protect my Blood, and I didn't even have a child to worry about.

  A queen. With a child. Gina’s eyes were wide, her bond silent with shock, as were my Blood.

  :When was the last time a child was born to a queen?:

  :Keisha Skye's child, nearly a hundred years ago,: Rik replied, his bond grim. :And you. If she knew about this baby...:

  My stomach pitched and I almost threw up the delightful oatmeal cake. Because if Skye was even half as vengeful and obsessed as I suspected her to be, she wouldn't take another queen with a baby well at all.

  Tears rolled down Mayte's cheeks, but she kissed her daughter and handed her back carefully to her grandmother. "I'll be back later after she naps."

  The older woman looked at me and the hair on my scalp tingled. Nerves zinged down my spine, as if a splash of cool water trickled over my head. "This is the one?"

  "Yes," Mayte said. "She needed to see what we're fighting for."

  She came toward me, and we walked quickly back toward her other Blood and then on up the tunnel and outside. I didn't say anything, but my mind whirled with questions. Keisha Skye had resorted to torture and, according to rumors, black magic, to conceive her child. Yet here Mayte, a relatively insignificant queen, had a two or three year old little girl hidden away. She wasn't strong enough to stand against Skye alone, yet she'd managed to conceive a child. A daughter.

  A future queen.

  Mayte took us back into the bright sunny breakfast room. Gina and I sat down once more and I nodded when she offered the coffee carafe again. Someone had whisked the other cup away. I didn't recall drinking any of it. Fresh plates had also been set at each place, though I wasn't hungry.