Ten queens had sworn their lives to her. Gina said that accounted for nearly seven hundred former Skye siblings.
No wonder Shara had been able to lay a blood circle without tracing out its pattern. She’d already been formidable. Now, she had to be nearly unstoppable. Though that didn’t mean I relished this trip to Heliopolis. At all.
Just thinking about it made me send a hard glare at Vivian through the bond. It wasn’t her fault that our queen had decided to act sooner than later. Shara Isador would never stand aside and wait for someone else to help or protect another. That was only one of many reasons that I loved her.
Yet I still feared for her too. And I’d be a selfish asshole if I didn’t admit that I was terrified I might be the one called to sacrifice his life for the red serpent.
I would do it. I wouldn’t waver in my love and duty for my queen. Though I might wish such a terrible duty would fall to another, it was truly the alpha’s place to make such a sacrifice for his queen.
She lifted her head, her eyes glittering dangerously. “Don’t even think about it.”
I kept my body easy and relaxed beneath hers, even though I wanted to clutch her desperately to my heart and beg her not to risk her life for any of us. “The goddess will choose. It’s out of your hands.”
Her head tipped slightly, her eyes taking on a knowing, all-powerful look of a goddess who couldn’t be stopped. Surely very much like Isis must have looked while roaming ancient Egypt. Though She’d been searching for Osiris’s chopped-up body so She could resurrect him. “We’ll see.”
“What does that mean? You can’t go against a goddess, my queen. Not even you.”
One corner of her lips quirked briefly. “I know. But I feel a plan coming together. I don’t know the details yet, but it’s… building. The pieces are on the table in my mind and I’m sorting them. I’m constantly rearranging them. I almost see the picture.”
I cupped her cheek and she rubbed her face deeper into the caress, making my heart crumble into a thousand pieces. “We’re your pieces on the board, my queen. Move us to the position you need to ensure your victory.”
She leaned down and brushed her lips against mine. “Checkmate.”
“Yes,” I breathed out, relishing every touch of her skin against mine. Goddess forbid that my days be numbered. That I might lose this. My queen, in my arms, looking at me like I was the northern star to guide the way, when she shone like the full moon and blotted out even the brightest star.
“I’m surprised you’re not trying to talk me out of going to Heliopolis.”
I huffed out a low growl, vibrating my chest against the softness of her breasts. “As if that would do me an ounce of good. My queen will do as she wishes. So it’s been since the beginning.”
“I can’t stand by and wait, not when I know he’s torturing women. I can’t.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to.”
She sighed, rubbing her cheek against my palm. “It’s selfish of me. I don’t want to hurt any of you. But sometimes, I miss the first days when you and Daire found me. When I didn’t know about Ra and the Triune. When I didn’t have so many people depending on me to make a plan and keep us all alive. The hardest thing I had to worry about was staying one step ahead of the thralls and wondering what kind of crap I’d have to clean up.”
“That’s not selfishness. I wish you could have the simpler life without danger.” I glared at her, letting another growl rumble my chest. “Though my queen doesn’t clean a fucking thing.”
“I want that again. Just for tonight. I want it to be you and me and Daire, like it was in the beginning. In case…”
She couldn’t finish that sentence, because I sealed my mouth over hers. I swallowed her words, as if I could erase her fears with a kiss. I didn’t want her to be hurt or sad or grieve for any of us. Though I knew that was inevitable. The goddess had decreed it so.
Jerking her mouth free, she glared down at me. “Nothing is inevitable.”
She sat up, straddling my hips. My cock was always at half-staff around her, and rock-hard every moment of the day or night when she was bleeding. But she didn’t take me inside her. “I love you all, but tonight, I need to keep it simple. Everybody out except Daire.”
“Lucky bastard,” Ezra grumbled as he walked past, but everyone else did as she ordered without a word of complaint.
Daire rose to his knees, his palms loose on his thighs. He stared at Shara, and though I couldn’t see his eyes, I felt his emotion in our bond. Aching need. Tremulous and open and so damned needy. He wanted her to fuck him, sure. But more, he wanted her to lay claim to him. Take him. Use him. Make him hers for all time.
Yet our queen was always so careful to be sure of our wants and desires before she took us. She threaded her fingers in his hair. “What do you want?”
His purr dropped another octave, a rumbling bass that made my balls ache even more. “I want to feel those silver tips buried as deeply in me as Rik will be in you. I want you to hurt me, Shara. Hurt me until I forget that one of us is going to die.”
She jerked his head back hard, twisting her hand deeper in his hair. Her voice quivered with fury. “No one’s going to die. Not one of us.”
“Who says so?” His voice was tight, his neck strained back under the force of her grip. But he didn’t resist her. He never would.
“Me. I say so.”
“Who?”
She forced him down to the mattress, sliding off me to pin him beneath her. “Shara fucking Isador.”
Daire let out a rumbling chuckle. “Yes, my queen. Prove it to me. Prove it to us all.”
Daire
I should die. It should be me.
That was all I could think every time I looked at my fearless queen and the rest of her Blood. I was good for cuddling and purring. I loved it when she allowed one of her other guys to push me around and fuck me. But in the end, what use was I, really? I wasn’t alpha. I wasn’t dominant. I liked to tease and test boundaries, but generally I was more annoying than anything.
I’d thought my warcat was badass when she’d first claimed me, but she had bigger and badder Blood now. If I could die so she could defeat Ra, I’d count that as a victory, especially if that spared Rik at the same time. Or Mehen. Or Ezra.
My throat ached and my eyes burned. I would not fucking cry. I refused to add another burden to the list of things she had to carry for us.
If I paid the price for the red serpent, I would know that I meant something to her. That—
She leaned down, nose to nose, and glared at me. “You’re everything to me. Don’t you know that?”
“No,” Rik rumbled, his voice deep with reproach.
I closed my eyes, blocking out the sight of her. The love shining in her luminous eyes hurt too much. He was right. I wasn’t everything to her. I couldn’t be. She had too many Blood to deal with a bratty submissive cat, no matter how loudly I could purr.
Massive fingers seized my jaw and ground into my face, forcing me to open my eyes again. Rik scowled and gave me another good squeeze that made me wince. “He doesn’t know, my queen. You’ll have to remind him.”
She pushed upright and opened her thighs, sliding down more fully over me.
Which put her bare, bloody pussy on my stomach.
I quivered. Every hair on my body stood straight up, like I’d just stuck my finger in a light socket.
She laughed softly and wriggled. Fucking smeared that hot, sweet blood on my skin. “You’ll have to help me, Rik.”
I groaned like she’d shoved her fist into my chest and yanked out my still-beating heart.
“Gladly, my queen, because he’s everything to me, too.”
“Don’t fucking lie,” I retorted, though my breathing was already ragged. “She’s everything. I’m nothing. We’re all nothing, as long as she lives. She can find another alpha. She can fucking take her pick of a dozen purring Blood right now from one of Skye’s siblings. Her life above all. I learned my lesson, Ri
k, and you were right. You were fucking right.”
Power flared to life, demanding that I look at her. That I worship her like the fucking goddess she was. Her bond weighed heavier inside me, crushing the life out of me. Until I surrendered. Until I finally met her gaze.
My heart stopped. Literally. Her power pulled on my will so hard that I couldn’t breathe without her permission.
“I learned my lessons too.” Her words fell heavily one by one, laced with power that throbbed through my body. “What this queen takes, she loves, and what she loves, she keeps for all time. I won’t give you up. Not one of you.”
“But—” Rik started.
She didn’t move, but the force of her immense will snapped toward him, allowing me to breathe again. The biggest, baddest alpha ever to walk this earth immediately stilled. He didn’t roll over and show his belly like I would have, but he gave up the fight before it could start.
He could have grabbed her face, like he’d done mine, and forced her to listen to him. But he would never touch a hair on her head in any way that was offensive. And to him, a giant smash-em-up rock troll, any gesture or word that was aggressive in any way to our queen would be as offensive as pissing on a goddess’s shrine.
“I. Won’t. Lose. You. Not one.”
I couldn’t help but drop my gaze to the red snake curled around her throat. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but I swore its head moved faintly, as if it was trying to free itself of her body and act. Now. Before it was too late and she missed her opportunity to end Ra’s shiny ass once and for all.
She burst into laughter and the tension shimmering between us dissolved. “His shiny ass is definitely going to be eliminated.”
“But how?” I asked softly, stroking my fingers up her thighs, unable to resist the temptation of touching her while she was so close. “If you don’t use the snake, you can’t kill him forever. He’s a fucking god.”
She nodded, her eyes deep, dark wells of mystery. “Oh, I fully intend to use it. I must.”
I listened to her bond, trying to learn what she had planned. But either she didn’t want us to know, or she truly hadn’t decided how she would pull it off yet. I didn’t know which one sucked more.
Rik blew out a frustrated sigh before I could. “Then you must pay the cost.”
“I will. But it won’t be one of you.”
“One of the other Blood?” He asked hesitantly. “Nevarre was already dead—”
“No. No.” That one word resonated through me, heavy with her intent. “Not Llewellyn, even though he was my mother’s. He’s mine, now. I won’t let him go. Not the headless knight. Not even Vivian. I won’t risk her ability to regenerate herself as the phoenix. She’s mine, and I’m keeping her too.”
“Fuck it,” I said, pushing my fear and emotion away. “Fuck Ra. Fuck all this bullshit. I don’t know how you’re going to pull it off, but I’m going to trust that you will. It doesn’t do us any good to worry about what happens next, and this night isn’t getting any younger.”
She deliberately slid her pussy against me in a slow, delicious grind that made me grit my teeth. Lightly trailing those wicked silver nails across my chest, she chuckled. “Yeah. I think I will fuck it. And I’m going to ask Rik to fuck me while I do you. If you’re lucky, he’ll fuck me so hard that I’ll tear you up with these nails.”
My eyes rolled back into my head at the thought. “Sounds fucking good to me.”
21
Shara
I made my way down Daire’s body with agonizing slowness, making sure to rub my blood all over him. He loved the exquisite torment. I could feel my blood burning on his skin, driving his need higher. Of all my Blood, he was the most open with what he wanted and needed from me.
Rik was stoic, alpha, and determined to always take care of me. He’d do anything I asked without hesitation, but he wouldn’t ever allow his need to supersede mine. Even if I would enjoy it as much as I was enjoying Daire now.
I rose up enough to let his cock slide between my legs, dragging myself back and forth on his groin without actually taking him inside me.
Breathing hard, he clutched my hips, flexing his abs to curl up and get his mouth on my breasts. But he didn’t try to get inside me. He waited, enjoying the torment. Hoping it would last as long as possible.
He sucked my nipple into his mouth, his tongue and teeth teasing the hard nub. The tip of his fang scratched over the tender flesh, making me moan. Now it was my turn to wait, to see how long I could endure his teasing before I put us both out of our misery.
Sucking on more of my breast, he inhaled me, gently pushing me deeper into his mouth.
I looked over at Rik, who still lay flat on his back, watching with dark, heavy eyes. One big palm lazily pumped his dick, though I didn’t think he’d ever need to prime himself for me. My alpha was always ready, even if he’d already come just moments before. The only time I’d ever even thought about him not recovering quickly was when he’d licked my pussy.
“A feast,” he rumbled like low, distant thunder.
Daire slid his fingers beneath me, smearing his palm in my blood. “I think he needs some lube. Don’t you, my queen?”
Rik’s jaw clenched, the muscles working across his cheek, but he made no protest as Daire reached over and wrapped his fingers around his dick, coated in my blood. His breath hissed out, his hips thrusting up restlessly into the other man’s fingers. His dick swelled even bigger, thicker, calling me like the moon calls the tide.
Focusing on Daire, I braced the tips of my silver nails on his chest, just hard enough to get his attention. “Get that dick inside me.”
He grinned, a dimple popping in his cheek. “His or mine?”
I pushed my nails slightly harder against him and slowly scratched an inch or so down his chest. His teasing smile quickly faded to a groan. “You first. Rik will take care of his dick now that you’ve so nicely lubed him for me.”
Daire positioned the head of his cock so I could slide down and take him inside me. Slowly. I teased just the tip, deliberately squeezing my muscles on him until he whimpered. He clamped his right hand over mine and pressed my nails harder into his flesh.
I smelled his blood and I couldn’t tease him any longer. I took him to the hilt on one hard lunge that made us both gasp with relief. He wasn’t the most well-endowed man, though none of my Blood were lacking in that department. But no one else had his purr. I pressed my pelvis harder against him, just to feel that vibration flowing through me.
“I could sit here like this and come all night,” I whispered, letting my eyes drift shut.
“Goddess, that would be incredible.”
Somehow, he managed to turn his purr into a ragged, growling rumble that made my clit throb with every beat of my heart. I pressed harder against him, holding my breath, letting him push me to orgasm.
My breath caught and my pussy rippled around him, but he didn’t thrust. He didn’t lose control. He didn’t even come himself.
Opening my eyes, I stared at his expression, memorizing the dazed, raw look in his eyes. The soft pout of his full lips. The tawny fall of his hair around his shoulders like a wild lion’s mane. I could get lost forever in his eyes. He gave himself over to me, his heart and soul an open book. He held nothing back. No bit of pride or ego or fear prevented him from surrendering everything he had.
I dug my nails into him, relishing the way his pupils dilated and his nostrils flared. Eyes locked to his, I dragged my nails down his chest, leaving furrows in his skin. His blood coated the tips of my nails and my head fell back. My hips jerked, unable to stay still a second longer. Not when I could feel the rush of his blood hitting my system. I still couldn’t believe that I could taste his blood, even though he wasn’t in my mouth.
He buried his face against my throat and rubbed his bloody chest against me. I slid my arms around his waist and dug those brutal nails into the small of his back, pinning him close. Though he had no intention of moving away.
Immediately, my alpha wrapped me in his arms, his body hard and hot against my back. He slid his big palm along my right arm and grabbed my wrist, pulling my hand back toward his thigh. “What you do to him, I want you to do to me too.”
“You’re not into pain. Not like him.”
“I am for you.”
His words made me pause and really listen to my own desire. I liked that vulnerable, ragged look in Daire’s eyes. I liked hearing the way he gasped. Those delicate sounds of pain that I swallowed from his mouth as eagerly as his blood.
It wasn’t his pain that turned me on, not the way it cranked his lust. For me, it was the knowledge that he trusted me so completely that he’d allow me to do anything to him. Literally. He put his life in my hands, knowing my hunger. Knowing my power. He allowed me to feed on him so deeply that he passed out, to the point where a few more swallows could actually endanger him.
He’d seen me drain Keisha Skye to death, but still never protested as darkness closed in.
“Fuck her hard, Rik,” Daire rasped. “Make her shred my back with those nails.”
“Gladly.”
22
Rik
My dick was so hard I could cut diamonds with the tip. Her blood sizzled like acid, eating away at my control. I wanted to be inside her, feeling that rich, sweet blood on my flesh. Though I’d gladly take her ass too. I’d take anything she gave me. Every single fucking time.
Hell, I’d be perfectly happy to simply lie there and watch her come. I didn’t need to come myself, not when I could feel her pleasure pouring through our bonds. The only thing better was coming inside her, and feeling her pleasure singing through the bond at the same time.
Her blood. Fuck. I could smell her heat, and every muscle in my body ached with the need to sink into her and empty my balls so hard and deep that an Isador baby would be inevitable.
Queen Takes Checkmate (Their Vampire Queen Book 5) Page 17