I took one look at the ornate throne they'd set up for me during the formal procession, and I balked. Hard. That was Zaniyah's throne with jaguars painstakingly carved into the burnished wood. Why on earth would I want to sit in her throne? Why would I want a throne at all?

After some arguing and insisting, they finally agreed to put one of the comfortable large leather chairs from the library beside the throne. It was big enough for Rik to sit with me and not be pretentious. This whole formal ceremony was already too pretentious for my taste, and if I had to sit for hours while Zaniyah's court was presented to me, then by goddess I was going to be comfortable.

Standing at the door while Bianca readied everyone in the plaza, I tried not to show how tired I was. How hungry. I hadn't fed yet today, and I hadn't fed my Blood either. They didn't need my blood every single day, but as much as they—we—enjoyed it, I preferred to give them all at least a taste. We needed to be strong at all times, in case Skye attacked, and now I had even more people to protect. I had more at risk than ever.

"You have more to gain now too," Rik whispered softly at my side.

I sighed and leaned my head against his shoulder. With Guillaume and Ezra standing in front of us, I felt hidden enough to drop my guard, just a little. "Right now it doesn't feel like it. It feels like Zaniyah has basically sold all their problems to me and I got screwed without a single drop of lube."

He rubbed his mouth softly against my forehead. "It seems like that now, because you haven't received the benefit of this arrangement yet."

A scuffle behind us alerted me to the approach of Mayte's brothers. Evidently they wanted to get closer... And, naturally, my Blood objected. Strenuously.

"Oh yes, here comes the benefit of that arrangement now." My tone sounded harsh even to my ears. "Let's see how many more fights and arguments we can have about who gets to do what first."

"They're not going to be a problem." Rik didn't say anything to them directly, but I felt him turn his head and look at the twins. His rock troll swelled in his bond, his muscles sliding toward granite. "I won't allow them to annoy you."

"Promise?"

"You know it."

Bianca opened the doors and curtsied to me. "Your Majesty, thank you for your patience. We're ready to begin the procession when you are."

"I'm ready." I bit back the impatient words I wanted to say. “I've been ready for nearly half an hour now."

She turned to the plaza and raised her voice. "Our queen, Shara Isador, and her alpha, Alrik Hyrrokkin Isador."

We stepped outside and everyone started clapping and cheering. The crowd was much happier this time around. Word must have spread about my deal with Mayte. These poor people. They must have thought I'd come to rip their homes out from beneath them. No wonder their reception had been so reserved that first night, even though I'd come at Mayte's invitation.

Rik held my arm as we walked down the aisle, and the cheers became deafening. I'd never heard so many people cheering so loudly before—let alone for me. Embarrassed, now, that I'd been so impatient, I stepped onto the dais and turned in front of the chair I'd asked for. I waited while Rik sat down behind me. Then his hands closed around my waist and he pulled me in between his thighs, cradling me against him.

The crowd fell silent a moment, and then the whispers started. Evidently they weren't used to such displays from their queen. It made me smile, because oh boy, were they in for a shock when I received Mayte's oath.

Bianca called out my Blood's names one by one, and they came to me, crowded close this time, because I didn't fucking care what the spectators thought now. Daire and Nevarre both dropped to the floor in front of the dais and leaned back to wrap an arm around each of my calves.

Finally, Bianca called out Mayte's name. Her people rose again, turning to face her and applauding as she approached me, alone, head high. She came to me with a smile on her face, her eyes shining with hope and relief and gratitude. I couldn't help but picture how things would have gone down if Keisha Skye had managed to gain entrance to her nest. There would be no smiles. No cheers. I didn't even want to try and imagine what would have happened to Xochitl. The thought of her sweet baby girl being harmed fucking wrecked me.

Pausing before me, Mayte turned to her people and held her hands up for them to quiet. "Today, Zaniyah and Isador came to a sibling agreement to the benefit of both of our houses. Tonight, you serve as my witnesses that I come to this agreement willing and gladly of my own free will. From this day forward, House Zaniyah is sworn to House Isador. My blood is given to our new queen to seal this deal. May Coatlicue strike me down if I ever think to betray my bond to Isador."

She turned to face me. With practiced elegance, she lifted the full sweeping skirt of her gown and dropped to her knees. A golden crown gleamed on her head. I’d have to get a closer look to be sure, but it looked like human hands and skulls entwined with snakes. "I, Mayte Zaniyah, daughter of Coatlicue, Teteoh Innan, Mother of the Gods, swear my blood and all my house to Shara Isador, daughter of Isis. I offer my blood to my queen to strengthen our alliance and increase her power. In exchange, I beg Isador's protection for my people."

I held out my hand out to her, and she rose and came closer, dropping back to her knees between Daire and Nevarre.

Holding my gaze, she tipped her head to the side, offering her throat to me.

My pulse thumped like a tympani drum in my skull. My fangs descended, more than eager to taste her. To claim her.

Her people watched breathlessly, waiting to see how I would handle their beloved queen. Images flickered through my mind. Mayte crying. Xochitl screaming. Tepeyollotl and Eztli bleeding, fighting, but unable to save their beloved queen.

I could save her. As long as I could protect myself too.

Leaning closer, I breathed in her scent, my lips brushing the soft line of her throat. She quivered against my knees, leaning harder into me. She wasn't scared or worried, even though I'd warned her about my bite.

Opening my mouth, I sank my fangs deeply into her throat. She cried out and her back arched, straining, her hands flailing to the side. I cradled her head, supporting her as she shook against me.

She tasted like sweet, delicate petals floating on a small pool of pure spring rain deep in the jungle. A hidden pool, secret and lush and warm. Her power rushed into me. She called jaguars, all big jungle cats. In fact, she could communicate with the animals. She'd sent the quetzal to warn me about the ants that would try and invade my nest. Yet there was a darker side to her power, a sense of destruction. She descended from the mother of gods, who represented both the womb and the grave. Mayte could stretch out her hand and will the crops to fail, plants withering and rotting with disease. People would starve. Famine and disease would spread in the wake of her power. Unleashing a deadly plague on New York City would have been her last line of defense in order to protect her daughter.

I sank into her mind, absorbing her bond. Her power. The feel of her Blood suddenly firmed in my mind. I felt their fur and smelled the feral musk of their scents. Prowling the night, mighty predators, sleek and deadly. Their eyes glowed in the darkness of my mind. Daire's warcat hissed a warning and Eztli's gigantic black jaguar made a coughing growl that sent goose bumps racing down my arms. The two cats crouched in my mind, tails lashing.

:Be still. Leave him be.:

Eztli's jaguar looked at me and lowered his sleek body to the ground. Surrendering to my will.

Through her bond, I could control them. I could feel them. I hadn't realized what that would mean. I could order them, as I ordered my own Blood. I'd never given orders to someone I didn't love. I'd never had to force someone to do my will. But I felt that certainty now. I could command them to do anything at all, no matter how opposite to their natural inclinations, and they would be forced to do so.

Such power. It terrified me.

I could only imagine what kinds of things Keisha Skye would order her Blood, or her sibs' Blood, to do. If she'd taken Mayte...

Rik's bond gleamed like a hot forge in my head. :She could have made Eztli or even Tepeyollotl slaughter their own people and they wouldn't have been able to resist her command.:

Mayte moaned, her arm sliding up to hook around my neck. :Goddess, don't stop.:

Her mental voice slid through our new bond like smooth, decadent chocolate. I tasted her pleasure in her blood. Her scent of flowers deepened, still sweet but now dusted with sultry spices. Hot cinnamon and chilies and dark chocolate.

Her skin beneath my lips was so soft, her smaller body so different from my big, powerful Blood. Soft curves instead of sheets of muscle. Sweet tender skin instead of hot velvet over iron. Both were wonderful temptations.

Desire pulsed through me. Through her.

I lifted my head and she blinked languorously, her incredibly long lashes fluttering like birds over her stunning crystal eyes.

Turning my head, I offered her my throat. Her arm tightened around my neck and she leaned up to lick my throat first, making me shiver. I expected her to bite delicately, sweetly, but her bite punched into my throat, making me groan. She wasn't shy about taking what she wanted.

Which made me groan again.

I could feel my blood flowing into her, lighting up her magic like a circuit board. My power fed hers, pushing her limits further and higher.

Gasping, she pulled back and drooped against me. "Too powerful. I can't take much or it'll burn me out."

Blood trickled down my throat, making me glad for the black material of the dress, though every person here could smell my blood, even if they couldn't see it. She settled against me with her head in my lap and I stroked my fingers over her hair and face, tracing her cheekbones and the curve of her forehead. She was so fucking beautiful. Her bone structure like fine hand-thrown china.

"Eztli Zaniyah," Bianca called out, and Mayte's alpha strode toward me.

Glowering, he went to one knee and bowed his head. I wasn't sure why he was mad at me, unless it was because his queen was draped in my lap. "My queen, I'm yours to command."

:You can access his thoughts through her bond now,: Rik reminded me. :But I can tell you why he's upset without touching his bond. You have the right to claim him as your own. You could even order me or one of your Blood to fuck her, and we would. And she would allow you to make such an order, regardless of what her own Blood would prefer.:

I squeezed my eyes shut, every cell in my body shuddering with revulsion. :I would never order any of you to fuck anyone against your will.:

:We know that. But he doesn't. Yet.:

I thought a moment, trying to find the best words to tell him politely I wasn't interested in taking him, without insulting him, and also making sure he understood how I was going to work in the future. "Eztli, you will best serve me by continuing to serve your queen."

Some of the tightness eased about his eyes. He saluted me, fist over his heart, and then stood. He hesitated a moment, looking among my Blood to find the best place to stand close to his queen without offending any of mine. I gave Mehen a mental nudge and he grudgingly moved down a bit so Eztli could stand by Nevarre and be within touching distance of his queen.

Her other Blood came to me as well, and I gave them the same order. A hush fell over the crowd when Tepeyollotl approached me.

I’d be a fool not to take such a powerful Blood. He was a god. If I ever wanted a child, he might be the only answer to me being able to conceive.

He smelled like ancient jungles lost in time, ruins of once powerful cities tumbled down and forgotten. Yet magic still hummed in his blood. I could taste his power, even without putting my mouth on him. Feeding on him even once would push my expanding power even higher.

But my heart did not stir in the slightest when I looked at him. My blood didn’t sing with excitement. My body didn’t tighten with need. My fangs didn’t even throb.

“Tepeyollotl, you will best serve me by continuing to serve your queen and Zaniyah’s future queen.”

His eyes flashed like black mirrors and he inclined his head, dropping down to one knee, fist to the floor. “I hear and obey, my queen.”

Then her brothers approached, striding down the aisle toward me like an angry thunderstorm. Their energy hummed in the air, turbulent, violent, desperate. As one, they dropped to their knees before me. "My queen, we're yours."

I touched Mayte's bond flowing in my mind like a ribbon made of velvety petals. :Are you up to moving aside so I can take your brothers?:

She lifted her head, a smile curving her lush lips. She leaned up and rubbed her mouth softly against mine in a chaste kiss, and then accepted Tepeyollotl's hand to stand. She moved slowly, like her head was still stuffed with cotton. I hadn't drank that much from her. Had I?

I listened to her bond again, trying to sort through what she felt. She met my gaze and blinked, slowly, her tongue peeking out to wet her lips.

Oh. Goddess.

Her head was stuffed, but not with cotton. She gave me an image of silken sheets and soft down and her limbs entwined with mine.

I dragged my gaze away, my cheeks flushed.

The brother with the black sun tattooed on his face spoke first. "My name is Itztli Zaniyah, my queen. It means obsidian, and I always carry an obsidian blade." From a sheath on his hip, he pulled out a hand-hewn blade that sparkled like glass. Holding it in both hands, he bent low and laid the blade at my feet. "I would be honored if you would accept me as your blade."

I stared at him a moment, and I couldn’t deny my response. I’d looked at Mayte’s Blood and seen attractive men and a powerful god, but they hadn’t moved me at all. When I looked at her brother… I wanted to know what he tasted like. I wanted to know if I was right about what his power would be when he shifted. And yeah, I wanted to see how he’d fit in with the rest of my Blood. If he could be mine, wholly mine. Unlike Mayte’s Blood.

I held out my hand out to him. Scooping up his blade, he stood to take my hand, coming closer between Daire and Nevarre, which was no easy feat. Daire hissed and rumbled a low warning, and even Nevarre, my normally very cheerful Blood, radiated a cold darkness that dimmed the bright lights of the party. It wasn't like Xin's fog of invisibility. This darkness had a weight to it that was suffocating. Dread prickled deep inside me, even though Nevarre was mine.

Itztli dropped to his knees once more and leaned against me, tipping his head so that I had access to his throat, though he kept one wary eye on my alpha behind me.

Rik made a low rumble that stilled the new man's advance. "Sheathe the weapon first, unless you wish her to use it on you and spare you the power of her bite."

Itztli flashed a broad grin that lightened the fierce lines of his face and he sheathed the blade. "Fuck, no, I'm eager for her bite. I'm all yours, my queen."

I sank my fangs into his throat and for all his eagerness, he still bellowed with surprise as he climaxed. His yell sounded strange, and it finally dawned on me why.

He sounded more like a giant dog than a man.

His blood burned down my throat and my nose suddenly seemed to be working overtime. Scent took on colors and textures and nuances that I'd never been aware of before. I could smell the grass he'd crushed beneath his feet as he walked outside earlier today. The soap he'd used. The healthy sweat and energy he'd burned off sparring with his brother, trying to take the edge off his desire before tonight's procession.

His bond formed in my mind. A gigantic black dog with a broad head and jaws that could engulf me in one bite. But his eyes were a deep, soulful brown and he whined, softly, creeping closer to lay his giant head on me.

I drank from him a long time. Long enough for his twin to make a low noise of dismay and impatience. I looked up at him, with my mouth still locked to his brother's throat, and offered him my hand.

He came closer, his eyes flashing gold. He dropped to his knees beside his brother, ignoring the growl Daire gave him, though my warcat did slide away enough for him to come close.

"Tlacel, my queen. I'm yours, however you wish to use me."

When I withdrew my fangs from Itztli, he made a low sound of disappointment. Until I offered him my throat. Eagerly, he lunged for me, as if he was afraid I'd change my mind and make him wait until after this formal presentation was over. I gasped as his fangs sank into me, my heart thudding heavily. Tlacel pressed closer, one arm around his brother, his other sliding up around me, daring my alpha to snap his arm off. As soon as he got close enough, I sank my fangs into him too.

He shuddered against me. His climax was quiet and controlled. In fact, the people watching may not have even realized that he'd climaxed. In his bond, though, I felt the depths of that release. I'd rocked him to his core. Green-gold feathers plummeted toward the earth, twirling, spiraling faster, harder. Much like when I'd taken Mehen and sucked his dragon into me along with the majority of his blood.

The feathers grew longer, Tlacel’s wings bigger, more powerful. He shot into my mind with a rush of feathers that smelled like a jungle sky filled with a multitude of green, lush plants and thousands of wild creatures. He swept me up with him, higher into a bright blue sky, twirling toward the sun. So hot, so bright. For a moment, I feared that he was an agent of Ra, the god of light. But he enfolded me in those feathered wings and we coasted back down through the clouds.

I fed on one twin, while his brother fed from me. Both brothers pressed closer, pushing me up harder against Rik. My breath caught on a groan and my desire torched higher.

Itztli finally released me. He sprawled on the floor, his legs sliding off the platform. He would have slipped off completely except he hooked his hand in one of the criss-crossed bands that formed the side of my dress. Tlacel came up over me and locked his mouth to his brother's bite, and the sun we'd been flying toward exploded inside him. He shuddered, still quiet, but the taste of my blood made him come again.

Oh dear. This was going to be interesting.

Daire snickered. "I guess you're going to get him coming and going, my queen."

With the twins dealt with, I met Bianca's gaze across the plaza and gave her a nod to continue. Need pulsed inside me. With Rik's erection digging into my back and these two new Blood smelling of sex and desire and blood, the last thing I wanted to do was sit through hours of formal presentation.

But that's exactly what I was going to have to do.

One by one, court Zaniyah was introduced to me. My new sibs. My new family. They were all smiles and bows. Some wept. Some wanted to kiss my hand. A few gave lingering looks to my Blood, as if I'd allow them to take on a few new sibs. We'd talked about that before, and the idea still didn't thrill me. The twins probably had sibs in the court, since they'd been alive a very long time. If they wanted to keep those relationships...

Tlacel finally released my throat and leaned back enough to meet my gaze. His golden brown eyes were dazed and my blood trickled down his lip. "Why would we want to feed on sibs when we could have our queen's blood? You did say you feed your Blood regularly, yes?"

I nodded, letting my gaze slide down to his lips, then lower. His brother was bigger and broader, built more like Rik. Tlacel was leaner and slender. He moved with a delicate grace, like his bird, drifting through the air without effort. Tattoos scattered across his shoulders and chest, though on his face, he only had the red spiral. Some of them looked like tribal tats I was more familiar with, but many of them looked like glyphs of his people. They told a story that I couldn't understand.

And I wanted to understand that story. I wanted to read him like a book.

"How much longer is this fucking procession going to last?" Daire asked, nuzzling his head into my lap while his fingers inched up to my knee. I shifted my thighs apart as much as the tight dress would allow, and it was nowhere near enough for him to slide on up and stroke my heat. Much to my dismay.

"An hour at least," Mayte said, her words still slurred. "Though I can ask Bianca to speed things up."

"Fuck," Daire groaned, his fingers kneading my knee.

Which made me groan.

Which made Tlacel lean in harder against me, interfering with Daire's efforts to get his hand up my skirt. So he hissed a warning. Which made Eztli's jaguar make that coughing growl again.

Chuckling against my ear, Rik tightened his arms around me. "I think you should end this procession as quickly as possible, my queen."

Itztli straightened, shaking off the daze that had clouded his eyes after taking my blood. He leveled a hard look on Nevarre that said move. Naturally, Nevarre dug in tighter against my knee.

"Or they're going to start a fight?"

"Hmm. No. I wouldn’t allow a fight." The rumble in his voice told me a fight was the last thing any of them were thinking about.

Mayte surprised the hell out of me when she dropped into my lap and looped her arms around my neck. She raised her voice so everyone in the plaza heard, though she looked only at me. "Thank you, all. We accept your continued oaths to Zaniyah, now given willingly to Isador. But my queen is weary and needs to retire. Thank you for understanding."

Then she pressed her lips to mine and I decided that she was right. It was time to end this fucking event. Even if it pissed off some of her people.

Because I couldn't fucking wait any longer to take my queen.