My knights’ former sib slowly slipped through the trees toward my nest. When he stepped out of the woods at the far edge of the woods behind the guest house, he jerked to a halt, surprised as fuck to see us waiting on him.

Maybe that’s why Keisha Skye had sent this particular sib as her messenger this time. She’d wanted to be stealthy, and if Daire had only fed from him once, and Rik not at all, they wouldn’t have likely felt him approach.

A good plan. If I didn’t have other ways of tracking threats to my nest. Although maybe he was merely surprised to see me sitting on top of a massive hell horse. Even standing still, Guillaume’s hooves smoked against the ground and all the snow had melted in a ten-foot radius from where we stood.

Ezra looked like he’d just climbed down a mountain where he’d been living off the grid in a cabin he’d built with his bare hands. Big and burly with massive shoulders and huge hands, he looked like he could pull up a tree and snap it like a toothpick. The full beard and bushy hair only added to his wild-man look. Somehow I couldn’t picture him living in a New York City court.

I asked Rik, :Is he her Blood? Or just a sib?:

:Sib only.:

Daire added, :We grew up together in Christabel Devana’s court in the Ukraine, which is why he deigned to feed me once I came to Skye.:

I wanted to ask so many questions. There was still so much I didn’t know about my Blood. I had no idea if their mothers had been queens or not. Which goddesses they’d descended from. If they’d served other courts before Skye.

:None of that matters, honestly,: Rik said in our bond, and Daire nodded. :We were never famous like Guillaume or Mehen.:

:It matters to me. I want to know everything about you.:

“Your Majesty.” Ezra’s voice was just as rough as his appearance. “I’m—”

“Ezra Skye,” I cut in, nodding. I didn’t have time for pleasantries. I especially didn’t have the patience, not when I was still bleeding from dozens of thorn punctures. “Let’s skip to the threats, yes?”

“I prefer Ezra Ursula Devana because Skye did me no favors,” he retorted. “You’ve only got three Blood. Want another?”

Daire bristled, his fur rising along his spine. :I forgot how belligerent he could be.:

I didn’t think Ezra meant to be rude, exactly. He just didn’t give me the impression that he liked people, or had any patience for conversation. Same as me at this point. I could actually admire skipping the bullshit small talk. “Sure. But not you.”

He drew his head back, shaking his heavy hair off his forehead so he could see me better. “Why’s that?”

“You carry Keisha Skye’s blood.”

His eyes narrowed. “So. Do. They.” He jerked his head at Rik and Daire. “The cat can vouch for me.”

With a low hiss, Daire turned his back, winding around Guillaume’s legs, ignoring this old friend entirely.

“You little fucker,” the man growled. “I need help. You’d turn your back on family?”

Watching the stranger, I frowned. I was braced for all-out war and threats, not a plea for help. Despite the man’s lack of finesse, I sensed desperation. Though I still highly doubted his sincerity. He might be desperate to escape Skye. Or desperate to do his part in whatever dastardly plan she’d concocted. But did he really want help? My help? That, I couldn’t be sure of.

Daire didn’t look at the man, but I felt reluctant concern in his bond. :We did grow up together, though I didn’t know he counted me as family. I don’t know why he’d need help.:

“What help are you asking for?”

Ezra looked from me to Daire and back. “You don’t know?”

The trees murmured in the crisp winter air. Threat. Close. Many.

The invading ants were close, slowly climbing up from the underground cavern and approaching the roots, and yes, my nest. The trees swayed, leaves rustling, even in the stillness of the night. I sensed eagerness. Hunger. They were ready to defend their forest, their grove, and yes, my nest.

Feast, I told them. Kill as many as you can before they even reach us.

The trees rustled louder. Ezra cocked his head, noticing the noise despite the lack of wind. He suddenly reminded me of a bear, rising up on his hind legs, looking for food or danger. A big burly bear. Yes.

The sense of… rightness… surprised me, and my Blood too. Rik narrowed his gaze on the man, sizing him up. Daire sat on his haunches and started licking his giant paw, razor-tipped claws unsheathed. Guillaume lifted his head and blew out a hard breath, nostrils wide. Even Xin paused, nose in the air, my silent ghostly wolf.

Reluctantly, I closed my eyes and brought up the tapestry in my mind. I didn’t want another Blood. Let alone one with this kind of complication.

But his red glow blazed on the outside of my nest, a giant grumbling grizzly bear.

:Fuck: Daire growled disgustedly. :Do you know how much trouble he got me into as cubs?:

Rik groaned silently in our bond. :Great. Just what we need. Another mischief maker.:

“No,” I said slowly. “I guess I don’t.”

“Skye.” He spat out her name like a curse, which I could highly approve of. “She’s trying to force Devana to support her bid for the Triune, by using me, and indirectly Daire, as hostages.”

Daire slowly lowered his paw, staring at his friend. :Fuuuuccccck. Not good. At all. Huge breach of protocol.:

Blood loss made my brain too sluggish for court politics. I remained silent a few moments, trying to trace the convoluted threads of alternatives and options in my head. At first, I’d assumed he was sent by Keisha Skye with another ultimatum. But maybe he’d come of his own volition. To be my Blood, though? Another from Skye’s court? Despite his promising red glow, I just couldn’t see it. For all I knew, she’d probably allowed him to leave as a dupe to cover up her own approaching attack. Then she could eliminate Ezra without repercussions, assuming that I would kill him, like I’d killed Kendall.

My head hurt. My entire fucking body hurt. And millions of ants were descending on my nest in minutes.

Unobtrusively, Rik slid an arm around my waist and supported me against him. At least then I didn’t have to use my muscles to stay upright. Blood dripped down Guillaume’s withers, chest, and down his legs. He hadn’t fed, and now I was tormenting him, them all, with all this blood. I sagged a little more against Rik. I really needed to feed again so I could get these wounds sealed off. As long as I was still bleeding, I wouldn’t feel much better.

:It’s a heavenly torment,: Guillaume said in our bond. :Imagine his torment. A queen, bleeding, in obvious need, a possible salvation in his darkest hour, or his greatest danger.:

:Do you believe him?:

Guillaume bobbed his head slightly, :He smells sincere. That doesn’t mean Skye isn’t using him, though.:

Ezra let out a deep, low grunt. “I’m too late. She already hurt you.”

I lifted my gaze to his. “You came to warn me?”

He jerked his head in affirmation. “And Daire. He ought to know.”

“You want me to believe that Keisha Skye didn’t send you.”

“Nope.”

Rik growled. “Don’t ever fucking lie to her, Ezra. Your queen could command you back to New York City with a thought.”

Ezra humphed out a laugh beneath his breath. “You think so? First of all, she’s stretched too far to use one drop of her blood to force me to do anything against my will. I’ve always been strong in that regard.”

Daire rumbled in my mind, part exasperation and part laughter. :It’s true. Our queen often despaired of making him do anything he didn’t want to, even when we were cubs.:

Rik groaned and Guillaume humped his back slightly, enough to convey his disgust at the thought of having two troublesome Blood in our nest.

“Second of all, she’s got bigger fish to fry than an obstinate unruly sib with the penchant for roaming. Besides, few in her court would ever feed me. I’ve probably got less of her sib blood in me than those two.”

I weighed my alternatives, letting my senses roll over this man and the surrounding forest. The trees liked his sense of wildness. They burned with hunger and eagerly stretched their roots down into the ground, waiting to entrap the approaching ants, but didn’t twitch a single branch his way. They had no interest in devouring him. Because he was mine? Or because he was innocent in this plot?

My fangs ached. I needed to feed. A lot. I’d tapped several of my Blood already, just to be up and moving somewhat normally. How much blood would it take to heal the rest of my injuries? Would I incapacitate them all to heal myself? I didn’t dare risk it. Not with Skye’s attack coming. In that regard, another Blood would be welcome.

:More than welcome,: Rik added sternly. :You need to feed many times before you travel to meet Zaniyah. You should be at full strength, and right now, you’re barely upright and can’t control your bleeding.:

I blew out a sigh. I knew he was right. “Did you ever feed from Keisha Skye directly?”

“Fuck, no. The males who feed from her throat die quickly. You know the truth of that better than anyone, Rik.”

Rik’s arm tightened around me, his big body sliding toward granite. “Things are different in the Isador court.”

“I should goddamn hope so,” Ezra retorted back.

Growling deep in his chest, Rik squared his shoulders and lowered his head. “You won’t be leaving this nest on a whim and wandering around the countryside causing problems.”

“Who says so?”

“Me.” Boulders crashed and tumbled in his voice with that single word.

They stared at each other. Long moments passed by. The trees murmured with excitement as the first of the ants came up into their main root system. I felt ants popping and snapping in the ground, devoured like movie popcorn by the voracious roots. Tendrils grabbing, curling around tiny bodies. Smashing them. Nutrients to feed the earth. Roots snapping into place, entrapping huge pockets of ants in a corral of their design. The trees gobbled them up as quickly as possible, but thousands upon thousands were still marching relentlessly to the surface.

I tried calling up my power, even a small fireball, to gauge how long I could last.

Agony. My ribcage ached like it’d split open, pain slicing through me. I couldn’t hold back a soft cry.

Rik whipped his head to me, already tearing his wrist open to give me blood yet again. That didn’t surprise me, though I tried to tell him not to bother. I’d already fed from him deeply just a few minutes ago, and with an attack imminent, I couldn’t risk him. What did surprise me was the ruckus Ezra made on the outside of my nest.

Roaring, he pounded on the invisible barrier of my blood circle. “Let me in! Daire, you little bastard! Get that furry ass over here and bring me through! She needs me!”

Rik lifted my wrist and gently licked my blood from one of those brutal punctures. :Better? Don’t worry about me, my queen. A few swallows of your blood and I’m good as new.:

The new man roared louder and I felt his pain. My circle did not like him trying to break through. At all. But he wouldn’t stop.

:Let him in,: Rik told Daire with a mental sigh. :Though I’m holding you responsible for him.:

:Then I don’t want him in.: Daire grumbled, though he did head toward the circle. Instead of brushing or pressing against the man to bring him through my blood circle, Daire clamped his jaws around Ezra’s beefy forearm and dragged him through and directly to me, refusing to let him go until he stood before Rik.

Rik didn’t say anything. He held my wrist, tenderly licking my blood from the many wounds the thorns had made, his other arm wrapped around me, his wrist pressed to my mouth. Slumped against him, I watched their interaction, not letting go of Rik’s wrist. Not until he was ready.

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Ezra was almost as tall as Rik and nearly twice as wide. But this time, I wasn’t worried for Rik’s safety. I knew one hundred percent who my alpha was. And if Ezra wanted to stay…

He’d know too.

Finally, he said gruffly, “Alpha.” Then he looked at me, his eyes softening. “Queen.” He dragged his gaze away, wincing as if it hurt to do so, and gave a look at Guillaume. “Stud.” But when he looked at Daire, he growled. “Pussy cat. You didn’t have to bite me so hard.”

:Wait until Shara bites you,: Daire said in our bond, even though Ezra couldn’t hear it yet. :Nobody warn him.:

I let go of Rik’s wrist. “The ants. They’re close.”

Loud caws and bird sounds had us all jerking our gaze up to the sky. A huge flock of crows and other birds swarmed into the trees, led by my huge raven, Nevarre. :I roused as many birds as I could. They’re grateful for a nighttime feast. Winter’s a lean time.:

“Crow,” Ezra said, slowly turning back to look at me, one brow arched. “Four Blood. Or more?”

“More.” My lips quirked. “But he prefers raven.”

:Wait until Mehen gets to meet Mr. Surly.: Daire cackled in our bond.

Rik shifted into his rock troll, his colossal boulder form slowly rolling out of him. Fully shifted, he made my other Blood look like toys a kid would play with.

Ezra whistled, soft and low, but didn’t say a word.

“Guillaume, Daire, our queen’s life is in your hands.” He didn’t say Xin, even though my wolf prowled in a slow circle around us, invisible. He wouldn’t be able to do much against ants either. I thought we could trust Ezra, but I wouldn’t know for sure until I’d had his blood, and then it might be too late. I felt better knowing my assassin Blood was close, an unknown threat Ezra wouldn’t know to guard against.

Cold and silent, Xin hovered just paces away, ready to pounce. He wasn’t thinking about whether or not he’d be able to kill his target. I had no doubts. I knew he’d defend me in a heartbeat, silent or not.

Ezra moved closer, wrapping an arm around me so Rik could leave. My alpha gave him a long look.

“You don’t have to tell me to feed her long and well,” Ezra muttered. “She’ll be fit as a fiddle in no time.”

“They’re here,” I whispered, my stomach quivering. Not with fear, exactly, or even dread. Just… anxiety. I didn’t want my Blood hurt in any way. Three. Against a marauding army of vicious ants.

Rik kissed the top of my head and lumbered toward the center of the grove as quickly as he could. I watched him go, straining to keep my head turned, even though it hurt. Everything hurt. I needed…

Guillaume shifted his weight and I started to slip. Ezra stepped closer, bracing me against him. I knew my hell horse had done it on purpose, a way to distract me from the battle. It still irritated me. I didn’t want to be distracted. I didn’t want…

Ezra’s neck was warm against my cheek. His beard tickled my face. Wiry, but strangely soft, too. Very much like what I expected his bear to feel like. He smelled like warm cinnamon and sweet tobacco, utterly masculine, yet also soft and rich and soothing. Despite his belligerence, I suspected he was a big old marshmallow on the inside. With Daire watching, ready to tease the man about the side effect of my fangs, I took pity on him. “You may want to tear open your wrist for me, like Rik did.”

He nestled me closer against him, making sure his throat was pressed to me. “Nah. I like fangs. Sink ‘em deep, sweetheart.”

:You heard the man,: Daire practically chortled.

I pressed my lips to Ezra’s throat, pressing soft kisses to his skin until I found his biggest vein. I gave him a good long lick to let him brace, and then I sank my fangs into his throat.

His back bowed on a bellow that made Guillaume twitch slightly beneath me, an ancient flight instinct that kicked in despite being a hell horse. Or maybe he had to catch his balance, because Ezra’s knees sagged and he sank against Guillaume’s side. But he didn’t let go of me, and he didn’t let me fall off.

Ezra tasted as good as he smelled, and just as soft and gooey on the inside as I’d imagined. In fact, he tasted like a snickerdoodle cookie. Slightly crispy on the outside with spicy cinnamon and sugar, but soft and fluffy on the inside. I sucked him down, absorbing his bond. He’d led a lonely existence in New York City. He’d never fit in. A mountain man at heart, the city had been a prison for him. He wasn’t alpha, so Skye had no real use for him, and he’d had no friends, even once Daire came to court. Everybody loved Daire. He was playful and fun, the life of the party, amiable and easy to get along with. Where Ezra was crusty and gruff and had no patience for fools or pretenders. He didn’t care what you thought, and he couldn’t give a fuck about your feelings or playing nice.

While it’d cost him dearly, his solitude made it easier for him to slip away, giving him more freedom. Especially when he realized what Skye was up to.

In fact, for all his standoffish ways, he had the uncanny ability to sniff out secrets, always in the right place at the right time to hear the soft whispers and clandestine meetings. He’d just happened to be sitting on the stoop of the servants’ back-door entrance of an ultra-modern high-rise condo when Keisha Skye had stepped out onto her balcony dozens of stories above to make her threats regarding Christabel Devana’s fosters in her court.

He shifted back upright after the initial shock of my bite forcing him into climax, taking his weight off Guillaume and cuddling me against his big barrel chest. For all his gruff ways, his big hands cradled me like I was a baby bird that had fallen out of my nest. He didn’t take my blood for himself, though he certainly could have. I was still bleeding from so many wounds he could have swiped his fingers across my skin and had his power.

He didn’t know for sure that he’d be a bear as so many Ursula males before him, though he hoped to honor his blood, his queen mother, and most especially, me.

I lifted my bleeding wrist to his mouth and he still hesitated. “You’ve been hurt, my queen.”

I couldn’t send him my thoughts, not without giving him my blood first, but I wasn’t letting go of his throat. I pressed my wrist harder to his mouth, insisting. The pressure felt good on the wound, helping stop some of the blood flow.

He swallowed and pulled me back in time to his childhood mountain. Tall pine, thick carpet of needles, snow on the air, his breath frosting in his beard, heavy fur boots and coat, muffling his steps and giving him that broad bear look. Then he was a giant grizzly, standing on his hind legs, big paws draped around me, holding me up. His fur pressed against my face, soft and thick, still smelling of cinnamon and a hint of tobacco, but now with added pines and mountain air and the deep, wild Ukrainian forest of his homeland.

:Thank you, my queen.:

:Thank you, my bear.: