The rest of the trip to Mexico City passed too quickly for my nerves. It seemed like I blinked and we were all dressed in our new gorgeous clothes and back on the plane. Another blink, and we were in Mexico and changing to another car, this one a long black Hummer, thankfully air conditioned. I didn’t want the makeup sweating off of me before I even met Mayte.

I was going to meet another queen. My nerves were so jittery, I kept accidentally kicking Rik or Daire on either side of me. Even his non-stop purring against my side didn’t help.

“What if I screw this up?” I whispered to no one in particular. “If I forget her name? Or how to greet her? What am I supposed to say again?”

Gina reached across Daire and gave my knee a firm squeeze. “Honestly, it doesn’t matter. Be gracious and polite. She’s performing for you. She wants your aid.”

“But we don’t know that for sure.”

“We do,” Gina said firmly. “There’s no other reason for her to offer her nest to you. She wants your help. Desperately.”

“But what if I insult her accidentally?”

“As long as you don’t feed on one of her Blood without her permission, you won’t insult her.”

That made me shudder and press harder against Rik. He had his arm around my shoulders, so he pulled me in closer so I was practically on his lap, with Daire draped mostly on top of me. “I don’t want to feed on any of her people. That won’t be a problem.” Guillaume made a low noise, drawing my attention to him. “What?”

“Not to confuse the matter, or worsen your anxiety, but she may very well offer one of her court to you as a sign of good faith. If she offers one of her Blood, or one of her direct family, it would be an insult to refuse.”

My mouth hung open for a moment. “I’m not feeding on anyone but my Blood. Period.”

“But if she wants to swear to you, and you accept, you must taste her blood. She’ll offer formal throat to you.”

I swallowed hard, trying to settle my stomach. It felt like Nevarre’s raven crashed around deep in my stomach with all his friends. Deep down, I knew that I’d have to feed on her. I just hadn’t pictured exactly how that would work in my head. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be a few swallows, like when I’d given Gina some of my blood to bind her to me as my human servant.

“Before her entire court,” Mehen added, not so helpfully, because I groaned and buried my face in my hands. Rik growled at him. “What? It’s an honor that her court must witness. They need to see their queen on her knees before you. Her throat bared to you. How you take her will determine how they view you going forward. If you’re timid, they’ll assume you’re weak. If you treat her badly or roughly, they may be angry, but many of them will be afraid to cross you for fear of what you’d do to them. It’s a chance for you to teach them a lesson, without touching anyone but their queen.”

Guillaume grunted. “We Aima like to read significance into every little touch or gesture.”

“Which is why I’m so fucking scared I’m going to make a mistake.”

“You’re incapable of making a mistake,” Rik said firmly, giving my shoulders a good squeeze. He gave each Blood a firm glare for good measure. “Stay true to yourself and act as your heart directs you, and all will be well. Your goddess walks in you. She won’t allow you to make any mistakes.”

We rode in silence for a few minutes and suddenly, I felt my first queen’s nearness. Or rather, her nest.

The air resonated, humming with energy. As we drove closer, the ringing echoed in my ears, making my fangs ache. It wasn’t unpleasant—but I had the sense that she could make it hurt very much if she wanted to. The car slowed and finally stopped. The air quivered with so much energy I knew exactly where the blood circle lay.

“We must walk into the nest,” Gina said. “Let’s see who she sent to greet us and bring us through. That’ll tell us a lot about how this meeting will go.”

With the car still running, someone approached and opened the car door on my right. Rik sent quick orders through the bond. :Mehen, then Guillaume, Nevarre, Daire, Ezra, Xin, stay visible. Don’t give them a reason to doubt our intentions. Form lines on either side of the road. We’ll walk to the boundary with our queen inside.:

Mehen met my gaze, his emerald eyes flashing with excitement. “Will you free my beast? In case I need to fly you out?”

:He makes a good point,: Rik admitted. :If you’re under attack, I’d rather you not have to stop and worry about freeing his dragon. I want him to shift and get you out as quickly as possible.:

I pulled back the shining leash of magic from Leviathan’s neck and Mehen shivered, his dragon bulging outward a moment with a shadow of wings and gleaming claws, before settling down into his body. “Don’t kill anyone. Unless, you know, we have to.”

He inclined his head with a sardonic wink as he climbed out of the car. “I’ll do my best. But no promises if the bear pisses me off.”

One by one, the rest of my Blood stepped out of the car. Gina gave my hand one last squeeze. “It’s going to be fine. We’re with you every step of the way.”

Then it was just Rik and me left in the car. He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. “I’ll never allow anyone to harm you.”

“I know.” I took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then slowly released it. “I’m not worried about me. I’m afraid I’ll offend someone, and we’ll be trapped inside.”

He turned my hand over, his thumb rubbing gentle circles against my palm, where he pressed a kiss and closed my fingers over it. “Offend them. It won’t matter. You’re the fucking queen of Isador, and they won’t lay a finger on you. But I know you too well to fear that you’ll offend anyone, my queen. All will be well.”

“Promise?”

He winked at me and slid out of the seat toward the door. “You know it. Wait for me to offer you my hand before you get out.”

I pictured him being all mean, bad alpha, glaring at all the people who might be standing around waiting for me to get out of the car. It made my mouth quirk and my nerves settled a little. His hand came down outside the door, and I slipped my fingers into his, sliding toward the door.

Warm air wafted over my face as I stood. I glanced up at the sky first, afraid to see how many people were watching. It wasn’t dark yet, but the sun was slipping below the horizon with a glorious explosion of color. I didn’t see the moon, but one large, bright star winked at me in the sky.

Rik tucked my hand beneath his arm, his fingers firm and confident on mine. His biceps bulged beneath my hand, his rock troll hovering beneath his skin. Ready to defend me at a moment’s notice. Gina gave me an encouraging smile and then turned, leading us down a white-graveled driveway. Stone pillars framed a wide iron gate that opened into the property. As we neared the blood circle, my scalp crawled, my nerves humming with tension. I couldn’t see the boundary with my eyes, but fine hairs rose on my arms, quivering like an electric fence was powering up, ready to zap me.

Mehen and Guillaume stood on either side of the pillar, just inside the low stone wall. That must be the very edge. On the other side of the gate, a small group of people waited for us, but I could sense many more on either side, deeper into the property. My heart pounded as Gina paused in front of the gate. She fucking curtsied, and a sudden surge of panic rolled through me. We didn’t cover curtsies or bows or—

:Because my queen fucking bows to no one.: Rik growled. :Not even the Triune.:

“Welcome, House Isador,” a woman said, her low, sweet voice carrying through the night. She was shorter than me with bombshell curves, dressed in a sparkly pink gown that hugged her body. Another woman stood beside her, tall and slender in a white gown. “I’m Mayte Zaniyah, and I welcome you to my nest. Please, be at rest in Valle de Zaniyah.”

The queen herself, welcoming us? That seemed unlikely to me, especially for older Aima well used to playing court politics. I glanced at Gina, and her eyes flashed wide with surprise too, her bond shimmering with excitement. She took it as an extreme honor. “Thank you, Your Majesty. We were honored to receive your invitation. I’m consiliarius, Gina Isador.”

Mayte inclined her head slightly, a smile curving her lips. “Please, no formality among friends. This is my consiliarius, Bianca.”

“Mayte. Bianca.” Gina inclined her head to both of them, and then turned to me, inclining her head even more. “May I introduce my queen, Shara Isador.”

Mayte’s gaze locked on me, and though she smiled and inclined her head, her luminous eyes tugged on me. Frantic, almost. Scared. Worried. Not because of me, though, and it finally dawned on me. She was just as terrified of making a mistake as I was.

Relief washed over me and tension melted away. I smiled and mirrored her movements as closely as possible to convey equal respect. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

Holding my gaze, she offered her hand, and though I couldn’t see it, I knew her hand must have slid through the invisible barrier.

I started to let go of Rik’s arm to take her hand, but he clutched me hard. “Not until your Blood are through.”

Mayte didn’t withdraw her hand, and again, I felt an overwhelming sense of urgency from her. Like she was afraid if she didn’t get me inside, it might be too late. I listened with all my senses, trying to find anything amiss. Hopefully my magic would warn me if there was a trap of some kind awaiting us.

“Of course, please allow me to introduce you to my Blood,” Mayte said. “My alpha, Eztli, along with Diego, Luis, and Maxtla.”

The four men stepped forward, and though Rik didn’t move a muscle, his bond vibrated with intensity as he scanned each man and found them worthy adversaries. Eztli was the biggest man, though nearly a foot shorter than Rik and nowhere near as massive. All four men moved with lithe grace, lean muscles flowing under their skin with an ease that made me think of jaguars prowling silently through the jungle.

:They are cats of some kind.: Daire’s warcat rumbled a warning. :Most likely jaguars as you guessed, but I won’t know for sure until they shift.:

:She only has four Blood?: I asked Rik. :Do you sense any others?:

:Not through the blood circle. It’s a barrier that our senses have a difficult time penetrating. Once we’re through, I’ll know better if she has other Blood that haven’t been introduced. That would be something to be suspicious of.:

He moved so he stood behind me, my rock, always at my back. Then he gave a nod to the other Blood. One of Mayte’s Blood offered his hand and Mehen took it. For a moment, they stood there, squeezing each other’s hands and staring into each other’s eyes. Mehen didn’t move a muscle or say a word, but the other man’s eyes tightened and he grew pale around the mouth. When Mehen stepped through the circle and then released him, the man opened and closed his fingers several times.

Guillaume went next. He stood at the edge a moment, waiting for one of her Blood to offer his hand. They whispered among themselves a moment, recognizing the Templar knight famous for taking alphas’ heads. So I was impressed when Eztli offered his hand rather than making one of his underlings bring my knight through. Guillaume didn’t play any games like Mehen, though he did meet and hold the alpha’s gaze without straining in the slightest and stepped through. One by one, the rest of my Blood followed them, until it was only me, Rik, and Gina.

Bianca offered her hand and Gina stepped through the circle.

The whole time, Mayte offered her hand to me silently.

:Go now,: Rik told me. :I have your back until you’re through.:

Taking a deep breath, I slipped my hand into Mayte’s. Her fingers closed around me, trembling slightly, though that could have been nerves. Something sparked between our palms, quickly growing warm. She clutched me harder, her eyes shining, and started to pull me through. I could see the blood circle now, a shimmering wall of energy that licked up my fingers, wrist, and forearm. My palm burned hotter. My instinct was to let go, to avoid the pain of a serious burn. A mind trick? Or a warning from my goddess?

The fire burned hotter on my skin. My entire hand felt like I’d fallen into a fire or stuck my hand on a stove. Fire was my gift, but it’d never hurt me before.

“Please don’t let go,” Mayte whispered urgently, her shining eyes locked on me. Her eyes glowed like moonlight on a crystal clear lake. “I mean no harm to you and yours. I swear it.”

“Stop,” Rik barked, lunging toward me. He touched my back and I screamed as a thousand-watt bolt of lightning tore through me. I knocked him reeling backward, my entire system powering up in a heartbeat. Pressure built inside me, my magic surging to red-line levels. I didn’t know what was happening, but if I didn’t release it, my own magic would tear me to pieces.

I tore my lip open with my fangs and power exploded out of me. Ice burned up my spine, meeting the fire in my hand.

Something did not want me in that nest. Wind and lightning tore at me, whipping my hair, tearing at my dress. A frantic howling wind swirled around me, black thick air trying to suffocate me. But I could still see Mayte’s eyes, shining like lanterns against the darkness. She’d begged me to not let go of her hand. She’d sworn she meant no harm to any of us. So then who didn’t want me crossing Mayte’s own blood circle?

Frankly, it pissed me the hell off. I’d been so scared of making a political mistake that it’d never dawned on me that I’d encounter trouble trying to cross into the nest despite Mayte’s own blessing. I pulled harder on my magic, pushing back against the storm. But force wasn’t helping. As when Ra attacked us, the harder I tried to push the wind away, the more it roared, using my own power against me.

I drew my power back, conserving my energy while I looked for the source of the storm. I let the storm batter me, sinking deeper into the darkness. High-pitched shrieks of vicious glee swirled around me like a hurricane, but I ignored it, even when it felt like something nibbled at me, taking bites of my flesh. The gale sucked the air out of my lungs and I couldn’t breathe. I had to be in the tail of the storm, almost at the source. I couldn’t see anything in the blackness. My body was quickly slipping into panicked flight mode, but I held on, gritting my teeth.

There. I could feel something pulsing beneath me, spewing up the storm around it. It crouched on top of Mayte’s blood circle like a huge venomous spider, claiming her boundary as its own.

My chest ached like my lungs had caved in, but I honed my magic into a fireball, spinning with energy, red and dark with my fury. I willed my fire to explode on that nasty spider. I heard its legs cracking. Hairs catching fire, exploding with pops. A vicious screech. It tried to flee, legs cracking and breaking off, charred in the heat of my rage. Hotter. I felt the sear on my face, sheets of fire rippling up my body like it was going to tear skin from my bones, until finally the spider exploded.

The winds ceased so suddenly I stumbled. Hands closed on me that my body knew even if I couldn’t see them. Mehen. Daire. My Blood. Yet I still fell into darkness. Rik roared, the ground shaking and bucking with his fury. Then he was gone. They were all gone. The last thing I saw was Mayte’s eyes, still shining as she pulled me through.