It’d been decades since I’d ridden into a queen’s nest and laid sword to her Blood. But for the first time since being freed of Desideria’s yoke, I burned to kill every single Zaniyah Blood in this nest of my own free will. For once, I relished my reputation. I kept my eyes locked on the queen’s alpha. His head would be mine. Rik wouldn’t mind. He’d told me to take over. And no wonder. I couldn’t imagine what it’d felt like to be trapped on the outside of the nest while our queen succumbed to such a trap.

We paused at an arched doorway leading out to a cobbled plaza. Tables had been set up with colorful lights and lanterns strung between the walls. The low roar of people talking suddenly silenced when they realized their queen had joined them.

Bianca called out in a loud voice, “Our queen, Mayte Zaniyah, and her alpha, Eztli Zaniyah.”

All the people pushed up to their feet and bowed as their queen walked past to take her seat at the ceremonial table against the opposite wall. She stepped up onto the platform and moved behind one of the grand wooden chairs waiting, but didn’t sit.

Bianca looked at me and then Rik, wondering which of us was going to determine the procession. I didn’t wait for Rik to say one way or the other. He’d take control back when he was good and ready. Besides, Rik was young enough he probably hadn’t even seen a formal procession. Me, I’d survived several. “Daire Devana Isador.”

Daire immediately stepped up beside the other queen’s waiting Blood.

Her eyes widened slightly at his entire family name, but she announced his name in full as I’d given it. “Luis Zaniyah and Daire Devana Isador.”

“Nevarre Morrigan Isador.”

He stepped forward and she called out his name along with Diego Zaniyah.

“Ezra Ursula Isador.”

The big man stepped forward, winking at Shara when he caught her staring. He’d trimmed his beard and slicked his hair back in a bun. With the formal suit, he looked nothing like the wild grizzly we knew. “I clean up good, huh?” He whispered, way too loudly, and guests at the nearest table snickered.

Bianca announced him with Maxtla Zaniyah. Like our queen, Mayte’s alpha was actually fairly young. Maxtla was her oldest and strongest Blood, even showing some graying at his temples. Ezra would either piss him off with his blunt remarks, or they’d end up grand friends over a few mugs of ale. I wasn’t sure which way it’d end up yet, but if I were a betting man, I’d place my money on the latter.

I gave Xin’s formal name next. “Wu Tien Xin Isador.”

Since Zaniyah didn’t have any other Blood, a few sibs from her court stood ready to walk in with us. The whispers were louder in the plaza as the guests waited eagerly for each introduction. It was apparent now that we were coming in from youngest to eldest, and yes, the more famous. Even a relatively small nest in Mexico would recognize some of the rest of us. Bianca announced Xin with Armando Zaniyah, a handsome young man with a winning smile, who beamed up at Xin like he was already smitten.

Two more of Zaniyah’s court came forward, moving as one with an eerie silent coordination that spoke of twins. They looked at each other a moment in silent communication, and then they turned toward Shara and took another step closer to her.

Rik and Mehen both growled at them, stalling their approach. But it made me look at the two men a little closer. None of Mayte’s other Blood or sibs had thought to approach our queen. These two were older than Nevarre, I thought, and maybe as old as me. Definitely older than the young sib they’d sent out. These two carried a sense of ageless power that made them harder to age correctly.

Which told me they might be very old indeed, and if so, fairly powerful. Then why weren’t they Mayte’s Blood?

“I’ll take over now,” Rik told me.

I stepped up to Bianca, side by side with the twins. Neither of them spared a glance for me, which would have pricked my ego, if that sort of thing bothered me.

Bianca announced us. “Itztli Zaniyah and Guillaume de Payne Isador.”

I felt the surge of appreciation in Shara’s bond, and I was glad I’d given her house name. Most Blood took their queen’s name, but I never had, until Shara claimed me as her own.

“You’re old,” Itztli muttered beneath his breath as we walked toward the main table. “But you’re not alpha.”

Centuries of marching to someone else’s command kept my step steady despite his bluntness. “My queen has her alpha. I don’t need to be alpha to serve.”

“He’s big,” the man admitted as we turned to face the room. “But I think I could take him with my brother’s help.”

A laugh spluttered out of me before I could contain it. “Good luck with that.”

Rik caught a sense of where the man’s thoughts were headed through my bond and narrowed a hard look on the waiting brother.

Mehen’s lips pulled back in a fierce, hard smile as he gave his name to Bianca.

Her eyes widened and she gulped, but announced him. “Tlacel Zaniyah and Leviathan Gorgon Isador.”

The man standing beside me humphed beneath his breath. “Leviathan? As in king of the depths?”

Figured. The bastard didn’t give his real name. Not that I could blame him when Leviathan carried so much promise of destruction and mayhem. “Yep.”

“And he didn’t take your alpha?”

I laughed again. I couldn’t help it. “He was too busy being fucked senseless by our alpha and queen to worry about taking anyone’s position.”

Rik looked at me, waiting for an explanation.

:He thinks he and his twin could take you. I’m guessing they have designs on becoming Blood.:

Rik’s shoulders and biceps seemed to swell, making him bigger, broader, and meaner than ever. Our queen looked like a child standing beside him, or better yet, our beauty to the massive hulking beast.

“Her Majesty, Shara Isador, and her alpha, Alrik Hyrrokkin Isador.”

“Hyrrokkin,” the man grunted beside me. “That explains much. Does he shift into a wolf too?”

I knew the reference he was thinking of—a giantess riding a wolf into battle. But the hell if I’d make things easy for him to figure out. “Nope.”

Whispering among themselves, the crowd turned uneasy as my queen entered the plaza. Now that she’d broken the geas, they had reason to fear her. They knew how powerful she was. They knew why Mayte had invited her. So the guesses about how exactly Zaniyah would be absorbed into Isador had begun. The higher queen would decide all their fates, even down to whether this nest would still stand when Shara was done.

Positioned on either side of the procession aisle, the twins’ attention locked on my queen. Shara came toward us, her head high, her step slow and measured. No one watching would suspect it was because she still felt weak from breaking Skye’s geas on the nest. But we knew. Her cheeks were paler than normal, her eyes burning too brightly with hunger, a hint of fang still showing as she walked past. Even after feeding deeply on all of us, she still hungered.

Her step faltered ever so slightly as she passed between the twins.

:I know,: Rik growled in our bond before I could say anything. :She feels them. We’ll see if they’re called or not. I don’t care to have any of Zaniyah in our ranks. Not after what they allowed her to face without a single warning.:

The bullshit geas was just that. Complete and utter bullshit. I could not fathom how men who wanted to serve as Blood to a queen would stand silent and watch her walk into a trap without saying a word. Maybe I’d start with beheading these two before I took out Zaniyah’s alpha. All three heads lined up as tribute to our queen would still not be enough to make me, or any of us, but especially Rik, forgive their silence.

Not fucking close.

After springing Skye’s trap, worrying about political etiquette seemed ridiculous. I didn’t care what Mayte thought of me now. I’d already achieved something no one else had been able to do. She owed me. She needed me, just as Gina and my Blood had said. I could relax and enjoy the food and conversation, at least as much as I could with this hunger still gnawing at me.

I needed a nice long session with a couple of my Blood. No, fuck that. All of them. I wanted their muscles against me. Rik’s massive arms. Daire’s purr. Nevarre’s hair.

Fuck. I had to distract myself before I simply got up and dragged my Blood off to find a bed somewhere.

Rik stood behind me, one hand on my shoulder. Gina sat on my right, and Mayte on my left. Her alpha stood too, but not shoulder to shoulder with Rik. I don’t think her alpha dared stand that close to my Blood for fear that he’d crush his head like a melon.

The rest of my Blood were seated in front of us, facing the rest of the tables, alternating with Zaniyah’s Blood. Servers moved through the room with pitchers and bottles of wine. The smells wafting from somewhere behind us made my stomach growl. Loudly enough that all my Blood turned to look at me and then gave a pointed look at the queen sitting beside me. At least my Blood were going to eat, though I worried about Rik if he was going to stand through dinner. I’d tapped him pretty hard.

“Some wine, Your Majesties?” A server offered a bottle, label up. I glanced at it and nodded, though I had no idea what kind it was.

He poured some for both of us, a fine tremble in his hand that almost splashed some red wine on the table. “Thank you.”

“Tell Sarah to start serving the first course.”

The young man nodded and backed away.

Mayte offered a basket, lifting back a gingham napkin to reveal warm, soft tortillas. “Hot and fresh from the kitchen. Sarah bakes them in an cast iron skillet over a fire.”

I took one and tore off a piece, surprised at how thick the tortilla was. Nothing like what I’d had back home, and thank the goddess. These were fantastic and I told her as much.

“I hope you enjoy the rest of the meal as well. We decided to keep everything pretty traditional, though Sarah always likes to throw in a few surprises.”

“If everything’s as good as this tortilla, then I can’t wait.” I wasn’t very good at small talk. Or rather, I’d never really had the opportunity to practice carrying a conversation. “Have you lived here your entire life?”

“Oh yes. My grandmother founded this nest when Mexico City was still Tenochtitlan. She’s still alive, though prefers a quiet life now and passed the nest to me. My mother died over five hundred years ago when the Spanish came through.” She took a sip of her wine, and so I did too, though gingerly. I didn’t want to risk intoxication until I got more than a tortilla on my stomach. “They say you weren’t raised in a nest.”

“No, I wasn’t.” I hesitated a moment, trying to decide what story to share. The commonly-known one that was a lie? Or the truth?

I touched Rik’s and Gina’s bonds. :Should I let her believe I’m half human? Or tell her the truth? Would she even believe it?:

Gina leaned forward and turned slightly so she could join the conversation. “Shara had an unusual upbringing. So unusual that we haven’t divulged any details to the Triune.”

“I see.” Mayte was silent a moment, though I wasn’t sure if she was communicating with other people through her bonds or just thinking. She tipped her head toward me. “I have secrets I don’t divulge to the Triune as well.”

Bianca scooted her chair closer to her queen and kept her voice low so that I strained to hear. “There’s more than one reason that we like to keep to ourselves. In some ways, Skye’s geas helped keep us isolated. That’s not always a bad thing.”

“If she couldn’t have me, no one could,” Mayte said bitterly. “All my efforts…” She blew out a sigh. “I’d honestly given up hope, until I had an unexpected, but most welcome, phone call from the Isador consiliarius that you were coming to my area. A new queen. Even better, an Isador queen. That name alone breeds fear and respect, even among the Triune. I could only hope you would consider my invitation. I refused to even let myself hope…”

The servers returned and set stoneware bowls of soup in front of us. It smelled so good I started salivating.

“If you’d like a vegetarian posole, Sarah always makes an extra pot.”

“No, thank you, this is perfect. I’m not a big meat eater usually, but this smells incredible.”

It tasted even better. The pork was so tender it fell apart. I ate a few bites, enough to settle my stomach, but I couldn’t stuff my face while my alpha stood at my back unfed. Especially after he’d let me feed for so long earlier.

:I’m fine, my queen.:

I rolled my eyes and sat back in my chair, tipping my head up in his direction. “Would it shame you to come down here beside me so I can share a few bites?”

He dropped down to one knee between me and the other alpha, using his massive shoulders to block out the other man. “You could never shame me, my queen. But there’s no need—”

I lifted the spoon toward his mouth. :Please. Let me do this for you.:

Eyes smoldering, he opened his mouth and let me feed him a bite. I scooped another bite onto the spoon, knowing full well he’d eat better with less argument if I ate some at the same time. So I alternated bites until the soup was gone. Then I gave him a drink of my wine, carefully turning the rim so that I could press my lips to the glass where his had been.

:My queen. You undo me.:

My lips quirked in a smug little grin. :That was my plan all along. Can’t you guard me as well down here as you can standing at my back with a wall behind you?:

The servers removed the soup bowls and placed small colorful plates of salad before us.

He shifted closer, sliding his arm behind my back so I was cradled into the crook of his shoulder. :I’ll stay here on one condition.:

:Yes?

:You let me feed you again.:

I stole a quick glance at Mayte beside me to see what she thought of my alpha breaking the formal dining rules. She met my gaze, her lips curving in a laughing smile. “If he can do it, you can too, Eztli. I insist.”

:Isn’t it rude to feed like that during a formal dinner?: I asked Rik.

:No more rude than an alpha going down to his knee beside his queen.:

Grumbling beneath his breath, the other alpha went to his knee beside his queen, positioning himself to protect her from Rik if need be. “There’s no precedent for this.”

Mayte shrugged and pushed her salad plate toward him. “We don’t live by precedent here anyway. I don’t know why we even tried to be so stiff and formal. It’s not us.”

She looked up at me, her eyes softening, gleaming in the soft lights hanging above. I was struck again by how beautiful her eyes were, even though I couldn’t pinpoint what color they were, exactly. They reminded me of crystals or prisms, faceting light back in all the colors of the rainbow, luminous and unshadowed. Could a queen lie and cheat and plot devastation while having such crystalline eyes? I didn’t want to doubt her. I didn’t want to spoil the vision of her shining eyes pulling me through Skye’s hurricane.

“Would it offend you or your court if my alpha fed me again?”

Her eyes flared wide, and guilt slipped across her face, tamping down some of their brightness. “Of course not. We’re in your debt. If you’re still feeling the aftereffects of breaking the geas, then you must feed. I insist.”

:G.:

My knight stood and came to lean across the table, knife in hand.

“Why does he cut for you, Your Majesty?” The other alpha asked.

Mayte squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry my Blood are so curious. It’s none of our business.”

“When Rik and Daire first found me, I didn’t even know what we were. I didn’t have fangs for several days, and when they finally came in…” I gave her a rueful shrug. “Let’s just say that my bite is great for sexy times but not so great outside the bedroom, if you know what I mean.”

“Oh. Oh.” Mayte arched a brow, staring at me with a speculative look on her face that made my cheeks warm.

Then she dropped her gaze to my mouth, and I would have fallen out of my chair without Rik there to steady me.

“Does this magical bite work on women?”

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Shrugged wordlessly. I had no idea. They’d told me that Mayte would want to offer her throat to me…

But it’d never dawned on me what that would mean. Especially for an orgasmic bite like mine.

“Could be interesting to find out,” Mayte said softly, turning back to the salad she shared with her alpha. As she ate several bites, she turned her head away slightly.

Flashing her throat at me.

I wasn’t familiar with the ways an Aima queen might flirt with another queen… but that seemed pretty blatant to me.

I met Guillaume’s gaze and he made the quick cut on Rik’s throat for me. :Thank you.:

:My pleasure, my queen. If you need other assistance…: He arched a brow at me, a twinkle in his eye that made my cheeks color more. :I’m ready to serve in any way you desire.:

Daire’s warcat rumbled in my head. :I could slip beneath your dress under the table.: I felt the distinct swipe of his big tongue firmly stroking over my skin, even though he didn’t physically touch me. :Nobody would know.:

My eyes about bugged out of my head. I quickly turned my attention to Rik, licked the blood from his throat, and sealed my mouth over the small cut. :I don’t want to turn my first formal dinner into an orgy.:

Daire pouted and his warcat bumped me playfully in the bond. :In my opinion, that’s the only way to turn a boring political dinner into something much more memorable. I’m sure Mayte wouldn’t mind. Especially if you bite her. She’ll love it.:

:I’m not biting anyone, especially at another queen’s dinner table in front of her entire court.:

I tried to wrap my mind around Mayte and what our possible alliance would mean. I’d assumed it’d be political only. But even with my mouth locked to my alpha’s throat, I could still see her shining eyes. The way she’d looked at my lips, offered me her throat. So feminine and pretty and—

Not Blood.

Certainly not my Blood. I couldn’t see them in the same picture frame as her. I didn’t want my Blood touching anyone but me. The thought of Daire or Nevarre stroking a hand through her hair or caressing her back made me want to rip her eyes out and send Leviathan to blast this whole nest to the ground.

:I’m game,: Mehen immediately said in our bond, giving me an image of dragon fire bathing the court, people running from the plaza screaming.

I didn’t want that. Not really.

But I didn’t want Mayte touching my Blood.

I tried to picture her alpha touching me and my mind flinched away from that too. Not because Rik would be glaring at the other man, still remembering how they’d let me walk right into Skye’s trap. He’d glared at Mehen after he broke my arm and that had been smoking hot. Because they were both mine.

This Eztli guy was hers. I felt nothing when I looked at him, even though I recognized that he was a damned fine dark-skinned man with broad shoulders, trim waist, and lithe, powerful movements. He wasn’t mine. He’d never be mine. I didn’t want him to be mine, because he was already hers.

Rik pushed the empty salad plate away and started shoveling into the next course. Roasted or grilled meat of some kind. He knew I wouldn’t want to eat much of that and so didn’t feel like he was depriving me by eating it. His throat worked beneath my mouth as he swallowed. We were both eating, feeding, though in different ways, and it satisfied something primal inside me to know that he ate food to make sure he had the strength and energy to feed me. :I’d rather have your blood any day.:

:I know.: I sensed hesitation in his bond, a question. Or maybe he wanted to suggest something but feared my reaction.

How he could think that, while letting me take his blood in front of over a hundred people, I had no idea. I nestled my face against his bare throat and lightly scratched his skin with my fangs, making him shudder.

:We can arrange things however you like.:

:I know.: I did, really. He’d never been unwilling to do whatever I asked. But I didn’t know what I wanted in the first place. Not exactly.

:You don’t want us touching her. You don’t want to touch her Blood. So what’s left?:

Me. Touching her.

Rik at my back. Inside me. And those shining eyes staring into mine.