Shara

This was it. The final showdown. The kind of battle where only the winner walked away, and the other camp prepared for a funeral. Though I didn’t know that I’d leave enough of Keisha Skye for her people to worry about burying. For all I knew, she’d find someone to bring her back from the dead.

Someone like me.

Riding in the limo toward House Skye’s giant residential tower was nothing like my trip to meet Mayte Zaniyah. I’d been so nervous before meeting another queen. There was so much I hadn’t understood. It was only weeks ago, but I felt like a lifetime had passed since I’d seen her smiling at me and realized she was just as nervous as I was.

Granted, she’d been hiding a pretty nasty geas from me… But she’d been scared to meet me, too, and her entire family and nest had been on the line.

I looked around at my men, all dressed in gorgeous black suits and silk shirts. We were definitely going to a funeral. Gina had managed to find some golden tyet pins, or knots of Isis, in the legacy jewelry. There were twenty of them, which made me think either Mom’s or Esetta’s Blood had likely worn them. The gold looked incredible against their black jackets.

My white gown gleamed against their darkness. When I’d asked Alice for a white dress, I’d been afraid she wouldn’t be able to find something un-wedding-like, but this sexy, gorgeous gown fit the bill. The full-length skirt was simply tulle, thin enough that my legs were visible through the delicate layers. Appliqué roses lined the hem and barely covered my groin. I’d never been so completely covered—and completely exposed at the same time. The bodice was composed of the same light tulle with appliqué roses strategically positioned to barely cover my dark areolae, but leaving most of my chest and back exposed in a deep vee.

Miracles of miracles, she’d even managed to place a few roses on my right hip to conceal a small pocket barely big enough for my pocketknife. With brutal fangs of my own now, I shouldn’t need it, but I felt better knowing it was there.

It was time to get down to business and finish House Skye once and for all.

I focused on Xin. “Your former queen sent you as an assassin to eliminate other queens.”

It wasn’t a question, but he nodded.

“So, you can circumvent a blood circle.”

He didn’t move a muscle, except one corner of his mouth quirked up in acknowledgement. His ghostly wolf bled into his eyes, making them shine in the murk of the car.

“Make a show of seeing me out of the car, get back inside with Guillaume and Mehen, and then make your way to me as you can. Let no one see you.”

He inclined his head. “My pleasure, my queen.”

Ezra was next. “I want you to be your normal belligerent, obstinate self.”

“Who the fuck says I’m belligerent?”

“Exactly,” Daire laughed.

“Don’t lie, because House Isador doesn’t lie. But if your former sibs suspect that things aren’t all sunshine and bunnies in your nest, that’s fine by me.”

“I smell what you’re cooking, my queen, and I like it. Is it alright with you if I break off from the main group? Wander around a bit? My old grizzly has a habit of smelling out things that aren’t right.”

“If that’s your habit, then by all means.”

I cupped Daire’s cheek and rubbed my thumb across his lips. “I want you to be your normal amiable, lovable self, but be careful. Don’t let anyone try to use you as bait.”

“Or you’ll wipe the floor with them?”

“Pretty much.” I turned to my alpha. His eyes simmered with heat and he bulged. Everywhere. Even though he hadn’t shifted. The gift I’d given him last night had pumped him up to ridiculous levels of strength. “My alpha can’t get enough of me. I don’t care what anyone says or does, I want you all over me every chance that you get. Even if one of those bastards tries to feed on you.”

Daire snorted. “Why’d he get the hardest job?”

“Because I’m alpha, dickhead.” He never looked away from my eyes. “Even inappropriate public affection?”

“By all means.”

“This day gets better and better.”

Next, I looked to Itztli, Tlacel, and Nevarre. “You’ll be outsiders to this court. They won’t know what to expect from you. Whatever you feel led to do in the moment is fine by me, but remember, I like my monsters bloody and sexy as hell.”

Tlacel’s eyes flared. “You have no specific direction for us?”

Itztli fingered the black blade on his hip. “We can do whatever we wish? Within reason?”

I nodded. “Whatever you wish, as long as it doesn’t get me into trouble with the Triune later. If you pick a fight, wander off like Ezra, or make friends like Daire—whatever it is that you want to sell to Skye, do it, and do it well with my full permission. As long as you don’t fuck or feed on another person outside my Blood. That’s the only thing I ask you not to do.”

Nevarre shifted slightly and I heard the rustle of feathers in my head. “As if we would ever even touch anyone but you, my queen.”

Purring, Daire rubbed up against me. “Quoth the Raven, ‘Nevermore.’”

Nevarre slung his long hair back over his shoulder in a careless, elegant motion that drew my gaze like a moth to a flame. “Now you’ve done it, cat. I challenge you. When we return to our queen’s nest, I expect you to meet me on the green.”

Naturally, I had to linger on his knees bared by the kilt. I’d never known a man to have sexy knees before.

Daire rumbled louder, trying to draw my attention back to him. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“You’ll see.” Nevarre smiled at me, his eyes sharp and eager. “Can we admit that you’re a jealous queen?”

“Of course, because I am. Omission is fine. Letting someone make a stupid assumption without correction, fine. But don’t outright lie.”

“Understood, my queen,” the twins said in unison.

“What are we supposed to do?” For once, my headless knight grumped like Leviathan. “Stuck out here in the fucking car.”

“Be pissed. If anyone comes out to mess with you, tear shit up and make a scene.”

“Goddess, let them come,” Mehen growled. “I’m dying to show New York what a dragon looks like in the sky. Speaking of which, how do we get you out if things go badly? If she warded the building all the way to the top, I won’t be able to get to you and fly you to safety.”

“You don’t,” I whispered softly. I shivered under the intense, pissed scrutiny of my nine Blood. “I don’t walk away from this. Either we win, and Skye dies, or she wins, and I die.”

Rik squeezed me harder against him. “Then we all die. Understood? No one walks out of here if our queen doesn’t make it.”

Mehen flashed green eyes at Guillaume. “Do you think the headless knight can survive being eaten by Leviathan?”

“Do you think Leviathan can survive being gutted from the inside out?” Guillaume replied casually.

Mehen laughed softly, quiet puffs of breath very much like a dragon blowing plumes of smoke. “I guess we’ll never know, because our queen is going to kick their asses.”

Tears burned my eyes, but I smiled at each of them and stroked their bonds with pure magic. “The Great One has gifted me with the finest warriors of all time. How can we possibly lose?”