But she kept saying it over and over again.
Thierry dropped down from an overhead beam and landed lightly on my shoulder.:Isador. She says Isador. I wasn’t sure if we had a bond or not, but we shared blood from the leeches before they took me to the swamp. I promised that her House Isador would return to save her.:
Tears leaked from my eyes and I nodded, gently stroking her cheeks. “Yes. Isador’s here. We’re here, Leonie. You’re safe now. I’m Shara Isador. Thierry told me all about you.”
Her left hand locked around my wrist with surprising strength. Her eyes burned with hunger. Urgency. Need.
I nodded again and allowed her to move my wrist to her mouth. “Feed, Leonie. With every drop of my blood, I return your power and House to you.”
Her fangs sank into my wrist, her bony fingers clamped like a vise. She gulped frantically, long, eager draws of blood. I closed my eyes and released all the power I’d absorbed from the leeches. All the dark terror that had brewed beneath this house. It had been built on Leonie’s pain and suffering. Let her use it to heal, if possible.
She fed for a long time. Long enough my thoughts began to float. “She’ll need her hand back.” My words slurred. “And her tongue. We need to give them back.”
:She weakens you,:Rik warned in the bond.:At least feed, my queen. I’ll send Sekh to you.:
“S’alright,” I drawled out loud. “Her need is great. I can take it.”
“You cannot replenish in one sitting what was denied for decades,” Gwen warned. “It will likely take several deep feedings to fully heal her body.”
:Bring our queen out,:Rik commanded.
My Blood picked us both up, my arm still pressed to Leonie’s mouth. Okeanos’ tentacles cradled me, the undulations of his movement across the mud like gentle waves.
Which told me exactly how drained I was. I turned my head and sank my fangs into his kraken body. He shuddered, his tentacles twisting and coiling around me. Oops. Too late, I remembered what my bite does to my Blood. Another testament to how much blood I’d already given her.
A hint of late afternoon sunlight on my face. Fresh air. I inhaled deeply and opened my eyes, but I didn’t lift my mouth from Okeanos. His king blood tasted too good. The salty siren call of the Deep Blue echoed in him, the endless tides of the sea. He gave that up to be with me.
:I can touch the Deep Blue any time I need from your grotto, my queen.:A smaller tentacle brushed my cheek, his suction cups working to remove the mud on my face.:Though I would still stayeven if I never saw the ocean again. Just to hope you may have even a small need for me.:
:I will always need you.I love you, Okeanos, son of Undina Ketea, king of the Deep Blue. You should be feeding on me so I can heal your injuries, not the other way around.:
:I love to feed you,:he whispered gently, his tentacles shifting toward lighter lavender.:I’m healed just by being near you, my queen.:
He settled beneath the gnarled oak beside Leonie’s house, curling his tentacles up beneath the shade to prevent any sun damage. His body rose and fell like the rolling waves, so soothing and gentle. Rik joined us, though he didn’t immediately pull me away from my other Blood. His eyes remained tight, his focus intent, judging my health and ability to keep feeding the other queen.
I still cradled Leonie in my arms, her body between my legs. Gwen knelt beside us and her magic flowed over the injured queen.
“What you’ve already wrought in her is a miracle,” Gwen admitted. “Though your resources are low, my queen.”
I licked my bite closed in Okeanos so he didn’t pass out completely. Rik immediately snagged my free hand, lifted up his shirt, and jammed my nails into his chest. The kick of alpha blood sent an adrenaline rush pumping through me.
“Better?” I asked with a wry grin. “If we can find her hand and her tongue, do you think you can re-attach them?”
Gwen’s eyes rounded. I couldn’t remember if she’d seen me feed through my straw-like nails before. It was pretty freaky. “Possibly? I wouldn’t have thought half of what you’re capable of would be possible, but that’s never stopped you before. If you can provide enough magic to sustain the regeneration of flesh, I can make sure the nerves and veins connect correctly to provide full use.”
:If she thinks that’s freaky, wait until you show her how long you can feed on me,:Sekh purred.:I stand ready, my queen.:
I touched Xin and Itztli’s bonds, my two Blood with the most sensitive noses.:Can you search the house for Leonie’s hand and tongue? Or is her scent still too compromised by the mud?:
:We already found the Dauphine’s collection,:Itztli replied.:But there’s no way for me to tell which one is Leonie’s. They no longer have any identifiable scent.:
Through his bond, he showed me an apothecary cabinet with many little drawers. None of them were labeled. He opened one to show me its contents, and even knowing the horrors Jeanne had done, it was still terrible.
A dried, curled up claw-like hand sat in the small drawer with a thin flap of what looked to be dried leather, roughly the size of a quarter. One end was rounded and had a hole. The other end was flat, where the tongue had been smoothly cut from its owner.
I shuddered.:Goddess. How many sets are there?:
He took a step back so I could see the entire cabinet.:There are fifty-six drawers. Only twelve are empty.:
