When I first took the sibling queens in New York City, the constant chatter from so many voices and thoughts in my own head was overwhelming. I’d been able to turn them down and mute them with Nevarre’s Shadow. Though I’d first accidentally shut down all my bonds. Even Rik’s.
He lightly touched my back.:A most unpleasant experience I don’t care to feel again unless absolutely necessary.:
I focused very intently on only his bond, dropping my mental voice to a bare whisper for his bond alone.:Which is why I haven’t tried muting her bond yet. Plus she needs comfort, safety, and companionship right now. It’s the least I can do for her.:
Leonie led us into her house, turning to the left into a sitting room with high ceilings, large windows, and beautifully detailed crown molding and trim. She jerked to a halt, her arm clutching mine. “The furniture. It’s different.” Her mouth flattened into a grim slant. “I’d better find Mama’s favorite settee in the attic, or I’m going to ask you to resurrect that bitch just so I can kill her myself.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Unfortunately, I lost my gift of resurrection, but I understand the sentiment.”
“Goddess, what ugly, uncomfortable chairs. I’m embarrassed to ask you to sit down, my queen.”
“I might still have mud on me anyway, so I’d hate to sit on your mother’s favorite furniture.” I released her arm and sat on the gold and pink velvet sofa with a high, heavily carved wooden back. Two matching chairs flanked the couch, all with extravagant arched legs and gilded edges. “I love the color, though the style isn’t to my personal taste.”
“I believe this is a Louis XV Rococo style,” Guillaume said.
“No surprise the Dauphine would love this design,” I replied. “I just hope your original furniture is still here.”
Sekh hovered beside me though of course he didn’t sit down.Rik moved to stand behind me, his hands immediately settling on my shoulders. Leonie hesitated and then sat in the flanking chair rather than taking the open spot beside me. Though I couldn’t help but notice she clutched the long skirt of her dress in both hands, her knuckles white. Gwen took the chair opposite her, with Lancelot standing behind her.
I reached out for Sekh’s hand and gently tugged him closer, so he stood against my right knee, his left hand casually in my lap. I slipped my right hand up around his biceps and sank my nails into his skin.
My eyelids fluttered at the immediate surge of hot, intense blood pouring into me, as infinite as the universe spinning around us. High above the world, his giant stone sphinx stood sentinel, scanning time and space for my enemies’ faces. I tried not to distract him too much, but I felt the spike of his hunger. His lust, as hot as his blood. He could feed me nearly endlessly without needing to feed himself—though I’d taxed him hard healing Thierry after I got the Dauphine’s leeches out. He still yearned for touch and taste. Especially after thousands of years. All of my Blood ached for time with me, but as the oldest, he’d endured silence and solitude the longest.
I never wanted to use him as an infinite feast for my hunger—without making sure his own needs were met too.
:I always need, Shara, my queen, but that is only a reflection of how deeply you’ve touched my heart. You grip me in your glorious bloody white jaws for all time.:
Shuddering delicately at such delicious imagery, I focused on Leonie. “If it’s not too difficult to talk about, please tell us how the Dauphine approached you.”
“Let me establish some background first. My mother, Aisha, conceived me with a House Valois Blood during a trip to Paris, which Rosalind celebrated by immediately forcing my mother to become her sibling and stay in her House. Early in the Eighteenth Century, Mama finally gained permission to leave Paris,and we settled here in New Orleans. Though for years, Rosalind sent an envoy to be sure Mama remembered where she came from and to whom she owed allegiance.”
Leonie smiled fondly, shaking her head. “She never forgave having to entertain a stuffy old queen snooping around her new nest. We lived a very simple life as far as the Triune was concerned. We were careful never to be too strong or too vocal or too independent. But the Old-World European queens always looked down their prim and proper noses at what they deemed ‘indigenous’ goddesses. They never fully grasped what magic we carried, and our magic flourished here despite the constant turmoil on American soil against our people.”
I could already see where this was going. “She claimed to be a House Valois envoy.”
Leonie nodded. “Just like in the old days. It was even the same old queen with an equally old knight at her side, her only Blood.”
Guillaume immediately perked with interest. “Do you remember the knight’s name?”
“Barrau, I believe.”
“Ah, yes, likely Barrau de Sescas. I’ve heard of him. He wasn’t renowned for his skills but served the King of England and held roles in Gascony, a duchy in the south of France.”
“Queen Isabelle looked exactly the same as I remembered. So did her knight. They sounded the same as far as I could remember, but it’d honestly been decades since I’d seen them last. She remembered Mama and specifically mentioned how much she’d enjoyed staying with us in the past. I didn’t feel any kinship for her, but I honestly didn’t expect to since the original sibling bond was Mama’s. Any House Valois blood I’d inherited from my bond with her would’ve been minimal anyway.”
Leonie swallowed hard, her hands tightening in her skirt. “I entertained them. All evening. Addie was famous at least here in New Orleans for her cooking, and she put out an entire spreadwith our best wine. I put them into the same guest room Mama always gave them. Then I retired for the night. At approximately three in the morning, I heard screams and rushed downstairs to find a strange queen sitting at the head of the table. Sipping more of our wine, while her Blood murdered his way through my family.
“At first, I had no idea it was the same elderly queen and knight. She looked completely different—but even now, I can’t tell you exactly what she looked like. Her face rippled, her skin constantly shifting beneath the surface of what looked to be a long veil or shroud. Of course an unknown queen—even of the Dauphine’s strength—wouldn’t have just waltzed into my circle without someone bringing her inside, so I thought we’d been betrayed by Isabelle.
“I called my power immediately, and she laughed in my face. She squashed me like an annoying little gnat. At the first blow, I fell senseless. Unable to move. Unable to speak. It felt like a mountain had fallen on me, crushing me beneath its weight.
“My Blood…” She paused, her jaw flexing. “The Dauphine’s knight injured them enough to prove they had no choice but to surrender. They did so, hoping to save me, but you know how that ended for us. Her knight put me on top of the table where I’d served them dinner and she began her work.”
Uneasy, I turned to Guillaume. “I didn’t know her gift extended to her Blood. We only found trophies for queens in the cabinet.”
“My guess is she simply masked her Blood’s appearance with her gift, but they didn’t have the identical voice or hand like she did. Most of the time, there’s no reason for Blood to even speak in the presence of queens. Unless you had a long conversation with Barrau and knew his speech mannerisms and accent, it would be an easy illusion to pull off.”
I arched a brow at him. “My Blood speak among queens all the time.”
