Rik tightened his fingers on my shoulder. “I think it might be best to wait a few days before we leave the nest again, my queen.”
My eyebrows rose with surprise. “Are my reserves that tapped? I don’t feel so low.”
“No, it’s not that. I suspect your cycle will start within the next twelve hours.”
Oh crap. How could I have my very regular period for years now and still somehow be surprised when I started again?Though to be fair, it wasn’t like I had a calendar or planner to consult every month to check.
:That’s what I’m for,:Rik rumbled.:Even a calendar won’t pick up on the subtle shifts in your scent that my alpha senses notice.:
Leonie’s eyes rounded and her mouth sagged open for a moment. “You can breed? So young?”
I gave her a rueful smile. “My period is extremely regular and heavy, every single month. I even have a human doctor who’s been trying to help me regulate my cycle so I’m not so incapacitated for a week at a time, but so far, it really hasn’t made much of a difference.”
“A week of rest once a month will do you good,” Gina said firmly.
Her usual response. Not that I quite believed it yet. I blew out a disgusted sigh. “But there’s so much to do. I need the other two seats at Triskeles filled. I need to help Basilia. Undina wants to meet regularly so we can talk about what to do about the other Triune, which now has two seats available. Not to mention all the paperwork stacking up. But the absolute last thing we need is for me to be bleeding heavily while we’re out and about with the Dauphine’s former Blood hunting us.”
“You can’t solve all the Triune problems overnight.” Gina stood and leaned down to give me a quick hug. “I’ll text Kevin and he can let Gwen know any further rescue missions will be delayed a few days. We’ll arrange a meeting with Gwen toward the end of the week, so you can have that resolved before heading out to Mykonos. We have plenty of time.”
“It doesn’t feel like it when I know people are trapped and suffering and there’s something I can do to help them.”
“Which is why we love you so much, my queen.” Guillaume stepped aside as Gina passed through the doorway. “However, there’s something else I wish to discuss with you before you make any decisions about Basilia.”
“Should we talk about it now, or can it wait a day or two?”
“Later is fine, my queen.”
Leonie and I both stood and followed Gina out into the kitchen area, where Winston waited for us.
“Good night,” Gina called over her shoulder, heading for the front door. “Text me if you need anything.”
“Good night. Thank you, Winston. Dinner was lovely.”
He inclined his head, his lips quirking. “Barely a snack, Your Majesty. We’ve prepared a queen suite next to Carys’ if you’re ready to retire for the night. Daire already took Her Majesty’s bag up.”
“That’s perfect, thank you.” He led the way upstairs to the guest wing of the house. “Carys had some research she wanted to do at the Library of Congress, so she went to stay in New York City for a few days. But she usually travels with me.”
“And Gwen? I’m sorry, I didn’t catch their former House names.”
“Gwenhwyfar Camelot and Carys Tylluan. They were both siblings to Keisha when we took the tower. Now Gwen holds the tower for me and manages all the other sibs. For Carys’ gift to work, she needs to be with me and see what I see so she can help me strategize. She can see probabilities.”
“Oh, that’s interesting. Like what, exactly?”
“When the Dauphine arrived at Undina Ketea’s nest disguised as Basilia, Carys saw a rare one-hundred-percent probability that she wanted me dead. Which was one clue that helped us see through the disguise. Though her probabilities that I would survive the encounter at all were beyond scary, so take that with a grain of salt.”
At the landing, I showed her where my suite was and then walked her down to the room opposite Carys’. Winston had outdone himself, which didn’t surprise me in the slightest. The room was spacious but still cozy with thick fluffy bedding, luxurious rugs, and soft lighting, decorated in Egyptian turquoise with pops of Mom’s favorite color, lapis lazuli. Theattached private bathroom had a large basket on the vanity, filled with a variety of perfumes and lotions any woman would enjoy. A thick black robe with the House Isador logo on the lapel lay draped across the foot of the bed.
“If you need anything at all, Your Majesty, please don’t hesitate to let us know,” Winston said.
“This is beautiful,” Leonie replied, her eyes shining in the soft golden lamplight. “Thank you, Winston.” Then she curtsied to me. “Thank you, Your Majesty. For everything.”
I fought the urge to cup her cheeks in my palms and press a chaste kiss to her lips. Hunger rippled through me, growing in intensity. A chaste kiss would quickly lead to me burying my fangs in her lovely throat.
She made a low, soft sound.:Yes, please.:
Need throbbed through me.:Once I get started, I won’t stop, and you deserve more than a hard, ravenous bite that might endanger you.:Aloud, I simply replied, “Good night. Thank you, Winston.”
And hoped to hell he could still understand my words despite my fangs.
