I swallowed hard. Remembering the desperate hunger burning in me when all this damage had been caused. But the dents she touched were frommybody being slammed up against the wall when Ezra came to me. I hadn’t been hurt. Not in the slightest. “As long as I don’t shift to the cobra queen, I shouldn’t be a danger to you or anyone else.”
She turned, leaning back against the dent, as if measuring it with her own body. Confirming for herself it was from me—not one of my larger Blood. “You can shift into other creatures? That’s amazing. I’ve never shifted into another form.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize other queens didn’t generally shift too. Though now that I think about it, I guess Mayte never mentioned it. Supposedly Basilia can shift into a hydra.”
“Maybe it has to do with power. I’ve never been considered a strong queen.”
She said it so casually it kind of broke my heart. Dealing with powerful queens like Marne Ceresa and the Dauphine were terrifying enough, even with an amazing amount of power at my fingertips. I couldn’t imagine the courage it must take to be considered a weaker queen yet still stand firm against older Triune queens.
Or a much younger Triune queen. Like me.
Yet Leonie wasn’t intimidated. Even as she traced the raw scuff marks in the hardwood floors with the toe of her slipper.
“Oak’s a very hard wood to damage,” she said. “Was it some kind of claw?”
“My fangs,” I replied faintly. “When Rik and Daire first found me, I didn’t even have fangs. I couldn’t feed myself. But then I shifted into the cobra queen, and she gave me…” My words trailed off. I didn’t want to scare her.
“Fucking brutal gigantic fangs that’ll give you the most glorious orgasm you’ve ever had,” Vivian finished for me. “I’m hoping for at least two bites tonight, my queen. Though I’ll take a dozen or more anytime. Anyplace. Please.”
My mouth watered. The soft palate throbbing with anticipation.
A soft rustle drew my gaze to Leonie, as she let the silk robe slip from her shoulders. So beautiful. Her muscles were toned and strong but still graceful and elegant. Her soft, generous breasts. Her waist nipped in only to gently swell into the curves of her hips. Her skin gleamed like polished ebony, lit from within by her power. Her eyes sparkled like emeralds set in perfect gold and amber.
“Me too, Shara. Please.”
25
LEONIE
To be so fucking powerful—and yet so adorably shy and achingly young.
Shara Isador could have razed me and my entire house to the ground with a dismissive flick of her pinkie finger. Yet all she cared about was not scaring me away. Or hurting me with her all-consuming hunger.
Which was exactly what pulled us to her. Not just me but her Blood as well.
She stared at me, her power weighing heavier moment by moment. Air too thick to breathe, filled with her magic. Her gaze caressed me, stirring my magic to flare just beneath my skin. Fine hairs prickled on my arms, and I couldn’t suppress a delightful shiver of anticipation.
Her hunger was a palpable beast in the room, prowling, hunting, ready to feast. Even though she’d already called the rest of her Blood to her. I’d feared she might have satiated her hunger long before she called for me, but now I realized the truth. With Shara, that would never be a problem.
This hunger would never be satisfied. Not completely.
Something silent passed between the two Blood, and Vivianbegan removing her weapons and then her clothing. I glanced at the alpha, not surprised to see him present in the room, but checking to gauge his interest and involvement. From the small interactions I’d seen between him and Shara, they were very close. Not just because of their power bond but emotionally as well. He loved her, truly and deeply, and she loved him. She loved all her Blood. I could see it in every small thing she did and said, even down to letting her alpha stay in her room where he could be present but unobtrusive. Even if he wouldn’t touch me or Vivian in any way. He needed to see Shara and know she was safe. Every second of every day and night. To send him away would’ve been pure torture.
So he stayed. Not sparing a single glance in my direction, even though I disrobed. He didn’t need to see me. Not when he had his queen in sight.
“Does Rik’s presence bother you?”
I jerked my head back to meet Shara’s gaze. “Not at all, my queen.”
Several long curls of her hair hung loose down her back, streaming over her shoulders and down to the floor. I stepped closer, still paces away until she wished to close the distance between us. But I stooped to pick up one of those long tendrils of her hair. I lifted it to my face so I could breathe deeply. Tingles vibrated through my fingers and up my arm, just from touching it. And the smell…
Sultry spices burning on an altar. Desert sands blowing on a hot wind yet still laden with the lush scent of midnight flowers blooming in a secret oasis. Desire and lust, blood and sex entwined with her hunger. Then deeper, something dangerous. A hidden serpent coiled, swaying, the black cobra queen poised to strike. Silky soft danger, wrapping around my wrist.
When her hair touched the gleaming tattoo on my skin, magic flared even higher. So bright, so powerful, the world disappeared. For a moment, we stood on a stone platform deepin a jungle. I heard the call of birds and monkeys all around us. The air thick and moist and green.
Vivian’s voice broke the vision. “Would you like to carry Smoak, my queen?”
“Smoak is your gift,” Shara replied, adding for my benefit, “Vivian carries a sunfire named Smoak, whether she transforms into the phoenix or not.”
