“I wouldn’t have minded,” she chided, tugging lightly on my hair. “Not for Nuri. I often send excess energy down my closer sibling bonds. I thought maybe you were sending some to her.”
“Just like electronic circuits, our magical currents can be burnt out,” Rik said. “Queens for sure, but Blood are vulnerable too. At least that’s what I was told. Maybe one of the older Blood can confirm.”
:It’s true,:the knight said in our bonds.:Any Aima can burn themselves out. I’ve even seen one unlucky fool literally burst into flames.:
Hard emphasis onfoolin my direction. I was still too pleasurably buzzed to mind.
Shara wrapped her arms around my neck, hugging me close. “I’m glad you’re okay, and if Nuri did get a little overflow, she’s welcome to it.”
I was supposed to be the one taking care of my queen, but I didn’t want to lift my head from the glory wrapped around me. Peace filled me. The blessed quiet my queen had been able to give me, silencing the howling, furious monster chained in darkness for so long.
Slipping into darkness, I smiled against her stomach, my words slurred. “Maybe she can have an heir too.”
“I hope so.” Shara’s fingers stroked over me, sending me deeper into bliss. “I would love that. Someday.”
33
LEONIE
Shara hadn’t left her room for two days.
At first, I feared she’d had a change of heart about any extended stay in her nest. Or perhaps she’d been jealous of my time with her Blood away from her. Though everything had been perfectly innocent, even with Vivian.
One delicate inquiring touch to Shara’s bond, and I carefully pulled back without disturbing her. Clearly unwell, she dozed in her alpha’s embrace. Everyone tiptoed about the house, gliding in and out through doors as quietly as possible. Though no one was concerned.
In fact, every single one of her Blood glowed with health and vitality. Vivian’s braids flickered with flames and sparks flared around her shoulders as she passed through the kitchen. She smiled and nodded as she carefully went out the door, clearly on orders. No time to chat. But she wasn’t concerned about Shara’s condition. Far from it.
I’d never been around a queen who was breeding. After Mama had me, she never came into season again. She’d already done what so few queens had been able to do, even in her time. Few queens were born after me. It’d been so long since queensregularly bred that I doubted any Aima had much personal experience unless they were at least a thousand years old.
Seated at the round table with piles of paper folders stained with age, I fought the urge to sigh.
I found the information I needed, completely undisturbed in our old storefront. The spare key was hidden behind a brick in the wall, just like I’d left it decades ago. No one had taken over the building or cleaned it out. No one had dared touch one gris-gris or candle for fear the voodoo queens who used to run the place would haunt them from beyond.
Mama would, too. I smiled while picturing it. Though the brief spurt of amusement quickly faded. I needed help to sort through all of the information, especially navigating human law. Property taxes needed to be paid. Mechanical inspections needed to be done so I could turn the utilities back on at the shop. I needed to determine the state of House Delafosse holdings and investments.
All mundane things I hated to take to my queen, especially when she was unwell.
Winston brought a fresh pot of tea to the table without me even asking. “May I get you anything to eat, Your Majesty?”
“No, thank you, Winston. I’m not hungry.” He started to turn back to his duties, but I had an idea. “Is Gina available, by chance? I have some human details I need to sort, and I thought she might recommend someone to assist me.”
He pulled a small phone out of an inner pocket in his jacket, his fingers moving quickly over the screen. “I’ll let her know.”
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure, Your Majesty.”
One of the things I’d grabbed from the old store was a yellow legal pad. I started jotting down all the things I needed to figure out, starting with #1: acquire a modern telephone. #2: learn how to use a modern telephone.
I was only on #10 when Gina popped in through the backdoor with the other younger female who’d been caught snooping. “Good afternoon, Your Majesty. How can I be of assistance?”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t expect you to drop everything and come over yourself. I need some help figuring out where to begin. The world changed a great deal while I was trapped.”
“Pish posh, I’m happy to help until we track down some of your former House. Speaking of which, I’ve put Regina on the trail since she’s so good at finding people.”
Flipping open what I’d assumed to be a slim notebook as soon as she sat down at the table, the young woman dragged her gaze up from a bright screen. Blushing, she smiled at me but quickly returned her attention to the screen before her. “I just know how to use my resources. Alex took some convincing to help after being escorted out by Itztli, but we’re looking for Zelie Landry and any of her descendants. No luck in New Orleans, so we’re expanding the net to the entire state.”
Gina opened a large satchel and pulled out a brand-new phone. “In the meantime, I brought a few things over for you.”
