Nevarre pulled them both through the blood circle.:No wonder he carries quite a punch of power.:Aloud, he pointed one by one to the Blood with Shara. “Her Majesty’s alpha, Alrik, Sir Guillaume de Payne, and General Sekh of the All Seeing, Never Sleeping. The grumpy bear is Ezra, and the snarly dragon overhead is Mehen. It’s my understanding you already know Smoak, or Vivian.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and bowed at the waist. The tall man hovering at the alpha’s back gave me a nod of recognition. He must be the Impaler, though I didn’t see his trademark spear, only a short sword at the ready.
“Kuros the Great, King of the Four Corners of the World.”Just as haughty as his title, the man took Nevarre’s hand and strode across the blood circle like he owned the place.
The next man saluted with twin blades and then sheathed them both before taking Nevarre’s hand. “Shinmen Musashi-no-Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu.”
Guillaume let out a soft whistle and stepped closer to hold his hand out in welcome. “It’s an honor to meet a Kensei.”
“Likewise, it’s an honor to meet a Templar.” The man shook his hand but didn’t release him. They stared at each other levelly, not squeezing or pulling on each other. Yet tension mounted. G was the finest swordsman I’d ever seen in action, but all of the former Soldiers of Light were surely nearly as good as him. With four inside already…
The sunfire portal blinked out of existence with a nearly silent pop. The Sunna Blood released Guillaume’s hand as Karmen’s alpha approached the edge of the blood circle.
“Her Majesty Karmen Sunna,” Dagny said.
Though that wasn’t a sufficient introduction for the Impaler. “Queen of Heliopolis, the Eye of Ra, Daughter of the Brightest Sun Incarnate, the Burning Light of Day.”
Shara didn’t immediately lift her hand toward Karmen, though she didn’t withdraw her welcome, either. “I must touch your queen to welcome her to my nest, but I assure you I mean her no harm.”
“Why would you help a potential enemy?” The alpha asked doubtfully.
“I’m aware of no reason for us to be enemies. All queens are daughters of the Mother of All. Unless she means ill will to my Blood or family, Karmen will be welcomed as a friend.”
“And ally.”
“If she wishes, absolutely.” My queen’s lips quirked briefly but up close, evidently Karmen looked to be in rough shape. “My human doctor is on the way, as well as my sibling queen who’s a powerful healer. Let’s get her inside to safety.”
Yet she still waited to touch the other queen until her alpha nodded. Shara might be centuries younger than most queens, certainly far younger than Karmen, yet she possessed an innate sense of diplomacy absent from other Aima courts.
No, it was more than that. She wasn’t playing a game, moving inanimate objects across the board, sacrificing pawns and knights alike to win. She cared about each and every piece on the board. Even the other queen’s.
As if determined to ensure they both won the game.
“What happened?” She asked softly.
The Impaler let out a dark, evil laugh that made Smoak ripple down my spine. “Heliopolis attacked us.”
Oh fuck.
38
SHARA
Karmen didn’t stir beneath my fingers, and her skin felt cool and damp. Wet and heavy with blood, her dress clung to her lower body. I certainly was no physician, but I could guess what was wrong. Power rippled in my veins, begging to be used, but even if I’d known exactly what to do to help her, it felt wrong to do anything while she was unaware. Even to help.
Besides, she might wake up scared and fighting, confused at having strangers around her. The more I could keep her very justified fear at bay, the better.
I needed a small, comfortable space, preferably dark. When I’d been scared in the beginning, I hated any kind of windows in my room.:Let’s use the small library office,:I told everyone.
:It’s not big enough for very many Blood,:Rik warned.:Neither hers nor yours.:
“Please follow us up to the house,” I said aloud to Karmen’s alpha. “Guillaume will handle introductions among the rest of our Blood. How many would you like to accompany you inside?”
I pointedly didn’t acknowledge the fact that her other Bloodstill had bare steel in their hands, as if braced for attack. Nevarre led the way, with Sekh close behind the other alpha. Rik walked beside me, and the two consiliari had their heads together, talking rapidly. Detective Harris stuck to Dagny’s side, eyes wide, missing nothing, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.
“One for each of your Blood inside the structure,” her alpha replied.
Immediately, two of her men matched up to Nevarre and Sekh as we headed for the house. I wasn’t sure which of the famous warriors accompanied us, but I wasn’t worried. So far, I had no reason to suspect her alpha wasn’t a man of his word. In fact, with Guillaume’s stellar example of a warrior’s honor, I expected no issues whatsoever.
