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Let alone my queen. The strongest queen in the world. There was an element of pride in that statement, naturally. But I would be proud to belong to her even if she were a small, unknown American queen. Certainly there would be more of a chance for me to prove my worth to her if she still had queens to eliminate.

But no one remaining on the board could compare to Shara fucking Isador.

The silent tug from the alpha pulled me back from roaming the streets of the 3rd Arrondissement of Paris surrounding Palais de Isador. I settled into an easy ground-covering lope to return as quickly as possible, though I continued cataloguing scents. Looking for anything suspicious. Anything that didn’t belong.

A narrow, little used road ran between the grand properties, providing easy, out of the way access for deliveries. Human guards were stationed at most of the houses, though certainly not so many guards as Isador. To keep up the illusion that we were just another mansion in one of the most exclusive areas of Paris, two uniformed human guards stood between the main house and the garage, both inside the blood circle looping the sprawling property.

They didn’t see me as I passed soundlessly between them. But I listened to their conversation out of habit.

“What time are you on tomorrow?”

“Three, like usual. You?”

“Oh, I’m off tomorrow. Have fun with the formal gathering.”

“Do you know how many are expected?”

“No, but I hear some of the largest houses in all of Europe will be here. See ya!”

Something made me pause. Niggling instinct. Suspicion. They spoke English, not French. Other than Frank, I wasn’t aware of any other human security guards who’d traveled with us. So this team would have been hired here. Surely they would speak French, especially to each other, but if they were hired by Americans, perhaps they spoke English as a courtesy.

Either way, I didn’t like them talking about my queen’s schedule so casually. Outside, where passersby might hear. Though granted, there were no other humans anywhere near her house.

I crept closer to the first man and marked his scent. Just to be safe. I turned to where the other human had been standing closer to the garage, but he was already gone. He might have gone around the corner, but I would still be able to smell him. Track him. I checked along the outside of the garage, ears and nose working. No automobile or moped sounds. No walking sounds. No scent trail.

He was gone.

Even where he’d been standing, I couldn’t pick up the slightest hint of an identifying odor. I tapped Rik’s bond, waiting for him to fully turn his attention to me. I played the interaction in my mind for him. :He has no traceable scent.:

:Was he human?:

:I assumed so. There was nothing about him that appeared out of the ordinary, and the other guard spoke to him as if he knew him.:

:G, pass the intel on to Frank. Only him. See if he can provide any details about who the second guard was.:

:Understood,: Guillaume replied. :I don’t like that he was inside the nest.:

:Agreed. Tell Frank to revoke his access once we figure out who it is.: Then to me, Rik said, :Come to our queen. She’s nearly awake. She’ll need to feed again.:

Nothing quickened my step more than knowing my queen needed. Anything at all. I shifted to my human shape at the door and made it to her bedchamber upstairs before she awakened. Nevarre lay beside her, out cold, his kilt still hiked up by her hand. Though she no longer fed on him. One of the new men lay on her other side, also unconscious.

Another former Isador Blood carefully gathered Nevarre in his arms and lifted him off the mattress, carrying him over to a low chaise for him to recover. At Rik’s nod, I took Nevarre’s place, gently sliding up against her, trying not to wake her before she was ready.

Though she made a low, sultry purr that quickened my heartbeat. “Xin.”

Even heavy with sleep, she still knew it was me. “My queen.”

She rolled closer, nuzzling her face up against my neck beneath my ear. “I missed you.”

“I’m sorry, my queen. I was only outside the nest for an hour at most.”

“I know. But I like feeling you inside the nest. There’s a heartbeat. A pulse. All around me. Even if I’m asleep. I hear it. I feel it. It’s different when any of you are away.”

I had no idea she even noticed when I rambled outside the nest. “Next time, I’ll take care to not be gone too long.”

Pulling back slightly, she gazed up at me, her dark eyes glistening with a million stars. “Your wolf needs its freedom. I understand. But know that I will always feel your absence until you return to my arms.”

With a sudden surge, she pushed me over onto my back. Of course I went willingly, ready and eager for whatever she wished to do to me. She stroked her fingers through my hair, spreading it out in a fan on the pillows. But as much as she loved petting my hair or my wolf, it couldn’t satisfy her hunger.