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I clasped her cold, still hand between both of mine, lightly rubbing to warm her.

Her fangs slowly retracted, though her lips remained parted. The blood absorbed into her skin, though the white gown was still splattered with blood stains.

A whisper-soft sound swept past my ear like an arrow slicing through the air. Only nothing visible passed. A quiet rustle in her bond, as if her spirit bird roosted inside her once more. Her fingers twitched. Her eyelids fluttered. Her first, soft breath released the tension straining in my shoulders, and I fought the urge to haul her up onto my arms and crush her against me.

“Show the world.” Her voice quavered, her eyes still unfocused. “Who I am.”

It wasn’t a question, but in case she needed the reminder, I whispered, “You’re Shara fucking Isador.”

She closed her eyes, a faint tremble spreading through her body. “Rik.”

“We’re here, my queen. What do you need?”

She opened her lips again, but then closed her mouth, shaking her head. Her breath sighed out. “Goddess. I can still taste Her. Feel Her. She said…” She opened her eyes. Always stunning indigo blue with sparkling stars, her eyes shone even more like cut, polished gemstones backlit with glowing light. “I am Her. She walks the world through me.”

I lifted her hand to my mouth, pressing gentle kisses to her knuckles. “That’s nothing new, my queen. We’ve known you’re goddess incarnate from the beginning.”

She shook her head, her shoulders sagging. “This time, it feels more. Bigger. I drank from Her again, and it was like being swept away in a flood.” She turned her hand in mine, suddenly gripping my fingers desperately. “Don’t let me be swept away.”

“Never.”

“Don’t let me lose who I am. At my core. Me.”

“We hold you for all time, my queen. All of us. We’ll anchor you against any flood or storm that comes your way.”

“Sphinxes have stood guard along the avenue between Karnak and Luxor for millennia,” Sekh said. “Now we guard you, Your Majesty. Not even the Nile can sweep away the All Seeing, Never Sleeping Legion.”

:Don’t forget we fly and swim, my queen,: Mehen said. :Nothing will keep us from reaching you. Not even a fucking pit of hell at the bottom of the deepest ocean.:

:I will fly into Mictlàn itself,: Tlacel said.

:Xolotl is at your service, Your Majesty,: Itztli added. :He knows the way through the halls of the dead.:

Daire leaned against her knees, careful not to get too close to the general but more like his sassy self. “If all else fails, I can fucking purr.”

As he intended, her lips quirked and she threaded her fingers through his hair. “Yes, you can, my warcat. I know I’m safe when I feel your purr vibrating through me.”

So of course he let out a steady, low rumble.

She petted him for a few minutes and then looked up at me, more relaxed and steady. “I’m ready to deal with the siblings.”

“Do you want us on the platform or just close?”

“With me, always, however you want to arrange the Blood.” She glanced over at Sekh. “As each queen approaches, See if she was visited by the Dauphine’s master thrall.”

The general inclined his head. “I will begin the examination as they enter the ballroom, Your Majesty.”

“Do you want the flesh eaters shifted and ready?” I asked.

“I think the sphinxes can handle cleanup this time, but if anyone still needs or wants to feast, they’re free to participate.” Her lips firmed, her eyes glinting with a cutting diamond light. “Unfortunately for the Valois siblings, I’m sure there will be plenty to go around.”

SHARA

I kept playing with Daire’s hair, so he made no move to leave his spot at my feet. I normally wasn’t into making big displays of power and submission, but he didn’t mind, and it wouldn’t hurt to set the tone right away with the queens coming before me. Besides, I didn’t care to bite all these queens and blast them to queendom come, so having a Blood close—who wasn’t my alpha or the Executioner—to help draw their blood for the oaths was a plus.

Rik stood on my left. Guillaume gave Daire one of his smaller knives and then took up position on my right. Sekh moved closer to the edge of the dais, directly behind one of the sphinxes, with a good view of the main doorway. Gerard stood on the opposite side of the floor in front of the dais. This time armed appropriately with a thin dueling sword like the ones the Dauphine’s Blood carried.

Itztli, Khalid, Lew, and Vivian stood guard at the doors. Mehen, Tlacel, Nevarre, and Nox were on the roof with the other Isador birds, keeping tabs on the property as guests arrived. The rest of my Blood were scattered throughout the arriving crowd as well as preventing any wanderers from accessing the upper levels of the house.