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She was afraid of losing herself in the rising flood pouring from the Great One’s legacy.

“Don’t let me—” she began.

I laid my palm on the back of her head, letting my hand weigh heavy, holding her against my chest. Reminding her of my strength. “I hold you safe for all time, Shara, my queen. I will not allow you to drain anyone to the point of danger.”

Her niggling worry she might injure or harm any of us, especially Khalid, eased enough for her to tease me. “I said I wanted you first, my alpha, but I don’t taste you yet. Should I bite you?”

“As many times as you wish, my queen, though I wouldn’t want to jounce you around too much. How about I make it easier for you?”

Not waiting for a reply, I tore my wrist open and allowed my blood to drip onto the black curtain of hair spread across her back. She inhaled deeply, immediately tasting my blood sinking into those magical strands. Hair lifted to coil around my arm, wicking the blood deep into her bond.

Before I could make the order, Guillaume and Mehen did the same, adding their blood to the long strands that cascaded over my legs, moving like living serpents in search of more food. Hair tangled around us all, slowly tightening, pulling us near. Her oldest, strongest Blood, who could take a long, deep feeding to take the sharpest edge off her hunger.

The newest knight would be a great asset for her—if he was able to overcome his reluctance to be fed upon. He hadn’t said a word to me or Guillaume, not yet at least, but the miserable grooves around Warwick’s mouth and on his forehead made his stance clear. I could feel him as Blood, but he held himself aloof, completely shut down, as if he were still locked away in the iron maiden. I couldn’t blame the man, not after centuries of imprisonment. But my queen had taken him. If and when she needed him…

I would do whatever I must to ensure she received exactly what she required. No matter the man’s understandable lack of enthusiasm.

As Khalid sank into unconsciousness, I called Lew to come and take his place. As gently as possible so as not to disturb our queen, he lifted her nails from Khalid and pressed them into his own stomach as he knelt beside the bed. Then Vore and Okeanos, two strong, fiery kings. Xin, Itztli, and Tlacel replaced Guillaume and Mehen. Nox and Gerard, the two newer Blood I didn’t know very well yet. Ezra, Daire, and Nevarre. Then Vivian, held in reserve, since our queen had feasted well on her through the night.

With weakened knees, shaky legs, and woozy heads, Blood pulled away and slipped downstairs to fuel up for the next feeding. A continuous stream flowed around her while she drifted.

Only when I felt the edges of my vision turning foggy did I finally disentangle my forearm from her hair. I’d recover quickly, but I would always be the first and last as long as I still had blood in my body to offer. Secure in the centuries-old Isador blood circle, I dared the slight risk of draining myself more than usual. With Sekh, Guillaume, and Lew to assist, I didn’t worry too much about the new Blood, even as he came to stare down at us from the foot of the bed.

Jaws clenched, hands fisted, he stood braced beside Guillaume like the other knight had brought him before a firing squad.

Using our Blood bonds so our voices didn’t disturb her, Guillaume simply said, :She needs you.:

Warwick squeezed his eyes shut. A faint quiver rocked his shoulders. Lightning flashed through his bond, a sharp crackle that made me narrow my eyes. Not alarm, not exactly, but I didn’t like a potential weapon or risk I didn’t fully understand so near my queen.

:It’s not that I’m unwilling to be Blood again. However, I cannot be touched. Perhaps someday, but…: He shook his head. :C’est trop tôt.:

Guillaume’s gaze flickered over to me. :It’s too soon.:

:General? What’s your status?:

:I need to stop soon, or I’ll need to tap her, which won’t help her reserves. Though I should recover quickly with the sphinxes feeding so well. Give me an hour or two.:

Daire was in the kitchen fueling up, so I tapped his bond. :Grab the biggest cup or basin you can find and bring it up.:

:On my way.:

In a few moments, Daire slipped into the room with a large crystal pitcher in his hands. Guillaume twitched his right wrist, and a slim silver blade dropped to his palm. Silently, he offered it to the other knight.

Warwick looked to me, the alpha, his eyes widening. Lightning cut through his bond again, but I didn’t sense danger so much as surprise. :You won’t force me to feed her directly?:

Feeding direct from the vein would always be preferable. Without magical intervention, blood staled quickly, even Aima blood, though some queens preferred a more sterile approach to feeding. Some power would be better than none with her reserves so low. :Our queen would be pissed beyond belief if I forced anyone to feed her against their wishes.:

:You said you were the grail,: Guillaume said with a wry quirk of his lips. :So fill’er up. Our queen hungers.:

42

SHARA

In the dream, I sat at the long formal dining room table downstairs, though this time, only two place settings had been laid out. Across from me, a knight sat in full armor, including his helmet and faceplate. I could barely see his eyes inside the shadowed recess of the helmet, but I knew it must be Warwick. Even though the metal plating was heavy and cumbersome, he easily moved his arms and hands, using a fork and knife in the European style of eating. Somehow the fork passed through the protective grill covering his mouth just fine.

A giant thick rare steak lay on his plate. I watched him cut it up into small, neat bites, slowly lifting each one to his mouth.

Though I could taste everything he swallowed.