Queen Takes Checkmate (Their Vampire Queen Book 5) Read online

  What did bother me was the idea that someone could control thralls. That they’d actually loaded up a bunch like cattle and brought them here to attack me.

  I’d been hunted all my life by these monsters.

  Had someone been directing them from afar all this time? A master thrall like Greyson? No. I didn’t think so. This was too thoughtful. Too coordinated. Greyson had been driven by his urges, while this plot spoke of planning and coordination.

  I rubbed my arms briskly. It wasn’t the cold that made me shiver, though I didn’t complain when Rik wrapped me in a blanket and pulled me into his arms.

  “Are you well, my queen?”

  I nodded, still mulling over the implications of the attack. Humans, including Russian Intelligence, had broken into my building and tried to destroy the mummy I’d found locked away in Keisha’s basement. I’d been too worried about Huitzilopochtli to wake him up, but maybe I should, at least before someone managed to destroy him. Or was that all a plot to trick me into doing exactly that?

  “You haven’t taxed your reserves?”

  Hearing the surprise and faint worry in Rik’s words, I turned in his arms and lifted my gaze to his. “I’m fine. Great, actually. I’m still hungry. We need to let Magnum—”

  “Already here, Your Majesty,” Magnum called from the door. “Oh dear. Let’s get you comfortable in one of the other rooms until we can get the glass fixed.”

  Carys stood beside her, bleary-eyed and grouchy. “I thought I told you not to get into any more trouble tonight.”

  I grinned at her and slid out of bed. “I told you I wasn’t making any promises.”

  “Humph. Maybe I should have stayed at the tower. At least I’d get some sleep.”

  Rik swept me up into his arms, ignoring my protests. “There’s glass on the floor. You’re barefoot.”

  “So are you.”

  “When you can turn your soles into granite, then I won’t worry about your pretty toes getting cut up.”

  He had a point.

  In a matter of minutes, Magnum had us stationed in another bedroom. The bed, regrettably, was nowhere near as large. Rik set me on the fluffy down comforter. Daire hopped up and curled around me. Winston handed Tlacel another tray of food and then quietly retreated. My Blood shut the door, enclosing us all in a sumptuously decorated room in golden silk.

  But sleep couldn’t be further from my mind. I touched Gwen’s bond and found her healing the tiger’s burns and securing the mummy’s room once more. I touched Gina’s bond and found her with Madeline, going over accounts. I wasn’t sure why, but hopefully they could figure out where the intruders had come from.

  I started mentally making a list of all the things I needed to do. Like secure the tower with a blood circle. Should that be just me? Or should Gwen do it? Or both? I wanted to tell Gina about my desire to ride home from Kansas City on the road. I still needed to talk to Dr. Borcht about my crazy reproductive cycle before I accidentally had a child. I needed to examine the legacy—

  “Shara,” Rik said, louder, as if he’d been saying my name awhile.

  I focused on him and noted the furrow between his eyes. “I’m fine, really. I just have so much to do…”

  “You aren’t tired?”

  “No, but I will take a chunk of that sandwich.” He handed it to me and I dug in like I hadn’t eaten in days. “Mmmm. It’s good, but Daire’s is better.”

  Daire purred louder and swiped his sandpaper tongue over my arm.

  Rik dropped down on his knee in front of me and leaned closer. Cupping my chin, he stared deeply into my eyes as he ran his bond through me. It felt like he was examining my internal organs and lightly touching me deep inside. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it made me shiver a little.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He sighed. “Nothing.”

  I snorted and reached for the tea kettle. I poured a cup and added a cube of sugar, though I had no idea what blend of tea it was. It smelled perfumey without being too strong. “That’s a good thing, right?”

  “You were exhausted at the tower, even after you fed from several of us. I carried you to the car. I expected you to sleep heavily and long, like you did after Venezuela.”

  I listened internally to my body a moment and then shrugged. “I don’t feel tired any longer. In fact, I kind of want to go to the tower now and see if Gina’s found anything that might explain how those guys knew where to go.”

  “It’s her reserves,” Guillaume said. “You’re filling them.”

  “Finally.” Mehen smirked. “It only took draining eleven Blood to unconsciousness. Even our alpha.”

  “But you’re still developing those reserves, or you wouldn’t still be so hungry,” Guillaume continued, though his eyes twinkled with amusement. “Adding another Blood tonight was the tipping point, though you certainly need a few more to ensure you can keep those reserves filled.”

  Rik searched my body again, using the bond like a gigantic flashlight inside me. With a sigh, he sat back on his heels. “I still don’t know where you’re putting all that power. All that blood. I don’t sense any massive pools of power to tap.”

  Guillaume knelt beside Rik and held out his hand. “May I look, my queen?”

  I slipped my hand into his. “Of course.”

  His bond didn’t slide through me like Rik’s. Guillaume’s bond hardened, shining like steel inside me. Cold, hard, and brutally sharp, just like his weapons, though as he moved through me, it didn’t hurt or cut.

  His bond softened and he released my hand. “When you draw on your power, do you have a sense of where it comes from?”

  “Not really. I just do it.”

  “What about when you’re feeding? Do you have a sense of where the power goes?”

  Now it was my turn to smirk. “I’m usually too busy to worry about anything but coming thanks to you guys.” I glanced at Vivian and smiled. “And lady.”

  She grunted with disgust. “I’ve been called many things, but never lady.”

  Finished with the sandwich, I leaned back into Daire’s furry side and sipped my tea. Now that my stomach was pleasantly full, my eyes were a little heavy. Though overall, I still felt great. Fantastic.

  “I’ll try to pay attention next time.” I tried to adjust my grip on the teacup, and I almost spilled it all over me. These stupid silver nails were way too long. I glared at them, silently willing them to disappear. The other shapes that Isis had given to me came and went as I needed them, and I didn’t need to feed now. I didn’t have fangs all the time. “How can I make these go away?”

  Rik took my free hand in his and lifted my hand to his mouth. He pressed a kiss into my palm, and I couldn’t help but note that my nails rested on his skin. His face. If they started to hurt him…

  “You could never hurt me. In fact, I hope you use these on me next time, though I’ll always love your fangs too.”

  “They feel fucking incredible,” Itztli said.

  “Agreed.” Mehen and Guillaume both said at the same time.

  I turned my glare on Guillaume. “How can you say that when I almost killed you with these fucking things? I buried them in your throat.”

  He tipped his head back a little. “Do you see any scars, my queen?”

  I blew out a sigh. “No, you’ve already healed.”

  “Of course I did, because Shara fucking Isador is my queen, and your blood is so powerful that you can heal any of us in a matter of minutes, even from severe wounds. I only ask one thing, my queen.”

  I focused on his face, noting how young and healthy he looked, even though he was the last Templar knight. Every strand of hair on his head was dark, thick and curly. His skin was smooth without a single wrinkle, other than a deep furrow between his eyes. He’d come a long way from the terrible condition in which he’d first arrived weeks ago, nearly starved to death. “Anything, my knight.”

  My grim, deadly knight winked. Fucking winked. “If it comes down to a handjob with the nails, o
r a blowjob with the fangs, I’ll take them both.”

  18

  Shara

  This time, when I approached the building formerly known as Skye Tower with my Blood and Carys, my reception was markedly different. Two human guards—different from the rude guys who'd been here when I’d first visited—snapped to attention.

  One moved quickly to the door and opened it for me. “Your Majesty, good morning. Ms. Talbott asked that I alert her immediately when you arrived. Is that alright?”

  “Yes, of course. What's your name?”

  He was dressed in a black polo shirt and khakis with a gold emblem embroidered over his heart. “Hammel, Your Majesty.”

  I stepped closer so I could make out the symbol, and my mouth fell open. It was a golden pyramid with an ankh in the center. “House Isador” was written beneath it in bold capital letters. “Oh my goddess, that's awesome! Are you one of Frank's guys?”

  He smiled and tapped his chest proudly. “Absolutely. He's the best. It's an honor to work for Isador, Your Majesty.”

  He tapped an ear piece as we walked past. “Our queen is headed upstairs now.”

  Inside, all the gold furnishings were gone. The white marble floors and empty walls made the large plaza level seem cold, and our footsteps echoed loudly. Some color or textiles would help warm things up. Maybe a carpet of some kind? Decorating giant office buildings was not my forte.

  A woman and another man dressed the same as Hammel stood at the elevator. “Good morning, Your Majesty.”

  “Good morning. Has there been any trouble today?”

  “Not at all.” The woman clenched her jaws and looked down at the floor. “I'm terribly sorry about the break-in last night. We should have taken over the guard shift immediately, rather than waiting until this morning. I guarantee there wouldn't have been any intruders if we'd been on duty.”

  “It's fine. We handled it. I'm glad to have Frank's people here.”

  It seemed like forever ago when Gina had hired Frank McCoy’s security company to guard my Kansas City house. I missed having him close, but I’d needed to leave someone guarding the nest too, and I’d rather have someone of my blood there. If I concentrated, I could feel his bond and know if anything was amiss without a single phone call.

  The elevator opened on the fourth floor and she inclined her head toward the other elevator across the plaza that would take us to the secure area of the building. “Angela is waiting to take you upstairs.”

  “Thank you.” I knew the drill. I waited beside Rik while my Blood stepped out of the elevator and took up positions throughout the area. Then I stepped out with my arm tucked around Rik's and we headed for the other elevator. “This is where Keisha had her blood circle, isn't it?”

  “Yes. She rented out offices in the first four floors, but the blood circle kept everyone outside Skye from approaching the secure elevator. She always had guards placed here, too, but it was the circle that kept everyone out.”

  Angela was one of Gina’s assistants, though she was usually armed. When we’d stopped in Dallas to shop before visiting the Zaniyah nest, Angela had guarded my jewelry and crown.

  “I love the uniforms.”

  She grinned. “I asked Gina if we could do something fancy, and she agreed. I hope we didn't overstep.”

  “Not at all. I love it.”

  As we stepped out of the elevator, Gina, Madeline, and Gwen waited for me. I smelled coffee and something sweet, which made my stomach growl again. Even though Winston had fed me at the house before I came over.

  It was so loud that Gina laughed. “Good morning, Your Majesty. You're certainly up and around way earlier than I expected!”

  “Me too.”

  Carys scowled. “You have no idea how many times we were up last night. It was like a fucking circus.”

  Her owl squawked and fluttered her wings in agreement.

  “Gina, let me introduce you to my new Blood, Vivian Helios.”

  Gina was too much a professional to betray her sudden alarm, though I read her concern in her body language. Her shoulders tensed and her smile was hard, a flash of white teeth like a dog warning off a strange dog from her master. “Helios, huh? That's very interesting.”

  Vivian was dressed in her black leathers again, though she'd twisted her long hair into a tight cord, bound every few inches with gold bands. Her hair was so long that the ponytail hung down to mid-thigh. If she swung her head, she could use that tight cord as a weapon. “Interesting isn't an adjective I'd ever use to describe growing up Helios.”

  “I know what it means,” I said softly, trying to assuage Gina's concerns. “Our goddess sent her to me.”

  Gina smiled a little easier and nodded her head at Vivian, though I sensed her hesitation. “Then all will be well. I have some details about the break-in last night that may interest you.”

  She gestured to the open door, so I followed on Daire's heels. The walls were paneled in glossy, dark wood with a huge desk and several comfortable chairs scattered throughout the room. A gas fireplace was lit in the corner, but I didn't feel any heat from it. The chairs were pulled around a low coffee table that was loaded with donuts, pastries, and most importantly, coffee. Daire was already pouring me a cup.

  Three of the chairs already had cups and saucers with crumbs on them, telling me where the other women were sitting. I picked an empty chair, and Carys took another on the opposite side of the table. Probably to get as far away from me as possible. She'd been impossible this morning. I didn't know if she wasn't a morning person, or if she truly was angry about the excitement last night.

  Rik stood behind me, his big palm warm on my shoulder. Daire handed me the cup and dropped down beside me on the floor. The rest of my Blood scattered around the room. I didn't fail to notice that three of them stood at the large, plate-glass window. It wasn't to admire the view, though from this high, we had a fantastic view of the city. They were braced for another attack through the glass, even at one hundred stories high.

  Madeline sat on my left, and Gina on my right. Gwen sat across me beside Carys, who was feeding crumbs to her owl in between huddling over her own cup of coffee like it was the only thing keeping her alive.

  A spark of fire caught my attention. I looked up and met Vivian’s piercing blue gaze. :There’s something of Ra’s in this room. His power calls to his blood that flows in my veins.:

  I didn’t allow my face to betray me. :Find it, so we can eliminate it as quietly as possible.:

  Madeline laid a stack of papers in front of me. “As soon as you took over control of the tower and made your wishes known to Gina, I started notifying all of our tenants that we were buying out their leases effective immediately. By eight last night, we'd bought out every single lease but one.” She tapped the top page. “SLI.”

  Vivian made a rude noise as she passed behind me. “Sun Lord, Inc.”

  I shook my head. “He's full of himself, isn't he?”

  “Very,” Gina said grimly. “SLI had one room leased according to the contracts. It was only a small room, very innocuous, right? But we started going through the security logs last night. Keisha Skye may have had many failings, and we certainly found her guards to be less than professional. But they always managed to make a note of everyone entering the building.”

  I knew where this was going. “Let me guess. Someone from SLI accessed the building last night.”

  Madeline nodded. “It immediately set off red flags when I looked into their record, because they've never entered the building before, until last night.”

  I took a sip from my cup and let out a pleased hum that made Daire rumble a purr and rub against my knee. He always knew exactly how I liked my coffee. “So did Keisha know that she'd leased an office to Ra, even indirectly? Was it on purpose?”

  “I don't think she knew, though I could be wrong,” Madeline replied. “I wasn't privy to much that my former queen did. She had many secrets and she trusted nobody. There were rooms in this tower that
I never entered, even as her consiliarius. Nobody was allowed to enter them.”

  “Even outside of the basement?” She nodded, and I took a deep breath. “Then those are the rooms that I need to see first today.”

  I waited a few moments, noting that Vivian had stopped behind Madeline’s chair. The fire sparked inside her eagerly. She took another step closer, so she stood just inches behind the woman’s chair, and the spark burned brighter.

  I had to proceed carefully. Maybe Vivian was wrong. Maybe I could trust Madeline. Or, more likely, Vivian’s sensitivity to Ra’s corruption in humans was exactly the reason Isis had sent this new Blood to my side. “Do you know why she had that mummy in the basement?”

  “I'm afraid not, Your Majesty. I had no idea those rooms even existed. I was terrified of Tanza, so I never went down there unless Keisha ordered me to accompany her.”

  She stood and moved away briefly, returning with several plastic bags carefully tagged like police evidence. With each step closer, I felt the pulse in Vivian’s fire. “We recovered a little evidence from the men who tried to take it.”

  “G, take a look.”

  He immediately stepped closer and went through the bags one by one. “Glock, SIG Sauer, and this one’s interesting. A GSh-18 semi-automatic pistol with armor piercing rounds.” A melted mass of bullet casings was in another bag, the long hunting knife the leader had been wearing, and lastly, the lighter. “They might as well have come in naked.”

  I frowned. “What does that mean?”

  My Templar knight waggled his eyebrows at me playfully. “How many weapons am I carrying on my person today, my queen?”

  I ran my gaze down his body, noting the tight, faded jeans that hugged his thighs and the long-sleeved baby blue shirt he wore. Nothing seemed out of place on him, though I knew he had to be carrying the long knife down his back. He always wore it. And he had two wrist sheaths on each arm. Maybe a knife in each boot. Probably something in his pockets. Then I added a few to be safe. “Ten?”

  His lips quirked. “Not even close. My point is that I'm armed to the teeth for any situation. I'm prepared to fight our way out of hell at a moment's notice. They came in with one gun each and a knife. They didn't plan to fight their way out if there was trouble. They were going to sneak in and out. Quietly. Or die in the process.”