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My fingers closed in his ruff, the weight of his wolf pressing against me. Rik’s arms closed around us both, and I shifted my focus to the Galveston pool where the rest of my Blood waited.
Carrying us both, Rik walked up the steps and Xin jumped down, shaking his fur out. He looked skinny and lean from his long run, so I offered him my bleeding hand.
Though his teeth immediately clanged on the golden bracelet.
Grimacing, I pulled my arm back slightly so only my palm was in his mouth. :Bite my hand for now.:
I leaned back against Rik while Xin fed. Gina spoke briefly on the phone and then hung up with a smile. “The yacht is anchored, waiting for us. The captain’s sending the tender to pick everyone up. They’ll be here in five minutes.”
Rik didn’t say a word, though I felt the surge of his rock troll in the bond. Instant fury at the thought of not having his eyes on me. Of not being able to reach out and snag me up into his arms at the first hint of danger. He hated every moment away from me. But he’d do it.
I leaned a little harder against him, letting my knees sag, even though Xin hadn’t fed that long. “I could?—”
Before I could even ask, Rik tore open his wrist and pressed his forearm to my mouth. He cradled me against him, his mouth on my hair. Breathing in my scent. Soaking in my power.
Guillaume, Itztli, and Nevarre shifted into their beasts. Kevin picked up Nevarre’s kilt, folding it into a tidy square that he slipped into a small backpack I hadn’t even noticed against his black suit. Frank picked up Guillaume’s duffle bag and started to swing the leather strap holding the sword sheath over his shoulder beside his flamethrower.
“Wait. I want to carry it. If that’s alright with you, G?”
The hell horse snorted. :You’re fucking kidding, right? Of course, I would be honored to have my queen carry my sword. Though I must warn you it’s extremely heavy.:
Frank brought the sword to me, and Rik helped move my hair out of the way so the leather strap didn’t pull or trap any of the long strands beneath it. The sword weighed a ton, pulling me off balance, but I wasn’t going to walk with it. I just needed to ride.
Releasing my hand, Xin sat back on his haunches and looked at me expectantly.
“Are you up for more swimming in the gulf, or would you rather take the boat with Rik?”
:I fucking love the ocean.:
Laughing, I nodded and then turned to Rik. He picked me up, lifting me high in his arms so I could touch his face and press my lips to his.
“If any harm comes to our queen while she’s out of my sight, you’ll wish you were the general’s stone statue so I can’t break you into a thousand pieces.”
:Understood, alpha,: Itztli said.
Guillaume tossed his head and flicked his tail with irritation, fully confident in his ability to keep me safe.
Nevarre’s giant raven let out a raucous caw that sounded more like mocking laughter. Rik arched a brow at him, his alpha instinct sparking with tension. Out of all the Blood, I would have thought Nevarre would be one of the least likely to challenge him in any way.
Behind us, the sound of rushing wings exploded up out of the pool and hundreds of crows poured into the sky.
:She wanted to surprise you,: Nevarre said.
The crow queen landed on my shoulder, her claws tangling in my hair. I reached up to stroke a finger over her shiny black feathers. “Thank you, Nightwing. I can use all the help I can get.”
She made several low caws, rustling her feathers closer to my cheek. I didn’t need words to understand. My throat ached and I nodded. “Absolutely, you’re part of my family. Is Penelope coming too, then?”
In answer, a little furry body paddled up to the surface of the pool and swam over to hop up on the edge. Frank bent down and offered the rat his palm, and she hopped onto his hand without any hesitation. He placed her on my other shoulder, and she immediately burrowed into my hair and disappeared.
G nickered with amusement. :That gives new meaning to a rat’s nest in your hair.:
I stretched out my hand toward the pool and called my blood back to me, sealing the portal in case anything else tried to come after us. The water shimmered and blurred as the decadent pool house disappeared, leaving only the circular pool.
Sidling closer, Guillaume waited while Rik lifted me onto his back and helped me adjust the long, flowing skirt of my dress. The heavy sword strapped across my back. The wild tangle of my hair.
Then he gripped my thigh, his hand hot and heavy through the thin, lacy skirt. “Ride hell-bent for leather, my queen.”
Guillaume arched his neck and pawed the ground with one platter-sized hoof. :Death rides again.:
