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Rumbling loudly, Daire lifted his head with a sleepy stretch. Startled to see us all staring at him. Then he clamped the purr down to silence as soon as he saw Sekh. “What’d I miss?”
“Oh nothing,” Vivian drawled. “Just Guillaume freaking out, falling out of bed, and then attacking our queen with a blade.”
“Did the bed try to eat you or what?”
“I did not fall out of bed,” I grumbled. “And no bed would dare try to eat me. I’m far too pointy and sharp. I’d lodge in any throat, even Leviathan’s, assuming he ever managed to swallow me.”
Rik finally released me. “You could have simply told us the belt would shield her rather than touch her with a blade.”
“I didn’t touch her, though,” I said softly, sheathing both blades. “No steel, fang, or claw can penetrate her core now. Her wrists are secure up to her elbows. And goddess help the Blood who prefers to feed only from her throat, because she’s protected from her collarbone to just beneath her jaws.”
“I can take it off though.”
When I didn’t immediately agree, she pulled her hand out of my flesh and reached up to the necklace, gliding her fingers around front to back, looking for a clasp. “She took them off easily. Why won’t they come off for me now?”
Her hands trembled, her breathing coming more rapidly. Panic flared in her bond. The same as mine when I realized what she wore.
She clawed at the gold. “Get it the fuck off me!”
Rik tried to slide one of his thick fingers beneath the edge, but it only tightened on her, increasing her panic. No blade would ever slip beneath the edge either.
Kneeling by the bed, I reached out and closed my hands around hers, pulling her hands gently down to her lap. “Desideria was extremely paranoid. I doubt they’ll come off easily.”
Panting, Shara swallowed hard, her heart thundering in our bond. “They were hers?”
“She never worried about fangs in her throat or steel in her vital organs because she wore golden armor that kept anything from touching her, though without my oath, I still would have found a way to kill her. Her triple goddesses blessed her well. Esetta must have inherited them as part of Modron’s legacy, though she couldn’t have claimed them formally before the Triune without revealing her secrets.”
“She said she kept them safe for me.” Shara closed her eyes, shivering. “I know I should probably be grateful, but it makes my skin crawl knowing she used to wear these. Especially after the look on your face.”
“Such armor will definitely benefit you against the Dauphine,” Sekh said.
I lifted her hands to my mouth and kissed her knuckles on each hand. “My deepest apologies, my queen. They’re truly not a problem for me now I’m aware of them, and General Sekh is one-hundred percent correct. These pieces may even protect you from another queen’s magic, say if Thierry touched your wrist. If they save your life and buy you time for one of us to finally kill that bitch, then they’re worth it.”
Daire peeked up at her, giving her the kitty-cat eyes she usually couldn’t resist. “It’s no hardship for us to feed elsewhere.”
“It’s a hardship for me. I don’t want anything to keep you from feeding anywhere, at any time. I like having your teeth in my throat. I like being able to pierce my wrist with my nails without having to lift my hands up to my mouth.”
Lightly, I squeezed her hands. “Then let’s get them off of you, though I would ask you to consider wearing them when you know we’re heading into battle.”
She nodded, tightening her grip on mine. “Now that I’m not so freaked out, I’ll try again.”
“I never saw Desideria try to remove them, but I assume your blood would unlock just about anything.”
Taking a deep, centering breath, she released my hands and pressed the pad of her index finger against one of her brutal nails. A single drop of her blood welled up on her finger.
And five Blood went rock hard, staring intently at our queen’s power.
She drew her bleeding finger along her opposite wrist, and the serpentine bracelet fell off onto the bed. Her shoulders relaxed, and she quickly removed the other pieces the same way. Now that they were off her body, they looked like regular—though tacky, in my opinion—gold jewelry.
“Daire, can you put these in a closet or drawer for safekeeping? I’d ask you to give them to Gina to put in the safe, but…” She heaved out a sigh. “I don’t think we’ll be here that long. Esetta warned me to hurry and find the Dauphine before she manages to slip away again. Hopefully Xin will find something useful in Louisiana.”
Daire immediately slid off the bed, scooped up the jewelry, and headed for the door, giving Sekh a wide berth.
“You dance the blades well, knight,” Itztli said grudgingly.
“I should.” Shrugging, I kept my voice light and easy. “I trained with and fought the best swordsmen for centuries before serving as the Triune Executioner, where I exterminated entire nests of skilled and powerful Blood.”
“When I was in Heliopolis, one of the Soldiers of Light sparred with me a time or two,” Vivian said. “Have you heard of the Voivode of Wallachia?”
