The Queen's Flight (Emerging Queens) (15 page)

Viola moaned with each slap of their bodies. She held on to his shoulders for balance as wave after wave of thrills buzzed into her. He squeezed her ass until she was sure she’d have his handprints on them for a while.

She wasn’t complaining.

“Come for me,” he crooned and eased his fingers between them to touch her intimately. When he grazed her clit, she shouted his name.

“Do that again.” He grinned and took her there once more with the sweet rasp of his touch on her slick heat as his thick cock filled her.

She collapsed on him, quivering. He held her firm so he wouldn’t slip out and carefully rolled so she was on her back. Rocking into her, his mouth plundered hers as he fucked her flat against the mattress. Viola screamed into his mouth at the sweet penetration and tightened herself around him.

He cupped her ass as she wound her arms around his neck. Their lips pressed deep and slid over each other, his tongue as demanding as his cock. He growled against her mouth and the tension built in his arms and back. Arching into him, she squeezed him as hard as she could, and felt him tremble as he released. Bright lights flashed behind her eyelids. Her mouth swallowed his harsh groan as his body jerked once more before going still.

“Nidhogg, that was quick.” He panted. “I had such plans.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” she breathed.

Sergei lifted some of his weight off her by bracing himself up on his elbows. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Viola pressed kisses on his jaw until his mouth claimed hers. Her head was still spinning.

“One more time, I think,” he said, resting her feet on his shoulders, and his fingers danced across her abdomen. And then, as if he couldn’t stay away from them, his hands covered her breasts, and he leaned in so he could slide in and out as he played with them.

“Sergei,” she whimpered, lifting herself up against him.

“So wet and slick. I could fuck you all night.”

“Okay,” she said. “Do it.” He filled her, stretched her to the point of pleasure pain and then teased her with a finger or a kiss. He went fast, then slow. Then, he changed his rhythm until she was hoarse from shouting.

“We have dinner plans, and then we’re leaving. You’re coming with me to my lair. Merrick is going to take a hike because there is no way in hell I’m sharing you. If anything comes for you, I’ll kill it. Understand?” His voice was low, his eyes glassy.

She nodded. “Y-yes.” Viola would promise him anything at this moment.

“Are you all right with that plan?” His chest pressed her legs down when he went deep into her.

“Yes.” She panted, relaxing as he inched impossibly deeper.

He licked up her ankle to the arch of her foot. “I’m so happy you’re seeing things my way.”

And then he moved with swift, sure strokes that caused white lighting to blind her. The friction was too wonderful to bear in silence. She cried out his name as his breathing became ragged and harsh, and he roared her name back.

Chapter Sixteen

He knew they were a little late for dinner, but not late enough to warrant the pounding on the door. Sergei could still taste his Queen on his lips, and he was sore in all the right places.

“Shit,” Viola said and scrabbled around for her dress. He watched her ass and smiled to himself.

One of these days, she’d remember to use her dragon magic to clothe herself. But he found he liked seeing her jiggle and shimmy into the dress. The smile wiped away from his face when the hammering on the door started again.

Sergei waited until she was covered before flinging the door open. A scrawny human male nearly fell on his face. Sergei recognized him as Cassandra’s pet human.

“What do you want?” Sergei snarled.

“She’s dead,” the man babbled. His eyes were panicked and his face grey with worry.

“Sebastian…Dad,” Viola said.

Dad? Sergei straightened a bit and regarded the human with more interest. He could see a slight resemblance now that he was looking for it. “Who’s dead?”

“Marisol. A Queen has been murdered, and they think he did it.” Sebastian glared up at Sergei.

Sergei wasn’t used to such insolence from a human. Being in Cassandra’s stronghold made him more aggravated by the lack of respect than he normally would be. “This is your father?” Sergei confirmed with Viola. There was no sense slamming the door in the man’s face if it would upset her.

“So he tells me. And since I technically don’t have a mother anymore, don’t sting him.” Viola ran a hand over her messed up hair. “Wait. Did you say there’s a dead Queen?”

Her eyes grew unfocused. It was creepy as hell. The hair on his arms raised.

“Marisol?” Viola’s lips trembled. “She was the one who resembled Trinity in
The Matrix
. She didn’t deserve to be killed. She should have been protected. I barely knew her, but…that’s awful.” She rubbed her hands over her face. “I thought we were safe here?”

The Queens should have been. Even a brand new one. Some stud should have protected her, unless it was Cassandra who killed her. “Let’s see what this shit’s all about,” he said, holding his arm out for Viola.

Her father tried to follow behind them.

“After you,” Sergei gritted out. No one, human or not, was going to have his unprotected back in this castle.

Sergei took hold of Viola’s arm and sought to gallantly escort her, but he wound up dragging her into the ballroom when his impatience got the better of him.

When they walked into the crowded ballroom, he cursed in Draconic. Sebastian nodded.

One of the Queens from the stage was lying lifeless on the floor. Her face was blue and mottled as if she’d been poisoned. Her throat was also ripped out. Seemed like overkill to him. Justice was standing over her kneeling guards and lopped off their heads in quick succession.

Viola screamed, yanking away from him, but he held her firm.

“Stay close to me,” he told her.

Cassandra glared down at them from the stage. “So the murderer returns to the scene of the crime. Guards, take him.”

“Wait,” Viola said, trying in vain to shake loose of him. “When did this happen?”

“Less than an hour ago. The blood is still warm on the marble.”

Sergei took in the crime scene. There was blood and it smelled fresh.

“It couldn’t have been Sergei. He was with me,” Viola said.

It also smelled like a set-up. Sergei watched Cassandra to see what her next move would be.

“Impossible,” Cassandra said. “My guards tell me that you were allowing a stud to service you.”

“Well, so much for privacy,” Viola said. Her face was flaming. Sergei hid a grin. A Queen was dead; he should feel more than annoyance. Once he thought of Marisol as a human, which she had been a few short weeks ago, the anger came easily. Viola was right—she should have been protected, and she hadn’t deserved this fate.

“Yes, that’s true. I was with Sergei.” Viola covered her face with her hand. Was she embarrassed? Ashamed of him? Unease coiled through his gut.

“And now you will cover up for his murder with your lies. I think you will need to be punished as well,” Cassandra beckoned her guards forward.

It was going to be a tough fight, and a lot more were going to be dead by the time this was over. If he was going to get executed for killing a Queen, he was going to make it count. He turned toward Cassandra and watched her eyes widen when she read his body language.

“I’m not lying,” Viola cried.

But then there was his Queen. Sergei figured he could dispatch the guards on his way to Cassandra, but Justice would have an opening to take Viola.

Sergei looked for Merrick. Merrick’s fists were clenched, and he was glaring at Sergei. He was too far away to do anything more than slow Justice down.

Cassandra’s expression was triumphant when she realized Sergei’s decision.

“My Queen,” one of the guards said as they came closer. “I can smell him on her.”

“And she on him,” the other said.

This time Viola was able to free herself because Sergei was concentrating on which guard to sting first.

“Come here,” Cassandra said. “If you want to save your Protector’s life.”

“Consort,” Sergei snarled.

Cassandra reacted as if he’d slapped her. Viola strode toward the stage, and he saw the exact moment when Cassandra smelled Sergei on her.

“Get back,” he said to Viola.

She stopped in her tracks and regarded Cassandra, who was seething, likely furious that he’d slept with Viola. She’d considered him her property. Never good enough to be a part of her court, but good enough for dirty work and the occasional toss in the sack. Neither of which he did willingly.

“I would have showered,” Viola said, “but we were in a rush to get here.”

Cassandra balled up her fists.

“Is this the protection you offer under your roof?” Viola hurled the accusation at her.

Sergei’s mouth dropped before he caught himself. He swore it was only Cassandra’s shock at being confronted like this after centuries that saved Viola as she continued on her verbal attack. He plowed past the two guards, determined to haul Viola off the stage but her next words stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Why are you doing your impersonation of the Queen of Hearts?”

Viola couldn’t possible realize the danger she was in—the only thing saving her from Cassandra’s wrath was it had been millennia since Queens fought each other. Cassandra was probably trying to figure out how to issue the duel to a human-turned-Queen who had no idea of the protocols. If Cassandra lashed out at Viola, he needed to have his hands free. He maneuvered to get his tail in striking distance.

The guards who had approached him stopped in their tracks to gape. He should kill them now before they recovered.

“What are you talking about?” Cassandra snarled.

“Off with their heads!” Viola mocked in a bad imitation of Cassandra’s Irish accent.

“Failure to protect your Queen is death.” Cassandra spoke as if Viola was brain-damaged.

“If I die, so does Merrick, and Sergei?” Viola pointed to each of them.

“As it should be.”

“Boy, no wonder they’re killing Queens with rules like that.”

The room went still. The dragon studs milling around the room all turned as one to watch what happened next.

“Blasphemy,” Cassandra breathed.

Viola shook her finger in Cassandra’s face. If she wasn’t careful, the older Queen was going to lose it. He’d seen Cassandra bite before. “Things are going to change. Everyone in this room knows it. There’s no need to keep with the old ways. They’re not working anymore.”

“What do you know about old ways? You’re an infant. It will take centuries before you are ready to understand our culture.” Cassandra turned her back on Viola, haughtily dismissing her.

She didn’t know Viola very well. Viola clamped her hand on Cassandra’s shoulder and forcibly turned her back. The collected gasp would have almost comical if this was going to be a normal cat fight. Sergei counted the studs. They were outnumbered ten to one. He stepped toward the stage, going with his current plan—if he was going to die, he was taking out Cassandra. Once she was down, there was a chance the other Queens could get control over the chaos. It was unlikely, but it was better than a straight up fight.

“I understand there’s going to be a learning curve. But if you think we’re going to bow and simper to you, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“How dare you?” Cassandra was sputtering with rage.

When Justice shifted his sword out of his sheath Viola whirled on him and pointed to the dead Queen. “You want to know who killed Marisol?”

“Your lover killed her. She was stung by a Wyvern,” Justice snarled, changing his trajectory to intercept Sergei.
Crap.

“Is your name Justice or Jump to Conclusion?” Viola accused.

“My Queen, do I have to take this impertinence from this sub-Queen?”

“Sub-Queen?” Viola hopped down off the stage, even as Sergei closed on Justice. Justice would be dead before he completed his swing, and then all hell would break loose. He was glad Viola had moved out of Cassandra’s reach. “Is that what we are?”

Sergei’s tail barb would hit Justice right under his ear as soon as he was in range. Crouching down, he made it look like he was going to fight him bare handed. It wouldn’t be the first time.

“My Queen,” a page called from the doorway. “Diplomats from the American Embassy are flying in.”

“Doesn’t anyone wait for an engraved invitation anymore?” Cassandra lamented. “Stall them until we clean this mess up.”

“Why don’t you ask Marisol who killed her?” Viola interrupted as Justice started giving orders. He stopped mid command and glanced at his Queen.

“What in Nidhogg’s name are you talking about?” Justice asked.

Cassandra growled. “I know who the murderer is.”

“She hasn’t completely gone into the weave yet,” Viola said, making knitting motions with her hands. What the hell? “I can still feel her.”

“Me too,” one of the new Queens said. “I thought I was crazy.” She was hiding in the corner of the room. Three studs hovered around her.

“You’re not crazy,” another said. She had her own orbit of studs.

Maybe he wouldn’t be so outnumbered in this fight after all. Still, he had Justice to worry about.

“Why can’t you feel her?” Viola asked Cassandra. “She’s still here.” Viola held out her hand over Marisol’s body. “Look into the blue energy.” Viola snatched her hand back as if stung.

“You cannot speak with the dead,” Cassandra hissed. “The essence is absorbed into the weave.”

“Not right away it’s not,” Viola intoned, her eyes rolling up to the whites. “And not if there’s a wrong to be righted.” She air knitted another row, her head cocked like she was listening to secrets. “Here, let me show you, Cassandra. You’ve forgotten how to read the weave.”

“Step away from the body,” Sergei said, not liking the glazed features on the Queens’ faces when they stared at Marisol. And Viola didn’t sound like herself.

“There hasn’t been a weave reader in millennia,” Cassandra whispered. “Can you show us more?”

Sergei’s guts twisted.

It was just a matter of time for him. With these new Queens speaking to the avenging dead, there was no hope for him once Mei Hua sensed Kira. But he was going to die with a smile on his face seeing Cassandra outclassed and outnumbered by a bunch of baby Queens who now circled the body of their fallen friend. Even Justice backed off to give them room.

“It’s not speech. It’s images,” one said.

“She wasn’t killed by him,” another said, pointing at Sergei. “It’s not his energy.”

“Impossible,” Cassandra hissed. “You’re making this up.” But she didn’t sound so sure. All of the Queens were now looking at the floor with glazed eyes, as if they saw something the rest of them couldn’t. Cassandra refused to look at the body, wouldn’t meet the gaze from anyone.

Out of the corner of his eye, a few of the male dragons inched out of their seats and slowly made way to the door. Justice must have seen it, too, because he moved to guard the doors and the studs slinked back.

“The murderer is in this room,” yet another Queen said.

“He tried to force her,” Viola said, her voice catching. She swayed. Sergei made sure he was there to catch her as she fell. Lifting her up in his arms, he strode for the door. Merrick was already clearing a path.

“What’s going on in my court?” Cassandra shrieked. “No one leaves this room.” She was alone on stage, but no one was looking at her. All eyes were for the Queens and the rippling sense of yin magic coming to the forefront of the ballroom.

“It was him,” a Queen pointed.

“Him,” another followed suit and pointed.

“Why?” a third Queen asked.

They were pointing in his direction. No, not his direction. Sergei realized they were pointing at Merrick. He stepped away so Merrick was nowhere near Viola. This didn’t make any sense.

“He tried to force her,” the Japanese Queen said in accented English.

“When she refused him, he got rough and tore her throat out,” another said, her hands glowing against the blue weave which was now emanating from the dead Queen.

“As she lay dying, he stung her so it appeared like it was first a poison death to implicate the Wyvern,” the last of the new Queens said, kneeling to take Marisol’s hand in hers.

“The Queens have spoken,” Cassandra intoned. Her eyes rolled back in her head as well when she finally looked at the body.

“This is bullshit,” Merrick said.

Sergei couldn’t understand his motive. Marisol was nearly human—she would have been still meek and unsure. Unless—Sergei looked around at the other studs—this was a set up.

Justice spoke to Merrick. “Killing a Queen is death.”

“The Queens speak true,” Cassandra said.

It was the horror and fear radiating off Cassandra that convinced Sergei of Merrick’s guilt. He was as stunned as the rest of the studs.

“I didn’t mean to kill her,” Merrick said when he also sensed the judgment from the yin weave. “My teeth were on her neck, sure, but she panicked and ripped her own throat out.”