She needed. I provided.
Even if that meant I was not the one holding her now.
I’d never seen a queen like Shara before. She loved each of us. Really and truly loved us. She wanted to touch us. All of us. She wanted to sleep with us, make love, sleep again, feed, dance, party, eat, laugh, everything. I loved it. I loved her. I loved them.
All of them. I wanted their happiness as much as I wanted hers. But I’d sworn my life to fulfilling her every need. Not theirs.
It would be easier if she didn’t love us each so much. Easier for me. Not easier for her.
Xin was right. The more I loved her, and the more she loved me, the more I wanted to be alone with her too. A selfish need, and something I must guard against to ensure my queen received everything she wanted and more. My jealousy would only hurt her, and it would be too easy as alpha to drive them away from her.
I’d seen it happen many times before. Alphas had to be close to their queen at all times, yes. Alphas gained the most power from their queen, they fed her the most, and fed from her the most. They needed to be the strongest because they were the last line in her defense.
But that power easily went to an alpha’s head. Power to choose who to send on guard duty. Who to allow into her bed. Who would be allowed to feed her first. Ultimately the queen had final say, absolutely. But it was an alpha’s job to keep her Blood in line and deal with any discipline and hierarchy issues without drawing it to her attention.
The larger her court, the easier it would be for these kinds of abuses. And it was abuse in my mind, a huge abuse of power. My queen would be stronger because all of her Blood were strong. Because we all fed from her nearly daily. We all shared in her pleasure and her magic openly. She was well-fed and terrifyingly strong.
Which made us all a nightmare for anyone who even thought to harm her.
I would ensure each of her Blood had time with her alone, as Xin did now. They needed it. She needed it.
I lifted my head, sensing the change in her bond. The subtle tug on me that signaled she wanted me with her. I opened the door and paused at the side of the bed.
Xin lay sprawled on top of her, still panting, unable to move. She’d used him well and hard, breaking through the reserve that had been ingrained in him from his former queen at such an early age. Not an easy feat.
But my queen was up for any challenge.
I hid nothing from her. She felt how hard it had been for me to stay in the bathroom while she fucked another man. Even a man I’d shared her bed with several times before. It was different when it was just him. When I had to stand there and feel her pleasure in our bond and know I had no part in giving it to her.
She met my gaze and held out her hand. :Thank you,: she said softly, touching only my bond. :You’re an incredible alpha and I love you more everyday.:
I settled into bed beside her and lifted her hand to my mouth, pressing a kiss to her palm. :You’re an incredible queen and I love you more than life itself.:
“Sorry.” Xin lifted his head a little, sweat dripping down his forehead, but quickly dropped his face back against Shara’s throat. “Alpha.”
I draped an arm over his back and pulled them both into my embrace. “No need for apologies, Xin. You gave our queen exactly what she asked for. You’ll never hear me discipline you for that.”
“You may change your mind,” he panted. “If I’m no use to you now.”
“What are you talking about?” Shara’s voice sharpened. “Why would you no longer be of use to us?”
Xin shifted off to her other side, but didn’t withdraw completely. “No offense, my queen, but you broke me.”
He didn’t mean to upset or hurt her, but I felt the surge of heartache in her bond and I very nearly thumped him on the head for it. “I give you a boon and you’re a dickhead about it.”
He blinked, which in Daire or Mehen would have been a very vocal, very loud retort. “I am?”
“You are,” I said agreeably.
“I’ve only ever been a killer. A silent, deadly, and most importantly, emotionless, blade.” He ducked his head. “I don’t know that I can assassinate your targets now, my queen, if I can’t find that stillness again.”
She cupped his chin and tugged his face back up to hers. Leaning in close, she glared at him, her bond a fierce, white-hot blade of ice. “I would rather have you here, looking at me, talking to me, letting me see into your heart, than ever have an assassin. Even if you never kill again.”
“What if your goddess meant for you to send me after Marne Ceresa or Keisha Skye?” Xin asked softly, regret clogging his words. “And now, I’m unable to kill them? What then, my queen?”
She sat up, tossing her hair back off her shoulders. Her face hard as marble, her neck long and graceful, breasts jutting proudly, blood trickling down her throat.
My queen. My goddess. “Then I’ll fucking kill them myself.”
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About the Author
Joely Sue Burkhart has always loved heroes who hide behind a mask, the darker and more dangerous the better. Whether cool, sophisticated billionaire, brutal bloodthirsty assassin, or simply a man tortured by his own needs, they all wear masks to protect themselves. Once they finally give you a peek into the passionate, twisted secrets they’re hiding, they always fall hard and fast. Dare to look beneath the mask with delicious BDSM in a wide variety of genres with Joely on her website, www.joelysueburkhart.com.
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