Joely Sue Burkhart - Queen Takes Checkmate

For my Beloved Sis.

Thank you to my comma warriors and beta readers:

Mads Schofield, Shelbi Gehring, Alyssa Muller,

Meagan Cannon West, Sherri Meyer,

Laura Walker, Briana Walker,

Stephanie Cunningham, Kiersten Wukitsch,

Kaila Duff, Amber Lynn Hamblin,

Karmen Vele, Heather Hollmann, Ashley Strom,

Kristy Atkinson, Monica Skee, Kee Robinson,

Lydia Simone, Ashley Carlson, Bibiane Lybk,

and Jennifer Swan

I wanted to see the body.

I couldnt help but fear that Keisha Skye had died too easily. In my rush to get to Rik and save him from the demon child, maybe Id missed something. Maybe Keisha was faking her death or had some secret power that wed never seen before. Id died and come back. Maybe she could too.

I hadnt even changed out of the ruined dress, but I couldnt rest back at my own home until Id checked the body. I had to be sure.

Waiting for the service elevator to arrive, I tried to remember the young woman Id been before I learned of my power and Isis heritage. Life on the run had been hard and exhausting. I never stayed in one place for more than a week or two. I had no one to even talk to, let alone depend on. I didnt want to go back to that lonely, dismal life.

Yet that Shara had never killed anyone.

Id killed Keisha Skye with my own hands. My Blood had pinned her for me despite her struggles. Id locked my mouth to her throat and drained her life force, leaving a husk of a body behind. I could have spared her, but I chose to kill her.

Because of my actions, more people might die. I had to figure out what to do about Keishas Blood before they turned into thralls, like the monsters that had hunted me all of my life. I had no idea how many people my dragon and gryphon had killed in the turmoil following Keishas death. Id been in the basement, trying to break a demons blood circle to save Rik.

Several hundred people were missing from the Skye registry. I hoped to goddess theyd simply fled and could find a new life with a new queen somewhere safe.

The elevator doors finally opened. Xin and Llewellyn stepped inside, Xin pressing the button to hold the doors open. Nevarre, Itztli, and Tlacel guarded our rear. Guillaume and Mehen had already taken the elevator down to the basement and waited for us to join them. Daire and Ezra were using their prior Skye contacts to smooth feathers and organize those who wanted to stay, along with Gina and Madeline, the consiliari.

To be honest, that work was mostly being accomplished by Daire, but Ezra was willing to help, and his gruff, no-bullshit attitude was actually helping people realize that I wasnt the same kind of queen as Keisha.

I wasnt sure if I could trust Skyes former consiliarius, but I trusted Gina implicitly and she was willing to work with the woman. To a point, I agreed. Madeline Skye would know the ins and outs of Skyes legacy. She could help us determine how to slice and dice the properties, treaties, and funds as needed for better management.

I stepped onto the elevator with Rik glued to my side. In fact, he hadnt stopped touching me since the ordeal. I wasnt complaining, far from it. I couldnt wait to get away from all the curious, prying eyes so I could cuddle with him.

And yeah, Id probably bawl like a baby. Id come so close to losing him.

The elevator was painfully slow and crowded with so many Blood. Again, not that I was complaining about them being pressed against me. I wantedneededthem close. Always.

I tapped my bare toes with impatience. Id ditched the stupid heels hours ago.

Rik slipped his arm around my waist, pulling me in even closer to the protective heat of his body. You really think she might not be dead?

I shook my head. I dont know. She was the fucking queen of New York City. Could she really have been that easy to kill?

She didnt die easily, Xin said. You drained her. Most queens wouldnt begin to have enough capacity to drain a queen in one feeding. That alone was a remarkable way to kill a powerful queen.

Think of Mayte, Rik added. She could only take a small amount of your blood at once, because she couldnt handle the power. Your capacity is much greater. You absorbed Keisha easily.

So easily that my stomach quivered with dread. Id drained her to death. Worse, I could easily retire with my Blood and feed from all of them again. In fact, Id need to do exactly that soon. My hunger was never satisfied, not even by all the blood in the former queen of New York City.

She also attacked you during the presentation, Xin said. That was no small spell she threw at you. Shed probably devastated many visiting queens that way, or at least scared them into surrendering before they were all killed.

Plus her child, Rik whispered. My prime, badass alpha didnt shiver or flinch from what hed endured in my service, but Tanza Skye had scared the crap out of all of us.

Rik had been in the fucking circle with her while she hurt him with the kind of torture that didnt leave external marks. Even after Id healed and fed him, he still had tender spots deep inside that would need more attention. We Aima healed quickly, but I feared the wounds Tanza dealt him would never ease unless I continued to give him my blood as often as possible.

I had her bond inside me, Rik continued. I felt her spreading like worms through me, and her power It was crushing. Youre the closest Ive ever felt to that level of power, my queen. I think that Keisha was pumping everything she had into Tanza, who fed off her as much as she fed on the pain and torture of alphas. Keisha probably didnt have much left to fend you off.