The Queen and her Wolf

Chapter Twenty

Tap tap tap tap.

Tap tap tap tap.

Tap tap tap tap.

Desirae's drumming fingers were the only sound in the surprisingly quaint galley. A practised flurry of activity swirled around us as nameless kitchen staff went about their duties. Chopping this, stirring that, tasting, adding, tasting again. The smells of roasting meats, spices, and simmering sauces were almost enough to make me drool. Ultimately, Desirae's ruby eyes remained locked on the small jewellery box she'd set on the table before her. Even with the bond buzzing in the background, it was difficult to tell what she was thinking. I'd have to actively use the bond to understand how was she feeling. Is that something a guardian did?

"I need a drink." Desirae had drawled, exhaustion clear in her voice as the last of her subjects had filed out of the throne room. Shaking out my coat, and my weariness, I'd padded after her as I assumed was expected of the Queen's guardian. To shadow her every move. To watch and listen for any potential threats. To act if necessary, in any form of my choosing, thankfully. It made sense to reside inside my wolf form for now, having no change of clothes handy. It did make communication difficult though.

Walking my front paws out from my haunches, never taking my gaze off the Queen, I dropped into a lounging position. We'd reached the kitchen almost a half hour ago and all the Queen had done was speak softly to one of the kitchen staff, elegantly take a seat, and place that jewellery box on the table.

Tap tap tap tap.

Tap tap tap tap.

Tap tap tap tap.

Tentatively I let my mind follow that tether between us, just to ascertain her mental state. A familiar tickle and I could feel the beginnings of the Queen's turmoil as easily as wading into shallow water.

I felt her fury first.

A brief vision of our first introduction filled my mind as a handsome vampire dragged a dishevelled and thrashing young woman up to the dais. He forced her to kneel and backhanded her when she snarled her defiance. I'll admit it looked a lot harder than it had felt at the time. My face hadn't even bruised, and yet the pure rage that had swelled within the Queen had been as immediate as it was brutal.

Feeding off that memory was Desirae's confusion.

Why would Eric want to appease her? He wasn't the appeasing type. The public setting was two-fold she suspected. One, he got to look like the noble vampire righting his wrongs. Two, a public setting meant that the Queen had to behave more fitting of her stature, so no hands in chest cavities. Much to both our chagrin.

Apprehension about the gift itself wove through every other thought the Queen had.

Had this pendant really belonged to Isis a millennium ago? Where did Eric find it? How did he know what it was? Why gift it to her guardian at all?... Should she allow her guardian to wear his gift, a vampire who'd hurt her?

Each feeling was as clear as the next and they all warred within her mind, swirling and building in her brooding silence. Once I was human again I'd make sure to tell the Queen of Samuel and Eric's meeting; certain it was the same box that had been exchanged. Gently I retreated from the vampires' mind and belly crawled a little closer, releasing a small whine.

Ruby eyes snapped to meet mine, finger drums ceasing. The intensity of her gaze softened immediately, replaced with concern.

"Don't fret, little wolf. Food is on the way for you." She'd taken my whine as impatience rather than an attempt to bring her out of those eddying thoughts. "Don't think Recka hasn't told me that you haven't been eating the food sent to your room. It's been days since you arrived and you need to eat to keep your strength up."

It had indeed been days, maybe even a week since I last ate. If I'd been in human form I would have informed the Queen that as a Lycan my metabolism worked differently. I could make a kill and gorge myself and then be perfectly fine for several days. The longest I'd gone was probably close to three weeks. Food had been scarce in the colder months and I hadn't been able to make a kill substantial enough to ward off the winter chill. The pain of that hunger was something I wasn't keen to experience again. I'd only survived because I'd been lucky enough to find a discarded carcass buried beneath a foot of snow. My gums had bled with the ferocity I'd torn into that frozen flesh. Stripping the creature of every morsel on its icy bones.

Between my bouts of unconsciousness, whether it had been sleep or another reason, trays of food had indeed made their way to my room by some invisible force. Trays laden with cold meats and exotic fruits I'd never seen before. I'll admit, part of me was apprehensive about eating any food handled by a vampire, so I'd left each beautifully arranged platter in the hall outside my door, untouched.

A quiet wearing a half-apron smeared with dark hand prints sidled up to the Queen then, silver goblet in one hand and a tray of thinly sliced, raw meats in the other. Setting them down with barely a whisper, she bowed low, her moonlight-pale hair falling forward as she did.

"Thank you, Atlas." The Queen offered with a smile.

Atlas beamed in return as she rose from her bow, retreating to resume her other duties I supposed. All the quiets I'd seen so far worked in service positions. Whether that was by some law's making or whether that's all they were deemed proficient in, I wasn't sure. They'd all been friendly though, enough that I didn't immediately go on high alert when one entered my proximity. A nice change when one was surrounded by vampires at every turn.

Desirae took a long drink from her goblet, her throat bobbing with each heavy swallow. Eventually setting the goblet down with a light thud, she began to twist the stem between her thumb and middle finger, meats seemingly forgotten. I would have smelt the blood in that cup even in human form. As it was, currently working with a nose infinitely more powerful, I tried to angle my muzzle away in hopes of dampening the scent. To no avail.

Atlas swept back into the galley brandishing a huge platter of meat that she gently lowered to the floor before me. New smells commandeered my nostrils as I surveyed the different meats. Some meats, raw and still on the bone, had my mouth watering to think of chewing on them to get to the marrow. Other meats were carefully prepared cuts, seasoned and cooked to perfection; they were dusted and dribbled with exotic spices and rich sauces, respectively. Atlas bowed from her kneeling position, opposite the platter, and I dipped my head low enough that my snout touched the stone floor.

"To honour you, guardian." Atlas stood and gestured to the platter, puce-coloured eyes full of kindness. "Please, eat."

Then she was gone.

One look at Desirae's vacant stare told me I'd lost her to her maelstrom of thoughts once more and a piece of me ached for her. It must be tough to have so much responsibility on your shoulders. I'd run away from all of mine, as far and as fast as I could, only to wind up having more than was originally planned anyway. The universe was funny like that.

Or a complete dick.

It was all about perspective, I supposed, and only time would tell if this sequence of events was for better or worse. Huffing a wolfish sigh, I left the Queen to her brooding for now. Selecting a particular cut with a generous bone protruding, I began gnawing away, savouring every drop of flavour.

Later.

The Queen and I would talk later.