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The very edges of Halo serpent heads begin to curl from my chest when she kisses me again and finishes, “I will be the first to bear the Prince of Destruction a child!”
* * *
When Neoand I descend the staircase to the Commons, Nita stands in the center with Quillion pacing near her. Their eyes compete for our attention as they rush to the base of the staircase to greet us. A thrill of pride courses through me, something Lux’s announcement can’t steal.
I kiss Nita’s cheeks in greeting while Neo clasps his old friend’s arm and slaps him across the back of his embroidered waistcoat.
At first, Nita says nothing, merely pinches her eyes to scrutinize my expression, the incandescence radiating from my skin, or my charmed mouth—swollen from Neo’s kisses. Even now, my skin still tingles from last night’s silver blood fix. A second later, she sweeps her gaze to Neo, leans in closer, snatches his collar, and tugs down. My smile spreads when she pops a few buttons on his tunic so she may behold his skin.
“Mmm…” Nita deduces right before her posture transforms into that bouncing tigress we all know and love. “Love bites! She gave him love bites!” Kitty points, elbowing Quillion in the side.
He gives me a thumbs-up sign. My lungs expand as he taps his tattoo to open his digital chart. “How many? Should I award her with a point for each one, Neo?”
Straightening sovereign, Nita peels back Neo’s collar more and examines the bites.
“Nita…” Neo rolls his eyes and side-eyes me because my flushed cheeks would mirror his if vampires could flush. “Uncertain of that, my friend,” he tells Quillion. “Unless you intend to tally my feather-torture. And how her ass grew as pink as her cheeks from my hand.”
Beet-red but beaming when Nita turns to me while shoving Neo’s face away with the side of her horns, she stations her hand on her hip and taunts, “Hope you didn’t bite off more than you can chew, little angel.”
My normative pattern is to clasp my hands into sweet fists beneath my chin. Though I don’t break tradition, I open my mouth to display the wonder of my newly-created angel fangs, then send my butterflies to spiral around her horns, “I drank dragon’s brew last night.”
Nita weaves an arm around my shoulders and kisses the side of my head. “Come along, sweet Ezer. You may come, too, Neo,” she adds and pokes a finger at his collar, repairing the popped threads. “I was fully prepared to remove your kneecaps this morning. But I suppose they’ll keep for a little longer…so long as you don’t fuck this up.”
“Yes, Nita.” My husband bows at the waist as she passes him with her arm still draping mine.
I pause to peck Quillion’s cheek, warmth swelling my chest. “Thank you for talking to him, Quill.”
He raises a hand, dismissing my words. “I did very little compared to you and Nita.”
“Both of us will join you at the border today,” expresses Neo, prompting Quillion to snap his head toward Neo, jaw dropping a little. All Neo offers is a shrug.
Nita squeezes my bare shoulder and emphasizes, “I suppose that is the reason for your contrasting but impressive garb.”
I love my selection this morning, even if Neo couldn’t help himself when I emerged from the Infinity Wardrobe. Not that I minded him pinning me against the wall to impale my lips with his in a steamy kiss. His hand had slid up the snug purple leggings patterned with the Tenth Court roses before he’d trailed his fingers along my undergarments. I’d almost shoved him right into that Wardrobe since it’s big enough for both of us. Luxurious, sumptuous gold skirts with white ruffled under layers billow to the floor on each side of the leggings.
“Marvelous strapless sweetheart neckline,” Quillion compliments the bodice and how the blushing gray skirts fan out to my hips along with thick, purple transparent swathes of fabric that overlap but don’t detract from the gold skirts. I’d also selected a dusky rose shade to accent my seductive eyes with a neutral lip.
When I catch Neo’s eyes centering on that area where the over-dress skirts tease the leggings between my thighs, I focus on anything to prevent myself from goldening perfectly good leggings…again. “Is everything on track for the border?” I wonder to Quillion as we enter the breakfast room.
“Neo’s team was dispatched last night. And by the time we arrive, they should be distributing the treatment.”
We take our seats, but it’s the first time Neo pulls out my chair for me. And it’s also the first time he sits in the chair next to me, diagonal to Nita, content to relinquish his head chair. I sit up straight and practically glow, smiling at her because it feels…it feelsperfect—like we all were just a few months ago.
While Nita orders chilled blood soup and Quillion blood pudding, Neo orders an entire meal of blood-laced drinks: a smoothie, a tonic, a cocktail, and even coffee. Solids consist of blood fruit and croissants stuffed with bloody chocolate, biscuits and blood gravy, blood sausage, and more.
I rub my lips and eye him, then sip my tea and enjoy my pancakes, trying to ignore my insides quivering from anxiety. After a minute or two of him gorging himself, he turns to me and lifts his hand to brush his knuckles across my cheek. “Don’t concern yourself, my love. Remember, it’s natural for my appetite to increase with the growing blood moon.”
“I’m simply thankful the harvest one happens only once a year. Full blood moons are bad enough,” Nita expresses and scoops up the last of her soup, then taps the back of Quillion’s hand as he peruses his morning reads. “Remember what happened last year?”
I glance at Quillion, who nods a “mmm” and sips his tea, peaceful and pensive.
“What happened?” I turn to Neo, brows lifting.
He grunts, swallowing a thick piece of blood sausage to answer, “Not one of my finer moments. I had no bride at the time. Taking my usual fill of my harem didn’t sate me. Nor did five courses like this one.”
Quillion lowers his cup. “Let’s just say you and Neo have much more in common than you ever knew, considering your first time meeting me,” the bishop hints, silver veins glimmering beyond his warm brown skin.
“You drank from a canal?” I ask Neo and shiver, but he snatches my wrist and rubs his mouth along my wrist, kissing his horned mark.
