A Stroke Of Midnight   ::   Гамильтон Лорел

“The head of your house tried to kill Meredith just last night, or had you forgotten that, Elen?”

She gave a curtsy so low that she almost disappeared behind the table. “If the ring truly lives on her finger, then Nerys was wrong, very wrong. If the Goddess blesses Meredith with her gifts, then we were all wrong.”

“Would you have us all childless because your bloodline is?” asked Maelgwn, the wolf lord. He was naked from the waist up except for a hood and cloak of wolf skin, complete with most of the animal’s face sitting above his own. All his people had been shape-shifters until they lost the ability.

“I am queen and my blood inherits this throne.”

“You have your brother’s blood standing in front of you,” Maelgwn said, his mocking smile and his happy, peaceful eyes taking me in. “There she stands, your blood. If your niece can bring blood back to all of us, then your line is indeed powerful magic.”

“I have held the guards in abstinence for more than a thousand years. They wait at my pleasure, and the pleasure of my son.”

“And at your niece’s pleasure,” Afagdu said. He seemed to be helping me, but I didn’t trust it. He helped no one but himself and his clan.

Andais waved that away as if it was unimportant. “Yes, yes, on Meredith’s pleasure.” She looked at me then. “Though I did not intend the pleasure to be so… pleasurable.” She came down the steps again, gliding toward me in her heels and silk. “The guards are for our pleasure, Meredith, not us for theirs. I’m not certain you understand that, niece.” She walked past me, and I knew where she was going.

She stopped by Nicca and Biddy where they knelt. I glanced back and found that they were holding hands. They were also staring very hard at the floor, as if she wouldn’t hurt them if they didn’t look up. If only it were that easy.

She ran her fingers through the heaviness of Nicca’s chestnut hair. He went very still under her touch. “I like him in my bed, but not for sex. He frightens so easily. He doesn’t like pain, do you, Nicca?”

If I hadn’t been kneeling within a yard of him I might not have heard his answer. “No, Queen Andais.”

“I taught him that in a night, did you know that, Meredith?”

“Taught him what, my queen?”

“To answer any question I asked him with yes or no, and never, ever to leave off the Queen Andais.” She ran her hand down the side of his face until she cupped his chin. She raised him to look at her. “Would you like another lesson, Nicca? It has been long since I made love to a man with wings. It might be interesting.