Queen of the Darkness

first being a very long, hot bath and the second being an enormous meal. Since we can't compete with those, we might as well sit back and relax while we wait for her to get around to us."
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    11 / Kaeleer
    Surreal stormed through the corridors. Each time she came to an intersection, a silent, solemn-faced footman pointed in the right direction. Probably the first one had warned the others after she'd snarled at him, "Where's the High Lord's study?"
    It struck her as a little odd that none of the servants had seemed startled by her roaring through the corridors wearing nothing but a nightgown. Well, considering that the witches had to deal with the males who lived in this place, it probably wasn't unusual.
    When she finally reached the staircase that led down to the informal receiving room, she hitched her nightgown up to her knees to keep from tripping on the hem, raced down the stairs and into the great hall, and swore because the marble floor was cold against her bare feet. In lieu of a knock, she walloped the study door once and then stomped up to the blackwood desk where Saetan sat watching her, a glass of brandy raised halfway to his lips.
    Daemon and Lucivar, comfortably slouched in two chairs in front of the desk, just stared at her.
    Now that she was there, she wasn't quite as willing to address the High Lord directly, so she half turned toward Daemon and Lucivar and tossed out the question, "Don't I have the right to decide if I want a male in my bed?"
    The air behind the desk instantly chilled, but Lucivar said blandly, "Graysfang?" and the air returned to normal.
    The smirk in Lucivar's voice had her turning toward him fully. "I don't know about you, but I'm not used to sleeping with a wolf."
    "What's wrong with Graysfang staying with you?" Daemon asked.
    The soothing tone he was putting into his voice only infuriated her. "He farts," she snapped, then waved her hand dismissively. "Well, so do the rest of you."
    Someone made a choking sound. She thought it was Daemon.
    "Do you resent his being there because he's a wolf or because he's interfering with another kind of male warming your bed?" Lucivar asked.
    Maybe it hadn't been meant as a slur that she used to be a whore, but she took it as such because then she could vent her temper on him. "Well, sugar, from where I'm standing, there's not much to choose between you. He takes up more than his share of the bed, he snores, and he gives slobbery kisses. But if I had to choose, I'd pick him. At least he can lick his own balls!"
    A glass hit the desk with an ominous thunk.
    Surreal closed her eyes and bit her lip.
    Shit. She'd been so focused on being mad at Lucivar, she'd forgotten about the High Lord.
    Before she could turn, Saetan had a firm grip on her arm and was pulling her toward the door.
    "If you don't want Graysfang in your room at night, tell him," Saetan said, sounding like he had something stuck in his throat. "If he persists Well, Lady, he wears a Purple Dusk Jewel and you wear a Gray. A shield around your room should take care of the problem."
    "I did shield the room," Surreal protested. "And I still woke up and found him there. He sounded pleased that I'd shielded the room against the 'strange males,' but when he realized he couldn't get in, he had somebody named Kaelas help him through the shield."
    Saetan's hand froze over the doorknob. He straightened up slowly. "Kaelas helped him through the shield," he said, spacing out the words.
    She nodded cautiously.
    Saetan swiftly opened the door. "In that case, Lady, I strongly suggest you and Graysfang get this settled between you."
    The next thing she knew, she was standing in the great hall, staring at a firmly closed door.
    "You said you'd help," she muttered. "You said I could come to you if I needed anything."
    When the door opened again, she half-expected the High Lord to call her back. Instead, Daemon and Lucivar got shoved into the hall and the door was slammed shut behind them.
    They stared at the door for a moment, then looked at her.
    "Congratulations," Lucivar said. "You've been here a little over twenty-four hours and you've already gotten tossed out of his study. Even I was here three days before he tossed me out the first time."
    "Why don't you go sit on a spear," Surreal growled.
    Lucivar shook his head and tsked. Daemon seemed to be straining a lot of muscles to keep from laughing.
    "So why did he toss the two of you out?" Surreal asked.
    "For privacy. You'll notice there are