Page 46 of The Hive

“Are you okay?” she asked, leaning toward Grey.

Irritation surged over her concern for him, and I growled in warning. My tiny omega stopped and rounded on me.

“You!” she shouted, and stabbed the center of my chest with a pointed finger.

The way I towered over them both was almost comical, and a smirk pulled at my lips. I might have laughed if I wasn’t so mad.

“You should be ashamed of yourself. Grey has protected me for over a year and gave up his life to save me. You waltzed in at the end and stole the win. Shame on you.”

She made a decent point, and the smile dropped from my face. “He called us for help. He wouldn’t have been able to save you on his own.”

“And you wouldn’t have been able to save me on your own, either. You needed each other, just like I need you.”

Well, when she put it that way, it was difficult to argue. I still wasn’t ready to share her, but the memory of Valyx’s knot buried deep inside her tight little body was enough to make my pants feel snug. “Fuck.”

I turned away from them to see Valyx smirking, arms crossed over his bare, inked chest. There was someone begging for a fight, or a dick shoved down his throat. He’d probably enjoy either. But unfortunately, there wasn’t time. I needed to focus on why we were here and what we were doing. This argument was far from over, but we had to get back to the topic we’d been discussing before Grey informed us of what had happened. We were running out of time.

“We’re only a couple of hours out from our destination, but we aren’t headed to Verden. We can’t. Once the Imperatrix realizes we didn’t end up on Pharanax 8, it’s the first place she’ll look. We stole her ship and an omega. She’s probably already sent troops after us. We only have a few days’ lead at best, and we’re going to need help. We’re going to need Arden.”

“Seems like a long shot.” Valyx’s grave words were unhelpful.

Axion broke free of his initial surprise. “No fucking way. The king has said no, more than once, and actively formed an alliance with the United Empire. This was your plan the whole time? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have jumped off Crown Peak and saved the Imperatrix’s army the plasma fuel.”

“Look, I know it’s a gamble, but with Saphyra as proof, and the doc’s insight, I think we finally have the leverage we need to get Arden’s help, even with the king’s political perspective. It’s that or running, and that isn’t what we risked everything for. We did this to get our planet back and to free our people. And this is how we do it.”

Chapter Forty-Five

Saphyra

No one looked happy, and I was more confused than they were. When Lex’s green-gold eyes met mine, I knew he had thought this through from every angle. We had to try.

Ghost was the first to leave with a muttered agreement, saying he had to adjust course.

The others seemed to sense that we needed a moment, because Grey gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and followed Ghost out.

Shadow was slower in his departure as he stalked across the room toward me. His bare skin made my belly clench as the swirling lines of ink shifted and danced over the defined muscles of his chest. He stopped in front of me, and I tilted my head back to look up into his fathomless, onyx eyes.

“You smell so good, little omega.” His hand cupped my jaw while his thumb slid over my bottom lip, pulling my mouth open. He swooped in, capturing it in a kiss that would haunt my dreams. Deep, dark, decadent, and full of a punishing rage for having left him out of my decision. It felt like he was devouring my soul as the caress of his tongue soothed the loss. He pulled away as quickly as he had come. There was an intensity in his face that was difficult to decipher, but hurt and longing were at the forefront.

I parted my bruised lips to try to explain, but he brushed past and slammed the door closed behind him without a backward glance.

Lex leaned his hip against a table covered in star maps, scowling.

“What?” I asked, not meeting his hard stare.

“What, indeed? You are a test from the Stars, omega. I told you I didn’t know if I could do this. I don’t share. There’s a desperate desire inside of me to mark you and make you mine so that everyone knows it.”

Frustration overwhelmed good sense, and I heard myself utter, “Okay, do it then.” Daring him to follow through on his threats.

I could see the temptation warring with pride before he said, “No. I will not. This is serious, Saphyra. It’s not a game.”

The words hurt more than I expected. I didn’t actually want him to at that moment, but the rejection stung. Before I could stop myself, I asked, “But why not?”

He pushed away from the table and made his way to me. His hands engulfed my shoulders, thumbs sweeping over my exposed collarbone. His voice was soft when he said, “Because you deserve time. I don’t want to be your mate just because I’m the only option you know.”

“But I know the others.” I tipped my head, brushing my cheek along his forearm. He smelled so good. They all did. It no longer overwhelmed my senses, and I was able to enjoy the subtlety of it.

He stepped back, letting his hands fall away. “And you want to mate mark them too.” He turned and paced to the table. “As much as I don’t like the thought of sharing you with Ax and Valyx, that I understand. But Grey? He’s a stranger, and you already marked him. It took everything in me not to tear him to pieces and take you as my own.”

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