Page 23 of The Hive

Drax was a reminder of the dire information I had learned in the headmaster’s office. Another tally of atrocities to lay at the Imperatrix’s feet. She would pay for the suffering she had wrought. Somehow.

The day had been exhausting, and by the time I let myself into Lex’s vent, I was ready to be done. This time, I tried to be as quiet as possible to see if he would notice me. When I looked into his room, he was lying on his narrow cot, legs propped up on the wall, throwing a ball toward the glass ceiling just to catch it before it hit him in the face.

“They call it enrichment,” he announced to the empty room.

A grin pulled at my lips. He was either talking to himself, or he knew I was there.

“You aren’t as deliciously ripe and sopping as you were the last time, but I can still smell you, omega.” He didn’t turn his attention from the ball he was throwing. He didn’t have to. There was only one place I could possibly be.

“Yeah, my handler gave me something to keep me calm,” I answered quietly. I knew the camera might pick up his side of the conversation, but surely drones talked to themselves regularly. It must get lonely spending so much time in solitary confinement.

“That’s a pity. You smelled luscious.” He set the ball aside and sat up on the edge of his bed. His attention was on the vent, but I didn’t think he could see me. “Have you come to torture me with your heavenly scent, or are you here for a reason?”

He was right; he needed to know the plan. I was careful to temper the volume of my voice so it wouldn’t carry. “We found a deep space-capable ship leaving the day after tomorrow. I will fake my heat and be brought here. Gho— Axion has figured out how to access the nest pod’s control panel, which should get us all out of this cell. So, everything is ready. Now we just wait.”

The stress from today was getting to me, and I slumped down in the narrow passage, too tired to bother holding myself up.

“I have questions, but I’m going to trust that my team has the details sorted. The more concerning issue is the exhaustion in your tone. I wonder if you can even make it that long.”

I didn’t like the accusation in his voice, but he wasn’t far off. “I’d been raised to think one thing, but the more I learn, the deeper it goes. The worries of two weeks ago seem like the concerns of a child compared to what I’m being asked to consider as fact now.” I sighed and rested my cheek on the grate. It shifted under the light pressure. What in the Stars?

“It’s all part of growing up. I wish I could have been with you to help you through all of that. But at least you understand why we had to come at substantial risk to ourselves. We couldn’t chance waiting any longer, even if a better option might present itself later, which was unlikely.” He paused. “Saphyra, what are you doing?”

The scrape of the latch tool alerted him to my action as I ran it around the edge of the grille separating the sealant from the wall. Once the seal was broken, it had the same mechanism as in the headmaster’s office. “I think I can just…” Wiggling the gadget in the lock, I heard it spring and pushed it open on squeaking hinges. “I think this opens.” Smiling, I popped my head out.

He did not look happy to see me, his gold-green eyes wide with concern. “Wait!” he said before grabbing a shirt from a pile near the end of the bed and tossing it at a bump sticking out of the far wall. Oh! A camera! The shirt dangled and swayed but somehow clung on to that small protrusion and draped over as if it were a hook meant to hold clothes on. “Some warning next time, eh?”

He came over to the vent and scooped me out of the tunnel, depositing me on the floor. By the time I had smoothed my uniform into place and turned my attention to the massive alpha, he was kneeling before me. “What are you doing? Get up.”

His face was solemn as he rose to his feet. He was taller than Ghost or Shadow and wider in the shoulders. I knew alphas were big, but he was very, very big. I took a step back so I didn’t have to crane my neck to look up at him.

“As you wish, my queen,” he said, now looking down at me.

“I’m not your queen. I’m not anyone’s queen.” Waving him off, I started pacing. Why had I burst through the vent into his room again?

He followed me with his eyes. “I suppose that is technically true, not until your coronation. But that is a minor formality. We have the medical records from the doctor, your handler. We know who you are.”

Seriously, this wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I was already overwhelmed with everything going on. Every time I thought I had a handle on it, something else would happen or I would be reminded of some other thing I needed to deal with.

Too late, Lex realized his mistake. “Come, sit. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

He gestured to his cot, and I gratefully took a seat.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” His gruff words came out like the order they were. He was an alpha that was used to being obeyed, and I was no exception.

So, I told him.

I told him everything that had happened, and all the while, the intoxicating smell of sun-warmed oak trees and the summer wind enveloped me like a blanket. I snuggled into his pillow after arranging it perfectly on his narrow bed. The warmth of being surrounded by his scent brought back wisps of comforting emotions that overrode the weight on my shoulders.

He stood and listened until I was done. “I’ll be here to help you, no matter what you want to do. Try not to get overwhelmed. We will overcome one problem at a time.”

He was right, and I knew it. The plan was in place. His solid, confident presence helped assure me of its success. I needed to focus on the first step, getting out of here. After that, I could worry about the rest.

Normally, I was very territorial about my personal space, but when he sat down beside me, I leaned into him, wanting him closer. His scent lured me in. I caught myself about an inch from his neck, taking a deep breath and wiggling onto his lap. Self-conscious, I realized what I had done and jerked backward, almost toppling off the bed in my haste. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I’m usually much more in control.”

He chuckled at my reaction but his face grew serious. After a pause, his deep velvety voice caressed me. “You don’t need to apologize. Anything you need—everything I have—is yours.”

His reassurance was soothing, and I shuffled back to where he reclined on the bedding. I felt stupid, but his scent settled me. Just a little longer, and then I would leave.

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