Page 33 of The Hive

Lex’s voice rumbled against my cheek. “Thank you for everything you’ve done, doctor. It couldn’t have been easy to betray your people for our queen.”

Between labored breaths, Grey said, “It was less difficult than I thought it would be, but you can save your thanks until we’re free of this place. Do you still have the sedatives?” he asked, panting and doing his best to keep up with the alpha’s longer stride.

Ghost held four syringes up and passed them to Lex as we sped through the gloomy passage. He shifted me to one arm, unwilling to let me go, and stowed the sedatives away. After that, no one spoke. The rhythmic thudding of my men’s running feet and the whistling of lifts flying by through the shafts alongside of the narrow path we were on were the only things to distract me from the cramps that started coming in slow waves.

Suddenly, the pounding stopped and my body clenched, sending slick gushing from my overly hot core. I whined and Lex’s arms held me tighter.

Bright lights aggravated my overly sensitive eyes as we exited the service shaft, and I burrowed deeper into my blanket. From inside my cocoon, I could see the giant hulls of transport ships reaching toward the stark white ceiling of the cargo bay, but we were no longer moving. Lex tensed.

Something was wrong.

Chapter Thirty-One

Saphyra

The sound of a single, slow clap had me pawing through the blanket, trying to get a look at what was happening, but when I dragged the covers from my eyes, the sight that greeted me had me wishing I could unsee it.

In the center of the brightly lit cargo bay, flanked by an entourage of guards, was none other than the Imperatrix. Her black hair was scraped back in a severe chignon, accentuating the sharp contours of her angular face. Her form-hugging, floor-length gown was embroidered and encrusted with riches that reflected light in prisms glittering around the room. Atop her perfectly coiffed head was a pure aurinium diadem fit for an empress.

She stopped clapping and let her hands fall to her sides. “Well, well. What do we have here? A traitor working with rebels attempting to steal one of my precious jewels?” Her amused disdain made me vibrate with anger.

I wrestled with the bedding, struggling to get free, but Lex held me firm.

“Put me down,” I growled, continuing to squirm until he relented, but as soon as my feet touched the ground, I stumbled and he had to catch me. With his support, I was able to stay upright and regained some small measure of dignity.

“We aren’t precious jewels,” I spat, my voice full of anger and resentment. “We’re your slaves.”

“Very valuable slaves. Stupid, but valuable. Did you think there were no cameras in the bathrooms? Or alternate listening devices? We gathered quite a lot of intel while you all had your secret conversations.” She smirked. “Slaves or jewels, it’s semantics. You are my property, and I can’t let this go unpunished. You’re all fine specimens. It’s a pity to waste so much potential, but it can’t be helped.”

A girl around my age stepped from behind the Imperatrix where she had been silently observing. Her sleek, ebony hair and vibrant jade eyes were a beautiful contrast to her creamy skin. I didn’t recognize her. The onyx gown embroidered with aurinium hexagons that clung to her lithe curves highlighted how out of place she was on the Hive. Omegas dressed well, but nothing as opulent as this.

“Mother, may I keep one?” the black-haired girl asked.

“Absolutely not, Atarah. Especially after last time. They are much too dangerous for you. Hush up. You are only here to observe.”

There was a defiant spark in the girl’s pale-green eyes, and I had a feeling she wasn’t used to being told no. I was afraid this wouldn’t be the end of that argument.

“Throw the girl in with 6667. He will force her heat, if it’s even necessary.” The Imperatrix’s disdainful gaze studied me for an uncomfortable moment. “We need her bloodline. Use the lure or drugs, whatever it takes. I’m sure he won’t cooperate otherwise. Tell him not to kill her, though. I’m interested in seeing their offspring. Jettison the doctor. He can no longer be trusted. Put the rest in holding. They may be good for the arena.”

Warm breath tickled my neck, and Lex’s scent wrapped around me.

“I love you. I always have,” Lex whispered against my ear and I felt a cluster of cold glass tubes pressed into my hand just as my alphas surged forward to intercept the mass of guards closing in on us.

Grey moved with them as if he had always been a part of this team, but he was no match for the trained soldiers.

Another cramp, more intense and violent than the last, crashed through me. I cried out and stumbled to the ground, losing track of Grey behind the larger bodies. From my puddle of writhing pain on the floor, all I could do was watch the wall of guards advancing on my men with their taser batons arcing through the air, ripping my dreams away one swing at a time.

The Imperatrix and her daughter moved away, flanked by an impressive cadre of alphas, and exited the bay through a door leading back into the Hive.

My alphas engaged with flying fists and loud snapping of bones, but the batons were too much. Guards crashed to the floor with broken necks and other serious injuries, but when one fell, another took their place until my men were overwhelmed. The guards beat at them over and over again with the stun setting set on max, and one by one, they succumbed. Tears tracked down my cheeks as the pain of loss, so much worse than the physical pain, gripped me.

I had been ignored, held immobile by the cramping of my oncoming emergence. The wave passed, my clenched muscles eased, and when I checked my hand, I found the syringes of sedatives from the nest. Quickly, I shoved them in a pocket and huddled in my blanket, scared to move. There were too many guards, and all my alphas were unconscious. But maybe I could still get out of this somehow. My greatest asset was that I’d been underestimated.

It took three people to carry Lex out of the transport bay, and a short, round-looking alpha that seemed vaguely familiar kept prodding him with the charged end of his baton. With some effort, my men were carted off, taking most of the guards with them.

Two large betas approached my huddled bundle of blankets under the watchful eye of a handler. I think his name was Corbin. He’d always unsettled Lyrah, which was the only reason I recognized the wholly unremarkable man.

“Take her,” he said, directing the guards to me.

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