Page 6 of The Hive

I didn’t like people, especially strangers, in my space. Even if they were only standing politely against the wall. Now that it was being pressed on me, the reality was crushing. With Zillarah’s recent decoy assignment, I should have mentally prepared, but I thought I would have more time. I should have known, being past my majority, if only slightly. I wished Grey would shield me from this fate, but he was subject to the laws, just like the rest of us, even if he was given more autonomy as a handler.

Seeing that I accepted his explanation, he added, “I hand selected them specifically for you. Their compatibility is a perfect match.” He leaned in and whispered under his breath, “You can trust them, but you are being watched.” His eyes shifted toward one corner of the hexagonal room where a camera was mounted. “I will leave the three of you to get better acquainted.” He tapped the communicator on the wall. “Comms me if there is anything you need.”

He tipped his head at me and nodded to the alphas as he walked out of the cell. The airlock slid shut with a hiss, followed by deafening silence.

That was weird. What did he mean, we were being watched? Of course we were being watched. There were cameras everywhere. I filed the warning away with a shrug, but felt a shiver of trepidation settle in my stomach.

Chapter Six

Saphyra

I stood there, unease rolling over me in waves, thinking about Grey’s warning and the strangers in my room. This change would take time to get used to. My classes and training had prepared me, but it didn’t make this awkward situation any easier to swallow. Grey’s words unsettled me as much as they set me at ease. According to him, I could trust them, but these alphas were massive, driven by instinct, and unknown to me.

How could the keepers expect me to share quarters with these men when I had only ever slept in the girls’ dormitories in a locked pod at night? It kept me in, but more importantly, it kept others out. How was I supposed to feel safe?

Shadow draped himself over a chair as far from me as possible while Ghost made a silent exploration of the room and adjoining chambers. I could see the private bathroom past his broad shoulders, and the large, black stone basin snagged my attention.

Despite my discomfort with the new living situation, I couldn’t help but edge closer. A bathtub of any size or depth was considered the height of luxury, almost rare enough to be viewed as myth. Desperate for a better look, I scurried over and slipped past Ghost, who watched me with amused eyes.

I didn’t realize the depths of my mistake until I had bumped against him and found myself standing in the much smaller room with his imposing form blocking the only exit. His scent hit me like an explosion. He smelled like home, like the faint memories of my childhood. The curl of fog-laced wind on cliffs overlooking a stormy sea engulfed me. I pictured the place in my mind, a fleeting dream slipping away too quickly. I gasped, sucking in more of his scent, and the clean ocean air crashed over me like an incoming tide.

I clung to images of my past like long-lost friends, begging them to stay. The loving memory of my mother’s hair like spun gold and velvet-brown eyes smiling down on me, lingered. My father’s granite countenance cracking into a joyful grin when he looked at us both warmed my heart. Tears pricked the back of my eyes as the remembrance slowly drifted away.

Ghost looked down at me. “Are you all right, princess?” His voice was soft as he moved closer, offering a hand to steady my unsure feet.

Dashing the heel of my hand across my eyes to stem the flow of impending tears, I looked up at him with a watery smile. “I’m fine. I didn’t realize that alphas smelled so…” I searched for an appropriate word but settled for something neutral. “Strongly.” I didn’t want to tell this stranger just how good he smelled or how every part of me was begging to bury my face in the curve of his neck and breathe him in more deeply.

I skirted past him and out the door, only to come face to face with Shadow watching me from across the room. He had no doubt seen the whole interaction in the bathing room, and the gears were turning behind his midnight eyes. My lips parted to ask what he was glaring at, but Ghost’s smokey rasp interrupted my thoughts.

“I apologize for upsetting you, princess. Your handler mentioned this might be an issue and gave us something to help. It’ll just be a second.” He shut the door, sealing me in silence under Shadow’s dark glare.

Now that our staring contest had been broken, I had no interest in starting it again. His dark presence was like a lodestone, a silent sentinel in the shadows. His entire demeanor was intimidating, but I couldn’t decide if that made me want to run toward it, or away from it. I settled for returning to my nest and adjusting a few more pillows, trying to ignore the ominous shadow silently, but intently, observing me.

Ghost was quick, and if I hadn’t heard the water pump’s quiet whir and the pitter-patter of falling water, I might have thought it wasn’t enough time for a shower. But when he walked out of the bathing room with only a towel wrapped around his waist, rubbing another through his short, silvery hair, his errand was clear.

His barefooted stride carried him to me, and when I tried to retreat by stepping back, my legs came up against the lip of the nest and I sat down hard. This new vantage put me at eye level with the front of his towel and the V-shaped muscles leading under the edge of the low-slung fabric. I swallowed with difficulty past my suddenly dry throat. I needed a glass of water.

He gave me a cheeky half grin and leaned down toward me. I squeaked, leaning back further, trying to dodge his muscled chest. He chuckled. “Smell me now and see if it’s any better.” He held still in his bent position, allowing me easy access for a sniff.

I took a hesitant breath, inhaling his skin, still damp from the shower. All I could detect was the recycled air of the space station. The cool misty ocean was gone, and a pit opened up in my stomach at the loss. I missed the scent and memories it evoked already, and a craving for it settled over me.

My sigh brushed across his bare flesh, and he stood abruptly, turning his hip away. I saw something lifting the orderly drape of the towel. My lips quirked up despite my best effort to keep the smile from my face. I was unskilled at flirting, but evidence proved Ghost was not unaffected by my proximity.

“I’m glad you think this is funny.” He grinned, palming his growing erection. “What did you smell?”

“Nothing. You just smell like the sterile air in here now.” Petulance crept into my reply, highlighting my reluctant disappointment at the development.

His grin grew, but his blue eyes flickered toward the camera mounted near the ceiling. “I’ll get changed while 5376 takes a shower. It should be close to your evening meal, isn’t it?”

As he moved away, I could breathe again and stood up from the edge of my nest. “Yes, it is. We need to head to the dining hall pretty soon unless we want to miss the decent seats or chance at anything worth eating.” Thankfully, I was already dressed in my uniform and fresh from the shower after my last class. I wasn’t sure how I felt about changing with two alphas in the same cabin. I’d have to find a way to get past that concern when the time came.

Ghost stepped out of the wardrobe in his black soldier’s uniform, boots laced, and ready to go. The look he gave me almost made my panties melt right off. Maybe my worries were misplaced. This didn’t seem so bad except for the possibility that it was going to be a delicious sort of torture having these guys around all the time. I didn’t know how I’d survive it.

Just as I was contemplating death by proximity, Shadow stepped from the steamy bathroom, dressed in a clean uniform he must have taken in with him. He was just as hot as the ethereal Ghost, except ten times more broody. His glower never lessened, but I thought I understood his reaction. Decoys were assigned as needed, regardless of what they wanted. It was often a soldier’s only opportunity to be with an omega after they emerged as an alpha classification. So, they were usually enthusiastic and grateful, but not always. It wasn’t his choice, and I sympathized with that.

There were many things that happened here that weren’t by choice.

My tummy grumbled, reminding me it was indeed time to eat, and seeing as we were all ready, I led the way to the dining hall. My decoys followed me soundlessly through the wide corridors, their thick-soled boots unusually silent on the metal grate under our feet.

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