Page 43 of The Queen

The bathing room light came on and my mates moved around the room, finding their discarded clothing from the night before.

Grey kissed my forehead. “Would you really want someone else deciding who was to be your personal staff?”

He was right, I wouldn’t. But, especially after last night, I didn’t want to spend any more time with Edeth than I absolutely had to.

Ghost was completely naked, typing at his keyboard. His unclothed state was giving me ideas. Ideas that would delay my meeting with Edeth even more. I could see no downside to this plan.

I gave Grey a quick peck and slipped out of bed, padding over to where Ghost sat, but hesitated. He rolled his chair back in silent invitation. There was no expectation in his crystalline eyes, just acceptance of whatever I wanted. I nibbled my lower lip, considering if I was still upset with him. I found that I wanted to be close to him more than I wanted to be mad about something that wasn’t really his fault.

With calculated slowness, I slid into his lap, and already felt better cuddling into his warmth again. He adjusted his position, so I was between his arms, and rolled the chair back to the desk without a word. Once I was settled, lounging against his bare chest, he got back to work, his fingers flying over the keys. I barely caught the messages before he hit send. One to Violet, requesting that she bring me fresh clothes and my soap to his room. One to Fenix, thanking him for warding off Edeth, and requesting a meeting. And one to Edeth, rescheduling our meeting for later that afternoon.

According to the time on the monitor, it was already almost midday, so we would have to hurry to make it.

By the time the messages were sent and everyone had taken their turn in the bathing room, Violet had arrived to drop off my things. Her eyes were glued to the floor as she shuffled in, placing the requested soap on the desk and laying out my fresh clothes. She came and went quickly with polite greetings. Thankfully, everyone was wearing pants by then, and I felt less territorial than when Edeth was here.

Once we were alone again, we ate sealed nutrition bars and clear water to ensure they hadn’t been tampered with. Even still, we were being cautious, and Grey ran tests to verify.

“Did you get enough to eat?” Lex asked as he finished pulling on his black uniform.

“It was enough, thank you.” I slipped easily back into the polite formality that had been drilled into me while on the Hive. Even after all we’d been through, I found myself clinging to old routines for comfort.

“Good. We’ll figure out who’s doing this and make it right. I don’t want you to worry.” He kissed the top of my head and motioned for Ghost to follow him. “You three stay together. Don’t go anywhere alone. We need to talk to Arkyn and Fenix to sort out next steps.”

I wanted to go, and I was chafing under Lex’s commands. I needed to be part of this. Lex must’ve seen the expression on my face because he turned back in my direction. His brows drew together, studying me, and the muscle in his cheek flexed. He hesitated a moment, as if fighting himself.

I held my breath, unsure of how to react to his silent battle.

He finally moved, slowly, like his feet were stuck in deep molasses before shaking it off to stand in front of me. He took my hands in his calloused grip before dropping to a knee.

I bit my lip to stifle a gasp. Oh no, I felt heat rush to my face. He was kneeling in front of me. My massive, commanding, controlling mate was kneeling at my feet.

When he lifted his mottled green eyes to mine, there was a softness, a vulnerability I’d never seen before. My nervousness vanished and my heart swelled. I wanted to get on my knees with him, so he would understand how much he meant to me. He was my partner. I only ever wanted for us all to be equals. I never wanted any of them to kneel, but the way he looked at me, it felt like he needed to do this for himself. To prove himself to me.

When he finally spoke, his silken voice was rough with emotion. It slid through my very soul. “I know I’ve not been everything you deserve, everything I’ve wanted to be for you. Trust me to do this, and when we come back, we’ll go over everything. No decisions will be made without your approval. We’re running out of time, and you need to finish preparations to take your crown.”

He was right. We had too much to do and too many unknown enemies. We needed to work as a team, to move forward, and to stay alert. “Okay, I will. I trust you.”

And somehow, I did. More than I thought possible.

He rose, and this time, he pulled me into his strong arms, capturing my lips in a kiss that I felt it all the way down to my toes. His embrace felt like the home I’d been longing for these last ten years, and I hated to let it go. But I knew I had to.

My lips were still tender when Lex pulled away and Ghost took his place, following up with a playful nip before leaving on their mission.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Saphyra

My fingers were tucked into Grey’s warm hand as we trudged up the stairs to my room. His complexion was rosier and his eyes brighter after the night spent cuddling wrapped up in each other and eating his fill of prepackaged food. It wasn’t tasty, but it wasn’t poisoned either.

Shadow led the way, vigilant at every turn. I hoped Fenix could shed some light on what was going on, because this level of caution, in what was supposed to be my home, was taxing on everyone.

Anxiety shimmered through my veins as Shadow stepped into my cabin, his hand hovering near his sidearm as he stopped short. I peered around his wide shoulders to see Edeth and Indra already there.

“I hope, for your sake, you have the queen with you. I have too much to do and no time to deal with an insignificant gnat like you,” Edeth snarked at Shadow.

I’d had more than enough of this woman. I pushed past him, leaving Grey at the door. “You should watch your tone with my mates. We may not be bonded yet, but they will outrank you. Who will be insignificant, then?”

My eyes went wide at my outburst. I couldn’t believe I’d been so rude. She’d deserved it and I had meant every syllable, so I swallowed back my apology, letting my words hang in the empty air.

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