Page 39 of Make Me Bee-lieve

“You find him attractive,” Calvin mutters. “Doesn’t matter what species the woman is, I guess. Tattoos and muscles are always going to be more appealing than skinny and … well, tattoo-less, I suppose.”

Frowning, I slide my hand over his. “No, Cal. Yes, I like the—what did you call them? Tattoos? And the muscles. But that doesn’t matter, because he isn’t you. I’ve…” I pause for a moment, unsure if I should continue speaking or not. Being this vulnerable with someone is still so new to me. It’s surprisingly difficult. “I’ve truly come to care for you in the short time we’ve been together, you know. I wouldn’t change a single thing about you.”

Calvin smiles, and my heart smiles right along with him. “Po. I?—”

“INGRID!” The man in the distance cries out, startling us both. “Where did you get to? C’mon, Ingrid! Time to go back in the coop! It’s almost nighttime!”

The chicken down below lets out a loud cluck before scampering off toward the man. When the chicken finally reaches the human, he bends over and scoops it up into his arms before placing it in the small wooden box that reminds me of my hive.

“Huh,” I murmur. “He must be a Caretaker of some sort, too.”

When I look back at Calvin, I notice he isn’t looking at the man and chicken but at me. Suddenly, I feel naked. Completely stripped down. Like he can see straight through me. It should terrify me, but instead, I feel seen for the first time in my life.

Calvin leans forward and brushes his lips against mine.

“What were you saying?” I ask when he pulls away.

“It’s nothing,” he whispers, then presses his lips to my forehead.

CALVIN

Nightfall comes quickly, and without the usual light pollution I’m used to in the city, the stars come alive in a gorgeous tapestry that makes me think of those camping trips Elvis and I used to take when we were kids. Back when we got along, and we had something in common. He’d always been the more outdoorsy one, even after he got that big corporate job at Fletcher & Sons and became … well, a bit of a dick.

My heart sinks into my stomach at the thought of never seeing him again. Sure, we may have had our problems in the past. And yeah, I’m not always the best big brother. I’m too busy, for one thing. But I could at least try to meet him halfway here and there, which is why I think I relented with the beehive.

Heh. To think I hadn’t wanted to bother with a new hobby.

And now I’m here, resting on a flower petal with the woman I’m falling for, who isn’t even human. Despite everything we’ve endured, I wouldn’t change a single thing, because it might mean not ever meeting her.

Lying back on the flower petal with one arm tucked behind my head, I point out constellations to Polina as we chat about everything from our childhoods, to our hobbies, to our shared interests.

“Your mother sounds fun,” Polina says as she places her head on my chest. My heart skips, and I gently put my arm around her.

“Yeah, fun is one way to describe her, I guess. She can’t mind her own business, which is super annoying and?—”

Polina boops me on the nose and smiles. “Hey. At least you have a mother to complain about. That’s no small thing, Cal. Cherish that.”

My face falls, and I squeeze her tighter. “You’re right. Oh, God. I’m so sorry. That was super insensitive of me, wasn’t it? I’m such an asshole.” I readjust my glasses and squint through the enormous crack in the right lens. Couldn’t be helped. I’m grateful Polina managed to find them at all.

She buzzes gently, and it sends a strange, vibrating ripple through my body. “No, you’re not an asshole. It’s fine, Cal. I just like hearing about your family, is all. About Elvis and your mom and your cat. Although, I’ll be honest, I don’t think I want to meet your cat. She sounds ferocious. She would probably make a meal of me.”

I chuckle and kiss her left antenna, making it bounce. “She probably would. But I want to hear more about your family. What was it like, growing up as the fae princess in a hive as large as yours? What about your siblings?”

Polina’s eyes narrow as she stares up at me. “Come on, Caretaker. You should know better than to ask that question.”

I stare back at her, dumbfounded. “Er … sorry. Remind me? I only just started at the Bee Guild. It’s my brother who knows more. At least, I think he does. Jules taught him everything he knows, and she seemed like a woman with her life together.”

Polina sighs. I’m not used to being in a position where I have to have someone explain something to me, and it doesn’t feel good. Makes me feel like I’m back in undergrad classes. “I had twenty sisters, but I killed them all in hand-to-hand combat, as is tradition, of course.”

I damn near choke on my own saliva again.

“W-Wait, what?” I sputter. “You did what?”

She nods. “Yes. I thought you knew that? Bees, whether fae or mundane, kill their rivals. I ripped off their heads and cast them over the side of the hive so I could emerge as the queen. Well … almost queen. I’m merely a princess, still.”

“That’s … so brutal,” I say as I caress the top of her head. “I’m so sorry.”

Polina lifts a shoulder in a half-shrug. “Don’t be. It had to be done. They would have done the same to me, after all. Besides … I don’t even remember it. I was a child, and we bee fae don’t start forming concrete memories until we’re six years old.”

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