Page 36 of Whispering Waves

“She... directs the bees?”

“Yeah. She says she isn’t the queen; she’s the empress.” She chuckled and swallowed some more water. “Queens get deposed by the hive. Empresses can take them all down.”

He chuckled. “Does she have a mate yet?”

“Nope. She also doesn’t want one. She didn’t come to the change through a chance encounter. She was hunted and survived it, but now, she wants nothing to do with men.”

Kimo frowned. “Ah. What happened to those who attacked her?”

Nina smiled. “It was the weirdest thing. Massive allergic reactions. Violent and sudden. No idea what caused it. They died next to a river but were gone before they hit the water.”

Kimo blinked. “She’s venomous?”

“I have no idea.” Nina grinned. “Cel is a person all to herself.”

“No sign of her partner?”

“He was one of the guys found in the river. He wasn’t a partner. He was a catalyst just like a trip to the beach triggered me. No guy in sight.” She smiled. “You certainly weren’t there. I would have noticed.”

He nodded. “Probably. I have been told I have a presence.”

She snorted.

The coffeemaker hissed and burbled. Kimo mixed her coffee and passed her the cup.

“Thank you. So, what is on the agenda today?”

“Well, I thought we could take a slow walk to meet the chickens, wander over to the solar panels, and check out the wind turbines and the battery packs. Then back here to cuddle and have lunch.”

“You scheduled cuddling?”

“After last night? Absolutely.”

“It was this morning.” She sipped at her coffee.

“It wasn’t nearly long enough.”

“I think it was plenty long,” she grumbled.

He laughed and got his own coffee. “What would you like for breakfast?”

“I have no idea.” She shrugged. “I am not feeling like myself today. Too much of you in me.”

“You have an interesting turn of phrase.” He chuckled. “Accurate but interesting. Shall I just make something and present it to you?”

“That seems weirdly formal. Can you just point me at some fruit, and I will take it from there?”

“You eat fruit in the morning?”

“I generally avoid morning if I can.” She chuckled.

“Well, here, there are things to do if you like. But we will start with breakfast. It is also nearly noon.”

She blinked. “Oh.”

Laughing, he wrapped his arms around her. “The chickens are not particularly patient, but they have food and water. We just have to collect the eggs.”

She blinked. “Can we do that now?”

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