Page 23 of Dreikx

“I’m not going after them. Seer is.” He snorts. “They’ll wish I came.”

A high-pitched sound interrupts the line. It’s only on my end of the com, not Raven’s. My com trap worked! And now I know Mike is active, listening and likely transmitting our conversation. I’m offended he believes I would not prepare for his assault on my secure line with Raven.

“Dreikx, I don’t have all day. Is there anything else?”

“Potato.”

“What?”

“Potato.”

“You’re hungry?”

“Sweet potato. Where can I get one?”

“At the store.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you at the Stronghold. Be there,” I bark, mimicking him. I click over the com before he barks back. I hope he concludes the random potato conversation is unlike me and that the com is compromised. He should. I don’t bark orders at him often or ever.

At this time of day, the flight over the city is particularly fast. Why is that? It’s time for humans to return from work. I rise into the clouds, dampening my ears against the pressure while scanning the air traffic first, then the ground traffic. A great number of humans have fled the city and surrounding areas. This is bad because Regha Alphas have secured the perimeter, and anything beyond that is wilderness, with Swarm males taking over smaller towns. I would like to presume some of those smaller towns harbor their king, though presuming and having an actual educated guess or, better yet, a confirmed location of the king’s hive would be more desirable.

At the Stronghold, I execute a perfect landing and head for Raven’s office. Sotay is still in charge since Raven is a bit of a scatterbrain with Anna approaching labor, even though Telean doctors are master craftsmen and would not fail to deliver his giant baby.Don’t offend his baby.Tamey’s voice breaches my thoughts. I smile. It’s nice to hear her, and I wonder if she touched herself today and saved those delicious orgasms for when I get home.I want to go home right now and fuck her.Oh no, wayward thoughts. I clear my head.

The moment I step outside the office building’s lift, loud voices, particularly Seer’s, ring in my ears. I dampen the acoustics. In the office, Raven and Seer argue.

“Temper, temper, boys,” I say as I walk around them. I glance at Sotay, who shrugs. Arkin is weaving black beads into his hair. “I’m guessing this is a family feud.” I take a seat near Sotay on the couch, reaching for the Swarm male memories I have locked tightly in my mind, and transfer them into my inactive brain compartment for unpacking. This allows me to sift through the memories while engaging in an active conversation. Conversations generally require minimal brain capacity, which leaves space for other things my brain could be doing. Like thinking about Tamey and why she hasn’t called me yet.

All brain activity immediately ceases. A single thought of Tamey makes me draw blanks. I must be careful of when I allow myself to think about her. Composing myself again, I initiate the unpacking of the Swarm male’s memories. Nothing happens. Visions of Tamey crawling around my feet, licking me everywhere are all I see.

Raven stands before me and knocks on my skull. “Anyone home in there?”

I blink. “Yes, of course. As I was saying, during my conversation with you, I detected an interruption.”

“For the record,” Seer says, “you weren’t saying anything. How’s Tamey?”

The other Alphas chuckle.

“Haha, very funny.”

“Go on,” Arkin says.

“What?”

Arkin leans his elbows on his knees. “You were saying something about the interruption.”

“I thought I wasn’t saying anything.”

Arkin laughs. “Try to focus, Dreikx.”

“I am focused!”

“Temper, temper,” Seer says.

I take a tissue and wipe the sand off my boots. “I want to go home and change,” I mumble.

“We are all still waiting,” Sotay says. “Tell us about the interruption.”

“Ah, that. Yes, I believe Mike is active and definitely in the area. He has tapped into my communications, so anything you say to me will be broadcast to the Swarm, I presume.”

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