Page 69 of The Hive Queen

“It will come in time.” I lean back against my seat. “Gods, the conversations we used to have over a glass ofsty’ra hy’n. All those talks about how we’d change the world.”

Sharpe turns his head to stare out at the dark parking lot. “Or end the world.”

“Yeah, some of our ideas were pretty out there.” I shake my head. “That was in your book, too? The Library really does record everything.”

“It wasn’t too out there for the old me.” Sharpe’s focus returns to me.

Confused, I reach for Anny’s sandwich and unwrap it to check the temperature of the patty. “What do you mean?”

“The thing about not remembering my past lives and only reading about them is that it’s easy to be objective about the person I was.” Sharpe laces his fingers together in his lap. “And it’s easy to see where I was heading.”

Pulling the chicken patty out, I rip it into quarters and feed one to Anny. “I don’t understand.”

“I had become too destructive. Those talks we had about doing a reset for humans weren’t just talks for me.” He takes a deep breath. “I was going to do it.”

“No, you wouldn’t have,” I scoff. “I know you. You would have never crossed that line.”

“I would have. We were too close for you to see it, but Darius realized what was happening. That’s why he moved my touchstone. He gavemea reset.” Sharpe rests his head against the window. “When I found him in The Harbor, I thanked him, and asked him to do it again if I ever started down that path again.”

Shock fills me. “You’re serious.”

“Darius has always done what was necessary, no matter the cost.” Sharpe unclenches his fingers and rubs his palms against his thighs. “Marc already knows about my potential as a threat, and now you do, too. I’ll tell Pen once things settle.”

Anny’s nose nudges my hand, and I feed her another bite. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything. But it’s something you weren’t aware of and now you are.” Sharpe shifts to face forward once more, digging his shoes out from under Anny and putting them on. “Now, my socks are dry, and my head hurts less, so let me take over driving while you do your thing.”

Still reeling, I stare in confusion when he pops open the door and slides out. “Huh?”

“You’re going to track down Amalia, right?” Sharpe shuts the door and walks around the van to open the driver’s door. “Scoot.”

I gather up the rest of Anny’s treat and move down the bench to the passenger side. “What grand plan are you attributing to me?”

“We’re going to work some magic to find Amalia.” Sharpe hops up behind the wheel. “And bywe, I obviously mean you.”

I let Anny steal the rest of the chicken and drop the leftovers into the to-go bag. “So, the plan is…?”

Sharpe buckles in. “While I drive up and down the streets of Clearhelm, you’re going to put out your feelers and locate that bounty hunter.”

I groan and grab the first aid kit to dig out some aspirin for myself. “You have no idea what you’re asking.”

“Nope.” He backs out of the parking spot and turns toward the street. “It’s one of the many benefits of knowing nothing about magic.”

“Just you wait.” I place my hand on Anny’s head, and ley line magic rises to my call. “It’s only a matter of time, and then you’ll know my pain.”

He chuckles. “Touching people’s souls wasn’t on the list of dark sithe abilities.”

I push my magic outward, finding the souls closest to us and dismissing them as unfamiliar. “Read up on that, too, huh?”

“Need to prepare for the future.” He checks the rearview mirror and slows to give me more time to filter through those around us. “I’m a little disappointed I don’t have pointed ears.”

“Don’t be,” I say distractedly. “All the pointy-eared fae were boring. The more pointy, the duller.”

Sharpe says something else, but the words don’t register as all my focus goes into sweeping through the energy signatures of the people we pass.

We drive in circles, spreading outward one block at a time, my magic checking and rejecting life forces a dozen at a time.

Anny makes this kind of big spell work easier, funneling ley line magic into me in a steady stream. Before we bonded, I never would have attempted what Sharpe suggested. There are just too many people in Clearhelm.

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