Page 9 of The Hive Queen

“Yeah.” I flick the dead body aside. “They’re really aggressive.”

“Their hive must be nearby.” Sharpe tilts my head to the side. “Let me get the stinger out, or it will itch more.”

His concern fills me with warmth, and I hold still as he gently pinches the stinger out of the wound.

“We’ll have to put some cream on it when we get home.” Concern tightens his expression. “It’s already swelling. You’re not allergic, are you?”

I chuckle. “Wouldn’t that be a way to go?”

He pulls back to smile at me. “What? Big, bad firebird can’t be allergic to bees?”

“Shh.” I cast a look toward the techs scurrying around us.

“I think that bird’s already out of the bag, love.” Sharpe’s expression turns quizzical. “I’ve been meaning to ask something.”

“Is this a super-secret something that should be asked in private?” I ask, only half teasing.

“Maybe.” He drops his voice. “Why don’t you register as an Other?”

I lift my brows. “Why don’t you?”

Confusion fills his eyes. “But your sire is a demon and your mother is a witch.”

“My mother was like Reese and fae-touched. She was a powerful fire witch who defied the odds and survived into adulthood,” I tell him. “Many thought the fae blood in her was too strong, but my grandfather fiercely defended my grandmother when people whispered that my mother was a bastard. The fae blood makes a difference.”

His expression doesn’t clear. “That brings up another question. If fire witches burn out early, how did Marc survive to adulthood? Hedoesregister as a witch, and Darius thought he wouldn’t survive without him. But Marc didn’t have a problem before Darius took up residence inside him.”

“He had a lot of near-death experiences.” I shiver as the memory of that time surfaces. “He was part of my mother’s coven, and she helped him control the fires. I’ve tried to do the same, but too much and…”

“Firebird.” Sharpe nods in understanding. “It’s a good thing he has that amulet now.”

“Yes.” Grief strikes me out of the blue, tilting my world on its axis.

Marc had revealed to me the lengths Darius had gone to in order to get that amulet for him. I loved Darius for nearly a century and hated him for lifetimes uncounted, but only after his end did I realize there was more to him than I had known.

I saw the changes in my fire witch the longer he hosted the ignis demon. But I never once considered what all that time stuck in Marc’s mind had done to Darius.

“I’m sorry.” Sharpe touches my arms. “I didn’t mean—”

I shake my head. “No reason to apologize. We can’t walk around and act like he never existed. He deserves more than that.”

“Have you heard from Marc?” Sharpe gives me a sympathetic squeeze. “Do you know when he’ll be home?”

I shake my head. “I called and left a message, but he’s deep in the case he’s running. There’s no way to say when he’ll surface again.”

“He’ll come back.” Sharpe’s hand moves to my back. “You should head home.”

I frown. “But the scene is still being processed.”

He gives me a small push. “We won’t get any leads until we can dig into this man’s life and the camera footage in the garage to build an idea of his final hours.”

“I can stay and help dig through the footage.” It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve watched surveillance tapes.

Sharpe shakes his head. “Just go home, please.”

Annoyance wipes away my confusion, and I lift my chin. “Oh, I see how it is. Use me to back up your assumption in front of Captain Bailey, then kick me off the case?”

He winces. “It’s not like that.”

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