Page 3 of The Hive Queen

With a shake of my head, I return to my desk. I don’t really believe Sharpe’s life would be better if we had left him in the dark. Without the knowledge we’ve given him, he could very well have died a dozen ways by now.

I wake my computer up and open my email, only to see a new message from my sire.

Hesitating, I click to open it.

To my dearest daughter, Merripen,

I returned to that spot I last wrote to you about, and the flower was still there, along with three more. Is it not wonderful to see life returning to our world?

I hope this bright spot will bring joy to your day.

Yours eternally,

Marius

Below is an out-of-focus picture of a tiny cluster of golden flowers.

A snort escapes me. He sent me the first email nearly a month ago, and two others after that, each time mourning that he hadn’t been able to get back to the Wasteland yet to check on the flower.

Slowly, I move my cursor to the reply button and type out a response.

It’s lovely.

I hit send before I can second-guess myself.

Losing Darius had been a wake-up call that even the long-lived races won’t always be around. I spent so many centuries being angry at my sire, while thinking there would always be time to reach out if I ever wanted to forgive him.

But always isn’t a guarantee. Darius had proven that when he sacrificed himself to spare us. He went to his death thinking himself hated, and that’s something I can never undo.

It’s time to set hate aside.

The first step is to respond to my sire’s overtures. Then, we can see if there’s still a chance for us to be father and daughter again.

The file I requested from Meredith pops up on my screen at the same time that my cell phone rings.

I click to open the file as I answer my phone. “Pen speaking.”

The muffled sound of sirens drifts through the speaker, almost drowning out Sharpe’s voice. “Hey, are you free? I’d like your opinion on a body we just found.”

“Sure.” Glad for something worthwhile to do, I shut down my computer and grab my jacket. “Send me the location, and I’ll be right there.”

“Get here fast.” He hangs up without waiting for a response.

A moment later, my phone pings with an incoming text.

It must be a bad scene for Sharpe to be so short on the phone. My thumb moves to dial Flint’s number before I turn off my phone instead and shove it into my pocket.

There’s no reason to pull Flint away from the Conservatory unless someone is on the verge of dying. He can’t do anything for the dead after their souls are gone.

“I have a case,” I tell Meredith as I pass her desk.

She stands from her desk in surprise. “You’re taking on the dick exploder?”

“No, Sharpe called me in on one of his.” I pull on my jacket and head toward the front door.

“You’re only digging the hole deeper by playing the good guy!” she yells after me. “We’re going to lose all our business at this rate!”

I lift a hand in acknowledgment but keep walking.

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