Hive Queen by Sinclair, Grayson (ereader iphone .TXT) 📗

It was quick, brutal, and over in a handful of minutes, leaving me with a sense of accomplishment that I’d helped—and a mess of muck and mud in my hair and over my clothes.

“I need a bath,” I said to myself, but my words carried over the silence.

“Truer words, sister,” Makenna said.

After we cleaned ourselves off as best we could, we climbed back on our horses and continued out of the swamps. The scent of salt clung to my skin and the back of my tongue with every inhale, but there was nothing we could do about it but grin and bear it.

By the time we made it back to the castle a few days later, all of us were exhausted from the trip, and when the heavy wooden gate shut behind us, we all heaved a sigh of relief.

I led Lacuna to the stables and spent an hour or so brushing her down and praising her like Sam did. She was a wonderful horse, and I was thankful for her. I made sure she knew it too.

When I was finished, I shot straight to the third floor and into our room.

It was empty, vacant without Sam here next to me, but I ignored my rising dread and focused on getting myself clean.

After a week of not having a proper bath, I was in desperate need of one.

I slid out of my last pair of semi-clean clothes and tossed them in the wicker basket by the door. The steam invited me to join it, so I lowered myself and proceeded to take a very long time bathing. When I was done, I just lay on my back and drifted, unsure of what I should do next.

This is my home now, but why do I feel so much like an outsider without Sam by my side? Everyone here are my friends, part of my family now, and yet most of them are strangers to me.

There was a knock on the door that interrupted my thoughts. “Eris?” a feminine voice called out, muffled by the closed door.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Yumiko walked in, wearing a tight-fitting jade shirt and black pants. Her black hair fell freely past her pale skin and crimson eyes.

I didn’t know why she was here, and it must’ve showed.

“There’s a guild meeting in a few minutes about everything that’s happened. Figured you would want to be there,” she said, her voice quiet.

“Thank you for letting me know. I’ll be there.”

She nodded and was about to depart when I shouted, “Wait!”

“What?”

“Um, I wanted to apologize. When I first met you, I didn’t like you. Vampires and my kind have never gotten along since we have fundamentally different concepts on blood. Because of that, our kinds were always at odds with each other. And I carried that mistrust over to you. For that, I’m sorry.”

Yumiko shrugged. “Hey, forgive and forget. I didn’t exactly choose to become a nocturnal, either. So I can’t exactly blame you for your prejudices.”

“How did you─“

She coughed. “The meeting is going to start soon. Wilson will have a stroke if we’re late,” she said quickly and left, shutting the door behind her.

Guess we all have things we’d rather not talk about. I hurriedly climbed out of the water and got dressed. I chose a long-sleeved royal purple tunic and a pair of Sam’s black cotton trousers. They were several sizes too big, but I tied them tight with the drawstring. They were clean, but the dresser where they’d been kept had a soft lingering scent of Sam that clung to the wood and settled into his clothes.

When I was dressed, I made my way down the stairs to the first-floor guild hall. Very few of the others were inside when I entered; only Wilson, Levi, and Yumiko were present. They were making small talk when I entered, but it got quiet as the doors closed.

“Is it okay if I sit in Sam’s chair?” I asked.

Wilson inclined his hand and motioned at the chair beside him. I sat down and smiled at him, trying once again to get him to like me.

“How have things been since we’ve been gone?”

“Busy. To say the least. We’ve got a lot to discuss.”

After that he flicked his hand up and stared blankly ahead, using his interface. He promptly ignored me and left me to wait in silence till everyone else arrived. They trickled in at the pace of a melting glacier, and I drummed my fingers on the table while everyone filed in.

The other members of the Gloom Knights took their seats, and Amber came in carrying a tray with ale and water. She sat a glass of water in front of me, and I took a polite sip while she served everyone before departing.

“All right, first on the agenda is our newcomer,” Wilson said, whistling.

At the shrill tone, the doors opened, and a man I hadn’t seen before came in. He was handsome, but his dark eyes told a different story. He looked worn down, jaded by life, and his dusk brown skin bore the scars to prove it.

He wore a plain black shirt and pants that matched his tied back hair. The man came and stood along the wall by the table.

“Most of you know him, but for those who’ve been gone, let me introduce Mika. An old friend of Duran’s.”

The name tugged at me, and I remembered the conversation Sam and I had shared about his previous life. “Takamikazuchi, right?” I asked.

Mika looked up, eyes lighting up in surprise. “Yes, that’s right. How’d you know?”

“Sam—Duran told me. You were a member of the Swords of Legend with him.”

He smiled. “You must be Eris. He spoke of you fondly.”

Wilson cleared his