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

have to be good enough, and if it wasn’t, I knew Sam would always be there. Despite my actions, despite the storm I stirred up with what I’d done, we’d both come out the other side relatively unscathed. I was grateful for that, that we could still be ourselves after what happened. That’s really all I need. We can work through anything as long as we’re together.

My spirits were up, which was the best I could’ve hoped for, and I turned to head back inside when I found someone walking towards me.

It was Raven, the shapeshifter Sam had befriended. We hadn’t spoken but briefly when he arrived back. She was gorgeous, but that hardly mattered when it came to my bonded. He said she was kind, and that was much more important. Though, her beauty isn’t a bad thing.

Her silken pitch hair was so dark, it could rival the void; her face held a softness that didn’t match her blood-red eyes. They were the eyes of those who’d seen the worst of the world. They mirrored Sam’s eyes perfectly.

I snorted. Mine too, probably. We’ve all seen things no living creature should witness and survive, yet we have, and somehow found our way into each other’s lives. Maybe it’s fate.

“What’s so funny?” she asked quizzically, her eyebrows pinched together as a smile lifted her raspberry lips.

“Ah, it’s nothing. What’re you doing out here?”

She smiled, showing her white teeth, but her hands intertwined, her fingers going in circles over each other. “I wanted to talk to you, since we didn’t get a chance last night.”

I couldn’t explain why, but I liked her immediately. I was fine with her last night, but we’d spoken for only moments, so I didn’t have time to form an opinion. Now my instincts were telling me she was a good person.

“Then let’s talk,” I said, scooting back to the ramparts and hopping on one of the merlons. “I’ll admit, I’m curious to learn more about you. Sam is picky about who he trusts, so you must be very special.”

Raven laughed, but it was heavy with insecurity. “I’m not special. Duran wanted nothing to do with me when we first met, but because of Magnus, he had no choice.”

I patted the wall next to me. “I want to hear your version of the story. Tell me everything about you.”

She nodded and came to rest beside me before opening up and speaking.

A couple hours later, the sun had gone down, and Raven came to the end of her story.

“And once I realized it was him, I just couldn’t stop myself, and I kissed him. I’m sorry.”

I burst out laughing, and for the first time in hours, I wasn’t burdened by recent events. I could just laugh, and it was wonderous.

“You have a really nice laugh,” Raven said, smiling. “But still I shouldn’t have kissed your husband. It was wrong of me.”

“Don’t be. Morrigan knows, he wouldn’t have kissed you first. I’m grateful actually.”

She gave me a blank stare. “Why?”

“Because of Sam’s past. I don’t know everything. There are still parts of his life that he keeps to himself, but he’s lived a rough life, and it’s made him cold, hard to trust. I think my coming into his life helped, but I was worried our time apart would send him back into his shell. But clearly my fears were unfounded, so thank you, Raven.”

“Even if I’m in love with him?”

I kicked out my feet and jumped down from the battlement, landing softly. “Is it love?”

She started to answer but paused, her fingers gripping the stone. “No. Well, maybe…no, it’s not love, not yet, but I think it could be eventually. It certainly hasn’t been an easy relationship between us, but even though we’ve only known each other a short while, I feel like I’ve known him my entire life.”

“He has that effect. Really, I’ve only known him a few months, but I’ve seen so much more of his life than he could tell me. It’s what immediately made me fall for him. I got to see the unfiltered version of Sam, who he really is rather than who he thinks he is.

“He’s a hard man, but only on himself. He just needed someone to love who loved him in return.”

I leaned back against the stone. “I have no issue with you being with him. Goddess knows I don’t have a right to dictate who he loves. He cares for you; whether he’ll admit it or not is a different matter. But I’ve seen the way he looks at you. It’s similar to the way he looks at me.”

Raven paused, her eyes hopeful. “Having been around Aliria, I was sure that you wouldn’t mind, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

I smiled at her, despite her bringing up my mother. I wouldn’t worry about that now. “I’m fine with it, but if you’re not completely sure about him, I won’t let you anywhere near him. Do you understand?”

Raven nodded. “I am. I’m sure that I don’t want to leave him. I don’t want to go back to my old life. I want to stay here with him.”

“And me?” I asked, picking up a small stone that had chipped form the wall. “It would eventually be a relationship with the three of us. Are you okay with that?”

“Um, we’ve only just met, but I can see us being really close friends…but romantically…just. Just give me some time on that, okay?”

I smiled at her, and she returned it. Her crimson eyes lit up and her nose crinkled as she gave me a big smile. “We certainly have time.”

Raven jumped down after me, and standing next to her I realized something. Two somethings.

“You’re taller than me,” I grumbled. “And just look at your chest. That’s not fair.”

She