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

Penalty Active (-20 to all Main Stats)

No wonder I was so weak against Aliria! I forgot about the penalty when I'm not close by Eris. Damn, this puts me at a heavy disadvantage, though none of my sub-stats were affected. That's some good news.

The soap suds in my hair slid down my face and stung my eyes. I dunked my head under the water and rinsed them from my strands. When I came back up from the water and brushed my sopping hair from my face. I wasn't alone in the bath any longer.

Jasmine had slunk into the room without my notice, betraying either her level of talent or my ability to be completely oblivious to my surroundings. I was betting on the former.

She stood at around my chin, which would put her at around an inch or two over five and a half feet. Her auburn hair stopped just below her chin, barely licking at her throat. She stared at me with large, honey brown eyes that darkened in the steam.

And to top it all off, she was naked as the day she was born.

Her body was slender, yet toned, her rich, tawny skin complex. Pale hues of brown beaded with sweat as steam drifted past. Her breasts were larger than average and ever so slightly uneven. Her dark nipples stiffened, despite the heat. I dropped my gaze quickly, only to see a neatly trimmed patch of brown hair just below her waist.

She stood under my gaze with calm indifference, as if she didn't care that she was baring herself to a complete stranger and lowered into the bath.

"Jasmine, what do you think you're doing?"

Her voice was soft and warm, yet robotic. "I was ordered to tend to your every want and desire, as commanded by Mistress Aliria.”

"Did she tell you to undress yourself?"

"Of course."

I sighed. I should’ve figured she'd try something like this. Testing the new boyfriend as it were.

I backed away from the young woman, as pretty as she was, she was nothing to me, and she didn't even register.

"Well, please dress yourself. Your services aren't required."

Jasmine nodded to me and exited the bath to my relief. My libido notwithstanding, I didn't have any desire to feed into whatever game Aliria was playing.

I finished cleaning myself and dried off with the fluffiest towel I’d ever seen, before tying it around my waist. I made my way over to the nightstand and withdrew several of the outfits, trying to find the one I wanted to wear. Not that my attire mattered much, but taking a few extra moments to dress properly wouldn't be the worst idea. Not when Magnus is playing gatekeeper.

I chose an ivory tunic with a matching set of pants. The white soothed me. I tended to stay away from white clothing as I found myself in far too many fights for me to have any hope of keeping them clean. The white looked nice, and I reasoned I couldn't get into much trouble at dinner. As I dressed, they clung to my frame perfectly.

I tied my still damp hair back and moved to open the door. Jasmine was waiting outside. Although having been in the bath with me not ten minutes ago, she was dressed immaculately in her maid uniform, not a hair out of place.

She curtsied politely upon seeing me. "Is there anything you require, My Lord?"

"Could you not call me Lord for starters?"

"No, My Lord."

Of course she'd be difficult.

I sighed, leaning against the door frame. Jasmine blocked the door, preventing me from exiting without pushing past her. A prospect I considered for a brief moment before reconsidering—there was something about the young girl that unsettled me. I had a feeling there was more to her than appeared, and I might bite off more than I could chew by resorting to violence.

Look how well your first attempt went. What is with the people here? Is everyone in this damn castle a badass?

Regardless of any of that, she may have been just a maid, but she was still a woman and had offered me no reason to be untoward to her.

"Is dinner ready yet?" I asked, my stomach rumbling.

Jasmine shook her head. "Not just yet, My Lord. However, I do believe Magnus is having a drink in the dining hall. If you'd like to join him, I can escort you."

It beats standing in this doorway, twiddling my thumbs. I inclined my head to her. "Be my guest."

Without another word, she turned on her heels and proceeded to walk down the hallway. We walked in silence through the identical halls. I tried again to keep track, but they all looked the same. The same gray stone, even the same number of doors and torches along the walls. It was maddening.

To break up the silence, I tried small talk, which I hated, but I still tried to make some attempt at conversation.

"How old are you, Jasmine?"

"Eighteen."

"Have you been here long?"

"All of my life."

"Do you have any hobbies?"

"No."

Well, I tried. After that, I stopped attempting to befriend the strange girl. It seemed a pointless waste of breath, and these weren't the questions I really wanted answered. Magnus was the one I needed answers from.

It took us around five minutes of walking through the twisting halls before we reached another unmarked door. How Jasmine was able to tell the doors apart from one another in a place this massive was beyond me, but if she had spent her entire life here, I guess she had ample time.

She opened the door, and with a bow, she bade me to enter.

"Thank you, Jasmine."

"Of course, My Lord."

Jasmine shut the door behind me, and I went alone to face Magnus.