Hive Queen Read online

  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.

  The dining hall was comparably muted to the rest of the extravagance in the castle. An equal mixture of dark stone and wood filled the room. Stone floor and ceilings, with wooden support beams along the walls that formed rows of archways. Wide-open windows let in soft cool light along with a gentle warm breeze. From a glance as I passed by the window, I spied the deep sand dunes of the Badlands in the distance.

  That puts this castle on the furthest edge of the Isle of Nexus, past the ruins of Machine City and into some truly dangerous territory.

  I was distracted from gazing out the window by the clink of glass on wood. I turned to find Magnus drinking alone at the head of a large banquet table. Two long rows of chairs sat unoccupied. Magnus had just finished a large drink and spoke to another one of his maid staff. It wasn't Jasmine, but it could’ve been her mother. She had the same skin tone and hair color, if longer and pulled back out of her face.

  As I approached, Magnus stopped whatever he had been saying to the woman and acknowledged my presence.

  "Ah, Duran, would you like a drink before dinner?"

  "Sure."

  He nodded. "Magnolia, please uncork another bottle of wine if you don't mind, and whatever our esteemed guest would like."

  "Of course, Master. Another bottle of the surilie?"

  “Please.”

  Magnolia turned her attention from Magnus to me. Her darkened eyes were waiting. When I didn't immediately respond, she cleared her throat and spoke. "And for you, My Lord?"

  "Oh, uh, ale," I said.

  "Any particular?"

  "Surprise me."

  Magnolia nodded and exited the dining hall. Leaving us alone with each other. I just stood there in front of the table, not so sure of what to do with myself. Magnus took note of this and chuckled. "Come now, Duran, I won't bite. Sit down and share a drink with me; it might surprise you to learn I don't get to do this very often."

  I find that hard to believe. As much power as you wield, I imagine there isn’t much you couldn’t do. I kept my thoughts to myself, but raised an eyebrow, a frown formed as I stared at him.

  He grinned wide at my expression. The tanned skin of his face only brought out the sharp white of his teeth.

  "I imagine you could get anyone you wanted to have a drink with you," I said.

  Magnus threw back his head and laughed. The much-needed sound broke the tension in the air. I chuckled myself; his laugh was infectious. I pulled out one of the heavy oak chairs and sat down next to him.

  He spoke through his laughter. "Much as you might be right about that, it's rare that I have anyone other than my servants or Aliria to drink with me, certainly not someone I could treat as an equal."

  I scoffed. "Equals, not hardly."

  He just laughed harder at my words, thumping his empty wine glass on the table in the process. "Ah, dear boy, maybe not in terms of wealth or power, but those are trivial matters. You have tenacity and strength of spirit. Things neither money nor power can purchase."

&
nbsp; I didn't get a chance to respond to his words, as the door to the hall was thrust open. Aliria strode through, followed by Magnolia carrying our drinks.

  "Ah, I figured I would find you here…and Duran is here too, lovely."

  Well, it was a nice evening while it lasted.

  I inclined my head to our new arrival. To which she just smiled at me. A wicked grin that showcased her prominent sets of canines. "How was your bath?" Aliria asked.

  "Not as quiet as I'd have liked, but I made do."

  What the hell is your game, Aliria?

  She frowned at my words. "Did you not like my present?"

  "It was unnecessary."

  Magnolia came and poured Magnus another glass of wine, and a rich aroma spilled out of the bottle. She filled his glass to the brim, to which Magnus drank deeply. She then set down a large mug of ale in front of me.

  It was a perfect golden brown and had a good head to it. I took a long pull, savoring the richness on my tongue. The sweetness of the malt was accented perfectly by the hint of bitterness on the back of my tongue. It was a full-bodied drink, and it went down far too smoothly.

  Magnolia noted my appreciation for the booze with the hint of a smile. "Would you like another, My Lord?"

  "If it wouldn't be too much trouble," I told her.

  Magnus, who has been occupied with his wine, finished off his glass and joined the conversation. "Aliria...what did you do to the poor boy?"

  Aliria laughed at Magnus's reproachful tone. "Nothing much, I just sent Jasmine to entertain our guest."

  Magnolia accidentally knocked over my empty glass as she attempted to pick it up. "Sorry, My Lord,” she apologized.

  "Don't worry about it.”

  Magnus's humor fled as he gave Aliria a withering glare. “Jasmine is far too young for such things."

  "Morrigan's feathers, you should stop treating her like a child. She's older than I was when I was bonded, you know."

  "And look how well that turned out." I turned to Magnolia. "So that you know, I didn't lay a finger on her. My heart belongs to another."

  Magnolia unclenched her fingers from the mug and gave me an appreciative smile. It smoothed the lines in her forehead and under her eyes, making her look years younger.

  Aliria just rolled her eyes at my words. "I'll never understand you humans and your desire to shackle yourself to a single person. It's unnatural."

  "Says the woman who murdered her own husband."

  "I had my reasons."

  Because you enjoyed it, you sick monster. The memories of the Mnemosyne were vivid, and I had witnessed up close the delight and the bloodlust on Aliria's face as she brutalized her husband. He'd been a bastard, scum who treated his family like objects and bargaining chips. I'd have killed him in a heartbeat and slept soundly, but I wouldn't have enjoyed his death. I wouldn't have reveled it as she had.

  I slammed my fist down on the table. "Bullshit! I saw what you did to him. You took pleasure in killing him; you ripped him to pieces!"

  Aliria’s eyes widened, for the first time since I'd met her, she looked shocked. Something had surprised her. Her surprise twisted into a black grin. The yellow of her eyes lit up with dark delight.

  She relaxed her shoulders and glided towards me, and she moved to pull out the chair next to Magnus and me. "Well, well, well. Someone has been a naughty boy. Your memories didn't show me that. If you've experienced that particular memory, that means you've tasted of my little Eris. Tsk, tsk."

  Shame and heat flushed through my face. I couldn't deny it, I had drunk of Eris, had tasted of her flesh and blood. The mere memory of it sent waves of revulsion through me. I'd scarred her. Even if I'd never meant to hurt her.

  The heat of my face was plain as day. Aliria laughed at my reaction.

  "Oh, wipe that look off your face. I'm not judging you. It's quite all right. It's natural for entomancers to partake of our bonded."

  I wanted to say something, but she'd left me with nothing to say. She didn't seem to care about the fact I'd drunk her daughter’s blood. She just wanted to watch me squirm. She hasn't even mentioned Eris except as a jab at me, hasn't once asked after her daughter’s well-being. She's one cold bitch.

  My retort to her was put on hold as Magnolia entered back into the dining hall, carrying a tray laden down with drinks. Magnolia wasn't alone, as several more men and women swept into the room. From the style of dress, I assumed it was the cook and their staff.

  They brought carts heaped with platters of food. Almost every kind of food I could've imagined wheeled out. Plates piled high with chicken, fish, roasted pig, and steaks. Along with steamed vegetables and potatoes. Several soups and salads, as well as a tray of different loaves of bread and jars of butter. It was an extravagant feast, and the sound my stomach made was audible to the whole of the hall.

  They arranged the carts in front of us, and the staff served us a little bit of everything. I was eying the boar steak like a thief eyes a noble’s purse, but I held back from snatching at the food like a savage. I could wait a few moments more and dine like a gentleman.

  Magnolia set down another ale in front of me. As she placed it on the table, she leaned down and, so quiet I almost missed it, whispered. "Thank you."

  Then she stood up as if nothing had happened and continued to serve our table their drinks. Magnus gleefully accepted more wine; from the slight flush of his cheeks, I'd say he was tipsy. Magnolia sat down the decanter, filled with the strange liquid, next to Aliria, who was looking at the container with anticipation. My curiosity got the better of me, and I had to ask.

  "What is that?"

  Aliria licked her lips, her long tongue dancing across her teeth. She picked up the decanter and poured a generous measure of the drink into a wine glass next to her and brought the glass to her lips, taking a long drink before looking at me and answering my question. "It's bloodwine. Would you like some?"

  "Too strong for my taste. I prefer hard liquor."

  "Hmm, you don't know what you're missing—or perhaps you've just developed a taste for my daughter’s blood instead, is that it?"

  Her words sent rage and disgust rolling through me. In the back of my mind, I knew she was just goading me, looking to get a rise out of me, but I couldn't take the callous disregard of Eris any longer. I bolted out of my chair to jab my finger at Aliria. "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about!"

  Magnus looked up from the bottom of his wineglass at the hostility in the room. He didn't look upset; instead, he wore a grin on his face and spoke up as Magnolia poured him yet another glass of wine. "Now look what you've done, Aliria. Did you have to provoke him like that?"

  Aliria smiled wide. "Of course I did. He's bonded to my daughter, after all. I must see what the little abomination is made of."

  Magnus nodded his head and returned to his drinking with a murmur. "Well, I won't interfere with a family dispute; just don't make me break up a fight."

  Before his words, I'd been ready to stab Aliria, and my hand gripped the handle of my steak knife so tight, my knuckles stretched white over the skin. Calm yourself. This is what she wants, and besides that, I can’t take both of them, maybe not even one of them. Not to mention my lack of weapons. This isn't the time to lose control.

  I brought the calm and collected logic to soothe the coals of my rage. While not dousing them completely, my rage had subsided into mere embers rather than the raging inferno. I turned to Aliria. "That's the second time you've called me that. I'll bite. Why am I an abomination?"

  Aliria cocked her head to the side, a gesture so like Eris, it hurt. She reached out with her hand and pointed at my chest. "Do you not feel the magic within you?"

  "Of course."

  I couldn't not, even now. It writhed and swirled in the ruins of where my once human heart had been. The Aspect never rested; it pulsed constant in my veins.

  "You shouldn't exist. My careless daughter, through her ignorance, created you, a creature that the previous generations
of Hive would have killed on sight."

  "I don't understand?"

  She sighed. “Let me put it another way. Why do you think I killed my bondmate?"

  "Because you're a cold-hearted bitch?"

  Magnus spit out his wine and devolved into a fit of raucous laughter. He giggled to himself and tried to drink more wine, which sloshed around in the glass from his shaking hand. "He has you on that one."

  "Are you not supposed to be on my side?"

  "Oh, I am, darling, but even you have to admit: it's true."

  Aliria growled, knocked back the rest of her bloodwine, and motioned to Magnolia to pour her another. "Be as that may, that's not the point I was trying to make.

  "All entomancers, and the other races to a lesser degree, have access to the Hive magic. They are only scratching at the surface, and only a few can handle the process to connect to the Hive on a deeper level. Namely, the Hive Monarch and their knights."

  "Me?"

  "Yes, you. The first human Hive Knight in existence."

  Ah, I'm just a filthy human, not worthy of being with her daughter. I jabbed my fork at Aliria. "So that's why you're calling me an abomination, because I'm not one of your precious Hive?"

  Her eyes flickered with surprised amusement, and she let out a quiet laugh as sharp as her cheekbones.

  "Oh, little one, I couldn't care less about you being human. I never had conflict with your species. No, that's not what makes you an abomination."

  By the nine kings of hell, quit dancing around the question and spit it out already!

  I'd had enough of her antics. “Answer the question!"

  Aliria sighed, a deep, disappointed sigh, signaling I was ruining her game. Too bad.

  "You're no fun at all, but fine, I'll tell you," she said, taking another drink of wine. "The Hive magic inside you isn't what make you different, but when you freed my daughter from her prison, she was bound to you through black magic. That sliver of magic is what makes you an abomination, as the two were never supposed to coexist."

  Her words troubled me, but beyond that, I didn't know what to make of them. I took my time pondering the implications as I ate. The boar steak, my favorite food, cooked to absolute perfection, crumbled to ash in my mouth. I chewed through it anyway; if nothing else, to give me time to think. I swallowed a few mouthfuls of the meat and washed it down with another gulp of ale, which, thank the gods, still tasted sweet.