Hive Queen by Sinclair, Grayson (positive books to read .txt) 📕

“Let’s eat and drink our fill, then let’s have the shifter for dessert.”

What’s with you and blood lately?

“It’s delicious and slakes my thirst. Just a couple drops, and I’ll be satisfied.”

“Oh, hell no,” I said and shook off the lingering mental chill the Aspect brought; ignoring the quizzical look from Raven and entered the bar.

Subtle music mixed with the hum of the patrons. The bar was packed with dwarves, humans, and even one of the fae. She was bartending, which was a strange place to find a faery. I turned to Raven and let go of her hand.

“Find your contact and come get me when you’re done.”

She stopped and paused, raising an eyebrow. “You don’t want to go with me?”

“I’d rather drink. Besides, consider this an olive branch. I expect you to fill me in completely when you’re done. I’m choosing to trust you. Don’t make me regret it.”

Trusting her goes against my nature, but right now she doesn’t trust me, and that could go bad if we get backed into a corner.

She nodded. “I won’t.”

I left her to her own devices and made my way over to the stone bar top. Half a dozen other patrons crowded around the bar, all vying for the attention of the faery.

She was unnaturally beautiful, as all members of the fae are. Long, straight mahogany hair framed her refined face and cherry lips. Her hair fell to her waist and swirled as she moved her hips to the beat of the drums and flute. Her ice blue eyes swept over me as I reached the counter, and I shivered under the intensity of them.

“What can I get you?”

“Something strong,” I said, pulling out a gold coin and sliding it across the bar.

She smiled and swept the coin into her palm, turning to grab a glass and giving me a good look at her back. Her blue tunic and tight black pants were an unusual style of dress for the fae, but she made it look natural. Two slits above her shoulder blades told me where her wings were, but she’d concealed them with illusion magic.

She returned a minute later with a tall mug with a bright red liquid that bubbled and fizzed as it threatened to spill its contents over her slender chestnut fingers.

“Red Goblin pale ale. A personal favorite,” she said as she sat the mug down.

I took a cursory sip. It was tart and hoppy as hell, but delicious. The faery came back with my change and counted it out exactly before handing it to me. I took half.

“Keep the rest.”

“Thank you,” she said, smiling wide, showing her two rows of pointed teeth.

“Can I ask your name?”

“Tel’ganora, but everyone calls me Tel.”

I nodded and smiled before taking another sip of beer. “It’s nice to meet you, Tel.”

“It’s nice to meet someone who isn’t gawking at me. I appreciate it,” she said before turning to handle the mob of other customers all demanding her attention.

I nursed my drink and listened to the band playing while I kept a sidelong glance at Raven. She sat alone at a stone table in the corner, not talking to anyone, but she kept throwing her eyes my way.

I’m not going anywhere, little shifter; just do your job and we can get out of here. This bar was a decent enough place, but having a creature as beautiful as Tel nearby would only complicate matters. People would do anything for beauty like that, and damn anyone who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Though as Tel flitted around her domain, she kept order really well. One of the scruffier dwarves got a little handsy and grabbed her ass,  and he swiftly received a fork stuck through his fingers. The screaming, bleeding dwarf was dragged out of the bar and tossed out on the street while the patrons cheered.

Guess she has things under control.

“Let’s break her of that control, drink her dry. I bet her memories are sweet.”

Oh, godsdamn it! Look, you sadistic little monster, just wait till we get back home. I’m sure Eris won’t mind sharing her blood.

A grumbling came from my heart, but the Aspect considered my proposal. Fine, I’ll behave—for now. The false queen’s blood is rich and sweet as sin. You can have her flesh as long as I get her blood again.

Deal. Now keep quiet unless you’re going to help.

I finished my drink, and Tel swiftly brought me another one. “How’d you like it?” she asked.

“It was perfect.”

She flashed me another sharp grin and went back to work, she sat up straighter as a thick, black-haired dwarf walked in. So that’s Orryn. He wore a simple brown tunic free of any dirt and a pair of canvas pants. His beard and hair were well-groomed, and his dull green eyes swept the bar in a professional manner. His eyes met mine, and I knew he’d made me.

He looked from me to Raven and back again. He jutted his chin toward the table, motioning me to join them.

Ah, hell. Whatever. I grabbed my drink and ambled over to the table. Raven glanced from me to the contact. “Thought you were going to leave this to me?”

I held my hands up. “He made me, nothing I could do about it,” I said and took a drink.

“Can I have a taste?”

I slid her my glass while Orryn sat down. Raven chugged a third of the beer and let out a sigh of content, thumping the glass against the stone table.

“Let’s get to business, shall we,” I said as our dwarf contact pulled out his chair.

He smiled and leaned back in the chair. “I wasn’t told about ya, I was told to meet with a red-eyed woman with pale skin and