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

When we were both suitably presentable, I led her up, back through the miles of winding staircases, stopping only briefly at each landing so we wouldn’t sweat and stain our nice clothes. It took about an hour, and we were both famished by the time we found our way to The Oak Door.

A single-story stone building with gold trimmed tile for the roof, as its name suggested, the entrance housed a massive, incredibly detailed door made from solid oak. It was a testament to how profitable the restaurant was that they could even afford the wood.

We stepped inside and were immediately warmed by the roaring fire in the fireplace by the host stand. An immaculate dwarf in a simple black suit inclined his head to us. “Two?” he asked, holding up two fingers.

I nodded, and he escorted us to our table and brought crystal glasses with ice-cold water and stood at attention as we settled in our chairs.

“We have several dishes on the menu tonight, sir and madam.”

He proceeded to list off the meals we could order, but as he listed the third, I knew that’s exactly what I wanted.

“I’ll have the brown butter-basted steak,” I said, trying not to salivate.

“The same,” Raven replied.

“Excellent choice. It’s one of my favorites,” the dwarf said. “Might I recommend a dry red to pair with your meal? The tannins in the wine help bring a near perfect balance with the meat.”

I wasn’t much of a wine person, but the conviction in which the dwarf spoke left no room for debate.

“That would be lovely.”

“I’ll bring your drinks out right away,” he said and departed.

Raven looked around the room and then back to me. “I have to admit, this is a nice restaurant. Cozy.”

“Expensive, but the meal will be well worth it.”

I folded my hands together and glanced at Raven, who had a peculiar expression on her face. I opened my mouth to speak but quickly closed it as the silence stretched. Well, this is awkward. I spent the whole trip distancing myself from her, but now I can’t even make polite conversation. Even if she’s a shifter, I can suffer through a single meal with her, at least.

“So how long have you been working for Magnus?” I finally managed to eke out.

“Working?” she scoffed. “Nice way to say ‘slavery,’ but to answer your question, about five years now.”

I shrugged. “Would you call it slavery if you willingly put yourself in that position? No one forced you to sign your life away to the Alice,” I began but stopped, my mouth strangling the rest of the sentence before it could spill out. I threw up my hands. “Fuck, I really can’t have a civilized conversation with you, can I?”

Raven was about to respond when the waiter returned with our drinks and an open bottle of red wine.

“Enjoy,” he said and departed.

I picked up my glass and drained it quickly, barely tasting the hints of cassis and plum as it swirled over my tongue. Raven did the same with hers, and as she finished her drink, she laughed.

“It’s okay. I hate myself too, if it matters, but how about, for this dinner, you forget I’m a shifter, and I forget you’re an asshole, and we just pretend we enjoy each other’s company?”

I laughed louder than I meant and quickly covered my mouth as several of the nearby tables turned in my direction. Raven lit up in surprise at my sudden outburst. Her eyes widened, and her mouth lifted in a genuine smile, the first I’d seen on her.

It made her glow, and for a second, I did forget that she was a shapeshifter. She was just Raven in that instant, and I couldn’t fight the smile that crawled over my lips.

But reality set in, and the moment passed.

My smile fell, but Raven’s lingered for a moment longer. Our food arrived a short while later, and we both dug in, while discussing meaningless things as we stumbled our way into a facsimile of polite conversation.

We finished our meal, polished off the entire bottle of wine, and half another.

Nothing was waiting for either of us back at the safehouse, so I thought why not stay and enjoy the atmosphere? We both lingered, the wine helping to make us forget what we were here to do.

After the booze had safely settled, I paid and left a generous tip for the helpful dwarf, and we headed back to Lowtown.

The two of us had had enough to drink that by the time we made it back to the house, we were a little tipsy.

Raven plopped down on the couch when we got inside and lay out on the furs. “Hey, this is actually pretty comfortable,” she said, sitting back up.

“Yeah, the dwarves know what they’re doing when it comes to stonework. They just can’t do much about the cold.”

“Speaking of, a bath sounds amazing. Care to join me, husband?” she asked, her words ever so slightly slurred.

“Pass, and don’t call me that. You’re not my wife.”

“You miss her, don’t you?” Raven asked, sliding from the couch and standing.

“More than I ever thought I would.”

She walked over to me and stared at me, her head cocked to the side ever so slightly. “You don’t seem the type, honestly. To settle down and get married.”

I chuckled and went to the kitchen, where a crude stone refrigerator stood in the corner. Half a dozen frost stones embedded in the stone chilled it to nearly freezing, and Orryn had stocked it with plenty of beer and spirits. I grabbed a glass bottle and unstopped it, taking a sip.

“I wasn’t. But Eris didn’t care. She bulldozed into my life and gave me something I didn’t know I needed.”

“And what was that?” she asked, holding out her