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

Once inside, Gil picked up one of the knocked-over tables and chairs while Makenna went and got a round of drinks. I just sat back and stared through the broken door frame at the twins while they conversed with the bandits.

Gill thumped down heavily in his seat and propped his chin under her hands. “Where to start,” he mused, ruining his fingers in staccato rhythm over his thick chin. “The best place to start would be the beginning, I guess. I already told you how Duran and I met,” he said.

“He tried to rob you, right?”

He nodded and smiled, turning his head when Makenna came back with our drinks. “Thanks, Kenna,” Gil said and kissed her on the lips.

She blushed and returned the kiss with abandon. It was both heartwarming and incredibly depressing to see. It hurt to see such love and not think about Sam. I hope he’s okay right now.

I still couldn’t feel him since he’d closed off our connection, and I didn’t think he needed the distraction right now, not with everything going on. I took a few sips of my mead to try and calm myself, and it helped. By the time Makenna sat down next to Gil a few seconds later, I was much calmer and composed.

“So where did I leave off at? Oh, right, Duran was in the middle of robbing us. We’d fought the bandits tooth and nail, with heavy casualties on both sides. It had gotten bloody and over half of the guards we’d signed on with were lying in bloody chunks next to the pay wagon we’d been sent to guard.

“Most of my guild perished during the initial attack, and for the most part, it was just me and Duran left. One of the best fighters I’d ever crossed, though given his teacher, I never stood a chance. I fought till my fatigue was maxed—the other bandits had already surrounded us and were just watching the spectacle. Duran was just toying with me at this point, goading me to max out.”

I winced. Listening to Gil tell his story was hard, only because I knew how Sam fought, and imagining him going against his best friend like that twisted my stomach. I pushed away the mead; its sweetness no longer held any appeal for me. Gil looked over at me, took one look at my face and grinned sheepishly.

“Sorry, Eris. The worst part is already over with. Well, once I’d maxed my fatigue and seized up, the rest of their group were calling for my blood. But something changed in him, and he refused. To this day I don’t know why he spared me. Never worked up the courage to ask. Scared of the answer, I guess.

“But Duran did. Even when his king ordered him to end me, he refused.”

“What happened after that?”

Gil paused, taking a drink and continued his story. “D fought his clan to the last. Slaughtered them all. Bandit king included. After that, he let me go. ’Course he took the entire pay wagon for himself. But I wasn’t in a position to argue. With my guild wiped, I had nothing to go back to, so I stuck with him. Something about him just made me want to follow him.

“We rode together for a few months, but of course word got back to Evelyn about what he’d done, and she and Adam came after us personally.”

Makenna let out an involuntary shiver, despite the heat in the air, and Gil laughed. “You have no idea, Kenna. As scary as she is now, it’s nothing compared to back then. Evelyn’s actually mellowed out quite a bit since those days.”

Makenna laughed, snorting as she tried to take a drink and splashing it over the table. She slammed the mug down, flushed with embarrassment, and tried to wipe her dripping face. “I don’t buy that for a second.”

“Don’t buy what?” Evelyn asked, startling all three of us.

She walked through the door as calm as could be, with a look of mild curiosity as she joined our conversation.

“Oh, nothing, we were just talking about how we met,” Gil said hastily, shooting me and Makenna a pleading look.

Evelyn smiled a predatory smile. “Oh, you’re talking about the time I nearly killed you and the guild leader?”

“I wouldn’t put it quite like that.”

“How would you put it, then, hmm?”

“That we fought with honor and dignity and gave you hell doing it.”

Evelyn threw back her head and laughed, her golden eyes practically alight with flames as she shook with laughter. “Sure, you can think that all you want. Doesn’t make it true.”

“So what actually happened?” I asked, raising my hand.

“What…what she said. Evelyn eventually caught up to us and beat us black and blue. But the stars aligned, and she felt merciful that day. She didn’t kill us when she could have and instead decided to ride with us for a while.”

“We’d gotten bored at the top of the pyramid,” Evelyn said, stealing my mug of mead and tipping it back. A line of purple trailed from her chin down her pale throat as she gulped down the drink.

She tossed the empty glass on the table and leaned over. “Fast forward a decade, and here we are. Now that’s enough of story time. I’ve convinced the bandits to escort us the rest of the way to Slaughter Woods. So I suggest we all get some sleep. We ride at first light.”

After her words, her and Adam headed upstairs, leaving us downstairs with a gang of ruthless killers just outside.

“Who’s up for bunking together?” Gil asked, craning his neck to peek outside the inn.

***

I rubbed my eyes and yawned, trying to breathe some life into my tired bones. I hadn’t slept much; the hollering and looting of the bandits had gone on till the early