Page 21

Chapter Eighteen

Let the Hive Rise

Cordelia

The doors groan as they open, and the world parts for me. Glitter-slicked bodies sway in slow motion painted with foam, small sprouts erupting from their skin, and blood. Bioluminescent strands pulse beneath their skin like veins made of light.

All tethered to me.

Their mouths hang open–not slack but revenant, as if they held their breath. Waiting.

They don’t touch me.

They know.

They feel me. Hear my voice… my needs and wants. They feel the way my skin thrums, the rhythm of my heart, and the way the spores dance for me, like I'm the eye of the storm.

I step forward, barefoot as the wet ground kisses the soles of my feet, mud sliding between my toes. Warm and alive. I feel it all. Behind me I feel them–panting, glowing, and evolving.

My boys. My tether. My spark.

And the crowd opens for their Queen. With a deviant smile, I walk past them with my head held up high as I think of how it all came to be. How perfect things align when you're meant for the bloom.

Who would have thought that my plans would come thanks to Chase after a late night quickie. He had fallen asleep while I remained awake listening to the rhythm of his heart when the sound of a text notification pulled me from my lover girl moment.

I ignored it at first, but when it pinged again, I peeked and curiosity grabbed me by the throat. Dr. Elias.

Careful not to wake him, I pick up his phone, type in his password, and read the message.

“Professor Johnson gave me the information I needed. Whoever these two are, they are brilliant. I shouldn’t be telling you this, but you did well. The cordyceps adapted, more than adapted–they are thriving within the host.”

And just like that, my mouth went dry. My pulse quickens but doesn’t race.

I already knew Daniel was a useful one, and I was aware he had stolen my thesis and notes from labs.

Actually, I found them all on his computer.

But this is shocking to say the least. Placing the phone back beneath him, I lay back on his chest.

While I formulated my plan... While letting him continue with his. I should have felt betrayed, but my heart felt proud. Finally, my beautiful boy found a way to claw back in, and I know it’s for us.

Everything he does is for us. For love.

That' s how we work.

The sounds of snapping tree branches snap me from my thoughts as the guard emerges, all dressed in black with his weapon raised. Panting and shouting into a radio.

“Target located. Repeat–target–”

I raise my hand, silencing him.

Mmmh… infected.

Just as his partner cuts through the foliage of greens, the man hesitates when he realizes how fucked he was.

One of my babies lunges–jagged teeth, slicked with bloom. He tackles him into the ground before straddling him and biting deep into the second guard’s neck. The one fighting the infection tries to run before he’s cornered by more glittering bodies.

The man screams behind me.

It doesn’t last long.

Slowly, I approach him, kneeling beside his twitching form as my blooms tear through him. I run my finger along his slick, blood soaked cheek, then I lift his chin and lean in, placing a kiss on his lips.

Filaments slide from my mouth to his, creating a carrier for the spores to invade his body and then be spread back into the air. His eyes roll back and his body convulses–shaking violently.

And then–stillness.

The camera embedded in his helmet blinks red. Recording. Grabbing the helmet, I lift it into the air and make sure to get me in all my glory with a wide grin before crashing into the ground. The crowd cleared for my Kings to approach me.

Knowing they mean everything… feeling our love.

Our devotion and twisted connection. Tate’s chest rises and falls too fast… Chase looks pale, but both are glowing so beautifully–still infected …

Still mine.

I walk toward the beach, slipping free of my clothes and baring myself to the world—

To my kingdom.

With my Kings behind me.

Glowing.

Blooming.

Mine.