Elves Invasion

9

“Oh, so you’re looking at me again?” he replied. “Nice to know Zuro’s dimples haven’t completely blinded you.”

“He doesn’t have—” Mia started to argue and stopped. She turned away.

“No, you started this. Now finish it,” Erye said, standing and crossing to Mia.

“That’s close enough,” she said, halting his stride for him. Erye came up short like he’d run into a brick wall, one foot still raised.

Possessing him was a mistake—Mia knew it as soon as she did it. Not just because it was wrong, but because of what it did to her.

She saw the edge of his skin before she dove into it. The perfect, golden-smooth dewiness of it over stripped sinew and muscle—the sun-soaked softness over strength that was Erye. She’d forgotten how strong he was. How perfectly his body responded to her desires and carried them out for her. Every dream of Avain motion she’d ever had he could give her. If she wanted to jump off a cliff into wild waves, or run up thin air to the very stars, his body was the vessel for that dream.

And if his body was her wonderland, his bright mind surpassed it. Only Erye could corral her harrowed thoughts. Only he had a many-roomed mansion of ideas for her to barrel through, manic and crazed, to pick over feverishly as was her fashion, and pull snapshot memories from the walls. Only Erye could let her run free inside him with no need to worry if she’d do damage.

He let her take all of him because he was the only one strong enough to survive her rough use.

Only Erye. And he knew it. He knew how desperately she needed a place to put her frantic, frenetic energy, and he knew he was the only one who could survive her. He welcomed it.

Their eyes met, and Erye won. She wanted him more. More than anything or anyone. All it took was a moment inside of him to make her feel like she’d be lost in his labyrinth forever.

She released him, letting go like she’d grasped the biting edge of a hot knife, and he put his foot down hard. He was panting from shock. He didn’t think she’d actually possess him, and from the stunned looks on the rest of her coven’s faces, Mia could see that none of them thought she would do it, either.

Stupid, she thought. Maybe Lillian heard her.

“You made your point, Mia,” he said in a raspy voice. “Don’t worry. I won’t come near you again.”

The finality of it stung enough to bring her back to herself. There was no apology in her when she addressed them all in mindspeak.

Call Zuro a spy if you want, but the truth is, we’re the strangers. We’re the threat. Avawants to know more about us, and she’s using Zuro to get that information for her. I would do the same. I haven’t told him anything, and neither should you, but I have learned a lot from him.

Mia replayed the memory of her conversation with Zuro in the scent bar so they could all see for themselves how he reacted to her questions about the law against claiming.

Now, can we all move past the idea that I’m naive enough to spill my guts to a pretty boy and start dealing with the fact that we’re in a city that’s being controlled by the Woven?

You think he’s scared to talk about it because of the Hive, Joel said in mindspeak.

She looked at him and smiled. Now that he knew she wasn’t smitten with Zuro he was on her side again. What other reason can there be? They’re everywhere and they’re always listening, she replied.

But can they understand us? Windyard was looking at the floor, thinking deeply, as he asked this question. At the ball, the Warrior Sisters didn’t stand down until they sensed that Mia was calm. Saying it wasn’t enough.

The Sisters didn’t look like they understood anything Mia was saying, Una added, agreeing with Windyard.

We don’t know what they understand. We need more information, Juliet said. Zuro could have a dozen reasons for not wanting to talk about the laws here. We’re just assuming that it’s because of the Hive.

What do we do, then? Try to strike up a conversation with one of the Workers? Breakfast smirked as he asked this in mindspeak. The thought was ridiculous enough to get a smile out of all of them—except Erye.

What I want to know is where they come from, he said. Everyone looked at Erye. They’re called the Hive, but has anyone seen an actual beehive anywhere?

No one had.

I looked all over today for some place big enough for a large number of Warrior Sisters to congregate, but apart from those lookout towers, there isn’t any. The towers only fit a dozen or so Sisters at a time, Erye continued. So, where’s their hive?

Out in the fields? Joel guessed.

Erye shrugged. Mia could sense that the rest of her coven felt a bit embarrassed, especially Windyard. While they were getting their hair done, Erye had been trying to gather information about their Woven hosts. Mia looked at Erye.

What do you suggest we do?

She didn’t like asking Erye for direction. She liked it less that for the first time she had to really look at him. He was thinner. His skin was sallow, his eyes more sunken, and his hair was long enough to brush his shoulders. He looked haunted and hungry. Like looking across a burning desert, Mia could only suffer the glaring beauty of him in small bursts. She looked away.

Keep Zuro busy tomorrow. I’ll look around some more and try to see which way they come and go, he answered.

I’ll go with you, Windyard offered.

Erye shook his head.

We’ll both go, Joel said.