Anarchy (Hive Trilogy, #2)(17)

I sighed. Tough guys, they never asked for help. I reached out and plucked the painkiller free. I was betting whatever was in this thing was strong, especially if it would subdue an ash’s pain. If Ryder didn’t start looking better in a few minutes, I was totally using it on him.

Just as I had that thought, I noticed how much sweat had broken out on his forehead. Time to roll. I raised the syringe up high and he groaned.

“What’s your obsession with wanting to hurt me?”

I shrugged, stepping even closer into his personal space. “Guess it’s been harder than expected to get over the electrocution thing.”

His attempted chuckle turned into another grunt.

“Ready?”

He nodded, and before I could think about what I was going to do, in a single smooth motion I drove the syringe into his leg, pushing down to disperse the clear fluid inside. He didn’t even wince at the needle being jammed into his thigh. That pain probably paled in comparison to his stomach wound.

The mysterious clear liquid worked almost instantly. The tension which had racked his face lessened. His sigh of relief was music to my ears. Before he completely lost consciousness, I helped him out of the chair and tucked him into my bed. As his eyes fluttered, I went to step away, planning on running to the feeding station and grabbing some extra blood. But before I could he reached out and captured my hand, pulling me hard, using far more strength than an injured ash should have at their disposal. I fell onto the bed next to him.

“Lie with me,” he whispered in a slur.

I kicked off my shoes and tucked myself into his side, careful not to lie against his injuries. I felt his head tilt down to rest against my hair, and as he nestled closer into me he breathed in and out deeply.

“This is all … all I want.”

His last words were almost incoherent, but I heard them. Then he was fast asleep in a nice, drug induced state. As I was drifting off to sleep myself, I realized that this was what I wanted too. Unlimited spooning with Ryder was totes on my more to do list.





Chapter 4


I awoke to the smell of bacon and immediately began to salivate. As I rolled over, I froze as I remembered the last twenty-four hours. I realized, with more than a little disappointment, that Ryder was already gone. My eyes alighted on a note propped up on the pillow. I reached across and snagged it.

Thanks for taking care of me. You snore in your sleep. Ryder

My mouth dropped open. I totally did not snore! Right? Shit.

“Hey, Jayden!” I was a lazy bitch. Shouting from bed was one of my favorite things to do.

Come to me peasants, come to me.

I knew my roomie wouldn’t have left yet; the smell of bacon was the first giveaway. The second was that the clock on the wall said it was 6 a.m. Damn, that meant Ryder and I had been asleep for half the day and all night. I was starting to get a little too comfortable with that enforcer. There was a time a year ago when I could never have imagined trusting a dude enough to actually fall asleep with him. And look at me now.

Ryder was different. He made me feel safe, and that was a rare find.

“You hollered, bitch? You think I’m your dog now or something?” Jayden popped his fine ass in through my door, bounding across and slamming himself onto the end of my bed.

“Do I snore?”

His eyes widened, the silver ring barely visible—which was the way with most ash, except for Ryder and me.

“Of all the strange, freakish questions I hear from you, that’s what you’re spouting today? I expected: hey dude, did you know that Ryder shame-walked his ass out of my bed this morning. Or hey, dude, let’s work out some sort of sock-on-the-door system so that I don’t accidentally walk in on you and Ryder. Although…”

I punched him, right in the arm, which was way too muscled for knuckle comfort.

“Nothing happened. He was injured and we just slept together. As in sleep. As in no getting it on, no need for a sock on the door.”

Jayden actually looked disappointed. “I was just messing with you, girl. Oliver told me everything, and after I almost cried—which I totally didn’t because I’m badass—I waited up to make sure you were all okay. You must have missed me when you wheeled him in the room.”

So he’d been behind that closed door. It was nice to know he was nearby if I’d needed any help. Leaning across the bed, I threw my arms around him, pulling him in for a hug. I might have lost a lot by becoming an ash: Tessa, my life with my mom, college—oh, and my humanity—no biggie. But I had gained so much also. I was trying more and more to count my blessings.

As we pulled back, Jayden’s dark eyes twinkled. “Oh, and, Charlie, you totes snore, girlfriend. But it’s cute little kitten snores compared to Oliver. Sometimes I literally have to stuff his mouth full to shut him up.”

I cracked up then. Jayden was everything. Seriously, there was no way to feel all depressed with him around.

“I’m keeping you forever,” I told him.

He grinned. “Yep, you’re stuck with me, girlfriend.”

After our BAFF moment, I decided to shower and get decent looking. I squealed like a pig as a few pieces of glass fell out of my ponytail and my shower water was tinged with blood. Probably Ryder’s.

Not that long ago I used to wash glitter out of my hair after clubbing with Tessa. Damn, life had changed. I missed that chick.