Annihilate (Hive Trilogy Book 3) Read Free Page A

secrets, bro,” Ryder said, sounding casual, but we all heard the undertones.
    Oliver had Ryder’s back. “Not cool.”
    For the first time in forever I saw Sam look vulnerable, like an orphaned puppy. Eyes wide, bottom lip turned under.
    Sam met Ryder’s eyes. “You know my story. You know why I keep secrets.”
    What the hell? I wanted to know his story.
    Ryder sighed. “I know, but we’re your brothers. You can trust us. Always.”
    My heart broke a little then. Ryder’s voice was filled with emotion. A lot of which felt sad. His best friend had been hiding an ashpire for decades. Hiding information which could have helped me in the early days when we were playing in the dark with my magical blood. A part of him had to be feeling betrayed by this, I knew it.
    Sam gritted his jaw. “The less you know, the safer you are.”
    Kyle came around behind Sam. “Only one way to settle this.”
    Jared smiled. “I got first round.”
    Becca looked alarmed. “What’s going on? You’re not going to hurt him, right?”
     
    Ten minutes later we all stood around the kitchen and dining room. It was a skinny galley kitchen that opened up to a large dining space that could easily fit twenty seats. These shipping containers were super cool, and with the high-quality finishes inside you totally forgot you were in a metal box. My guess was that this lab was built for an entire research team and once fully stocked could house dozens for many months.
    A cheer went up then as the male-idiots in the room continued their games. Sam had already beaten Markus and Kyle in arm wrestling. Now it was Oliver’s turn. Oliver put his game face on as Jayden gave him a little tap on the butt to cheer him on.
    Becca looked confused as she leaned into me and whispered. “I don’t understand. What is this solving?”
    I smiled. “Sam lied to everyone. Trust has been broken, feelings hurt, so they’re hashing it out this way.”
    Becca’s thick eyebrows drew together. “Still makes no sense.”
    I sighed. Homegirl had some serious social catching up to do. She clearly wasn’t used to being around a bunch of burly males.
    “Okay, it’s like animals in the wild. One of the wolves in the pack does something to piss off the alpha, they need to put him in his place.”
    A slamming sound had both of us looking up. Oliver was rubbing his arm; it looked rather red around the wrist.
    Becca finally nodded, seeming to like my animal analogy. “So Sam’s the alpha right? He’s winning. ”
    I grinned. Ryder hadn’t had a turn yet.
    Jared was next. “You’re going down, Sammy.” He was trying to rile him up by using Becca’s term of endearment.
    Sam wasn’t fazed. He actually chuckled and held his arm up.
    “Go!” Ryder called, and Sam slammed Jared’s hand down in seconds.
    “Wait, wait. I wasn’t ready!” Jared pleaded, but Ryder just moved him along.
    “Jayden, you want a go?” Ryder asked my BAFF.
    Jayden grinned, showcasing all of his beautiful white teeth. “I’ll pass, dear. I’m secure with the length of my manhood.”
    Becca’s mouth dropped open.
    Oh snap! God I loved that man. Ryder just shoved the comment off and sat in front of Sam. They engaged in an epic staredown. This was the battle of the alphas, and just like wolves, neither looked away.
    “You could have trusted me with this,” Ryder finally said.
    Sam sighed. “It wasn’t your burden to bear. You had enough going on.”
    I knew he was talking about Molly, Ryder’s fiancée.
    Sam held up his hand and Ryder gripped it tightly.
    Sam leaned himself over the table. “You know this isn’t a fair fight. You’re a descendent from the house of strength.”
    Ryder grinned his cockiest of grins. “What’s wrong? Scared?”
    It was on; they both flexed their muscles and Sam’s hand started shifting backwards. He grunted and I thought the veins in his face might burst if he kept this up much longer.
    With a slam, in the end Ryder won with ease.
    Sam looked