I wondered if that would make the enforcers uncomfortable. Most men would have been, but they just laughed and shook their heads.
Sam, who was dressed now, went around distributing clothes to all of us. Grabbing my pile, I turned to face the plane. I ripped the tags off the new clothing, then wasted no time peeling my shirt and bra off, and dropping my black dress, exposing my booty shorts and thigh holster for my weapon. The sound of skin smacking skin jolted me as I was reaching for my new shirt.
"Shit, Ryder, I wasn't looking. It was an accident," Jared said.
Chuckling, I quickly shimmied into the new clothes. Sports bra and plain black underwear, jeans and a cotton shirt. A little large, but would do the job for now. Turning around, I saw Ryder had Jared in a headlock, but they were both smiling.
Boys, they never really grew up.
The rest of the enforcers needed to get some action soon or Ryder and Oliver were going to be the envy of everyone.
"Drink up," Sam said, passing each of us three bottles of our preferred blood type. We chugged until we were sickeningly full.
Then, following the lead of our silent secret keeper, he led us into a long hallway and into another smaller hanger. There was an open-roofed section, and on a platform rested a large silver-bladed helicopter.
Dammit, this was so not cool. I was a bit of a control freak, had been since school. I was always the one in charge of the group projects, the one telling everyone what to do. So it was hard for me to just file into this helicopter, no questions asked, and let Sam fly us off to God knows where. My favorite ass-kicking boots had been replaced with Walmart flip flops, my sexy push up bra with a cheap sports bra. We had literally just left all our earthly possessions behind.
Not to mention I'd never been in a helicopter, and the sight of those massive blades, which Sam now had whirling in a dizzying motion, did not fill me with happy rainbow thoughts.
That was the thing with limited options. I really did not have any other choices but to get my butt in there and hope we all survived.
The ride to our destination was loud and we couldn't really communicate. I was burning with questions for Sam. Was this just another stopover or would this metal bird take us to our final destination? How the hell were we going to feed ourselves now that we had no stores of blood? We had left our weapons behind, so what happened if we were attacked again?
He was going to give me answers soon or I was going to torture them out of him. Jayden could go at his eyebrows. That was definitely a form of torture.
Despite my fears, I eventually started to enjoy the helicopter ride. We traveled over the most beautiful and picturesque land I'd ever seen. Green upon green, wild and untamed, which slowly morphed out into a world of endless ice and snow. I tried not to be a wuss, but I shivered in my seat at the vast and isolated wilderness.
Where were we? Canada? Alaska?
I hadn't seen a human or a house for a long time. Finally some sort of structure came into view, and as the helicopter began to descend I realized this series of buildings was made of shipping containers. This had to be our destination. Wherever we were, it was damn cold; snow was thickly blanketed over the ground. I eyed my flip flops with dismay. Yes, ash were less sensitive to hot and cold, but snow in flip flops … hell to the no.
After the helicopter landed, I leaned across Ryder to see the buildings better. A series of massive shipping containers were stacked high and in a square formation, which had created a good sized space. A logo on the side of the building furthered my confusion.
Alaskan Scientific Research Facility. Well, at least I knew where we were now.
When the helicopter blades had completely stopped, we all unbuckled and I ducked low as I jumped out. Once I was clear of those deadly blades, I stalked right up to Sam. Every exposed part of my body was already chilled and covered in bumps. I fought off the shivers. Holy shit it was cold, like the coldest I'd ever felt in my life.
That didn't stop my attitude from emerging in full force. "Okay, we're here, in Walmart flip flops, with no listening devices. Now tell me … " My chattering teeth lessened some of the stern nature of my voice. "What is this place? Why have you brought us here to the middle of nowhere?"
Sam's face, which was always confident and sure, faltered. He blinked a few times as if trying to figure out what to tell me. "I ... we ... there's … "
My stomach dropped. Oh God, was it a trap? Sam might not speak much, but the dude never stuttered like this.
The other guys were around us too, everyone waiting for an answer. Suddenly the door to the building slammed open, the crack echoing across the uninhabited wilderness. An absolutely gorgeous, tall and bespectacled blond woman leapt down the steps and ran towards us. She was fully outfitted for the weather, wearing a large blue puffy jacket.
"Sam!" she yelled, waving both hands at him.
Her focus was laser-like on the enforcer, but as I shifted to see her better, she flicked her gaze across to meet my eyes. In that moment both of us froze to the spot.
No way! My breath came out in panicked bursts as I stepped closer to her to be sure.
The heavy black edging of her glasses perfectly framed the silver in her eyes, which wasn't as bright as mine, but it was there.
Sam, who seemed to have regained his composure, stepped toward the blonde. "Charlie, this is Becca, the other unicorn."
Holy eff me! I wasn't the only female ash.
***
Stayed tuned for the final installment of the Hive Trilogy. Annihilate is due for release mid-late 2016!
Acknowledgements
Jaymin Eve – I always thank my family, and this is because they deserve it more than anyone else. Thank you for the hugs, and kisses. Thank you for the love and understanding. It is such a blessing to be able to stay at home and see my little girls grow each day. Thank you, Trav, for supporting and sacrificing for me and our family. I love you guys so much <3
Also a massive thanks as always must go to my betas Andi and Marice. You two are legit superheroes. Have I told you that lately? I couldn't do this without your support, friendship and clever eye for detail. Big hugs!
To my editor Lee and cover designer Tamara. Thank you both for finessing and beautifying this story. Thank you, Lee, for understanding that I just have to say "right now" and "a little" and not yelling at me when you have to take them out of the story a hundred times. Thank you Tamara for your amazing eye and talent for cover design. You're the best and I'm so grateful to have found you.
Thank you to all of the readers who have stuck with me, especially those in my Nerd Herd, Ash Enforcer group and Release Team. I absolutely love seeing your posts and enthusiasm for books and the worlds we create. I'd be sad to open FB and not see an awesome meme (or ten) to start my day. Leia and I appreciate every review, comment, email and message. We know we couldn't do this without all of you, and we are so grateful. Thank you! Thank you!
Lastly to Leia. Fate was at play when we met. Our friendship was meant to be, aligned in the stars. I know I have a friend for life, and I can't wait for all of our future book endeavors. <3 you BAFF!
Leia Stone – A huge thank you to my mom who helps to watch my twin tornadoes so that I can write these books for you all. To my husband who is my biggest fan and supporter, I love you babe! To every reader that has ever written to me saying, "please don't stop writing, I love your books." This is really all for you. I am so grateful to have such amazing and loyal readers. Priscilla and Bridgett my amazing betas, I love you girls. Thank you to our amazing Ash Enforcers who love Charlie as much as we do and post hilarious unicorn memes to prove it.
Lastly, Jaymin Eve, we were sisters in a past life and I love how seamless our creative process is. Thanks for being an amazing writing partner, friend and fellow mom. I look forward to our many many creative projects in the future. Eve Stone forever <3