Five to Love Him (Phoenix Immortal: Hive #1)

17. LEOPOLD

seventeen

A pparently it was bring your roomie or mate or secret boyfriend to school day. Ezra looked a lot less comfortable taking up the seat on Tate’s right than the hive did flanking me. I sat on Tate’s left while the hivelings grabbed spare chairs and were back to join me in moments, everyone else in class watching with varying degrees of fascination.

“Hi,” I said to Tate and let my eyes drift to Ezra.

Tate got the message. “Hey. I bribed him with a brownie experiment.” He shrugged and looked at my entourage. “Just in case.”

“Hello.”

The hive echoed it from two mouths while one of them squeezed their chair in on my left—not too tight a squeeze given that St. Auguste’s fancy desks were spacious—and pried my bag from my fingers. The other one sat a little behind us and had brought another chair for the hiveling on the cafeteria run. Tate noticed, cocked his head, but said nothing.

“I bet we’ll talk about taxes again today,” Tate said.

Ezra grumbled. “You didn’t tell me I was going to have to sit through something tax related.”

Tate turned. “Leo and I can share those brownies if you want to leave.”

Ezra frowned, then looked at the hive. “Sorry. They’re just friends. Tate means nothing by that.”

At which Tate rolled his eyes, getting ready to say something back, but before he could, Instructor Arick’s heavy footfalls silenced every hushed conversation in the room.

The chimera put his bag and phone on the desk, the non-human head looking at our crowded corner while the other head took in everyone else.

“Another guest,” the non-human head said.

Tate beamed. “I wanted to share my progress with my roommate. He’s been so supportive.”

The human head looked at Ezra, who didn’t meet his gaze. “I see. Well, it would appear I made my lesson plan for nothing, but no reason to waste the opportunity. Hive, and Mr….”

“Murland, sir. Ezra Murland.”

Both of the instructor’s heads nodded. “Hive and Mr. Murland. I think with you two here, a Q&A would be in order to give every student the opportunity to learn more about you. You’re not opposed to furthering anyone’s learning, I’m sure.”

Excited whispers went through the class, and Ezra clutched the brownies tighter as if they were a life raft.

Tate leaned over to me. “I think we just got around a quiz. That was totally worth the brownie experiment.”

***

The hive had my notebook open and sat there, ready to take notes while hands rose all around us, everyone eager to get picked to ask the first question.

“You really don’t have to, not with a Q&A,” I told him, then groaned. “I haven’t gotten around to copying yesterday’s notes.”

“Let us do that,” the hiveling sitting behind me whispered in my ear.

Tate heard. “Here, you can copy these.”

He handed the hiveling his own folder, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

“I thought you were being suspicious and brought Ezra because you’re afraid I’m getting overpowered here.”

The hiveling behind me put a hand on my shoulder while the other one went to work copying from Tate.

“We’re glad you have protective friends.” They smiled at Tate. “We like you. Would you like anything from the cafeteria?”

One of Instructor Arick’s heads made an annoyed noise as Tate whispered, “Coffee.” Behind him, Ezra’s frown deepened.

“A semblance of discipline, please,” the instructor’s human head said. “Now, let’s get to questions.”

***

The Q&A focused more heavily on Ezra and shifting, which left me oddly relieved. I didn’t want my classmates to know more about the hive than I did, a new feeling I’d not seen coming. But I decided there was nothing wrong with it, especially when the third hiveling quietly joined the class and put a sandwich and a selection of brownies as well as a few coffees on the table in front of us.

I thought Instructor Arick might have a fit, but other than his non-human head looking at the sight for a very long time, he remained quiet, faking ignorance.

When Ezra talked about how weird pants were and how much more sensible skirts would be, I glanced over at the hive to my left who had been busy writing, underlining, and highlighting.

The pages were extremely neat and color coded, and there was a margin with extra notes that didn’t exist in anything Tate had written.

I leaned in close so I could whisper to the hive. “What’s all this?”

“Extra information. We thought it might be useful to know key details.”

Key details included ways of dealing with human taxes where applicable, for example, when one lived “above ground” and only had employment “in the underground.” Apparently, there was an option to appear self-employed while working in the supernatural world on a regular salary, and it was covered much like most supernatural health care was covered if one was okay with visiting doctors who were “in the know.” And on and on.

“You’re good at this,” I whispered. “I thought you worked at a bar, but you know tax law.”

The one behind me leaned in closer so he could whisper back to me. “We are a CPA. We simply…the Dazzle was very convenient.”

I responded to the hiveling still busy annotating my notebook.

“You don’t have to explain wanting a change of pace to me. Remember, I’m the paralegal who never worked as one, and now, I’m apparently—”

The door opened with a whoosh, revealing Headprincipal Farrow. He wore a fancy suit like he always did, and it made me sweat just looking at it.

When he strode into the room, two people came behind him, both wearing kitchen work clothes, both not human. One had eyes all over, and the other hooves for feet. They had a two-tier cake with them on a rolling table, a fancy thing decorated like one of the event cakes I’d seen on social media.

“Class! Rejoice!”

“This is the vampire?” asked the hive behind me while all of them came closer, put an arm around me, and took my hand.

Farrow smiled at them as if he’d heard, which he probably had.

“Ah! I’m not sure this cake is big enough or beautiful enough for this double occasion.” The hooved kitchen person grumbled, saying something unintelligible under their breath that had Farrow slightly creasing his brow before going on. “At any rate. Everyone, one of your very own, our dearest Leopold, will henceforth be my secretary. It’s been a recent development, much like his mating to a hive, and no less joyous.”

“We are not sure we agree,” the hive said, making me chuckle.

Principal Farrow frowned again, this time at me. “Let us celebrate together. With cake and champagne for those who wish to indulge. Consider the remainder of today’s class canceled!”

The kitchen staff brought up glasses and bottles from under the rolling table. Farrow clapped, and the rest of the class joined in, including Tate and Ezra, who was back to being uncomfortable and overly protective of the Tupperware and the brownies inside.

Instructor Arick came over to me and held out his hand.

“Congratulations. Principal Farrow and I talked it over. You’ll still attend my class until you have everything you need to graduate, but this is a good thing for you, Mr. Hill.”

I shook, my hand almost vanishing in his much bigger one.

“Thanks. I guess I thought this would be me graduating.”

“I’m glad it’s not,” Tate said. “Where would I be without my St. Auguste wingman?”

Behind him, Ezra huffed and mouthed sorry to one of the hivelings.

“We can help with this,” the hiveling to my left said, pointing at the notebook he—they had been casually flipping through.

Instructor Arick opened his mouth, but before he could, I said, “Then I wouldn’t be doing the work to graduate, would I?”

Arick’s mouth closed, and the one on his non-human head opened. “I’m sure you can help Mr. Hill study and guide him to a deeper understanding of what it means to be a part of our world.”

“Yes.” “He is a part of our world.” “Leo, we’ll get you cake.”

“Can you get me a slice too?” Tate asked.

Ezra stood. “No, let me.”

Tate turned. “Oh, thanks, Ez. Hey, Instructor Arick, about graduating. Me and Leo can do that together, right? I’d only be hanging out in his secretary office if we don’t.” He looked at me. “You’re getting your own office, right?”

“Uhm…”

Headprincipal Farrow rubbed his hands on his way over like a well-dressed villain.

“What an excellent question. Yes. After consulting—after giving it some thought, you will get the office across from mine. It has a door that can be closed but should be open most of the time so that the student body knows you are there, that you are watching their every move from the shadows.”

“I don’t think I’ll be doing that.”

The hive behind me stood and put a hand on my shoulder. “If Leo is meant to be here early and then go to class, he won’t be getting enough rest. Singulars need rest. We should do his work in the mornings.”

The one that had gone off came back with two slices of cake, putting one in front of the note taker to my left and the other in front of me. The one for me had a marzipan sculpted book and glasses on top of it. Principal Farrow’s idea of a secretary, not that there was anything wrong with glasses.

“Hmm. I don’t think that will be necessary, hive,” the principal said. “It’s fine for Leopold to start late, naturally. It would be terrible if my new secretary fainted from exhaustion. Can you imagine, Instructor Arick? The students would think I did it by eating him.”

“We would know.”

The hive sounded ominous. It was the first time I’d heard their voice like that, actually…threatening. It made me shiver, not in an entirely unpleasant way.

Farrow pursed his lips while several other students looked on and Ezra offered Tate a slice of cake. He’d brought only one, but two dessert forks. Huh. They were also sharing food. Someone really needed to send Tate the update about how he was dating the ocean beast at least half the class had ogled throughout the Q&A.

Farrow straightened. “It was a jest, hive. I don’t eat staff. Or students.” He put the back of his hand to his forehead. “Ah, but the woe of having you even consider the option. It’s why I need a secretary such as you, Leopold, to humanize me.”

“Admin tasks. I’ll be doing admin tasks.”

Headmaster-principal Farrow gave me a small nod. “Of course. We should get started with that, don’t you think? May I show you to your office, Leopold?”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to work at St. Auguste. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to work, period, but I was curious about the office. I’d never been given one, and it couldn’t hurt to have a look at it.

“Yes, please.”