The Hive (Rasper Book 2)

by Kathleen Groger

  Zombie sat in the pilot chair, Rollins in the co-pilot, with Carter strapped in between them. I had my mom next to me. Adam, Megan, and Taylor sat across from us.

  “We’re going to make it.” Megan clasped her hands together almost in a prayer form.

  “Yeah.” Adam grinned.

  Rollins looked back at us. “Where are we going?”

  I gave him a small smile. “Anywhere the Raspers aren’t. And as far away as possible from wherever the queen’s hiding.”

  “Okay, we’ll head south for now. Then decide.” Rollins tossed a small black box with a button to me. “Here, you can have the honors.”

  The pod shuddered, then we lifted off.

  When we were high enough but still close enough to see the Hive, Rollins said, “Val, now.”

  I pressed the button, and there was a small rumble then a large boom. We all looked out the windows as the alien nest blew apart and was engulfed by fire.

  Adam pumped his fist into the air. “If there were any Raspers or Bugs left inside, they’ll burn. And the ones around the country should die without the queen. No more Hive. No more Colony.”

  The air in the pod got lighter. Everyone released a sigh of relief. We had done it. We had survived.

  Now we needed to find other humans and rebuild our world.

  I put my right hand over the top of my mom’s left. The weird itching came back. I pulled my hand away from my mom’s.

  The itch turned to a burn.

  The skin on the back of my hand shifted.

  I stifled a scream.

  “Val, what’s wrong?” Adam let go of his handhold and almost fell into me as the pod banked to the right.

  I held out my arm. A bump about the size of a half-dollar shifted from the back of my hand, past my wrist, and into my forearm. There was something inside me.

  And it was alive.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you, dear readers, for being patient while I wrote this book. I know it took way too long for release, but I hope it was worth the wait.

  I want to thank Zack, Jenn, Judy, Charles, & Donna for making sure the book was ready for the world.

  And to my husband, Chuck, thank you for believing in my dreams. You’re the rock that keeps me steady. You’re my brainstorming partner, my plot fixer, and my dramatic actor making sure my scenes work. I couldn’t have done this without you.

  About the Author

  Kathleen wrote her first story in elementary school about a pegasus named Sir Lancelot. It had no plot or conflict, but it sparked a dream. After serving a fifteen-year sentence in retail management, the bulk in big box bookstores, she turned her love of reading into a full-time career writing dark and haunting characters and stories.

  She lives by the mantra that a day is not complete without tea. Lots of tea. Kathleen lives in Ohio with her husband, two boys, and three attention-demanding dogs. When not writing or editing or revising, you can find her reading, cooking, spending time with her family, or photographing abandoned buildings.

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  Also by Kathleen Groger

  Rasper Series

  The Colony

  The Hive

  Seam Stalker Series

  The Shattered Seam

  Silencing The Seam

  Secrets Of The Seam