27. Polina

POLINA

" W ait, wait, wait, little bee." Kyle stares at me as he twists the key into his apartment's lock. "Back up. You're saying Calvin shrunk himself and got kidnapped by a bunch of other bees?"

I let out an exasperated sigh and run my hand down my face. This must be, what? The third, fourth time I've told him all of this? By the sun, he's a dim one.

"For the last time," I hiss in his ear. "Yes! Well, they were yellowjackets, not bees. But I saw it with my own two eyes. And he needs his shrink ray back so he can turn back to normal size. We have to hurry or he might die!"

Kyle pushes open the apartment door. My eyes immediately water, and my wings curl like wet paper as the pungent aroma of something sickly sweet and skunky permeates the air. A thick cloud of smoke hovers in the room to the point that no sunlight can penetrate it even though the curtains are wide open. An older man with a large beard lies on the sofa in the middle of the bland, unadorned room. Is this how humans live? Because if so, my poor Cal. He doesn't deserve this. He deserves beauty and opulence and fine, soft fabric and gilded fixtures!

"Maurice," Kyle grinds out as he steps to the end of the sofa and kicks his friend's shoe with his foot. "Wake up. We have an emergency."

A snore rips through the bearded man's nostrils, but he doesn't wake up. Kyle lets out a groan and kicks him in the thigh. "Wake up!" he barks, and I flinch, nearly losing my balance on Kyle's shoulder. "Mo!"

Maurice jostles awake and sits bolt upright. His droopy eyes are bloodshot, probably from whatever smell is lingering in the room. When he sees me and Kyle, his mouth falls open.

"Fuck, what was in that weed?" He rubs his eyes and blinks. "That's the last time I let Reese buy our supply. It was laced with something else."

Kyle inhales slowly, clearly running out of patience. "He got it from the dispensary, dipshit. You're not seeing things. Look," he says, and holds up his hand for me to hop onto.

I step onto one of Kyle's knuckles and dust off my dress before giving a sheepish wave to the man. "Greetings. I am Princess Polina of the Sugardove City Hive, and I request your aid," I say firmly.

Maurice lets out a strange squelching sound before leaping to his feet. At his full height, this man cuts an impressive figure. He's several inches taller than Kyle, and more muscular, too. He also wears those interesting tattoos Calvin told me about on his forearms, and I'm pretty sure I see another peaking out from underneath his shirt where the top button is undone.

Maurice looks from me to Kyle, then back to me, then back to Kyle. "A-Another one? You can't be serious."

Kyle shrugs. "Yeah. Another one."

I have no idea what they're talking about, and frankly, I don't care, because we do not have time for this. "Yes, yes, now that the introductions are finished, can we please move on? Calvin is still in danger, and I'm very much in a hurry to save him."

Maurice's dark eyes narrow. "Who's Calvin? That guy you've been hanging out with upstairs?"

"Yeah," Kyle mutters, and when I look back at him, his cheeks flush. "But, uh, this is his girlfriend, evidently, so…"

Maurice lets out a low whistle. "Right, then. Okay. Well, we've seen stranger things."

I furrow my brow. "Pardon me, but we can chat later, can we not? My love has been kidnapped by the yellowjackets that have invaded my hive. We are searching for my beloved's Shrinkatron Ray, and I was wondering if you had any idea where we might find it?"

Kyle nods. "I gave it to Maurice for safekeeping."

I whirl around and squeal. "What?! So you do know where it is?"

Kyle nods. "Mmhmm. When I went up on the roof, I noticed it was sitting out. I knew Calvin was working on the thing, but when he wasn't showing up in the evenings anymore, I got worried. Didn't want someone messing with it, or for it to get caught in the rain. Maurice moved it for me." Kyle gives his friend a pointed look. "Right? You still have it? You didn't fence it?"

Maurice lets out a dark chuckle. "No, I didn't fence your boyfriend's ray gun. What do you take me for? Besides, we don't have any of those contacts anymore. It's down at the old headquarters. C'mon, I'll grab my car keys and we can go grab it."

Both relief and anger twist up inside of me. "B-Boyfriend? I assure you, he is not Kyle's boyfriend . He is mine! My beloved!" I buzz loudly and shake my fists in the air.

Maurice lets out a cackle, and Kyle quickly spins around to cup his hand over me, casting me in darkness. "Shh, shh. Princess, it's fine. He's just a friend. I know he's yours, it's fine," he mumbles. "I'm sorry about him. He can be an asshole, but he means no harm. I swear it."

Maurice jingles the keys and says, "C'mon, you two. Let's do this. I want to get back before it's time to hit up the titty bars."

Kyle opens his hands and places me back on his shoulder.

"Charming," I mutter as we follow his friend out the door.