by Hope Hart
In my weaker moments, I think of the hard lines of his face, the heat of his skin, and his delighted smile when he found the small daisy tattoo on my butt.
In the morning, I woke up, ready for another round, when I found Korva, sitting by the window, his face blank. It had only taken one look in his eyes to see the regret. Not the ‘oh shit, I probably shouldn’t have done that’ regret that usually accompanies a one night stand. No, this was a regret served with devastation, along with a large side of guilt.
I knew exactly what he was thinking, simply because everyone knew his devotion to his dead mate. In his mind, he’d betrayed her, and I was evidence of that betrayal.
I flew out of bed, pulled on my clothes, and left without saying a word. We never spoke of it again. And that’s exactly how it’s going to stay.
If I have an itch to scratch, the best thing I can do is find a human male who also has an itch to scratch. Someone without baggage. With one look, Korva made me feel so small that it’s a wonder I was able to make it out of his quarters without bursting into tears.
I roll over and stare at the roof. When we were confirmed as Harlow’s guards, we had the option of moving into one of the many apartments in the palace or choosing living quarters in Ashlow, the part of the city that was created and designated for humans integrating into live on Arcavia.
I chose neither.
I found a small house on the outskirts of the city, close enough to get to the palace quickly when needed, but far enough away that I have my own space. My closest neighbors are an Arcav couple who live about a mile away. The Arcav woman occasionally brings me food, leaving it on my doorstep when I’m not home. She mostly respects my privacy but sometimes likes to lecture me about ‘finding my mate before its too late.’
So far, I’ve managed to dodge the blood test. Varian asked me about it once, and then never mentioned it again after Harlow shot him a look so fierce that I was surprised he didn’t explode into flames.
But my time is running out. I have no doubt that in the next few months, an Arcav healer or scientist will show up at my door. If I don’t cooperate, Brin will probably just take a sample the next time I’m healed.
If that happens, I’m leaving.
I love Arcavia and I don’t want to leave, but it’s a big universe. If there’s one thing Liam taught me, it’s that it’s better to be alone than to be in a long-term relationship. It was hard enough leaving him when he betrayed me. I can’t imagine trying to leave someone once you share a mating bond.
My stomach rolls as I picture Liam, currently in a prison somewhere in this city, likely being interrogated or tortured. The Arcav are reasonable up to a point, but if you threaten their mates, they turn into savages.
As much as I hate Liam, the thought of him rotting in prison makes me sick.
I groan as I get out of bed. Two hours of sleep. Not bad. Shame it was ruined by Korva’s intrusion.
I head to the gym, where I’m teaching a female self-defense class, and I feel my shoulders finally relax as the class flies by. I’d not intended to teach self-defense, but Harlow had insisted. I’ve studied various martial arts since I was five, and there’s something so rewarding about finding new ways to translate those skills to women who’ve never thrown a punch in their life.
“Come on Joyce, my grandma can hit harder than that!”
Joyce, a short woman in her mid-fifties who came to Arcavia for work, turns and glares at me, before finally throwing a decent punch.
“Nice work! Use that anger.”
Usually, Meghan would be here, cracking us all up with her smart mouth. There’s a definite sense that someone’s missing, and three women ask me if we’ve had any luck locating her ship.
“No, the little brat was too smart for us.”
I joke about it, but I’m terrified that she’s lying dead somewhere.
Close to the end of the class, the hair on the back of my neck stands up, and I know without looking that Korva has arrived. I grit my teeth as the whispering starts. Korva has become something of a celebrity, what with his aversion to talking and his constant glower, which warns everyone not to talk to him.
“He’s so hot,” Bree whispers loudly, and I roll my eyes as the women erupt in giggles.
“Get a grip,” I say. “You’re a grown-ass women. Show some dignity.”
“Dignity’s overrated,” Bree smirks, and I smirk back.
“Right, drop down and give me fifty.”
Groans sound, as the women drop. Most of them are on their knees, but a push-up is a push-up. I’m time-poor and take this class seriously. I want them to be able to kick some serious ass if they need to, which means they know better than to gossip while I can hear it.
There’s a reason Meghan no longer needed to do push-ups on her knees. Kid couldn’t keep her mouth shut, and her toned arms demonstrated the consequences.
The gym is one large training center, divided into different workout areas. My class is in the back, left corner, while the other side is home to a bunch of gym equipment, ropes for climbing, and mats for wrestling. There’s also a wide track around the outside of the stadium for running, and a huge area for sparring. Unfortunately, that means that our class is often entertainment for both human and Arcav guys, who enjoy watching the women as they work out. They know better than to get too close when I’m around, but there’s always one asshole who likes to push the boundaries.
“Ladies,” Jackson says, grin spreading over his face.
Jackson and I hate each other. He didn’t make the cut for Harlow’s guard and believes that if only a pesky woman hadn’t taken his spot, he’d be living the high life.
In reality, the guy didn’t even make it through to the last round of the competition. He’s the walking, talking embodiment of a spoiled, entitled, straight, white male.
He’s friends with Darja, who overlooked me for a spot on the team looking for Methi in favor of Jackson. I have no doubt that if I was on that team, I would’ve convinced Darja to take Meghan seriously. My hands shake at the thought of Meghan stealing that ship, completely alone.
“Leave, Jackson.”
“Don’t be rude, Eve.”
I keep my eyes on my class as the women puff out their push-ups.
I sigh. “Get your butt down, Maxine. This isn’t downward dog.”
“Or keep it up,” Jackson calls. “You’ve got sweet buns, honey.”
Oh no, he didn’t.
I take a deep breath. “Are you seriously sexually harassing these women during a female self-defense class? Are you that much of an idiot?”
Snorts break out and then are abruptly cut off as I turn and eye my class.
“Switch to sit-ups,” I call.
“I’m just making an observation. That’s the problem with women these days. No sense of humor. A guy can’t say anything without being accused of sexual harassment.”
“Wow,” I say mildly, “you must be terrible in bed.”
Jackson flushes, and I turn my attention back to my class, well-aware that he hates being ignored. I can feel Korva moving closer, and the knowledge pisses me off.
“Well, Everly, if you weren’t such a cold bitch, I could prove differently.”
“Uh-huh,” I say. “Bree, don’t make me come over there!”
Bree looks up from her conversation and grins but continues her sit-ups.
Jackson’s voice gets louder as he reacts to my indifference.
“You know, I always thought there was something wrong with you. And after hearing about how you turned on your team in the FBI, it sounds like I dodged a bullet.”
Don’t punch him in the mouth.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He laughs. “Really? You think we don’t have contacts on Earth? I’m an ex-cop.”
“You’re a fucking embarrassment.”
“At least I’m not a traitor. Does everyone here know what you did?” His voice is getting louder, and I can feel the blood
pounding in my ears. “When your fiancé dumped you, you tried to destroy his career, and the career of all his friends. People around here should know who you are, bitch.”
I blow out a breath, fighting for control. Korva’s appears, twenty feet from me and gaining fast, his expression hard as stone.
“You’re just a fucking snake,” Jackson declares.
That’s it. I bare my teeth and leap at him.
I’m screaming as we fall to the ground, yelling obscenities as I hit him over and over. He manages to clock me in the face and his eyes widen as I laugh, raise my fist and finally hit him in his big fucking mouth before I grab him by the hair and slam his stupid head into the ground.
Then hands are grabbing me, pulling me off him. I kick out and catch Jackson in the nuts, laughing harder as he curls into a ball, groaning.
Blake’s face is white as he pulls me away, and the world comes back into focus.
It’s completely silent.
“What the fuck, Eve,” Blake says as I jerk out of his hold.
“The crazy bitch has lost it! You saw her! She attacked me out of nowhere!”
Korva appears next to me, a snarl on his face.
“Stay out of this,” I say, and Korva ignores me, studying Jackson as if he’s wondering what his spine will look like on a table in his lab.
Amanda strolls up from where she was working out at the back of my class.
“Don’t even try that shit, Jackson,” she says. “You’ve been running your mouth since you got here, and someone finally put you in your place. Take it like a man.”
Blake moves away from me. “That’s no excuse,” he says, and my heart sinks. Our friendship may just be over.
Jackson slowly gets to his feet, wiping blood from his nose. He has two black eyes and I’m pretty sure his nose is broken. Shit.
“What the fuck do you know?” he asks, pointing a finger at Amanda.
Bad move.
Jaret appears and everyone freezes.
“Did you just raise your voice at my mate?” he asks, and no one moves. We barely breathe.
Jackson pales.
“Uh-”
Jaret steps in front of Amanda, reaching a hand behind him to touch her, reassuring himself that she’s safe. Uh-oh. Arcav males tend to lose control when their mates are threatened.
Jaret is more stable than most, but he’s been having a tough time lately, what with the search for Methi and the constant threat of the Grivaths. I watch as Korva and Jaret both eye Jackson and he curls into himself, shoulders hunching as if attempting to make himself less of a target.
“I apologize,” Jackson says quickly, flushing as more snorts sound from the women behind me. He’ll never live this down. But then again, neither will I.
I lost control. In public.
Jaret turns to me, face dark. “Varian would like to see you.”
Chapter Eight
Eve
I’ve learned a lot of things in my life. But I haven’t yet learned how to back down with grace. I’m never the bigger person. Give me a cause to fight for, a bully on the playground, and I’ll go down swinging, long after the other person has stopped fighting.
I’ve always been this way.
Now, I’m waiting outside Varian and Harlow’s quarters. Usually when I knock, the guards on either side of the door immediately swing the door open, but this time, Varian’s making me wait. He’s pissed.
He’s right to be.
Korva shifts beside me. For whatever reason, he insisted on coming with me. His presence is pissing me off.
“What are you doing here?”
“I will make sure that Varian is aware of what happened.”
“Varian has men everywhere. He probably knew as it was happening.”
Korva ignores me and I narrow my eyes, my cheek throbbing. It’s the same cheekbone that Blake hit on the ship, and this time it feels like it really is cracked.
If I allow myself to think too hard about the condemnation in Blake’s eyes, I’ll probably do something embarrassing like cry. I’m pissed, though. Just a few weeks ago, we were becoming friends. And now he obviously wants nothing to do with me. It shouldn’t surprise me after everything I went through on Earth, but it still hurts.
“I’m serious, Korva. I don’t need you. Get gone.”
I grit my teeth as the door swings open and Korva looms at my back. Varian’s eyes widen slightly as he sees Korva, and then his expression blanked.
“Why are you here?” he asks Korva.
“Support,” is all he says.
“As I said, I don’t need your support,” I say through my teeth, but Varian simply nods and moves away from the door.
Varian leads us away from the sitting area and toward his desk in the corner. That desk used to be in the office next door, but Harlow told me that Varian kept coming up with excuses to walk in and check up on her when she was relaxing on the sofa. Finally, he had it moved into the sitting room so he could spend more time with her.
I take a seat in front of the desk, while Varian sits behind it, his body language turning the large gel chair into a throne. This won’t go well.
Harlow opens their bedroom door, her cat in her arms.
“Varian, did you feed Tom? Oh hey guys, I didn’t know you were stopping by.”
Varian turns to her, and I glance away as his eyes soften. I can feel Korva’s gaze on me as he positions himself next to the window.
“No,” Varian says. “That creature would be unlikely to trust any food that came from my hand.”
Harlow sighs. “You know, you’d probably make friends with Tom if you fed him occasionally.”
Varian looks insulted at the idea, his brow furrowing in bemusement and I bite my lip, holding back a smirk. He gestures toward me, his expression clearing.
“We need to have a private meeting, my love.”
And just like that, Harlow turns cop, her eyes narrowing as she walks over and places Tom on the couch.
“About what?”
Varian shifts in his seat. “There was an… incident today at the training center.”
Harlow’s brow furrows as she glances at me, and then her eyes widen as she takes in my face.
“An incident?” she says. “I think I’ll stick around for this.”
“Harlow—”
“Is Eve still a member of my guard?”
Varian narrows his eyes at her. “For now.”
Shit. I really fucked up.
Harlow’s mouth firms and she moves closer in what used to be a purposeful stride, but is now more of a waddle.
“In that case, I’m staying.”
She takes the seat beside me, and Varian closes his eyes for a long moment. Now, when he yells at me, his very pregnant mate will be directly in his line of sight.
“Harlow, this is unnecessary.”
She simply shakes her head, her hand stroking her belly as she winces slightly. I’m pretty sure I see something move in there and I almost choke, vaguely nauseous as I whip my eyes back toward Varian.
He’s staring at me, amusement, frustration, and the remnants of fury on his face.
“Let me draw your attention to this,” he says finally.
Varian presses a couple of buttons on his desk and a screen pops up on the wall on our right. After a few clicks, the gym comes into view, the video cued up right as Jackson walks up to me.
Uh-oh.
We all watch as he stands next to me. There’s no sound, so it looks like casual conversation. He even throws his head back and laughs at one point, although we all watch as he calls out to Maxine, who flushes a deep red.
“Maxine left an abusive relationship on Earth,” I say quietly. “Jackson just commented on her ass.”
Harlow inhales sharply beside me. “I’ll kick his ass.”
Varian glares at both of us. “There is no need.”
On the screen, Jackson lifts his arms, and across the gym, heads turn toward us as his voice gets louder.
> “When your fiancé dumped you, you tried to destroy his career, and the career of all his friends. People around here should be careful of you, bitch.”
I grind my teeth, furious all over again. I started a new life here, and all of the shit I left behind has somehow managed to follow me to a completely different planet.
My mouth drops open as I watch myself leap at Jackson on the screen. Harlow snorts beside me.
“Wow, you really got some air.”
With the birds-eye view of the gym, I can see how every single person stopped moving, heads turning as people run toward us to stop our fight.
No, I correct myself. They were running toward me to stop my attack.
I look like a crazy person, my face red, lips curled in a snarl as I scream “who’s the bitch now?” while grabbing Jackson’s hair and slamming his head into the ground until Blake pulls me off him. Varian winces once as he watches me hit Jackson in the nuts.
The recording plays until the end, when Jackson points at Amanda and Jaret makes him almost piss his pants.
We’re all silent as Varian hits a button and the screen goes blank.
“What,” he says, voice a controlled whisper “do you have to say for yourself?”
I clear my throat.
“It shouldn’t have happened,” I say. “I apologize.”
Korva shifts, and we all look at him. Varian looks like he forgot he was here.
“That human was antagonizing her,” he says. “He was hoping for that exact reaction.”
This is so much worse with Korva here. I wish he’d just leave me to take my punishment alone.
“And that is exactly what she gave him,” Varian says, voice hard.
I nod. There was no excuse.
“Do you know what that production says to me?” Varian asks, and I shake my head.
“It says that you are weak. It says that you are unable to control yourself, and it makes me question whether I can trust you with the safety of my mate and youngling.”
“Hey!” Harlow gets to her feet, scowling. Varian’s not backing down though, and he simply narrows his eyes at her.