Kept From the Deep: Venora Mates Book Two

by Octavia Kore

  With a groan of frustration, Jun tossed the blanket in her hands onto the bed and stomped over to her closet, pulling her overnight bag from the shelf and stuffing a few of her favorite pajama bottoms and soft T-shirts into it. A pair of her scrubs followed, in case she didn’t make it back in time to change for her shift tomorrow.

  When she had gotten everything together, Jun hefted the bag over her shoulder and walked back out into her living room. “Okay, I’m ready… Brin?” He wasn’t where she had left him.

  “Shh.”

  She jumped at the hiss and spun toward her front door. Brin was standing near the window that looked out into her yard, eyes narrowed as he stared at something through the slit between the blinds. “What’s wrong?”

  “There is someone outside,” he whispered.

  Her neighbors weren’t normally the sorts of people who woke up at dawn to start their days. She honestly hadn’t expected any of them to be out so early, but when she stepped in front of him and tilted the blinds, she grimaced at what she saw.

  “Bridget.” When it came to nosy neighbors, Bridget Millows was just about the worst you could find. She had appointed herself the head of the neighborhood watch, and there was hardly a thing that went on that she didn’t know about. “There’s no way we’re getting you out of here without her seeing us.” They had lost their window.

  “We can leave when night falls.” The rumble of Brin’s voice at her back made her shiver. “It’s likely the Grutex already know we’re here, but we don’t need to draw the attention of the human government just yet.”

  Brin was right; they didn’t need Bridget sounding the alarm before they decided what to do, but now she was going to be spending the entire day alone with an alien male she knew very little about. What did you do with someone who you knew absolutely nothing about?

  Feed them.

  Her mama’s voice whispered in her head and Jun grinned. “Are you hungry? I didn’t have anything other than coffee at Amanda’s and I’m starving.”

  Brin turned to her with a lopsided smile. “I haven’t eaten properly since we crashed. I would be thankful for anything you shared with me.” He said as he stepped away from the window. “I’d like to clean myself up a little before the meal, if it’s not too much to ask.”

  “Oh, right.” Jun lifted her chin, jerking her head toward the hallway. “Bathroom is down that way, the second door on the right side. There should be a towel on the rack for you to use.” Her eyes traveled down his lean body until she reached the waistline of his black pants. “I, uh—I don’t have anything for you to change into. None of the guys I’ve dated have been so… big.” The way his eyes lit up told her that admission pleased him.

  “These will do until Oshen and I get back on the ship,” he told her, tugging on the material at his hips as his eyes roamed over her face.

  A blush crept up her neck, and she balked at the way her pulse fluttered. Get yourself together. Your heart can’t handle all this fluttering nonsense.

  “Well, you’re a smart alien. I’m sure you can figure out the shower on your own.”

  She left him standing there and swept into the kitchen, setting the rice cooker so that it could cook while she gathered more ingredients from the refrigerator.

  The sound of the shower cutting on let her know he had managed to figure out the controls. She cracked eggs into a bowl and whisked them together with milk and butter before dumping them into the hot pan.

  The familiarity of cooking, of moving through all of the steps she had watched her lola and her mama do when she was a child, brought her comfort and a renewed sense of calm. That it also distracted her from the fact that she had a naked alien in her bathroom was a bonus.

  Everything in the world may have been going crazy, but at least she had this. She set the rice, eggs, and dried herring on the table just as Brin walked in. He patted at his braided hair, wiping tiny beads off water from his face and neck.

  “Sit.” She shooed him toward one of the old wooden chairs she’d snagged from a thrift shop years ago and prayed to God it would hold him. The wood creaked under his bulk, but held steady. “I see you didn’t have trouble working the shower. Take whatever you want,” Jun told him as she rummaged through her bag for her pill box.

  “It was a simple system.” He shrugged. “This is very generous of you.” Brin smiled as he piled food onto his plate. “You didn’t need to go through so much trouble.”

  “It wasn’t any trouble.”

  She swallowed her medications before sticking the box back into her bag and joining her guest at the table. Jun eyed the dried fish longingly, but she really shouldn’t push her luck with the salty dishes after all of the coffee she’d been drinking the last couple days. Instead, she gave herself a scoop of rice and some of the eggs and pouted as she watched Brin devour everything in front of him.

  He hummed with approval, barely chewing before swallowing and enthusiastically shoveling in more food. Was there anything she liked more than watching someone appreciate her food?

  “This is amazing,” he said before swallowing another mouthful of eggs. “What do you call these?”

  “Scrambled eggs.” They had been a favorite of Oshen’s as well, but he had been so caught up in Amanda that he hadn’t bothered to ask about what he was eating. Jun glanced up to find his face had turned ashen grey and he was staring at her in shock.

  “You scrambled the young of an animal?” he asked incredulously.

  “Not the young. They’re unfertilized so they never had anything growing inside of them.” She stifled a laugh as she watched him grimace down at his plate.

  “Poor little creatures. They never even had a chance.” Brin shook his head, a barely perceptible grin tugging at the corners of his dark lips as his eyes trailed up to her face.

  “You’re so dramatic. Remind me not to waste my time feeding you balut while you’re here.” Jun laughed as she dug into her own eggs.

  “Is this another questionable food option?”

  “It’s a boiled egg with a duck embryo inside.”

  Brin narrowed his eyes on her face. “Now you are just making things up.”

  “I’m serious. It’s delicious.”

  “Of all the things you could eat on this planet, you want to devour a boiled embryo? I will politely decline your offer.” Brin shook his head as he folded his arms over his chest.

  Jun’s head tipped back as a laugh burst from her lips. “You’re ridiculous.”

  “And you’re lovely, shayfia,” Brin murmured. “Especially when you smile like that.”

  It wasn’t like she had never received a compliment before, but the words wrapped around her like a blanket and made her feel warm all over. Butterflies danced in her belly as she thanked him and finished her food.

  “We still have the whole day ahead of us,” she said as she brought her plate to the sink. “I’m not sure what you do for fun, but I’ve got an old game system out in the living room you can mess with if you want.” Jun took the dishes from Brin’s hands when he brought them over to her. “It’s not as cool as the newer stuff, but Amanda and I have used it a few times.”

  The dishwasher kicked on as Jun closed the door, and she led Brin out of the kitchen and over to the TV stand, pulling the small black console off of the shelving inside.

  She’d found it at one of the flea markets years ago, and Amanda had been so excited about it that she couldn’t just leave it behind. There weren’t many games, but she pulled out a few she thought he might like, blowing into the cartridges to clear them out.

  Brin studied the controller, turning it over in his hands as Jun turned the TV on and powered up the system.

  “Games go in here.” She pointed to the opening in the top, he didn’t need her guidance. Brin sifted through the games, plucking one from the bin and pressing it into the slot. The short cord on the controller didn’t give him enough room to sit on the couch, but he made himself comfortable on her rug, grinning like a child
when the dramatic 8-bit martial arts music began to play.

  Jun curled up in the corner of her sectional, tucking her legs beneath her as she watched him. He might be Oshen’s friend, but he was still a stranger in her home so she’d keep a close eye on him until it was time to leave.

  In no time at all, Brin was taking down his opponents and the masculine chuckles that filled the room anytime the other character died a ridiculously gory death made her smile.

  “Finish her!” the voice in the game demanded just before Brin’s character slammed the opponent into a ceiling full of spikes.

  Her eyes fluttered closed as she rested her head against the back of the couch. She hated that her medications made her tired, but she had fought the sleepiness off often enough at work and was sure she could manage it here. She just needed to keep her eyes open…

  Chapter 5

  Jun

  She was burning up. Beads of sweat trickled down her neck as she struggled to kick the blanket from her body and sit up in bed. Her small, dark room had been turned into a sauna.

  My room?

  Jun paused as her eyes darted around her. She had been on the couch watching Brin play the game.

  Oh, God, she groaned, finally shoving the thick blanket off. I fell asleep.

  The fan above her rotated at full speed, but it did nothing to cool her heated skin. Jun flung her legs over the side of the bed and slid her bare feet into the house slippers that sat neatly on the rug.

  Jun opened her bedroom and slipped out into the hallway. The thermostat on the wall informed her that it was a muggy 87 degrees in her home, and she groaned in frustration.

  The unit had been on its last leg for a while, but she’d thought she would have more time to save up for repairs. The house had been dirt cheap when Jun bought it off the sweet older woman, and she soon came to see why. She had already replaced so much, and between that and sending money home to her family, Jun was finding it harder and harder to make ends meet.

  Land of milk and honey, my ass, she grimaced as she smacked the plastic device.

  “Is this how you repair things on Earth?”

  Jun screeched, jumping away from the wall as she spun around to face her shirtless alien guest. She hadn’t even heard him approach. “Sus maryosep!” she yelled as she covered her face. “You scared the hell out of me!”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, humor lacing his voice as he lifted his hands. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I heard your door open and came to make sure you were all right.”

  “You could have announced yourself,” Jun grumbled. Her hands moved to her hips, and she felt around, grimacing as she looked up at him. “Did you take my gun?”

  “It’s on your bedside table.” He folded his arms across his chest when she glared at him. “Don’t look at me like that, little Shayfia. Did you want me to lay you down with it still strapped to your hip?”

  “I didn’t ask you to move me.”

  “You slumped over onto your face.” He grinned as she scoffed. “I was worried you were going to break your neck.”

  She would not find it sweet that he had moved her for her comfort; she really would not. Jun refused to let the image of him carrying her to bed in his arms with her body pressed against his bare chest, make her blush.

  It’s the heat, she told herself. It’s not a blush. It’s obviously the beginnings of heatstroke.

  “I need a shower. Maybe you can try to get in touch with Oshen since he destroyed Amanda’s phone and I have no way to let her know I’m not dead?” She spun around, not waiting for him to respond, and locked herself in the bathroom.

  Cool water rained down on her from the shower head, washing away the salty sweat that had covered her body. She scrubbed her hands over her face, wishing she could rinse away the weariness just as easily.

  Not telling her family and Amanda about her chronic illnesses meant she carried the burden all on her own, but the thought of telling them and seeing the fear and worry in their eyes was more than she could bear.

  She turned the handle with a sigh, cutting off the stream of water, and reached for her towel. When her long hair was wrapped up and piled on top of her head, Jun stepped out and put on her robe.

  She should have brought her clothes in with her, but she’d been more concerned about putting some space between her and Brin. The male wasn’t where she had left him when she stepped out of the bathroom, so she darted across the hall into her bedroom and closed the door; locking it just in case.

  The blackout curtains on her windows kept her room dark and a little cooler than the rest of the house. When the AC is actually working, she thought.

  Jun shuffled toward the bed, her hands stretched out in front of her so she wouldn’t bump into anything. When she found the bedside table, she ran her fingers along the lamp, searching for the tiny lever. The dim light clicked on, and Jun let out a breath when she saw the gun sitting at the base.

  A low, menacing growl from somewhere behind her sent a wave of cold fear through her. Was Brin in her room? Had he snuck in while she showered? Her fingers brushed the weapon on the table as she drew in a deep breath and prepared to turn around.

  “The weapon will do you no good, female,” a deep voice spoke.

  Not Brin. Someone—or something—shifted, causing the floor to creak. They were in the corner of her room, near one of the windows. Jun closed her eyes, listening to his breathing and collecting herself. She had one chance to get this right, and if she didn’t, she was most likely going to die for what she had planned.

  “Put your hands up and turn around––”

  Before they could finish their sentence, Jun grabbed her gun, flipping the safety off as she spun around and fired. The blast rang through the room seconds before a sharp crack sounded and something big fell against her wall.

  Standing in the corning, looking as shocked as she felt, stood a massive mauve Grutex. Her bullet had lodged into his armor, burrowing into a weak spot. Long spidery cracks emanated from the center, and the male ran his hand over the wound cautiously before all six of his red eyes jumped to her face.

  Fuck. Run!

  Before her brain could send the command to her legs to move, Brin broke through the door. Pieces of the cheap particle board littered the carpet, snapping under his feet as he moved forward with a snarl. His long black claws gleamed in the dim light of the lamp as his eyes swept the room.

  “Venium,” the Grutex spat.

  Chapter 6

  Brin

  The jarring sound of a weapon discharging within the dwelling had Brin’s head snapping up. Jun! He was on his feet within the next second, barreling down the hall. She had locked her door, but the thin wood gave way easily as he slammed his shoulder into it.

  With his claws extended and his teeth bared, Brin’s eyes searched the room before they fell on Jun. Her fingers were wrapped around the gun he had placed on her table earlier, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she stared at him with wide, wild eyes.

  “Venium,” the Grutex in the corner growled.

  Jun had shot the male. If they weren’t in such a predicament, he might have taken the time to marvel at the bravery she had shown. The big male pushed himself away from the wall just as Brin launched himself across the room.

  They collided near the bed, slamming into one another with a force that nearly took his breath away. Sharp claws dug into his skin, but his mind could only focus on one thing: Jun. She was in danger. This intruder had threatened his female.

  Kill him! Destroy him! some foreign part of his mind bellowed as he wrestled the Grutex to the floor.

  It felt as if something were just beneath his skin, rippling and pulsing, trying to break free, but he shoved it all back, using the lessons from the harsh training he had received as a pup to regain his composure.

  Stay in control, he could hear Brega hiss in his ear. Lose control and you lose your life.

  He slammed his fist into the male’s face over and over until the warmth
of his lifeblood coated Brin’s knuckles and splattered across the floor.

  The Grutex managed to land a blow to his ribs, knocking the air from his lungs as he rolled to the side. He wasn’t fast enough to escape the claws that raked down his sides and hips.

  With a hiss, Brin lashed out, swiping at the spot where Jun’s weapon had injured the male, but in the next moment he found himself pinned beneath the massive body. He barely felt the sting of his own claws lengthening further as hands wrapped around his throat.

  A growl vibrated through the Grutex’s chest, and he leaned in, crushing Brin’s body beneath his bulk. Brin bucked his hips in an attempt to dislodge him, slamming his hand into the inside of one of the male’s arms. He could feel his lungs seizing as black spots danced in his vision, blocking out the red eyes that stared down at him.

  Do not panic! Panic will kill you, Tesol, his sire, had told him as he watched him struggle to remain conscious.

  “Pathetic.” The heat of the Grutex’s breath washed over his face. “Do you think she will weep for you? Do you think the female will call out for you when I take her?”

  There was a loud, resounding crack, and the male’s eyes widened for a moment before he slumped forward, his face slamming into the floor next to Brin’s head.

  Jun stood above them, a long metal club clutched in both hands. Her arms shook as she watched him shove the male away. He slid his hand along the seam of his pants, releasing the hex restrainer from the nearly invisible casing he’d sewn into the uniform.

  If his parents had taught him anything, it was that you could never be too prepared. With a grunt, Brin slapped the hex onto the Grutex’s hard chest, pulling back just as the forcefield encased the male within the shield, immobilizing him.

  “Is he dead?” Jun asked.

  Brin turned, pulling the weapon from her hand as he crouched down in front of her. “Just knocked unconscious.”