by Octavia Kore
Jun shook her head as she scooped the bacon from the pan. According to Brin, Oshen was the first Venium that they knew of to mate outside of their species. That made Amanda vulnerable, and if the Grutex got a hold of her, there was no telling what they would do.
No, Amanda wasn’t safe here, and Jun was starting to feel like she wasn’t either. She sighed as she cracked an egg and winced as the grease popped near her hand.
Leaving Earth couldn’t be an option for her. It was hard enough having her family living half a world away. The thought of leaving them here to face whatever was to come broke her heart.
Jun didn’t even want to think about her work at the hospital and the job that she likely didn’t have anymore considering all the days she’d missed.
If she and Brin could take over where Oshen had left off and convince the US government to seek help from the Venium, then maybe this would all work out.
“Take over where he left off? Oshen didn’t actually do anything to foster an alliance except mate a human woman,” Jun grumbled under her breath.
She hissed as the constant pounding pain in her back worsened momentarily. Despite the fact that she’d been taking her medication and had cut out nearly everything her doctors told her to, Jun’s only kidney was continuing to decline.
They had already warned her that dialysis and a transplant wouldn’t be far off if they didn’t see any improvement, but she’d foolishly hoped the changes to her diet would be enough to put that off for a few years.
Maybe it’s best Amanda is gone for this.
“We go now to Trace Archilago, who is outside the District Headquarters in Tampa where Senator Telisa Moore of The One World Council is holding an informal press conference.”
“Thanks, Kelly,” the reporter said. “Senator Moore is approaching the podium now.”
Jun peaked around the corner just as the camera panned away, focusing on the figure standing in front of the doors. She was someone Jun recognized from the local news and papers, but politics wasn’t something that interested her too much. She had thick, curly black hair that framed her face and golden brown eyes that stared directly into the camera with fierce determination.
“As most of you are aware, there was alien wreckage recently found floating in the bay and other large pieces washed onto the shore of local beaches. If you know anything about this, I am asking that you report it to my office as soon as possible.”
Cameras flashed and a few people in the audience murmured.
“After reviewing the recovered items and speaking with experts in the field, it is my belief that we may have discovered a new species unrelated to the Grutex.” The murmurs became huffs and shouts of disbelief, and Senator Moore raised her hand for silence. “These aliens may be willing to help us.”
“Or they’re here to join in the destruction!” an angry voice called out.
Senator Moore grimaced, nodding slowly. “It’s a possibility, but we won’t know unless we reach out. Please, any person who brings information forward will remain anonymous. You will be safe.”
The number of the district office scrolled along the bottom of the screen, and Jun dug through Amanda’s kitchen drawer until she found a pad of sticky notes and a pen. She didn’t have her cell phone anymore, but if she could get to a neighbor’s or even one of the pay phones outside the gas station, maybe Senator Moore could be their chance to find help.
Brin wouldn’t be happy about her going alone to make the call, but taking him with her was far riskier in her eyes. The idea of him being caught and taken captive by government officials twisted her gut and sent a jolt of panic down her spine. He could be subjected to any number of tests and torture in their hands.
No, she couldn’t let him leave, but even though they had known one another for such a short amount of time, Jun knew without a doubt that Brin would never let her go alone.
It wasn’t that he was controlling or overbearing—okay, maybe just a little bit—but there was something there that she couldn’t put her finger on; something that told her she was safe. He wasn’t a complete barbarian.
Still, she wouldn’t let Brin put himself in danger. No matter how hard he fought her on it, Jun was determined to come out on top. She just needed to find a way to convince him that she could do this alone, that it was the safest route.
Meeting with Senator Moore, talking to her and getting a feel for what she was really about, was the best way to go about this. If, for some reason, the senator turned out to be untrustworthy, at least Brin wouldn’t fall into their hands.
Jun couldn’t handle the idea that she might be the one to deliver him to his doom.
Why do you care if they take him? You barely know him.
She frowned down at the plates in her hands as she pondered the question. Why did she care?
Because, despite her protests and her prickly attitude toward him sometimes, Jun actually liked him. He was kind, thoughtful, and protective. She even enjoyed his boyish charm and ridiculous sense of humor, but there was something beneath the personality he wore like a costume that intrigued her, and damn if she didn’t want to find out what it was.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and she spun around, expecting to come face to face with Raou or some other threat, but instead stared up into Brin’s face, watching in fascination as his fushori pulsed that brilliant blue she liked so much.
His arm was outstretched, his fingers nearly touching her face. How long had he been standing there? Goosebumps raced up her arms as his blue gaze locked onto hers. He looked at her as if he knew exactly what she’d been thinking, and she wasn’t at all sure she liked how well he read her.
Jun drew in a deep breath, taking in the morning air that drifted through the window she had cracked and a scent that was uniquely Brin.
He smelled like the beach, like waves and sand. He smelled like the salty mist that settled over the palm leaves she passed every morning on her way to the market. He smelled like home.
The sound of grease popping behind her jerked Jun from her thoughts and it was only then that she realized she had leaned into his hand so that the tips of his fingers brushed her cheek. She jerked back, wincing at the emotion in his eyes before the mask came back down and his hands dropped to his side.
“Good morning, Shayfia.” Brin grinned down at her.
As odd as his face still was to her, with its lack of a human nose and glowing eyes, not to mention the fangs that peaked out at her when he smiled like that, Jun found that his features were growing on her.
They hadn’t seemed to bother her at all when he appeared in her dreams, and the memory of those had her clearing her throat and praying to God that the Venium couldn’t actually read minds.
“Good morning yourself, Glowworm,” she mumbled, holding the breakfast plate out to him.
The sudden annoyance at his presence surprised her. A minute ago, she’d been waxing poetic over his scent, and now she couldn’t get away from him fast enough.
When he’d pulled his hand away, she’d felt a twinge of… hurt? It made no sense. She had no business feeling anything for him, but here she was, getting herself all worked up.
The sooner they figured out how to bring the humans and Venium into contact with one another, the sooner she could try to get back to normal.
Well, not entirely normal, she reminded herself as she glanced around the kitchen. Amanda wasn’t coming back. Her friend was off to create a life and family of her own, and Jun had been left behind to sort this all out.
You could go too, her mind whispered, but she clenched her jaw against the joy that thought brought her.
Moving on here would be hard, but Jun was no stranger to difficult situations. She’d started off alone in America once, and she could do it again.
The morning sun filtered in through the spaces between the blinds, leaving Brin’s body bathed in the bright light. His dark skin practically shimmered, and her mind filled with images of her hands trailing over his ch
est, of what it might feel like if she stepped into him and let him wrap her in his arms.
What would it be like to have him lift her up so that they were face to face, looking directly into his eyes? Would she find the secret thing within those blue depths that had made her best friend fall so completely for her alien?
A spark of curiosity glinted in Brin’s gaze, and she turned back toward the counter to dig through the silverware drawer, not wanting to give herself away.
You have responsibilities, Junafer. Your family depends on you.
“Something is bothering you, Shayfia. I can see it.” The warmth of his chest was at her back, and it made every hair on her body stand at attention.
“The only thing bothering me is you.” She said with a grin as she turned around. “Sit down and eat.”
Jun stabbed a fork into the eggs on Brin’s plate and stepped around his massive form before taking her seat at the table. She could feel his eyes as he sat down across from her, but she did her very best to keep her gaze fixed firmly on her plate.
They ate in silence and Jun swore she felt the warmth of his demeanor slowly disappearing, turning icy and distant. He was pulling away from her, just like he had done the other night. One minute he was hot, and the next he was as cold as the snow.
Are you not the same? she questioned herself.
Jun risked a glance from beneath her lashes and frowned. Brin looked as lost in thought as she was; his face emotionless as stone. Was she doing the right thing by denying what there was between them? Could she risk it?
No. As much as she loved her best friend, Amanda had let herself be pulled in by her feelings for Oshen, and now it was up to her and Brin to propose an alliance that could change the fate of humanity.
They didn’t have time to explore feelings.
This problem—this war—was far bigger than one human woman and whatever she felt for an alien man. Risking humanity for a crush was unthinkable.
And it was a crush, a silly, childish crush. Right? Her knees got weak when he turned her way, her heart sped dangerously when he smiled, and her body shook when he touched her.
And when he’d kissed her that night in her room… God, she hadn’t wanted him to stop. She felt like a schoolgirl, watching and waiting for her crush to notice her.
And isn’t that your problem? Brin does notice. He sees you… sometimes, she amended.
If she hadn’t seen the way Oshen had looked at Amanda when she had been here, Jun might have thought she was imagining Brin’s interest, but no matter how many times he’d pulled away from her, she still caught that same desire and longing that had been in his brutok’s eyes and it gave her pause now.
There had been moments over the last few days when Jun wished she could be like Amanda and just throw herself wholeheartedly into what she was feeling, but she was the logical one. Where Amanda let her heart take the lead, Jun let her head work it all out.
This might be nothing more than admiration. He’d saved her from Raou’s attempted abduction, and she’d give him credit for the bathroom rescue, even though that was entirely his fault.
She was familiar with Nightingale Syndrome, and had experienced it in her line of work more than once. Patients would become obsessed with the person who had saved their life or who had cared for them during their trauma. It wasn’t all that uncommon, but she wouldn’t let it happen to them.
“So do the Venium go around rescuing uniformed species often, or is this something new for you?” she asked in an attempt to break the heavy silence.
“We do not.”
When he said nothing more, Jun shifted in her chair. “I think I might have an idea on where to start with this… situation.”
“Do you?” Brin asked, shoveling a whole slice of bacon into his mouth.
“There was a senator on TV this morning who was asking people to come forward with information on the aliens who crashed. She told everyone at the press conference she thinks we might find allies among them.” She raised her brows as she watched him clear his plate. “I’m going to go to her office today and talk to her, make sure she’s not a threat before we reveal you—”
“You aren’t going alone.”
“Well, I would call and ask to speak to her so I don’t have to leave, but someone broke my phone so that’s no longer possible.”
“We will go once the sun sets,” Brin told her.
“You know it makes more sense for me to go without you,” Jun argued, dropping her fork onto her plate and crossing her arms over her chest.
“I am capable of protecting myself should the situation escalate, despite your obvious concerns. I might not be a warrior by trade, but I’ve been training since the moment I was old enough to walk.”
“I never said I doubted your ability to protect yourself—”
“And to protect you,” Brin interrupted.
Jun rolled her eyes. “And me. I never said you weren’t capable, but if we don’t have to put you in a situation where you are forced to resort to fighting your way out, then I think we should at least give it a shot.” Brin opened his mouth to protest, but she hurried on. “We might not have weapons that can tear apart the armor of a Grutex, but you’re flesh and bone. I don’t think even you have protection against bullets.”
“Shayfia, it is not your job to protect me.” His fushori pulsed, and she watched as the light raced along his body faster than her eyes could track. This topic was upsetting him.
“Honestly, as nice as it is to have someone looking out for my wellbeing, it isn’t your job to protect me, Glowworm.”
Brin’s gaze narrowed on her face. “Like brax it isn’t.” He shoved away from the table, looming high above her. “You are my responsibility, Shayfia. Mine.”
He stormed from the dining room but he didn’t go far. She found him on the couch, his large frame taking up nearly half of it as he glared at the comm on his wrist. He issued quiet demands to his AI, swiping and scrolling through whatever information the device brought up.
When he excused himself to use the bathroom, Jun knew her moment for escape had come. She darted toward the front door on tiptoes, snagging her keys from the hook on the wall as she slipped her feet into her shoes.
The front door creaked softly, and she cursed under her breath as she spun away, making a mad dash for her car.
Jun turned the engine over and prayed he hadn’t heard her as she backed out of the driveway and into the road. Her heart was racing, and she kicked herself for not thinking to grab her medicine bag off the counter before leaving.
Jun tapped the listen icon on the search bar at the bottom of her screen and said, “District Office for Senator Telisa Moore.”
The address popped up a moment later, and she selected the first option before adjusting the GPS in the flexible grip of the mount on her dash. It wasn’t far from Amanda’s house.
The sensation of something smooth gliding over her arm and wrapping around her wrist made Jun jump. She yelped as her car jerked to the side before she straightened the wheel with her free hand.
Half-expecting to see some sort of snake wrapped around her, Jun glanced down and sighed in relief when she saw the dark, glowing tip of Brin’s tail.
How the fuck…
“Brin?” Her eyes rose to the rearview mirror just as the alien pulled himself up from the floor of the vehicle. He didn’t look the slightest bit amused. “How did you get in here before me?”
“Do you honestly think I didn’t expect you to leave the moment you were out of my sight?”
Jun felt herself flounder as she struggled with what to say. Had she really been so obvious?
“It isn’t safe for you out here!” she shouted. “You were supposed to be at Amanda’s, safely hidden.”
“There is no safe place in war, Shayfia.”
There weren’t many cars on the road at this point, but she grumbled at Brin to stay down as she sped down MacDill toward the office building.
The lot at the back of t
he small residential-style office was empty aside from a black cargo van, but the sign on the front door told her they hadn’t left for the day.
“At least stay hidden in the car until I come out and let you know it’s safe to come inside.”
Brin rumbled low in his chest, but said, “Fine.” He leaned forward, his face stopping inches from hers. His breath drifted over her skin, and she shivered at the memory of his lips on hers and the taste of his tongue, but instead of repeating the action, Brin seemed to think better of it and stuffed himself back down on the floor behind her seat. “Hurry up and be careful.”
With a fortifying breath, Jun swung her door open and stepped out onto the black asphalt.
“I should have called,” she grumbled when she saw the sign on the back door asking patrons to have their appointment information ready for reception, but it was a little too late for that now.
The building had definitely seen better days, as had the crumbling sidewalk. Jun cursed as the tip of her shoe caught on one of the broken segments. She stumbled forward, catching herself before she went too far.
She craned her neck to peer around the corner of the building to make sure Brin hadn’t heard and busted out of her vehicle to save her from herself. She couldn’t let him reveal himself too soon.
“You will be safe.” That’s what Senator Moore said during the press conference and Jun wanted to believe it would be true. She had to believe it would be true.
At the front of the building were two men dressed in black suits. The one to the right of the door had his arms folded over his chest, and he glowered at her as she walked up the small set of steps. She reached for the handle, but jumped back when the man on the left slammed his hand against the glass.
“Do you have an appointment?” he asked.
“Uh, no, but I have information for the senator.”
The man on the right grunted as if he had heard that more than once that day. “Right. Go back to wherever you came from, call to make an appointment, and then maybe you can provide your information.”