Kept From the Deep: Venora Mates Book Two

by Octavia Kore

  Jun watched the exchange, waiting for one of them to act on the unchecked hatred, but Raou eventually snarled before shoving the doors open and stomping off.

  “Jun?” The way her name slipped from his mouth to dance over her skin made her shiver. The same warmth she felt in her chest when Brin teased her spread into her arms and tickled the tips of her fingers.

  There is something wrong with you, Junafer. The sensation was both wonderful and terrifying. Is this what shock feels like? I can’t be getting butterflies over the way a Grutex says my name.

  “My name is Nuzal,” he told her as he readied the tray one of the other males had set out for him. “I will be drawing samples of your lifeblood for analysis in the lab. Do you understand?”

  Jun fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Yes. I’m a nurse. I’ve done things like this before.”

  “Good.” Nuzal looked down, staring at his hand as it hovered over her arm. “Is it okay if I touch you, female?”

  “Do I actually have a choice in the matter?”

  Nuzal frowned at her before shaking his head.

  “No. You have no choice.” Although his words seemed harsh, his eyes were conflicted, as if he couldn’t figure out why he’d even asked her that ridiculous question in the first place.

  The pain in her back took her by surprise, and she felt herself tense at the realization that she hadn’t taken her medication since before she left to meet with Telisa. How long had she been without them?

  The tingling sensation started in her toes and crept up her right side, a reminder that her body was weakening. This was the last place in the galaxy that she could afford to be weak, and yet she was helpless to do anything to remedy that. If the Grutex didn’t kill her soon, her own body surely would.

  A deafening rhythm began to pound in her head, her own rapid pulse as loud as crashing ocean waves during a storm. An excruciating jolt of pain shot from the base of her skull down to the small of her back and she hissed, drawing the Grutex’s attention.

  How long was she going to make it before her heart and kidney gave out? She distracted herself by watching Nuzal prep the needle before he turned toward her. The seat she was strapped to began to rise, bringing her closer to him, allowing him easier access. He reached above her, drawing down a slim metal instrument that cast a light onto her arm, displaying the network of her veins beneath her skin.

  They had these on Earth too, but this one was like nothing she had ever gotten to work with before. It was as if someone had peeled away the flesh, leaving her veins exposed, and damn if the nurse in her wasn’t impressed and just the tiniest bit jealous.

  This would have been useful so many times over the years.

  Nuzal leaned down to examine the pathways, his hand moving her arm gently as he looked for the best option. Where their bodies met, Jun noticed a faint glow, a fascinating, beautiful shimmer of iridescent color.

  It spread over the back of his hand, dancing up his wrist and forearm in the same way the aurora borealis danced across the sky. She couldn’t recall ever seeing a Grutex glow, but aside from what she saw on the news channels, Jun admitted she didn’t know very much about them. Maybe Nuzal was a subspecies, or a hybrid.

  The light it cast onto her skin was warm and soothing, like being kissed by the first rays of the sun. Her chair shook as Nuzal released her arm and stumbled backward. He stared at his limb as if it was alien to him, turning it this way and that as the lights receded.

  The fleshy tendrils around his face wriggled over his shoulders, thrashing against the plates of his upper chest. Two of his eyes, the lower violet ones, focused on her, and she saw the shiver run through him as he rubbed his fingers together, smoothing away the last of the pretty light.

  If she had to guess, she might say he looked just as surprised by the glow as she was. He watched her for a long moment and something about the way he looked at her made her feel, for the very first time, like they were on equal ground.

  He wasn’t the huge Grutex looming over her, but a male, just as confused and bewildered as she was. His entire body shuddered as he took a hesitant step forward, his eyes darting to his hand as he drew closer. Nuzal reached out, plucking something from the tray as he stared down at her.

  This wasn’t the empty syringe he’d had before. A thick pink liquid filled the tube, and before she could warn him about her conditions and the fact that whatever was in there could have a negative effect on her, Nuzal had pierced her skin and pressed down on the plunger, sending the mysterious contents into her body.

  God, please let me live through this. Let me get back to Brin.

  Almost immediately, the pain in Jun’s head and body faded, and black smoke began to curl around the outside of her vision. If she hadn’t been so concerned about possibly dying, she might have thanked him for taking away her pain.

  “This is just a fast-acting sedative,” he told her, as if he sensed her panic. “The lifeblood draw seems to put undue stress on many of your species. I don’t wish to upset you.”

  “What? Wh––” She tried to speak, to ask him what was so stressful about it that he needed to put her under, but her tongue was so heavy and refused to do as she demanded.

  He was speaking to her again, but his voice was distorted, like a toy with dying batteries. She stared at him, watching as his mouth moved, before her gaze dropped to the needle he held poised above her arm.

  The vein finder flashed, and she watched in absolute horror as the syringe in his hand morphed into some sort of needle-nosed creature as it pierced her skin, burrowing into her like one of the terrifying man-eating scarabs from that mummy movie Amanda had made her watch once.

  Her last conscious thought before the darkness closed in was that she was going to give Amanda hell for giving her this nightmare fuel if she ever got to see her again.

  Chapter 16

  Jun

  The first sensation she was aware of as she struggled to clear her mind was the warmth of something firm pressed against her cheek. Was she on the floor of her cell again? No, something was holding her, cradling her. She was being carried, Jun finally decided as she felt herself sway.

  Pushing through the fog of the lingering sedative, she forced her eyes to open and stared at the multi-colored glow as it danced over mauve plating. Jun pulled back and was actually relieved to see Nuzal, the scientist who had drawn her labs.

  While it was true that the Grutex looked incredibly similar, being this close to them had shown her that there were indeed small differences that allowed her to tell some of them apart.

  Those lower violet eyes were trained on her face, but when he realized he’d been caught staring, he quickly averted them. If the Grutex could blush, she was sure he’d be doing so.

  “I’m returning you to your bonded,” he spoke in hushed tones as if someone was listening. “I couldn’t risk letting one of the warriors do this.”

  Couldn’t risk it? Was this male, a member of the most feared race of aliens she’d ever met, really protecting her from his own people? What would move him to do something so… kind? There was no reason to help her, and surely doing so would only put him at risk.

  What if this is a ploy? What if he was trying to gain her trust so that he could use it against her? Jun thought of Brin, and her resolve hardened. She wouldn’t risk it.

  Give an inch and the Grutex would take her life, or the lives of those she had come to care for. And even though she was curious about the glowing plates beneath her touch, Jun turned her head away. She wouldn’t give him any indication she was interested in his kindness.

  Nuzal’s steps slowed as they approached another line of cells, and she anxiously peered inside. Brin was on the floor, still curled up where they had left him after his whipping.

  The Grutex keyed in the code and stepped into the cell, gently placing Jun on her feet. There was an acute absence at the loss of his touch, but she erected her wall and dropped to her knees beside Brin, letting the warmth of his skin soothe
whatever ache her body thought it was feeling. She wouldn’t allow herself to make it more than it actually was.

  The Grutex held out a tube filled with a pale paste, waiting for her to take it from him. “What is that?”

  “A healing balm.”

  Jun reached up, careful not to let their fingers touch as she slid it from his hand and inspected it carefully. “I’ll need something to clean out the wounds with. He’ll get an infection if it’s not properly cared for.”

  Nuzal shook his head, sending the tendrils dancing. “The gel will be enough. You have my word.”

  Jun wanted to laugh at him. What good was the word of a monster? Instead, she nodded and turned toward Brin. “Thank you.”

  “Jun?” She froze at the sound of her name. “Use it sparingly. A small amount is sufficient for the wounds he received. Using too much of the balm has been known to cause adverse reactions.”

  She removed the lid, bringing it close to her nose, testing its scent. It was… pleasant, almost minty, like Mama’s efficascent oil. She dipped the tip of her finger into it and frowned at the cool sensation that spread into the palm of her hand. Jun looked back up at Nuzal, who was standing just inside the cell, his eyes trained on her and his body rigid as if he wasn’t exactly sure what to do with himself.

  Guess that makes two of us.

  He reached out, the tips of his claws almost skimming her hair, but she shrank away from him, pressing against Brin’s big body. The hand jerked away, and she watched as the male struggled for a moment.

  “I am truly sorry for this… for all of it.” He frowned as he ran his hand over his chest where the glowing lights originated from when she woke up in his arms. “I wish there was something I could do.”

  “You could let us go,” she challenged, but she knew that wasn’t an option.

  Nuzal said nothing, only stared at her for a moment longer before his gaze fell on Brin. His jaw clenched like he wanted to say something, but he spun on his heels instead, stepping through the forcefield before reactivating it and disappearing down the hall.

  “Jun?” Telisa’s whisper startled her, and she turned to see the woman watch her through the barrier.

  “I’m all right.” She told her, forcing a small smile.

  Are you though? she asked herself. Jun looked down at her arm, the one she’d seen the needle-bug burrow into, and shivered. There was nothing there, not any kind of indication a needle, let alone a bug, had pierced her skin. Maybe the sedative had caused her to hallucinate.

  “Where did they take you? What did they do to you in there?”

  “They gave me a sedative to calm me, and then took my blood.”

  “That’s it? How do you know they didn’t do more?” Telisa questioned, inching as close as she could without getting herself shocked.

  Jun shrugged. “I don’t think they did anything other than what they said they would.”

  “You don’t look any different…”

  “I don’t feel any different,” she responded.

  “Do you think I should keep up the crying, or have they caught onto us?” Telisa asked.

  “I honestly don’t think the crying is going to help. They’ve already got plans for each and every one of us and tears aren’t going to sway or distract them.”

  Jun grunted as she tugged at Brin’s arm, rearranging him so that he was sprawled on his stomach. Telisa gasped as his back was revealed, and she did her best to swallow her own emotions at the sight of his torn and burned flesh. She had witnessed so much during her years in the ER, but she had never had to tend to someone she cared for with such serious wounds.

  The edges of the fresh wounds were charred, and the smell choked her as she dabbed the gel into the mangled skin. Woven between the marks from the electric whip Raou had used were old, faded scars. How had she not noticed these before? They crisscrossed over his back from the very bottom to the tops of his shoulders.

  Her hands were bloody and torn from her attempts to pry up the panel, but she figured it probably didn’t matter much at this point. She applied what she felt was a sufficient amount, while keeping Nuzal’s warning in mind. Brin groaned, his body tensing as she tended to one of the worst ones.

  “I’m sorry, Brin. I’m almost finished,” she assured him.

  The balm was already beginning to work wonders. The marks looked less angry, the swelling and redness having gone down significantly. Even the cuts and tears on the tips of her fingers were looking better. What she wouldn’t give to get this in the hands of hospitals back on Earth.

  Paired with Brin’s natural healing abilities, Jun was sure his wounds could be closed within a day or so. He would most likely still scar, but judging from the ones already there, it was something he already lived with. She touched the thick, faded lines and wondered what had caused them.

  By the time she’d finished and recapped the tube, Brin was stirring, tail and limbs twitching as he slowly came back to consciousness. Jun brushed her fingers over his brow and tucked a few strands of his pitch black hair behind his pointed ear. Her heart clenched in her chest when he opened his eyes and stared up at her.

  “Shayfia,” he rasped. “Did they hurt you?”

  “I’m okay, Glowworm,” she whispered as she bent down to press her lips against his, not caring that they were being watched by the Grutex and every other human in the cells, or that they were both filthy and covered in blood. The feel of his mouth moving against hers, the reassurance that he was still alive and here with her, was so overwhelming that she nearly burst into tears.

  All of those reservations she’d had on Earth, all of those reasons she’d come up with for not doing what her heart wanted her to seemed so silly now. She should have just taken a page from Amanda’s book and jumped head first into… whatever this feeling was he stirred within her.

  She didn’t care what anyone else might think about her decision. They could call it rash, spontaneous, stupid, and sure, maybe it was all of those things and more, but Jun wanted Brin more than anything she had ever wanted in her entire life. Nothing was going to keep her from holding onto whatever moments they had left.

  She’d dive right into the sea of emotions. She’d learn how to swim in those waters just to have him.

  A shaky hand brushed against the side of her head as Brin’s claw-tipped fingers tunneled into her hair, fisting the locks as he pulled her closer. His kiss was urgent, but gentle, and even though neither of them spoke, Jun felt something, some kind of silent understanding, pass between them.

  Jun belonged with Brin as surely as Amanda belonged with Oshen. His tongue pressed against her lips, seeking entrance, and she shuddered when it slipped inside to dance over her own.

  She forgot where they were and what they were facing as she allowed herself to become swallowed up in the sensation of this alien—of her alien. Need curled in her belly, spreading through her like wildfire.

  It wasn’t until he pulled away with a groan that she felt the cold hard floor beneath her sore knees again, and heard the humming of the forcefield. Brin pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead as he caught his breath, his eyes roaming over her face as he wiped away the crusted blood on her cheek.

  Jun felt the beginnings of panic well up within her chest. She didn’t want to die here. She wanted to go to Venora and create a life with this male. She wanted to see her family again, to hug her papa and mama again and tell them she loved them. It couldn’t end like this.

  Brin sat up, wincing as he twisted and tugged at the healing wounds. She knew from the cuts on her fingertips that the balm didn’t numb the pain, but she hoped it had at least taken the worst of it away from him.

  “What happened to your back?” she asked as she tucked the tube into her pants pocket.

  Even with his back torn open, mischief sparkled in his blue eyes.

  “I was whipped.”

  A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth and Jun rolled her eyes.

  “Yes, I was there. I meant the other one
s.”

  The lightheartedness from only seconds ago faded immediately, and Brin’s jaw tightened.

  “The scars?”

  Jun nodded. “Who gave those to you?”

  “My––” He looked around, likely expecting to see Telisa peering through the barrier, but she seemed to have taken the hint during the kiss and made herself scarce. “Tesol—my sire—gave them to me.”

  “Your father?” Horror washed over her as she stared at him. “Why would he do that?”

  There was no trace of the confident, wise-cracking Brin she’d known. His face was dark, eyes swirling with pain. She wanted to tell him he didn’t have to tell her, that they could forget she’d brought it up, but something told her this was what he needed.

  Brin reached for her hands, pulling her into his lap and wrapping his tail around her waist. He ran the pad of his finger over her cheeks and across the nose she had always thought too wide. She stared at her reflection in his eyes and tried to see herself from his perspective.

  “It’s a long story.”

  “I’ve got time.” She smirked, trying to brighten his mood.

  He grinned back at her, but it never reached his eyes. “Brin isn’t the name I was given at birth,” he began. “I was born Ruvator Machit. It’s a name I share with my older brother.”

  Jun scrunched her face. “I bet he hates that. Having a brother named John was similar enough to annoy me half the time.”

  “He died long before I was ever born.”

  Open mouth, insert foot. Jun wished a hole would open up and swallow her right at that moment.

  “Ruvator was the perfect son for my parents. He was a warrior, excelled in all of his training, rose through the ranks as he was expected to do.” Brin frowned. “My brother was everything my dam wished I’d been. My sire and brother were deployed together, and while they were out scouting, they were taken captive.”