Kept From the Deep: Venora Mates Book Two

by Octavia Kore

  “We saw it,” Nuzal murmured, stepping closer to inspect the black lifeblood on the leaves. Why would everything except for this disappear?

  “How the hell does that much blood just disappear? There were pieces––” Jun’s voice cracked, and she shook her head as if that would erase the memory. “I saw the animal—I saw what it did to Clara.”

  “We should go back to the ship,” Xavier said quietly as he stood from his spot on the ground. “We need to go.”

  “We can’t just go back. What about Layla? She might still be alive,” Jun protested.

  “Did you see what that thing did to Clara? Layla doesn’t stand a chance. She’s fucking dead, and I’m not going to waste my time chasing a corpse!” Xavier’s pale face was flushed a bright red and his eyes were wide with fear.

  Something in the brush not far from where the humans dug up the root vegetables caught Nuzal’s eye. He got to his feet, bile rising up and gathering in the back of his throat when he realized it was one of the packs they had used to collect water. Strands of Layla’s dark hair still clung to the fibers, and worst of all, there was a smattering of fresh red lifeblood across the shoulder strap.

  Nuzal turned to Jun, offering her the pack. “I don’t think we’d find her alive.”

  “This doesn’t prove she’s dead.”

  “You said it yourself.” A nasty sneer pulled at Xavier’s mouth. “You heard her scream.”

  Roman stepped up between them, pressing a hand firmly into Xavier’s chest when he tried to move closer. “Jun, they’re gone. There’s nothing we can do for them now. We need to get back to the ship and let the others know what happened.”

  His little mate’s face fell as she stared down at the pack. Taking it from his outstretched hand, Jun brushed her fingers over the fabric before slipping the strap over her shoulder. “Fine. Let’s go.”

  They made their way back through the forest, each one of them far more alert than they had been before. The crunch of fallen leaves or the snap of branches beneath their own feet set Nuzal’s heart racing. It wasn’t hard to keep Jun close; she’d pressed herself against his hip and didn’t let him get more than a breath away.

  The rushing of her lifeblood and the pounding of her heart were so loud in his head that he had almost mistaken it for his own. Nuzal worried that her heart, the one organ he couldn’t completely repair during the surgery, was going to beat right out of her chest if she didn’t rest soon.

  Jun looked up at him as he lifted her over a large intertwining root system, and he wished more than anything that he could make the pain he saw in her eyes vanish. She was fierce, but even someone as strong as she was could suffer from the shock of what they’d been through.

  Gloom seemed to chase them, creeping over the rocks and slithering through the trees like some giant serpent. The animals stayed hidden, but he imagined the whispers he heard were warnings being passed on, telling the others of the horrors they’d experienced there. Where Nuzal had found pleasure among the icia trees at the start of their search, he now found only a sense of wariness as his eyes scanned the open spaces between them.

  “I can carry you––” Nuzal tried to offer when Jun’s legs wobbled, but she thrust her hand out toward his face, shaking her head.

  “I’m fine. I can make it.”

  He didn’t understand her resistance, but Nuzal didn’t push it any further. Perhaps she didn’t want the males to think she was weak, that she couldn’t push through and get back to the vessel on her own. They once had warrior females like her, or so the legends said. Courageous and fierce, just like his human mate.

  “Finally,” Xavier sighed when the vessel appeared in the middle of the clearing just up ahead.

  The humans must have posted a lookout, he thought as the large ramp leading into the cargo bay lowered at their approach.

  “Hurry up,” Jun urged, glancing behind her as if she was worried the beasts had followed them. “Get inside!”

  Their hasty steps rang along the metal of the ramp as they took shelter within.

  “Close it! Close the damn door!” Xavier gasped, hunching over to rest his hands on his knees.

  “Wait, where are the others? Where are Clara and Layla?” Esme asked as she pushed her way through the gathering crowd of onlookers.

  “They’re gone,” Jun told her.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means they are gone,” Roman said. “They didn’t make it back.”

  “We were attacked by something in the forest while we were gathering food. Whatever it was, it took them.” Jun pressed her lips together, but it didn’t stop the trembling of her chin. “We couldn’t save them.”

  Esme turned to Roman and Xavier, her eyes narrowing as they nodded in agreement. “I knew this would happen.”

  Jun frowned. “What?”

  “I knew you would come back without people. I knew it would be Clara, but I hadn’t guessed you’d take poor Layla too.” Esme turned toward the small group of humans at her back, her arms spread wide. “Didn’t I tell you? I knew we couldn’t trust him!”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Roman asked.

  “Clara could read his mind—she knew what sick things he was planning, so he killed her!”

  The humans murmured, a couple of them gasping as they backed away from him. He hadn’t hurt Clara or Layla, and he certainly wasn’t going to hurt them, but Esme’s words fed the fear in their hearts.

  “Esme,” Jun reached out to place her palm on the blonde female’s arm. “We all saw what happened to Clara.”

  Esme recoiled, jerking her arm away from Jun’s touch. “How can we trust you to tell the truth? You’re his mate.” The word flew from her mouth like a curse. “Maybe he’s got some sort of mind control and you’re all just little puppets in this game he’s playing. If they can give humans the abilities we all have, then who knows what they’ve done to themselves?”

  “We were all there,” Nuzal took a step forward, sending all of the humans except Esme into a panic. “We all saw the same thing. I fought one of the creatures off.” He gestured to the healing crack on his chest.

  “There was nothing left.” They all turned toward Xavier. The male stared at Nuzal, shaking his head as he moved closer to the group. “There was nothing left. No blood, no pieces… there was nothing.”

  How could they all have experienced the same thing and still not be unified? Was it the shock of the events? Had it somehow muddled this male’s mind? No, Xavier, unlike many of the humans, had never trusted or liked him. It wasn’t something he held against him, but to blame him for the deaths of the females, to sow doubt when he knew the truth? It caused anger to rise up within Nuzal.

  “Nothing you do will ever make up for all of the shit you and your friends did to us. We’ll never trust you.” Esme turned her hate-filled gaze on Jun. “And you shouldn’t either.”

  Back in the forest, Nuzal had wondered what he could do to prove he was trying to unlearn the things he’d been taught, but it was clear to him now, that no amount of proof was going to convince many, if not all, of the humans. He spared a glance down at Jun and felt icy fingers tighten around his heart. Would it be the same with her? How long would it be before she looked at him with such venom and disgust?

  They will never trust you. Not the humans. Not Jun. Not even Brin.

  A growl rumbled up his chest, spreading the pain of his injury and his heartache. He stalked passed the group, leaving the cargo hold. He heard Jun call him, but he wouldn’t go back. Slipping out through the door they’d left through the first time, Nuzal turned toward the forest. He checked the charge on the weapon he’d taken from Jun and looked toward the trees.

  Nuzal would find the bodies of the females. He’d prove to them all that he could be trusted.

  Chapter 28

  Jun

  “Oh, let him go!” Esme hissed at Jun as she moved to follow Nuzal.

  “You weren’t there! If you were so worried about C
lara, then why didn’t you volunteer to come with us? Clara defended Nuzal, she stood up for him, so why the hell would he want her dead?”

  “Because he’s a monster! They are all monsters!”

  “He would never have hurt Clara. If anyone had a reason to want her dead, it was you.”

  “So what, you get yourself some alien dick and you’re on their side? You won’t even stand up for your own people?” Xavier’s tone grated against her nerves, and she itched to introduce his face to her fist.

  “I heard things in the Kaia’s office,” Esme stepped closer to Jun, her voice lowering as she leaned in. “The Venium are working with the Grutex. Did you know they were allies?” When Jun said nothing, Esme’s lips turned up into an almost triumphant grin. “You did know. Are you even human at this point, or did they manage to fix you too?”

  She’d been angry before with Xavier, but the feeling that crashed into her now with the force of a hurricane was pure rage. Her nails dug into the skin of her palm as she clenched her fists even tighter.

  Nurses don’t give people black eyes. Nurses do not give people black eyes, she chanted.

  “You’re so fucking ridiculous! I’m sorry for what you went through with the Kaia, but your paranoia is out of control, Esme. Nuzal is not the Kaia! Stop blaming him for whatever happened to you!”

  Esme didn’t respond, but the look on her face told Jun that her outburst was exactly what Esme had wanted from her.

  “What the brax is going on?” Brin’s voice rang through the bay, making the group of people in front of her jump. “What happened to you, Shayfia?” He asked, reaching out to brush the back of his finger over her cheek.

  As happy as she was to see him and to know she finally had some back up, Jun knew she was going to get hell for sneaking out. Her nails still had dirt beneath them from digging up the vegetables, and she was sure she looked a mess after their hasty hike back to the ship.

  “I went out with the others to gather food.” She lifted her hand to silence him the moment his mouth dropped open. “You can yell at me later. We were attacked by something in the forest. Clara and Layla didn’t make it.”

  “By something? It was Nuzal, and she’s trying to cover it up for him!”

  “That’s enough!” Telisa shoved herself between them just in time to catch Esme by the shoulders. “I understand where your hatred is coming from, and I know you’re afraid because we all are, but Nuzal helped us escape and has done nothing but care for each and every one of us since the crash. You cannot accuse him of murder without proof. I’m putting my foot down.”

  Esme’s shoulders slumped as she stared up at Telisa before backing away, melting back into the crowd. Sympathy welled up inside of Jun. She hadn’t gone through the same things as Esme, but she wasn’t going to let the woman accuse Nuzal of something she knew he hadn’t done. Those beasts, those nightmares, were the ones responsible for Clara and Layla’s deaths.

  She felt Brin’s hand brush over her hair and turned to look up at him. “Where’s Nuzal?”

  “He got upset when Esme blamed him and he left.”

  Brin slid the packs from her shoulders and gathered the pouches filled with the roots they had collected, handing them off to Roman, who gave her a half-hearted grin. “It’ll be all right, Jun.”

  Realizing the show was over, the humans began to trickle back out into the more comfortable areas of the ship, leaving the two of them alone in the cargo hold. Jun took a deep breath, moving toward the outer walls so that she could sag against them. She felt Brin’s fingers slide over her cheek and the tingle it caused made her close her eyes in pleasure. He kneeled in front of her, lifting her face to his so that he could look at her properly.

  She ran the tips of her fingers over his jaw, brushing the faded scars that marred his dark skin as her stomach tied itself in knots.

  “Are you okay, Shayfia?”

  “Physically? I’ll be fine. I’m worried about him, Brin. I know Nuzal didn’t do it. I was there—I saw it attack him, and I fired the shot that injured it before it could kill him.”

  Brin tugged her closer, pulling her into his arms. “Tell me what happened.”

  In this position, with Brin kneeling as he was, Jun’s head was able to rest against his shoulder. She told him everything, about the growling in the beginning, the water, the fruit, the roots, and how Layla had disappeared just before the attack on Clara.

  “I’ve never seen anything like them. They looked like wolves, but there was no fur and their legs were so long and slender. They had these yellow and blue rows on their heads, and their tails… they were hooked with a long barb at the end and the one that attacked Nuzal used it like a scorpion’s.” She didn’t ask if he knew what a scorpion was, just shook her head and ran her hands over her face. “He almost died. He was almost gone like Layla and Clara.

  “There was blood, so much blood, but when the creatures disappeared it was like they took all the evidence of the attack with them. I wanted to look, but Xavier didn’t want to stay, and Roman and Nuzal agreed that there was nothing we could do, so we came back here and Esme practically met us at the door.”

  “It wasn’t safe for you to go out there.”

  Here we go, she thought. “Nuzal is out there now. It’s not safe for him either.” Brin’s mouth flattened and she knew from experience that he was trying to dig in his heels. “He went back out because of what Esme said, I know it. I saw the look on his face, Brin. She’s convinced him that none of us will ever trust him, but I do. I know what I saw, and I know he’s innocent and my gut is telling me that we need to find him.”

  “I’ll find him. You go check on your people.”

  “Fuck that,” Jun growled. She shoved away from him, grabbing one of the weapons someone had discarded on a work table against the wall. “I’m going. I don’t want to lose either of you, Glowworm.” He opened his mouth and she just knew he was going to argue. “Look, I don’t have military training, but my papa taught me how to handle a gun as a kid, and I’ve been going to ranges and classes back on Earth for years. I want to help find Nuzal.”

  Silence hung between them for a moment, and she knew Brin must be struggling with the urge to scoop her up and lock her in one of the rooms, but after a moment he relented. “I’m not sure how I’m ever going to be able to tell you no.” His tail whipped back and forth as he reached out to take one of the other weapons for himself.

  “Don’t waste your time. Much easier to just agree with me.”

  “So I’m learning.”

  Once they were outside the ship, Jun looked around, hoping Nuzal would be nearby and that he hadn’t actually gone off into the forest alone.

  “Over here.” Brin was crouched near the tree line where a set of fresh footprints had been left in the soil. The size and shape made it pretty obvious who they belonged to.

  “So he’s gone into the forest,” Jun grimaced, staring into the trees. “How the hell are we going to find him?”

  “Smell.”

  “I know we’re all still trying to work out a schedule for sharing the showers, but I didn’t think he smelled bad enough for you to be able to track him on scent alone.”

  If anything, the way Nuzal and Brin smelled had been affecting her in ways she had never noticed before. There had been times over the last few days when she was in close quarters with one of them that the scent made her desire nearly unbearable and she’d had to make up excuses to avoid the both of them.

  “It’s not like that. I can smell Nuzal in the same way I can smell you. I’d know your scent anywhere.” The smile on his lips didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  Jun knew he was still on the fence about this mating, but there had been moments where she’d caught them working together and it had filled her with such a sense of happiness that she knew she’d done the right thing by following her gut instinct.

  They headed in the direction of Nuzal’s scent, stopping every few feet so that Brin could check the air and make adjustm
ents. The whispers of the animals from earlier had stopped, but she wasn’t sure if it was due to the setting sun, or if it was a bad omen. Jun stuck to Brin’s side, not letting him get far, but she knew she didn’t have to worry about losing him with how tightly he had his tail wrapped around her waist. Even through the suit she wore, Jun could feel the heat of his skin, and it made her entire body tingle.

  “Do you think we’re getting clos––” Jun’s words were cut off by the shriek of one of the Grutex weapons discharging somewhere close by.

  “This way!”

  “Brin, go! I’ll catch up.” She could tell by the racing of his fushori and the irritated flare of his gills that he wanted to sprint forward.

  The forest floor in this part was littered with exposed roots and larger rocks than on the outer edge, and she struggled to keep her balance and hold her weapon as he pulled her along.

  “I’m not leaving you here on your own!” Without even bothering to ask her permission, Brin scooped her up against his chest, holding her with one arm and bringing his weapon up with the other.

  He’ll be all right, Jun told herself, clutching at Brin’s shoulders as he burst through the hanging branches. He’s a Grutex, for God’s sake. Nothing gets rid of those guys. A strange warmth unfurled within the pit of her stomach, spreading up her chest and shoulders before racing down her arms to pool in her palms.

  The growling and snarling grew closer, and the scene that unfolded before them as Brin came to a stumbling halt would have torn a scream from her lungs if they hadn’t seized at the sight of Nuzal’s bloody body pinned beneath one of the beasts from earlier. Brin fired his weapon, startling the creature. It raced away, crashing through the underbrush as Brin took aim and fired again.