by Hope Hart
When I was a little girl, I only wanted one thing. To be an FBI agent like my dad. He wasn’t the most patient dad, or the most involved, but he was passionate about keeping his country safe. When my mom died, something inside him died too, and he threw everything he had into his career.
He’d always wanted a son. My mom was three months pregnant when she died, and to this day, dad is convinced that the baby was the son he’d always wanted.
Once mom was gone, so were my dresses, pretty shoes, and nail polish. They were replaced with camping trips, martial arts, and prepping.
My dad had half of his house devoted to food, weapons, medicine, and anything else we’d need to survive the apocalypse.
And then the apocalypse finally came. Only, he’d never considered an alien invasion as a possibility when he prepared for the end of the world. When the Arcav first arrived, people fled the cities. I finally caved and went and stayed with him for a few weeks. Eventually, I couldn’t handle spending any more time with my stepmother Julie, and, when the end of the world no longer seemed imminent, I returned to New York, where my fiancé and my job waited for me.
Now, I’m back in New York with the aliens my dad hates so much. The day I told him I was moving to Arcavia was the first time I’d seen him cry since my mother’s funeral. He nodded, hugged me, and he’s refused to take any of my calls since.
Someone, probably Blake, decided that it would ruffle fewer feathers if we drove while in New York, instead of using the flying pods the Arcav prefer. I’d snatched the keys when we landed, and now I’m heading toward the satellite office in Brooklyn. I used to work at the main office in Manhattan, so if I’m lucky, maybe no one will recognize me.
I snort. Unlikely.
Korva eyes me at the sound and I ignore him as I navigate traffic. He looks about as uncomfortable as a seven-foot-something Arcav can in a car built for humans, his body slouched, and his head bent so his horns don’t puncture the roof. Blake’s in the backseat, probably still pouting about me stealing the keys.
I reach for a bottle of water, my mouth dry. My throat feels constricted as I swallow. Maybe it’s not too late to talk to Blake—
“We’re here.”
I’ve been driving on autopilot and I’m suddenly hit with adrenaline as Blake gestures toward a parking spot.
Blake and I show our ID while Korva stands against the wall, somehow ignoring everyone around us while simultaneously noting everything and everyone.
“Who are you afraid of?”
He’d asked as if he cared, which we both know isn’t true. I’m suddenly desperately homesick for Arcavia, where I can resume my life of training, hanging out with Harlow, Amanda, and Meghan, and keeping a safe distance from Korva.
Being around him is like a drug. He’s no good for me.
“Special Agent Phillip Kurts,” I hear from behind me and silently curse my distraction.
Get your head in the game, Eve.
Blake shakes Kurts’s hand, and I do the same. His grip is strong and confident, and he gazes at me curiously.
“I heard you used to be one of us.”
He doesn’t say it as an accusation, but I almost flinch.
“Yup.”
The silence is awkward, and Blake’s giving me a ‘what the fuck?’ look. I clear my throat.
“I uh, needed a change.”
“Well, you can’t get more of a change than a different planet, huh? I transferred from San Francisco last year, so not quite the same, but you young people have more than just Earth open to you now.”
His voice is jovial, but his eyes are shrewd. I nod and smile, and I have a feeling he’ll be asking around about me as soon as we leave.
I give Kurts points for shaking Korva’s hand. Most of the other humans we’ve encountered so far have just stared at him and silently backed away.
We follow Kurts into a meeting room— one that I’ve been in many times before. It’s like coming home after years at boarding school, only to find that your mom and dad have moved to a new house without telling you.
He gets straight to the point.
“We have a team currently working on identifying the keystones of this particular group. Unfortunately…” His mouth twists like he’s eating something bitter and all three of us eye him intently.
“Unfortunately, at least three of the members are FBI, and multiple others are various members of law enforcement.”
Blake steeples his hands on the table and smiles at Kurts. “Sadly, law enforcement personnel are human just like anyone else. While we’d hope they make better choices, especially if they’re working with the Grivath, this doesn’t surprise us at all.”
I raise an eyebrow as Blake continues. “Plus, I was a member of HAA,” he says, and Kurts’s mouth falls open. “And look at me now.”
Blake spreads his hands wide, a shit-eating grin on his face and it takes everything in me to not roll my eyes. I don’t know what kind of game he’s playing, but it seems to be working as Kurts visibly relaxes, smiling back at Blake as he leans back in his chair.
Kurts turns at a knock on the door and I feel my eyes widen almost against my will as a familiar face appears.
His mouth drops open. “Brown? What are you doing here?”
I shift in my seat. “Working with you guys on a case. How’ve you been, Briggs?”
“Wow, wait ’til I tell the guys…” his voice trails off and he winces. I can practically feel Blake making mental notes beside me.
Kurts points at the screen and Briggs hurries forward, computer in his hand. He sets it up for us and then hesitates in the doorway.
“Coffee,” Kurts orders, and Briggs nods, giving me one last smile and heading out.
Korva lets out the ghost of a growl beside me, too quiet for the other guys to hear, but I shoot him a look anyway.
Briggs was just a baby when I left, fresh out of Quantico. He was one of the few people who spoke to me after everything went down, and I won’t forget his kindness. Even if he’s about to gossip about me like an old lady.
Kurts fiddles with the laptop while we wait, and Briggs returns with coffee before he’s managed to get it working.
“Uh, do you need help, sir?”
Kurts sighs, sits back, and waves his hand. Briggs presses a couple of buttons and offers us coffee as a mind map pops up on the screen in front of us.
Blake and I take our coffee as Korva declines, and then we all sit back, studying the screen.
There are hundreds of names on it, connected by workplaces, family, hobbies, and even the bars they frequent.
“Is this the entire United States?”
Kurts shakes his head. “This is just the East Coast.”
Shit.
Briggs hits a button and my coffee falls out of my hand and hits the ground with a splash.
“What the fuck?” Blake’s voice is rough, but I hear concern buried deep, even as my face goes numb.
“I’m sorry,” Briggs says. “I should’ve warned you.”
I’m staring at my ex-fiancé’s face.
Korva
There are three human males on the screen in front of us. But Eve only has eyes for one. Her lip trembles for a moment before she clamps it with her teeth, taking a deep breath as she ruthlessly brings her emotions under control.
“I apologize,” she says. “The second man, Liam Trenton,” she clears her throat, her eyes still stuck on the screen and I want to break it. “He was my fiancé.”
Kurts mouth drops open, before he clamps it closed.
“Well,” he says, “this will be interesting.”
“It won’t impact my ability to do this job.”
“And what exactly is this job?”
I don’t like his tone, but Eve’s eyes flash at me as if reading my mind.
She smiles at him, but it’s brittle. “My job is to collect as many of the shot-callers from this group as possible, load them onto our ship, and take them back to Arcavia for questioning so that Ea
rth isn’t invaded and enslaved by a living nightmare.”
His eyes widen but he simply clears his throat and nods.
“We have a meeting at four at the Manhattan office,” he says, and I watch as Eve’s body tenses, even as she nods. She doesn’t want to go, and I’m so finely attuned to her that I can feel her desire to do almost anything but move to this place.
“We will have the meeting here,” I say, and everyone turns to me, eyes widening as if they had forgotten I was here.
Kurts’s mouth thins. “The team is hunting one of their own,” he says. “The task force is operating out of Manhattan.”
Eve narrows her eyes at me warningly and then turns back to Kurts.
“That’s fine. We’ll check in with our colleagues and then head over.”
She turns to me as Kurts and Briggs walk out.
“What the fuck was that?”
“You did not wish to go.”
“Since when do you give a shit about what I want? Listen, you’re here to be tall, dumb, and silent. That means backing us up if we ask for it, not playing the arrogant Arcav.”
I narrow my eyes, horns straightening in offense. No one is able to annoy me faster than this small human.
Blake gets to his feet. “Want to tell me how you ended up engaged to someone working with the Grivath?”
Eve jumps to her own feet. “First of all, you don’t know for sure that he’s working with them. Second of all, maybe you should quit throwing stones. You may have forgotten that you were in deep with HAA, but no one else has.”
“How could I have forgotten? I bring it up at every opportunity.” Blake gives Eve a wide smile and she snorts.
Eve and Blake check in with Nathan and Rob, who will also be at this meeting. Then, they snipe at each other for the entire drive, like two small children. I begin a low growl, and then notice Eve’s hands tightening on the wheel. She is needling Blake in an attempt to find distraction.
I will discover why she is so upset.
I ignore the voice that asks me why it matters to me if a human woman is unhappy. She is not my mate. But she is so determined to keep Harlow safe that she has returned to a place where people cause her distress.
No one is allowed to cause her distress.
Chapter Four
Eve
The walls have been painted since the last time I was here. The familiar beige has been replaced with a sky-blue paint that somehow makes everything else look even shabbier. I miss the beige. The smell of burnt coffee wafts toward us and suddenly I’m walking in here for the first time after Quantico, a wide smile on my face in an attempt to hide my sweaty palms and erratic heartbeats.
Korva follows behind us, ducking his head as he walks through the doorway. He’d practically had to kneel when we were in the elevator, and the put-upon expression on his face had helped distract me from my thoughts.
Heads turn as the feds spot his horns, the low hum of voices dying as hands dance toward weapons, seeking reassurance. I almost snort. The Arcav have banned guns on Earth, which means that all these guys have are sad little tasers which would probably bounce right off Korva’s rock-hard chest.
When Korva simply stares back at the feds, they resume their discussions. Kurts sticks his head out of a meeting room and gestures for us. I blow out a breath as we walk in where Nathan, Rob, and Vazta are waiting for us. All three of them grin, and I can’t help but smile back.
“We’ve talked to the cops on the ground,” Nathan says. “Apparently they’ve had this task force in place for months. All that’s left is to swoop in, take down the bad guys and save the day.”
“Delusions of grandeur, mate,” Rob says, scratching his hand over his chin.
We take a seat as the room fills, cops and feds filing in.
“Brown? What the fuck are you doing here? Didn’t you get fired?” I grit my teeth as Troy, one of Liam’s best friends walks in.
“No,” I say. “I quit.”
He narrows his eyes at me, and for a moment I can’t hear anything over the roaring in my ears. Two years ago, we were friends. Then, when I needed him, he was nowhere to be found. I was surprised, until I learned he was up to his ears in the same filth as Liam.
“I gotta say, I’m surprised you’d show your face around here after what you did.”
“After what I did?”
If I could get away with it, and not blow our chances of FBI cooperation straight to shit, I’d climb over this table and slam my fist into his face.
“You still playing that game? You know, it takes someone with a lot of problems to make false accusations and betray her entire team. I never thanked you, by the way. That promotion you were after? It was waiting for me as soon as you left.”
“Sit down, Troy.”
I blow out a breath at the familiar voice and turn towards the doorway.
I’d been expecting Fields to show up but it still feels like I’ve taken a hit to the solar plexus when he walks through the door, his mouth dropping open as he does a double take. His reaction would be funny if I wasn’t barely keeping it together.
“Brown.” His lips press together.
“Fields,” I say, and the room goes silent as everyone collectively inhales.
“That’s Deputy Director Fields,” he says from between his teeth. “As you’re aware.”
I tilt my head, meeting his eyes. As far as I’m concerned, any respect I owed this man disappeared when he forced me to lay my badge down on his desk and walk away. I say nothing, staring at him until Kurts clears this throat and Blake hisses a warning at me.
Fields glances away dismissively and I cross my arms, focusing on the glass board in front of us.
I grind my teeth as I listen to Fields drone on, and at one point, I catch one of the detectives glancing surreptitiously at his watch. It turns out that these guys have everything they need to go ahead with the raid, but they’ve been waiting for us to arrive.
Why? Because HAA has supporters among the general public. By waiting until the Arcav arrive, both the feds and the police can pretend like they had no choice but to take them all down.
Even with everything I know about Liam, a tiny part of me is still hoping that they’ve got it wrong. That he wouldn’t be dumb enough to throw away his career— and maybe even his life— while risking the safety of every human on Earth.
That hope is killed when Fields slaps a photo of Liam on the board.
“Liam Miller was one of us. He worked in this office with some of you. When one of us is dirty, that dirt rubs off on all of us.”
My mouth drops open. The fucking hypocrite.
Fields narrows his eyes at me. “Miller was approached eighteen months ago. Soon after he joined, the group formerly cut ties with HAA and took the name HGA— the Human Grivath Alliance.”
Idiots, all of them. And Fields is still staring at me like it’s my fault. Eighteen months ago, I left the FBI after Fields gave me two options: Leave voluntarily or be fired. Soon after, I jumped through all of the necessary hoops to get on a ship to Arcavia.
Five months earlier, I’d stumbled across the kind of information that makes you question everything you ever thought you knew about a person. And now Fields is looking at me with condemnation, as if I’m the reason Liam joined HGA?
I’m trembling with rage, but I dig deep, promising myself I can let it loose later. I’m conscious of Blake staring at me, even as Korva steps closer from where he was leaning against the wall behind us.
“Sounds like you need to keep a closer eye on your men, Fields,” I say.
You could hear a pin drop, and we all watch as Fields’ face turns purple.
“What the hell are you thinking?” Blake mutters as Fields steps forward.
“Now listen here you little—”
“Let’s keep things professional,” Blake says, smiling at Fields, even as his eyes harden.
Korva moves closer and chooses that moment to place his huge hand on my shoulder, claws extended.
I sigh. Wow, I sure look like a badass now.
Fields steps back, distaste and fear in his eyes as he stares at those claws. Then he looks at me, his eyes cold, even as a vein throbs in his temple.
“Keep your opinions to yourself,” is all he says, turning away.
Korva
I don’t like this place. I don’t like the males, who stare at Eve with either lust or retaliation in their eyes— sometimes both. I don’t like the smells, which offend my nose. I especially don’t like the male who Eve calls Fields. I would like to hurt him.
Eve shakes my hand off her shoulder, glaring at me, and I raise an eyebrow at her, before retreating to the wall where I meet the eyes of every human in the room.
Blake seems as if he is about to erupt in fury, although he is attempting to hide it behind a big grin and cooperative demeanor.
Everyone stands and begins to file out of the room and Nathan turns to me, raising an eyebrow.
“Are you ready?”
“For what?”
“Weren’t you listening to anything they just said? It’s happening tonight. There’s a meeting for new members in New York, so we’ll be hitting that while simultaneous takedowns happen across the country.”
I nod. “We are going as well?”
Eve’s mouth twists as she turns. “The FBI has very kindly invited us to take part so they can point to our involvement as the reason why they had to hand the ringleaders over to the Arcav.”
Blake whirls on Eve, face dark. I shut down a growl before it can begin.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were on bad terms with the FBI?”
She looks away. “It was my business.”
Blake throws his hands up. “Your business? And you were honestly complaining that Korva would be a liability for this job?”
“Leave him out of this.”
He stares her down. “I stuck up for you, and you won’t tell me what happened. I don’t believe you’re a traitor, but I’ve gotta wonder what made the FBI turn on you like that.”
Eve draws in a shaky breath and her face whitens.
“Fuck you, Blake,” she says, walking out.
