by Hope Hart
I sigh. “I still think I should go with you.”
She strokes her soft hand down my cheek. “I wish you could. But you need to stay and help your brother. It is not fair for both of us to leave so soon after his coronation.”
I grit my teeth, even as I nod. My brother and I are close. I have few of his responsibilities and that allows me to spend the majority of my time either with my mate or in my lab. He has no free time, and instead must prove himself to be a capable ruler now that our father has stepped down.
“I will miss you.” I nuzzle her neck, breathing in her sweet scent. My mate always smells like fruit and flowers, and I am immediately tempted to roll her beneath me.
“I will miss you too. Let’s take a trip when I return. We can steal a few days for ourselves.”
“It is done.”
I jolt awake, lifting my head from my arms. I can still remember the half-smile she would give me when I visited her in her own lab. She was working on a way to introduce oxygen and carbon dioxide to planets that would otherwise be incapable of hosting life.
I stare around my lab, still half-trapped in the moments between sleep and wakefulness. After two centuries, I still sometimes wake, expecting to find her curled next to me.
My mate was soft and gentle. She did not know how to use a weapon and had no desire to learn. She wore long dresses and her hair fell unrestrained down her back. She wanted children.
Daliz would never dream of fighting with a male. She was happiest at home or in her lab.
She was nothing like the female who continues to haunt my thoughts.
Eve spoke to no one on the way back to Arcavia. Her replies were short, one-worded sentences, and she spent her free time either exercising or hiding in her room. Her gaze was blank as her eyes looked past me, and she didn’t even talk to Blake, who refused to be the first one to break their stiff silence.
I stayed away from her when we arrived back in Arcavia, making my way back to my lab, where I’ve worked day and night, usually falling asleep on the small sofa.
Today, I fell asleep at my lab, still on my stool, my arms my only cushion against the cool metal.
When Daliz died, I was watching her ship from Jaret’s control center on Arcavia. Her team had reported a problem, and Jaret had ordered another ship to move in and help it land safely.
The ship was too late. My mate’s ship crash-landed, while I roared in agony, watching as the impact create a crater in a planet close to Fecax.
I felt the moment she died, her end of the mating bond snapping as if it had never been there. My mate, my best friend, my lover. Gone.
What was left of Daliz’s body was buried. As everyone moved on with their lives, I was unable to. I descended into madness, yet I was still capable of hiding the insanity that gripped me.
I quickly realized that the need to mate— which Arcav held so sacrosanct— was nothing more than a liability. For one to two percent of Arcav, they would never find their mates, or their mates would die. For the females, that would mean that they would waste away, unable to find pleasure in life. For the males, the mating instinct would lead to intense fury. The helplessness, combined with the rage, and the constant seeking for a bond that wasn’t there would be like living in hell. It would gradually lead to the degradation of the part of the brain used for reasoning.
Usually, these males were locked away as soon as they showed the first signs of mental degradation. This would get progressively worse, until either they attempted to escape and were killed in the process, or their heart simply gave out one day after the strain of centuries of fury.
I don’t remember making the conscious decision to make it stop. But I tried for years, attempting to completely excise the gene responsible for our need to mate. Unfortunately, this proved impossible, so I chose the second-best option. I removed those mates completely. No longer would female Arcav be born. Those who were waiting for their mates would never find them. Then, perhaps my people would agree that the need to mate was nothing more than a genetic mistake— one that should be eradicated.
I’m still not sure why I chose to infect the humans. I had known of Earth, of course. Getting in and out undetected was child’s play. By that point, I had decided that removing the ability to mate was not enough. I wanted the Arcav to watch their mates die. The way I had.
Humans are remarkably short-lived creatures. They still have not found a way to pause aging. Sure, they do their experiments on small creatures and nod their heads at the idea of becoming a long-lived species, but they are still limited to just one century of life— if they’re lucky.
I forgot about the Alni plant.
This plant changes DNA on a molecular level. Even our best scientists are still not entirely sure how it works, and it seemed unlikely that it would work on humans. But when the first human mates were found, it was evident that they were biologically similar enough to the Arcav for the Alni plant to work.
If I have one regret, it’s that I kept detailed records of what I had done and buried those journals with Daliz’s body. After locking me away for centuries, Varian deserved to suffer for longer than the few short decades as he tried to understand why there were no more females born on Arcavia.
Was it wrong?
Yes.
Do I regret it?
No.
Eve
Bang! Bang! Bang!
I blow a hole in all three moving targets, pleased that I’ve finally managed to improve with the Arcav blasters. When they’re on the highest setting, the range is almost as narrow as a gun, and even more lethal. That means that accuracy is crucial.
Harlow grins beside me as she takes out her targets. She’s wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt that rides up over her bump. No one who’s seen her in a priceless dress and diamond crown would be able to recognize this woman as the Arcav Queen.
“You know,” she says, “normal women would spend their girl’s day out shopping. Or maybe getting a manicure.”
I grin. “Good thing we’re not normal women.”
She switches the setting on her blaster and I do the same. Now we’ll focus on taking out multiple targets at once while avoiding the civilians who will run across the field or suddenly pop up out of nowhere. Have I mentioned how much I love Arcav technology?
“You ready for the trip to Fecax in a few weeks?”
Harlow shrugs. “It’ll be exciting to see a new planet. But I mostly want to stay home and nest, you know?”
Not really, but I nod my head anyway.
“Can the trip be put off?”
She shakes her head. “We should’ve gone already. With the Fecax Princess missing— oops, I mean Queen now I guess— there’s a power vacuum. Anyone even remotely related to the royal family is trying to gather enough support to take the throne. We need to go and stabilize the place. Varian says that if the Fecax can’t get their shit together, the Grivath will be knocking on their door, and that would be a massive threat to us.”
I frown. “I wonder who took the Queen. Maybe it was someone who knew the family would be killed and couldn’t see the youngest killed in cold blood.”
“Maybe. But she had a sister just a couple of years older than her. They slaughtered her as well.”
“Hmmm.”
She takes a shot, curses as she misses, and slides her gaze to me.
“You never told me how the trip home went.”
I take aim at a group of Grivath, immensely satisfied when they fall to the ground.
“It was fine.”
“Just fine?”
“What is this, therapy?”
Harlow’s silent for a moment and I sigh.
“Sorry. Honestly, it was rough. It turns out that my ex-fiancé was one of the HGA leaders.”
Harlow shoots and misses, her mouth falling open as she turns to me.
“Yeah,” I nod, firing again. “Missed, damn it.”
“Holy shit. Are you okay?”
I shrug. “I’m trying to be. He
’s a fed as well. We were planning our wedding when I stumbled across some payments that didn’t add up. I dug deeper, because of course, I can never leave anything else alone, and I found out that he was up to his neck in dirt. He was completely in the pocket of one of the biggest gangs in New York. Oh, and when I took it to our superior, he made it clear that snitches get stitches and encouraged me to resign. Turns out he was just as dirty.”
“Wow, Eve, I don’t even know what to say. It took guts to turn him in.”
“It felt like the right thing to do at the time. Honestly, if I’d known then what I know now… I don’t know if I’d do it. I lost everything. Liam told everyone he knew that we’d broken up and I was a crazy ex who was determined to ruin him. No one would talk to me. My former friends refused to work with me. When Fields demanded my badge… it was almost a relief, you know?”
“Yeah.”
“I wanted to join the FBI from the moment I was old enough to know what it was. My dad was a fed and it was the one thing we bonded over. When I told him I resigned and I was moving to Arcavia...” I fire at another group of Grivath and curse as I miss. “I think it almost killed him.”
Harlow blows out a breath and places her blaster down. I do the same. My concentration is shot to shit.
We leave the range and head to a cafe, Rob trailing behind us. I have no doubt that Varian has extra eyes on us, and I’m continually scanning for threats. Recently, Harlow had to threaten Varian with dismemberment of his favorite part for him to allow her out without him. She’s seven months pregnant, and now that she’s no longer puking up everything she eats, she’s determined to enjoy what little independence she has.
“Did you tell your dad why you were leaving?”
“I tried. He told me that he hadn’t raised me to run when shit gets hard, and if I truly thought I would have a better life amongst those ‘goddamn aliens’ then maybe I wasn’t who he thought I was.”
I blink back sudden tears at the memory. That was the last time we spoke. I know better than to assume he’ll get over this.
“What an asshole. I’m sorry, girl, but your dad’s a giant dick. He should’ve been proud of you for your ethics, and instead he threw you under the bus.”
Her voice is getting louder as her face gets more and more flushed and I raise an eyebrow. Harlow insists on moving among the regular public, which isn’t as bad as it sounds since the Arcav tend to stare while also keeping their distance, likely wary of Varian’s wrath. But at the volume she’s talking, they’ll soon have some very interesting gossip to share.
“Yeah, he’s a dick. You think if you shout a little louder that baby will crawl right outta there looking for some peace and quiet?
Her mouth drops open and then she throws her head back, roaring with laughter.
“You bitch. Hey, you want to share a piece of chocolate cake?”
“Sure.” I wait while she orders and then lean back in my seat. “So, what’s new with you?”
Harlow sighs and glances around. Rob’s covering the door, and I have no doubt he’s scanning each and every person in here for potential threats. I wouldn’t be surprised if Varian has another team outside, and I’m sitting parallel to Harlow, with her against the wall, my body covering her from any surprise attacks.
“I just… I’m terrified that I’m going to be a terrible mother.”
My mouth drops open, and she gives me a half-smile.
“Well, that reaction makes me feel better.”
“Why the hell would you think that?” I scowl. “Did someone say something?” Heads will roll.
“No, of course not. It’s just… this thing with Meghan, you know? If I hadn’t gotten involved and warned Methi off, he never would’ve left, and she wouldn’t have gone after him.”
I sigh. “I fucked up too. I should’ve seen the signs. If anyone’s experienced with running, it’s me. But she’s a little genius. If she didn’t want anyone to know, we weren’t going to know.”
“I’m going to kill her when we find her.”
“You’ll have to get in line.”
“I don’t know if I ever told you, but I grew up in foster care.”
I keep my expression neutral. She never told me, but I know basically everything there is to know about Harlow. Not only because she’s my friend, but because a bodyguard’s job is to know the body you’re protecting. When you know someone’s history, personality, and typical reactions, you can prepare accordingly. For instance, I know damn well that Harlow is our biggest liability if she’s ever under attack. Not because she’s an idiot, but because she knows she can fight and shoot, and she’s determined that no one is going to get hurt on her watch.
If we’re ever caught by the enemy, I have no doubt that she’ll be fighting right alongside us. Our biggest issue will be getting her out of the line of fire.
“It wasn’t a great childhood. I had Josh, but he was always in trouble, and eventually he was in juvie. But I have no idea how to be a good mother. I haven’t had the best examples.”
I smile. Harlow’s worried that she won’t be a good mother. Who would’ve thought?
“Here’s the thing. I don’t think anyone is ever truly prepared for motherhood. I think everyone has the exact same fear. But if we look at the evidence, everything we know says that you’ll be a damn good mother. I mean, look at the way you’ve protected Earth and worked on human rights. We all know that it’s only your bargaining with Varian that made it possible for human women with families to get to choose if they came to Arcavia. After what you went through, no one would’ve blamed you for taking some time to sit in your palace and relax, maybe take a vacation or two. But instead, you got straight to work making things better for your people.”
She nods, but she’s still chewing on her lip. I sigh.
“The fact that you’re worried about it means that you’re going to be the best mother possible, don’t you think?”
Her eyes fill with tears.
“Oh my god, don’t do that! Please don’t cry. Shit, do you need a tissue?”
She bursts out laughing. “I’ve never met anyone more uncomfortable with emotion than you, you know that?”
I nod. “Sounds about right. But no crying on my watch, Maleficent. Save it for when you’re hanging out with Amanda.”
Harlow grins as the cake arrives.
“Fine. Let’s eat our feelings instead.”
Chapter Seven
Eve
I make my way into Korva’s lab. Until now, I’ve done everything I can to stay away from him. Meghan and Harlow hang out with him all the time, talking to him while he paints his mate’s face over and over again, or simply sitting with him while he works on whatever he’s working on in his lab.
I wouldn’t be here if Varian didn’t make it clear that he expected me to go and personally invite Korva for dinner with him and Harlow. According to Varian, Korva refuses to answer his calls, Harlow is too busy to leave the palace, and if Korva expects the Arcav King to beg for a scrap of his attention, Varian is more than happy to show him otherwise.
Varian’s voice was ice cold by the end of that speech, the expression on his face confirming that he meant every word. But something is niggling at me, urging me to refuse, even though not doing what Varian wants is a bad, bad idea.
“In and out,” I mutter to myself. “Find him, pass on the message, and return to that bottle of wine waiting on my kitchen counter.”
“Korva?”
I think that’s the first time I’ve said his name out loud. In my head, I usually refer to him as that colossal asshole. And after he publically humiliated me, I refuse to engage with anyone who mentions him in casual conversation.
“Korva?” I ask again, my voice pissy. My shift is finished, and I’m exhausted after a long day of training, running drills, and protecting Harlow.
“Why are you here?”
I spin, my heart galloping in my chest. How did such a massive man manage to sneak up on me? I relax my ha
nd and shift it away from my weapon, and instead lean casually against one of the long silver tables in the lab.
I have no idea what he does in here, but my curiosity is stoked. He’s staring at me silently and I realize he’s asked me a question.
“Varian sent me.”
His face immediately hardens, and I can see why both humans and Arcav give him a wide berth. This guy is dangerous. There’s something about him that tells you that he has no intention of playing nice, and that he’s only following society’s rules so that it’s easier for him to get what he wants.
I clear my throat, hating that I’m flustered. I hate this guy. So why does my breathing speed up and my stomach clench when he’s close by?
Fear, I tell myself. My body recognizes that he could one day be a threat, so it’s responding accordingly.
“Varian would like you to join him and Harlow for dinner,” I say.
There. My job is done. I move back toward the door, even as Korva barks a harsh laugh.
“Varian knows I will never eat at his table. He sent you to tempt me.”
I frown. Tempt him with what?
“And you are definitely the definition of temptation, small human,” he says as I bristle. “But you can tell him that his plan will not work.”
“There’s no plan,” I snap. “Just Varian inviting his asshole brother to dinner. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
He glowers at me and takes a step forward, and just like that, my nipples are hard. He takes a deep breath and I feel heat travel up my cheeks as he gives me a knowing look.
Fuck him.
I whirl, bolting for the door, but he’s on me, spinning me back around as he backs me toward the door.
I lash out with my fist, punching him in the mouth, and his eyes widen, even as they heat, his hands tightening on me.
“You made me bleed,” he says. “Now you will kiss it better.”
I jolt awake, panting, and immediately curse up a storm. Of all the shit my subconscious could’ve come up with, why did it have to bring up that?
That night is burned into my memory. I relive it every time I see Korva’s face, which thankfully, hasn’t been often since we returned to Arcavia. In my mind, we were scratching an itch. In reality, we burned up the bed.
