by Kelly Goode
‘Go and put the kettle on, Mrs Harris. I’ll only be a minute.’
Lydia took the path that led to Chelsea’s front door. She pressed the doorbell and waited. When no one answered the door, she tried knocking in case the doorbell was broken, but there was still no answer.
‘Doesn’t look as if anyone is home,’ Lydia called to Mrs Harris who had a strange expression on her face. Somewhere between remorse and glee.
‘Try banging on the window, dear.’
Lydia sighed and moved towards the front window. She could see shadows moving behind the net curtains, so there was definitely someone home. She didn’t want to disturb Chelsea if she was busy, but also knew the old woman wouldn’t let up until she knew everyone was searching for her cat.
Lydia raised her hand to knock on the glass, but then froze as she realised Chelsea wasn’t answering the door because she was straddling someone on the sofa.
That someone was Don.
18
Jonah entered the pub and caught several unfamiliar jaktten scents at once. He frowned and scanned the faces of a group of four men gathered around the pool table. They were doing their best to appear interested in the game, but two of them held their cues too tightly. This many jaktten in one place was unusual. The colony normally stayed away from humans and certainly didn’t socialise with them.
Jonah ordered a beer from the barman and took it through to the back of the pub where there was a small area set up with tables and chairs. He spotted Erik sitting in one of the booths and his unease increased. He was supposed to be meeting the brains of the council, not the brawn.
‘I didn’t expect to see you here,’ he said, sliding into the empty seat opposite Erik. ‘Where is Sebastian?’
Erik raised his fair eyebrows. ‘I’d expect an information merchant to already know the answer to that.’
‘You caught me there; I’ve been a little preoccupied. Business is booming.’
‘So I’ve heard.’
Jonah sipped his beer. He didn’t like the tone of the conversation. Usually he had the upper hand, but it felt as if Erik was the one in control.
‘What’s with the entourage?’
Erik smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. ‘The boys are just enjoying a night out. Having a few beers, shooting a few racks of pool. No harm in that.’
‘Viktor doesn’t usually let his subjects leave the safety of his grounds. What changed?’
That was one of the reasons Jonah decided to go it alone after crashing to Earth. He was fed up living under someone else’s rule. He wanted to make his own decisions. Live his life his own way.
‘Viktor has changed his mind about living amongst humans,’ Erik answered. ‘He also no longer controls the colony.’
Jonah set his glass down on the table.
‘Who controls it?’
Erik smiled again and this one was genuine. ‘I do.’
‘Where’s Sebastian?’
‘Dead.’
‘Theo?’
‘Dead.’
‘What happened?’
‘Blake killed them.’
Jonah felt every tiny hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Blake was honourable, too damn honourable, that’s how he’d been able to blackmail him in the first place. His old general wouldn’t have struck out at the council unless provoked. Erik was lying.
‘And Viktor?’ Jonah asked, careful to keep his tone neutral.
‘Viktor brought shame to the colony. He chose a human woman over his duty. He broke the old accords and lost his right to rule. I control the colony now.’
Jonah rubbed the emerging stubble on his chin. ‘I had a deal with Sebastian. I kept him supplied with information about threats to the colony and he left me alone to conduct my business as I saw fit. Does that deal still stand now you’re in charge?’
‘I have no desire to ruffle your fur, Jonah but I heard you’re looking for Tarik and I need you to stop.’
‘Everyone is looking for Tarik. The bounty on his head makes for an attractive payday.’
‘Aren’t you rich enough?’
Jonah was secure in the knowledge that he had enough money to see him through to the end of his days, but his interest in Tarik was now personal.
‘It’s not just the money, I-’
‘The bounty has been retracted,’ Erik interrupted.
Jonah shook his head. ‘I heard he’s been a very naughty boy, biting humans and leaving a mess. Surely someone should bring him in.’
‘Someone already has.’
That someone was clearly Erik and Jonah’s stomach tightened.
‘You found him? I need to speak with him.’
‘Not possible.’
‘Is he dead too?’
The sarcasm slipped easily from Jonah’s mouth and Erik’s calm exterior slipped. He slammed his hands on the table and stood up to his full height. His muscles bulged and spittle collected in the corners of his mouth.
‘Let me make this very clear. As Alpha, I’m telling you whatever interest you had in Tarik ends tonight. He is under my protection and you would do well to remember what position I hold now.’
‘Are you threatening me?’
Jonah felt his inner-jaktten stir dangerously close to the surface and he controlled the urge to reach across and use his claws to slice Erik’s throat open. Erik’s eyes burned amber, as he held his stare.
‘I’m not threatening you, Jonah. As ruler of the colony, I’m ordering you to back off.’
‘You’re not my ruler.’
Jonah heard the heavy footfall of several men enter the room. He didn’t need to turn his head to know they were the jaktten from earlier as they were still carrying their pool cues, ready to attack.
‘Is there a problem here?’ one of them asked and Erik deferred the question to Jonah with a wave of his hand.
‘I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘Is there a problem here, Jonah?’
Jonah got up from his seat. ‘No problem. I was just leaving.’
‘We can show you the way out,’ another one of the group said, swinging the cue back and forth from hand to hand.
‘I know my way, thanks.’
Jonah picked up his beer bottle and finished the contents. Part of him hoped one of them would make a move so he could release the pent up energy coursing through his system. It had been a while since he’d participated in a good old fashioned bar brawl. The thought made him smile.
‘Do you find this amusing?’ Erik asked.
‘Immensely.’
‘You’re not careless, Jonah. You don’t want me as your enemy.’
‘I don’t want you as my friend either. Did you really think I’d believe your bullshit about Blake? That man’s loyalty is annoyingly unwavering. He wouldn’t strike out at the council without good reason.’
‘I was there,’ Erik replied, his eyes darting to the other jaktten, as if feeling the need to convince them too. ‘I saw Blake slit Sebastian’s throat and then crush Theo’s skull with his bare hands.’
Jonah was about to answer, but a stabbing pain in his stomach forced him to double over. He groaned, as his skin moved and his jaktten tried to claw its way to the surface.
‘What the fuck are you doing?’ Erik hissed. ‘You can’t shift here. There are too many humans in the pub.’
Jonah began panting, trying to calm his beast.
‘I’m not trying to change. I can’t help it. Something is wrong.’
He felt an immense amount of panic swirling inside his guts.
‘I need to get out of here,’ Jonah said, through gritted teeth. ‘Don’t try to stop me and don’t try to follow me.’
None of the men made a move towards him, which confirmed they recognised the danger he posed in such a volatile state. There was only one explanation for his sudden need to shift forms.
Lydia was in trouble again.
19
Lydia woke with a jolt. Through the grogginess of sleep she recognised her living room, but fel
t disconnected, as if her body was one step ahead of her mind. The curtains were drawn across the window and she frantically searched the room for something that might indicate why she’d fallen asleep in the armchair and not gone to bed. The TV was not switched on, so she hadn’t been watching a film and there was no book beside her to indicate she’d stayed up reading. There was a massive void in her memory that unsettled her. She’d never suffered from black-outs before, but it felt as if she’d passed out from drinking too much wine and yet there were no empty bottles or glasses nearby.
Lydia slowly inhaled and exhaled, and went through what she could remember, which wasn’t much apart from finishing work and wanting to come home and relax in the bath. That hadn’t happened, as she was still wearing yesterday’s clothes. An image of her neighbour’s clown-like face suddenly popped into her mind.
Mrs Harris.
She remembered speaking to the old woman about her missing cat and offering to make her tea, but that was all. Lydia swallowed deeply against the incessant tickle in her throat. It felt as if she’d eaten something that was now stuck half-way down. She coughed and tried to dislodge it, but something sharp scratched the inside of her mouth.
Lydia pushed her dark hair away from her sweaty forehead. Her temperature was high and her hands felt warm and wet. She needed to confide in someone about the jaktten bite, as it could be infected. She pulled her aching body out of the armchair and headed for the kitchen to get a drink of water. The house was silent, so she assumed Don had taken one look at her passed out and left her there.
She’d only taken a few steps through the hallway when the urge to cough stopped her in her tracks. She grabbed the banister for support, as her body convulsed and she coughed and spluttered repeatedly until she couldn’t even catch her breath. She retched and finally felt something move up her throat. She coughed and spat the thing into her hands.
Lydia inspected the foreign object, with equal amounts of disgust and fascination. It looked remarkably like a ball of orange fur and yet there were sharp slivers inside. She hobbled into the kitchen and wrapped it in tinfoil. She would take it to the laboratory and examine it under the microscope to determine its composition.
Lydia took a glass from the cupboard and with shaky hands she filled it with water. She downed the liquid noisily, allowing the excess to spill out over her chin and onto the floor. It wasn’t enough to ease the burn and she stuck her head under the tap and lapped at the running water like a dog. She only paused when she noticed the mess on the floor.
A trail of gloopy liquid led to the backdoor and Lydia’s heart thudded inside her chest. It was blood. She’d worked with the stuff long enough to recognise the coppery scent. She looked down at her clothes; the same clothes that “J” had provided for her were now stained. The wet, sticky feeling against her skin was not sweat.
Someone had stabbed her while she slept.
Lydia pulled up her top and found her stomach covered in bruises and scratches. She began to shake, as she tried to recall how she got the injuries, but the void in her brain was impenetrable. Terror bubbled inside her stomach, as she doubled over with pain. The taste of bile hit the back of her throat and caused her to gag. Her skin felt as if it was on fire and her bones ached as if someone was stretching them out.
Lydia threw back her head and let out an inhuman howl of anguish.
20
Jonah heard Lydia’s howl of distress as clearly as if she was standing next to him and not separated by the walls of her house. His jaktten howled in response, eager to ease her suffering, but he held onto his human form. He suspected that if she saw the alien that had bitten her, it would add to what sounded like an already volatile situation.
‘Lydia,’ Jonah shouted, as he banged on her door. ‘Let me in.’
Her soft sobs caused his heart to pinch painfully inside his chest. He used his shoulder to pop the door from its frame and entered her kitchen. Old instincts took over and he surveyed the scene as he would a battle because that’s what it reminded him of. As a soldier with the jaktten army, he’d seen many massacres, many wounded enemies and comrades, but seeing Lydia slumped on the floor, covered in blood was worse than all of that put together.
‘Are you hurt?’ he growled.
Lydia stared up at him with glassy eyes. ‘I don’t know.’
‘What happened?’
‘I don’t know,’ she repeated. Her face was ashen and slicked with sweat, and her entire body shook as she held her bloodied hands out to him.
‘I woke up like this. Get it off me. Get it off me, now.’
Jonah moved closer and completed a brief visual examination, cataloguing any injuries as he would if she were a soldier in his unit. He then crouched down and checked the rest of her body gently with his hands. He had to temper his anger when he found scratching and bruising across her flat stomach.
‘It’s not your blood,’ he said hoarsely, unsure who was more relieved about that – him or her.
‘It’s not my blood,’ she repeated on a deep exhale, and then her brown eyes widened. ‘Whose blood is it then? Oh God. Oh God. What have I done?’
Jonah hated the way her small shoulders shook as she trembled. He wanted to gather her into his arms and ease the pain, but then she said something that caused his heart to constrict.
‘My husband,’ she gasped. ‘Where is my husband?’
Jonah stood up too quickly, as he realised Lydia was married. His mate already had a partner. He hadn’t even considered the possibility she was taken.
‘Where’s my husband?’ Lydia repeated.
‘He’s not here,’ Jonah replied as evenly as he could, considering the urge to smash something increased the more he thought about Lydia with another man.
‘He must be here.’
‘If he was in the house then I would be able to isolate his heartbeat. Yours is the only one I can hear and it is beating way too fast. You need to calm down.’
‘I can’t calm down.’
Lydia struggled to her feet and grabbed Jonah’s arms, leaving messy handprints on his skin.
‘I don’t know your name or how you found me, but I need your help. I think I killed him.’
‘Who?’
‘My husband.’
Jonah couldn’t contain the sudden burst of laughter that worked its way up his throat, which caused Lydia to frown.
‘It’s not funny.’
‘It’s a little funny.’
‘Killing may come as easy as breathing for someone like you. After what happened in that alleyway, I truly believe you’re capable of-’
He silenced her by putting his hand over her mouth and it took considerable effort not to shudder when her hot lips connected with his palm.
‘What do remember from the alleyway?’
She stepped back so he was no longer touching her face.
‘I remember your eyes. How did you find me?’
‘After you were attacked, I picked up your handbag so no one would link you to the crime scene. Your driving licence gave me your address.’
‘What were you doing in the alleyway?’ she asked.
‘I saw that guy grab you so I followed.’
‘You’re a jaktten, right?’
He nodded.
‘You bit me,’ she stated.
Jonah winced. ‘That’s why I came here. I sensed something was wrong and needed to check you were ok.’
She looked down at her hands as if suddenly remembering the blood.
‘Clearly, I’m not ok,’ she replied. ‘What’s happening to me?’
‘I don’t know exactly, but jaktten saliva causes humans to mutate.’
Lydia’s eyes opened so wide that he could see the small red veins around her irises.
‘I’m turning into a monster,’ she shrieked. ‘I killed my husband. I probably ate him too.’
‘I told you he’s not here. I can’t hear his heartbeat.’
‘That’s because he’s dead.’
Lydi
a started hyperventilating and Jonah noticed her skin rippled. He grabbed her arms and held them down by her side in an attempt to keep her calm. She wasn’t ready to shift forms completely, and if she mutated and got stuck, she’d end up as a half-breed atrocity until the madness claimed her or she died.
‘Lydia, stop it. Look at me and breathe.’
She did as he requested and he found himself drawn into the depths of her brown eyes.
‘You didn’t kill your husband,’ he said slowly, although that would make life easier for him.
‘Someone died here. I know it.’
‘It was just a fox.’
Lydia blanched.
‘I thought that would make you feel better,’ Jonah said.
‘The fact I’m an animal killer, instead of a human killer, doesn’t make me feel better in the slightest.’
‘You did it without consciousness. The beast wanted to eat and so it did.’
‘I usually keep steaks in the fridge. Maybe next time it can eat those instead,’ she said dryly and Jonah released his hold on her, knowing they’d successfully averted the change this time.
‘There won’t be a next time,’ he replied. ‘I got you into this mess and I’ll get you out of it.’
‘Is that a promise?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good, because I’ve seen how this ends and it wasn’t pretty.’
Jonah froze, as her words landed on him like a heavy blanket.
‘You’ve seen a human-hybrid?’
‘Yes.’
‘Where?’
‘At the Invasive Species Control Unit. That’s where I work. Although I probably shouldn’t have told you that. It’s a secret branch of the-’
‘Are they keeping specimens?’ he interrupted.
‘No. The one I saw was dead. It broke into our chief’s office and someone killed it.’
Jonah had a good idea that Blake had something to do with it, but couldn’t say that.
‘I won’t let the transformation get that far, Lydia. We will figure this out together. Do you trust me?’
