Genesis: (Book One of the True Luna Series) Page 3

  June felt sick as the words rolled off her tongue, “You’re leaving.”

  Dani didn’t hesitate to confirm June’s theory, saying, “It’s time. I’ve been a runner long enough that the council won’t think I was planning this. My dad’s working less so he and my mom can lean on one another to grieve. Pretty soon, no one will even remember I existed.”

  “Except me,” June stated, clenching her fists as a wave of anger washed over her. “You’re just going to leave me here?”

  Dani rolled her eyes, scoffing, “Every hunter in the country will be looking for us if you came with me. A councilman’s daughter disappearing isn’t exactly the discretion I’m going for. And it’s not like you’re going to be alone. You have Jace, Bran, your dad, and my parents. Unlike me, you can make a life here, June.”

  “You know what, Dani?” June spat, jabbing a finger in her cousin’s direction. “You’re a selfish bitch but I’m not going to let you leave. I’ll tell the council what you’re planning so that you’ll be stuck here, like me, forever.”

  “You would really do that?” Dani asked softly, heartbroken.

  At the display, June’s jaw clenched. She narrowed her eyes, vowing, “I’ll do what I have to.”

  “Then so will I.”

  Before June could ask what Dani meant, her cousin was running at her full speed in a flash of black. June blocked Dani’s fist with her arm as it swung towards her face. She tried stepping back but one of Dani’s hands reached around and grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking June’s head back just enough for her to spot it. Under the sun, Dani’s eyes hazel eyes were illuminated with gold flecks.

  June’s eyes flickered to the white bandage wrapped around Dani’s upper arm. She hadn’t thought anything of it when they met for practice but now her stomach twisted into a knot.

  She had missed the signs.

  A fresh hybrid never shifted right away. On average, it took three days to a week for the bite to do its job. After all, the melting and mending of human DNA took time. Those newly bitten all had the same symptoms. Aside from the obvious teeth marks, there was the sudden mood swings, unhuman strength, and the tell-tale sign of golden in the eyes.

  “What happened to you?” June asked, groaning as a knee slammed into her stomach. She doubled over and Dani knocked her off her feet.

  When she hit the ground this time, her cousin straddled her waist, pinning June’s arms over her head with one hand. Dani’s lips curled as she grunted, “You should have kept your mouth shut because now I’m going to have to make sure you can’t talk to the council. You’ll be too busy healing in the clinic that by the time you wake up, I’ll be gone.”

  “S-stop,” June pleaded while desperately bucking her hips. Dani may as well have been a stone statue because she didn’t move an inch.

  “I wish I could say I’m sorry, but I’m not,” Dani chortled. Without preamble, she twisted her fingers in June’s hair and raised her head before slamming it against the ground.

  Blood filled June’s mouth as she bite down on her tongue. Stars danced across her vision as Dani repeated the action. After the third time, she managed to fight off her shock long enough to cry out, “Help! Help—”

  Dani’s free fist collided with the side of June’s temple. She must have passed out for a minute because when she opened her eyes again, Dani was punching her in the face once and then twice more. Dani almost got in a third hit before her weight was suddenly gone. Blinking, it was a long moment for June’s vision to stop swimming enough for her to see the figure leaning over her.

  “Fuck,” Jace swore. His hands hovered above her chest as he commanded, “Don’t move. Okay?”

  It felt like June was wading through water as she reached for his shirt. Her hand closed around the fabric weakly as she wheezed, “Dani—”

  “Will be punished for this,” Jace interrupted. His hand wrapped around June’s, pulling his shirt out free. Gently, he threaded one arm under her back and eased her up so that she was leaning her against his chest.

  June took a shallow breath. She knew she wasn’t going to walk away from this without bruises, especially along her ribs which protested in agony.

  So caught up in the pain, she didn’t realize the crowd that had formed in the training lot until a guttural scream tore through the air. Her attention snapped to Dani who was being restrained by two men with strained expressions. It was taking all their strength to hold her cousin back.

  A pit formed in June’s chest as she fought to do what was right. The moment she outed Dani, there would be no going back. Her cousin was as good as dead. June couldn’t let her walk away and risk more people getting hurt, or worse, turn them.

  “Jace, help me up,” June said, trying, and failing to do so by herself.

  “What? No. We’re waiting for the medic.”

  “That doesn’t matter right now!” she snapped. “Either help me up or I’ll crawl.”

  Jace rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. With an arm around June’s abdomen, they rose off the ground together. He held up most of her weight as they moved through the crowd towards Dani. Knowing what was coming, Dani struggled harder against her captors, begging like a woman gone mad. “June, don’t do this. Please. I’m your family. Please.”

  June could feel the crowd’s eyes on her as she reached for Dani’s arm. Her hand shook as she slowly unwound the bandage. Dani pleaded again and she nearly stopped but then her father’s words from last night came back to her. He was right about one thing, anyone who was bitten was a risk to the whole community. Dani was family, but June’s duty was to protect the innocent.

  Decision made, she unraveled the rest of the bandage. There was a collective understanding that passed through the crowd as two more hunters grabbed Dani from behind. The crowd was silent as the starred teeth marks embedded in Dani’s arm. The skin wound was raw and red as a drop of fresh blood rolled out of the bite, indicating that it was fresh.

  It took June a moment to realize that she had unfortunately been right. Before she could muster the will to speak, Jace jumped into action. He held her tight, guiding her a step back while addressing the crowd, “Take Dani to asylum and find a council member. This needs to be dealt with right away.”

  June couldn’t bear to watch as they dragged Dani away. She hid her head in the crevice of Jace’s neck, praying that this was a nightmare. His arms wrapped around her back, hugging her with ferocity as the sound of footsteps faded. When she pulled back, her vision blurred with unshed tears. “Did I do the right thing?”

  “Undoubtedly,” Jace replied with no hesitation. Bending down, he tucked one arm behind June’s knees and hoisted her up, bridal style. “Dani is unhinged. It’s a shock no one realized it sooner.”

  June clutched Jace’s shirt as a wave of pain washed over her. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from crying out. Every jolt made her head spin and her ribs ache. She gritted her teeth, asking, “Where are we going?”

  “The clinic. We’re running out of time.”

  June stiffened, hearing the underlying meaning of his words. “She didn’t bite or scratch me. She just wanted to knock me around hard enough that I wouldn’t stop her from running away.”

  “You still need help,” Jace commented, picking up the pace. They were a block away from the clinic.

  “And if she did?” June asked as the rest of her adrenaline faded. She couldn’t hold her head up any longer and her eyelids were getting heavier with each passing second. “I wonder if the council would choose you over Bran and my dad. Everyone knows they choose who they think needs to learn a lesson.”

  Jace’s jaw clenched, “Can you please stop—”

  She didn’t get a chance to hear what he said next because her hearing warbled. Vaguely, June was aware of Jace looking down at her with wide eyes and shaking her softly just before the world faded to black.

  ***

  Even before June opened her eyes, the smell of antiseptic and bleach gave away her location
. A groan of annoyance left her as she stared up at blinding fluorescent lights. Her head pounded as she looked around. The only furniture other than the bed was a plastic armchair and it was surprisingly unoccupied.

  Throwing off the thin white sheet that covered her, June sat up. With nimble fingers she took out the IV inserted in the crease of her elbow. Her hand clutched the guardrail as she moved to the edge of the bed and stood. When the room stopped spinning, she started for the door but only made it a single step before it opened. Déjà vu washed over her as Dale stopped under the threshold, his eyes locked on her.

  This time his terse expression was replaced with worry. His hair was a mess instead of neatly combed back. The bags under his eyes were so dark they were nearly purple.

  “Before you freak out, I’m okay,” June told her dad as he walked into the room. Her breath was stolen when he pulled her into a bone crushing hug. She sank into him, unable to remember the last time Dale had hugged her.

  A solid minute passed before he dropped his arms and stepped back, speaking in a hoarse voice, “This is the last time you scare me to near death, June.”

  “This wasn’t my fault,” she countered. The reason behind her stay came to mind and she swallowed. “How long was I out?”

  Dale shifted where he stood. “Less than ten hours. The doctors kept you under due to minor brain swelling which has since gone down. It’ll be six weeks of rest before you get back in the field. The bruising on your ribs is going to limit any physical activity.”

  June wasn’t even mad that she was being benched. She was lucky Dani hadn’t mangled her. Hybrids who lost control were vicious creatures. Their intense anger made them unpredictable and near impossible to fight. That’s why hunters went out in parties of three or more. Not even the best of the best could take out a hybrid alone.

  An image of Dani with golden eyes and fangs flashed in June’s head, making her shudder. She had to sit down to keep herself upright. She forced herself to speak, “What about Dani?”

  The bed dipped as Dale sat beside her and took her hand, disclosing softly, “There was nothing the doctors could do. Her bloodwork showed that the infection has already spread. She’s at asylum.

  Nicknamed after a century old hospital it used to be, asylum was the complex’s prison which didn’t just hold human prisoners. Those bitten who couldn’t be saved by amputation and had to be executed were confined. There, the infected could finalize their will and say goodbye to their loved ones while the council investigated their case. It was a precaution of the complex to make sure that the hunter hadn’t committed treason.

  “Is she…gone?”

  “Not yet,” he exhaled.

  “Can we go home?” June asked, her throat closing. She wanted to curl up in her bed and pretend that her insides weren’t rotting from grief.

  Before Dale could answer, there was a soft knock on the door and then it opened. Jace’s eyes went wide, flickering from June to her father. The air grew thick with tension. When neither of the men said a word, too busy pretending the other didn’t exist, June rolled her eyes. “Dad, can you give us some privacy?”

  “No,” he answered without hesitating.

  June’s brows pulled together. She stood up, proposing, “Either you leave or Jace and I will.”

  The veins in Dale’s forehead throbbed. Grumbling, he stood up and crossed the room, his shoulder purposely knocking into Jace’s. Before leaving, he made a point of not closing the door, fuming, “This stays open. I’ll be back in five minutes.”

  June waited for her dad to turn down the hallway and let out a breath. Jace moved in front of her, and she leaned into his embrace, his arms wrapping around her. His voice was muffled by her hair as he spoke, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “Am I?” June felt as far from okay as a person could get. A storm was brewing on the horizon and she was lost at sea without so much as a plank of wood to keep her afloat.

  “You know what I meant,” he sighed. “You’re alive after facing a hybrid. That’s a cause for celebration.”

  “Yeah, it sure is,” she bit out sarcastically. She wondered if Jace had forgotten that said hybrid was her cousin. Or what had been her cousin.

  “June—” he started but didn’t get to finish.

  “Why are you here?” she asked, pulling back so she could stand. Jace wasn’t the type to sit next to her bedside and make small talk with her father. He avoided Dale like the plague and wouldn’t have come to see her unless it was utterly imperative.

  “The council announced an hour ago that Dani’s execution will be on Friday.”

  For a second, June wasn’t sure she had heard him right. She counted the days in her head. Dani’s attack had occurred on Thursday evening. The standard period of taking out a hybrid, from the time they spent in asylum to the debriefing about their case, was three days…at the most. If the council was choosing to wait, it meant that there was an outstanding complication.

  Her mouth was dry as she asked, “Why are they waiting?”

  “You know why.”

  She stared at Jace. His expression didn’t waver as the truth settled in between them, making June take a step back. She shook her head. “No. No…no.”

  Jace reached for her, letting out an agitated sound when she sidestepped. He continued as if they were having a conversation about the weather. “It was in their announcement.”

  “What about her parents? Why can’t they do it?”

  “Lenore isn’t an active hunter and Alister is about to retire from the field,” he replied. “You and Bran were the top two choices and out of both of you, he’s less of a liability. When he’s given an order, he listens.”

  She didn’t have to ask Jace what he meant. June had a track record of being tardy, lying, and causing trouble. Her teenage years consisted of skipping school and setting things on fire which didn’t bode well with being a council members daughter. While she knew it would one day come back and bite her, she never imagined that killing Dani would be her punishment.

  “They can’t make me do it,” June told him, trying to keep her voice from quivering. “My dad will get me out of this. He’ll change their minds.”

  “He actually can’t, not anymore,” Jace disclosed. “Dale was suspended from duty when Dani was taken to asylum.”

  “He didn’t tell me,” she mumbled, looking over Jace’s shoulder to the door. June couldn’t imagine how her father was feeling. He had taken the council position after Claire’s death with the intention of building a better community. Some of his ideas had passed but most had failed. Still, nothing had been able to stop him from trying.

  Until now.

  “Because he didn’t want you to worry,” Jace responded with a shrug. “If you don’t take Dani out, the repercussions will fall on him. If he can’t control his own daughter, then how the hell is he supposed to keep everyone else in check?”

  June flinched. She knew Jace was right. The only way to redeem her father was to…kill Dani. Numb, she nodded. “I understand.”

  Raising a hand, Jace cupped her cheek, promising, “I’m here for whatever you need, June. Now and forever.”

  She forced a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Her throat constricted. “When you…took out your father, what was it like?”

  Jace swallowed and his brows pulled together. He rarely talked about his dad, especially his death. It was a sore topic that June never tried to bring up but right now, she had to know.

  “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I had to put aside the idea that he was still the man that had taught me how to read and bought me my first car. That day, when I looked into his eyes for the last time, he begged me to not shoot. I almost listened. Then, I remembered that if I didn’t do it, someone else, another hunter, would do what I couldn’t. I wouldn’t let him die at the hands of a stranger who didn’t love him. So, I pulled the trigger.”

  “Do you regret it?” June watched his face.

  “No,” he answered b
ut his voice was hollow. Clearing his throat, Jace looked at the door. “I should go before your dad gets back.”

  Under the white lights, June noticed that Jace’s eyes were shining more than normal. That’s why when he went for the exit, she didn’t stop him. Without even a goodbye, he was gone, and she was left standing there in the center of the room with his lie hanging in the air.

  /CHAPTER FOUR/

  Leaving the hospital was a blur. Shortly after Jace had left, Dale returned with the doctor by his side. After being prodded, June was given a second dose of morphine that did its job a little too well. As her dad ushered her outside and into the car, the world shifted, becoming a mix of colors and unintelligible sounds.

  When June opened her eyes again, she saw the stars on her ceiling staring down at her. While the sun started to rise outside her window, she let her mind wander. It wasn’t until awareness kicked back in that she threw back the duvet and stood, stretching her arms over her head.

  With heavy feet, she dragged herself to the conjoined bathroom. June felt like a truck had hit her as she bent over, twisting the shower knobs. While the water heated, she pulled off the hospital pajamas and threw them in the trashcan. The scratchy shirt and plastic pants had served their purpose.

  Looking down at her body, June grimaced at the bruises that painted her midsection. Her eyes cut to the mirror, noting that the purple around her jaw was starting to fade.

  Other than that, she seemed okay.

  Her hair, while exceptionally tangled, was still ash blonde. Though they were slightly red, her blue eyes told June for sure that she was still human. Her fears that Dani had bitten her, and that the doctor had somehow missed it, subsided.

  But the relief was short lived.

  Her questioned humanity was one solved problem out of many. Realizing there was no point in mulling at the moment, June stepped into the tub. The hot water scalded her skin, burning away yesterday’s misfortunes to the best of its ability. Too soon, however, the water ran cold. She shut it off and pulled the shower curtain aside. After wrapping herself up in a towel, June opened the bathroom door only to jump back.