Page 1 of North

CHAPTER ONE

Jess

Ikept my face pressed to the quadcopter window, looking out at the long stretch of golden beach below.

I’d lived in Australia for three weeks now, and I loved it. To be fair, I hadn’t seen much of my new home since I’d been too busy working. But what I had seen, I liked. The weather was fantastic, the house I’d been given was cute and comfortable, and the landscape was amazing—from rolling green hills to swathes of native bushland. It was so different to where I’d grown up in Southern California.

Below, I watched the waves crashing onto the sand, mesmerized by the stunning shade of blue. The beaches did remind me of home. It was hard to imagine what it must have been like when our parents were kids, when they were able to swim and play at the beach. I’d heard stories of picnics on the sand, beach volleyball, and every inch of sand covered in towels, umbrellas, and sunbathing bodies.

Not anymore.

Ahead, we approached the remnants of a ruined seaside town. I leaned forward. The buildings were all destroyed to varying degrees, vegetation reclaiming the land and growing out through doors and windows. Several overturned, rusted cars littered the streets. My mouth tightened.

Not all parts were so beautiful.

Thirty years ago, an alien invasion had decimated not only Australia, but the entire planet.

Humans had fought back and won. The Gizzida—reptilian, dinosaur-like aliens—had been defeated. But they’d left a planet-wide trail of destruction in their wake.

“I have a visual,” a female voice said from the cockpit. “Two minutes to contact with the creatures.”

I straightened, my hands gripping my carbine weapon.

The aliens had also left behind horrible, dangerous hybrid creatures. In their labs, they’d mixed their DNA with that of Earth’s native fauna. They’d created monsters that liked to hunt…and were hungry.

I glanced across the quadcopter, my gaze taking in the tough soldiers sitting beside me. I’d moved all the way to Australia to join Hunter Squad. They were known all over the world as one of the top monster-hunting squads on the planet. I’d done similar work with the military in the United States, alongside my science studies. My focus had revolved around researching the monsters.

No two creatures were alike. They’d mutated and bred, and held little resemblance to the animals used to create them. Every time I thought I’d found an answer on how to eradicate them, I discovered a dozen more questions.

I looked at Jameson Steele, seated across from me. He was our squad leader, and the son of Marcus Steele, legendary leader of the famed Hell Squad. Hell Squad had been instrumental in beating the Gizzida.

Marcus’ son took after him. Jameson had rugged features and was a hell of a leader—strong, steady, and good with a carbine.

He caught my gaze and gave me a chin lift.

I nodded.Yes, I was ready.

Next to Jameson, sat Kai Rahia. Tall, leaner, with black hair and brown skin, he was the squad’s second-in-command, and an excellent tracker.

Then there were the twins—Zeke and Marc Jackson. They looked near identical with muscular bodies and tanned skin, except Zeke kept his dark hair cut short and Marc’s was longer and shaggy. Other than that, they were total opposites. Night and day. Zeke was quiet, and Marc talked, laughed, and joked all the time.

The last soldier on the team was our medic—North Connors.

I controlled my scowl. He hadn’t been unfriendly, but he hadn’t exactly been welcoming, either. It was like he’d taken one look at me, and put me on probation. I looked at him through my lashes. The man had a hell of a face—a cut jaw, handsome features. I’d seen more than more one woman flutter her lashes at him over the last few weeks.

I was used to proving myself. When I’d first joined the squads back home, I’d had to work with people who either underestimated me or felt the need to protect me. There’d been one idiot who’d leaped in front of me every time we were in a fight. I’d had to disabuse him of that instinct. I’d been raised by a single dad, and he’d taught me to stand on my own two feet. He’d always told me to never let any obstacle get in my way. My heart squeezed. I missed him. He’d died a year ago, but some days, it felt like yesterday. We’d lost my mom when I’d been a toddler. She’d been injured in the invasion, and had battled ongoing health issues in the years after.

But we had a big extended family, and dad had made sure I’d never felt the lack.

But losing dad…

It’s why I’d left San Diego and moved to Australia. I shifted on my seat. Everything back home reminded me of him. I’d had to get away.

When my Uncle Cruz—although technically he was just a distant cousin—had told me that Hunter Squad needed a new member, I’d leaped at the chance.

Jameson had been welcoming, as had the others, but North did not seem happy.

His gaze met mine across the Talon quadcopter. He had ice-blue eyes surrounded by a ring of dark blue.

---