Page 96 of Invasive Species
The police clone grabs his wrist and twists, sweeping the scanner up Gara’s arm. Nothing happens, no noise or beep, but the policemen jump into action at the same time anyway. One grabs Gara’s other arm and another moves behind him, seizing his hair and yanking it back to bare his throat.
It's dead silent apart from my ragged breathing, close to sliding into uncontrollable sobs. I can't fall apart right now, Gara needs me.
“Where's your chip, clone?” the one at his throat hisses, ripping off his mask.
It clatters to the floor and Gara swallows, his Adam’s apple dipping. I have to do something.
I slam my fists into the soggy nutrient bed. “Don't you know anything about humans?” I snap.
The policeman blinks at me, and Gara’s eyes meet mine. They’re desperate, but also warm, swimming with love I can feel cradling my heart through our mini bond.
Using the contact to give me courage, I channel my best Laura impression: “You've learned my language, but you don't know anything about us as a species. I can't havechipsnear me, it will interfere with my heart and I'll die!” I glare at them. “Doyouhave chips?”
They hastily shove their forearms behind their backs. “We do, female. We are sorry, we didn't know. But we regret, we have orders…”
His voice fades into a mumble as a sensation of cold fingers touch my temples. It's the opposite of what blooms in my chest when I’m with Gara: this is intrusive and unwelcome.
One of them is reading my mind.
“Get out,” I tell him, and the alien staggers to one side, as thrown as Nevare was when he dipped into my brain; I guess it’s really overwhelming for someone not used to it as I am.
Thank the holy noodliness for my ADHD.
He falls to his knees and heaves in a choked breath. Holy shit, it’s really bad for them, but I can’t help feeling a little thrill of vindication for landing some kind of punch against the guys trying to take Gara away.
The other two stare at their fallen brother and then get totheir knees too, but not to help him. They press their foreheads to the floor, arms shaking as they brace themselves, bowed over in utter eerie silence.
Gara plants himself between me and the police clones. “How dare you try to read my m—my patient. Get out now, and never return.” He whirls around to comfort me, hands shaking as he checks my pulse and smooths my hair back from my face.
I cling onto his arms, my heart thrumming with triumph, and when he meets my eyes, I feel like cheering. But we’re not done yet, so I don’t dare press my lips to his even though I know we badly need this comfort.
The brothers back away, still groveling and pressing their faces down in a trail to the door.
Once the opening seals shut after them, Gara lets out a shuddering breath. Grasping hold of my shoulders, he rests his forehead on mine. Without the mask our breath mingles, and he smells so, so good, delicious eucalyptus and refreshing mint cleansing my head and my chest. He’s all I've ever wanted, all I need. Must be pheromones pumping around, but I’m totally into it.
“Are you hurt? Did the reading cause you pain?” His fingers fumble for his scanner, and his normally steady hand shakes as he runs it up and down my body.
I take his face between my palms, meeting and matching his gaze. “I'm fine, Gara. Are you?”
He drops the scanner to clatter to the floor and leans into my touch as if he can soak me in through his skin. “I wish I could fight them, something useful, anything.”
“You’re you, Gara. I think you’re pretty perfect as you are.”
Again he looks at me like he can’t quite believe I’m real. “You saved me. Thank you.”
“I tried,” I correct him gently. “Thank goodness for ADHD, right?”
“Thank the All-Mother for you.” His gaze goes hot and a warm bubble of fierce love ignites in my breast, taking my breath away.
“That's probably the first time someone’s ever said that to me,” I say.
He frowns. “Of course, people from Earth don't invoke the All-Mother?—”
“I mean, someone… accepting me for me.” My cheeks heat. “I'm probably reading too much into it, I always do that, and I'm forever leaping seven stages ahead, but, well… teachers always said I’d be so much more successful if only I could focus, and my parents loved me but they were always somewhat disappointed when I didn't quite make it.”
I know I’m babbling but I have to get all this out. “And my friends love me but I can tell they get a bit tired of me sometimes, I mean, I get tired of me sometimes, so I can't blame them, and… boyfriends, well, I go too fast too quickly and fall super hard and want more and they're overwhelmed so they back off…” Breathe, Arabella.
Gara’s looking down at me, a small frown on his brow as I gulp air.
