Page 79 of Strays
Right after noon, I understand exactly why Wilsbone told us to keep our heads down. When Jo’s text comes through, I hope, just for a second, that it means she wants to talk, but all she sends is a link. I tap it open and it leads to a local news page.
The headline hits like a punch: “Civilian Hospitalized After Backyard Assault by Three Off-Duty Aegis Officers.”
There’s a photo of Luc unconscious in the ER. His face swollen, blood on his cheek. Probably Kacy gave it to them. She’s quoted too: “Luc may have said the wrong thing, but he didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I just thank God he’s alive.”
Both Jay and Shane have their phones out too. Jo sent it to all of us. The scent in the air changes, thick with aggression. I start releasing calming pheromones without even thinking.
When we get home, Jo’s bags are packed.
Raw panic. It’s all I can feel.
I’ve never heard of a scent-mate walking away from her aegis, but the impossible, the unthinkable, is happening. Right now.
She’s on the couch, two bags at her feet, obviously waiting for us.
We’re all frozen in the entryway, paralyzed for a few seconds. Shane’s the firstto move. “No. No. No. Jo!” he repeats, voice cracking. “No. No. No.” He drops to his knees in front of her and grabs her hands.
When she lifts her face, she’s crying, and we start to hum for her immediately, but it’s not the grounding kind we’ve given her before. This one is fractured. Frantic.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers to Shane.
“What are you doing, Jo?” Jay asks, his voice wrecked. “I didn’t kill anybody. It was a fucking punch. And if this is too much for you, I swear, right here, right now, I’ll never do it again. No matter what. But don’t leave us over this.”
“Please,” I add, my voice rough and low.
She takes a deep breath before she answers, soft as a breath. “I’m not leaving you.”
“So what are you doing?” Shane asks, his eyes wide and wild.
“I’m not leaving you,” she repeats. “I’m not doing this because of what happened with that douchebag. I… I just need time. To deal with what I am.”
“What do you mean?” Jay asks.
She looks down at her lap. Her fingers curl tight around Shane’s, her knuckles white. “All this time… I thought I was okay with being a nyra. But I think I was only okay with it because it never really meant anything. I lived as a human. People treated me like one. But now… that’s changed.”
She raises her face and looks at me and Jay. “I’m not human anymore. Not to anyone. And I’ve lost so much. My parents won’t speak to me; my coworkers cut me off. Half of them think I’m a whore, and the other half think my hormones made me do this. Like I bonded with three aegis because I was out of control, not because I chose to.”
She lets out a shaky breath. Shane leans forward slightly, his thumb brushing the back of her hand. She doesn’t react.
“Dr. Lindstrom pulled me aside today,” she continues. “Told me I should take a leave. And I couldn’t even argue, because he’s right. I used to love being at the hospital. Now I can’t stand it. Everyone’s staring. Judgment. Gossip. I just…”
“Jo—” Shane starts.
She pulls her hands free from his. “No. Let me finish.”
Her voice tightens. “The truth is, even after we bonded, I kept pretending to be human. I never embraced being a nyra. I just lived like a lucky human girl who somehow landed true love with three amazing guys. Even when we had sex, I let you hold me. Please me. But I never let go. I never did things for you that I did for the human guys I dated.”
She swipes at her cheek, smearing a tear. “You go down on me all the time, but I’ve never once given you a blowjob. I made sure never to touch more than one cock at a time, because if I didn’t, I could keep pretending that I wasn’t really with three men at once. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t letmyself be what I am.”
She pauses, looking at each of us. Her lips part, trembling. “And now that I’ve lost the human life I knew, I don’t know what to do with the nyra life I have left. I need to figure it out. I need to figure myself out. I need to fix things with my parents. I was so ashamed, I hid everything from them until I couldn’t anymore, and even then, I barely told them the truth. I need to come clean, especially with myself.”
“It’s okay, Jo,” I say, desperate. “We understand. We’d never blame you for needing time to adjust. Just do it here. With us.”
Her tears are spilling freely now, soaking the collar of her shirt. “I can’t,” she whispers. “I have to go. I should’ve done this three years ago when I signed up for the Matching Program, but I didn’t, so I need to do it now. I’m sorry.”
“No. You won’t leave,” I say, my voice harsh and final. I didn’t want to speak to her like this, but I can’t control it. She’s not leaving our house.
She looks into my eyes, and this time, there’s fear on her face. “You promised me. You promised you would never lock me up. That no matter what, you would never take away my freedom. And I believed you.”
