Invasion of Her Heart by Trinity Blacio, Ana Lee Kennedy Page A

arm. “Easy, now. She makes a good point about surviving alone for so long.” He studied Volund for a moment. He seems drawn to Venus, too. Perhaps she’ll be able to heal my brother after all.
    Regret smoothed the angry lines from Volund’s face. His moustache twitched as his mouth flattened, the two little beads swaying to and fro. Gently, he set Venus on her feet and took a step back.
    He raked one big hand through his streaked hair and sighed heavily. “Forgive me, little hellion. I overreacted.”
    Venus gulped. Sensing her unease, Jaxxon had to smile at her bravado and strength. His brother had frightened her, but she tried hard not to let them see it.
    “I think you both need to dump some testosterone!” She flipped the rifle off of safety and stalked past Volund. “I’m out hunting for meat. If you two can’t do anything else besides throw your weight around, then you should go back to the building—or to your planet!”
    She headed in the direction of a gate with the words “Elyria Park” on it in rusting black letters. “Come, Tonto,” she called and walked through the gate.
    The dog charged after her, but so did Ino and Ka.
    Frowning, Volund watched their pets trot to the entryway. “Traitors,” he muttered.
    Jaxxon laughed. “Come, let us learn how to hunt with our female.”
     
    ***
     
    Surprise speared Volund. He whirled on his younger brother. “What do you mean ‘our female’?” He shot Jaxxon his stormiest expression.
    It worked. Jaxxon halted, his body rigid as he sized him up.
    “I know you left our sleeping room last night. You vex me by calling her ours .
    You’ve already claimed her as your mate.” Although Volund wasn’t sure why, jealousy ate at his heart. Why should it matter if Jaxxon claimed the female as his female? Hadn’t he told him time and time again he wanted no one except Zi-Ahda, who was gone forever? “You sneaked out and had your way with her so you wouldn’t have to worry about finding another female on this godforsaken planet.”
    “She can be both our mates, so why fight it? I don’t know why, but somehow I sense she’s meant for you, too,” Jaxxon insisted. “Venus is the only female we’ve detected in the area who isn’t a Bone Eater. She is beautiful, her body curvy with ample breasts. She’s intelligent, tough, and entertaining—and she makes love like a wild she-beast.”
    Fury ripped through Volund. He lunged at Jaxxon, hit him in the chest, and bore him backward into the wall. They smashed into it, breaking the bricks apart and landing in a heap on the other side. Dust and grit rained down on them, and the aroma of mortar singed Volund’s nose.
    “You’re selfish and self-serving!” Volund moved to grab his brother by the throat, but Jaxxon heaved him off, throwing him to the side where he flipped over and pinned Volund on his back.
    “Someone had to make a move,” Jaxxon snarled, his eyes flaring bright red. “Zi- Ahda is dead! Dead! She won’t come back with your unborn child. Do you think she would like knowing you’ve been pining away for her instead of living your life?”
    As Volund gripped his brother’s upper arms to push him off of his body, Jaxxon’s words sank into his brain. Like a sting from their Slicers, the words forced a cry of denial from him, but he couldn’t refute any of what Jaxxon had said. His brother was right.
    Jaxxon rocked back onto his heels and then stood. “I’m going back to the building. We need to check in with the Ruling Body of Planets, so while I do that, you should go after Venus. Spend time with her, see how you feel about her, and let her do the same with you. She is stubborn, but beneath her rock-hard exterior is a woman who wants someone to love. She has been alone too long—and so have you.”
    “Why would you want me to have her too, when you’ve already claimed her?” Volund stared at him with annoyance mixed with confusion.
    “First, I sense she’s your mate as well as