“Joy?” He hated to raise his voice because she lived very close to other humans but he wasn’t going to allow her to hide. He’d break down the door if he had to. It wasn’t his first choice. Someone might call the police. “I’m not leaving until we speak.”
He listened, breathing through his mouth. The stench of the hallway bothered him. Whoever cleaned the floors had used strong chemicals and it competed with the offensive odor of trash. He turned his head, glaring at the bag of it down the hallway. Didn’t humans take it outside and seal it inside plastic containers? He raised his fist again and gave the door two sharp taps.
“Joy?” He backed up a few feet to evaluate the best place to plant his boot. The door didn’t appear too sturdy. One strong kick should bring it down.
A deadbolt slid and the door eased open a few inches. Joy’s face appeared as she peeked out at him. “What are you doing here, Moon?”
He winced. There was a trace of fear in her voice and her face looked unusually pale. He hadn’t meant to scare her. He stayed still instead of pushing forward to shoulder his way inside her home as he wanted to do. The other problem was that she seemed to be pressed tightly against the door. She might get hurt if he forced it open.
“Why did you leave?” His heart pounded as blood rushed to his ears. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if she ordered him to go away. He wouldn’t, not until he talked her into returning to Homeland. It was tough to keep his voice neutral when he wanted to snarl.
“An emergency came up at work.” She licked her lips and cleared her throat. “I’ll give you a call tomorrow. It’s late and I need to get some sleep.”
Her answer floored him. It wasn’t what he expected but it angered him after he let it settle. “You’ll call me?”
“Yes.” She pushed against the door until her cheek dented along the edge of it. “I love you.”
Three softly spoken words caused him to sway on his feet and forced him to shift his weight to keep upright. She loved him? The door slammed and the lock clicked. He blinked a few times while it sank in. She loved him? He wasn’t sure what to do. How could she tell him that but put a door between them? A variety of jumbled emotions burst forth. He wasn’t the only one with strong feelings. Love meant everything to him but what about her?
It pissed him off that she had blurted it out without warning. And slammed the door in my face. He backed up, paused, stepped forward. His hands twitched at his sides, wanting to touch her. He needed to know how she loved him. Humans were far too vague. They loved their friends, their cars, and possessions with seeming equality.
He lunged, not giving a damn if it startled her or sent her neighbors into a state of fear. No way would he turn and walk away from her when he wasn’t sure what loving him meant to her. His boot nailed the door inches from the handle. The snap of wood was far louder than he intended but the door flung open.
He expected Joy to jump or perhaps scream when he stormed inside to go after her. The sight of a male facing him across the small room with Joy between them halted his forward movement abruptly. The human’s face was mostly hidden by a floppy hood but the gun pointed directly at her head drew his attention.
Time seemed to stand still while he struggled to make sense of the situation. The arm holding the weapon jerked in his direction. Joy cried out and spun around to face him. Her hair whipped around so fast that the long strands snagged on the metal. She kicked upward and jumped in his direction. His reflexes were slow as her body plowed into his chest. A sharp bang deafened him in the small room.
He’d been off balance when Joy’s full weight tackled him and they were propelled backward. The feel of her was enough to jar him from his shock. His back crashed into the wall next to the door, the only thing that kept them from both hitting the floor. Instinct took over as he glanced to the side before he threw her into the kitchen. He didn’t have time to see if she landed safely behind the row of cabinets that separated it from the living room. All that mattered was that she was out of the line of fire.
He howled in rage and shoved away from the door. The human had shot at them. The male stumbled backward as Moon leapt at him, tripping on the coffee table. The male’s arm flew upward when he lost his balance. Another shot hit the ceiling, sending down white debris.
Moon landed on the human’s legs. The grunt of pain from him barely registered as he tore the weapon away. The male sucked in a sharp breath screamed as if he were a female. It was cut off when Moon threw all his rage behind his fist that plowed it into the pasty face that wasn’t hidden anymore. The human’s eyes rolled back, accompanied by the crunching sound of his jaw breaking from the blow. He didn’t move but he was alive as his chest rose and fell.