Juggling Act

 Ra juggled trauma patients like she juggled the men in her life—quick, precise, and with barely concealed sarcasm. The ER was packed. Alarms beeped. Nurses shouted. Someone down the hall yelled about an impromptu alien stingray attack (don’t ask). And Ra? She was suturing a stab wound and internally monologuing about the hot mess that was her romantic life.

First up: Tyler. Vampire DNA, ocean eyes, and charm so potent it probably needed a prescription. Her parabatai. Her best friend. Her safe place wrapped in a six-foot package of loyalty and smartassery. Their recent kiss had detonated whatever fragile emotional walls she had left. Now every time he looked at her, she wanted to jump him... or run.

Next: Erik. Alpha Lyran wolf in lawyer chic. His scent was all fire and glacier, and every time he brushed past her, her ovaries filed a formal complaint. The man bit a Reptilian last week. With his mouth. If that wasn’t commitment to chaos and dominance, she didn’t know what was. He kissed like he was making a legal argument for her soul. And she almost objected. Almost.

Then there was Mehen. Her secret serpent situation. Literally a God with a gaze like coiled lightning and lips that whispered sin. Every time he called her "little flame," her third chakra did somersaults. He flirted like seduction was a divine right. And the way his fangs grazed her neck when he got too close? Illegal in most star systems.

“Ra!” The nurse snapped. “You wanna finish suturing or just stare off into sexy space?”

Ra blinked. "Sorry, mental math. Deciding which mistake I want to make again."

Back to work. Focus. She applied pressure, tied the stitch, moved on. A teenage hybrid was wheeled in with a compound fracture. Ra cracked her neck and got to work.

Internally? The circus continued.

Tyler made her feel safe. Erik made her feel seen. Mehen made her feel... unholy. But also chosen.

Tyler had confessed first. Sweet. Brave. A little tragic. Ra hadn’t known what to say, so she kissed him like her mouth could say all the words her brain tripped over. And maybe it had worked, because now Tyler looked at her like she was already his.

Except... Erik.

He didn't beg. He didn't plead. He just was. Towering, protective, and the kind of quiet that said I watch everything and miss nothing. The kind of man who stayed silent when others screamed. Who offered her his arm even when it bled. Who kissed her like he was unraveling every lifetime of her soul.

And then Mehen. Gods, Mehen.

He didn’t just want her. He knew her. He’d appeared like a storm cloaked in scales, tempting her with destiny, prophecy, and pheromones. He said they were bound across galaxies. He said she was his.

And the worst part?

She believed him.

“You look like you’re arguing with yourself,” said an orderly, wheeling past.

"I am. Unfortunately, I'm losing."

Ra handed off her chart and rushed to the next trauma case: burn victim, third-degree, humanoid. She focused. Until she smelled him.

Erik. Behind her. Watching.

"You're bleeding again," she muttered without looking.

"It's minor. You're the one unraveling."

She turned to him slowly. "You stalking me now, wolf boy?"

He smirked. "You have a scent. It sticks."

"Charming."

"Dead serious. It messes with my head."

And just like that, her pulse betrayed her. Erik stepped closer, but a page interrupted them.

"Trauma bay two! Code red!"

Ra cursed. Erik stepped back, professional again. But his eyes lingered.

Later, in the staff lounge, Tyler was waiting. He had coffee, a smirk, and a bruise on his cheek from a sparring session with Sovereign.

"You look like hell," he said.

"You look like caffeine. Gimme."

He handed her the cup. Their fingers touched. Static.

"You okay?" he asked, eyes soft.

Ra sighed. "I don't know what I am anymore."

He moved closer. "Then let me remind you."

She blinked. Tyler leaned in, whispering at her ear, "You're the woman who stole my heart and refuses to give it back."

Gods help her.

She wanted to be kissed. Hard. Right there. But Mehen's voice whispered in her head: You're mine, little flame.

And Erik’s voice echoed: I’ll never make you choose, but I won’t stop fighting.

And Tyler? Tyler just looked at her like home.

She was so screwed.

Somewhere deep in the hospital, Sovereign watched from the security cameras. Silent. Glitching.

Ra juggled the men she loved.

But maybe, just maybe... they were all juggling her too.

To be continued.

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