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His face turned red and he roared out in rage as he lunged forward. Trisha tensed as he charged and could only throw her back against the tree while she attempted to kick both feet out at him. Her shoulders and wrists screamed in pain but her feet hit him. Pain shot up both of her legs as she made contact with his body. She’d been aiming for his groin but instead she hit him in his upper thighs.

The enraged man didn’t fall but he did stumble back about four feet, nearly tripped on his pants around his ankles, but remained on his feet.

“You fucking bitch!” he screamed. “You want to play rough? You think you can try to kick me in the nuts and not pay for that? I’m going to hurt you so bad you beg me to kill you and then I’m going to.”

He charged at her again. She saw him raise a fist and knew she couldn’t avoid it.

Her last thought was that he might hurt her enough to knock her out so she wasn’t aware when he raped her. If I survive. She doubted she would. She just didn’t want to be conscious when he hurt and killed her.

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Chapter Eight

The blow never landed. Trisha saw something large and fast slam into the advancing man just inches from her body. She jerked her head to gape at Slade, who was now on top of the half-naked man. Both men rolled and they leaped apart.

“Slade,” Trisha sobbed.

“Kind of busy, Doc.” He didn’t look at her. “You all right? Did he rape you?” He snarled the words, obviously enraged.

“He was about to.” Tears fell freely down Trisha’s cheeks and a sob caught in her throat. Slade had come after her.

“Fucking animal,” Bill spat. He yanked up his underwear and pants, which had been caught around his ankles.

“You’re calling me an animal?” Slade snarled. “That’s fucking rich coming from a lowlife woman-beating rapist. Want to call me an inbred, idiot asshole too since you seem to want to call me the names that fit you better?”

Bill pulled a small knife from his left boot and waved it between his body and Slade. “So you came after the little girl, did you? Is she your master or something, Fido?”

“I guess that makes you a really sick bastard if you think she’s a little girl.”

“I’m going to cut off your head and hang it over my mantel,” Bill taunted. “Come at me, Fido. I’ll just gut you a bit first if you’re lucky and make you watch me fuck her to see how humans do it.”

Slade laughed. “Like you know how to be human? And that isn’t fucking, shit for brains. It’s called rape. The only one who needs a lesson is you. And not to change the subject but Doc is right. The last time I saw something that size I was about eight years old when I was looking down. You’re fucking pathetic. No wonder you have to tie women to trees and force yourself on them. A woman not restrained would laugh her ass off if you pulled out that little dinky thing. Did you stop growing when you were eight? I sure as hell didn’t. I’m bigger than that soft and sitting in cold water.”

“At least I can have kids,” Bill yelled. “You’re shooting blanks, animal. We laugh about that all the time. All we got to do is wait around for you animal fuckers to die off.”

“You think so?” Slade’s eyes narrowed. “We may not be able to breed children but we do know how to treat women.”

He fought the rage inside him. The human had touched Trisha, stripped her body, bared it to view, and the scent of her blood hung in the air. He refused to look at her, 76

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knowing he’d go insane if he actually saw any real damage to her. He needed to keep his head. He wanted the bastard to suffer. He’d just rip the son of a bitch apart if he didn’t calm down. He’d die too fast.

Bill waved the knife again. “We’re hoping your life span is that of a pathetic dog.

That’s what you are, isn’t it, animal? You don’t got the pussy eyes I saw on the television from the pet you put before the news cameras.”

“Yeah,” Slade growled. “I’m canine.” He flashed his sharp teeth. “I’m going to outlive you.”

“None of you are going to survive long.” Bill backed up a little and switched hands with his knife and wiggled his fingers to motion Slade to come at him. “We’re going to hunt every single one of you down. You’re going to be sport. We’d have to just bomb you fuckers if you were able to breed before you can create puppies.” His gaze slid to Trisha for an instant and then he smirked. “You think she wants you? Think human women would want someone shooting blanks, rutting on them?”

“At least I have the equipment to please a woman,” Slade growled at him. “You might have the ability to breed children but all you’d passed down is your ignorance and tiny dick.”

“I’m going to leave you bleeding on the ground to watch me fuck her and show you how a woman likes it from a real man. I’m going to have something you can only dream about.”

Slade’s anger boiled but he kept a tight hold on it. The urge to make him suffer diminished quickly, more in favor of just killing the human. He flashed his teeth again, wanting the human to come at him. It would give him the advantage he needed.

“She’s already mine. She knows what it’s like to have a real male inside her and she wanted me to fuck her.” He smiled coldly. “I didn’t have to tie her up and she didn’t call me pathetic. She belongs to me.”

An enraged yell came from Bill and he lunged with the knife. Slade dodged the plunging, sharp blade. He threw his arm out and Bill screamed. A loud pop sounded.

The knife dropped and Bill screamed again, jumping away.

Slade had hit Bill’s knife-wielding arm hard enough to break it. Slade smiled, showing sharp teeth, and then he closed the distance. He grabbed Bill’s shirt and hauled back his fist and punched him in the nose. The human yelled as blood poured from his face while he stared in horror at Slade.

“This is for hitting my woman,” Slade growled. “You’re going to know pain and suffering before I’m done with you. You never should have touched her. For every second of her pain, you will know it as well.” He snarled. “And then you will die.”

“No,” Bill gasped, his terror showing in his wide eyes and bloodied face.

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Trisha watched in stunned horror as the men locked in combat. Fear gripped her that Slade might be hurt but within seconds she realized he had speed and strength against his opponent. He easily took command of the fight.

Slade kept a hold on Bill’s shirt as he lifted his leg and kicked the asshole’s right knee. The horrible noise seemed really loud as the leg snapped. The sight was sickening when bone popped through the skin, blood flew, and Slade shoved Bill onto the ground when he toppled sideways as his leg collapsed under him.

Bill sobbed. Trisha was stunned. Slade crouched down, resting on his bent knees while he glared at Bill. Blood poured from Bill’s nose and leg. Bone protruded just above his knee where the bone had separated right through his pants. Slade continued to watch him for a long minute.

“The pain and terror you are feeling right now is what you made my woman feel.

You were going to hurt and rape her. Then you were going to kill her when you were done using her body.” Slade paused. “I might be an animal but I’m more merciful than you. I could leave you here to die slowly.” He stood, turning his back on the man. He walked over to the fallen knife, bent and gripped the blade handle. He seemed to be testing the weight of it.

“Bill? Go to hell,” Slade growled. “You never should have touched what is mine.”

Slade turned and in one fluid motion threw the knife. It struck Bill in the chest.

Shock and horror fixed on the horrible man’s face as he looked down to see his own weapon buried deep within his body. He fell backward and didn’t move again.

Trisha gaped at the lifeless man. She was certain he was dead. He’d been moaning in pain from the injures he’d sustained until Slade had buried the knife in him to the hilt. It took a lot of strength and skill to throw a weapon that hard and hit the mark.

Slade moved toward Trisha. She tore her gaze from the dead body and met Slade’s dark-blue eyes. They were all she could see as he closed in on her.

“Don’t look at me that way,” Slade ordered softly.

He stopped in front of her and reached for one of her wrists. He tore the bandana free. A pained sound tore from her when her arm lowered because it really hurt. She experienced that pins-and-needles pain as it stabbed down her arm and shoulder almost instantly. Slade freed the other arm. As soon as he had her unrestrained, Slade reached for her and swept her into his arms.

“You’re shaking. Come on, Doc. You’re safe. I’ve got you and it’s all good now.”

Slade moved to the sleeping bag and lowered them to the ground until she ended up sitting on his lap. He stared at her mouth and pulled his arm out from under her knees where he’d lifted her.

Gentle fingers brushed her lower lip. She flinched from the pain. Slade’s gaze narrowed. “Damn. He hit you hard enough to split your lip. Open up for me, Doc. Let’s make sure you don’t have any permanent damage.”

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Trisha opened her mouth and Slade touched her teeth. His eyes seemed to darken when he moved his finger out and brushed the tip of it over the injured part of her cheek where she’d been struck.

“All there and accounted for but you’re going to have a nice bruise.” His gaze studied her jaw and cheek. “Let’s be thankful he didn’t hit you an inch higher or you’d be sporting a black eye.”

Her shock wore off and she began thinking again. “We have to leave. There are more men with him and they will come back.”

He shook his head. “No. There aren’t.”

“There are. One of them is hurt and two of them went looking for him and you. If the missing guy is found they could show up at any moment. We have to leave before they return. They have guns, Slade. They―”

“Are all dead.” Slade cupped her face with both hands. “I killed them. There were three of them and they had me blocked from reaching you before they did. I heard them state they were bringing you back to their camp. You did good, Doc. You slowed them down and gave me time to come back here. I found the first one inside the tent. I killed him and carried his body away to prevent them from finding him.”

“But―” Slade gently put his finger over her lips and she closed her mouth. “I knew they wouldn’t harm you as long as they thought he was injured and in need of your help. I hid his body, hoping they’d think he walked off to piss and got lost. I followed the younger one and took him out. I had to backtrack the loudmouthed one for a ways.

He was smarter and harder to get the drop on. Then I came back here in time to hear you scream.”

“They are really dead?” Shock tore through her that Slade had killed them.

“Yes. The men they are with killed Bart and they were going to kill you. They would have done the same to me too. Trust me. They tried to kill me when I found them. I never would have left you alone if I didn’t think you would be safe. I’m so sorry. I swear I never thought you’d be harmed. When I left he was feeding you and giving you a drink.”

She saw sincerity in his eyes. “I didn’t expect him to attack me either.”

Slade cupped her face and studied Trisha. “I’m really sorry, sweet thing. Do you forgive me?”

She nodded, still stunned that he’d really killed those men to save her.

He took her wrists in his hands and peered at them, frowning. “You will have a lot of bruises. Are you hurt anywhere else?” His gaze met hers. “Tell me. Did that bastard hurt you worse?”

“No.”

“Trisha? Tell me. Did he do anything to you besides the wrists and your face? Did he assault you sexually in any way before I arrived? Did I reach you in time or did he molest you earlier too?”

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Tears blinded her. “You got here in time.”

“Then why the tears?” He brushed at a few of them with his thumb, eyeing them as though they were something foreign.

Trisha laughed, partly from hysteria and partly from his comical look. “You don’t ever cry, do you?” She sniffed, her laughter gone. “I was terrified. I’m crying because of what he planned to do to me.”

“No. I don’t cry.”

Trisha wasn’t surprised by that admission. “Well, I do. Crap. I’m naked. See what a mess I am right now? I forgot I wasn’t wearing clothes.” She gripped her shirt from behind her neck and yanked it down her body to cover her to her lap. She glanced around the area and found the rest of her things before she looked back at Slade. “I should get dressed.”

“Don’t move. You’re still shaking.” He put his arms around her. “Just relax, Doc.

They are dead and you’re safe. There isn’t anyone else around for miles. I made sure of it.”

She turned and relaxed against Slade, putting her arms around his waist and just clung to him. She fought the urge to cry when both his arms wrapped around her. It was a given that she would have been in some serious hell if it weren’t for Slade holding her. He made her feel a little better.

“By the way, don’t ever do that again.” Slade sighed.

“Do what?” Trisha lifted her head, peering at his tense expression.

“Provoke a man into hurting you.” Slade shook his head a little at her. “What if I had arrived later? I wouldn’t have been able to reach you before he’d killed you. I would have come to recover your body from his dying, bloody fingers, Doc. Next time you do anything in your power to stay alive. You can survive anything as long as you keep breathing.”

“He was going to do horrendous things to me. I would rather die than suffer through that.”

Slade growled at Trisha, showing his anger. “No. You survive any way you can but you cling to life. It would have been hell for you and it would have hurt you badly but as long as you are breathing, you have life left to fight for.”

“You don’t understand. That asshole didn’t tie you to a tree and tell you he would rape you in ways that would have left you screaming.”

Slade breathed harder now, angry, and glared at Trisha. He gripped her arms, turning her to face him. “I have suffered many harsh things, Doc. You have no idea of the kind of pain and agony I have endured in my lifetime. I watched them kill my friends and they were all I had. I’ve suffered pain that would have driven most males insane but I am here still. I fought. I bided my time in hopes that one day I might have one like today. I’m free. All the pain and agony, all the hell, all the indignity and humiliation is behind me. I’m here sitting with you on my lap and I’m grateful, Doc. Do 80

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you understand? You survive any way you can but you don’t give up. Never provoke a man into killing you again.” He took a ragged breath and his handsome features softened. “Please. I can’t save a corpse.”

Trisha nodded her understanding, her anger gone. He had suffered and she had no idea how deeply that anguish had gone. He’d spent year after year being a test subject.

He’d seen many people he had to have cared about being tortured to death. One really horror of a nightmare day she’d had to undergo paled in comparison to Slade’s entire life.

“I promise.”

The tension in his body eased. “Good. We’ll eat their food, take their supplies, and get out of here before someone comes to check on them. I’m sure teams of my people have reached the area and are searching for us.”

“But those men have hunting parties out there looking for you, Slade. They were talking about a fifty thousand dollar reward.”

Slade cursed. “On capturing me or killing me?”

“I don’t know but I’m pretty sure it didn’t matter as long as they killed you. They just said it was fifty thousand dollars. They mentioned someone named Thomas who wouldn’t pay them if something happened to his son. That was the first guy you killed inside the tent.” She gave him a smile. “I guess Thomas won’t be happy when he finds out his son is dead.”

“My bad.” Slade shrugged. “He’s definitely dead and I hope none of them get paid their blood money. Did you hear anything else?”

“Bill, that’s the dead guy over there, used a walkie-talkie to talk to a base camp. I’m assuming they set up a few of them around here. There are more teams out there hunting for you but I guess we’re a few miles from them. Bill was supposed to check in with them first thing in the morning.”

He smiled. “He won’t be.”

“They knew I’m a doctor when they found me.”

“Your things were at the crash site. It was probably easy to figure out who you were and they can communicate and share information. I’m sure there is a search going on for us. Justice would have publicized our faces to help find us.”

“Oh. Sorry. I thought that might be important.”

“It was a good catch on detail.” Slade winked at her. “Hungry? I am.”

She nodded. “I have to pee first though.”

“You go find privacy while I find you some clean clothes. They have water. I see the bottles from here. Take one with you and wash, Doc. I’ll take care of the body over there and start sorting supplies.”

“Thank you.” Trisha suddenly cupped his face and leaned closer to him. “You saved my life, Slade. Just…thank you.”

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A slow smile curved his lips. “Since I saved your life does this mean I’m guaranteed to get lucky tonight?”

Trisha laughed. She couldn’t help it. It was the amused look on his face. “I can’t believe you said that.”

Sturdy shoulders shrugged. “I always want you, Doc.”

She climbed off his lap and stood. Slade rose to his feet as well. Her body trembled from the stress and tired muscles but she ignored it. She was more concerned with the fact that she was naked from the waist down. She knew Slade couldn’t help but see that as she moved away from him. She walked over to retrieve a bottle of water.

“Tease,” Slade growled as she bent over and retrieved one of the bottles her for a sponge bath.

She straightened and shot him a look over her shoulder. “Aren’t you supposed to be finding me some clean clothes instead of watching me bend over?”

“I’m doing both.” He headed for the tent. “Do you want to lean over and pick something else up before I go inside? I could throw things in your path for you to have to move.”

She laughed, walking toward the clump of bushes that would give her privacy. “No thank you. I’m good.”

She quickly attended to her immediate needs and then removed her shirt and torn bra. She stood naked in the shade as everything hit her at once. Trisha fought tears as she examined her injured wrists. Her mouth hurt and her cheek throbbed hotly and ached where she’d been struck. She also felt really, really dirty. Bill had touched her and just the thought of what he had wanted to do to her body made her want to throw up.

She crouched, attempting to open the water. She wasn’t strong enough to twist the lid off and her trembling didn’t help. She made a soft sound, fighting the urge to start sobbing, and hugged her body as she stared at the bottle.

“Doc?” Slade’s voice came from right behind her.

She didn’t move. She huddled naked and kept her back to him. It embarrassed her to fall apart the way she was and remembered he wasn’t fond of tears. She knew if she looked at him he’d see how close she was to completely losing it.

“I found clothes for you,” he said, his voice soft as he moved closer.

She hugged her chest tighter. The urge to break into sobs grew stronger. The past events of the last twenty-four hours were just too much. She wasn’t used to people trying to kill her or men attacking her.

“Trisha?” Slade crouched down behind her and his arms wrapped around her. “It is okay, sweet thing. I’m here. You’re shaking.”

Hot tears streamed down her face. She heard Slade softly curse and then he sat on the ground, pulling her into his arms. She didn’t look at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck instead, held on tightly, and buried her face against his chest.

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Slade’s arms hugged her harder and his fingers dug into her hair. He cradled her against his chest and rested his chin on the top of her head.

“You’ve been very brave,” he rasped softly. “I’ve been trying to keep you mouthy and fighting but it’s been too much, hasn’t it?”

She nodded against his chest. “You hate tears. I’m sorry.”

His hand stopped rubbing her scalp and he sighed. “I don’t hate tears on you. Don’t be sorry. You deserve to cry. It’s actually been a bad two days. I’m so sorry I left you here. I would have killed him first if I thought he would hurt you but I made a mistake.

I was certain he would treat you right until I got back and I thought it was best to leave you here with him in case more men came. My reasoning was that they already had you and wouldn’t hurt you because they had a need for you to treat their team member.”

“It’s not your fault.” Trisha used her forearm to wipe her tears. “You saved me.

Thank you, Slade. I know you didn’t have to and you risked your life fighting that man to do it. You killed him for me. You killed all of them to rescue me.”

His fingers brushed her hair again. “You’re mine, Doc. I’d fight anyone to get you back and I’ll kill any man who touches you.”

His words sank in. Trisha lifted her head, stared at Slade. His blue eyes met her shocked ones. “I’m yours? What does that mean?”

He hesitated. “Now isn’t the time, okay? We’ll have this discussion later when we’re home. Let me help you get cleaned up. We’ll eat, salvage their supplies, and get out of here. I’m hoping we are back at Homeland by tomorrow.”

Trisha studied him. “Okay.” She wanted to ask him a hundred questions but let it go. For now. His? Her heart raced a little. She wouldn’t mind belonging to Slade. Not at all.

His hand eased out of her hair. “Stand up and I’ll help you wash. Then we’ll get busy. I don’t want to hang around here. The camp is known to their men and besides that, I hate their smell. The camp reeks of their stench.”

Slade helped Trisha to her feet since she wasn’t steady. Slade wet her shirt and started at her back, rubbing her skin. Trisha held her hair out of his way. Slade’s hands were gentle as he washed her down and then ordered her to turn to face him.

Trisha met his steady gaze. She stood naked in front of him and she watched as Slade slowly raked his gaze down her body. His mouth pressed into a firm, grim line.

He looked furious. More tears threatened to spill and she had to blink them back.

“Why are you angry?”

His gaze met hers. “No one should touch you the way he did. You have bruises. I’m furious. Anyone who marks your beauty pisses me off. I’m not upset with you. I’m just enraged that I wasn’t able to protect you better.”

She understood. Slade washed her arms and shoulders but his hands hesitated at her breasts. Then he quickly and efficiently wiped them down. Her body responded to 83

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the water and air as her nipples tightened. Slade growled and dropped down on his knees in front of her.

“Don’t look at me that way.” He sighed loudly. “Please.”

“What way?”

His gaze narrowed when he looked up at her. “You have no idea how badly I want you, Doc. You’re hurt and you were nearly sexually assaulted. I tried to tease you into thinking about anything else earlier when I asked if I’d be getting lucky later. You have an expressive face. I appreciate that I can tell what you are thinking most of the time but right now I’m trying not to think what you are. Don’t look at me while I touch you. I’m honored that you trust me enough to want my touch on your body after your attack. It means a lot that you would face your fear for me.” He took a deep breath. “We need to get you dressed and leave here. I want you too but it isn’t the time.”

Trisha blushed at how transparent her thoughts were to him. She did want him. His touch would make her forget what had almost been done to her. She longed to wrap around his body and get as close as humanly possible to him.

Slade took a deep breath that drew her full attention. He washed the front of her, down her thighs to the top of her feet, and stood. Her gaze met his and she knew at that moment that she needed to feel alive, had come close to death, and she wasn’t going to be denied the one man who made her feel.

Slade attempted to cool his heated body. Touching Trisha always made him hot, ache to have her, but now wasn’t the time. She stared at him and suddenly lifted her hands, placing them on his chest. The air froze inside his lungs.

“Make me forget. Please? I want you.”

He had to force himself to breathe. His dick instantly responded, going from semi soft to rock hard in the space of a few racing heartbeats. The feel of her fingers sliding downward to his waist made him bite back a groan. His fists clenched at his sides to prevent him from lunging at her, hauling her against his body, and taking what she offered.

She’s traumatized. She’d never forgive me if I take advantage right now. He tried to be logical. She’d just survived an ordeal, had nearly been raped, and while he could understand her need to be distracted, the repercussions of it could ruin any future he might have with her if she regretted it later.

“Please, Slade?” Her voice lowered to a husky tone. “I know what I want and that’s you.”

He unclenched his hands, gripped her waist gently, and loved the soft feel of her bare skin. Instead of glancing down at her tempting body, he kept his gaze locked with hers.

“I want you, always, but I’m not sure right now would be the smartest thing we could do. You should calm first.”

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A smile curving her lips drew his focus down to her mouth. He wanted to kiss her so badly he actually lowered his face but paused inches from her mouth. He swallowed hard and jerked his gaze back to hers.

“I’m a doctor who has worked emergency rooms for years. I know all about adrenaline rushes and my life has been on the line before. I’ve faced off gang members, crazy idiots with weapons, and once an old lady with a switchblade who really didn’t want stitches. I want to live right now and I want to do it with you. I survived and now I want to celebrate that. I can’t think of anything better than getting you out of those pants.”

Good enough for me, he thought, knowing he should question it more but Trisha stood in front of him naked and offering him something he desperately wanted. His mouth swooped down and took possession of hers. She opened up to him, her lips soft, and he growled when their tongues met. She was addictive as hell and his.

The feel of her tearing at his shirt, pulling it from the waist of his pants, and going for his zipper dissipated any hesitation he had. She needed him and he was going to give her whatever she sought. He’d wipe away her tears, hold her, or use his body to comfort her. There could be no wrong between them.

His hands slid down to her hips, one of them delving between her thighs to seek her clit to massage. Trisha opened his pants frenziedly, freed his cock, and her hand wrapped around the rigid length. He had to lock his knees to remain standing. He wanted to drop to his knees before her as she stroked him with her soft, tender hand.

His wasn’t so gentle as he furiously located the hot spot he knew would make her burn for him.

Trisha moaned against his tongue now, her grip on his cock tightening into a fist, and he cupped her ass while he noticed how wet his hand became from her desire, from the way he manipulated the bundle of nerves. He breathed in the scent of her growing arousal, another snarl catching in the back of this throat, and dragged her closer to his body.

He wanted to lift her up, demand she wrap her legs around his waist, and impale her on his dick. The image of it only drove him more insane. He wouldn’t last long, was too excited, and knew he’d have to bring her to climax first. He adjusted his fingers and two of them played with the slit of the entrance of her pussy. She wiggled against him, rocked her body, and the hand on his chest frantically reached up to grip his shoulder.

Trisha tore her mouth away, threw her face against his chest and moaned.

He drove both digits inside her hot pussy. The incredibly soft and silky feel of her channel tightly hugging his fingers nearly undid his control. He wanted to fuck her fast, hard, deep, and come so bad he knew it would blow his mind. The sexy doctor could do that to him.

She bucked her hips, helped him delve deeper inside her snug pussy, and he envied his damn fingers. He stroked her inside, pressed his thumb against her clit, and began to rub it in short, sure strokes. Trisha moaning his name spurred him on. The catch in 85

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her breath as she said it was the last straw. He tore his hand away, dropped to his knees before her, and his mouth latched onto her nipple.

The move had torn her grasp away from his dick, which throbbed painfully, but he was too turned on. He didn’t want to come in her hand. He wanted to be inside her, buried deep, when he found heaven. Trisha tugged at his hair, her nails digging into his scalp as she clutched him closer against her chest. His hands grabbed her ass and pulled her tight against his body, urging her to sit on his lap. She easily complied, sliding down him until he’d angled her spread thighs over his. The crown of his cock brushed her pussy, soaked now with need, so warm and ready. He pulled her down more, making her take him as he guided her to sheathe him inside her.

He threw his head back, had to release her breast to avoid biting into her nipple, and snarled as her vaginal muscles squeezed tightly around his shaft. Fuck, I’m going to come. Hold off. She feels too damn good. The sounds she made as he filled her, gave her all of his cock, were damn near his undoing.

His ass tensed, he took a ragged breath, and he began to move, rocking his hips.

One arm hooked around her back to keep her pressed against his chest while he wiggled his hand between them, located the swollen bud of her clit, and furiously strummed it. Her muscles squeezed him and then she cried out loudly, he could feel her climax—a warm gush of her release coating his cock and flutters against the head of his dick. He buried his face in her neck as sheer ecstasy made his body quake. His balls were drawn up tight and the first burst of his semen shooting into her nearly made him roar out. He clutched at her, held her tightly, and rode out the overpowering pleasure gripping him.

She’s everything to me. His hold eased slightly as his body began to relax, the aftermath of such intense sex beginning to fade, and he held her tenderly. He kissed her skin, nuzzled the side of her face, and smiled. He’d held on long enough to make sure she’d gotten off first.

“Wow,” she panted.

He softly growled. “Feel alive, sweet thing?”

“Oh yeah.”

He’d do anything to protect her, to have another moment like the one they shared—

her on his lap, their bodies connected, and his arms wrapped around her. She played with his hair, her fingers running through the locks, and he wished he could carry her to bed. He could spend hours exploring her body and making her come over and over.

His dick began to harden, his need to take her returning, and he forced it back.

She was in danger. He needed to get her away from the camp, put her somewhere safe. Mine to protect and I’ll kill anyone stupid enough to try to take her from me. He cupped her face, noticed a little blood where he’d nicked her with his teeth during sex, and used his thumb to wipe it away. The injury was very minor. The sight of her blood on the pad of his thumb made him long to taste even that but he resisted the urge.

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He didn’t want to break the connection they had, hated that he needed to bring her back to their grim situation, but the enemy couldn’t find them in such a vulnerable position. He lifted his head and their gazes met.

“We got to go, Doc.”

The sweet smile on her face faded and he hated to be the cause. “Right.”

He refused to release her just yet, clinging to her to keep her in place. “We’ll do this later, longer, and I’m going to kiss every injury you’ve suffered. Once we’re back at Homeland I’ll make this up to you.”

“There’s nothing to make up. Thank you.”

He growled, anger stirred a little at the distance he saw in her beautiful eyes as though she were trying to put up an emotional barrier between them. “We’ll talk about this later. Right now we need to get you dressed and leave.”

“Okay.”

Trisha allowed him to separate their bodies, regretting that the moment was over.

He helped her to her feet, fixed his pants, and glanced around the clearing. His hair was messy from her fingers and she hid a smile, more than a little amused at his appearance.

Slade had been in a fight and afterward had still looked nearly perfect but hot sex on his lap had left him looking wild and disheveled.

“Stay right there.”

Slade found a pair of jeans and used a knife to slice off some of the legs to fit Trisha better but the waist remained a little baggy. He used shoestrings from a pair of men’s shoes as a belt to keep them up on her hips. He’d also found her a black T-shirt two times too big but she was grateful for how baggy it fell since her bra had been destroyed.

Slade searched through the men’s supplies and packed their acquired things inside a backpack that one of the men had brought with them. He took a sleeping bag, food, and he kept the men’s weapons. They also took water and soft drinks. Very quickly, Slade was ready to go. Trisha studied him.

“I’m not playing around with them anymore.” Slade wore a determined expression on his face. “You got hurt. I’m not going to be the hunted anymore, Doc. I’m going to find you a safe place to hole up and then I’m going to take the rest of these bastards out.”

Trisha just studied him. She knew he could be dangerous and had the ability to kill.

She’d seen it firsthand when he’d saved her from being raped. She nodded.

“All right.”

87

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Chapter Nine

The sun hung low in the sky when Slade glanced back at Trisha. He’d found a dugout area of earth inside the side of the hill. A large boulder had once taken up the space but time and gravity had caused the large rock to roll down the hillside into the ravine below. It had been really hard to reach the area. It was so steep that Trisha had nearly fallen three times, and if not for Slade, she would have. He’d climbed behind her, one hand on her, and had caught her each time she’d lost her footing.

“You are safe here.” Slade crouched down in front of her and his hand brushed her uninjured cheek. “You will hear anyone coming from below and it’s too unstable above for them to use their ropes to try to climb down to this place.”

“Okay.”

“I want you to wait here where my people will find you if I don’t come back. It might take a few days but some of the males they send were trained with me from before we were freed. They know how I think and they will realize what kind of hiding place I would look for to stash you. Don’t shoot them when they do, Doc.” He gave her a tight smile. “It is considered rude to injure or kill someone attempting to rescue you.”

Trisha didn’t smile back, knowing he tried to use humor to defuse the stress, but she was too worried about him. “Come back to me.”

His smile faded. “I can’t guarantee that, Doc. I won’t make promises I can’t keep.”

“Then stay with me where we’re safe. Please? We could just wait right here together.”

Slade hesitated. “I didn’t realize there would be so many of them hunting us, Doc.

Those men I killed are not the same men who followed us down from the road when we crashed. They obviously have different teams out there searching for us. You know this from hearing them. That puts you in extreme danger and there’s only one way to handle this situation. I need to hunt the hunters and turn it around on them.” He paused again, staring intently at her.

“But—”

“They won’t expect that from me and their numbers need to be thinned out. It could take some time for my people to reach us and I need to help us survive. It will confuse those assholes when they find themselves under attack. Some of them will flee when people start dying. It will weed out the cowards from the truly deadly ones.

Those are the ones who need to die. It’s the only way to protect you, Doc.”

“But this is a really good hiding place. Just wait it out here with me, Slade. Please?

I’ll beg you if I have to. I’m terrified they will hurt you or worse. You’re just one man and there are too many of them out there. Those are your words.”

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Slade’s head slightly tilted and his mouth tightened into a grim line. “I’m not just a man, Doc. I’m something far worse with the advantage, whether they know it or not.”

He hesitated. “This is what I am. I’m a New Species and I have something important to me to protect. But this isn’t just about you and I don’t want you to feel guilty if something happens to me. My people will be coming and I don’t want them walking into a trap of any kind, which is a possibility. I need to take out as many of these assholes as I’m able to. I’m a predator beneath my humanity. I may try to hide it but it’s still there. I’m also a survivor who has had to kill in the past to remain breathing.

Mercile trained me to fight to show off their drugs and it’s one lesson I’m grateful for at this moment.”

“You don’t have to fight them. You aren’t locked inside a cell anymore and we can hide. From what I understand, you were never really meant to be placed into a real battle zone, which makes that training not count. They just taught you enough to show what you could do but this is real, Slade. I don’t want you to die.”

He took a deep breath. “It was always real. Not all of my people survived their cruel tests or the shows they forced us to participate in to demonstrate the results of their drugs. I am dangerous, even though it’s never what I wanted to become. Whether you accept it or not, that’s the truth. They trained us too well and made us less than completely human. It wasn’t their intention to ever see us free but we are. I’m New Species. You’re a doctor but just because you aren’t inside a hospital doesn’t mean you stop being what you are. You’d help any injured person if you could regardless of being on the clock or off, wouldn’t you?”

Trisha hated his logic. “Yes, but I don’t want you to go. Stay with me. Chances are, when your people arrive, it will scare those assholes off. I’m sure they never planned to have to search for us.”

“Don’t tempt me, Doc. Holing up with you inside this small space for a day or so…” He winked. “I would enjoy the hell out of keeping us from growing bored.”

“Stay with me.” Hope soared inside Trisha. She just wanted him safe, with her.

“It’s too big a risk if I were to stay with you and do nothing. There’s too many of them and they can spread out to search a lot of places. If we’re found they could surround us.” He glanced around the cave and then back to her. “You could be struck by a bullet if there’s a shootout. There’s too many rocks buried into the walls that something could ricochet off and strike you. I won’t allow that to happen. We also don’t have enough bullets to hold them off. They could also start a brushfire and smoke us out. It’s better if I go after them than risk them trapping us here. I’ll make certain that anyone who comes close to you is no longer breathing.”

She bit her lip, forgetting her injury, and winced from the instant pain. Slade brushed his finger over her mouth, staring at it.

“You will need to stay low, no standing or moving around much. That blonde hair of yours can draw attention and doesn’t blend well with the hillside. Remember to stay out of sight. I’m leaving you all the guns from the camp just in case some of them get 89

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past me or they take me out. This handgun is all I need. You only fire when they are close enough not to miss and you have no other choice. The noise will carry far if you shoot and bring more of them this way. That would be bad.”

Trisha stared into his eyes when he met her gaze. She did what she really wanted to do most. She leaned forward, gripped Slade’s face, and watched surprise cross his features a second before her mouth brushed his. She tested the soft texture of his full lips, heard the sound Slade made deep inside his throat, and then he took control of the kiss.

He deepened it, his tongue meeting hers. She ignored the pain of her cut lip, even the taste of her blood mingling with Slade’s taste, just wanting, needing to get lost in that kiss. Her arms wound around his neck and he lifted her weight when his arms slid around her waist, gripping her hips to pull her close, pressing them chest to chest. Slade suddenly growled and tore his mouth from hers, breathing harder.

“Trisha,” he groaned. “You’re making this difficult for me and if you sat on my lap, you’d know how hard you actually are making it. I have to leave now. Please don’t make this worse. This needs done and I have to go while I have enough daylight to move quickly. My night vision is not as good as normal sight during the day.”

She knew she’d lost the argument and he had his mind set to hunt down those men.

He planned to go out there and risk his life trying to save hers. Hot tears threatened her eyes but she blinked rapidly to hold them back.

“Okay. Just come back to me, Slade.”

A smile suddenly twisted his lips. “What are you going to give me when I return, Doc?”

“Anything you want.”

His eyebrow arched and the smile widened. “Anything?”

“Anything,” she repeated firmly. “Just don’t get killed.”

Slade nodded. “Stay low, be quiet, and keep those guns ready. Use them only if you have to and hold them off as long as you can. I’ll hear if you have to fire at anyone and I’ll be coming. No more provoking jerks trying to get them to kill you. Remember to just survive and I’ll have something to save. You promised me that, sweet thing. I’m holding you to it.”

“I remember and promise. Swear to me that you won’t take too many risks.

Survive, Slade.”

Slade nodded again, studied her intently as if trying to memorize her face, and then he backed away, releasing her completely. He forced his gaze from hers before he quickly took some items and shoved them into his pockets. He gave her one quick glance and then started to climb down from her hiding spot. He was gone in seconds.

Trisha had to bite back the plea to beg him to come back, certain that regardless of what she said, he wouldn’t change his mind.

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She unrolled the sleeping bag on the hard, unforgiving earth to keep busy. The dirt floor was embedded heavily with tiny rocks and hard clumps of dirt. Even with the sleeping bag she could still feel the uncomfortable ground beneath the thick material when she sat to assess what items she had.

Slade had acquired two sets of binoculars and he’d left one behind inside the backpack. She found them and inched to the opening. She used them and it didn’t take long for her to spot Slade. He moved amazingly fast without her.

She turned the binoculars, scoping out the area, but didn’t spot anyone else. She could see for a long ways with the help of the powerful glasses. She turned her focus back to Slade, knew when he had reached the bottom of the ravine to her left. He turned and examined the area where she hid and then started to jog away. Trisha kept her focus trained on him.

Darkness crept up too quickly for Trisha’s liking. She had lost sight of Slade through trees but sometimes she’d spotted him through the dense foliage. He moved fast, showed no signs of slowing, and he seemed to be heading in one direction. She wondered if he’d caught someone’s scent with his amazing nose.

She scooted back into the dark hole and had to feel her way to the backpack and unzipped it. She’d watched Slade take all the beef jerky but he’d left her the breakfast bars they’d found. She ate two and drank a soda before crawling back toward the opening. She glanced at the darkness below her and then gasped. In the distance she spotted a tiny sparkle of flame that came from the same direction Slade had been heading.

Trisha could see what had to be a camp. Flames showed through thick trees, not more than distant flames even with the binoculars. She had a sinking feeling that’s where Slade headed.

Trisha sat up and dragged the sleeping bag to the edge where she got comfortable, grateful she at least had somewhere to try to catch a glimpse of Slade. He was out there somewhere and she worried.

If Slade could smell their fire and he planned to attack, that’s where it would happen. Forever seemed to pass to her but no distant sounds of a fight reached her ears.

She got more comfortable by stretching out on her stomach and propped her elbows on the sleeping bag while she continued to catch snatches of the flames.

More time passed and she lay down flatter onto her stomach. A yawn passed her parted lips, reminding her of her exhaustion. She drifted to sleep until a single gunshot jerked her awake.

Trisha scrambled to sit up while frantically aiming the binoculars toward the campfire. She spent seconds searching the darkness until she found the flickering light.

Her attention remained focused on it until it died out, disappearing in the darkness.

No more shots rang out. It gave her hope that he might have survived if he’d attacked the camp.

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She fought the urge to shed tears over Slade being out there alone. He could be dead if one of them had gotten off a lucky shot. She dragged the sleeping bag away from the edge and huddled into a ball on top of it. She needed sleep and she had no chance of trying to spot Slade until the sun rose.

* * * * *

Slade kept low, watching the four men in the camp with hatred. He could hear their words and it made his blood boil. The smell of the deer they’d shot and cooked faded with the firelight they allowed to slowly burn out.

“Think the animal will beg for his life when we find him?” The one in the jeans jacket asked the one in the black shirt.

“I hope so.” He laughed. “I brought along my video camera to tape it all. We need to show all the decent folks that they aren’t men.”

Jeans jacket snorted. “Damn two-legged animals. Not only do we have to protect our country from them but our women too. First they’ll want to vote, then they’ll want to get married. If their women look anything similar to the men they will be after our sisters and daughters. It’s just sick. I figure they hide how their women look for a damn reason. They probably mixed them with mules and they have jackass faces.”

One of the men laughed. “Butt-faced ugly. Forget the coyotes.”

“They never should have been set free. We don’t go around freeing monkeys they test makeup on. Hell no.” The black-shirted man leaned back against the log, putting his boots closer to the fire. “They are dangerous and probably nuttier than fruitcakes.”

The blond man who’d kept silent suddenly frowned. “Does fruitcake actually have nuts in it? I won’t taste that junk. It looks bad.” He paused. “Do they really use cute monkeys to test women’s face crap on? Monkeys are cool. I always wanted one for a pet when I was a kid.”

“Hell if I know.” The guy in the black shirt shrugged his shoulders. “It’s a damn saying. My point is that they have to be completely whacked out of their minds. You don’t set caged animals loose and let them run around free. It’s dangerous and that’s why they all need taken out. They sure aren’t cute and I wouldn’t want one for a pet. It would probably try to hump my wife.”

The blond laughed. “I’ve seen your wife. I doubt it.”

The guy in the black shirt threw his can at his friend, tagging him in the arm. “Fuck you, Mark.”

“Knock it off,” the guy sitting farthest from the fire sighed. “We haven’t found our target and every hour that passes means he could somehow slip out of the area. The roads are locked down by our teams. They are trapped in the area, but that woman he’s with is some kind of doctor. That means she’s smart and is probably thinking for him.

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ground tomorrow at first light, find them, and kill them. I didn’t come out here to bullshit and insult each other. I want the reward.”

“I’m not mounting that head on my hunting wall.” The blond shuddered. “They look freaky and just plain ugly. Of course it would be cool just for a conversation piece.

I could charge admission and show it off.”

Slade had heard enough. He wasn’t about to allow those men to leave the camp.

They were too close to Trisha and they were looking for sheltered places. He eased around the camp and waited until the men began preparing to sleep. The blond stood, stretched and walked into the darkness to take a leak.

The man never heard Slade come up behind him until his hands were on him. The smaller man only gasped when a palm slapped over his mouth, he was jerked off his feet, and the knife on his thigh was yanked free and pressed to his throat.

“Be quiet,” Slade ordered.

The blond panted but didn’t try to cry out.

“Are there more of you nearby?”

The guy hesitated before he slowly nodded.

“More than the other three at your camp?”

The blond nodded again. The news angered Slade. He needed to find the other camps, take out the threat to Trisha, and get hold of their cell phones. Hopefully one would work. He could call Homeland to help them locate Trisha faster. She needed to be taken out of this dangerous mess quickly.

“I’m going to tie you up and go after your friends. If you don’t fight I won’t kill you. I’ll secure you until my people come. Do you understand me?”

The blond nodded. Slade wanted the humans dead but he wasn’t at Homeland. He wasn’t sure where he stood on the law. Self defense was one thing but the man he gripped posed no current threat. He hated them but he wasn’t a cold-blooded killer despite their low opinion of Species.

He loosened his hold and the blond suddenly struck. The guy tried to twist out of his hold and twisted his head. He gasped in air to give the alarm but Slade was faster.

He snapped the man’s neck. The sound of the bone breaking sickened him as he allowed the body to slump to the ground. He turned to face the camp but suddenly spotted movement. Another human came at him. The guy didn’t seem to see him in the darkness until the last second.

The human’s shock was apparent as he frantically grabbed for the handgun strapped to his chest in a holster. Slade threw the blade in his hand and lunged forward to grip the man’s arm and throat. The human went down without putting up too much of a fight. He lowered the dying body to the ground, staring into his enemy’s eyes.

“We’re going to kill you and that bitch who owns you,” the man hissed before he died.

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Slade released him, his rage heightened by the stench of blood and death. His instincts gripped him hard. Protect Trisha. These men weren’t compassionate. They weren’t worthy of receiving what they didn’t posses. They were hunting a helpless woman and a Species in a death sport for money. He snarled softly, releasing his human side and embracing the instincts of the predator that was part of him and came so naturally.

Kill them, make sure they aren’t a threat to my woman, and show no mercy. Memories of the years he’d been locked up flashed inside his mind. These men were as bad as the ones who’d kept Species prisoner. They didn’t see his people as anything but rabid animals. A soft snarl tore from his throat as he jerked the knife out of the body, and rose to his feet. The only way to stop them from reaching the doc was to kill every one of them. He could do it. He’d do anything for Trisha.

His gaze drifted toward the camp as he stealthily moved forward. The humans would die but Trisha wouldn’t. He’d make certain of that regardless of how many he had to kill.

* * * * *

It was light outside when Trisha woke next. She inched to the entrance on her stomach, gripping the binoculars to scan the area. She was careful to go slowly and tried to use a grid pattern not to miss any sections. She didn’t see anyone or anything.

She finally gave up after an hour and tried to get some rest on the sleeping bag again.

She drank half a soda, saved the rest, and ate one more breakfast bar.

She worried that Slade might not return to her, knowing he could have been killed.

She lay there with her eyes closed, his image haunting her thoughts. She wasn’t sure what kind of relationship they’d have if they survived. Did they even have one? He’d called her his. That has to mean something, she decided. It gave her hope that they had a future awaiting them if they could avoid being killed.

A sound jerked her from a light sleep a little while later. Trisha listened until she heard the noise again. She sat up, her heart hammered, realizing it sounded similar to…she wasn’t sure, but it was familiar for some reason. The noise came again. Crap. It sounded as though rocks or something equally heavy were falling. She moved and gripped the handgun since it was a smaller weapon, easier to hold than the two rifles Slade had left behind.

She crawled toward the opening on her belly to peer down and jerked back hard when she saw someone move below her. She moved backward, still on her belly, and grabbed one of the rifles too. She fought down fear and inched forward to reach the opening.

She kept on her stomach when she drew closer to the edge, laying the rifle at her side to keep it within easy reach. She stayed as low as possible to peer over the edge again until she saw them. Two men were about twenty-five feet below her, climbing up the hillside were she hid. She ducked down.

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Both men wore camouflage green clothing and headed directly toward her hidden spot. She hoped they hadn’t seen her, assumed not, since they hadn’t called out. They’d reach the opening soon enough if she didn’t do something. She wondered how they had found her and if they were New Species. They usually wore black uniforms but did they wear them away from Homeland too? She didn’t know.

She could sit there waiting for them to discover her or keep them below her. She didn’t know what to do. She frantically wished Slade hadn’t left her because he’d know how to handle the situation. At least Slade would be able to smell them to know if they were his people or the enemy.

Indecision sawed at her. She uttered a silent curse and then decided she had to hold them back. If they reached the opening she wasn’t sure she could shoot them before they shot her since they outnumbered her. Slade had told her to hold them off with the weapons and he’d hear it. She wondered how these men had gotten past him but it didn’t really matter since they had. She moved again quickly and grabbed the last weapon. She wanted all three of them available.

She crawled on her stomach and peeked out over the edge again but couldn’t see their faces. She gripped the handgun and waited until one of them looked up. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties. Trisha leaned out more to aim the gun right at him.

His gaze widened in surprise when he saw her.

“That’s far enough,” she called out. “Don’t move or I will shoot. Who are you?”

The man next to him jerked his chin up until she could see his face too. He was a little older than his companion, in his early thirties, with facial hair, and a cold look.

Trisha kept glancing back and forth between them. They climbed in a steep area below her, she remembered vividly how difficult it had been, and both of them had to hold on not to fall. It would be a painful fall if they lost their holds, if not deadly. They were a good fifty to sixty feet up the incline.

“We’re New Species,” the younger man stated evenly. “We’ve come to rescue you, Dr. Norbit.”

She bit her lip, studying their features. He looked a hundred percent human but so did the other man. Most of the New Species had distinct facial anomalies similar to Slade’s with his flattened nose and pronounced cheekbones. Justice North had those feature anomalies but he had cat eyes. Every New Species man she’d ever seen had long hair that fell at least to their shoulders but these men had crew cuts.

“I don’t believe you.” Fear gripped her, knowing they were trying to fool her.

“It’s true. Justice North sent us.” He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Crap. How could she tell for sure? She’d hate to shoot the wrong men but an idea came to her suddenly. “What do you smell?”

He blinked. “You’re too high up to do that,” he responded after a few seconds.

“We’re primate species.”

Those were rare, she’d only met one, but she’d been able to tell what he’d been because he’d had feature anomalies consistent with an ape—a flattened nose and 95

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rounded eye sockets. Her suspicion grew that they lied to her. Was she willing to shoot them though, one hundred percent certain they lied? Not yet. She’d hate to be wrong since she’d only seen one primate species.

I have a medical degree, she reminded herself. I’m supposed to be smart. She thought for a second and then smiled. “What’s today’s password? New Species know about the code system in place and I want you to tell it to me,” she bullshitted.

He paled slightly. “It’s Noose.”

He’s good. She’d grant him that. He hadn’t missed a beat in finding an answer to give her. She smiled. “Wrong answer.”

“It was changed after you were run off the road,” the other man stated quickly. “It’s noose today. Justice changed the password because he was afraid it would be compromised if his man was forced to talk.”

Maybe they actually use code words. That thought made her hesitate. She’d been guessing but it was reasonable that they’d have secret passwords or codes. They were learning from humans since they’d been freed. She decided it wasn’t proof enough since it was a possibility. She needed more proof before she could be sure either way if they were full of crap or telling her the truth. It would be horrible if she shot a real New Species. Slade might not ever forgive her and she wouldn’t ever recover from the guilt.

She’d sworn to save their lives, not take them, when she’d taken the job at Homeland.

“If you are who you say you are then you’ll know the name of the man Justice sent to escort me to where he wanted me to be. Tell me the name of the New Species, not the human escort.”

The second man spoke. “His name is Slade.”

She wavered for a second but then remembered how Slade had told her that Justice would probably have their names publicized to make it widely known they were missing in an attempt to get people to help find them. Slade’s name might be in the press right along with hers. She dropped that line of questioning.

Trisha’s finger tightened on the trigger. “What was the password for yesterday then?” She wanted to know how far they’d take it.

The men glanced at each other nervously. The younger one looked up. “Yesterday was my day off. I’m not sure but today it’s noose. We’re coming up to get you, Dr.

Norbit. We have a team standing by about half a mile from here and we’re going to take you back to Homeland. You’ve been rescued.”

If there was a code system, the guy would know it, especially since he was a supposed member of a rescue team going after a New Species out of contact with his people. Since he didn’t, she figured her bluff had worked.

“There is no password, asshole.”

She saw both men glance at each other again, their alarm clear. One of them moved his hand and reached for something at his waist. “I’m getting my ID,” he warned loudly. “We do use passwords at Homeland. All security guards do.”

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“So you’re New Species security guards? And you’re New Species? Is security guard your job title then?”

They both nodded. She couldn’t believe how easily both men lied. Paul had told her New Species never called themselves security guards, instead preferring the title of officers. They hated the other term. She watched him as he removed something from behind him. She wondered if he’d pull out his wallet and try to bluff her by showing his driver’s license. Instead he pulled out a gun.

Trisha panicked at the sight of it, jerked the handgun in his direction, and fired.

Two bullets deafened her unprotected ears before he fired back. His bullet flew wide and struck the dirt above her, making it rain down over her back. The third bullet she fired hit him.

He screamed as he lost his hold, fell back, and tumbled down the hill. She turned the gun on the second man who struggled to pull out something from the back of his waistband, one-handed, while trying not to lose his grip on the rock he held onto. She saw black metal when his hand came into view. Gun!

Trisha fired at him and struck him with one shot, getting better at aiming. She saw a part of his face where his cheek bloomed red and he screamed out. He released the handhold he had and fell straight back. She heard a horrible crunching sound when he hit bottom.

Trisha inched forward to stare down below at both men who lay at the bottom. One of them had landed on his side unmoving with bright red liquid spreading on the ground near him. The other man, the first one who’d fallen, sprawled face up. He moved an arm and she heard him groan even from where she hovered. Blood covered his face and his shoulder area.

She watched him as he lay there moving his leg and then he reached for something inside his pocket. When he pulled out a walkie-talkie she realized he would radio in her location. More of those assholes would come if they hadn’t already heard the gunshots.

She had to stop him, knowing she couldn’t hold off more of them if they converged on her location.

She crawled out more until her body partially hung over the edge. Fear gripped her from how far away the ground appeared to be below her. She could plummet to her death if she slipped from her wobbly perch and was unable to stop her tumble. She aimed and pulled the trigger, watching him jerk as the bullet tore through his chest. The radio clutched inside his palm dropped to the dirt below him. He stared wide-eyed up at her but she knew he had died when he didn’t blink, didn’t move, after a good minute passed.

Trisha fought the urge to be sick as she assessed both men, determined they were certainly dead and that she’d killed them. She pushed and wiggled her upper body back inside the small cave, still gripping the handgun painfully with her fingers. She stared at it and then dropped it as tears blinded her. The reality of what she’d done slammed home hard.

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The shock she experienced left her feeling icy cold inside. When she’d become a doctor she’d sworn to save lives but she’d just taken two. It was self-defense! her mind screamed. Self-defense. I had no choice. None.

She forced a few calming breaths through her lips and remembered Bill. What he’d threatened to do to her and how he’d hit her wasn’t something she’d ever forget. Those men were part of Bill’s group and they would have done bad things to her too.

She remembered how all three of those men had only kept her alive to tend to their injured friend. She had no doubt the men she’d shot would have killed her just the way they’d killed Bart. She forced herself to breathe deeply, calmly, and finally regained some control of her shaky emotions. She wanted to cry but Slade’s words came back to her from when they’d heard the gunshots after leaving Bart at the crash site.

“Survive first and then grieve,” she whispered aloud.

Trisha wanted Slade with her so bad it became an ache that painfully wouldn’t subside. She would be safe with him. She knew he’d hold her and say something to make her feel better, distract her from the anguish she suffered. She hoped he was on his way to her instead of more of those men.

She glanced at the handgun she’d dropped and pulled her emotions together. Slade would order her to survive and she’d promised him she would do anything, suffer anything, to stay alive until he could rescue her. He wouldn’t want her feeling sorry for herself. He’d expect her to use her head.

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Chapter Ten

“Calm down and think,” Trisha muttered aloud. “Great, I’m going to be one of those people who talk to themselves all the time when this is all over.”

She crawled to the backpack to reload the gun. There was a box full of bullets that Slade had salvaged from the camp. She crawled back to the opening on her stomach and gripped the binoculars to study the area in a grid pattern, searching for any movement. She stayed low. Both rifles were at her side and the handgun was placed inches from her hand along with the box of bullets in case she needed them.

Movement caught her attention to her right. She didn’t know the distance but it wasn’t too far. She spotted three men and then a fourth as they marched through the thick trees. They were dressed in camouflage green, similar in style to the men she’d just killed, and worse, they headed directly toward her.

Three of them had long guns in their arms or resting on their shoulders. One of them had holsters at his hips and on his chest to hold handguns. Crap. They were heavily armed. It scared Trisha badly. They weren’t going to be happy when they found their dead friends.

She scanned the area, looking for Slade, but didn’t spot him. Ten minutes later she spied more movement. She stared at the two advancing figures and hope soared.

Neither man was Slade though. One of the men had reddish hair while the other one had jet-black but they were dressed in all black clothing and moved quickly.

Slade had told her that his people would come and she prayed they were New Species. They had to be Slade’s men or she was in deep, horrible crap and knew it.

Trisha turned her binoculars back toward the area where the four men were.

They had made good progress since she found them a lot closer than they had been.

She turned the binoculars back to the two swiftly moving males in all-black gear. It appeared they were headed right for the four hunters. She bit her lip as she tried to estimate if the two possible New Species would reach the four before they made it to where she hid. The chances were good.

The four men coming her way were definitely going to be able to find her. The two dead bodies sprawled on the ground below her were a good indication of where she hid. She softly cursed and prayed that the New Species would reach her first.

Trisha settled flat, hugged the ground tighter, and shifted her binoculars to watch the progress of both oncoming groups. She prayed the two New Species—if they were New Species—were aware of the four-man hunting party and prayed they’d pick up the scent of those men. They would unless they were upwind.

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She really wished that thought hadn’t come to her. If those two men were New Species trying to save her and Slade, the last thing she wanted was to watch them be surprised by the hunting party. They didn’t appear as well armed as their opponents.

The tension inside Trisha rose so high her hands hurt from gripping the binoculars while she watched them draw closer. They weren’t moving nearly as fast as the two who she gradually became certain were New Species. She could now make out their shoulder-length hair and their uniforms seemed right, although they were too far away still to make out the NSO patches if they sported them over their chests.

The four hunters had nearly reached the dead men below Trisha and she knew she’d lose sight of them soon. She wasn’t about to inch out farther where she could look straight down. They’d be able to glance up and find her too easily. She also didn’t want to give them a target to shoot at or give away her exact location.

The two New Species slowed, not jogging anymore. They stalked slowly toward the hunters, obviously aware of their presence by their cautious behavior. Relief swamped Trisha as she watched the New Species duo make hand signals to each other before they separated. One of them sneaked up behind the hunters while the other one moved to attack from the side.

Voices started to carry up to Trisha until she knew without looking they were scary close. She continued to use the binoculars, hoping she was low enough on the cave floor to make a smaller and harder-to-see target with her chin on the sleeping bag. The four hunters were nearly out of her lens range.

“I know those shots came from this direction,” a man with an accent stated firmly.

“Buck and Joe Billy said they were going to climb to high ground to take a look-see.” The deeper voice had the same Southern accent. “Do you think they killed that two-legged animal?”

“I don’t know,” a new voice without an accent answered. “But they aren’t answering their radio. Look sharp, guys. Those animals have minds the way we do and sure aren’t as easy as shooting elk. Wild animals don’t talk back or carry weapons the way we do.”

“Fucking James,” another man without an accent laughed. “Elk? Come on. Let’s compare them to something at least similar. Maybe they are closer to apes. Those think and walk on two feet, don’t they? For all we know, Joe Billy and Buck are screwing with us. Remember that time last year when they ambushed us just for the hell of it to see if one of us would piss our pants? I’ll bet you twenty bucks they will spring out at us any second.”

“You’re on,” a man without an accent said and laughed.

Trisha moved her binoculars from the four men to where she’d last spotted the two New Species but couldn’t find either of them. She continued to scan until she finally spotted one but was shocked at where she located him.

He jumped from one branch high inside a tree to another branch in the one next to it. The jet-black haired New Species amazed her with his sense of balance and grace. He 100

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stopped practically on top of the four hunters who didn’t even realize he watched them from above.

Trisha’s heart raced while she kept her binoculars glued to the black-haired New Species as he jumped again to land in the top branches of the tree directly over the moving hunters. He gripped the trunk and seemed to be studying the men below him.

He withdrew a handgun from the holster strapped against his chest. Every fiber of her body told her he would attack.

The black-haired Species suddenly dropped to a lower branch. It was the most graceful thing that Trisha had ever seen. He obviously had done it very quietly because the men below him never glanced up. He stepped down to another lower branch, walking it as though it were a balance beam, and moved with the men. He suddenly jumped out of the tree and landed hard on two of the hunters below him.

Trisha gasped but kept her binoculars trained on the three fallen men. She saw movement as the two other hunters spun to look at what had happened behind them.

She saw a flash of black and the redheaded New Species seemed to appear out of nowhere as he rushed the two men from behind.

He leaped, tackling them as if he were a football player taking down two rival players. She was close enough to clearly hear the grunts of pain. In seconds the four hunters on the ground lay motionless and the two New Species stood over them silently.

Trisha got a really good look at both men and was assured they were definitely Slade’s men. They had the distinct facial anomalies that most of the New Species had.

The black-haired Species had a smaller nose than most and his features were telling. She suddenly had a feeling that he had to be part primate. The redhead had cat eyes similar to Justice North, indicating he had to be feline.

The two men withdrew something from the lower pockets of their pants that resembled thick plastic ties and secured the downed men’s hands behind their backs.

When they’d handcuffed all four of their prisoners, they yanked their ankles up and bound them with more white ties until they had them hogtied. The black-haired Species give a thumbs-up sign to his redheaded companion.

One of them laughed and Trisha moved. Her body was sluggish because she’d lain in the same position for too long but she was able to carefully rise to her feet. She leaned out a little, staring down at the men who were about sixty feet from the area where the two dead men lay.

“Hello,” she called out.

They didn’t jump or seem surprised when they turned their heads to gaze up at her.

She let that sink in. Did they already know where I was? She decided they probably had.

One of them, the redhead, nodded at her.

“We’ll get to you after we dispose of the dead bodies. Your kills?” He jerked his head toward the two men who lay far below her. “Two of them, right? I smell two different scents.”

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Shocked, Trisha just gaped at him. There was no way they could have seen the two dead bodies from where they stood. They would have had to walk around a few more trees and a huge boulder. She finally nodded.

The black-haired Species pushed his hair away from his face as he peered up at Trisha. “Where is Slade? We caught his scent but it’s faded as though he’s been gone for hours. Why did he leave you, Dr. Norbit?”

“He said there were too many of them.” She paused. “He wanted to cut down their numbers. He seemed certain if he started hunting them that some of them would get spooked enough to leave but he should have been back by now. He said if I fired the guns he’d hear and come running.”

The redhead nodded. “That is a good plan. It accounts for why we found two empty camps with the scent of blood but no men.”

Two camps? She wondered if they’d found the one where she’d been held or the one Slade had attacked the night before. She didn’t really want to know. She just worried about Slade. He’s promised to come if she needed help and he had to have heard the gunshots but he hadn’t arrived yet. Two of his men had to rescue her instead. Is he hurt?

Dead? Maybe he is still on his way.

“Is there any way you can tell if Slade is close?” Trisha silently hoped they could.

The redhead lifted his head and sniffed. He shook his head. “I don’t scent him and if he comes, it’s from afar. We will get you down from there when we are done. Sit and stay put. You’re safe now, Dr. Norbit. Our people will send a helicopter here to fly you to safety and we will find Slade if he does not return within a reasonable time. We have teams spread out for miles searching for you both. I would track his scent but I’d rather wait until you are secured on the helicopter. You were our primary concern since Slade can take care of himself.”

Trisha was speechless over being told she was the New Species’ primary concern.

She worked for them, sure, but Slade was one of their own. She was glad the man below her had so much confidence in Slade’s ability to take care of himself though. He must be really good at survival. Slade had told her that he’d trained with most of these men and they had to know him really well.

The black-haired Species leaned down and pulled something from his bottom pocket. Their pants seemed to have a lot of them. Trisha crouched down but watched what he did. It looked as though he had some kind of bulky cell phone he spoke into.

She saw his lips move but didn’t hear his words. She quickly realized he spoke into a satellite phone. She’d seen a few of them a time or two. He hung up and replaced the phone into his lower pocket.

Trisha moved back away from the edge, not wanting to watch them remove the bodies from below. She wondered what they would do with them but didn’t ask. She sat on the sleeping bag and hugged her arms to wait.

“Where are you, Slade?”

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The silence squeezed at her heart at not knowing if he was okay or if he’d never come back to her. They had some things to discuss if both of them came out of this alive. Did what had happened between them mean anything or was it just one of those trauma-induced moments? She uttered a curse word. What if he had only slept with her and treated her the way he had because of the situation they were in? She pushed those thoughts away. It was too painful.

* * * * *

Slade sniffed the air, could scent his own kind, and pure rage gripped him. They’d prevent him from killing all the humans who meant to do harm. The distant sounds of gunfire had come from Trisha’s direction. His heart raced as he jumped over a fallen log, used it to kick off, and leaped over a small ravine. He landed hard, crouched, and then rose up.

“Easy,” a male called out. “Stop running.”

Slade snarled, his head jerked up, and he spotted a familiar face from his perch on a tree limb twenty feet in the air. “She’s in danger.”

“No, she’s not. Smiley and Flame have her. They spotted her perch and are intercepting the males in her vicinity. She’s well taken care of.” The guy jumped, landed on a pile of dead leaves, and straightened. “You can’t be seen by humans right now.”

“I must go to her, Ascension.”

“She’s safe. We have her, my friend.” The other male’s gaze swept down Slade’s body before he met his eyes. “You’re soaked in blood and gore. You’ll terrify her if she sees you this way. It’s a pretty horrific sight even for me. How many did you kill?”

“Many.” Slade’s body began to relax. Trisha would be safe if Flame and Smiley were near. Both males were very good. “She’s safe? You’re sure?”

“You found her a secure location. No human is going to reach her before our males do. She is safe. Calm. May I approach? You’re injured and feral at the moment. You have that caged look we know so well.”

Slade crouched, breathed heavily, and tried to catch his breath. “I won’t attack.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I wasn’t sure how far you’d gone or if you’d lost it.” Ascension stepped closer, slowly, and crouched in front of him until only feet separated them.

“I’m fine.” Slade stared into the other man’s eyes.

“Good. We knew you’d survive but weren’t sure of your state of mind if you had to kill. We found some of the kill zones. Why didn’t you just stay with the doctor?”

“They were closing in on us, there were too many, and one group of them found her the first time I left her alone. She has no survival skills and allowed them to walk right upon her. I had to turn the tables to make sure no more could harm her.”

Ascension watched him silently, frowning. “I smell her on you. It’s hard to pick up over the stench of blood and death but it’s there.”

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A soft growl rumbled from Slade. “And?”

Ascension reached over and clasped his shoulder. “She’s human, soft, and a doctor.

They take oaths to save lives. I don’t want to see you harmed.”

“I need to go to her.” Slade tried to straighten but the other male’s firm grasp on him only tightened.

“Listen to me.”

“What?”

“You’re feral right now. Your mind is calmer than we feared but you’re walking death. You don’t have a mirror. Your features and eyes have the wild look we tend to get when it happens. She can’t see you this way. You’d only terrify her. I’m under orders to find you and bring you back to Homeland. Allow me to take you there.”

Slade growled. “No. I’m not done here. There are more of them.”

“Orders are—”

“They attacked her, one of them beat her and tried to rape her. She could have died when they forced the SUV off the road. They declared war on us and I want it finished.

Any that get away could attack again at a later date.”

The hand eased and released. “I can’t bring you in if I haven’t found you. I understand but you must stay away from her until you regain your ability to suppress your rage. At least wash before you rejoin us. There’s a stream to the east. I can smell her on you and they will too. They may fear you forced her into sexual submission in your current condition. I don’t believe that. I know you too well and I’ve seen you watching her while we’re on duty. You must have purposely rubbed her scent on you to keep it.”

Slade remembered biting Trisha and wiping her blood behind his neck. He hadn’t meant to do it at the time but he acknowledged that he hadn’t rectified it either. Having her scent had kept him sane when he’d killed to protect her.

“Finish what you started if you believe they will be a continued threat to your female. I never saw you and this conversation never took place. Just swear you’ll wait twenty-four hours before you approach her after you’re ready to be found. There are three dozen of us inside the woods. We’re doing a grid search for the humans. We brought along five primates so watch the trees. I knew you wouldn’t expect it and I waited from above to find you.”

“Smart.”

Ascension grinned. “I know you, my friend. We’ve been together too long since we were freed.” All emotion wiped from his features. “And don’t forget to find that stream.

I’d do it now and then continue your hunt. Just wash after you find them so you aren’t covered in their blood when you come in.”

“I won’t forget. You swear she’s safe?”

“My word.”

It was good enough for Slade. “I want to kill them all for risking her life.”

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“That causes me to feel fear. Find the humanity inside you. I’ll say I searched this area without result.” He stood. “Go, and watch the trees from now on. I’m not the only one who will think to hide there to seek you out.”

Slade rose and took off into the thicker forest, keeping his attention up as well as on his surroundings. Primates kept to the treetops when possible, their scents harder to catch, and he didn’t want to be found until he cut down some of the numbers of the humans who had tried to harm his Trisha.

Regret gripped him as he replayed Ascension’s words. Trisha was human, she was emotionally soft, and as a doctor, she might hate him for the lives he’d taken. Later he’d think about that, but for now, he had threats to take care of.

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Chapter Eleven

“I’m coming up, Dr. Norbit,” one of the men called out about an hour later.

Trisha stood and walked to the edge. The first thing she noticed was that the two dead bodies were gone and she couldn’t even spot blood on the ground. It looked as though someone had dumped dirt over the stained areas to completely conceal the deaths.

Trisha watched the black-haired Species climb up toward her easily without any trouble managing the steep terrain. She almost envied his agility and speed as he approached her. Slade had to shove and push her to get her to the top. He came up it as easily as a leisurely stroll on a flat surface.

He had to be about six feet tall with wide shoulders. Up close Trisha was sure the man was part primate. He was really cute with his softer-than-normal features. New Species were usually handsome in a tough-guy, attractive way. He had the muscular, large frame of a New Species though when he stood before her. His features were nearly adorable with his rounded, pretty almond-colored eyes and his animated features—primate cute.

“I’m Smiley. Hello, Dr. Norbit,” he crooned softly as he crouched at the entrance, balancing on the balls of his feet. He was too tall to stand inside the hole. He smiled at her. “The helicopter should arrive here really soon. They have been pretty busy today transporting all the humans we caught. We tried not to kill any of them but…” He shrugged. “Some of them were just too stupid to live. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine. Is there any word yet on Slade?”

He slowly shook his head. “I’m sorry but there is not. He is one of our best and there’s no need to worry about him. He can take care of himself in any extreme situation.” His gaze raked up and down Trisha but there wasn’t anything sexual in the way he studied her at length.

“Who beat you?”

“I was captured yesterday morning but Slade rescued me. Unfortunately before he did, this happened.” She pointed to her still-throbbing cheek and her swollen, busted lip. Slade kissing her crossed her mind in a flash but she pushed that memory back.

“I’m fine. A few cuts, some bruising and some pulled muscles are the worst of it besides what you see on my face.”

“Slade allowed you to be caught?” He looked highly amused as he laughed. “I’m shocked.”

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“He didn’t let me. He got cut off from me while he left to look for a place to stash me like this hole I’m in.” Trisha frowned. “Slade has saved my ass in the biggest ways that you can imagine. Please don’t laugh about this. He killed men to save me.”

His smile faded instantly. “I apologize. There is nothing amusing about this. Let me help you down and we’ll wait for the helicopter. You will be flown to a hospital to be checked over and afterward, returned home. Justice was very adamant about securing you and getting you medical treatment before we return to Homeland. He’s waiting there to talk to you.”

Trisha glanced around the small area but didn’t see anything that she should take with her. Her attention landed on the guns. “Should we take those? I’d hate for kids to climb up here in the future and find them. They are all loaded.”

“We’ll take care of all that.” He turned, almost brushing his head on the dirt roof.

“I’m going to help you down. Do you need me to carry you on my back? I’m a very good climber and I promise I won’t allow you to fall.”

“I think I can manage if you just help me down. Slade had to catch me a few times.

I’m afraid I’m not as coordinated as you guys are.”

He nodded, smiling. Trisha had a good idea why he was named Smiley. He seemed to do it easily and often. “It’s a gift we have.”

Trisha slowly walked toward him and studied the ground below when she reached the edge. She wasn’t big on heights and it was a long way to fall. Smiley moved, climbed out first, and looked up at her.

“Just turn around and start down. I’ll be right here below you. I’ll catch you if you fall.” He winked. “I’m strong. I promise not to drop you.”

She was scared but she turned and tried not to look at the ground below. Climbing down was worse than going up had been. She slipped twice but Smiley’s hands always gripped her, kept her in place, and finally they reached the bottom. Trisha had the urge to kiss the ground but resisted to prevent her rescuers from believing she’d lost her mind.

The redhead glanced at Trisha and nodded. She saw his nostrils flare and he frowned. He moved closer to her, sniffed again, and looked grim.

“I’m Flame. What happened to you?”

Trisha stared back at him, unsure exactly what he meant. He was about six-foot-three, a good foot taller than her, and obviously New Species with his wide-shouldered, muscular body. He looked as though he could easily kick some serious ass. He was more frightening to look at with his pronounced cheek bones and the sharp teeth his lips barely contained.

“I was captured and beaten. I was also in an SUV that rolled down the side of a mountain and we hit a few trees along the way. It’s been a rough few days for my body.”

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Flame sniffed again. “You have Slade’s scent on you but I also smell two human males. You smell of blood, fear, and sex.” He looked even more dangerous. “You were raped by the humans?”

Her mouth dropped open but then Trisha closed it. “Slade saved me.”

She was a little freaked out. She knew their sense of smell was amazing but it was downright eerie that the man could pick that much up just by sniffing at her. It left her really uncomfortable to know they had heightened senses to that degree.

“I’ll track the two humans down and kill them.” Flame blinked. “I swear this to you. They won’t live for what they have done.”

Trisha’s heart pounded. “They’re dead. Slade took care of that.”

A quick jerk of his head and Flame turned away. “Good. I’m going to go babysit the four stooges we captured, Smiley. Don’t allow her out of your sight.”

“I won’t.” Smiley turned to Trisha and examined her face. “Why don’t you sit down? The helicopter will be here soon.”

Trisha sat. She was already coated in a layer of dirt and didn’t care if she got more of it on her. “Where will it land?”

He hesitated. “It won’t. It will hover. We’ll hook you up and they will lift you out.

The trees in this area are too dense for a landing and we don’t want to risk hiking you out. You’ve already suffered enough trauma without that. It will be a piece of cake.”

“Great.” Dread gripped Trisha. “Did I mention I’m afraid of heights?”

Smiley grinned. “It’s a good way to face your fear.”

Just great. Soon enough she heard a helicopter in the distance that grew louder as it approached. Smiley kept silent as he regarded her, something he’d been doing the entire time she’d sat there. He finally turned his head and glanced at the sky.

“They are here. It will be loud. They will drop down a harness and I will hook you up. It will lift you and someone inside will pull you in to belt you into a seat. You will be flown to a hospital and two of our men will be with you until you reach home. You now know what to expect.”

“Thank you for everything. Could you please tell Flame that I said ‘thank you’

too?”

He nodded. “You are welcome from both of us. We are glad you are alive.”

“Could you tell Slade to contact me as soon as he’s found? I’m worried about him and I won’t stop until I know he’s safe.”

“I can do that.” Smiley’s gaze returned to the sky as he turned his back on Trisha.

“Here we go. Cover your ears. Those things are very loud. They give me a headache but some things can’t be avoided.”

Trisha stood when the helicopter hovered above the treetops at just enough distance to avoid hitting anything. The wind kicked up debris on the ground that swirled around her until it forced her to cover her eyes. She completely understood 108

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when Smiley swore—a loud, foul word. She really wasn’t looking forward to the next few minutes.

Someone touched her arm. Smiley gripped her and moved her to where a harness dangled nearby. He gently pushed her toward it and indicated for her to step into the openings of the thing. He lifted it up her legs and two belts were pulled over her shoulders and the last belt snapped closed around her waist. Smiley winked before he stepped back. Trisha gripped the harness in a death grip when Smiley gave the helicopter a hand signal. The harnesses tightened as it lifted Trisha off her feet.

She closed her eyes tightly and tried not to panic when the wind swung her around.

She didn’t open them until someone grabbed her around her waist. She stared below and saw Smiley had covered his face with his own arm, not looking up. Dirt and dust swirled furiously near the ground from the massive helicopter blades. The person holding her waist hauled her inside the doors until she couldn’t see below anymore.

The two men in the back of the helicopter were New Species. They were canines and she’d seen both of them at Homeland. Brass appeared grim and she couldn’t remember the other one’s name. They wrestled her out of the harness, slammed the helicopter door closed, and secured her onto one of the seats on the bench. Brass handed her a set of noise-cancelling earmuffs and pointed to his headset to show her how to wear it.

The loud noise of the helicopter muted. She nodded at Brass gratefully, thinking that his name didn’t fit him. He had brown hair, was huge with wide shoulders, about six-foot-three, and had really dark eyes. The other man was a brunette with dark eyes.

He was nearly a twin, body-wise, to Brass. Brass took a seat next to her and the other man seated himself on the bench across from them.

The ride wasn’t long until the helicopter touched down on a helipad at a hospital.

Medical staff rushed out with a gurney and she had an instant flashback to the night Slade had been airlifted into her life. She was in much better shape though than he’d been.

She let them strap her to a gurney without an argument since she was more than aware of hospital policies. She knew doctors made the worst patients, having treated a few, and tried to forget she was one when the staff rushed her into an exam room. Brass and the other man followed, keeping close.

The doctor on call was in his late thirties, attractive, and appeared, with his golden tan, to have spent a lot of time on a golf course. He smiled at Trisha.

“I’m Dr. Evan Tauras. What’s your name?”

“I’m Dr. Trisha Norbit.” She saw him flinch and grinned. “I swear I’ll be good. I was in a roll-over SUV accident a few days ago, minus a seat belt. It’s a long story. I know I should have been wearing one and I was right up until a minute before the crash. I rolled inside the SUV but I wasn’t ejected. Then I was physically assaulted yesterday by a jerk who hit me in the face a few times. I have no back or neck pain. I’m not showing any signs of internal injuries.” She paused. “I have no medical allergies 109

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and no outstanding medical history except I had my tonsils out when I was ten. I’m not on any medications, don’t smoke, drink, or take drugs. I’ll shut up now and let you do your job.”

The doctor nodded. “Thanks. You’re making this easy, actually. Have you exhibited any symptoms of a concussion?”

“Somewhat. It’s mild if I have one. I was dizzy after the crash and again after getting my bell rung yesterday when I was hit in the face twice. No blurry vision and no nausea though.”

“Did they catch the guy who did that to your face?” The doctor examined her head.

“You could say that. He’s dead.”

The doctor studied her for a second and nodded. “You’re the woman who was on the news. I’m glad you were found.”

He moved and opened his mouth at Trisha. She opened hers to mimic him knowing what he wanted her to do. He examined her for oral injures, then her face, feeling the bruised area. Trisha flinched a little but held still. The doctor moved lower as he and a nurse visually examined Trisha. She was grateful they didn’t strip her naked. Brass and the other man stood inside the doors to the side of the exam room watching every move made since they guarded her.

The doctor gawked openly at the two Species a few times, looking slightly annoyed and alarmed. Trisha understood the reasons and wanted to assure him things were fine.

“An attempt was made on my life and they have to be here. I’m sorry if it bothers you to have an audience.”

Dr. Evan Tauras nodded. “No problem. They are just big.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “I’ve never seen them in person but they look smaller on the news. They are very physically fit.”

Trisha whispered back. “Yes. I know. They also have exceptional hearing. Whisper

‘hi’ to them.”

The doctor jerked his head to stare at both men. Brass winked at him and flexed his muscles. The other New Species looked grim but waved. Trisha had to fight a laugh as the doctor’s face blushed slightly before he turned his attention to his nurse to rattle off a list of tests to run. He wanted X-rays. She didn’t think she needed them but she didn’t protest. It was his exam room, his call, and she didn’t want to be a pain in the ass.

* * * * *

Two hours later they released her with some anti-inflammatory medication for her knee, some pain pills for her face, and some antibiotics because she had a few open cuts.

She’d considered asking for a morning-after pill but wasn’t worried about what had happened between her and Slade. Without medical help she was pretty certain she couldn’t get pregnant though they hadn’t used protection. There hadn’t been a liquor 110

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store nearby to buy condoms and since Trisha wasn’t sexually active she wasn’t on anything.

Brass and Harley—that was the name of the other NSO officer—escorted her to the pharmacy to fill her prescriptions. The helicopter picked them up five minutes later.

No one had heard from or found Slade. Trisha dozed off when the pain medication overwhelmed her. An hour later they touched down at the New Species Homeland and when Brass lifted her into his arms to carry her off the helicopter she awoke.

“You’re safe. Just relax.”

She didn’t ask to be put down. He seemed to effortlessly carry her the way Slade had. They were super strong. “Thank you.”

Justice North waited at a Jeep nearby. He darted a look at Trisha and actually flinched. Brass refused to put her down until he sat her in the passenger seat of Justice’s open Jeep. He and Harley climbed into the back and Justice drove toward her home.

“I can’t begin to apologize enough for all that has transpired, Trisha. This was purely an attack against New Species and you were involved by association.”

“It’s not your fault. You aren’t the idiots who ran us off the road or decided it sounded fun to try to hunt us as though we were deer. Thank you for the helicopter and for having Brass and Harley take such good care of me. Is there any word on Slade yet?”

Justice shook his head. “Our teams are still out there and they have rounded up eight more of those assho— Men who were out there looking for you. We are handing them over to the local authorities as soon as we find them. We were thrilled to get authorization to send our own teams into the area.”

Brass snorted. “They were very happy to allow us go in instead of them.”

Justice nodded. “There was that. We were more equipped to search a large area of woods than they were and with a much smaller manpower force.”

“They didn’t want those crazy fanatics firing at their asses,” Harley ground out.

“They gave us jurisdiction to go in and clean up the mess. We won’t get any credit for it, they’ll take that, but the local police force wasn’t in danger.”

Justice glanced at Trisha and frowned deeply as he sniffed. He didn’t say a word but Trisha noticed when he did again. He suddenly looked very angry when he parked the Jeep in her driveway. She saw a Homeland security guard standing on her porch but he wasn’t New Species.

“Sit right there,” Justice ordered her. “I sent him ahead of us because I knew your keys were lost to you after the wreck. We recovered your purse and keys. We returned what could be salvaged to your home. Your clothes that weren’t torn or damaged have been cleaned. What wasn’t salvageable will be replaced with our funds.” Justice rounded the Jeep and lifted a surprised Trisha into his arms and walked to the front door. “I was given a full briefing of the injuries you sustained. The doctor told you to stay off your feet for at least two days.”

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The security guard nodded at Trisha while he opened the front door. Justice walked into the house and gently placed Trisha on the couch. He hesitated and turned to study Brass and Harley. The security guard had also stepped into the house.

“Could you please give us a few minutes? I’d like to talk to Trisha alone. She’s been through enough without the added trauma of having to tell me what happened with an audience of males.”

The three men left quietly and the door closed firmly behind them. Justice moved to the loveseat where he sat down. He looked tense. His cat-like eyes met Trisha’s.

“I smell fear, dirt, blood, and sex on you. There was no mention in the briefing from the doctor that you were sexually assaulted. Did one of those fanatics abuse you? I was told your face injures are a result of one of those assho—” He cleared his throat.

“Fanatics.”

“You can call them assholes. I do.” She met Justice’s gaze without looking away. “I wasn’t raped but it was close. I don’t really want to talk about the specific details but Slade got there in time. He stopped the guy before he could really hurt me.” She paused. “He had to kill him.”

“You had sex with someone before you left here? I wasn’t aware you were seeing anyone.”

Trisha frowned. “My sex life is none of your business, Mr. North.”

“I meant no offense. I’m going about this wrong. Excuse my poor wording but I’m trying to figure out if you are lying about the rape. You work and you don’t leave Homeland. I am aware of everyone’s comings and goings inside these walls. You had sex with someone because I am getting scents off you. Of course I smell Slade and there are two human males. You also now carry both Brass’ and my scent as well but they are faint because we both carried you. I know Smiley touched you to help you down the side of a hill.”

“How do you distinguish between human and New Species so well?”

He watched her closely. “New Species… It’s hard to explain. I just can tell the difference. One male’s scent is familiar. I just want to know the truth if you were sexually abused.”

“I wasn’t. The familiar scent you might be picking up is probably the driver of the SUV, Bart. I don’t know his last name. He was injured in the roll over and I touched him quite a bit to check him for injures. He’s dead, right? Slade and I heard three gunshots after Bart refused to leave the scene where we crashed. He thought those men wouldn’t hurt him because he was human. We tried to tell him they would kill him but he refused to listen to us. We had no choice but to leave him behind.”

“He’s dead.” Justice nodded. “He was shot in the groin, stomach, and head after being tied up and tortured. We assume they tried to gain information from him on where you and Slade had gone. His body was located next to the destroyed SUV. The coroner stated he was killed soon after the crash.”

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Chapter Twelve

Trisha had suspected Bart would die, had been sure of that when they’d heard the gunshots, but hearing the words of what had been done to him leveled her inside. His face flashed through her memory, how afraid he’d been, and he’d just been a boy. One with a mother who worried enough about him to want him to go to a vet to get vaccines against animal diseases.

“Jesus,” Trisha gasped. “The groin?”

Justice hesitated. “What they did was vicious and cruel. It’s one thing to kill a man in cold blood but another to castrate him before death.”

Her stomach roiled just a little. “Castrate?”

“They used a sawed-off double barrel shotgun at close range. We were told by the coroner that they must have put it right against his groin before they pulled the trigger.

Those bastards are the animals and yet they have a problem with us. Species would never be that inhuman.”

Trisha stumbled to her feet. “I need a shower. I know you have questions but I’m tired, hungry, and dirty.” She bit her lip and flinched, forgetting how sore it was. She met Justice’s gaze as he stood. “I’ll probably have a good cry too. I wasn’t raped, I swear. Slade stopped my attacker before he could. I am grateful that you care about my well-being but my sex life is personal. I do have a favor to ask though.”

“Anything.”

“When you hear word about Slade, I don’t care what time it is, please have someone call to let me know. He saved my life out there over and over again. I don’t think I’ll rest well until I know what happened to him.”

“I am going to have Brass stay here. I will have food brought to you and it will be waiting after your shower. I swear that when I know something, I will call Brass and have him relay the information to you. We’ll talk about what happened tomorrow.”

“Brass is staying here?”

Justice nodded. “Yes. It’s just a precaution. It seems that some deaths have occurred with the assholes. Some of their associates are pretty pissed they died instead of doing all the killing. You will have around-the-clock protection until we feel there is no longer a threat. You are familiar with Brass and it’s been pretty traumatic for you. He’ll take the first shift. I want him inside your house. He can sit on the couch if that’s acceptable.

He’ll be here to accept the food deliveries and relay any information I get to you.”

“But we’re at Homeland and it’s safe here. Those jerks can’t get through the gates to reach my house. I’m sure―”

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“Someone told them of our movements,” Justice cut her off. “They knew the route we planned for your SUV, which tells us they have inside information. Only our human security teams knew where we were going, what time, and how we were getting there.

You will have round-the-clock New Species officers to protect you until I am assured of your safety and that won’t be until whoever is responsible is found.” He took a deep breath. “I have to go but food will arrive shortly. Eat and rest.”

She was stunned that someone working at Homeland had betrayed the New Species but she believed Justice and his grim expression. “You don’t have to send me food. I can fix a sandwich.”

“No. You need a nice hot, home-cooked meal. I’ll call it in right now. I’ll have them send you a few dishes. I’ll see you in the morning. Just call me when you are up and about.”

“Thank you. Please don’t forget to contact me about Slade.”

“I swear I won’t. As soon as I know, you will.” He left the front door wide open and Trisha heard him softly talking to the men outside.

Trisha slowly walked into her bedroom and grabbed oversized comfortable sweats and a baggy T-shirt. She walked into her bathroom. She got a load of herself in the mirror and wanted to burst into tears. She looked like something a cat had dragged around a backyard before it threw it away to find something else to tear up.

She had bruising from ear to lower jaw that extended inches along her face. Her lower lip was swollen badly on one side where the skin had split. It was red and puffy.

Her long blonde hair had matted and tangled hopelessly. On top of it all, dirt covered her in a fine layer.

The clothes she wore were just as bad. She stripped and flinched more over the painful bruises on her wrists where she’d been tied to the tree. She had more of them on her back, hip and shoulder blade from the SUV roll over and then spotted another large bruise on her thigh from the accident. She knew she must appear hellish.

Trisha moved under the water spray and just stood there for a long time then she washed her injured skin very carefully. It hurt despite the pain pills. The tears began to flow hard until she sat down on the floor of her shower and covered her face with her hands. She knew her life had changed forever. Two men were dead and she’d taken their lives. How could she ever go back to being the person she once was? She didn’t see one single way.

A light tapping on her door finally made Trisha stop crying. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Do you need help?” She recognized Brass’ voice. “I’m safe, Dr. Norbit.” He paused. “I’m coming in.”

Crap. She tried to get to her feet but her body refused to respond. She had the shower doors to hide her body but they were frosted glass. She could make out Brass’

shape inside her bathroom when he moved toward her.

“Dr. Norbit?”

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“I sat down and now I’m kind of stuck,” she admitted. She hated being this weak and in so much pain. “I’ll eventually get up when I’m feeling better. Could you just toss me a towel?” She shut off the water faucets next to her to kill the shower. “Please?”

A large bath towel dropped over the top of the shower doors. Trisha caught it and used it to cover up as much as she could. Two seconds later Brass stunned her when he opened her shower door.

“I won’t look at you as though you are a woman. Allow me help you, Dr. Norbit. I would never harm you in any way.” He bent, reaching for her. His hands carefully gripped her ribs and lifted her gently to her feet. “Let’s get you into bed. The food arrived and I’ll also get you some more pain medication.”

It humiliated her slightly knowing she needed the help. She didn’t struggle as the large man guided her to step out of the tub. His arm kept her on her feet and she needed it. She clutched the towel around the front of her but there was no helping her back being totally bare. Trisha knew her face must be flaming pink. Brass suddenly gripped her towel and pulled it from her grasp.

Trisha’s mouth hung open. Her focus flew to the man holding her towel. He kept his gaze locked with hers. He released her arm and then opened the towel to wrap it around her body securely before he reached for her again. He just scooped her up into his strong arms and gently placed her on the counter. Brass turned, grabbed another towel, and without a word went to work on her dripping hair.

“Thank you.”

Brass nodded. “You’ve been very strong. For someone so little, you have my full respect, Dr. Norbit. You have been very tough but now it is time for you to allow someone to take care of you.”

“Please call me Trisha.”

He flashed a smile. “I’m going to pick you up again now that your hair won’t soak your bed and put you on it. I see you have pajamas but I’ve suffered enough injures to warn you from past experiences that you are better off without anything on while you heal. Up you go.”

He dropped the towel from her hair into the sink and lifted her up into his arms.

Brass gently carried her out of the bathroom and to her bed where someone had already lowered the blankets. Brass eased her down onto the mattress and removed his arms from around her. He held out his hand and closed his eyes.

“I’ll take the wet towel into the bathroom to hang while you cover up.”

Trisha handed the towel over and pulled up the blankets to her chest. She watched Brass return to her bathroom where he stayed for a few minutes cleaning it. Then he walked out, flipped off the light behind him, and gave her a nod before he disappeared out of her room. He immediately returned, pushing a food cart that had three shelves with multiple covered dishes. Trisha gawked at the sight.

“That can’t all be for me.”

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He shrugged. “Justice didn’t know what you wanted to eat so he ordered six dishes to be prepared. The Council has its own personal chef. Justice placed a phone call for food to be prepared when he knew you would be arriving. There are also desserts.

Again, Justice didn’t know what you would eat so he had them send a little of a lot.”

Brass removed a large tray. He placed it over Trisha’s lap and smiled. “I’ll open up the dishes to show you what you have to choose from.”

“You will help me eat all this, right?”

Brass chuckled. “I was hoping you would ask. I’m starving.”

Trisha’s stomach rumbled loudly. Her face blushed warmly when Brass chuckled again. He’d obviously heard it. He started removing the covers while he listed the food that had been prepared. He didn’t touch the desserts.

“I’ll take the prime rib and the tri-tip dinners. Is that all right?”

He grinned. “That’s fine. I’m grateful you didn’t want the ribs. I saw those and my mouth began to water. You are hungry, aren’t you?”

“I’m starving.”

Brass set both dishes on the tray. He left the room and returned minutes later with a few sodas. Trisha took a cherry-flavored one. She kept three kinds in her fridge. Brass hesitated.

“I’ll go into the living room and eat. Call out if you need anything.” He lifted the pork-rib dish.

“You can sit there.” She pointed to the chair next to her bed. The nightstand was cleared on that side so he’d have a table to eat on. “I was going to turn on the TV. I’m sorry there isn’t one in the living room. I planned to buy a few things for the house but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. You could stay in here to watch TV and I’ll even give you the remote if you promise no history stuff or sports.”

He laughed. “You pick the channel.” Brass sat down and put his plate on the table.

He opened up one of the sodas. “Thanks. What are you planning on changing? It’s a nice house.”

“I hate this bed and I want to turn the spare bedroom into an office.” She motioned toward the corner where she had a desk set up. “I don’t want my office in my bedroom.

I need to relax in here and every time I glance at it, all I think about is work.”

Brass turned his gaze to her. “What’s wrong with the bed? I enjoy a big four-poster and that one looks solid.”

“It’s too big. I feel as though I’m five years old every time I climb into it and I do have to climb.” She glanced at the floor. “See that stepstool?” She shrugged.

Brass darted a look down and started to chuckle. He tried to stop but he looked too amused to hide it. “You are short, in the bed’s defense. You’re a few inches shorter than average for a woman.”

“Yeah, I know.” She cut her prime rib and took a bite. She moaned. “So good.”

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Brass choked on his soda. Trisha turned her head to find him staring at her and he thumped his chest.

“Are you all right?”

“Fine.” He nodded. “I take it from that sound you made that you’re enjoying it and the Council chef is worth the money they pay him?”

“He’s worth every penny.” She cut into the tri-tip and took a bite. She moaned again as she smiled. “Perfect. Delicious. Almost melts inside my mouth.”

Brass stared at her.

“Do you want to try some? They gave me large portions.”

“No thank you. It’s all yours. I love the ribs. I might hit up that roast-beef plate though after I eat this if you don’t want it. We tend to eat a lot.”

“Help yourself. I’ll never finish all this.”

They ate. Trisha found an action movie they both agreed on. Brass managed to eat three dishes and found room for dessert. He gave her two pain pills. Sometime during the movie she drifted off to sleep.

* * * * *

“Trisha?”

She woke feeling fuzzy. She stared up at Brass, seeing his face about a foot over hers in the dim but not totally dark room. She blinked up at him, letting memory return.

He was staying inside her house to guard her. He smiled at her.

“Those drugs really hit you hard. I’ve been trying to wake you for a few minutes. I just got word on Slade.”

Those words shoved all lingering sleep away and she tried to sit up. Brass suddenly shoved her down. His hands gently gripped her shoulders and he grinned. “Watch your blankets, Trisha. You almost flashed your breasts.” His hands released her.

Crap. She’d forgotten she wasn’t wearing clothes. She gripped the blankets to keep them in place. “Sorry. Is he all right?”

“He is fine. They are bringing him in right now to Homeland. He ran into one of our teams about twenty minutes ago. He has been shot but it’s just a flesh wound. They are taking him to a hospital to have him checked over but he should be returned to Homeland within a few hours.”

Tears welled but she blinked them back over hearing the news that Slade was safe and alive with only a flesh wound. He’d been shot. All that registered. She’d seen firsthand how tough New Species could be and how quickly they healed. She wasn’t too worried that the injury would be life threatening if they expected him at Homeland soon.

“Thank you.”

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“Go back to sleep. I hated to wake you but Justice said you wanted to know when he knew. I’m sure Slade will come here as soon as he returns to personally check on you. Just rest. You need it.”

“Thank you.” She smiled at him. “Can you tell Justice I appreciate everything?”

“Sure.” Brass backed away to return to the living room.

Trisha studied the bedroom. Brass had closed her drapes but weak light peeked between them. She glanced at the clock, surprised to realize it was five minutes past six in the morning. She rolled over and the drugs lured her back to sleep.

Slade is safe.

* * * * *

Slade didn’t want to sit on the chair or even be at the meeting. He needed to go to Trisha. He wouldn’t truly feel calm until he could look into her eyes, inhale her scent and hold her in his arms. He planned to do a lot more than that once he touched her but he refused to allow those thoughts to flow since every male clustered inside Justice’s office would smell his arousal.

“I’m very grateful you are safe.” Justice sat on the corner of his desk, his gaze roaming the fifteen officers crammed into the room either sitting or standing, and sighed loudly. “We have answers. The assholes responsible for this attack who were arrested have spoken to the police. I just ended a conference call with the lead detective on the case.”

“They hate us,” Tiger stated. “That’s why they did it. It’s why we’ve been attacked in the past and for the same reason they will do it again.”

Fury growled from his position near the closed door where he leaned against the wall. “Every time we believe the threat lessens, something happens.”

“Calm,” Justice demanded, meeting each gaze in turn. “It’s because we hired the doctor and word got out.”

Shock stiffened Slade’s spine. “Why would they care about her specifically?”

“She did a two-year residency in gynecology.” Justice ran his fingers through his loose hair. “Someone printed her résumé in the newspapers. Those assholes have gotten it into their brains that’s the reason we hired her.” He focused on Fury. “They believe she’s here to help you figure out why we can’t have children. I’ve issued a statement that it was her years as a trauma emergency doctor that was the deciding factor for choosing her above the other applicants. I’m afraid they don’t believe the truth. They are certain we are trying to find a way for you to impregnate your mate, Fury.”

He snarled. “Ellie and I aren’t test subjects. We haven’t taken any measures to do such a thing. We want a baby but we both agree it’s not worth the painful agony of allowing doctors to destroy our lives with the taking of blood and their needles and scans.”

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“I know this.” Justice shifted on the desk. “If Mercile wasn’t able to discover what went wrong, I’m certain there’s no fix for the problem. They had specialists in fertility nearly torturing our females to death. We’re just flawed that way. I wouldn’t have hired Dr. Norbit for that purpose even if anyone were willing to volunteer to have tests run on them. I’d have hired someone else who solely dealt in that branch of medicine.”

“They put a bounty on my head.” Slade spoke.

“That’s how they got most of those assholes to agree to go after her.” Justice’s gaze met Slade’s. “You were the incentive for killing her and they offered money as well for the one who brought your body to the man who leads them. They know it’s only a matter of time before we die of old age and as long as we’re sterile, they are comforted that Species won’t thrive.” Anger deepened his voice. “The idea of us being with human women really pisses them off too.”

“I hate humans.” Flame grumbled the words. “Males.” He flashed an apologetic glance Fury’s way. “The females are sweet. Your Ellie is a wonderful human. I wish her no ill will but those males anger me.”

“It’s not all of them,” Fury corrected. “It’s just the ones who hate us.”

“The point is,” Justice continued, “the idea of us having another human female at Homeland, a doctor, has stirred up their rage. I considered hiring someone to replace Dr. Norbit but I happen to believe she is a valuable addition to us. She’s a good doctor who can handle anything, as we’ve seen.” He met Fury’s gaze. “She saved your life. She holds no malice toward us. I trust her and that is worth the added annoyance of making us a bigger target because of her experience.” He pushed up from his desk. “Thankfully she never hooked up with one of our males. That would really send those lunatics over the edge.”

Slade tensed and his mouth parted. Before he could speak, Brass did.

“She may hook up with one of us. She’s a very attractive female.”

“Any male who cared about her would avoid doing that,” Flame warned.

“Too true,” Justice agreed.

Flame spoke again. “We’re trying to open up another home for our people. We’re going to need her to travel often to help us set up the medical facility there and every time she leaves the gates it’s going to put a target on her back. Hell, we can’t even trust the humans who work here at Homeland. Someone gave away her traveling agenda and the precise route. We’ve got Brass and Wager guarding her around the clock.

There’s no way the human hate groups wouldn’t make her a prime target. She’d be in as much danger as Justice is if she were with one of our men. It would only make them want to kill her twice as much as they already do. She’s keeping us alive if we need a doctor and then she’d be sleeping with one of us. They’d assume that she’d make fixing our fertility problems a priority since they’ll assume most females wish to have babies.”

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him in a deadly position. He could mingle freely with only a few trusted humans and even then it was a risk.

Trisha was the Homeland doctor who treated any human who needed her help. The traitor could just cut his hand and walk right up to her. She’d die before anyone could reach her even with guards. The males who belonged to those hate groups were insane.

He had no doubt that one of them would take on a suicide mission to take out the enemy. That would be his Trisha. And they would die if they touched her.

“True.” Justice shook his head. “It’s a good thing none of our males are interested in her. I’d have to fire her and hire another doctor. She’d have to be as guarded as Ellie is.

Ellie is only allowed to work with our females since they pose no threat to her.”

Slade’s eyes closed and the pain inside his chest became sharper, a near-stabbing agony. Trisha loved her job, being a doctor was what she was, just as he was New Species. That couldn’t change and trying would be a fool’s errand.

She’d grow to hate him if he made her chose him over the life she led. She’d resent him in time. He wasn’t even sure if she cared enough about him to even be tempted to lean in his direction if offered a choice.

“We’re going to have to tighten security. Dr. Norbit will have around-the-clock protection until the threat lessens. We need to find the traitor who betrayed us. In time those assholes will realize nothing will help us have children and they will cease having the fear that we’ll reproduce and blow their dreams of watching us eventually die out.”

Justice continued to speak but Slade stopped listening. Being with Trisha could get her killed. It would put her in too much danger. He got a tight rein on his emotions, afraid someone would smell his strong pain, and knew he’d grieve later, privately. He couldn’t put her in that much danger or ruin her life. She meant too much to him.

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Chapter Thirteen

Sweat beaded Trisha’s forehead and she wondered if she would be violently ill. She nervously sat inside the reception area of Justice North’s office and fought the urge to throw up. She glanced at her watch. She’d arrived a little early and been informed that he was on the phone.

She’d called the meeting but she’d had no choice, knowing she had to be responsible about the dire situation. It wasn’t just her own issues she had to deal with.

It would be a huge deal and she had to do the right thing. That meant discussing it with Justice. It involved New Species and he had a right to know. She just hadn’t expected to feel sick to her stomach about it.

The tall woman behind the secretary desk closely watched Trisha, appearing slightly concerned. “Do you want some coffee or water, Dr. Norbit? You are really pale.”

“I’m fine.” Trisha forced a smile. “Nerves.”

The woman nodded and focused on her computer screen. “It should only be a few more minutes. Justice is on a long-distance call with the newly acquired New Species Reservation. They are opening up soon and it’s been really hectic here. Isn’t that where you were heading when your vehicle was attacked? I hope you are all better now?”

“I’m fully recovered. Thank you for asking. And yes, that’s where we were traveling to when we were attacked.”

Trisha had never gotten to go see the place. She only knew what she’d heard on the news. Brass had told her a bit about the project. Four hundred miles to the north in the woodsy area of Northern California, Justice had bought up thousands of acres of land—

an old resort that had closed down years before and abandoned. The owner had sold it cheap to avoid paying taxes on the property. Justice planned to turn it into a home for some of the New Species who didn’t want to “get along with others”.

A smile curved her lips at the memory of Brass saying those exact words to her.

He’d explained that some of the New Species were less human-looking than the ones she saw at Homeland. They didn’t want to be integrated with humans, instead just wanted to live in peace within a safe place. They currently resided in an unspecified location far from human contact but with the hate groups, everyone feared for their safety if anyone ever discovered where they’d been placed by the government.

Justice had bought the old resort to bring them closer to their own kind and to be able to protect them better. They’d decided to rename it New Species Reservation. She’d been assured that it was an appropriate title since it was anything but a vacation spot. It would be run the way Homeland had been set up, totally under New Species law and 121

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control. It would also have high-level security to protect the New Species who chose to live there.

Brass had become a good friend to Trisha while he’d stayed at her house for the first two weeks after her ordeal. He’d made her laugh a lot and become important to her. She’d worried a little that he might be attracted to her but he’d never done anything out of line. When the threat assessment to her had been lowered, she had actually missed her constant companions who guarded her.

Brass still checked on her and stopped by often with a few action movies and she supplied the popcorn. Sometimes he’d bring a few of his friends with him. Trisha had gotten to know some of the New Species that way. They treated her as though she were a little sister, as if she were one of them, and she’d been grateful for it. It had kept her from feeling self-pity.

Slade had never called or come to see her. As a matter of fact, he’d dropped off the face of the Earth for all Trisha could tell. Several weeks ago one of the men had mentioned that Tiger and Slade were working at Reservation. He wasn’t even living at Homeland anymore.

The silent message of actions speaking louder than words had been clear to Trisha.

The sex they’d shared had been nothing more than casual sex to Slade. That reality hurt deeply but she was recovering and determined to pretend it never even happened. That was until earlier that morning. She was afraid she would be sick again.

“Dr. Norbit?” Trisha glanced up at the secretary. “You can go in now.”

“Thank you.”

Trisha rose to her feet even though her knees grew weak. She had the urge to flee.

She could leave, quit her job, and move to another state just to avoid the entire mess.

She’d been tempted to listen to that panicked voice inside her head. She even hesitated as her gaze flickered to the door that led out of the reception area. She swallowed instead though and forced her legs to walk toward Justice’s office. I’m a doctor and I know what needs to be done regardless of the personal consequences I’m facing.

Justice wore his usual jeans and sported a tank top and bare feet. It always amused her that the leader of an entire race could always be so casual unless he planned to stand in front of media cameras. He wore dark suits then, would pull his long hair back, and even put on shoes.

As she entered his office, he strode toward her with a smile curving his generous lips. She always noticed how good-looking he was with his fit body, his handsome features and those sexy cat eyes. The fact that he was really nice also added to his appeal. She forced a smile.

“Welcome, Trisha. It’s hot today, isn’t it?”

She nodded. She’d overdressed in a long navy skirt and business-style button-down shirt, intentionally going for the professional look as a means to calm her nerves. She’d even taken time to pull her hair up into a nice bun. It had distracted her from the 122

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upcoming meeting she’d requested with Justice as soon as he had time to see her. She’d specified the urgency of needing to talk to him. He’d made the time.

“So, what is so important? Debra, my secretary, informed me that you needed to speak to me about something right away. Is this another request for more nursing staff?

Are the two additional ones we hired not enough? Do you have a request for more medical equipment?” He waved her to a take chair while he walked around his desk.

“Have a seat.”

Trisha collapsed into a plush chair. Justice kept his smile in place as he took his seat.

He leaned forward to brace his elbows on his desk, resting his chin onto his hands. He looked amused.

“You look so serious. Don’t be. I told you before that I’m very willing to get you whatever you need for the medical center.”

“This isn’t about that.” She had to slow her pounding heart. “This is about a personal matter.”

The smile slowly faded as his gaze narrowed. “Please tell me you aren’t resigning.

We need you.” He lifted his head, removed his elbows from his desk to fall back against his chair, and looked suddenly tense. “I’d be more than happy to discuss money with you if this is a salary issue. We really want you to continue working with us. You are an excellent doctor and my people have grown to trust you. You have no idea how much we value that and you.”

She shook her head. “It’s not about money and I don’t want to lose my job or quit, though you might not want me to work for you after this meeting.” She took a deep breath, studying Justice. “I’m sorry. I’m scared to death right now.”

“Of me?” He looked surprised.

“Of the situation. I don’t even know where to begin. Something has happened and it’s pretty serious. If anyone realizes how severe this is, it’s me.”

“All right.” Justice took a deep breath. “Tell me what is wrong.”

“I’ve been given access to a lot of the medical files that contain some of the recovered research data from Mercile Industries. They tried to breed New Species men and women. I know you are very aware of this.”

His face tightened. “Yes. I was personally subjected to a lot of their breeding studies.” His voice had lowered to a growl.

“From what I’ve read, from the files I’ve been given, all their testing was between two New Species pairs and it always failed. They never attempted to breed New Species with pure humans.”

“No. We were considered too dangerous and they were afraid we’d kill any of the staff who attempted to lure us into having sex with them. You can’t blame us.”

“I don’t.” She hesitated.

“They severely abused us.”

“I know that. I— It’s happened,” she stated very softly.

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“I don’t understand. You found a file where they held those studies on some of my people? Some of them agreed to have sex with humans while we were prisoners?”

She fought the urge to burst into tears. “No. I’m sorry. I’m not being very clear. A full human has conceived a child with a New Species.”

There. I said it. She watched the shock transform Justice’s face. His mouth opened and then closed. He finally found his voice.

“That…” He looked dazed. “You’re sure?”

“Positive. I ran the tests myself this morning and preformed an ultrasound. The fetus has a strong, well developed heartbeat and it looks perfect. I won’t lie. This pregnancy isn’t normal. The heartbeat is that of a much more advanced fetus and the measurements are off on the size. It appears the growth rate and fetal development are farther along than a typical pregnancy. It’s alarming, Justice. The baby is growing faster than it should be and the pregnancy symptoms are premature for the gestation period.”

Her fingers dug into the chair she sat in. “For the first time, according to what I know, a New Species has been able to help conceive a baby. I know you believed all your males were sterile but at least one of them isn’t.”

Justice suddenly stood. He turned to the window and presented Trisha with his back. He remained silent. Trisha watched him with fear. She had no idea how he’d react. She had a television, watched interviews with hate groups, and knew that it would only bring New Species huge trouble when word spread that they could not only have children, at least one of them wasn’t sterile, but that the mother wasn’t New Species.

A lot of idiots believed cross breeding of that sort would be a grave offense. They’d compare it with an animal and a human breeding. Their prejudices disgusted Trisha but she couldn’t change their narrow minds. Justice finally turned with a huge grin.

“That’s wonderful!” He dropped into his chair. “And we’re sure it was definitely a human and New Species breeding?”

“One-hundred percent sure.”

He laughed. “I never thought I’d be able to have children. None of us did.” He stood again and almost leaped across his desk to grab a gasping Trisha. He yanked her out of the chair, into his arms and hugged her. “This is the best news ever, Trisha.

You’re a genius! You did it!”

Trisha pushed gently away from Justice until he released her. She looked up into his grinning face with a horrible feeling. He obviously thought she’d done something as a doctor that resulted in the pregnancy. She knew she needed to set him straight immediately.

“This wasn’t something I did on purpose. There was no medical intervention. This just happened. It’s a completely unplanned and natural-occurring pregnancy.”

“That’s even better! You’ve made my day. Hell, my year.” Then his smile faded as he tensed. “We have to keep this under wraps. We’re going to have to shield the couple.

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There could be a firestorm of threats directed at us if the press finds out and reports it.

Who knows?”

“Just you and me so far.”

“The couple doesn’t know?”

She realized he didn’t understand what she attempted to tell him. She opened her mouth. Justice backed up.

“About that―”

Justice cut her off. “The press will be all over it if they find out. We need to keep this classified. You are going to have to care for the pregnant female. No one, and I mean no one, can find out about this until after the baby is born. We’ll get the pair secluded to protect them and any paperwork you did on this needs to be destroyed.

Can you imagine what those terrorist groups will do and how dangerous it will be when they learn we can breed with humans? It’s one of the things they’ve tried to use against us to drag more idiots into the fight for their cause. They believe it’s vile for Species to touch someone fully human and it’s going to really piss off the ones who are looking forward to our demise once our generation dies out.”

“Justice―”

“You and I will work together to protect them at all costs, Trisha. We have to keep this top secret. I’ll call for a helicopter transport immediately to fly them out of here within the hour. The Reservation isn’t fully operational but it’s very secure and it’s the safest place to stash them. You’ll have to go there too.” He stared at her. “I know your life is here but you need to be protected.” He grinned. “This is more important. I—”

“Shut up!” Trisha finally yelled.

Justice frowned at her. “What―”

“Quiet,” she ordered him, lowering her voice. “I’ve been trying to tell you something and you keep cutting me off.”

He nodded. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

She hesitated, staring into his beautiful, exotic eyes. “I’m the mother. It’s me, Justice. I’m the female carrying a New Species baby. There’s no paperwork since I ran all the tests when I was alone at the clinic. I realized I had missed my period but I had chalked it up to stress when I was late. Then I started feeling morning sickness and I took a test when I got out of bed this morning. It was positive. Right after that I went to the medical center and gave myself an ultrasound.” She blinked back tears. “There’s definitely a baby growing inside me and it’s growing at an accelerated rate. The only explanation for that abnormality is perhaps because the baby is half New Species and the pregnancy will be shorter due to the father’s altered DNA.” Her hand rested over her stomach. “I’m the mother,” she repeated.

Justice gaped at her, completely stunned. She collapsed back into her chair while she fought more tears. It was tough but she managed not to burst into sobs. She lifted 125

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her gaze and realized Justice mutely gaped at her. Seconds seemed to drag for an eternity before he found his voice.

“You’re sure the father is New Species? I know you were seeing someone and I believed him to be human.”

“The last time I had sex was about two years ago. I’ve had sex once since then and it was with one of your men. There is no doubt whatsoever that he’s the father.”

Justice sat on the edge of his desk. “All right. This is good news, Trisha. You look so miserable but don’t be. You have no idea what this means to my people.” He gave her a sad smile. “We can have children after all. If one of us is able, perhaps others can as well. I know you are probably scared but this is going to work out somehow. We’ll make it. Can you handle your own medical needs until we can secure someone we can trust to take over? You obviously can’t deliver your own child.”

She blinked back more tears. “I’m still in shock but I want the baby. I’m mostly scared. I never thought I’d be a mom and I know that my baby is in danger because of what this means. It’s going to be the first known mixed species baby between our races.

I’m afraid of what kind of life he or she is going to be facing. I did the ultrasound and everything looks right but it’s so hard to tell at this stage. I’m worried about the size of the baby though because it measured bigger by far than what it should be. I have to run a ton of tests. Something could be wrong with the pregnancy. We just don’t know what to expect because this has never happened before. I’m terrified.”

“We will get through whatever happens together. You will never be alone, Trisha.

We considered you one of us before but you truly are New Species now. Your child is one of us and as the mother of that child, you are officially a part of the NSO. I extend all rights to you as such. You will have our full support, we will take very good care of you, and you will be protected at all times.” He rose to his feet and rounded the desk, grabbing his phone. “Get me Brass right now and send him to my office.”

Trisha relaxed. This could have gone really badly. She’d expected the worst, maybe him blowing up at the news. The baby put his people in jeopardy. Justice getting very excited and being happy about her baby was a hell of a lot better than anything she’d imagined.

“We’ll send you with Brass to the Reservation. He’ll protect you with his life and he’ll have a lot of help, Trisha. I know how much trust you have in him to keep you safe. I’ll tell everyone that I want a doctor out there and you volunteered to go. No one will become suspicious about that. That was what I’d planned to do before your attack.

I had wanted you on hand when the medical center there was built. I’ll have some of my men pack up your home for you and move your things. I don’t want you lifting a finger.” He chuckled. “You’re going to be very spoiled so get used to it.”

Justice sank back into his seat while Trisha watched him speed dial. He told people he had decided they needed a doctor at Reservation and Trisha had been kind enough to agree to go. He set up a flight for her in less than an hour and then called there to let 126

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them know a team headed their way. Someone finally knocked on the door and Justice hung up.

“Enter,” he called out.

Brass walked into the office and closed the door behind him. He’d obviously been on duty since he wore his uniform. He grinned when he saw Trisha and winked before his attention fixed on Justice.

“I was told you needed me.”

Justice grinned. “I’m sending you with Trisha to Reservation. They will be expecting you. I’ll let you pick two of your closest friends to take with you to help protect her.” Justice stood and chuckled. “Isn’t this the best news? Congratulations, Brass!” Justice suddenly strode forward and hugged the surprised man. “You’re going to be a father!”

Trisha felt sucker-punched but it was nothing compared to the expression on Brass’

face. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open.

“Uh, Justice?”

Justice released Brass and grinned at Trisha. “Yes?”

She shook her head at him. “It’s not him.”

“What is going on?” Brass had a confused look on his features.

Justice ignored him and kept staring at Trisha as his smile died. “But he is at your home at night. I told you that I’m aware of everyone’s movements inside Homeland.

You are dating him.”

“We’re just platonic friends who watch movies together. He’s not the father of my baby. I’ve never slept with Brass.”

“Baby?” Brass gasped. His attention flew to Trisha. “You’re pregnant?”

She nodded. “I’m sorry about this. I thought Justice called you to be my bodyguard because he knows we’ve become friends. I never guessed he might believe you were the father of my baby.”

“You’re pregnant?” Brass suddenly growled viciously. He backed up and crossed his arms over his chest as his focus fixed on the floor.

Trisha noticed his dark reaction and it left her speechless.

“This is dangerous for her and for all of us,” Justice warned softly. “You are her personal bodyguard. No one finds out about this pregnancy. Clear, Brass? Is this going to be a problem for you?”

Brass met Justice’s gaze. “I’d protect her with my life. No one will know about this from me. What are my orders?”

“There’s a helicopter leaving with her in an hour. Pick two males you trust with her life and tell them they are part of your team. This will be an extended assignment. Don’t pack a light bag. I’ll use the cover that I’m assigning her to oversee the medical center at Reservation for now.”

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“Understood.” Brass didn’t even glance at Trisha when he walked out of the office.

The door closed softly behind him.

Confused, Trisha frowned.

Justice studied her. “You didn’t know he had feelings for you? You might have thought of him as a friend but I think he was slowly courting you.”

“I didn’t know.” It stunned her. “I thought he might like me but he never asked me out so I dismissed the idea.”

“We’re sometimes hard to read. I’ve noticed with our kind they either come straight at what they want with the aggression of a pit bull or they try to ease upon something they want until they can pounce on it when it is the last thing you would expect.”

Justice sighed. “So who is the father?”

Trisha lifted her chin in defiance. “I won’t tell.”

Justice’s eyelids narrowed. “What?”

“It was just sex. It didn’t mean anything. This is my baby.”

Justice looked slightly angry as his arms crossed his broad chest. “Who is the baby’s father, Trisha? You need to trust me. Casual sex or not, a Species would want to know if he were about to become a father.”

She bit her lip. “I don’t think so.”

His arms tightened against his chest. “You admitted you’ve had sex one time in two years. I smelled sex on you once.” He studied her face carefully. “You had my scent on you and I know I’m not the father. You had Brass’ scent but you but you obviously haven’t had sex together.” He sucked in air. “You had Slade’s scent on you too. It was strongest but I assumed that was because you’d been alone with him for days and— Of course. Slade is the father.”

She let her head drop. “Please don’t tell him.”

“I’m sorry, Trisha. I must. He’d want to know. He has a right to protect and watch out for you since you are carrying his child.”

She allowed the tears to fall when she looked up. “He never contacted me, never called me, never once tried to see me in the weeks he lived here after he returned.

Please don’t tell him. I can’t see him.”

Justice softly cursed. “You thought there was more to the sex than it being casual and his actions hurt you.”

Why lie? She nodded. “Yes. Please, Justice. I can’t stop you if you are set on telling him but keep him away from me if you do. Please?”

“I don’t understand.”

“He didn’t want to be with me anymore once we were rescued and I sure as hell don’t want him trying to spend time with me now because of this pregnancy. He made his choice.”

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He studied her for a long time. “I understand but I have to tell him, Trisha. I will make your feelings known to him and I will tell him that he blew it.”

She wiped at tears. “Yeah. That’s a good way to put it.” She stood. “Thank you for taking this so well.”

“Thank you for—” Justice moved and hugged a surprised Trisha. “For being pregnant and giving all of us hope of having children. I’m sure everything will work out and that this baby is going to be born healthy. We’re a hearty bunch and tough to kill. This baby will be half New Species.”

She cried while Justice held her. She hugged him back, admitting she had needed someone to comfort her all day, since she’d realized she was pregnant. The shock had been that great. Justice rubbed her back and pulled her closer, consoling her.

“I’m sorry for the pain you are in. Slade should know how special you are and he never should have let you go, Trisha. I wouldn’t have if you were mine. This should be a happy occasion and he has hurt you.”

She sniffed and pushed away from Justice. He released her as she wiped at her tears again. “Thank you. That’s the nicest thing you could have said to me.” She looked up at him. “There is one more thing I want to ask of you.”

“Anything.”

“I’d request for you to tell Ellie and Fury that I’m pregnant. They haven’t conceived but they probably could. I know they want to have a baby. It might just be a simple problem with low sperm count or Ellie just might need a little help with producing her eggs. One round of fertility drugs might help her get pregnant. I can order tests that I’m sure they’ll agree to have once they know. They will know they have hope of conceiving. They are the only other full human and New Species couple and they are the only two who need this information. Both of them are trustworthy.”

Justice nodded. “That’s fine. I’ll do that. Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it all and I’ll have Dr. Ted Treadmont handle their tests. I know it’s not his field but he can do some simple testing, right?”

“He’s trustworthy. Yes, Ted can handle that.”

“Good.” Justice handed Trisha tissues from one of his desk drawers. “Here. Blow your nose. You can use my bathroom to clean up. We don’t want anyone to get suspicious and you crying would tip off someone that something is wrong.”

“Sorry.”

“You’re emotional. I hear that’s normal with pregnancy.”

“Yes, it is. God, I hate to imagine what a nutcase I’ll be in five or six months.” She shook her head. “I already feel sorry for my security detail.” She walked to the bathroom door and then stopped, turning. “I feel so bad about Brass. Do you think he’ll still be my friend?”

“He will be. He was disappointed but I didn’t see real hurt in his eyes. He’ll get over it.”

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She hoped so. She walked inside the bathroom and closed the door.

Justice heard water running. Full humans didn’t have their keen senses. He always had to remind himself of that fact, taking his own hearing for granted. He sat down at his desk. He experienced joy and sadness over the fact they were able to breed. He wanted to have a child one day but the fear of how the humans would react if they found out made his gut twist. He dialed the headquarters office at Reservation and asked for Slade.

“Hi, Justice. You actually caught me inside the office. I just had a meeting with one of the builders. The security fence is finished. It will be fully functional by next month with the motion sensors and electronic surveillance. They were grunting and groaning over the deadline for the clubhouse but it’s on schedule. In two months they should be finished with it. There’s nothing else to report.”

“I have news for you, actually.”

“All right.”

“I’m sending Dr. Trisha Norbit up to Reservation.”

Silence.

Justice bared his teeth, showing his anger. Obviously Slade wasn’t thrilled with the news. The next sound he heard confirmed his suspicions. He heard a sigh finally.

“All right. Is she going to be here for a reason?” Slade didn’t sound happy.

“Yes. Is this a secure line?”

“Of course. Is there a reason it needs to be? Has something happened? Has she been targeted? I thought everything had settled down about that by now. I feel obligated to tell you that I think she would be much safer there if you are sending her up here because she’s gotten more threats. There’s a hell of a lot of open space for someone to breach Reservation than there is at Homeland.”

“There are too many people here who will see her. I think it’s best if she is sent there. It’s remote and easier to shield her from the public. She is coming so make all the arrangements. I want her put in a remote but comfortable location that is extensively secure. I’m sending three personal officers with her to protect her at all times.”

“The danger is that high?” Slade’s voice tensed and his tone turned into growl. “Is she well? Has an attempt on her life been made?”

Justice suddenly smiled over the fact that Slade obviously cared. He bit his lip.

“She’s in extreme danger.” He managed to keep his tone cool. “She’s fine but she’s a bit under the weather. I’m sending her there for her protection and so that she can get some well-deserved rest.”

“I’ll handle it. No one will harm her here.” Slade snarled the words.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine. I need to go. I’ll have the pilot radio in on their exact time of landing.”

“It will be taken care of.”

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* * * * *

Rage poured through Slade hotly until sweat broke out over his skin. The office he sat in had air-conditioning but it couldn’t offset the reaction to his anger. He’d done the honorable thing by leaving Homeland to avoid the temptation of seeking out Trisha.

He’d sacrificed his sanity at times to make certain she wasn’t in danger.

She had to be sent to Reservation due to a threat. The fact that Justice had been so vague on what prompted the move really drove him into a bad mood. Had someone actually tried to harm her? Had it just been threats by phone? Maybe a breach at Homeland? The human who’d betrayed them hadn’t been caught. Had he or she gone after Trisha?

He snarled and drew the attention of a few of the people inside the office. Tiger lifted a curious eyebrow.

“What is wrong? Did the crew at the hotel break another water line?”

“No.” He glanced at the one human who worked on blueprints and gave his friend a hand signal as he rose to his feet. “We should check on their progress.”

Tiger stood. “I’ll walk with you.”

They walked about twenty yards from the makeshift office before Tiger paused, staring at his friend. “What is wrong?”

“That was Justice. He’s sending Dr. Norbit here. She’s in danger and he wants her stashed.”

“Shit. Doesn’t he realize how rough that will be?”

“He didn’t seem to care. I couldn’t argue with him, knowing everything I said could be overheard.”

“True.”

“I’m going to see her again.”

Tiger’s cat eyes widened. “You haven’t gotten over her yet?”

“No. I think about her all the time.”

“You have to stand strong. We discussed this.”

“She’s in danger and I’ve stayed away from her. Obviously that didn’t work.”

“She’ll be in danger regardless. She works for us, and some will hate her for that offense alone. If she’s with one of us, with you, and it gets out, whatever threat level against her will worsen. You did the correct thing.”

“Did I?” Slade’s body tensed. “Why does the right thing feel so wrong?”

“We’ve suffered enough. It’s better not to have her than to risk her being killed because she’s your woman.”

Pain sliced through his chest. “I’d die inside if that happened. I couldn’t live with that.”

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“And that’s why you made the right choice.” Tiger shifted his stance. “Work is the cure. We’ve got enough of it here.”

“Right. Work.”

“I’ll handle her. You don’t need to talk to her when she arrives.”

“No.” He knew it would be stupid but he needed to see her. “Justice didn’t give details of why she’s in danger but he said she was under the weather. I’ll sleep better at night if I can actually see her for myself. I won’t rest until I make sure she’s physically fine.”

“Masochist.”

“Shut up.”

“I’m just saying it will be painful to see her and not be able to touch her. You’ll want to.”

“I’m strong. I can deal with this.” Tiger shot him a disbelieving stare. “Sometimes I wonder why we are friends.”

“I already told you. You’re a masochist.” Tiger laughed.

* * * * *

Trisha walked out of Justice’s bathroom. She’d redone her makeup and knew she could pass muster on looking normal. She paused when she saw the pensive look on Justice’s face as he watched her.

“I decided to hold off telling Slade about the baby. It’s your news to share with him.

I’ll give you a little time.”

Relief washed through Trisha. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. If you don’t let him know within the next…” He shrugged. “I will have to. He’s in charge of Reservation and needs to know how important it is to protect you. In order to do that he needs to be made aware of the dangers. I think by the way he reacted when he thought you were at risk, he might care more for you than you believe. That’s what prompted me to see if you both can work this out on your own before I intervene.”

She stared at Justice grimly. “If he cared, as you put it, he would have come to see me. He would have at least called to make sure I was okay emotionally after what happened to us. The way I heard it, he nearly begged for the job at Reservation to get away from Homeland, which probably translates to getting away from me.”

“He did not beg for the job. I wanted Fury to go but Ellie couldn’t leave our women.

She takes her job at the woman’s dorm very seriously and she’s always under threat as Fury’s mate. My next in command is Slade. I asked him and he accepted. I needed someone I could trust handling everything. I have too much on my own plate down here to keep bouncing back and forth. I was getting airsick with the two and three helicopter rides I had to take daily.”

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“I see.”

“I hope you do. Now, Brass should be here at any time to pick you up. I have a conference room meeting with the Council in a few minutes.” He stood and sighed.

“Sometimes they drive me nuts.”

“Good luck with that. I’ll go wait for him in the lobby.”

“Stay here and relax. The couch is comfortable.”

“Thank you.”

He grinned as he glanced at her stomach. “I’m very excited about this.”

“Me too, when I’m not scared stupid.”

Justice squeezed her arm, reassuring her, and walked out of his office. He firmly closed the door behind him.

Fifteen minutes later Brass walked into the room. Trisha stood and studied him. He appeared calm now, collected, and cool. “I’m very sorry Justice misunderstood about you being the father of my baby.”

He studied her before his attention lowered to her stomach. “You’re really carrying a New Species baby?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good news.”

Trisha noticed he didn’t look happy. “Is our friendship all right, Brass?”

“Yes. I’m…wishing I’d met you before you became involved with another male. I hope that doesn’t offend you. It’s just that I was drawn to you more than I should have allowed. Now you belong to someone else but I’ll adjust. We’re fine, Trisha.”

“I don’t belong to anyone, Brass. The father and I aren’t together.” She rushed on before he could say anything, not wanting to encourage him but needing to be clear she wasn’t open to him hitting on her either. “I have feelings for him but he obviously doesn’t return them. It’s going to take some time but I’m sure I’ll deal with it.”

He blinked. “You belong to someone. You didn’t inform him about the baby?”

“No. Justice has given me some time to contact him and give him the news.”

He nodded. “I figured or this male would be at your side. You do belong to someone and he’ll let you know that the second he finds out you are carrying his child.

Let’s go. The helicopter is ready. I chose Harley and Moon to come with us.”

Dread pitted her stomach. She really didn’t want Slade to find out. That wasn’t the way she wanted him back in her life. She’d rather never see him again than have him pursue her just because they’d created a life together. She deserved a guy who cared about her, not one who wanted to be with her out of some sense of duty or honor. New Species seemed to have a lot of both of those traits. She decided not to mention that to Brass. She feared they’d argue.

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Trisha had met Moon. He was one of the men who showed up with Harley and Brass at her house to watch movies. The tall man didn’t talk much but he had a wicked sense of humor she enjoyed when he decided to break his silence.

“Thank you.”

Brass held out his arm and Trisha wrapped her fingers around his forearm. He genuinely smiled at her and escorted her out of the office.

134

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Chapter Fourteen

Trisha knew she wasn’t going to make it to Reservation without being deeply embarrassed. Brass rubbed her back gently while she sat on his lap. She fought the urge to puke all over the floor. She miserably glanced at Moon and Harley.

Both of them gave her sympathetic looks, knew of her pregnancy, and had been sworn to secrecy. They were going to be protecting her, living with her, and they had needed to know the truth. She glanced at the floor and used her hand to motion to them. Both men quickly lifted their feet. Moon grinned.

“Motion sickness is not funny!” she shouted. She wasn’t sure if he heard her over the loud helicopter and the headset he wore to keep in contact with the pilots but Moon winked in response, making her believe he had.

“We’re almost there,” Brass said next to her ear. “Just hang on, Trisha.”

She miserably nodded. Her stomach pitched a fit but she didn’t want to throw up.

She’d be humiliated if all three men got to see her lose her breakfast, not to mention the pilots having to clean it up after they landed. She closed her eyes but it made the sick feeling worsen. She could feel the helicopter lowering. Thank God. It’s nearly over. The helicopter landed and the pilot started to shut the engines down.

Moon moved first when he opened the side door and jumped out. Harley exited next. They split apart and stood at both sides of the door. Trisha tried to stand on her own but her knees trembled so badly she swayed the instant she put weight on them.

Brass scooped her into his arms where he cradled her tightly against his chest as he bent to carry her out of the helicopter. Harley and Moon gripped Brass with Trisha inside his arms and lifted both of them to the ground. It prevented Brass from jostling her if he’d had to jump down.

Trisha rested her head against the curve Brass’ broad shoulder. She hugged him around his neck as the world spun a little. She hated motion sickness. Brass shifted Trisha in his hold, lifting her tighter against his chest, to make her more comfortable.

“Hang on to me,” he whispered. “We’ll get you settled and I’ll put a cool washcloth on your forehead. You’ll feel a hundred times better.”

“Thank you,” she murmured to Brass. “You’re the best.”

He laughed. “I know. It’s a hard burden to shoulder but I’m willing.”

She smiled, really grateful to have him as a friend. He always knew how to make her laugh. She heard Harley talking but didn’t dare lift her head from Brass’ shoulder to see who he spoke to, still fighting the urge to be sick.

“She’s motion sick. She will be fine once we get her to a bed and give her some time to recover.”

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“Is that right?” The male voice sounded furious and was one that Trisha knew too well. She tensed and lifted her head, regardless of the consequences.

Slade stood about five feet from her. He glared as he glanced from her face to Brass, and then back. Trisha knew she’d be experiencing the last seconds of life if looks could have killed and his reaction confused her.

Why is he so angry? Does he hate me? He obviously had an issue with her being near him. Their gazes met and held.

Trisha noted that Slade’s hair had grown a little since she’d seen him. He wore his usual NSO black outfit, minus the vest though. Instead of NSO stamped onto the breast of his shirt, his name had been printed in the space. He looked fit and handsome. Trisha would have thought he even looked sexy if it wasn’t for the murderous rage she saw in his expression. Her heart did a twist from being close to him again.

“Trisha?” Brass whispered against her ear. “That’s him, isn’t it?”

She turned her head and met his gaze. Brass stared at her for a second and then tensed. “Shit.” He nodded. “Let’s get you settled.”

Brass turned with Trisha and walked toward a Jeep. Slade moved into their path, still glaring at Trisha. “Nice to see you, Doc.”

“Hello,” she got out.

His focus tore from her for a few seconds as his attention shifted from Brass to Harley, to Moon, and back to her. He finally glared at Brass, locking gazes with him.

“What level of threat is she rated? Justice wasn’t clear and I had to watch what I said because I had a human around me during the time of the conversation. He’s been in meetings ever since, unable to take my calls.”

“Four.” Brass frowned at Slade. “She’s our prime priority and yours. No one is to have access to her who is not New Species. No humans whatsoever.”

That information made Slade blanch a little. “No humans at all? We’re in the middle of large construction jobs and we have humans crawling all over Reservation. I have hundreds of them here twenty-four hours a day to complete all the projects we need done as soon as possible. We’re doing things in a matter of a few months that should have taken a good year to finish. It took almost four hundred humans three full weeks just to build those security walls to enclose the property. We have them working in two shifts around the clock, seven days a week. We’re still wiring the walls for security purposes and I have a hotel being refurbished at breakneck speed. We’ll need the housing completed so our people aren’t living in tents and a clubhouse is being built still. We have another project going on for the offices to prevent us from permanently being stuck using a trailer. On any given second, on any given day, there are well over four hundred humans here. Does Justice want me to shut down everything so we can’t get any work done until the threat is over? He’s been pushing me hard to get it all done.”

“No,” Harley stated. “He just wants her put somewhere safe on where humans aren’t permitted. Moon and I have been going over the layout and we believe we 136

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should hide her inside the center of the wild zone. No humans would dare go there and they are forbidden in that area. I’m aware that some of our people have already been relocated and that makes it even better since no full human would get past them.”

“That wouldn’t be safe for her. She’s full human.” Slade’s rage seemed to intensify.

“Sure, no humans would ever be stupid enough to venture there and survive it, but it would be baiting them. I believe they would attack if you took her inside their territory.

They are very unstable. The second we relocated them, they started marking territory and have been vigilant to make certain no humans breach it.”

“We will protect her,” Brass promised, his voice firm. “They won’t attack her.”

“They are insane,” Slade snarled. “Some of them will never calm and hate humans to a degree that is beyond what you can imagine. They go into rages just by picking up the scent of one.” He pointed at Trisha. “She’s seen us but not the failures. Don’t you think they would scare the hell out of her?”

“What failures?” Trisha glanced at the men.

Slade glared at her. “We look mostly human but not all of our people were so fortunate. Some appear more animal than human. We have a few dozen who survived.

Some of our people were tortured until they were left insane or hold hatred for humans to the point they would kill one on sight. Those are the ones we relocated here. You would not be safe inside the wild zone. It’s where we put the most antisocial of them.”

Brass bent and placed Trisha on her feet when she indicated she wanted down. He held her waist until she steadied on her shaky legs. He moved back a foot when he became certain she wouldn’t collapse. She stared up at Brass.

“What do you think?”

“I think the wild zone is best. They will not hurt you. After we were freed, they used females to help care for all New Species since we don’t attack them. I’m sure that holds for the wild ones as well. We will be with you and they will stay back. We can’t get lost any better than that, Trisha. It would be smart to put you in the center of the territory since they’ve claimed it. They are fiercely protective of their domains. They would help keep everyone at bay.”

“Damn it,” Slade growled. “I’m running this, not you. I will not allow her go in there since I know what I’m talking about and you don’t. I’m the one who’s spent time with them. I know that she wouldn’t be safe. We’ll set her up at the hotel where the top floor has been finished. We’ll close off all access and keep her there.”

“No.” Brass crossed his arms over his chest. “Justice put me in charge of her security. I can and am overriding you. No offense but I want her where no humans can get to her, Slade. What if one of those terrorist assholes decides to pose as a workman and sets fire to the hotel? Nothing can happen to her. The wild zone is the answer. Are there any homes there? I am aware we also have some RV’s here and we could take one.

It would be tight living but it would work. We are to keep her away from everyone but New Species.”

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Slade was furious. His lips opened and his sharp teeth showed when a deep growl rumbled from him. “Fine. You can have my home. It’s only a three bedroom but I’m sure you can manage. It sits away from all other buildings.”

“We’re taking her into the wild zone. The decision has been made.” Brass glared at Slade.

Slade cursed and growled again. His gaze locked with Trisha’s. “Tell him no. Listen to me. Those men out there are not stable and you’re a full human female. You are a Doc to boot, two things they will want to kill you on sight for being. You will die if you agree to them taking you out there. The wild ones were cared for by females once we were freed but then they were taken to remote locations without them. They have spent months on their own and I’m not certain they’d still resist attacking a woman. I’m also not willing to chance it.”

Fear inched up Trisha’s spine as she stared at Slade.

“Trust me, Trisha. I would never let you down,” Brass promised softly. “I know what I’m doing. The wild zone is the safest place for you to be. They will not hurt you and I would never allow anything to cause you harm.”

“Trisha?” Slade shook his head at her, watching her closely. “Trust me. Tell them to put you up at my house while I move into the hotel.”

She managed to refrain from flinching. She could stay inside his house but he’d move out. “Brass?” She turned her head and tore her gaze away from Slade’s. “I know you will protect me. Whatever you think is best is fine with me. It’s your call.”

Brass smiled. “We’re going to the wild zone.”

Slade growled viciously and cursed. “Trisha? Get over here now. We’re going to have a private talk.”

She tensed as she slowly faced him. “Excuse me? You’ve known how to reach me for weeks if you wanted to talk to me. You should have tried to tell me before now if there was anything you had to say that I needed to hear.” She started to walk toward the Jeep.

She heard someone snarl and spun back around in time to see Brass move quickly as Slade lunged for Trisha. Brass got between them and snarled back at Slade. Slade stopped. Both men were tense as they glared at each other. It looked as though they were going to fight.

“Brass? I really don’t feel well,” Trisha urged quickly, not wanting them to come to blows. “Can we go? Thank you for your concern, Mr. Slade, but I have total faith in Brass, Moon, and Harley to protect me.”

“So that’s how it is,” Slade snarled. “Fine. There’s one empty cabin out that way.

You can have it. I’ll send someone with supplies immediately. It’s a one-bedroom but it sounds as though the four of you won’t mind sharing a bed together.” He spun on his heel and stormed toward one of the buildings.

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Trisha watched him go and fought tears. “Did he just call me a slut in a roundabout way?”

Moon laughed and wiggled his eyebrows. “I wish you were. I’d even be willing to share with them if it meant having you in a bed naked with me.”

She laughed, knowing it was meant as a joke. Moon could always make her feel better. “You keep wishing. You guys get the floor if there’s only one bed.”

Brass relaxed and smiled at Trisha. “Not a problem. You definitely get the bed. You wimpy humans would never survive sleeping on a hard floor. Us males don’t mind sleeping on hard surfaces.”

Harley chuckled. “Speak for yourself. I love beds so maybe I’ll take the night shift and sleep in it when Trisha isn’t in it.”

“I am good at snuggling.” Moon wiggled his eyebrows at Trisha again, making her chuckle. “If you get cold just let me know and I’ll keep you warm. I’ll even behave if you don’t make me sleep on the floor.”

“I’ll have them bring out mattresses,” Brass groaned playfully. “When did you guys become so soft?”

“When we were given choices,” Harley shot back. “Let’s get out of here before Slade returns to snarl at you again. Dealing with all these humans has really made him testy. I don’t know what crawled up his ass but I hope he has a need for toilet paper soon.”

“Gravity would definitely be Slade’s friend,” Moon chuckled softly.

Trisha laughed. She loved the guys. She was pretty sure she’d be crying after her confrontation with Slade if it weren’t for them. Brass helped her into a Jeep while Moon and Harley climbed in the back. Brass took the driver’s seat. He looked at the other Jeep with a New Species man waiting with their bags.

“Do you know what cabin Slade spoke of?”

He nodded.

“Lead the way,” Brass ordered. “We’ll follow.”

Harley handed Trisha her seat belt. She mutely put it on and flashed him a grin. He nodded at her. “Always buckle up.”

“Yes, sir.”

Trisha stared at the beautiful scenery they passed—lush grass, big, pretty trees and rolling hills. She caught sight of a deer at the edge of some trees. It was such a beautiful place that she was able to push thoughts of Slade from her mind. It was hard to do but she didn’t want to break down in tears.

* * * * *

139

Laurann Dohner

Slade paced inside the forest on the other side of the buildings, hiding from everyone, and knew he hadn’t taken seeing Trisha well at all. The sight of her in another man’s arms had nearly sent him into a jealous rage.

Brass had carried her in his arms, spoken as if he had a right to speak for her, and she’d allowed it. A snarl tore from his lips. He’d sacrificed his sanity to stay away from her, gone against his instincts to be near her, and she’d defied him when he’d just wanted to protect her.

He stiffened, his fists balled, as his pacing ceased. Pain tore through his chest at the thought that she no longer wanted him. He should have told her why he’d avoided her but he had believed she’d talk him into ignoring her own safety if she felt even a tenth for him of what he felt for her. It would have weakened his resolve, staring into her eyes and if she’d touched him, he would have lost that battle.

A slight noise drew his attention and he turned his head to stare at a Species male seeking him out. “What is it?”

“The architect wants a word with you. There’s something wrong with the blueprints for one of the modifications you asked for at the hotel.”

Rage burned inside him. Work had taken up all his hours. He barely slept but it kept his thoughts off Trisha for the most part. He needed to keep busy now more than ever. Otherwise he’d jump in a Jeep, drive to the cabin, and… rip off her clothes and fuck her until she knows she’s still mine.

He pushed back his thoughts, knew he couldn’t allow his desire to rule his actions.

She was pale and ill. He worried about that. She needed rest, obviously, but then… damn! Stop thinking about stripping her naked and making her realize I’m the male for her. Now is not the time.

“Slade? Is everything all right?” The Species male cocked his head, staring at him with concern.

“It’s fine,” he lied. “Let’s go. The faster we deal with these issues, the faster all the work gets done.”

He’d deal with the doc later after he had some time to think and evaluate the situation. Her being at Reservation totally changed things. She was in danger regardless, whether he was with her or not. He had to calm down before he decided what to do. It wouldn’t be smart to talk to her until he got a leash on his jealousy.

* * * * *

The A-frame cabin had probably been built sometime in the seventies if Trisha had to guess, based on the interior. She grimaced over the wallpaper in the small kitchen and the old shag carpet covering the living-room floor.

“All that is missing is the disco ball.”

“I don’t get it.” Harley stared at her.

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“Welcome to the nineteen-seventies, gentlemen. Notice the avocado-green appliances and the orange wallpaper? Another dead giveaway is the wood paneling and that shag carpet went out fashion in the late seventies. It looks solidly built though and I love that fireplace.”

“It doesn’t have a bedroom. It has that.” Brass pointed to the stairwell.

“It’s called a loft bedroom.” Trisha walked up the stairs to realize the room was actually pretty large. “It’s roomy and, wow, there’s a half bath up here. That’s a nice surprise.”

“The bed is too small for all four of us to fit on unless we call a dog pile,” Moon stated suddenly.

Trisha started to laugh. She turned and grinned at him, seeing all three men had followed her upstairs. “I get to pile on last if you do. That way I won’t get crushed.”

“We could all sleep as though we’re hot dogs inside a package,” Harley offered.

“When one of us wants to turn we could all just shout out ‘roll’ and be like those synchronized swimmers who all move at once.”

“Wouldn’t work.” Moon chuckled. “The person on the outside in the direction we turned would end up falling on the floor.”

“More room for the three remaining.” Brass winked at Trisha. “I think we should put Moon and Harley on the outside edges, just to be safe.”

Moon’s smile died and he lifted his head. He turned, sniffed, and nearly leaped down the stairs. “Someone is near,” he warned with a snarl.

Brass grabbed Trisha and shoved her onto the bed. “Sit.” He rushed to a window.

Harley ran down the stairs after Moon. Trisha heard the front door open. She turned to stare at Brass, fighting alarm. He had unfastened the handgun he kept strapped to his thigh. He had the curtain open and she heard him softly curse.

“What is it?” Trisha whispered.

“One of the local residents is outside. Shit. What is he doing here? Someone should have warned me they’d transferred him. He must have gotten a whiff of you and came to investigate. Moon is talking to him and Harley is securing the lower floor.”

Curious, Trisha climbed off the bed and moved behind Brass. She knew that he was aware of her. He reached behind him and put his hand on her hip to keep her at his back. She hesitated and peered around him. It was still daylight and easy for her to spot the man outside—at least he was mostly man. The sight of his hair and features shocked her deeply.

“He’s—”

“Shush,” Brass ordered softly. “He’ll probably hear what you say. They have better hearing than most of us.”

The big male had obviously been altered with feline genes and had an actual mane of reddish-blond hair. His eyes were cat-like, apparent even from a distance. He had a huge, muscled body. He was barely dressed, just wearing cutoff jeans and nothing else.

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His arms and chest were massive, as if he’d spent his entire life working out. His features were more animal than human with his strange nose and thick cheekbones.

Moon paused about fifteen feet from the man who stood very still at the edge of the woods. He suddenly lifted his head and his strange gaze seemed to immediately locate Trisha. It seemed as if he sensed her somehow.

A roar erupted from the scary guy’s mouth when he opened it. It was a loud, shocking sound to Trisha, one hundred percent not human. His entire body tensed and he stormed toward the house. Moon jumped into his path and threw out his arms to prevent the approaching male from passing. Moon spoke rapidly to the guy—she heard his voice but couldn’t pick up what was being said. Moon’s actions didn’t slow the man down one bit.

She watched in horror when the big guy attacked Moon, just reached out a hand, grabbed him by his throat, and tossed him to the side as easily as if he were a rag doll.

The son of a bitch moved faster, straight at the house, and quickly out of sight.

A vicious snarl sounded from below and another roar erupted. Something loud crunched as if wood had been snapped in half, followed by a crashing boom. Brass spun around, grabbed Trisha around her waist, and swiftly placed her into the corner.

He put his body in front of hers, trapped her behind him, and faced the stairs as his arm rose to aim his gun. Terror griped Trisha as she heard the guy from outside pound up the stairs.

“Stop, Valiant,” Brass warned loudly. “Moon, Harley, stay down there. I know him.”

“You brought a human here?” the scary guy snarled. “A human? Justice promised us that none of them would ever come here. She’s in my territory. Mine. Because it is you, I will give you one minute to get her out of here before I kill her, Brass.”

“Calm down.” Brass spoke softly now, perhaps trying to soothe the out-of-control male. “She’s pregnant with one of ours. She’s now one of us.”

“You lie. We can’t breed.”

Trisha edged a little to the left to peer at the terrifying male standing at the top of the stairs. He had to be six-and-a-half-feet tall and his hair was an amazing light-reddish color with thick streaks of blond running through it. It fell just past his broad shoulders. She couldn’t help but notice how beautiful and exotic it looked.

Tan skin and thick muscles covered his mostly bared body. He had to be the biggest New Species she’d ever seen. His sharp teeth flashed when his lips curled back and he growled at her. His cat-like golden eyes narrowed and he growled deeper. Trisha would have hit the floor if she had been the type to faint—out cold over the ferocious appearance and actions. She noticed his fingers were tensed, claw like, at his sides and his fingernails looked sharp, the way an animal’s were.

“She’s carrying a New Species baby.” Brass’ voice took on a firmer tone. “That does make her one of us. Justice sent her here because she’s not safe around humans anymore. No one knows about her pregnancy. It’s going to cause all of us a bunch of 142

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grief if the world finds out because they fear the idea of us breeding with them. She was brought here to be protected by us.”

“Lie,” he snarled.

“True,” Brass growled back. “Don’t call me a liar.”

Valiant growled deep within his chest. “Move. I will smell her.”

Brass didn’t budge. “You can scent her if you swear to me you won’t hurt her. She is carrying a New Species baby. She is just over a month pregnant.”

Valiant growled again. “Fine. I won’t harm the woman. Move so I can smell her.”

Brass turned his head. Trisha looked into his intense features. She didn’t want Brass to move and she sure didn’t want Valiant near her. He terrified her. Brass’ gaze softened.

“He just wants to smell you. I know him. We were reared inside the same testing facility and we shared time together right after we were freed before they sent him and the others like him away from all humans. He gave his word and he’ll keep it.”

Trisha had to fight down panic. She did trust Brass and he wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt her. “All right.”

Brass stepped a few feet from Trisha, leaving the path to her open. She leaned back against the wall, staring at the frighteningly large man who stared back at her. His dangerous-looking sharp teeth showed and he appeared enraged still. Trisha’s heart pounded as he stalked closer, the way a predator would. He was one.

“Don’t scare her, Valiant,” Brass rasped. “It’s okay, Trisha.”

She nodded but didn’t take her focus from the male advancing slowly toward her.

His eyes were really beautiful as he drew near but definitely not human-looking in any way. They were cat eyes, comparable to perhaps a lion, because he sure didn’t look similar to any house cat she’d ever seen, that was for sure. His eyelashes were a reddish color that matched his hair, abnormally long and lush. He took another step closer. She stiffened but lifted her chin. She was certain Brass would fight to protect her if he thought Valiant posed a danger to her.

Valiant suddenly crouched down on his hands and feet. It looked strange when he inched forward, his intense gaze fixed on her. He drew so close she could feel his hot breath through her shirt over her stomach. Trisha lifted her hands very slowly and pushed the backs of them against the wall near her head to avoid accidentally touching him. She was afraid it would set him off if that happened. He inhaled when he moved closer and nuzzled her stomach with his face, burrowing between the bottom of her shirt and her pants to reach her skin. She made a soft gasping sound, never expecting him to do that.

“Easy,” Brass crooned. “You’re scaring her and don’t you dare shove your nose lower.”

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Trisha’s stunned gaze flew to Brass’. He shrugged. “Some of us…hell, never mind.

You have been around enough animals to know some breeds shove their noses in the crotch area to get aquatinted with people.”

Valiant suddenly backed away and straightened to his feet. His focus remained on her stomach while he frowned. He looked really unhappy.

“She smells different.”

“How?” Brass seemed very calm.

“Not quite full human but not quite us. It’s only noticeable when you are against her skin.”

Brass hesitated before he looked at Trisha. “Mind if I?”

Trisha shrugged. “As long as you don’t sniff lower.”

He grinned. “You are no fun, Trisha.”

His grin faded when he stepped in front of Trisha and bent until his face pressed against her neck. His nose touched her skin and he slowly inhaled, then did it again. He lifted his head, frowned, and dropped to his knees. He reached for her shirt and pulled it up to reveal a few inches of her stomach. He put his nose against her there and inhaled three times until he moved back and stood. He faced Valiant.

“You’re correct. It isn’t noticeable unless you are close to her skin over her lower belly. It’s that faint.”

“She really is carrying a baby from one of us?” Valiant appeared calm now. His voice was deep, kind of rough, as if he’d spent a hundred years smoking or otherwise damaging his throat, but he wasn’t growling anymore.

“She is.”

Valiant nodded. “I can’t believe you would mate with a human. What were you thinking? They are so fragile I’m surprised she isn’t broken. You could have at least found a normal-sized one who is sturdier. You must really restrain yourself. What is the enjoyment of breeding if you have to worry about damaging her?”

Brass blushed a little. “The baby isn’t mine. I’ve never bred her. I’m her friend and I’m one of the three men Justice asked to protect her.”

Valiant snapped his head toward Trisha and growled. “There is an existing facility for breeding experiments? She volunteered for some doctor to put our sperm inside her?”

“No.” Brass moved, stepping between Trisha and Valiant again. “They bred naturally, of their own free will. It was a surprise for all of us that she got pregnant. We didn’t think it was possible.”

Valiant sighed. “You can move. I won’t harm her.”

Brass stepped away from Trisha. Trisha met Valiant’s gaze. He stared at her but he didn’t appear angry anymore. He looked slightly confused. He sighed again.

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“You can stay, human. Just you. Don’t bring any of your human friends or family.

I’d eat them for dinner.” His gaze returned to Brass. “I’ll spread the word in the zone to make sure no others come to bother her.”

“Could you help us protect her? Please keep an eye out for any humans lurking around and make sure they don’t get near her.”

Valiant smiled, showing his sharp teeth again. “It will be a fatal mistake on their part if any humans are stupid enough to come out this way.”

Brass visibly relaxed after Valiant walked down the stairs. He smiled at Trisha but it looked a little forced. Moon and Harley rushed up the stairs seconds later. Harley was bleeding and held a wet rag to his forehead. Moon’s clothes were torn.