New Species 09 Shadow (12 page)

Shadow had pulled his face a few inches away. “Not like this.”

“We could go upstairs.”

“I…”

“You what?”

“I have to meet Torrent for a swimming lesson. After he teaches me, I’ll take you down to the river to learn.”

Torrent had called to delay their lesson. An emergency had come up concerning a lion cub located at a human’s home and he’d had to leave Reservation. He’d been gone all week but maybe he was back now.

Big hands gripped her hips and lifted, slowly lowering her to her feet. “You should eat.” He seemed rattled. He backed away, letting her go, obviously trying to clear his head. “Yes. Eat. I need to, um, check the perimeter.”

He kept putting space between them while they faced each other. She glanced down and clearly saw the outline of his stiff cock poking against the material of his sweatpants.

“Shadow?”

“I, um, need to go. Eat.” He spun and fled.

“Damn!” What had she done wrong? Maybe he’d expected her to kiss him and had taken her lack of initiative as rejection. “I don’t know how,” she whispered. He wasn’t there anymore to hear her though.

Chapter Nine

Shadow didn’t mind learning new things but swimming in the fast-moving water not only seemed dangerous but it held no interest for him either. Shadow wasn’t thrilled that the river was so close to the cabin because it posed a danger to Beauty so he’d learn as soon as Torrent freed his schedule.

Shadow sat on a fallen log, peering across the river to the other side. Movement caught his attention as he spotted a Species male crouch to study something in the water. The male was far away, keeping his distance from the cabin, but the sight of him wasn’t comforting. He stood, making his presence known.

They stared at each other across the water. Shadow kept a tense posture, his hands fisted in threat, to make certain the male knew he’d defend the territory perimeter. A smile curved the other Species’ lips and one hand raised in a wave.

“I’m staying on this side,” he yelled. “Tracking one of my lions.”

Shadow had no trouble hearing what was said over the sound of the rushing water. “Good.”

The male nodded. “It’s a female. She’s roaming but I don’t think she crossed.” He straightened, walked along the bank and then pointed. “She got out of the river here. It’s all good.”

Wild lions.
Shadow shivered a bit. He wasn’t opposed to animals but he didn’t have much experience with them. Lauren’s cat was the only one he’d really spent time with and it was a small pet. The concept of a bigger one with sharp claws and fangs wasn’t something he wanted to come into contact with in person.

The male waved again and turned, disappearing into the thick trees. Shadow’s mouth fell open. There was no denying what he’d seen. The Wild Zone male not only had more animalistic features and unusual eye shaping—he had a tail. It hadn’t been an overly long one but it had hung from the back of his loose shorts to his bare calves.

There were a lot of things he hated about the life he’d been handed but he’d been spared being what Mercile considered a failure. Those males with their more altered features really had it tough. He’d read the reports about how they’d been treated in the testing facilities. Most had been housed kennel style in actual cages. Some had very little communication skills since technicians didn’t speak to them often. They were fed and treated as if they were purely animals and hadn’t gotten the benefit of any kind of education. Most Species could read, had been taught at a young age, even if it was only was for testing purposes. It was hard to judge drug results if the participant wasn’t able to verbally communicate or to read to see if their memory or vision had been adversely affected.

His own abuse seemed minimal compared to others as he sat back down on the log, pondering the life of a Wild Zone resident. They didn’t even feel comfortable living amongst their own kind at Homeland. Shadow had been given the opportunity to work closely with humans on the task force. He liked most of them, though there were a few exceptions. They didn’t make him feel subhuman but they just weren’t overly friendly, preferring to keep emotionally detached from other members. It wasn’t personal. They treated everyone that way, whether Species or human.

He glanced up at the sky, judging that he’d been gone from the cabin long enough. He’d left in a hurry when he’d fled from Beauty. The temptation to share sex with her had been nearly overpowering until he realized he had her pinned on a counter. She deserved better than to be taken in the kitchen. Guilt hit hard and fast.

Beauty deserved a bed and a male who knew more about sex to make certain she enjoyed it. That male should know soft, pretty words to speak to her yet he felt as if he was constantly putting his foot in his mouth. She’d wanted him to kiss her. Her head tilting back and her lips parting while she’d closed her eyes had been a good indication. There was only one problem. He’d never kissed a female before.

“Shit.”

He got to his feet and started back to the cabin. One way or another, he needed to figure out how to give Beauty what she needed. He wanted to do right by her and more importantly, he just wanted her. Wrath had been right. No one would have been able to force him to escort her to Reservation unless, deep down, he’d wanted it. He wouldn’t deny that truth. He might not be the right male for her but he wished he were.

The cabin came into sight and a deep sense of relief settled into him when he saw smoke curling from the chimney.

Beauty sat on the couch, holding a small paperback book when he entered. Her dark eyes lifted and his heart stuttered inside his chest. The urge to go to her, sink to his knees and just touch her gripped him hard. She’d changed clothes while he was gone—something that showed less skin. He wondered if she’d done it in response to him fleeing earlier.

“Hi.” She closed the book after carefully placing a bookmark inside. “You were gone for hours.”

“I needed to think.”

“Are you leaving? Will they send another officer here to guard me or will we just return to Homeland together?”

“Do you want to return? Do you want another male here with you?” A protest froze on his tongue. He refused to force her to stay with him. He’d do whatever she wanted, even if it killed him.

“No.” She leaned forward.

“Good.” He stepped into the cabin, closed the door at his back and twisted the lock. “I enjoy being here with you.”

Some of the tension left her delicate features. “Really?”

“Yes.” He hated feeling as if he were a failure as a male. “I’m attracted to you, Beauty. What I feel is a bit fearsome.”

Her lips parted. “You’re afraid of me?”

“I’m not sure how to handle the emotions I feel when I’m around you. I’ve never experienced them before.”

“Me neither.” She patted the couch next to her. “Will you sit?”

He crossed the room and gingerly perched on the edge of the cushion about a foot away from her. The wonderful scent of her made his dick twitch. Why did he always feel sweaty, nervous and highly aroused when she was near? All his confidence fled.

“What are you reading?”

“A romance book.”

He glanced at it, amused at the cover of a male and female locked in an embrace. “Are they interesting?”

“Yes. I think so anyway.”

“Is that all you read?”

“No. I love horror novels too.”

That surprised him. “You do?”

“Yes. Especially the crime ones. Who-done-it types of books.” She paused. “I had access to children’s mystery books in the basement. I found a box of them stored in a corner behind some furniture. There were only fourteen of them but I knew them by heart from reading them so many times.” That was back when she’d been free to roam the entire basement. Later a room had been built to contain her to one area.

“I’m glad you learned to read.”

“Me too. One of the guards was nice to me when I was young. I think he pitied me. He had a daughter.”

She wasn’t going to admit that Master had found out and fired the man. Mentioning Master always soured Shadow’s mood. That guard had been the one and only person who’d ever done anything for her without expecting something in return.

“Do you read books?”

“Sometimes. There were long stretches of downtime when I worked for the task force but then we’d have days where it seemed I barely closed my eyes before we were pulling out again.”

“Was it exciting?”

“Sometimes.”

“Were you ever afraid?”

“We raided buildings and homes looking for ex-Mercile employees. Sometimes they fired back. A lot of times they’d be long gone.”

“It sounds frightening but I’m so grateful the task force exists. They found me.”

“I know.” His hand gently took hers. “Are you still having nightmares about the task force member?”

“No.” She smiled. “I haven’t. Not since I met you.”

He pondered what that meant but it didn’t matter as long as she slept easier. “Are you hungry? I am.”

“Yes.” She brightened even more. “I’ll make dinner. I know it is a little early but you skipped breakfast and were gone at lunch.”

“I’ll help.”

Shadow followed her into the kitchen, enjoying the view of her from behind. She had a round, full butt for someone her size and it fit a pair of jeans perfectly. The tank top hugged her waist. The scent of her shampoo and soap teased his senses.

They worked together nicely as they prepared hot dogs and chips. It was an easy meal that didn’t require them to spend much time in the kitchen. Beauty carried her plate into the living room and patted the couch next to her.

“Do you want to watch a movie while we eat?” She pointed to the wall where DVDs were lined up. “I saw some good action films we might enjoy.”

“Sure.” He wanted to spend time with her.

It was relaxing and a strange emotion rose in his chest at the domestic scene they painted. He glanced around the cabin, wondering what it would be like if they actually shared a real home. One that the two of them lived in together. Longing struck as his gaze returned to Beauty.

She held up two movies for his inspection. “Which one? I really want to see both of these.”

Beauty took his breath away. He had to suck in air to reply. “You pick. We could watch both of them.”

Sheer joy lit up her expression. “Awesome!”

Yes, this is
, he agreed.

* * * * *

Beauty curled tighter against Shadow’s chest. His arm around her waist made her feel safer. They weren’t real but the bad guys in the movie were still scary. She fisted his shirt while staring at the television.

“Do you think they’ll make it?”

He nodded, his chin rubbing against the top of her head. “The good guys always win.”

In movies.
“I hope so. I hate that gangster guy. His second-in-command should have shot him.”

Shadow chuckled. “Then the movie would have ended after ten minutes.”

“True.” She rubbed her face against the soft material of his shirt. She loved being so close to him. All that reading hadn’t hinted that men didn’t mind women clinging to them during frightening scenes of a movie. “Oh no. Don’t they sense that jerk creeping up behind them?”

“Humans don’t have our sense of smell.”

“Oh.” She nodded. “Right. I just meant, you know, like feel the danger at their backs?”

“It’s a movie.” He offered her the big bowl he held. “More popcorn?”

“I think I’m ready to pop myself.”

“This is our fourth bowl.” He leaned forward and placed it on the table.

She wasn’t about to mention he’d eaten three of them. Shadow had a big appetite to go along with his big body. She adjusted away to allow him to place the bowl down and curled against him again when he straightened.

The action in the movie got intense as it wrapped up. She noticed the way Shadow rubbed her leg with his now-free hand. It was nice and distracted her from the screen. Not that she minded.

“See? He rescued the female and the bad guys are dead.”

“It was good.”

She hated seeing the credits roll. It was the last of the two movies and that meant they probably would go to bed. One glance at the clock confirmed it was after nine at night. Shadow liked to get up early, which meant he would be ready to sleep.

It had almost been like a date, without the going-out part.

“I’ll turn it off.”

Beauty sat up and nodded. “Okay. I’ll clear the table and take everything into the kitchen.”

They parted and she took her time rinsing their dishes. Nerves struck. She wanted to ask Shadow to share her bed but wasn’t sure he’d go for it. So far he’d refused. She didn’t want a repeat of the previous week. Being told no hurt.

“Need help?”

She started and gasped, swiveling her head. “I didn’t hear you enter the kitchen.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. You move quietly for someone so big.”

“The water was on.”

She liked that he hadn’t mentioned her hearing wasn’t as good as his. “I was done.” She twisted the levers, shutting off the water. “I’m ready for bed.”

“I made sure everything is secure.” He kept a few feet between them. “Ready?”

“Yes.”

He stayed close as they went upstairs and she paused by her door. The temptation to ask him to keep following her into her room was strong. She turned to peer up at him. Shadow stared back, silent and sexy.

Be strong. Just ask.
Her lips parted.

“Good night.” He gave her a sharp nod before turning around and walking to his door. “Sleep well, Beauty.” He disappeared inside.

“Damn,” she whispered, facing her open doorway.

Shadow had not only gone into his room but he was now in the bathroom. She stared at the closed door that connected their rooms and wished he’d open it into her room. The light flicked off and she heard him return to his room. The door closing on his side was depressing.

She used the bathroom, brushed her teeth and listened for any sound from Shadow’s room. The darkness under the bottom of the door implied he’d immediately gone to bed.