New Species 11 True (30 page)

True tore his mouth away and she went limp, eyes still
closed, reeling from the magnitude of what he could do to her. His hair was
pulled from her relaxed fingers and she couldn’t even gasp when he released her
ass, flipped her over onto her stomach and came down on top of her. His legs
got between hers and spread them to make room for him.

“Jeanie,” he rasped.

He lifted up for just a second, his hand brushing against
her ass as he reached between them to grip his cock. The thick tip of it nudged
the entrance to her pussy before he filled her, entering her fast. She moaned
as he lowered his weight over her and his forearms braced alongside her arms,
pinning her completely under him.

He moved, driving in and out of her with enough force to
slam the headboard into the wall. Pleasure built as he adjusted his hips to be
able thrust into her pussy fast and deep. The sensation of being taken was so
good she couldn’t even form words. She did manage to turn her hands, grabbing
at his just for something to cling to.

She tried to match his movements but he spread his legs
more, put more weight on her, and kept her immobile. There was something really
sexy about knowing all she could do was feel as True fucked her faster, harder,
and his ragged breathing against her throat was just an added sensation that
turned her on more.

Her vaginal walls clamped down and she knew she was going to
come. “Don’t stop,” she begged, feeling how incredibly hard and thick his dick
was, worried that he wouldn’t last long enough to get her off a second time.

The sharp sting of pain that radiated from her shoulder near
the curve of her neck threw her over the edge of pleasure and she came with a
scream. The mattress muffled it. True nipped her harder with his sharp teeth.
She felt him coming too. Every blast of his semen created a warm sensation as
his hips slowed, his cock locking inside her as he swelled, until he held
still.

He licked at the throbbing area and made an animalistic
sound, filled with emotion. She couldn’t identify it but she liked it. “Mine,”
he whispered.

It took Jeanie a few seconds to catch her breath and
recover. True’s weight still pinned her but he braced his arms and kept enough
off her upper body so she didn’t have a hard time pulling air into her lungs.

“You bit me?” She craned her neck in an attempt to see what
he’d done but he nuzzled her with his mouth, pushing her head back down against
the bed.

“Yes. I marked you as mine.”

She relaxed under him, letting his statement settle into her
sex-hazed brain. She didn’t mind. It was odd being bitten and she knew he’d
drawn blood. It stung a little less as he ran his hot, wet tongue over the
spot.

“Am I going to have a scar?” She didn’t mind as long as it
healed fast.

He chuckled and brushed a kiss on her neck. “Maybe, but it
isn’t bad. Just…my teeth made a mark. There will be two little holes. Your
family will wonder if you mated a vampire.”

“You got my shoulder, not my neck.” She smiled and her
fingers brushed over his where she still clutched at his hands.

“I could bite your neck.” He kissed it again. “Your thigh. I
can think of a hundred good places to put my mark on you. Are you angry?”

“I mated a New Species.” It actually amused her. “No peeing
to mark your territory though. At least not inside the house. I’m aware of that
canine trait and, um, keep that outside in the yard if the need arises.”

He chuckled, seemingly not insulted as she feared he might
be. “Deal.”

He lifted up and she turned her head enough to see him.

“I won’t bite you again. It was instinct to bite my mate and
mark her.” His serious expression told her more than words could.

“It’s okay. Really. I found it sexy and you just nipped me
hard. Just once, huh? I found it kind of hot right at the second you did it.
Great timing. I don’t think I’d find it sexy if you bit my thigh and definitely
not when you’re going down on me. That might be ouchie.”

“I wanted to taste your blood.”

That disturbed her a bit. “Like bloodlust?”

“No. I know your scent and your taste but not that of your
blood. Now I do.”

“Is that important?”

He hesitated.

“True?”

“It’s just instinctive. I don’t know why.”

She let that sink in. “It’s okay.”

“I won’t always behave or think like you do. Sometimes I
might seem more animal than human.”

“I know and I accept that. It was just a little bite. Is
there anything else you want to taste on me?” She grinned. “Just so I’m warned?”

He shook his head, watching her intently. “But I can’t
promise I won’t play with your hair and run a few strands under my nose from
time to time. I love how it smells.”

“So how does my blood taste?”

“Good.” He grinned. “I know it now and I’ll never forget.”

“So if I cut my leg shaving and you cut your face shaving,
and our blood got on the same towel, you’d know which was mine and which was
yours?”

“Yes. I don’t shave though.”

She’d forgotten about their lack of facial hair. “Right.”

He rolled onto his side, pulling her with him, and curled
around her. “Sleep. You must be tired.”

“I am.” She loved being curled in his tight embrace with him
still connected to her.

He snuggled even closer. “I love you, Jeanie.”

Tears filled her eyes. She really had needed to hear the
words and he’d finally said them. Better yet, she knew he meant them.

“I love you too.”

“Sleep. I’m right here and you’re safe.”

* * * * *

True woke, instantly aware of his surroundings. Jeanie’s
slow, steady breathing assured him she still slept. The noise that woke him
sounded again, faint and barely distinguishable. He identified it as the
vibrate function on his phone. It came from his discarded pants on the other
side of the bed.

He carefully extricated himself from Jeanie and tucked part
of the blanket around her body to assure she stayed warm. She didn’t stir,
testament to her lack of heightened senses or just that she was very tired. One
glance at the clock showed they’d been sleeping for six hours. He slid off the
bed, bent to retrieve his pants, and walked out of the bedroom. The door didn’t
make a sound as he closed it and strode down the hallway into the living room
as he pulled out the cell phone. Four text messages waited. He read them and
placed the call.

“Hello, Darkness.”

“Sorry for disturbing you. I wanted to keep you informed of
what was going on.”

“You’ve been assigned to give me updates? I just saw the
texts from Slade.”

“The team went inside Boris’ home and successfully planted
transmitters on all his electrical devices. He won’t be able to cough without
us knowing about it. They also installed some cameras so we can see him in most
of the rooms. They cloned two disposable cell phones they found stashed in his
garage and put a tracker on his car. Tim’s tech guy downloaded all his
information from his computer. The human returned home half an hour ago and the
ghost program is up and running. He logged in to two email accounts we were
unaware of and we were able to watch everything he did as if we were standing
behind him.”

“What did you find out?”

“He’s pretending to be two other different people and we’re
searching all transportation records to see if he’s flown or even taken a bus
or train to any locations under those names. We’re checking rental car agencies
too. So far we haven’t found anything but it strongly suggests your female may
have been right that he has other humans he’s fooled and is using for the same
thing he used your mate for.”

True clenched his teeth, furious. “You think there are more
Species out there and he knows their locations.”

“It appears so.” Darkness rumbled in that ominous way of
his. “I still believe I could torture the information out of him but this is a
good plan in case I failed to get all the information he is hiding. We might
recover other Species. I called Fuller and let it ‘slip’ to the assistant
warden that your female was so traumatized by the kidnapping attempt that she
needed to be heavily medicated and that the doctors planned to keep her that
way for a few days. Boris has been in contact with Jeff and that news was
relayed to him. He’ll feel safe for a bit longer that his Agent Brice identity
is still a secret.”

“I don’t like it. He could send more humans after Jeanie.”

“Your female is safe, True. Tim has a van parked two blocks
from the human’s house and Boris is under constant surveillance. They can be
inside his home to arrest him within minutes if he plots anything against her.
So far he hasn’t mentioned your mate in any way except for his conversation
with the male he works with. Boris swore it was a mistake that males were sent
to pick her up and he’d been under the false impression that she was a
high-ranking Mercile employee. Of course he’s lying to cover his tracks but
that’s all that was said.”

True bent, tugging on his pants while using his shoulder to
hold the phone against his ear. “Her location is safe though, correct?”

“No one knows where she is except Species and Tim. He said
he wouldn’t relay that information to anyone on his team. He didn’t like it
because he trusts them but Justice ordered him not to. The fewer people who
know, the better. Her safety is paramount to all.”

That alleviated some of True’s fear. “How long do you think
it will take to track down those two new identities you just discovered?”

“Tim believes we’ll know in a day or two and we’re aware of
everything he does, which will provide more clues. Hang on, I’m going to put
the phone down a minute and check something.” True heard typing. In a few
seconds Darkness picked up the phone again. “Sorry. I’m in contact with the
task force via the computer. They just relayed that Boris has logged in to a
bank account under one of those identities and is transferring funds to Dubai.”

“Where is that?”

“The Persian Gulf.”

“Where is
that
?”

“On the other side of the world.”

“He’s going to run?”

“It appears he plans to but he won’t get far. Don’t worry,
True. We won’t allow him to escape. He’ll pay for what he’s done to your mate
and our people. We’re all over him.”

He needed to believe that or he’d sneak off Homeland the way
Moon had done to find his mate, only he’d have fewer loving reasons. He wanted
to get his hands on the human and wring his neck until he drew his last breath.
True wanted to make certain Boris could never harm Jeanie again.

“Um, clothes and personal grooming supplies were left
outside the door of your home. They didn’t want to ring the doorbell in case
you were sleeping. We were aware that you didn’t get any sleep last night.
Place a call to the community gatehouse when you want food supplies delivered.
They stored them in their fridge until you’re ready for them. We figured you
might attack an officer who entered the home to put them away.”

“Thank you. I’ll call them now. You didn’t get much sleep
either. You were interrogating the guards at Fuller.”

“I’m good without sleep.” Darkness chuckled. “I like to keep
busy.” His tone turned gruff. “Besides, I would have had nightmares after the
things I learned.”

“It was that bad?”

“We’ll discuss it later. Right now your mate is our
priority. How is she holding up?”

“Good. Jeanie is brave.”

“You haven’t snarled so I assume you’re keeping your temper
in check because she’s sleeping?”

“Good guess.”

“Go back to her and get plenty of rest. Enjoy your new mate
and allow us to take care of all this. She is your main concern.”

“I want ten minutes alone with that male when he is
arrested.” Darkness didn’t answer. “He should die for what he’s done. I
volunteer to be the one.”

“I agree with you but you aren’t the only Species he’s
harmed. We might have to draw straws for who gets the pleasure of killing that
male.”

“He went after my mate.”

“Fury holds that grudge too. Perhaps you could both tear him
apart like a turkey wishbone.” Darkness chuckled. “That’s a good image, isn’t
it?”

True silently agreed.

“Get your supplies from out front and call the gatehouse
when you want food. I need to make more calls. I’ll text you if there is more
information to share.”

“Thank you.”

True disconnected and unlocked the front door. Four boxes
were piled in the shade of the porch. He glanced around but didn’t see any
movement. It only took two trips to carry them inside before he locked the door
again. The food could wait.

He crept back down the hallway and stripped out of his pants
then climbed back into bed with Jeanie. She mumbled in her sleep but turned to
face him, snuggling against his chest. He grabbed a lock of her hair and
inhaled. His mate was safe and in his arms. He’d take Darkness’ advice and worry
about the rest of it later.

His dick stirred at just the feel of her against him but he
ignored the urge to make love to his mate. She needed sleep more than she
needed him. He relaxed, closed his eyes and slowed his breathing until he
drifted to sleep.

Jeanie stood back from the table, eyeing the meal she’d laid
out. True was on the phone, had been for a while. She went in search of him,
finding him in their bedroom. His gaze met hers and he made excuses to end the
conversation.

“Dinner is ready. I made a tri-tip and made sure I left the
center pretty rare.”

He approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You
did?”

“I know you like your meat bloody.”

“Will you be able to eat it?”

“I’ll cut off the well-cooked ends.” She grinned, wrapping
her arms around him. “Come eat before it gets cold.”

“My mate prepared a meal for me.” He beamed.

“I do remember how to cook. It’s just been a while. I’ve
lived alone since I graduated college and no longer had roommates around who thought
meals only came in microwavable varieties. It’s kind of pointless to do it just
for myself though.”

He lifted her off her feet and walked down the hallway. She
lifted her legs, wrapping them around his waist. The feel of his stiff cock
trapped inside his pants rubbed against the front of her pussy, making her more
than aware that he was aroused.

“Keep this up and we can eat later.”

“No. We’ll share sex after. I’m eager to eat what you made
for me.” He forced her to release him when they entered the dining room. He
pulled out her chair. “Sit, mate.”

He was always thoughtful. They’d only been mated for just
over a day but she had a feeling he wouldn’t be a man who stopped giving her
special treatment any time soon, if ever. He sniffed, grinned, and took the
chair next to hers. She leaned up and began to dish out food on his plate
first, then her own.

“This is wonderful.” He cut into the rare meat, took a
tentative bite and groaned in appreciation while staring into her eyes as he
chewed and swallowed. “Perfect.”

“Great. There was a recipe for it in one of the drawers from
someone who used to live here so I made it from that.” She cut a piece of meat.
“May I ask who you were talking to on the phone? You’ve been in there for quite
a while.”

“You’re my mate. You can always ask me anything.”

“I thought it might be private New Species business.”

“You are Species now. There is no information you can’t
know, Jeanie. It was Darkness on the phone. They’ve discovered a pattern of
Boris flying to Oregon for the past few months under one of the two assumed
names he’s been using. They were able to locate the car rental business where
he spent money and have sent one of the task force members there to see if they
use GPS systems in the cars to get an exact location of where he went.”

She forgot about the food on her plate. “There is another
place where New Species are being held then.”

“Uncertain but suspicious.”

“Are there any research development companies in the area?
That’s where I’d start looking.”

“Three. They are attempting to see if any had dealings with
Mercile Industries.”

“Can you search all three of them?”

“We could but not at once. We’re concerned that, if one
location is compromised, the other two might catch wind of it. If we choose
wrong, they could move Species or kill them to prevent us from rescuing them.”

“Why can’t you hit all three at once?”

“We only have so many trained males to do it without
bringing in outside resources. We’d rather not risk that. They aren’t equipped
to handle captured Species or the issues we’ve had with other facilities that
held them prisoner. It’s best if we investigate until we’re certain which one,
if any, may be involved with Mercile or someone who was once an employee with
access to our people.”

She nodded, taking in that information. “I see.”

“It might not be a research company. It might be a private
individual who owns a Gift Female. It’s in an area where a lot of wealthy
humans live.”

Jeanie would never forget what it meant to be tagged with
that classification. “You’ve rescued so few of them, right?”

“Yes.” He took a sip of milk. “Boris could be there for
other reasons. We don’t want to be rash. We need to know what we’re dealing
with.”

“What about the phone taps? Anything?”

“He’s speaking to a human male but their conversations are
very brief. We haven’t been able to track those calls. They only give times and
dates of meetings before hanging up. All numbers besides the phone Boris uses
seem to be untraceable. We tried to call one of the numbers Boris contacted,
planning to say it was a wrong number, but it went directly to voicemail. It
was an automated voice and we couldn’t pinpoint the location. They set up a
meeting for next week. Boris booked a flight to Oregon so we’re certain the
other male is from that area. A team will shadow Boris to discover who the
human is, then follow him too.”

“This is frustrating.”

“Eat,” True urged.

She picked at her food, her appetite gone. True enjoyed his
meal enough to have three helpings. It made her happy that he seemed to really
like her cooking. She’d been nervous while preparing his meal, hoping the meat
would be rare enough and to his liking.

His phone rang and they both looked down at his front
pocket. He sighed, withdrew it and glanced at it. “I need to get this.”

“Go ahead.”

He pushed back from the table, stood and walked a few feet
away. “True here.” He listened and frowned. “Why? What do they want?” He
paused, his gaze fixing on Jeanie. “No,” he growled. “My mate isn’t going to
meet with them.”

“Meet who?” She got to her feet, laying her napkin next to
her plate.

He told whoever was on the phone to hold and frowned at her.
“Three FBI agents arrived at the front gates and wish to speak to you.”

She gripped the back of her chair, stunned. “Why?” She had
no clue why agents would show up requesting to see her.

“They haven’t said but Justice wants you to meet with them
to see what they want. Tim came to talk to them but they’ve refused to give him
answers.”

“Is that who is on the phone? Justice?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t put him on hold.” She was horrified. “He’s your
leader. I should talk to them if he wants me to.”

“I don’t care what he wants. You’re my mate and I don’t want
you near other humans. They could have come here to do you harm.”

“They are federal agents. I have no idea what they’d want to
talk to me about but I’m sure they are fine, True. I mean, major background
checks get done on them. It could be important. I should talk to them.”

He growled and lifted the phone back to his ear. “She wants
to see them but I am going with her. I don’t trust them.” He listened and hung
up. “Let’s go. An SUV has already been sent. You don’t leave my side, Jeanie.
Do you understand?”

“Perfectly.”

“Justice and a few others will be present.” He glanced down
at her. “You need shoes.”

She would have liked to change into something more
professional looking but the T-shirts and stretch pants were about the nicest
outfits she currently owned. Her belongings from her apartment were supposed to
be forwarded by the task force team who’d gone to check out her story but they
hadn’t arrived yet. She put on shoes and rushed into the bathroom to brush her
teeth and tidy her hair. True waited for her at the front door.

“I don’t like this.”

“I don’t either but aren’t you curious? I am.”

“No. I want to keep you away from everyone.”

“This is happening here at Homeland, right? We’re not
leaving to go meet them somewhere else?”

“It will be here. You aren’t leaving NSO territory.”

“Then it will be fine.”

The drive to the office building near the front gate seemed
far too short to Jeanie. True kept her on his lap and she could see by the grim
set of his jaw that he wasn’t happy. Justice and Fury met them outside when the
driver parked in front of the side door.

“Don’t answer any of their questions without looking at me
first,” Justice demanded. “I’m sorry to use you this way but they have refused
to give us even a hint of their purpose. The questions they ask you should
indicate why they are here.”

Fury nodded. “Tim is sitting in as well. He made some calls
and none of his contacts were even aware we were going to be visited by agents.
It’s very curious.”

“Speak slowly.” Justice waved them toward the building. “Remember
to look at me before you answer. I placed a call to the president but he’s out
of the country and unable to take calls.”

The President of the United States?
She gaped at him,
pretty sure that’s who he meant. It boggled her mind that he might have someone
so important on his list of personal phone contacts. It slammed home, though,
how serious the situation was.

A New Species opened the side door. “They are pacing in the
conference room,” he muttered low. “They have refused offers of coffee or
water.”

Justice paused, staring down at Jeanie. “I’m sorry to do
this to you but it bothers us that they are being so secretive about why they
wish to speak to you. We informed them of your mate status in case they are
trying to pursue a human criminal case against you but they didn’t reverse
their request.”

“A criminal case?” She grabbed hold of True’s hand.

“They deal with organized crime and some of the practices of
Drackwood or Cornas Research could have captured their interest. Of course as a
mate you are no longer subject to human laws and are protected under Species
law. They can’t arrest you or take you from Homeland. They have no jurisdiction
to do so.”

She regretted agreeing to meet with the FBI agents but it
was too late to back out. “You’re sure about that?”

Fury chuckled. “Yes. We showed them a copy of your mate
papers as proof in case they didn’t believe us. They are more than aware they
are only here and able to speak to you because we allowed it out of politeness.”

She felt some of her fear easing. “Okay. I got it. Talk
slow, see what they want, and look at you before I answer.” She stared up at
Justice North. “I can do this.”

“I knew you could.”

She was glad he had faith in her because hers wavered a
little as she entered a small conference room and spotted the three men dressed
in suits. They were very neatly groomed, ranging from early thirties to late
forties and all of them stared at her with serious looks.

“Ms. Shiver,” the eldest one spoke. “Thank you for agreeing
to meet with us. I’m Special Agent Spears, this is Special Agent Parks, and
Special Agent Green.” He pointed to the other two as he stated their names.

She took a seat before anyone else, her legs threatening to
buckle. “I’m kind of surprised,” she admitted. “I’m clueless why I’m here.”

It was much worse than the time she’d been pulled over by a
cop and given a speeding ticket when she’d been in her late teens. The three
agents sat across from her, still looking stern. Her nerves made her regret
eating as her belly seemed to do a flip. True sat next to her while Fury took a
seat on the other side. Justice and Tim leaned against the wall behind the
agents. One of the agents looked back, frowned, but said nothing as he faced
her again.

“We’ve been running an investigation of criminal activity
that may have helped fund Cornas Research. We’re hoping you can help us.”
Special Agent Spears leaned in. “You were the accountant there and we’re hoping
you can answer our questions.”

She remembered to glance at Justice. He frowned at her and
nodded.

“I wasn’t an accountant. I suck at math, actually. I’m the
last person who should be in charge of money. I can barely balance my
checkbook.”

Special Agent Spears frowned. “Our information states that
was your job title.”

“It wasn’t.”

“Jeanie was a medical technician,” True confirmed.

“The technical term is a phlebotomist,” Jeanie explained. “I
took blood samples.”

“Our informant says otherwise.”

She glanced at Justice, seeing his frown. He didn’t nod or
shake his head so she stared into the agent’s eyes. “I don’t know who told you
that but it isn’t true. You can check my tax records. My occupation is listed
and I never fudged on them. You can also look up the courses I took in college.
It’s no secret. I have certifications that are up to date. You can check those
too.”

“You’re saying our informant lied?” Special Agent Green
frowned.

“Obviously, since no one in their right mind would let me
near their money. Hell, look at my bank statements for the past few years. I
get fined regularly for not paying attention to my bank balance.” She halted,
blushed, and wished she hadn’t said that. “I don’t write bad checks on purpose.
I pay for overdraft protection and it’s never more than like thirty bucks over.
I always pay it back and pay the fees for the bank having to cover it when I go
over. That’s why I have overdraft protection. I’m just going to shut up now
before I put my foot deeper into my mouth.”

“I see.” Special Agent Spears frowned. “We’ll have to speak
to our informant again on this matter. We need to know where to reach you.” He
dug inside his jacket and withdrew an electronic device. “I need a number and
an address where you can be reached.”

Justice pushed away from the wall. “You can contact her
through Homeland.”

“I don’t think you understand the importance of our
investigation. I need access to her.”

“I don’t think you understand that she’s New Species.”

“She looks human to me,” Special Agent Green muttered.

“She’s a mate and therefore she is Species. That means you
need to go through proper channels to contact Species Jeanie.” Fury crossed his
arms over his chest, looking intimidating as he glared at them. “That would be
the main office at Homeland. You don’t need direct contact with her via phone
or a physical address since she lives at Homeland.”