Species Interaction (11 page)

I continued walking, turning back and forth with agitation, thinking about how much havoc she heaped on my only relationship in several years.

Pausing, I looked at his face and whispered words from my soul. "She's Marilyn Monroe. I'm just… Lassie." Plopping down on the floor, I curled my knees against my chest.

Unable to bear the expression on his face, I lowered my chin, staring at my feet as I continued to wring my hands.
There. I said it.
He could now validate my thoughts and toss my dreams and hopes out the window like dirty laundry. My eyes burned as my breath caught. No matter how I tried, the first tear slipped out, tracing a path down my cheek.

The couch creaked as Meat stood. His large bare feet entered my vision as he stopped directly in front of me. He cupped my cheek as he lifted my face to meet his eyes.

"Baby." His arm slid around my waist, pulling me to my feet and flush against his body, while the other remained on my cheek, maintaining our eye contact. "Shhhh. That's not true. Don't you know that you're all that I want and need?"

I tried to read his face, those soulful eyes, searching for truth in his words.

"I bet she'd never land in a trash dumpster." I sniffed. "Or wear bunny slippers and pink pajamas." I wore my heart on my sleeve when it came to her.

"Probably not. But it's cute on you."

I'm cute. She's a hot sexy pin up girl and I'm a matted stray hound covered in day old rotten spaghetti sauce.

He leaned in, placing a butterfly kiss to my forehead, then my nose. His thumb wiped the first tear away followed by another. "You're beautiful, smart, courageous. More than enough to keep me on my toes." Another gentle kiss took more tears away. "And, I do love you, Shyanne."

I snuffled and tried blinking more back. "But you shut me out… and went off with her. She's every man's dream."

"She's not my dream," he said sincerely.

He gestured to the couch. Tentatively, I sat. He locked onto my hand, holding it gingerly between his, allowing his thumb to slowly stroke my palm. Our knees touched as he cuddled me closer.

"I'm the son of an alpha." His soft tone carried easily to my ears, soothing and calming. "All my life, I've been responsible for the
Familia
. They all trust me to do what's best for them, just as they trust my father. They never question. To do so would be seen as a flat out challenge at worst and a rude insult at best."

He leaned in for a quick kiss to the top of my head as I wiped at my watering eyes.

"Problems aren't shared unless they involve the entire tribe. That would only lead to gossip and concerns for the integrity of the
Familia
."

"I'm human, thus not privy worthy." The statement came out flat and defensive.

He sighed and pulled me onto his lap, enveloping me with his large frame, his warmth. I smelled the spicy scent of his skin and heard the muted thump of his heart.

"Yes and no."

I opened my mouth to protest.

"It's simply a policy, a habit not to share many details with those not directly involved. You know that. Shifters may be fierce, but we can't take on the entire world and expect to win. The peace is fragile; any whispered rumor could unbalance the whole process, setting off rounds of violence, causing my kind to be hunted like no other."

I understood and showed so with a slow bob of my head.

"Being a human isn't a downfall. It's just not part of the family unit."

I tensed. Tugging, I struggled for release.

He relented marginally, keeping a loose grip on me, lest I should bolt. Those eyes bore down into my own as he quickly explained, "I… you…" His mouth closed as he gathered me onto his lap once more, cuddling me tighty. He rubbed his chin over my crown while holding me close. "I've never dealt with a human in such a capacity before."

"But…"

He shushed me with a quick kiss. "I'm trying to apologize."

"Oh." I blinked up at him and returned the chaste meeting of lips. "Go on."

With a tiny smile, I watched his facial expressions morph as he squirmed. "I… I'm sorry." He managed to get out, looking sheepish and frustrated at the same time.

It reminded me of the boys when they had to apologize for their actions, particularly to one of the little girls in their day care class. His response only endeared Meat to me more.

"Was that hard?" I teased, blinking away the last of the tears.

"Yes." He growled, pulling me around to straddle his lap. His lips peppered kisses across my face as he rocked his pelvis against mine. "I'll show you something else that's hard."

I squirmed a bit, pushing at his chest. "Now, hold it right there, Mr Liger." I peered into his sparkling eyes.

He arched a brow and grinned mischievously, all the while rubbing my back. "You don't want to enjoy a Meat Popsicle?"

I rolled my eyes and tugged on a lock of his hair. "For a furry with exceptional senses, you aren't too observant today."

Meat tilted his head in question.

Kissing his nose, I delivered the blow. "Sorry, but you shall have to wait a couple more days for such… activities."

A grin popped onto his face. "Why? Sex is messy anyway… so…"

"Pervert!" I struggled as he held tight, chuckling in amusement. Unable to get free, I settled for slapping him lightly on the chest. "You're so mean."

Meat planted another kiss on my forehead. "That's not what you said the last time you were in my lap like this…"

Chapter 11

I trudged through the alley leading to the back door of Hot Lava, intent upon speaking with Meat and setting up our next date plans. If I caught him stripping on stage, all the better.

A new Transformers movie just came out, and Bas volunteered to take the boys this evening, allowing me a few hours of freedom. Secretly, I think he wanted to see the movie himself, the boys just provided a good cover for his tough alpha reputation.

Bas and I met a few years back, when I first started working for the PPD. As a black panther shifter Enforcer, he traveled all the time, but when in town, he made a point to stop by and speak to me when in the office. Not too long after, he showed up at my doorstep injured. I took him in, cared for him, and fed him. Like a stray cat, he stayed. We sort of adopted one another and he's been a solid support since.

Hello Kitty ruled the wardrobe decision today. I sported the shirt and shoes, while tossing in pink jeans and socks to match. Considering the DNA of my boyfriend, I figured he would appreciate the irony of the outfit.

Hearing a loud thump, I paused, scanning the long narrow passage in front of me. Misha stood at the next doorway, her left side to me, watching something with interest. My 'something is up' radar binged loudly.

Hurrying over, I peered around Misha, viewing what drew her attention.

A large darkened room full of boxes sitting on a cement floor outlined the scene. Noises pulled my attention from the walls to more of the center area. Two men paced in a circle, both large and bulky with dark coloring. Meat stood in the center, lightly shifting and twisting, trying to keep them both in view. One sleeve bore red blood stains already.

"You'll be begging for death before we're done with you." The taller of the men sneered while waving a dark metallic device resembling a Taser in the air. The other guy flashed a knife back and forth with practiced motion.
A Taser?
Either he couldn't afford a gun or they really wanted my boyfriend just incapacitated instead of dead.

I glanced around until my gaze landed on the evil Misha. She stood leaning with her back to the wall, filing her nails despite the violence in front of her. Anger bubbled and boiled over in my system. Stomping over, I stopped just short of stepping on her brand new shiny red shoes.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Her gaze flicked toward me, then raked me from head to foot. Her mouth curled in obvious disgust. "Where did you get that nasty outfit? The Goodwill Store?"

I bit my tongue and pointed to the action. "Why aren't you helping Meat?"

She shrugged. "He's a male. Males fight." I opened my mouth but she continued, "Besides, if I got involved, it would only piss him off."

"But he's hurt!"

She looked up once more then returned to her nails. "He's fine."

"Ohhhhh. You're pathetic!" I left her in my wake, taking myself and my hot pink Hello Kitty tennis shoes into the action.

The bad guys glanced at me as they continued their strategic maneuvering, coming closer to make a swipe before backing away. One rolled his eyes in my direction before dismissing me completely. My superhero costume of Hello Kitty Wonder girl apparently lacked intimidation.
No respect, I swear. Oh, how stupid bad guys can be
.

I paused a moment then dashed into the center of the impromptu circle, skidding into Meat's back. The attackers took a couple of seconds to confer strategy, leaving me the opening I sought.

"Oops. Sorry. I used to be better at that with jump rope. Guess I'm out of practice."

Meat grabbed my arm, shoving me to his side and a bit behind him. "What in the hell are you doing here?" he snarled, his eyes never leaving the circling men.

Was that a rhetorical question? Or did he really expect the long answer? I opted for short and blunt considering the situation. "Helping."

"Get out of here now!" He sidestepped around me, bumping me away from the knife-wielding man who lurched his direction.

"Oh. That's the man with the hairy mole on his arm!" The man frowned in my direction, his face pinching. "You really should get that checked on. Probably cancerous, you know. Eating away at your tissue and bones until there will be nothing left, and your arm will drop off, leaving you looking like a wingless chicken."

He growled at me, but I caught him trying to rotate that arm enough to see his elbow while trying to keep the knife steady at the same time.

"Women hate chicken men, you see. Too bony and not enough meat."

"Shy!" Meat hollered over his shoulder, distracting me from my ramblings.

"What?" I pivoted to keep pace with him.

"Leave! Now!"

"Nope. I'm not leaving you at the mercy of these idiots. Not when I can do something to even the odds. In fact, you might consider conjuring a weapon for me. Hmmm. Maybe a sword?"

He shuffled just enough so I could catch the expression on his face. Anger along with a healthy dose of weary acceptance. "You'll stab me or end up cutting off your own toes."

"Well, okay. How about a gun?"

"No." His eyebrows furrowed.

"Taser?"

A brief shake of his head gave me the answer.

"Well, drat. How am I supposed to defend your back with no weapon?"

"You aren't. Go now, or I swear…"

Meat grabbed for me. Both men took advantage of the distraction to jump in. I pounced for the man with the Taser, catching him in the groin with a quick kick. Meat reached around me for the other attacker, grabbed the man's wrist, then began to deliberately twist, keeping the knife pointed away from me the entire time.

Glancing up, I found Misha directly ahead about ten feet away, leaning against a pallet of wrapped up boxes, her nail care momentarily forgotten as she looked on.

Catching sight of the Taser as the man bent over, I lunged for the weapon. The man held tight, refusing to relinquish his tool. I stomped his toe and whapped him in the throat for good measure. His grip remained strong and unbreakable. Meat shoved me hard, sending me heavily into Taser man. We thumped hard on the floor and rolled, scrambling for possession of the Taser. A second later, we came to an abrupt halt. My finger hit the trigger, and I heard a yelp.

Misha toppled over.

Well, drat. I hate it when that happens. Well, not so much this
time
.

"Bitch!"

The guy pulled his fist back as he scrambled to his knees. I belly scooted, but not quick or far enough.

Just before his strike landed, Meat grabbed him by the shirt, yanked him up, and slammed him facefirst into the nearest crate. The guy bounced off, fell to the floor, and didn't move afterward.

I stood up, dusted my pants off, and took appraisal of the situation. Hairy mole lay in a crumpled mess. Taser man breathed, but didn't even flinch. Misha flipped back and forth from human to kitty at an amazing speed on the concrete floor.

"I so didn't need to see her naked."

Meat walked over. Blood soaked one arm, and he breathed heavily. Besides a thick layer of dust, some scrapes, and the wound, he appeared fairly intact.

His stern expression, however, gave me pause. Irritation was clearly written on his face. Directed at me, judging by his molten cobalt blue eyes.

I slinked over to Misha's side. Kneeling down, I waited a minute to make sure she picked a form to stick with in her switcheroo game before pulling her spotted cat head in my lap.

Meat's large feet stopped beside me. I didn't bother to look up as I repositioned Misha's head so she didn't drool down the front of my jeans. I didn't care for her drool to begin with, let alone down the crotch of my new favorite pink pair.

"Why in the hell didn't you do as you were told?" His quiet tone belied his angry body language.

"You… I…" I stopped and grappled for an answer.

Silence.

"I couldn't stand by and let you get hurt," I answered truthfully.

He squatted down until he met my gaze on an even level. The uninjured arm reached out to pull my chin up, not allowing me to look away. "You could have been killed. They could have used you as a pawn against me. Or you could have distracted me enough that they were able to strike a deadly blow." The words rumbled from his chest. "As it is, your interference got Misha tasered."

I squirmed under his intense gaze. "Couldn't have happened to a better person." The words slipped out, earning another growl that stood the hair on the back of my neck at full attention. "It's not like she was helping!" I immediately regretted my outburst.

He snarled and bore his white fangs. "Unlike you, she knows her place."

That hurt. We'd been through this before. More than once. I thought we had reached common ground and understanding on the issue. Partners. By his side, not hiding in his shadow.