This guy stood a few inches shorter though and was not as broad chested as Valiant but he was still huge. Tiger’s catlike eyes were an amazing blue and he had the same distinctive cheekbones and the same flatter nose as Valiant. He had sandy brown hair with red and blond streaks throughout. The red color wasn’t nearly as bright or beautiful as Valiant’s.
“I’m fine. I think I’ll just go home now and relax. It’s been a weird day.”
He inhaled and his gaze widened slightly. “I’ll take you to our medical facility.”
Tammy tensed, alarmed that he’d say something she didn’t want him to reveal in front of her boss and guessed he could smell Valiant all over her. They did seem to have a really freaky-strong sense of smell. She shot him a warning look, silently hoping he’d understand.
“I’m not hurt. Nothing happened.”
“What did that bastard do to you?” Ted gripped her arm, spinning her to face him. Ted stood about five-foot-nine, only five inches taller than Tammy, and he looked unusually pale. “Did he touch you? Did he hurt you?”
She met her boss’s worried gaze and hoped she appeared calm. “I’m fine. Nothing happened. We just talked, he saw reason, and he said I could go home. It’s that simple,” she lied.
Ted’s features relaxed. “Thank God. They were going to go in and get you. The tranquilizer guns finally arrived and more of their men showed up to storm his house. I imagined the worst and I heard you scream once and a roar.”
“He was scary.” She jerked her arm out of his hold. “I just want to go home. It’s been an ordeal and I have a pounding migraine,” she lied again.
Ted nodded. “Of course. I’ll pay you for today. I’m so sorry about the mix-up with the directions and I’m just glad you’re not hurt.”
“I’m absolutely fine,” she muttered, silently wondering if she should keep track of how many lies she told, but quickly dismissed the idea. The truth would be much more of a hassle and she didn’t want to go there.
Ted stepped back with an uncertain smile. “It’s been an exciting day, huh?”
“Yeah.” She forced a smile. “I’m out of here. Do you mind if I take the van?”
Her boss hesitated. “I need it. You’re carrying most of the food for the party. It hasn’t been canceled.”
“I’ll drive her home,” Tiger offered softly. “Come this way, Miss Shasta. My Jeep is right here.”
She walked to the van to retrieve her purse, silently praying that she got away before Valiant woke. She followed Tiger to one of the Jeeps and climbed inside. He didn’t immediately start the engine. He studied her intently. She decided to be somewhat honest because the minutes were ticking by and she didn’t know how long it would be before “Trouble” rose from the floor of his bedroom.
“We need to go right now. Please start the engine and get me out of here.”
Tiger started the engine and yelled over his shoulder. “Clear this area out now.”
The Jeep moved and the stress inside Tammy eased. She remembered to put on her seat belt. “I live about five miles from here. Thank you for driving me home.”
He hesitated. “I’m taking you to our medical center first.”
“No. I just want to go home.”
He frowned grimly at her. “You need medical attention and we will call in a councilor. You need to make a report about what Valiant has done to you. We handle all justice at Reservation but he’s going to be punished severely for this attack on you.”
Shocked, Tammy gaped at him. “He didn’t hurt me and I don’t want him punished. I don’t need a doctor and I sure don’t need a shrink.”
He hit the brakes and turned to face Tammy. His blue gaze locked with hers. “You can lie to Ted and Marcy. They are human and will believe what you said back there. I’m not them and you smell strongly of Valiant. I can also smell sex. He obviously hurt you and forced you to breed with him. You need to allow our doctors to take a look at you, you should talk to someone about what happened and you need to file a report to make sure he’s punished for what he’s done.”
Her mouth had fallen open so she closed it as she stared at Tiger, feeling the heat of a blush warming her cheeks. She swallowed the lump that formed so she could speak.
“I know he hurt you.”
“I’m fine. He didn’t force me. I want to go home.”
His frown deepened. “What happened?”
She hesitated. “He didn’t hurt me but he also didn’t want to let me go. He wanted to keep me as if I was a pet or something. He was about to attack anyone coming after me. I nailed him with a lamp and knocked him out cold. You might want to have someone check on him but I think he’ll be fine. I tried not to hurt him but I figured it was better than someone shooting him. You need to get me away from here though because I think he’s going to be upset that I got away when he wakes. I just want to go home.”
“Son of a bitch,” he cursed as he released the brake and stomped down on the gas. The Jeep lurched forward and picked up speed. “Let me take you to the medical facility.”
She gritted her teeth. “He didn’t rape me, didn’t force me, and the sex was consensual, okay? Just get me home. Please? I just want to forget this day ever happened.”
Tiger jerked his head in an angry nod. “Fine.” He reached for the radio clipped to the top of his vest. “This is Tiger. Everyone clear a wide path from around Valiant’s. I want tranquilizer guns with everyone patrolling that area. Put his ass down and secure him if he tries to leave his territory. Clear?”
Tammy glanced at the guy on the seat next to her. He had an ear clip-on comm device. Whatever was said made him look more relaxed. “Good. Tiger out.” He hooked the radio back to his vest.
“I’m very sorry for all of this. You need to contact us if there’s anything we can do for you. Our legal department will be getting hold of you.”
“For what?”
“They just will. When you agreed to work here you had to sign forms. You know anything that happens here stays confidential or you could face huge lawsuits so please don’t go to the press. Our legal department will make sure anything you need is taken care of so whatever issues you face, they will make sure you’re well compensated. That’s all I can do if you refuse to press charges against him.”
She had signed a ridiculously long confidentiality contract. She wasn’t allowed to talk about anything she saw or heard at New Species Reservation. She wasn’t permitted to sue them for it if she suffered any injures while being a guest. It was a come-at-your-own-risk kind of deal but they had put in the clause that they’d pay for any medical bills if she were injured. Now she knew why.
“I would never talk to reporters.”
Five minutes later Tiger parked the Jeep in front of her small house and two other vehicles parked behind them. She’d been escorted home with a full security detail. She knew New Species were targeted by hate groups and hadn’t needed to ask why the extra vehicles had followed them to her home.
She glanced at her home and tried to hide her embarrassment. The house had been left to her by her grandmother. It had been in bad shape to begin with and Tammy had never had the extra money to fix it up. The porch sagged in spots, making it appear uneven, paint had chipped off in large sections, and one of the front windows had duct tape over it where the glass had broken. It was a small two-bedroom, one-bath house, but it was all hers. She wondered what the New Species thought as he stared at her home with a confused look on his features.
“Are you sure you don’t want to see a medical doctor or a shrink? We will make him pay if you file a complaint. We’re harsher than your justice system.”
She shook her head as she undid her seat belt. “He didn’t hurt me, I don’t want him punished and I don’t need a doctor. I’m not sure about the shrink part yet but I’m tough.” She paused. “I just want to forget this ever happened. Okay?”
He met her gaze, watched her silently, but nodded slowly.
Tammy climbed out of the Jeep
and walked to her front door, unlocked it, and stepped into the small room. She turned and noticed that Tiger watched her silently from the black unmarked vehicle. She firmly closed the door and twisted the deadbolt.
“Son of a bitch.” She sighed. She headed for the bathroom and the shower. “I never saw today coming.” So much for always trying to be prepared. Ha! Man-beasts with killer kissing skills and the ability to seduce women. She shook her head. My life just gets weirder and weirder. Why can’t it ever be normal?
* * * * *
Valiant groaned. His head throbbed and he couldn’t remember why. His eyes opened to stare at the carpet. He lay sprawled on his side. He blinked before someone shoved a big plastic bag of ice in front of his face. It hovered there. He inhaled and softly growled. It made his head hurt worse.
Tiger crouched down, still holding out the bag of ice. “Put that on the back of your head.” He spoke softly.
Valiant grabbed it. His hand trembled a little and he found the spot where it hurt the most. He winced and snarled as the bag made contact. His attention fixed on Tiger.
“Are you all right?”
“What happened?”
Tiger took a deep breath. “It will come to you. Just stay down when it does.”
The ice helped reduce the haze of pain and he took a deep breath, allowing the scents inside the room to fill his nose. Tammy! He tried to sit up but the room spun. He groaned again, sank back to the floor and bared his teeth at Tiger.
“Which one of your men crept up on me?”
“Tammy did it. She hit you with a lamp.” Tiger stood and backed away, putting a safe distance between them. “She’s safe and off Reservation.”
Rage surged through Valiant and he snarled. “Bring her back. She’s mine.”
In response, the other Species leaned against the wall, crossed his arms over his chest, and sighed. “She hit you to get away, asked to be taken home, but refused to press charges. You’re lucky, man. She could have had you locked inside a tiny damn cell and Justice would have had to decide if you needed to be put down for good. If you’re too dangerous to live— Fuck, don’t get me started. That’s a nightmare concept we never want to have to face.”
The pain receded more and Valiant sat up without the room spinning. He glared at Tiger. “She’s mine.”
“I got that.” He sniffed the air. “You had her all right.” His gaze flickered to the bed and back. “But you can’t keep her. She’s human. You wouldn’t even pull that stunt on our women. You know you can’t just claim them and force them to live with you.”
“She’s little. I could easily keep her here and change her mind about leaving. I planned to feed her and care for her.”
“She mentioned you seemed to think she was a pet. I thought she had read the situation wrong. Humans tend to see us in a messed-up light but after hearing you talk, she was dead on. She’s not a pet.”
“I know this.” Valiant frowned, worried that he might have given her the wrong impression. Regret gripped him. “Is that why she left? Why she hit me? I’ll tell her she’s my mate, not my pet.”
“She’s not yours, man.” Tiger pushed away from the wall. “She wanted to leave. Deal with it. You and I, we’re not for humans. We talked about this, remember? They are too fragile, they scare too easily, and you wanted a Species mate. A feline one.”
“Not anymore. I want Tammy.”
“Too bad. You can’t have her. You talk about our kind growing soft and how you hate it. You’re the one who sounds soft right now. Toughen up and face facts. A human would never get past how we are. At least not for guys like us. We’re too in tune with our animal sides. I just look more human than you do.”
Sadness was an emotion Valiant loathed but it filtered through him all the same. “She’s not coming back to me, is she?”
“No,” Tiger’s gaze softened, “she’s not.”
“Leave.”
“I’d rather stay a while to make sure you recover fully. I’ll make us dinner. We’ll have some sodas and talk. I heard a few felines you haven’t met yet are being transferred here. Maybe one of them will be the one for you.”
Images of Tammy flashed through Valiant’s mind. “Leave me. I need to be alone.”
“The new felines arrive tomorrow. I’ll pick you up and take you to the hotel for you to sniff them out.”
Valiant struggled to his feet and his gaze drifted to the bed where Tammy had been. Her scent still remained strong inside the room. He moved toward it and tossed the bag of ice away. He’d rather feel the pain than return to the numbing state in which he’d existed before he’d felt all those wonderful things with Tammy. He crawled onto the bed and lay where she had been, inhaling her scent.
“Valiant? I’ll pick you up at two o’clock.”
“Don’t bother. Just go. Lock the door when you leave. I don’t want to meet any felines.”
He breathed in Tammy’s scent, wanted to memorize it before it faded, and listened to his friend go away. His eyes closed as his hand gently brushed the comforter. He couldn’t remember the last time tears had wet his eyes but they did at that moment. He’d lost her and she would never return. He’d known peace with her. Happiness. Hope. And now it was gone. She was…lost to him forever.
Chapter Four
Why can’t I just forget Valiant? Tammy felt totally disgusted with her lack of control over her thoughts as she lined up the pool cue and the white ball. She glanced at the red ball and the pocket. Loud music played in the background. Someone had been in a mood for old-time rock. A sigh sounded near her.
“Take the shot already, Tam. You know you’re going to kick my ass anyway.”
She turned her head to grin at her longtime best friend Tim. The two of them had known each other since grade school and they were really close. He’d wanted more than friendship during high school but Tammy hadn’t returned his romantic feelings. Now years later they’d settled into a comfortable but strictly platonic friendship that both of them were happy with.
“I can’t help it if I’m better at this than you are.”
A smile twisted his lips. He appeared to be kind of awkward but he had a sweet smile and soft brown eyes. Tim resembled the average computer geek because he was one. He wore a logo T-shirt and sweatpants and worked from home as a computer programmer who made game software. His glasses glinted from the bar lights.
“I can kick your ass at video games any day.”
“Yes, you can.” She took the shot and sank the red ball into the corner pocket. “That’s why I’m smarter than you are and the reason we’re at the bar instead of your house in front of a game system. I wanted to win.”
He scoffed. “You’re not smarter. I’m just a gentleman.”
She sank another ball. “Too bad you never bet money on our games.”
“I make good money but not that good.” He laughed. “You’d wipe me out of my life savings within an hour with the way you play pool.”
Tammy winked at him. “You know I need a new roof.”
Tim’s smile faded as he stared at her. “You do? Why don’t you let me pay for it?”
Major goof. She’d made a slip. She should have known better but her mind still remained distracted by the memory of a pair of cat-eyes the color of melted gold attached to a body that still made hers heat up at the very recollection of Valiant. She’d thought about him a hundred times a day since they’d nearly five weeks before. She shook her head.
“I was kidding.”
Tim wasn’t buying it. “You were not. Is it leaking again? Come on, Tam. Let me help you. We’re friends. Hell, we’re practically family. I know what you make and its shit. You couldn’t go to college the way I did. You had your grandma to take care of and I know you’re still paying off her debts. That house she left you is a death trap. Let me buy you a new roof. Do you need any other repairs? I have the money and it’s just sitting inside a bank account. It’s not as though I have a girlfriend to blow my money on.”
Tammy sank the black ball. Game over. She frowned at her best friend. “We’ve had this argument before and I won’t take your money. Thank you from the bottom of my heart but I’m not a leech.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it. I’d never accuse you of that. You always had to do everything for everyone so let me help you this once. It’s what friends and family do for each other.”
“I don’t want to fight.”
She walked away from the pool table and moved to their table. She gripped her beer, peered at the lime stuck inside it, and took a sip. She rarely drank alcohol but sometimes she had the urge. She finished off her first and last beer of the night as she drained the bottle. She’d felt the need to feel a slight buzz more often since she’d met Valiant.
“We’re not fighting. I’m trying to reason with you. I live with my parents and I don’t pay a mortgage. The house is paid off. I just pay the taxes, which are chickenfeed. I make really good money and I have all the toys I want. Let me help you out. Do you remember when my dad had his stroke last year and they sent out that shitty home nurse from the hospital for him? You came and took care of him. You found the wonderful woman who takes care of him now. You changed his diapers for weeks and wouldn’t take a penny. Now let me help you.”
“Tell you what,” Tammy sighed, turning to face him, “you can come change my diapers if or when I ever have a stroke. Until then, don’t shove money at me. It’s different.”
Tim laughed. “Finally! You’re giving me a green light to take your pants off.”
Tammy laughed and shook her head. “You’re disgusting.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “Hey, that’s the closest thing to an invite to see you naked that I’ve ever gotten.”
“That’s not true.” She disposed of her beer bottle inside a trash can and gripped her purse. A glance at her watch showed it was just after eleven. “Don’t forget the time I wanted to go skinny dipping when we were ten. You chickened out. You thought a snapping turtle would latch onto you in a bad place if you took off your underwear and waded into the pond. You could have seen me naked.”