“Justice and the others?”
“Yes. I’ve yet to give a report. I need to do this.”
“May I go with you? They might have questions for me.”
She’d do anything to avoid being left behind, worried he wouldn’t return. Attending a meeting full of men didn’t sound fun but at least he’d be at her side. She had a bad feeling the term “out of sight, out of mind” might apply to her when it came to Shadow.
He suddenly lowered to his knees. “Come here.” His arms opened wide.
She quickly closed the distance. She liked it when he hugged her tightly and she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his neck. He was so big and so Shadow.
“What is really wrong? Tell me.”
She hesitated. Men didn’t like clingy women. Every book she’d read had taught her that and it was exactly how she felt. She didn’t want him to leave, was afraid it would end what they’d begun, and she didn’t want to return to her solitary life.
“Beauty?” He squeezed her tighter, not exactly a warning but the message was clear. He wouldn’t release her until he had answers.
“I don’t want to lose you,” she blurted.
One of his hands slid from her waist to her ass, to grip one cheek. He squeezed. “Is that why you are purposely delaying me?”
She loved his hand on her butt, so close to other places she wanted him touching her. “Yes. Everything is so new. What if you don’t come back?”
He held her and buried his face against her neck, nuzzling her with his nose. He inhaled her scent, his chest vibrating against hers when he softly rumbled a sexy sound. “You couldn’t keep me out of your bed if you tried, love. I’m on my knees for you. Do you think just anyone could drop me to them?”
“You’re just trying to appear nonthreatening.”
He chuckled and his lips teased the sensitive area just under her earlobe. His hot, wet tongue slid across the same spot. Beauty’s fingers weaved into his hair, holding him there. He squeezed her ass again but slid that hand back to her waist. It was disappointing.
“True, but it wasn’t the only reason. I want you to know you leave me vulnerable.”
She pulled back and so did he until she could see his eyes. Honesty brimmed there as she studied them. “What does that mean?”
“You only want me, right?”
“Yes.”
“No one else?”
“Never.”
A smile curved his lips. “I feel the same. You’re all I want. We have a lot to discuss but for now they are waiting for me in Justice’s office. You don’t want to get me yelled at, do you?” His tone became teasing. “That male is scary when angry.”
“He is.” She smiled back. “Okay. I’ll be good and allow you to leave without delaying you more. Just hurry back.”
He grew somber. “I don’t know how long it will take. I have some things to do.”
“Hours?”
He hesitated. “Perhaps days. I’m not sure. I will be back and we’ll talk.”
“Okay.” She didn’t have any choice and he was promising to return. That’s all she could ask of him for now. “I’ll miss you.” Admitting that put her pride at stake but it was a chance she was willing to take.
“I’ll miss you as well.” He glanced at her breasts. “So much.”
She laughed. “Hurry back to me then.”
A knock sounded at the door. “Shadow? Security just called, asking where you are.” It was Kit, her irritation clear. “Quit playing with the Gift and move your ass.”
Shadow frowned. Beauty clenched her teeth. They regarded each other and she spoke first.
“That woman is a bitch,” she whispered.
“I heard that. Get a move on, Shadow.”
He rose to his feet, releasing her. One look down his body made him utter a soft curse. Beauty followed his gaze and grinned. He’d gone from semi-aroused to full-blown impressive in size. There was no way to hide the state of his body.
He turned, walked to her sink, and turned on water. Beauty watched in fascination as he wet his hands, reached up to the back of his neck, and rubbed.
“What are you doing?”
He shot her a grin. “Attempting to think of something besides you being so close to a bed.” He closed his eyes, repeated the process of wetting the back of his neck and finally turned off the water. His cock wasn’t as hard when he stepped around the counter into view. “Stay inside and I’ll be back as soon as everything is taken care of.”
“Okay.”
She hated to see him go but she held still until he left her apartment. Kit stepped inside when he attempted to close the door. He paused, staring at her, but then walked on when the feline smiled after pointedly staring at his groin.
“Isn’t he cute?” Kit closed the door behind her, leaning against it.
“You can’t have him. He’s mine.” Beauty glared.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay. We heard what happened.” Kit stayed where she was. “We almost lost you to the humans.”
“I’m sorry if it disappoints you that it didn’t happen.”
The other woman’s expression blanked then she frowned. “I’m not as bad as you think. I don’t dislike you. I’m glad you’re safe.”
“I annoy you. You think I’m weak.” There was no use pretending otherwise. Beauty spoke her mind. “It would probably make your life easier if I had been stolen.”
“That’s not true. Tiny and Halfpint would have wailed and needed constant care if you had been lost.” Kit sighed loudly, straightening away from the door. “I actually like you now. You showed backbone when you stood up to me. I was genuinely worried about you when we got the reports of the attack. I came to see if you wanted to talk to someone or if you just didn’t want to be left alone.”
Surprised at the confession, Beauty took a step closer. “Thank you.”
“I guess I’ll go.” Kit spun, gripping the door handle.
“Kit?”
She glanced back, opening it. “What?”
“I’d like for you to stay.”
The door closed with Kit still inside the apartment. “Okay. You hungry? I am. I just got off shift. They made pizza downstairs. Should I call the kitchen to ask for one to be sent up?”
“That sounds good. I love pizza.”
“With meat, right?” Kit made a face. “They made some with just cheese. Why would they do that?”
“I don’t know.” Beauty smiled. “It is strange, isn’t it?”
“We’re not the vegetarian types. We’re carnivores. Can you imagine handing a lion or a wolf an apple for their dinner? They’d take off your fingers for the insult.”
“True.” Beauty relaxed, liking this side of the usually prickly woman. She didn’t point out that she was primate Species. “I love meat on pizza.”
Kit lifted the phone. “Then we’ll eat some. You can give me all the details of what happened.”
Beauty nodded, glad that she wouldn’t be alone to worry about what could possibly keep Shadow away from her for days.
Shadow grabbed a quick shower at the dorm and wore his NSO uniform to the meeting. He was almost an hour late when he arrived. Fury, Slade, Justice and Brass were eating pizza when he entered.
“There he is.” Justice arched an eyebrow. “Finally.”
“I showered and changed.” Shadow shrugged. “I apologize.”
“We decided to eat.” Fury waved to the food. “Want some? Ellie made a few extra for me to share.” He grinned at Justice. “She also wants two additional ovens added at the dorm’s main kitchen. They are cooking more instead of eating at the cafeteria.”
“Four aren’t enough? Plus they have the ones inside their apartments.” Slade frowned.
“Females enjoying cooking together in a group. It’s a good way to bond.” Fury glanced around. “She wants them. Let her have them.” He narrowed his gaze at Justice. “Don’t say no. It would disappoint my Ellie and make her unhappy. She will c
all Jessie and then your mate will be unhappy.”
Justice chuckled. “My mate is sexy when she’s angry but the females can have the ovens. It’s not much to ask.” He picked up a pen and scribbled on a tablet. “Note made. It will be taken care of.”
Slade nodded. “Two ovens is far cheaper than what we just spent on updating the gym equipment inside the men’s dorm.”
“We do tend to break shit easily.” Brass shoved a few slices of heavily loaded pizza onto a paper plate and passed it to Shadow. “Sit. I’ll grab you a soda from Justice’s fridge.”
Shadow sat, using part of the large desk as a table. The relaxed attitude of the room was welcome. He’d expected anger after making them wait. He’d taken a bite when the meeting officially began.
“Breeze called in the details of what happened at the cabin,” Justice informed him. “She was stuck at Medical so we held a conference call with her. What took place in the woods after you left her?”
“Is Breeze well?”
Fury nodded. “She doesn’t like being kept for a few days but young Dr. Harris insisted she be given the healing drugs. It will lessen the chance of her scarring from the wound. They need to keep an eye on her while she’s on them. Males aren’t the only ones to grow aggressive. I am almost glad she’s there instead of here. I’d hate to be her nurse.”
Brass laughed, handing a drink to Shadow before he took a seat on the couch. “Better them than us. She’s a wonderful female but I feel bad for Destiny. Breeze will make him miserable just to stay amused.”
Fury chuckled. “Obsidian didn’t want him anywhere near his mate after what happened.”
“What happened?” Shadow glanced around the room.
“Would you want another male around your female if he made it clear he wanted her too?”
Enough said. “Understood.” Shadow opened and sipped the soda. “I tracked the humans down after I left the cabin. They’d treed Beauty after taking her from the bedroom upstairs. I removed their weapons and they were arrested.”
Brass snorted. “A human you attacked is still in surgery. The doctors couldn’t save one of his nuts. You smashed it.”
Shadow remembered the mercenary he’d taken down. He felt no regret. He said nothing.
“I’m surprised they are still alive.” Fury gave him an understanding look. “I would have killed them.”
“Beauty wouldn’t walk out of sight.” He wouldn’t lie. “She’d seen enough violence. I wanted them dead but wasn’t willing to do it in front of her.”
“We’re glad they are alive.” Justice leaned forward. “They know how to locate Douglas Miller. Tim is questioning the ones we captured. Miller’s in Afghanistan. They gave him up easily.”
Brass chuckled. “Bestial might have had something to do with that. He went into the cells with Tim to persuade them to be agreeable. Tim is good at intimidation but not as convincing as an enraged Species male. They tend to believe we’ll eat them alive.”
“True.” Justice hesitated. “We also have a lead on who might be behind the drug given to Moon but they were unsure of exactly how Miller acquired it. We’ll know more once the human is caught.”
Anger filled Shadow. “We don’t have authority to go to Afghanistan.”
“Lucky for us, we know someone already there.” Justice held his gaze. “Jessie has a brother who works for a private security firm that protects American workers. I made a call. He was sympathetic and is assembling a team. It will take some time but Jake will capture Douglas Miller and have him returned to the States. They will hand the bastard over to us just as soon as they are able.”
“I want to be there.” Shadow wanted to personally kill Beauty’s abuser.
“No.” Justice shook his head. “We need him alive. He has to tell us exactly what was done to Moon and tell us where he got the drug.”
“He abused a Gift Female.” Shadow wasn’t about to let it go. He wouldn’t rest until the bastard was no longer a threat to Beauty. “He sent mercenaries into Reservation after her. He’s too dangerous to be allowed to live.”
“He’ll suffer for his crimes but death is not the answer,” Justice growled. “Calm now. The Gift isn’t the only victim he’s harmed. Species were hurt when that team attacked Reservation and Moon is still feral. The drug hasn’t worn off. Every hour that passes harms him more. The doctors and specialists we’ve called in agree on that. They are frantically trying to identify the drug but so far haven’t been able to. None of the treatments are working to calm and return him to his natural state.”
It ate at Shadow’s gut to leave Douglas Miller alive. He didn’t deserve to breathe for what he’d done to Beauty. He’d kept her locked up in chains and forced his body into hers. The more he thought about it, the more enraged he became.
“Easy,” Brass ordered, watching him with concern. “We understand but death is too swift. She suffered endlessly. Why shouldn’t every day he takes breath be hellish? Do you understand? Justice’s mate’s brother will find Douglas Miller. It could take some weeks since it’s pretty bad over there but he will get him. I met Jake when he visited to meet Justice. He’s a tough human with predatory traits. He would fit in with the task force if he wished. You’d like him.”
“I don’t care if I’d like him or not. It’s my right to seek revenge for Beauty.”
Brass’ eyebrows rose. “I see.”
“She’s mine,” he snarled, still furious. “He forced her to submit to sex and hurt her. He named her Mud.” His rage built. “Kept her from sunshine and exposed her to vile humans who threatened her with harm. I don’t want him to suffer. I want him really to be in hell after I take his life.”
Brass slowly stood. “You’ve deeply bonded to her.”
“Yes.” Shadow wouldn’t deny it.
“So fast?” Brass looked skeptical.
“It doesn’t take long,” Justice mused. “Trust me on that, my friend. I spent a few hours with Jessie and she was deeply embedded under my skin.”
Slade grunted. “Or a few minutes. I woke in a hospital after I was freed from Mercile with this angel leaning over my bed. I had her pinned under me in seconds, ready to claim her as mine. I wanted her immediately and I will never stop wanting Trisha. She’s my mate. The attraction was so strong. I almost lost her later though because I didn’t realize she was the same woman when we met again.”
Shadow gaped at him.
“She’d dyed her hair another color and I was pretty drugged at the time. My memories of her were affected.” Slade grinned. “I knew my attraction was unusually strong when I met that mouthy little doctor. I just didn’t put it together until she admitted who she was.”
Shadow pushed the plate away, his appetite gone. “I need to do something.”
“Be with your female,” Justice gently urged. “Trust me on this. That’s the only cure for the rage you feel. Help her heal from the damage done by showing her all the things she missed while in captivity.”
Shadow considered it. He looked at Brass. “Tim wants me to return to the team. I’m needed there but Beauty couldn’t live at headquarters. I can’t go back to working with the task force.”
Brass appeared shocked. “You are implying she’d want to live with you. Are you talking about mating with her? How does she feel about that?”
“We need to talk about it still.” His chest tightened at the prospect of her refusing to accept him on a permanent level. “She admitted I’m the only male she wants. We agreed on not sharing sex with others.”
“Ellie and I have discussed Gifts at length. They are different from our other females who tend to reject settling down with one male,” Fury stated quietly. “They learned to protect themselves against bonding with males to avoid being emotionally crippled when they were taken to different ones for the breeding experiments. But Gifts spent most of their time alone with no bonds at all. They didn’t have an opportunity to form any since only their abusers had access to them. It’s possible she might welcome bei
ng mated to a male.” He silently regarded Shadow. “You’re the first one a Gift has wanted to interact with. She must feel strongly for you.”
“Did you share sex with her?” Slade arched an eyebrow.
“I don’t feel comfortable discussing this.”
“It’s relevant and they did share sex,” Justice announced. “Breeze confirmed that privately before I brought everyone into the conference call with her. Breeze stated Beauty handled the experience in a positive light.”
Shadow hated the way everyone smiled at him. “Enough.” It embarrassed him slightly.
“I guess your fears were unwarranted,” Brass teased.
“I won’t discuss it.”
“Do you want to mate her?” Justice crossed his arms over his chest.
“I plan to discuss it with Beauty. I want to.” He took a deep breath. “We’d need housing away from the dorms. I’d want to live next to Wrath and Lauren.”
“Agreed.” Justice picked up his pen.
“I’d like papers drawn up.”
Justice looked up from his notes to stare at Shadow. “We only have them for humans. It’s a legal issue with their rights and to protect them by officially making them Species.”
“Mates have papers.” Shadow refused to back down. “I want it official if Beauty agrees. She deserves to know I’m serious.”
“We could come up with something,” Fury intervened. He smiled at Justice. “Couldn’t we? Ellie has our papers framed in our bedroom.”
Justice grinned back. “We could do that. Jessie hung ours in the office at home.”
“As soon as Beauty is out of danger, I plan to ask.” Shadow reached for the pizza. He should eat.
“Why wait?” Slade paused. “There’s nothing you can do right now. You aren’t returning to the task force since a Gift shouldn’t live at headquarters. There’re too many human males and you’d never want to leave her unprotected around them. It’s hard to work if you refuse to leave your quarters. Douglas Miller will be caught but you won’t be a part of it. Your priority is Beauty.”
“I know she is.” He still wanted to argue the future of Beauty’s abuser but it was clear the matter had already been settled. He wouldn’t be allowed to kill the bastard. It didn’t sit well with him but he’d learned to take orders. “There’s the matter of the team member who activated my emergency transponder and gave those coordinates to the mercenaries to track Beauty’s location. Tim promised to allow me access to him.”