She searched his eyes. His voice held a sad tone but that emotion didn’t show on his face. “Why not?”
He slowly withdrew from her body and watched her features for any sign of discomfort. It didn’t hurt Ellie. He rolled to the side to stretch out on his back. Ellie turned her head and stayed on her stomach. Their gazes met.
“Ellie, inside the testing facility they spent years doing breeding experiments to make more of us but it never happened. They kept coming up with new drugs to make it possible for us to be fertile but they always failed. By the time they believed they had found a way around all the changes they’d made to our bodies with the DNA they added, we were rescued before they could test them out. The drugs they gave us have worn off. We will die out as a race when old age claims the last New Species that Mercile created.”
The reminder of what had been done to them haunted her. She had no words of comfort to give him.
Fury sat up suddenly. “Let’s shower. I’m starving and what you cooked for dinner smells really delicious. I’m glad you took it out of the oven when I walked in the door. It smells too tasty to have been wasted if it burned.” He refused to look at Ellie.
Fury walked into the bathroom and left the door open. Ellie softly cursed. She’d reminded him of his time in the testing facility. Maybe it reminded him of what she’d done, how he should hate her, and made him regret what they’d just shared. That left her cold inside. Water turned on inside the bathroom.
“Ellie? I’m waiting for you.”
She climbed off the bed to follow him into the bathroom. Fury stood holding the shower door open. His dark eyes met hers and he smiled.
“Allow me to wash your hair.”
Surprised and relieved that he welcomed her company, she smiled back at him. “No one has ever done for me before. At least not since I was a little kid.”
His smile widened. “Then you are in for a treat.”
* * * * *
Ellie finished loading the dishwasher. She listened to the quiet house. Fury had informed her that he needed to make phone calls after dinner when she’d started rinsing the dishes. She wondered who he had to call after eight o’clock at night but hadn’t wanted to be nosy.
Ellie flipped off the kitchen light and strolled into the living room. Fury stood in front of the wide-open front door and soft male voices greeted her. She spun away to head down the hallway to the guest bedroom, not wanting to eavesdrop on his conversation with whoever had come to see him.
She flipped on the television and sat on the bed. The local news station wasn’t hard to find. She wanted to know what they were saying about a New Species and a human hooking up. It certainly concerned her.
Fury walked into the bedroom a few minutes later. She turned her head to give him a tentative smile. He didn’t smile back, looking grim instead.
“I have to go out. There are some matters my people need me to attend.”
Ellie nodded, curious, but didn’t ask when he didn’t offer up the information readily. “All right.”
He hesitated. “I don’t want you to be here when I come home.”
Shock tore through Ellie as she mutely stared at him. He’d had sex with her, they’d showered together, laughed during dinner, and now he wanted to throw her out of his home? She couldn’t even form words. She felt physically and emotionally gut-punched.
Fury moved suddenly, charged at her, gripped her upper arms and jerked her to a standing position. “You have an expressive face. I meant I don’t want you staying in this room. You belong in my bedroom where I want you from now on. Do you really think I would ask you to leave our home? I meant I don’t want you sleeping away from me. You belong in my bed, sleeping in my room, with me.”
She could breathe again. She knew it bordered on pathetic, being so intensely relieved at the misunderstanding.
Fury growled at her. “Move your things into my room. I will hunt you down and tie you to my bed if you leave my house. I will mount you until you are too tired to even think about crawling away from me. Is that clear enough for you?”
She mutely nodded. The image of him wearing her out until she couldn’t even crawl turned her on. That was a whole lot of sex. She bit her lip and grinned at him.
Fury shook his head. “Women.”
“Communication breakdown.”
Fury’s hold on her arms eased and his gaze softened. “You think I’m beautiful.”
“I do.”
“Understand I mean it about tying you to my bed. Don’t leave me. I don’t want to lose you. I won’t.”
“I want to stay with you.”
Chapter Twelve
“No,” Fury roared.
Ellie heard the commotion after the doorbell rang. They had planned to spend Saturday together watching movies. Ellie had just finished a load of laundry while Fury made popcorn. At Fury’s outburst, Ellie ran from the bedroom where she’d started folding clothes.
Justice, two NSO security officers, and Fury faced off inside the living room. Ellie came to an abrupt halt when she realized how tense the situation appeared to be. She worried a brawl might break out between the men and stayed frozen by the doorway.
Justice crossed his arms over his chest. He wore jeans and a T-shirt. His dark gaze slid to Ellie. The enraged expression on his face surprised her. His features were tense and his lips pressed together to form a grim line.
“I said no.” Fury growled deeply. He backed up toward Ellie but he didn’t glance her way. “Ellie, come here now and get behind me.”
Fear inched up Ellie’s spine immediately at the tone of Fury’s voice. She did as he demanded without thinking about it. One of his arms curved back and pulled her snugly against his back until she nearly hugged him from behind. His body felt rigid. Ellie didn’t know what had made him angry but when she moved her head enough to peer around Fury’s body, the fear rose. The NSO officers had their hands on their Taser weapons.
“Fury,” Justice growled. “Her people are concerned. I am just saying they need to see and talk to her. We will bring her back. No one will harm her.”
“I go with her or she doesn’t leave.” Fury snarled deep within his chest.
Justice snarled back. “The humans are being unreasonable but once they see her, are assured you haven’t hurt her, they will let the matter drop.”
“No!”
Ellie cleared her throat. “What is going on?” She looked to Justice for the answer.
“You aren’t leaving with them,” Fury ordered harshly as he glanced over his shoulder at her. “They won’t allow me come with them to protect you and I won’t let them to take you from me.” His dark gaze tore from hers and he glared at the men inside the living room. Fury took another step back, forcing Ellie into a corner with his body in front of hers.
Ellie’s heart raced from adrenaline. She realized Fury protected her by sealing her into a corner to prevent anyone from reaching her without going through him first. She rubbed his back with her hands, trying to silently calm him. She had to wiggle to see around Fury and her attention returned to Justice.
“Who wants to see me and why? What is going on?”
Justice flashed sharp teeth as his upper lip curled with disgust and then his shoulders straightened. He took a deep breath as he met Ellie’s questioning stare. “Some of your people think Fury is forcing you to stay here like some kind of…” He shrugged. “They are afraid he is raping and beating you, and whatever else they can think up that would be monstrous.”
“That’s not true.” Ellie huffed in outrage. “Who is saying that bullshit?”
Justice growled. “Your boss made those charges. Director Boris has everyone in an uproar over your supposed mistreatment.”
“Hey, he’s not my boss anymore. God, he’s an asshole.” Ellie stopped rubbing Fury’s back. She kept her body against his though and she curled a hand around his waist loosely. “Fury, it’s all right. No one is going to hurt me.”
“They aren’t taking you
away from me,” Fury snarled. He backed up more, pushing Ellie into the corner tighter.
“She has to come with us,” Justice growled. “Look at how you are acting. What is wrong with you? She’s not a chew toy, Fury. You’re behaving the way they are accusing us of being. Calm down.”
“No one is going to hurt my Ellie.”
Justice’s eyebrows rose as surprise transformed his features. “Your Ellie? You’re breeding with her, aren’t you?” His voice softened. “You won’t let us get close enough to her to smell her. Is that why?”
“She’s mine,” Fury snarled.
Justice’s normally tan skin tone paled slightly. His gaze swung to Ellie. “Did he force you? Are you all right?”
Ellie flinched over the memory of Justice discovering her tied to Fury’s bed. “I’m great except for being crammed into a corner. Fury, you’re crushing me. Could you please stop pushing back? This isn’t a good way for you to pin me against a wall.” She relaxed when he gave her a few inches of breathing room. She locked her gaze with Justice’s surprised ones. “Fury hasn’t forced me to do anything—he never has. We’re great. We’re fine.”
“He didn’t just breed you. He mated you.” It was a grim-sounding statement Justice made.
Ellie hesitated. “We’re sleeping together if that’s what you mean. Yes. We’re great. Everything is fine and I want to be here. Fury wouldn’t hurt me. You know him so you should know that.”
Justice’s eyes narrowed. “What about last time? What he did wasn’t rational.”
A blush warmed Ellie’s cheeks. “We were working things out. He didn’t mean to hurt me. He accidentally scratched me with his teeth.”
Eyebrows rose. “How does one accidentally kidnap a woman from a park and tie her naked to a bed?”
“That part wasn’t an accident but you know that. I told you why he took me from the park.”
Fury stiffened against her and turned his head to stare at her with shock. She glanced at him, inwardly winced, and returned her full attention to Justice. She had a sinking feeling she and Fury were going to have a tense conversation in the very near future.
Ellie refused to acknowledge the two NSO officers. She wished a hole would open up under her. She didn’t want to discuss this but she knew Justice was concerned for her safety. He’d brought men with him who looked ready to possibly hurt Fury to get her away from him.
“You know we had some issues. He might have gotten me into his bed without my agreement but once there, it turned consensual. I told you he didn’t rape me and I wasn’t being dishonest or covering for him, damn it. He asked my permission before he entered me.”
Justice watched her closely, studying her for a long moment. He finally nodded. “I see. You were seduced until you couldn’t refuse him.”
She took a deep breath. “I’ve always been very attracted to Fury. He didn’t have to try real hard. Can we please drop this now? I’m here with Fury because I really want to be.”
Justice turned to the two NSO officers. “Go outside and guard the door.”
The two men closed the door behind them as they left. Justice ran his fingers through his hair and let his hands drop to his sides. A thumb hooked inside the front pocket of his jeans. He focused on Fury.
Fury hated to feel fear but he experienced it now. He knew he alarmed Justice with his gruff behavior and possessiveness of Ellie. Panic still coursed through him that somehow the humans would whisk her away from Homeland, out of his reach. He didn’t trust Director Boris. The human had beady eyes and failed to hide his dislike for New Species.
Some of the human employees weren’t happy over Ellie living with him and they resented a human being with his kind. Ellie had become his, making her a New Species, and humans had no claim on her anymore in his opinion. It was that simple. If he were allowed to go with her to see Director Boris, he’d feel more secure that nothing would happen but they refused to allow him to be present. That triggered every alarm inside him.
He’d assigned a New Species guard outside to protect Ellie from being taken while he worked. He’d go to any lengths to keep her safe. He met Justice’s gaze and didn’t look away. His friend knew how deeply his feelings for Ellie ran.
Justice watched him with curiosity. “I’m concerned because you act so differently when it comes to the female.”
“I am aware but I would never hurt her. Trust me.”
Justice’s cat eyes narrowed. “I do. I’m sorry for implying otherwise but you have to admit you’re not always yourself when it comes to your female.”
“I’m aware of that as well.”
The two men studied each other. Justice spoke first. “They are pressuring me to bring her to see them, to verify that she is fine. I have no choice and you know that we must appease their concerns.”
It was difficult to be reasonable when it came to Ellie but he knew Justice had a good point. The humans were still wary of New Species and they had to be concerned with her well-being. To be honest, if it were any other New Species male with a human female, he’d be closely monitoring the situation too. Fury sighed, calmed, and knew Ellie wouldn’t leave him willingly. He needed to allow the humans to see her.
“They want a doctor to examine her. They are worried. Hell, I’m worried. We’ve talked about crossing this line but I know of no one who has so far, except you and her.” Justice paused. “So we’re compatible sexually?”
Fury nodded. “A little different as we suspected but it works out extremely well. She doesn’t need a doctor. I would not hurt her.”
Justice frowned. “What about biting?” His gaze roamed her bared skin around her throat and shoulders. His gaze swung back to Fury. “They are more fragile than our women and they don’t heal as fast.”
“I don’t bite her.”
“You actually bite during sex?” That surprised Ellie. The discussion about her sex life with Fury embarrassed her but curiosity won out. “I didn’t know that.”
Fury looked at her and flashed his fangs for a split second when he lifted his upper lip. “I don’t think you would enjoy it.”
She studied his canine teeth. “Probably not.”
Fury snorted, amusement flickered in his brown eyes, before he faced Justice. “I will allow her to go but I stay at her side. Those hate groups have already attacked her for working here. I won’t risk her life now that it’s rumored she lives with me. It’s made her a bigger target.”
“I understand but Director Boris is adamant that you not be present. He is afraid you’ve dealt out severe enough abuse to her that she’d be too terrified to be truthful in your presence.”
“I don’t give a damn what Boris wants,” Fury growled. “She’s mine and not his. She is none of his concern anymore.”
Ellie shifted her weight, eased her body out of the corner, and wiggled around Fury. He let her move until she tried to step away from him. One arm snagged around her waist to prevent her from leaving his reach. He pulled her back against the front of him until she leaned back against his body. Ellie relaxed. She loved him holding her regardless of the circumstances. She curled her fingers around his forearm to assure him she didn’t plan to move.
Justice watched them with interest. “Did you mate her the first day you brought her into your home?”
“We mated last night.” Fury’s body relaxed. “I don’t trust Boris. I don’t trust anyone with her life. She’s mine, Justice. I won’t allow anyone to harm her. Not even you with your concerns.”
“I’d never harm her,” Justice swore softly. “I give you my word nothing will happen to her and I would defend her with my life. I need to take her with me to see the director. We’re close to taking over and he will be gone soon but for now we must work with him. I’ll bring her right back. They want a doctor to examine her first but I won’t leave her side. We need to set their minds at ease, Fury. They are concerned about our breeding habits combining with theirs. They are sure you bred with her and they will not leave this alone.??
?
“They don’t know for sure if Fury and I have been intimate, right?” Ellie spoke.
Justice nodded. “All it will take is one whiff to tell them the truth. Now that you are close to me I can smell Fury’s scent. You are covered in it.”
Ellie hesitated. “Guess what? We can’t smell as good as you guys do. All we can do is study things with our eyes and speculate.”
Justice slowly smiled. “I forget about that. We take it for granted.”
She nodded. “They can only hypothesize about what Fury and I have done together.”
The smile faded from Justice’s face. “You are living with him.”
“She’s mine,” Fury stated softly with a threatening tone. “She will continue to live with me. That isn’t up for debate.”
Justice studied Fury very closely. “Are you all right? You’re very possessive.”
“I’m fine. I admit I feel possessive. She is mine and it is that simple.”
Justice hesitated. “You definitely mated her. This is far beyond breeding with a female. I will take her to see Boris and then bring her back to you. I won’t leave her side.”
“You will protect her as if she is one of ours,” Fury demanded.
Justice nodded. “She is yours and that means she is one of ours.”
Fury’s arm eased its tight hold around her waist and both hands gripped her hips. He spun her to face him until their gazes met.
“I will get you back if they try to make you leave Homeland. No one will keep you from me.”
It startled Ellie at how fierce he sounded but she nodded. “I’ll be home really soon. I…” She wanted say she loved him but resisted. The level of emotion she felt toward him didn’t come as a surprise to her. “I will miss you,” she finally settled on saying.
Fury cupped her face with both hands and leaned down until their noses nearly touched. “You will be missed too.” His passionate gaze lifted from hers to stare pointedly over her head. “Bring her back soon and protect her at all costs.”
“I will,” Justice swore. “With my very life if need be. Let’s go, Ellie. You will want to put on shoes.”