“There is nothing amusing about you refusing to mate with me.”
“I mean, just give yourself some time so we’re both sure of this.”
“You are the one who is saying no.” He said the words gruffly, obviously a little angry.
“I want to say yes but I never want you to feel trapped by me or unhappy. It would break my heart to lose you that way.”
“Mates are forever.”
“That’s why I’m insisting we wait.”
“You belong to me, Alli.”
The sad way he said her name tore her apart. He honestly didn’t seem to understand the sacrifice she made by being strong enough to say no. “We’ll wait until you settle into the men’s dorm and meet more Species. Adjust to being free and the new world you’re in before you make that kind of serious decision.”
“They aren’t taking you away from me. We will move into the men’s dorm together.”
She no longer would have a home once the new doctor arrived, nor was she sure if she’d be allowed to stay on at Homeland if she wasn’t Obsidian’s official mate. “I need to use the phone to make some calls.”
“Why?”
She didn’t want him to freak out by mentioning it was possible that she’d be escorted off NSO land if they didn’t sign the papers. “I need to go over a few things with Justice or Fury. I have my stuff packed up but don’t know where it should go.” That wasn’t a lie but it wasn’t fully the truth either.
“It will go where you go, with me.”
Everything was black and white to him. It reinforced her belief that she was doing the right thing. Life wasn’t that simple. He’d learn that once the boundaries of his world were expanded.
“I’ll fix you lunch and make those calls while you eat.”
“You aren’t hungry?”
“No. I can’t eat as much as you do.”
He eased away from her and she released him, slipping off the edge of the island. “We’ll work on your cooking skills later. How about some sandwiches? I have chips too.”
Obsidian shadowed her as she prepared his early lunch. It was a good thing New Species provided groceries because it would cost a fortune to feed him in the outside world. Alli left him in the kitchen at the counter to go into her bedroom.
Her hands shook as she called the main office and asked to be transferred to Justice’s office. They put her right through to him.
“Allison? What can I do for you?”
“I’m really sorry about Obsidian’s behavior.”
“He’s newly freed. We expect aggression. You shouldn’t get between males in that situation. I could have handled him.”
She didn’t doubt that Justice North could fight but she didn’t want Obsidian to be hurt or worse, sent to Reservation. He wasn’t naturally antisocial but just hadn’t learned how to get along with others yet. “I wanted to talk to you about the mate papers.”
“They are being prepared and should arrive within the hour.”
She hesitated, debating her words carefully as she spoke softly, hoping her voice didn’t carry to the other room. “It’s too soon. He doesn’t understand that he has a lot more options than just being with me.”
“You don’t want to be his mate?”
“I do.” You have no idea how much. “I…love Obsidian but I’ve had months to spend with him and I’ve dated enough men to be sure what I want in one. All he ever had was a mate and now me.”
The silent response made her gut twist.
“I’m the first woman who has ever kissed him,” she whispered, her gaze locking on the doorway. “His experience is very limited, Justice. I don’t want him to regret mating me down the road when he meets other New Species women. He should have choices and the freedom to grow without locking himself into a permanent situation. As much as I want to spend the rest of my life with him, it wouldn’t be fair to take advantage of him. I would feel I’m doing that if I didn’t give him the opportunity to adjust to his new life first.”
“I understand and appreciate your candor.” He paused. “How limited is his experience? He had a mate. What do you mean, you’re the first female he’s kissed?”
She stood and gently eased her bedroom door closed and rushed into the closet to put another sealed door between her and Obsidian. New Species hearing was incredibly sensitive. It was a conversation she didn’t want him to hear.
“His mate only allowed him to touch her when she craved sex. She was in love with someone else before they met, from what he’s told me. She didn’t allow him to explore many sexual experiences. She’s the only woman besides me that he’s been with.”
Silence stretched again. “You want our females to offer to share sex with him?”
“No!” She hated the way that denial burst forth. “I mean, I don’t hope he sleeps with someone else… I love him but he should have those options available so he knows he has choices. I’m afraid he might be so serious about me because I’m all he knows. Does that make sense?”
“You’re not New Species.”
“I know that.”
He chuckled. “What I meant is that we know what we want and we wouldn’t care if someone we loved had options or not. We’re jealous by nature and possessive. I wouldn’t want to put my Jessie around other males to give them an opportunity to tempt her into their beds. I’d have to kill them.”
She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the closet wall. “I just don’t want him to rush into anything, Justice. I am trying damn hard to do the right thing. Am I being stupid? I love him so much but I’m terrified I’m taking advantage if I agree to sign those papers. I want to.”
“You have a good heart and you are being selfless with your love. That’s a noble trait, Allison.”
“Are you going to order me to leave Homeland or can I stay with him despite us not being official mates? I’m asking for time with him. I know I don’t deserve it after what I did and that I’ve lost your trust. He wants me to move into the men’s dorm with him though and I am afraid he’ll attack anyone who comes to take me away.”
“Do you want to stay with him?”
“Yes.”
“You can’t work for us and your privileges will be stripped but you may stay. It means you will need an escort when you leave his quarters. Your phone access to the outside world will be monitored and limited. Can you live that way?”
It went against the grain to agree to those terms. She was a doctor who had worked hard to get where she had in her profession. It would mean giving up her career to sit around Obsidian’s home all day. His image flashed in her mind and she made a decision.
“Yes.”
“You do love him.”
“I really do.”
“I’ll make arrangements to have him and you moved there first thing in the morning. We were going to wait a week before settling him at the dorm but circumstances have changed now that he’s left Medical and wants you to live with him. The dorm will be more comfortable than one room at Medical. I’ll have them prepare one of the apartments and stock it for both of you.”
“Thank you.” She breathed a sigh of relief.
“It won’t be ideal. Your house is the only available space we have at the moment to give to a new employee and we can’t put the human doctor at the men’s dorm. They won’t be happy having a female living there but they won’t see you as a threat.”
“They would feel threatened by the new doctor?”
“Some of them would. He’s male and human. We don’t know him yet and trust hasn’t been earned. You have made friends here who are forgiving.” He paused. “We’ll move you both somewhere more fitting for a couple once something becomes available.”
“Thank you, Justice.”
“You’re welcome.”
She hung up and clutched the handset to her chest. She’d just agreed to be the equivalent of Obsidian’s housewife. “Shit,” she muttered. “I guess I better pick out a hobby or take up a craft or I’ll go insane fro
m boredom.” She’d seen those one-bedroom apartments at the dorm. They were tiny but it beat living in a hospital room.
Chapter Seventeen
The cooking lesson hadn’t gone well but good food filled his belly. Obsidian glared at his sore fingertip, a reminder that flames were not to be touched.
“How is your finger?” Alli peered at him with concern while she loaded the electrical big box that washed dishes after their meal.
“Fine. I won’t do that again.”
“I hope not. I know flames look pretty neat but it burns skin.”
She had tried to put cream on it and a bandage but he’d refused. The injury was minor. The doorbell rang and he stood, moving to answer it before she could. Only males seemed to come to visit.
“Hello.” Moon grinned. “I’m here to take you for a tour.”
“Why?”
His new friend laughed. “I was informed that you’re moving to the men’s dorm in the morning. Do you want to see them first? You’ve also been put on the rotation list.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m taking you to work with me tomorrow. All week you’ll be going with different males to see the kinds of jobs they do. We’re hoping you find something you can enjoy to be a part of our society.”
“What if I don’t?”
The other male arched an eyebrow. “We’ll find something. If not here, there’s always Reservation.”
“Alli doesn’t want me to go there.”
“She doesn’t want you sent to the Wild Zone.” He glanced behind Obsidian and waved. “Hello!”
Obsidian turned to discover that Alli had crept up behind him. She was getting better at walking softly to surprise him. She didn’t wince when he growled, not liking her so close to the other male, despite Moon being someone he semi-trusted.
“Don’t talk to my female.”
Moon dropped his hand to his side. “Let’s go, Mr. Friendly.”
“Is this a ploy to lure me away from Alli? I won’t allow anyone to take her from me.”
“You’re being paranoid. There’re no plans to take her away from you. I saw the orders myself. Both of you are going to be living at the dorm together. I actually suggested that you two could stay at my house in my guestroom until one of the other houses becomes vacant but Fury said that was a bad idea. He seems to think you’ll try to kill me while I sleep just for being too close to the doctor.”
Obsidian glowered at him.
“Brass has a place at Homeland and Reservation but he likes it better there. He’ll be giving up his house here after his next rotation shift back there.”
“Who is Brass?”
“He’s a friend of mine. What I’m trying to say is, he doesn’t like being here and prefers Reservation. Every few months he’s on duty here for a few weeks but that’s about to end. He’ll just stay there all the time.” Moon smiled. “It means you and the doctor can have his house. You won’t be stuck living at the dorm for long. Houses are tough to come by and we haven’t built more here. There’s limited space and property is really expensive in this area. We’re expanding Reservation all the time though.”
“What is Reservation?”
“Reservation is a highly wooded area to the north of here with vast amounts of land. Tell your female you will be back in a few hours and I’ll show you Homeland. We own and live in both places. Homeland was built as a human military base but given to us instead when it was completed. We call them NSO lands. That stands for New Species Organization, our official title.”
“Go,” Alli said. “I still have some packing to do. Have fun. I’ll be here when you get back.” She touched his chest. “No worries.”
He debated, still not sure she’d be safe without him to protect her. Moon stepped back, drawing his attention.
“Let’s go. There’s an officer at the street to make sure she’s fine. You have my word of honor she’ll still be here when we return.”
“Fine.” He gripped Alli’s small hand, still over his heart, while he stared down into her upturned face. “I won’t be gone long. Do not leave your space.”
“I won’t.”
He released her and followed the other male outside. “What is military base?”
“It’s kind of tough to explain. We’ll get you some history books to read.” A questioning glance was directed his way. “Did they teach you how to read? You weren’t raised the way we were. They taught all of us to read books at an early age. It helped them when they conducted some of the drug-testing trials on us so they could judge if we were impaired and how badly. They needed to see if it affected our memory. Book information was a good way to do it. They also wanted us to be able to read eye charts to be certain there was no visual loss from the side effects.”
“I can read words.”
“Good.” Moon paused by a strange vehicle. “This is a golf cart. Have you ever ridden in one before?”
“No. Not while I was awake at least. I’m not sure how I arrived at Homeland.” He was wary. “What is golf?”
“The humans call it a sport but mostly it’s closer to chasing a small white ball and using straight sticks with a clubbed end to hit it far away to chase it again. The goal is to learn better aim than your opponent. They use these carts to go after it.”
“Why?”
The male sat inside it. “I’m not sure but I suspect they hate walking or running for long distances. Carts are fun. Get inside and you’ll see. I’ll teach you how to drive one soon.”
The seat was softer than it appeared when he sat but there wasn’t a lot of room for his long legs. Moon grinned. “Hang on. It moves fast and I don’t want you to fall out.”
Moon twisted a key and the thing vibrated under his ass. The male gripped the rounded thing sticking out in front of his chest while his hand lowered to a small rounded metal thing below it. It jerked slightly before rolling forward, gaining momentum.
A grin plastered across his face at the feel of wind blowing his hair while he held on. “It’s fast.”
“Jeeps are faster. I knew there’d be something you’d like. At the very least you could get a job driving one of these and delivering things around Homeland to different departments.”
The anxiety faded somewhat about his future. “I want to fit in.”
“You will.” Moon turned a corner, slowing slightly. “See that building up there to the right? That’s the men’s dorm. It’s three floors high and there’s a basement hidden under the foundation.”
“Why?”
Shoulders shrugged. “I have no idea but it’s fun. We set up training rooms down there when we first moved into it to avoid anyone discovering we were keeping our fighting skills keen. We had a human who was the dorm father but he drank alcohol a lot. He was fired. We no longer need someone to help us learn.”
“What’s a dorm father? We have no parents.” He suddenly experienced an uneasy sensation. “I didn’t. Did you?”
“It’s an honorary term used in this case for someone who teaches you life lessons you need in order to survive outside of Mercile—someone who’s there to look out for your well-being. You’re full of questions. None of us had parents. We were raised the way you were but had more interaction since they brought females to our cells. We could smell other males on them sometimes. It’s how we knew there were more of us. You were only given one female.”
They parked and entered the building. Obsidian followed the male inside and stared openly at the large room. Other males sat on couches in front of a big television but their gazes left it to stare back at him. His body grew rigid at seeing dozens of them, instincts warning him of danger and a possible fight.
Moon gently gripped his shoulder. “Hey, don’t glower at them. They are your brothers, sort of. We’re all family here.”
One of the males slowly stood and approached, his stance nonthreatening. “Hello. I am Darkness. You must be Obsidian. We’ve all been expecting you. This is your home now and there’s no reason t
o be defensive. Welcome to the men’s dorm.” The male had very short black hair and piercing dark eyes that were shaped similar to Justice’s. His skin was darker than all the other males.
“You took the name because of your skin?”
“No.” The male smiled, revealing white, straight teeth, including two long fangs that were bigger than the ones Obsidian had. “I have suffered much in my life and wished my name to reflect that. I’m a little different than most, the way you are.”
“How are you different?”
The male paused five feet away. “You were singled out for a mating project while I was assigned to do something else.” He paused. “I am trying to put myself in your mind, to think the way you do. I am good at it.” His gaze drifted up and down Obsidian’s body before stopping to stare into his eyes again. “Your mate will be safe from other males when you leave her in your apartment. We will never harm her and will protect her if there’s danger as if she were one of us. You will find friendship here and no hostility.”
“Speak for yourself,” a familiar male voice grumbled.
Obsidian’s spine stiffened as he turned his head, finding the source quickly. He growled at the male who wanted Alli.
“Damn it, Destiny.” Moon shook his head. “We already had this talk today. Back off and go do something besides irritate Obsidian.”
“He’s too wild and unstable to be safe around Dr. Allison. She’s delicate and innocent of our ways.” The male’s chest expanded, shoulders pushed back, and anger gleamed in his hardened stare. “You’d take her like an animal, wouldn’t you?” He stepped closer and snarled. “Her scent is all over you. What did you do?”
“She’s mine.” Obsidian snarled back. The male acted as though he had a claim to Alli but he didn’t.
“Destiny!” Moon stepped between them, growling too. “Return to your room or leave now. Leash yourself and don’t return until you have regained some composure.”
“Did you hurt her? Scare her?” Destiny lunged to the side to avoid being blocked from his target. “Did you bend her over and take her on her hands and knees as though she were a dog?”