Laurann Dohner - Slade

I need to relax in here and every time I glance at it, all I think about is work.”

Brass turned his gaze to her. “What’s wrong with the bed? I enjoy a big four-poster and that one looks solid.”

“It’s too big. I feel as though I’m five years old every time I climb into it and I do have to climb.” She glanced at the floor. “See that stepstool?” She shrugged.

Brass darted a look down and started to chuckle. He tried to stop but he looked too amused to hide it. “You are short, in the bed’s defense. You’re a few inches shorter than average for a woman.”

“Yeah, I know.” She cut her prime rib and took a bite. She moaned. “So good.”

116

Slade

Brass choked on his soda. Trisha turned her head to find him staring at her and he thumped his chest.

“Are you all right?”

“Fine.” He nodded. “I take it from that sound you made that you’re enjoying it and the Council chef is worth the money they pay him?”

“He’s worth every penny.” She cut into the tri-tip and took a bite. She moaned again as she smiled. “Perfect. Delicious. Almost melts inside my mouth.”

Brass stared at her.

“Do you want to try some? They gave me large portions.”

“No thank you. It’s all yours. I love the ribs. I might hit up that roast-beef plate though after I eat this if you don’t want it. We tend to eat a lot.”

“Help yourself. I’ll never finish all this.”

They ate. Trisha found an action movie they both agreed on. Brass managed to eat three dishes and found room for dessert. He gave her two pain pills. Sometime during the movie she drifted off to sleep.

* * * * *

“Trisha?”

She woke feeling fuzzy. She stared up at Brass, seeing his face about a foot over hers in the dim but not totally dark room. She blinked up at him, letting memory return.

He was staying inside her house to guard her. He smiled at her.

“Those drugs really hit you hard. I’ve been trying to wake you for a few minutes. I just got word on Slade.”

Those words shoved all lingering sleep away and she tried to sit up. Brass suddenly shoved her down. His hands gently gripped her shoulders and he grinned. “Watch your blankets, Trisha. You almost flashed your breasts.” His hands released her.

Crap . She’d forgotten she wasn’t wearing clothes. She gripped the blankets to keep them in place. “Sorry. Is he all right?”

“He is fine. They are bringing him in right now to Homeland. He ran into one of our teams about twenty minutes ago. He has been shot but it’s just a flesh wound. They are taking him to a hospital to have him checked over but he should be returned to Homeland within a few hours.”

Tears welled but she blinked them back over hearing the news that Slade was safe and alive with only a flesh wound. He’d been shot. All that registered. She’d seen firsthand how tough New Species could be and how quickly they healed. She wasn’t too worried that the injury would be life threatening if they expected him at Homeland soon.

“Thank you.”

117

Laurann Dohner

“Go back to sleep. I hated to wake you but Justice said you wanted to know when he knew. I’m sure Slade will come here as soon as he returns to personally check on you. Just rest. You need it.”

“Thank you.” She smiled at him. “Can you tell Justice I appreciate everything?”

“Sure.” Brass backed away to return to the living room.

Trisha studied the bedroom. Brass had closed her drapes but weak light peeked between them. She glanced at the clock, surprised to realize it was five minutes past six in the morning. She rolled over and the drugs lured her back to sleep.

Slade is safe.

* * * * *

Slade didn’t want to sit on the chair or even be at the meeting. He needed to go to Trisha. He wouldn’t truly feel calm until he could look into her eyes, inhale her scent and hold her in his arms. He planned to do a lot more than that once he touched her but he refused to allow those thoughts to flow since every male clustered inside Justice’s office would smell his arousal.

“I’m very grateful you are safe.” Justice sat on the corner of his desk, his gaze roaming the fifteen officers crammed into the room either sitting or standing, and sighed loudly. “We have answers. The assholes responsible for this attack who were arrested have spoken to the police. I just ended a conference call with the lead detective on the case.”

“They hate us,” Tiger stated. “That’s why they did it. It’s why we’ve been attacked in the past and for the same reason they will do it again.”

Fury growled from his position near the closed door where he leaned against the wall. “Every time we believe the threat lessens, something happens.”

“Calm,” Justice demanded, meeting each gaze in turn. “It’s because we hired the doctor and word got out.”

Shock stiffened Slade’s spine. “Why would they care about her specifically?”

“She did a two-year residency in gynecology.” Justice ran his fingers through his loose hair. “Someone printed her résumé in the newspapers. Those assholes have gotten it into their brains that’s the reason we hired her.” He focused on Fury. “They believe she’s here to help you figure out why we can’t have children. I’ve issued a statement that it was her years as a trauma emergency doctor that was the deciding factor for choosing her above the other applicants. I’m afraid they don’t believe the truth. They are certain we are trying to find a way for you to impregnate your mate, Fury.”

He snarled. “Ellie and I aren’t test subjects. We haven’t taken any measures to do such a thing. We want a baby but we both agree it’s not worth the painful agony of allowing doctors to destroy our lives with the taking of blood and their needles and scans.”

118

Slade

“I know this.” Justice shifted on the desk. “If Mercile wasn’t able to discover what went wrong, I’m certain there’s no fix for the problem. They had specialists in fertility nearly torturing our females to death. We’re just flawed that way. I wouldn’t have hired Dr. Norbit for that purpose even if anyone were willing to volunteer to have tests run on them. I’d have hired someone else who solely dealt in that branch of medicine.”

“They put a bounty on my head.” Slade spoke.

“That’s how they got most of those assholes to agree to go after her.” Justice’s gaze met Slade’s. “You were the incentive for killing her and they offered money as well for the one who brought your body to the man who leads them. They know it’s only a matter of time before we die of old age and as long as we’re sterile, they are comforted that Species won’t thrive.” Anger deepened his voice. “The idea of us being with human women really pisses them off too.”

“I hate humans.” Flame grumbled the words. “Males.” He flashed an apologetic glance Fury’s way. “The females are sweet. Your Ellie is a wonderful human. I wish her no ill will but those males anger me.”

“It’s not all of them,” Fury corrected. “It’s just the ones who hate us.”

“The point is,” Justice continued, “the idea of us having another human female at Homeland, a doctor, has stirred up their rage. I considered hiring someone to replace Dr. Norbit but I happen to believe she is a valuable addition to us. She’s a good doctor who can handle anything, as we’ve seen.” He met Fury’s gaze. “She saved your life. She holds no malice toward us. I trust her and that is worth the added annoyance of making us a bigger target because of her experience.” He pushed up from his desk. “Thankfully she never hooked up with one of our males. That would really send those lunatics over the edge.”