Laurann Dohner - Slade

15

Laurann Dohner

Chapter One

One year later

Trisha sat at her desk, remembering 215. He still haunted her with his amazing blue eyes, how he’d pinned her under him on his hospital bed, and nearly…seduced her. She knew she’d never forget him but he didn’t remember her. It really bothered her too.

She had heard that New Species, the survivors of the drug company testing facilities who’d been rescued, had given themselves names instead of the numbers Mercile Industries had tagged them with. He’d picked the name Slade.

It fit him. He was a big son of a bitch, broad-chested, with long, wild hair, and he gave off an attitude of danger. Every time he showed sharp, abnormally long teeth when he flashed a grin, it made him appear predatory. It almost seemed as if he were threatening someone when he smiled. He also had to be the sexiest man she’d ever met and the memories of that hospital bed always made her tingle with arousal.

The New Species had been given a private retreat, of sorts, called Homeland, for the survivors of the testing facilities. The world wasn’t completely welcoming of their existence and they needed to live in a high-security setting for their protection against hate groups who believed they were an abomination.

Religious fanatics called them evil, unnatural, and an affront to God because they’d been created inside test tubes by scientists. If they didn’t take up the religious excuse to hate, they called New Species two-legged animals who didn’t deserve human rights, nothing more than trained pets who mimicked people. It was ridiculous. It irritated Trisha when she heard those crazy rants by idiots on the news. New Species were victims, not a blight on humanity, and definitely not the evil spawn of Satan. They also weren’t pets with the ability to speak words.

Two months before she’d heard a private medical center would soon open at Homeland. She’d immediately submitted her résumé, hoping to secure a position as one of the doctors they’d planned to hire. She’d never forget how surprised she’d been when two days before she’d gotten the call. They’d chosen her over all the other candidates.

Everyone in the medical community was fascinated by New Species. Their total surviving numbers were unknown but Mercile Industries, a leading drug research company, had been using them as live test subjects. They’d introduced animal DNA into their genes. Rumor had it that they had created them to combat diseases that crossed from animals to humans and to create vaccines and medicines to battle diseases in humans that animals were naturally immune to. Later it was said the company had branched out to physical enhancement drugs to make humans stronger, more muscular, and in better shape just by taking the pills they created.

16

Slade

It stunned her that other doctors and scientists had sold their souls for a paycheck but obviously many had done the unthinkable to the men and women forced to be living experiments. The fact that someone had even figured a way to successfully combine human and animal DNA to create life had set the medical world on its ear.

Living proof existed though with the New Species.

Trisha hoped she’d learn more detailed information about them now that she had landed the job but so far they hadn’t told her much. She’d been given one file to look over. Some of the information had stunned her but she’d been ready for any challenge presented. Unfortunately, it seemed they’d only hired her to play nurse to the human employees since none of the New Species had stepped into the clinic.

She leaned back in her chair, propped her feet on her desk, and reviewed the facts she had learned. New Species picked weird names for themselves, usually something that had meaning for each individual. They had chosen to call themselves New Species because many of them were not altered with the same animal DNA strands. She’d learned there were three types—canine, feline, and primate species. Then there were a few documented notes on the physical differences discovered about them. Her thoughts instantly fixed on the reason for her aggravation.

Slade doesn’t remember me. He practically molested me, swore to do obscene things to my body, and he just…forgot what he did? She hissed out air, surprised steam didn’t rise from her ears from the anger that burned brightly inside her. She’d just had a confrontation with him and she hadn’t seen a flicker of recognition in his eyes. How could he forget? I sure can’t and it’s not fair. Just like a man. Turns a woman on, gets her all hot, and then forgets her the second she’s out of sight. Jerk!

He’d been extremely rude to her, adding insult to injury. One of the fully human employees at Homeland and a canine New Species male were living together. Trisha knew they were having sex, despite their denials, and she wanted to study the couple’s sex life. Slade had gotten in her face, had been vulgar, and had the nerve to call her nosy!

Any details about the couple’s sex life could be important. There was so much not known medically about the New Species. Were they even sexually compatible with humans? Trisha wasn’t sure what percentage of males were involved but it had been documented in the few reports that she’d read to prep for her new patients that some of the males swelled at the base of their penises right before ejaculation. Was that painful for a woman? That was a question she’d wanted to ask the woman living with a New Species but Slade had ordered her to stay away from the couple.

She wanted to explore the possibility of humans and Species having children together. She had been told Mercile Industries had paired the New Species females with their male counterparts for years, hoping to create more of them. They’d never had a single pregnancy result. It might be that none of the New Species were able to conceive children due to something simple that could be medically treated. She might be able to figure it out if anyone would allow her to help but that wasn’t going to happen if no one would permit her to run tests on them.

17

Laurann Dohner

“Dr. Norbit?”

The voice pulled Trisha from her thoughts to glance at Paul as he walked inside the clinic to relieve her shift. He was the only nurse and he seemed nice enough. He was in his early forties and he’d mentioned he had a military background.

“A penny for your thoughts.”

Trisha forced a smile. “They aren’t worth that much. I’m feeling sorry for myself. I wanted this position to learn about New Species but I’m getting stonewalled at every turn.”

“Yeah. The NSO aren’t real talkative. I’ve been here longer and I still don’t know much. We’re supposed to care for them but they won’t tell us squat about their physiology to help us do it.”

“NSO?”

“New Species Organization. It’s what they call themselves around here. I’m surprised you haven’t seen the uniforms they outfitted some of their people with. I don’t think they appreciate our security and have created their own teams. I don’t blame them. You missed out on the attack that happened here not too long ago.”

“I heard something about it on the news.”

Paul winced. “It was bad. Those protesters and human rights bastards broke down the front gates and about fifteen trucks full of gun-toting morons came pouring inside.

The buildings are thankfully built to withstand attacks and security was able to get most people to safety when the gates were being breached. Those bastards came in here as though someone had declared New Species hunting season. Ever been on a deer hunt?”

“No.”