Laurann Dohner - Slade

“Thank you.” Trisha smiled at Brass. “For everything.”

“Hey,” Harley groaned. “I took a door to the head. Where’s my thanks?” Trisha laughed and reached out to touch Harley’s arm and give it a slight squeeze. “Thank you.”

“She touched me.”

Harley stuck his tongue out at Brass, teasing him, and made Trisha laugh.

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“Don’t you have something to do?” They could be childlike but she appreciated their playful traits.

“I’m on it.” Brass walked downstairs. He muttered the entire way down.

Trisha had Harley sit on the bed. “What did he say?”

Harley grinned. “Something about having to eat crow when he calls and Slade finds out there has already been a problem here when we just arrived.”

Trisha walked inside the half bath and grabbed a hand towel. She returned to the bedroom to apply a new wet compress to Harley’s bleeding head, holding it there. Brass wasn’t the only one who dreaded how Slade would react when he found out there’d already been an incident at the cabin.

146

Slade

Chapter Fifteen

“Valiant?”

Slade was so mad he saw red. He stood at the gate of the house that Valiant had been given. Slade heard a door slam and seconds later the mostly naked Valiant casually strode down his porch steps to approach the gate.

“Slade. Why are you out here? You could have called if you needed something.”

“What were you doing?” Slade opened the gate and stepped inside. He was ready for a fight if Valiant got pissed about Slade entering his yard without permission. “I was told you didn’t hurt the woman but I swear to God if you had, I’d kill you myself. You were out of line going after her,” he growled.

Valiant crossed his arms over his chest. “I smelled a human. That cabin isn’t far enough away and I was pissed. Justice said that no humans were allowed here.”

“Well, you went through two of our people to reach her so you knew very well that she was supposed to be here. That cabin isn’t inside your personal territory. You had no authority to attack our own people.”

Valiant shrugged, saying nothing.

“I’ll kill you if you go near her again,” Slade threatened with a snarl. “Are we clear?

I know you are friends with Tiger but damn it, I won’t permit you to hurt that woman.

You stay away from her and don’t go near her again. Do you understand me? You are not to touch one hair on her head.”

“I won’t go near her. I already discussed this with Brass. She’s one of us as far as I’m concerned.”

Slade glared at Valiant, slightly confused by the other man’s remark. “She’s not one of us but she’s a good friend to Species. She works for us. Justice and I trust her.”

“She’s one of us now, isn’t she? I smelled her myself. She was very brave and didn’t even scream when I scented her stomach.”

“You what?” Slade exploded. “You got that close to her? You touched her?” He advanced.

Valiant growled and sank into a crouch. “Stop or we will fight.”

Slade halted his angry approach but he almost shook with fury. “You touched her?”

“I kept my word to Brass and didn’t hurt her. I wanted to scent her when he told me the news because I didn’t believe him. They both agreed to allow me to get close to her. It wasn’t an attack.”

“He allowed you touch her?”

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Slade would kick Brass’ ass at his next stop, the cabin. Valiant was unstable and anyone with a brain shouldn’t have let Valiant anywhere near Trisha. If he’d been there, he would have killed the big Species for even trying.

“I didn’t believe she was pregnant. Now I know she is.”

Shock tore through Slade. “What?”

Valiant slowly straightened from the crouch. “Pregnant. Didn’t someone tell you?

The woman is carrying a child. That is why Brass brought her here to safety—from humans.”

The anger seeped out of Slade and pain tore through his chest instead. Trisha is pregnant? His knees felt as though they were going to collapse under him. His heart pounded and the rage started to seep back into him. She’s pregnant! A haze of emotions gripped him, mostly murderous ones, that some guy had touched what was his. The idea of anyone doing that nearly sent him over the edge of insanity.

“Justice ordered them to bring her here to protect her from her people. Justice thinks when the humans find out she is carrying a mixed breed they might try to harm her. I have to agree with him. Humans are erratic and hostile for stupid reasons. There’s something about her scent against the skin that makes her different. It must be the baby inside her, changing her chemistry.”

“The father is New Species? Are you sure?” Slade ground out the words, his bitterness and rage growing by leaps and bounds.

“Scent her yourself. She smells different. Human and of us faintly but enough that I am sure. I have smelled pregnant human women when the military assigned a bunch of them to bring us food and supplies where they kept us. They knew we wouldn’t harm them if they breached the territory they gave us. Nothing is as defenseless as a pregnant female. I know the scent of one well but this one smells different. I couldn’t detect a difference until I pressed my nose against her skin. It must because she is barely pregnant. When the months wear on it will probably become easier to notice from a distance.”

Slade stormed out of the gate toward his Jeep. His anger knew no bounds. Someone should have told him that Trisha had been sent to Reservation because she carried a New Species baby. The Jeep engine roared to life and Slade punched the gas. The tires squealed in protest but he didn’t care about the noise. Now things were making a lot more sense. He was killing mad.

* * * * *

“Someone is coming fast,” Moon yelled in warning. “It’s one of our Jeeps.”

Brass threw down his cards and flashed a grin at Trisha. “It’s about time they sent those supplies.” He glanced at his watch. “They are actually half an hour earlier than they estimated on the phone.”

“I’m starving. I hope they sent some good food.”

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“I’m sure they did.” Harley winked at her. “A pregnant mamma should eat lots of junk food. I call dibs if they send any candy bars. I love those things.”

“I’m the pregnant one.” Trisha laughed. “That means I get first dibs on everything.”

“Meany.” Harley stuck out his tongue, tossed down his cards and stood. “I better help carry things inside. The faster we get it put away, the faster we can get to the goodies they sent.”

“It’s Slade,” Moon yelled seconds later. “He is really coming fast.”

“Shit,” Brass sighed from the doorway. “He’s very angry. I can see his teeth bared from here.”

“Why?” Confusion gripped Trisha. “It wasn’t our fault that Valiant attacked.”

Brass turned at the door. “You might want to go upstairs, Trisha. I think it might get ugly.”

Trisha frowned and rose from the couch, walking to the door instead. She pushed Brass out of her way and stepped out onto the porch to watch the Jeep with Slade came to a sliding halt by the cabin. Slade left skid marks as he locked up the vehicle to stop it.

It didn’t take hyper senses for Trisha to smell burned rubber as Slade turned off the Jeep engine and leaped from of the driver’s seat. He reached Moon first and snarled at him.

“Move.”

Moon didn’t budge. “Is there a problem?”

Slade lunged. He grabbed Moon by his vest and shoved him hard, out of his way, and advanced. Fear grew instantly inside Trisha after realizing Slade seemed beyond pissed. She actually backed up and bumped the cabin wall next to the doorway. Brass sprinted suddenly, going down the porch stairs, and met Slade head-on.