Numbers

by Laurann Dohner

  Torrent gasped, staring at her.

  “Answer,” Jinx demanded. “Where is the first place we take one of ours?”

  “Medical.”

  “Why?”

  Torrent glanced at Jinx, and then at her. “To check their health and see if they need medical care.”

  Jinx took another step closer. “I spoke the truth, Candi. He’s not lying. Let’s go there. Please don’t fear us. We’d never hurt one of our own, and that’s what you are. Do you understand?”

  She nodded.

  He eased closer and held out his hand. “It’s going to be okay. No one is going to hurt or trick you. No deceitful games. That’s for humans. We don’t play them.”

  “Okay.” It was tough to trust anyone, but staring into his feline eyes, she was willing to try.

  He pulled back his hand, tore off his gloves and dropped them on the ground. He reached out to her again and gently laced his fingers through hers. His skin felt warm to the touch. A tentative smile curved his lips. “Easy, female. It’s okay.”

  “You don’t need to baby me.”

  “Maybe I want to. You’ve been through a lot, but it’s going to be okay. I promise you that.”

  * * * * *

  Hero chose to take the stairs rather than the elevator down to the lobby. He was too impatient to wait for the slow-moving machinery. He had a night off his shift and planned to have fun. There would be dancing involved and he’d heard they were serving prime rib at the bar. He reached the first floor and came to a stop, staring at the group of males gathered by the couches. Some appeared downright angry. He changed direction.

  “What’s going on?”

  Destiny was the first to speak. The primate male still wore his work uniform. It was obvious he’d just left there, judging by the smell of Medical coming off him. “They brought in a female. I was just telling everyone about it. We’re stunned.”

  “One of the females got hurt? Is it bad?” The news alarmed Hero.

  Destiny leaned against the back of a couch, partially sitting on the edge. “I guess I’ll start from the beginning. A human female showed up at the front gates. Jinx and Torrent brought her in about an hour ago. She’s underweight, the palest human I’ve ever seen, but from her history, it’s understandable. The humans kept her locked up in an asylum. That’s a hospital for humans with mental illnesses.”

  “Tell him the important part,” Snow urged.

  Destiny nodded. “She is human but was raised like we were by Mercile. I didn’t want to believe it, but you should have heard her snarl when we drew blood. She sounds just like one of our females when they feel pain. I was listening to her talk to Justice and Breeze while Doc Trisha examined her. This human female gave them precise details about her life at Mercile. A doctor took her there when she was just a young child and raised her inside a cell with one of our males. A canine.”

  Hero didn’t hear any more as blood roared to his ears, obliterating sound. Reacting before he could think, he snarled, slamming into the door before he realized he exited the building. It gave from the force of his weight, and then he was outside, running toward Medical.

  It can’t be. He ignored the dull ache in his side when he pushed his body beyond its limits, not even bothering to check for traffic when he rushed into the street. Someone yelled at him but he ignored it. The building housing Medical came into sight and he jumped the curb. He only slowed since the automatic double doors couldn’t open as quickly as he moved.

  Paul, the nurse, stood up from the other side of the reception desk. “What’s wrong? Is there an emergency?”

  He inhaled the second he entered, ignoring the male. Familiar scents came to him, just not the one he sought.

  “Hero? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Paul came forward. “Is someone hurt? Are you?”

  “Where is the female?”

  “Doc Trisha? She’s talking to Justice and Breeze in her office.”

  Hero spun right, striding fast down the hallway toward the exam rooms. Paul called out to him, but he didn’t bother to acknowledge him. He turned a corner and spotted Jinx and Torrent leaning against the wall across from a closed door. They both turned their heads to stare at him.

  “Where is the human?”

  Jinx pushed away from the wall. “Showering. I take it you heard? We’re still processing the shock of it, but she is the real deal. We’re certain.”

  He sniffed again. He could pick up an unfamiliar female scent but not the one he sought. A stabbing pain jabbed his chest.

  “Are you all right?” Jinx studied him. “You’re really flushed and panting. Should I get Doc Trisha?”

  “No.”

  “Okay. Well, this area is off limits. We don’t want anyone to frighten the female. She’s been through a lot. Breeze is going to take her to the women’s dorm as soon as the new female is done showering and is dressed. They are treating her as if she’s a Gift.”

  It was a polite hint to leave. He turned around, a sense of loss making that pain in his chest worse. He might think he was having a heart attack if he was human. It was probably the stress of running that hard and then having his hope dashed.

  “All done,” a female voice called out. “I’m ready to go.” The door opened.

  He turned his head and stared at a slender female form framed in the doorway. She was a little thing, too skinny, and her waist-length hair dampened the baggy clothing she’d been given. His gaze lifted. She stared directly at Jinx, but the profile of her face was enough. She’d changed, but not enough to fool him. He’d know her anywhere, especially since she visited his nightmares often. A snarl tore from his throat, and it jarred him to motion. He twisted toward her as she looked directly at him.

  There was no mistaking those eyes that widened at the sight of him—light golden-brown with little splashes of green spread around the irises. Eyes he would recognize anywhere. They’d always made him dream of the parks she’d told him about, all those trees with leaves that changed colors with different seasons. He’d seen hope of a future that was never meant to be every time he’d gazed into them. Then that last time, the pure terror that he’d caused.

  She took a stumbling step forward, hitting the side of her shoulder on the edge of the doorframe. Her mouth opened but no words came out. She looked as shocked and stunned as he felt. He got closer to her, inhaling her scent. It was foreign. He reached up and touched the side of her head. He wasn’t gentle when he stabbed his fingers into the wet strands, tearing his gaze from hers to look where he parted it.

  A faint scar marred her scalp just over her ear. He jerked back as if she’d burned him. He almost stepped on Jinx’s boot.

  “927?” Tears filled her eyes, giving them a sheen. “They told me you were dead.” She reached out for him, but he avoided her touch by stumbling back. She froze.

  “You died,” he managed to get out. A roaring sounded in Hero’s head and his vision blurred. He wasn’t in Medical anymore, but back inside his cell at Mercile…

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  The chain slashed across the side of her head and she went down, blood spilling across the concrete floor of his cell. It was so red, wet and warm when he threw himself down, reaching for her. The chains still connected his ankles to the wall. The length barely allowed him to reach her, but he got a grip on her arm.

  She was so still. The technicians shouted as they rushed out of his room. They didn’t matter. Only she did. He hadn’t meant to hurt her. No, he mentally corrected. He’d wanted to kill her, but seeing her fall, and all that blood, horrified him. He’d done that to her.

  “Candi,” he rasped, dragging her closer. Her body was limp as she lay in the blood that smeared the floor. “No. Open your eyes.”

  He pulled her close enough to put his face next to hers. She didn’t open her eyes, but her chest rose and fell. She was breathing. He reached up, his hand shaking as he gently pressed his palm against the wound where the chain had struck. He needed to stop the bleeding. He applied press
ure and looked toward the open door of his cell.

  “Help!”

  Where had the guards gone? They’d never left the door open before, but they had that time. There was shouting down the hallway, and an alarm blared. He lowered his face, his vision blinded by tears. “Open your eyes,” he pleaded.

  Heavy boots thundered down the hall. Help would come. They’d take her to a doctor and fix her. He held her head until the first dart penetrated his back. He didn’t fight when he could have. He didn’t make a sound or move. He just wanted them to get into his cell and help her. Three more darts pierced his skin—tranquilizers.

  “Help her!” His voice was ragged, panicked.

  The drugs kicked in fast and he couldn’t move anymore as they paralyzed him. His cheek hit the cold floor, but her head lay next to his. He felt her there. More boots pounded down the hall and the alarm stopped.

  “What have you done?” It was Dr. C. “Oh my god. Get a gurney in here stat!”

  He couldn’t hear her breathing anymore over all the other noises in the room. She was taken away. The cell door slammed shut and all he could do was lie there, smelling the fresh scent of her coppery blood, fighting to remain conscious.

  He woke chained to the wall. They’d replaced the ones he’d snapped. A stain remained on the floor inside his cell and his hand was crusty with her dried blood. Dr. C entered his cell minutes later.

  “Is she well?” He was terrified, sick with worry. He didn’t even care what they did to him. He just wanted to be told that Candi lived.

  “You killed her.” Dr. C looked at him with such hatred. He held something behind his back. “She died. You crushed her skull, you animal.” His arm arched out as he swung the broken chain. It struck him in the stomach.

  He closed his eyes and didn’t feel it as the blows kept coming. His skin split in places, his own blood spilling. A few bones broke. It didn’t matter. He didn’t even try to twist away in an attempt to avoid the chain as it struck him over and over. He’d killed Candi. She was dead. He wished for death too…

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  “It’s you,” the voice of the dead female whispered.

  The roaring faded, his vision cleared and he jerked back to the present to focus on Candi. She was real and alive. Another memory surfaced. The scent she had carried that day, and the reason he’d fought those chains. He needed to get away from her. He’d mourned her loss a long time ago. She’d died that day, whether from his chain striking her head or not. She’d killed him inside too.

  “Hero?” Jinx took a few steps toward him, but stopped. He looked at the female, his mouth open. Hero turned and fled.

  Hero nearly knocked Paul over in his rush to leave Medical. He needed to get out of the building, away from her. He ran with no destination in mind, just kept going until his legs gave out. He landed on the grass. The park surrounded him.

  A Species female came over and crouched next to him. “Hero? What’s wrong?”

  “Leave me alone.” He didn’t want to talk to Sunshine.

  A gentle hand stroked his hair. “Hero?”

  He squeezed his eyes closed as he lay sprawled on the grass, panting. He would have gotten up but he had worn his body out in his flight for life. At least, that was how it felt. He had a new life now. The female in Medical would destroy the male he’d become. He couldn’t allow it. She should be dead and buried. He’d left her in the past and she should have stayed there.

  Sunshine sniffed at him and lay down to press against his side. She wrapped an arm around his back. They were friends. They’d even shared sex from time to time.

  “I’m here. Whatever is wrong, you’re not alone.”

  She continued to stroke his hair, keeping against his side. If other Species were nearby, they stayed away. He finally caught his breath, but refused to look at her. He wasn’t certain how long he remained there, but it wasn’t long. He needed to get up.

  “Thank you.” He rolled away, separating them. He glanced around but didn’t see anyone else.

  Sunshine sat up, concern evident when he looked at her. “You can talk to me about anything.”

  “Not this.” He stood. “Thank you.” He headed in the direction of the men’s dorm. He needed to leave Homeland and go to Reservation. He couldn’t be in the same place as Candi.

  Chapter Three

  “He’s alive.” Candi still reeled from seeing him.

  “That’s who you were raised with?”

  She almost collapsed but the canine male, Torrent, lunged forward and grabbed her around her waist, hauling her up into his arms. He carried her back into the exam room she’d just left and placed her on the bed. He slid his arms out from under her. “Jinx, get Doc Trisha. She’s whiter than the sheets.”

  “Fuck,” Jinx muttered and rushed down the hallway.

  Torrent took her hand. “Look at me.”

  She did.

  “Hero is the male you thought had died?”

  “He’s alive.”

  She realized she’d said that before. It was just too unbelievable. Christopher Chazel had visited her one time after sending her to Penny. He’d sat in a chair next to the bed where they kept her restrained, machines hooked up to her while she healed from a head injury. He’d told her in a cold voice that he’d personally terminated 927. It hadn’t surprised her. She knew he could kill. She’d seen him do it before. But he’d lied.

  927 was alive and the canine and feline males had called him Hero. She let that sink in, and then jerked her hand out of Torrent’s. She tried to sit up. She needed to find 927. Why did he leave me? Why did he take off like that? It tore at her.

  “No!” Torrent pushed her flat. “Stay down.”

  “I have to go after him. I have to find him.”

  “He took off like a bat out of hell. I don’t think he wants to see you.”

  “I need to see him.” She shoved at the male’s hands and even resorted to kicking him hard in the thigh. He snarled and backed away.

  She rolled off the other side of the bed and grabbed the first thing she could. It was a pitcher. “Move.”

  He gaped at her. “Or what? You’ll beat me with water in a plastic container?”

  “I need to find him!” A sense of desperation hit her.

  Sympathy softened his features. “I understand. You both appeared deeply stunned. He probably just needs to pull his emotions together.”

  “I need to find him now!” She refused to back down. 927 was alive, and she had to get to him. She lowered the pitcher back to the table and masked her emotions. “I don’t feel so well. Can you wet a towel?” She leaned against the bed and lifted a hand to her face. “I think I’m going to faint.”

  He spun, striding into the bathroom to do as she’d asked. “Lie down.”

  She lunged once he was out of her way. The door remained open and she rushed through it. No one tried to stop her until she reached the area with desks and a long counter. Doc Trisha, Jinx and the female canine stepped out of an office on the other side of the room. They all appeared surprised and confused. Heavy boots hitting the floor sounded from the direction she’d just fled. Torrent appeared, having realized her ploy.

  She spun and slammed into the double glass doors. They started to open and she tried again, twisting her body to squeeze between the parting doors. She darted out onto the sidewalk. There were buildings and a street. She made it to the road, frantically searching for 927. She sniffed but her sense of smell wasn’t good enough to be of help. It was one flaw 927 had never been able to fix. He’d tried, but her senses weren’t like his.

  A feline male down the sidewalk turned. He seemed surprised when he spotted her. She twisted her head, looking the other way. Trees—a lot of them. That’s where I’ll go. She heard Torrent behind her.

  “Easy, Candi. We’ll find him. Don’t make me grab you. I’m afraid I’ll hurt you. Come back.”

  “Don’t touch her,” the female canine growled. “Candi, it’s going to be okay. Hero, or 927 as yo
u knew him, probably just freaked a little. I’ll personally track his ass down and bring him here if you want to see him. Just come back inside.”

  There were no cars. She ran into the road. When her bare feet hit the pavement she didn’t care about the slight pain. She was fixated on those trees. He’d always wanted to see them. The hours she’d spent describing them to him when they were children would mean something to him. They pursued her and she was more than aware they could easily catch her. All Species were faster than humans, but they allowed her to run, staying close behind.

  She entered a park with a large body of water. There were too many trees and rolling hills to see all of it. She stopped, panting. No one grabbed her but she heard them come to a halt behind her. She twisted around. The doctor wasn’t with them but she disregarded Jinx and Torrent, imploring the female canine, “Sniff him out. Track him for me. Please?” She would beg. “He’s here. I know it.” She remembered the female’s name. “Please, Breeze?”

  The female hesitated but nodded. “Okay. I don’t have to track him though.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. She touched the screen and held it up to her ear. Long seconds passed.

  “This is Breeze. Locate Hero for me now. Track his cell.” She paused. “Priority. Do it.”

  “Breeze,” Jinx whispered. “This might not be a good idea. You didn’t see his face.”

  “I see hers.” Breeze stepped closer, keeping eye contact with Candi. “We all carry cell phones, and we can track everyone in an emergency. I’d say this constitutes one of those. It takes about a minute. We’re going to find him for you, okay?”

  “Thank you.”

  “I take care of my females, and you’re one of mine now.”

  “Damn it, Breeze.” Torrent lowered his voice enough that he might have figured Candi couldn’t hear him. “He bolted out of there. I saw rage and fear. We should speak to him before we take her near him.”

  “Shut up,” Breeze snapped. “I’d tear this damn place apart if I were her.” She glanced at him. “I’d tear through you if you tried to stop me from going after a male I was raised in the same cell with, and discovered he was alive after being told of his death. You were right there while she talked about him. She went through hell, and was just hoping to find the ones who took him from her. She’s killed for him. Do you want to be next?”