Numbers

by Laurann Dohner

  He stroked her back. “Yes.”

  She grew silent in his arms and he adjusted enough to look down at her. She kept her chin down so he slid his hand under it, tilting it up. There was a look in her eyes that he didn’t like.

  “What is it?”

  “Nothing.” She glanced away.

  “Don’t do that. We don’t lie to each other. Did I hurt you?”

  “No. It isn’t that. I was just thinking about something, but I don’t want to upset you. I think it would.”

  “You can talk to me about anything.”

  “Not this.”

  He gently rolled her onto her back when the swelling receded, and lifted up. “I have to throw this away. I’ll be right back.” He hated to withdraw from her body but he had taken the class about condoms. They’d shown the males how to put one on, and that they needed to remove it and throw it away before their dicks softened or it could slip off, defeating the purpose of wearing one in the first place.

  He tossed it into the bathroom trash and quickly washed his hands before returning to Candi. He sprawled out next to her on his side and stared into her eyes. “Something is on your mind. Talk to me. We shouldn’t have secrets.”

  She bit her lip.

  “Candi,” he growled. “Speak. Something bothers you. Share it with me and we’ll face it.”

  “I was just thinking about how good sex is between us. I wondered if it was that way between you and other females.” She paused, studying his eyes. “I didn’t enjoy sex the one time I had it with that feline. Are you angry that I was thinking about that?”

  “No.”

  “You withhold so much from me, being protective. I don’t have the experience other females have. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “No.”

  “I only have one bad experience to compare against what we do together. You must have many good memories. I don’t have experience with sex like the females you must have known. I liked your kiss, but it was my first one. Did I do it right? Do you wish I knew more?”

  That frustrated him. It wasn’t directed at her. He had to calm down before he looked at her again. He regretted that his emotions had surfaced as soon as he saw the tears in her eyes. He’d somehow hurt her.

  “We share love and it makes everything we do special. I like that I get to be the first to show you how to kiss, and what it feels like to put my tongue on you. It’s the way it should have been.”

  “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

  “I feel more for you than I have for anyone else, or ever will. That is the truth, Candi. There is no comparison, and I am not thinking about anyone but you when we touch. You please me the most. Never question that. I wish you could forget about that feline. I am trying very hard to.”

  “I can do that.”

  “There’s no need for you to worry about other females, or if you please me.” He stroked her cheek. “I wish I could change the past, but it’s done. You are my everything, Candi. That’s all you need to know and remember.”

  “It’s foolish to be jealous, isn’t it?”

  “I understand. I want to kill the feline. I’m adjusting to it, or otherwise I’d ask you to look at photos of all the feline males who were freed from Mercile to see if that male is still alive.”

  “You thought about doing that?”

  He nodded. “He had no choice, nor did you. The reasonable side of me knows this. You saved my life. I don’t ever want to know if he is alive and surviving. I’d be too tempted to kill him anyway just because of my jealousy.”

  “You’re all I’ve ever wanted.”

  “That’s how I feel too, Candi.”

  “I’ll stop worrying then.”

  “Good. You’re my mate, my female, and you are my everything.”

  Chapter Ten

  Hero leaned against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest, and grinned. Candi looked happy as the three females taught her how to cook a steak in a cast iron skillet. Sunshine, Bluebird and Midnight had arrived at the men’s dorm and taken over their kitchen. He stayed out of their way, but kept close.

  “The pan is very hot,” Bluebird warned. “Use the glove when you touch the handle.”

  Sunshine nodded. “I burned myself at least half a dozen times because I kept forgetting that.”

  “And I treated her injures every time.” Midnight chuckled.

  Movement at the edge of his vision had him turn his head. Torrent smiled at him and leaned against the counter next to him. “Your female looks a lot healthier. She’s got more color in her complexion.”

  “She does.”

  “The females are eager to help her. They have started a campaign to have us talk you into moving to the women’s dorm so they have easier access to your Candi. They’ve sworn to take over our dorm if you don’t.”

  That news made him frown.

  Torrent laughed softly, keeping his voice low. “Don’t worry. We like them invading our space. No one is going to ask you to move. You should have seen all the males who volunteered to clean early this morning once word spread that they planned to use our kitchen today. There were two dozen of us down here.”

  “You too?”

  “Who doesn’t want to impress our females? We’re also competitive. We wanted our living spaces to be cleaner than theirs. They always tease us about all the male hormones they smell when they come here.”

  “I’m sorry for all the extra trouble everyone had to go to.”

  “Don’t be. It was fun. The females plan to teach yours how to use household cleaning appliances too. Expect a bit of a crowd for that. Word has it that some of them are afraid of vacuums. We’re placing household chore-trading bets on whether that’s true or not, and who has that fear.”

  Hero chuckled. “I see. What chore do you wish to get out of?”

  “It’s my turn to clean the main-floor bathroom on Wednesday morning. I bet Jinx that they’d hide their fear, if it exists, from your female. He thinks they won’t be able to. He’ll have to clean the bathroom if I’m right, and I’ll get to take over his chore of pulling weeds around the building on Thursday.”

  “What if he’s right?”

  “I have to clean the bathroom again next week when it’s his turn on Monday and he’ll have to dust the library for me on Tuesday.”

  “I’m supposed to mop the kitchen floor tomorrow.”

  “It’s a good thing we’re only assigned one lower floor chore a week.”

  “There are a lot of us. The females probably have more chores.”

  “That’s probably why they want you to move with your female into their dorm.” Torrent grinned. “I can guess who would end up moving all the furniture and vacuuming under it.” He pointed at Hero. “You.”

  “I’m not planning on transferring to the women’s dorm. Candi wants to stay here.”

  “She’s comfortable living with all males around her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.”

  Hero had something on his mind and he shared it with his friend. “Is everyone accepting her?”

  Torrent held his gaze. “Because she’s human? Is that what you mean?”

  “Yes.”

  “They think of her as Species. She was raised at Mercile. They respect her, Hero. Her story has been told to all.” Torrent turned his head, watching Candi. “She’s like a Gift in size, but has the courage of one of our strong females. She escaped from captivity on her own and killed to gain her freedom. Then she walked right up to the front gates without fear and demanded entry. She’s an amazing female.”

  “She is. I’m just worried that there might be some problems with her living in the dorm. Some of our males don’t trust humans. I’m supposed to return to duty tomorrow and am hesitant to leave her in our home. I plan to take her to the females.”

  “Stop worrying. She could run around the dorm without you at her side and not encounter any problems. The males would love it.”

  Hero
growled low. “Why?”

  “Relax. They know she’s your mate. Everyone is curious about her, and Jinx has a big mouth. He told them how brave she is, and they’d like to talk to her. That’s all. No one is used to a female who looks like a Gift going near them without being timid and fearful. They feel protective of her and want to help her become accustomed to freedom.”

  He relaxed. “I understand.”

  “Speaking of which, some of the males have wanted to approach you with a list they put together.”

  “What kind of list?”

  “They want to take turns helping you feed your female. Everyone knows you didn’t excel at cooking when we were learning, and you admitted as much by having one of them cook for you both. A group of them would like to offer to bring you meals for a while. The females have offered too. I know last night they covered dinner.” Torrent shook his head. “You lucky bastard. No one wants to deliver meals to me. Accept the help.”

  “I will, for Candi.”

  “Some of them have offered to teach you how to make whatever she likes.”

  “I’m aware.”

  “Good. Take them up on it. That female needs to gain weight. It makes me want to beat whoever nearly starved her to death where she was kept.”

  “I know. I feel the same.”

  Torrent lowered his voice further. “How are you handling having her back in your life now?”

  “I’m grateful. I was shocked when I realized she had survived. I didn’t know how to process it.”

  “I don’t blame you. You’re lucky, Hero. You got her back.”

  He studied Torrent. “Did you lose someone at Mercile?”

  The male refused to meet his gaze, shifting his body instead. “I got attached to one of our females that they brought to me a few times for breeding experiments.”

  “One who survived?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Torrent shrugged. “Not all of us got out. She probably would have rejected us bonding long-term. She was a primate and afraid of me. I was working to gain her trust, but then we were freed. I looked for her but…” He shook his head. “I even checked the other locations we were taken to while the humans were trying to figure out what to do with us, and giving us counseling. She didn’t survive. They allowed me to view some of the bodies they recovered, and she was among them.”

  Hero felt bad for the male. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “We weren’t bonded like you are with your female. I just felt for her. I grieved her loss but that’s how it is. Appreciate your Candi.”

  “I do.”

  Torrent looked at him and smiled. “I leave in a week to return to Reservation. I look forward to that. I enjoy working with the Wild Zone residents and the rescued animals.”

  “I thought about taking Candi there, but Tammy said I should keep her here for a while.”

  “She’ll be safer here at Homeland. We held a phone conference yesterday about the issues we’re facing at Reservation as we expand our walls. Security isn’t as tight as it could be. We’re leaving the original walls up until the new ones can be built, but we’ve had humans infiltrate some of the areas we’ve bought. A group of them have been harassing our human neighbors.”

  “Why?”

  “To try to force them to sell their properties to them instead of us. We leave the owners alone if they don’t wish to sell. The same can’t be said about that group. The local sheriff and deputies are helping, but we’re spread thin.”

  “Can you send some of our task force members there?”

  “They are filling in here for gate and wall duty since so many of our males are needed at Reservation. I’ll be grateful when all the walls are up and we’re secure again. I’m going to get more of the Wild Zone residents involved with protecting our borders. I’ll be in charge of them.”

  “Were they tired of taking orders from Valiant? He’s not the friendliest male.”

  Torrent chuckled. “No, he’s not. One Wild Zone resident already moved to the hotel to avoid him. They were clashing.”

  “Leo? He’s a mellow male.”

  “No. The other lion male. Lash took an interest in Tammy and their cub.”

  It alarmed Hero. Tammy was his friend, and so was Valiant. He would protect their cub too. Noble was his godson. Tammy said that meant that if anything ever happened to her and her mate, she expected him to rear the boy as his own child. He took that responsibility with great honor. “Instinctual interest?”

  “Not according to Lash. He doesn’t want to take out the cub and claim Valiant’s female as his own. This isn’t a lion-pride thing. He’s just curious about them, but Valiant was having none of it. They fought a few times and it made Valiant territorial. He isn’t allowing Tammy or his cub out of his sight. Moving Lash helped calm him a bit, but I was asked to take charge of the Wild Zone residents for a while.”

  “Do you need help?”

  “Your priority is right there.” Torrent glanced at Candi. “We’ll be fine.”

  “Let me know if you need me. I spent quite a bit of time with the Wild Zone residents. Valiant doesn’t see me as a threat, regardless of how stirred up he must be.”

  “I will, but I think I can handle it.”

  Hero focused on his mate. She laughed at something one of the females said. He smiled, enjoying watching her have fun. Torrent moved away and left the kitchen.

  Candi glanced over at Hero. He stayed close, assuring that she was happy and safe. Midnight sliced up the steak and Sunshine fried taco shells. Bluebird sliced onions.

  “I hate these.” The female sniffed. “They bring tears to your eyes and make your nose twitch, but they taste good.”

  Candi leaned in and sniffed a few times. She jerked back when it burned her nose. “That’s awful.”

  Bluebird laughed. “Your eyes are watering now.”

  She reached up and wiped away the wetness. She sensed her mate behind her immediately. His hands curved around her hips. “Are you upset?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “It’s the onions, Hero.” Bluebird chuckled. “We’re not making her cry. Grab a knife and dice avocados. You might as well help since you’re hanging around.”

  “I don’t want to interfere.” He released Candi and backed off.

  Midnight snorted. “Just like a male. He probably can’t identify what an avocado is.”

  Candi peered up at him. “I don’t know either. Is it that red ball thing?”

  “That’s a tomato.” He pointed to a green, oval thing. “I believe that’s it.”

  “I’m impressed.” Sunshine turned off the fire under the oil. “You get to eat with us for that. Grab plates. You know where those are, don’t you?”

  “Of course.” Hero spun, walked to a cupboard, and yanked it open. “They are right here.”

  “That’s where we keep ours too.” Midnight brought a plate of sliced steak over to the island. “Both main kitchens at the dorms seem to be set up the same way.”

  “What can I do?” Candi glanced at the females.

  “You’re learning. You didn’t get burned frying steaks.” Midnight shot Sunshine a grin. “So you’re way ahead of some of us.”

  “I forgot,” Sunshine hissed. “Not all pans have hot handles. The blue ones in my apartment don’t burn my hand.”

  “They aren’t cast iron skillets and our private pans have protective handles.” Midnight took the plates from Hero. “Sit. I’ll chop up the rest of this.”

  He took a seat and Candi sat next to him. The females handed them each a plate with two tacos that were filled with vegetables and meat. She sniffed at it, not sure about those onion pieces she could see on top.

  “Try it,” Hero urged. He leaned in closer and showed her how to hold one as he took a bite. “Mmmmm.”

  She grinned and mimicked him, taking a bite. She closed her eyes, enjoying it. She swallowed and stared at her male. “Good.” She faced the females, all of t
hem watching her. “I think I can make tacos. I like them.”

  The females got their own plates of tacos, and took seats on the other side of the island. Midnight suddenly turned around on her stool and snarled. It was a scary sound. It surprised Candi and she dropped her taco on her plate. Hero leaned in closer, putting his arm around her.

  A feline male backed up, raising his hands, his gaze locked with Midnight. “What?”

  “You touch our food and I’ll kick your ass.”

  The feline stuck out his lower lip, pouting. “It smells so good. Come on, Midnight. Just one?”

  “No.”

  “How come he gets to eat?” The male glared at Hero.

  “He’s her mate and she helped us cook. You should have pitched in if you wanted to eat, instead of stalking around the living room area watching us.” Midnight turned, hunching over her food. “Try to sneak one and I will bite you.”

  The feline crept closer, but he didn’t make a move for her food. Instead he leaned in and whispered near her ear. “I’d like it if you bit me.”

  She snarled again and twisted her head. “Back off. I’m not playing with you.” She sighed and looked at Candi. “Males. All they think about is food and sex.”

  Sunshine lifted a taco off her plate and held it out toward the male. “Here.”

  The male backed away from Midnight and grinned, approaching Sunshine. “Thank you.”

  Sunshine shrugged. “I can’t stand to see someone beg for food. It’s pitiful.”

  He took the taco and pouted again. “Now I’ll feel guilt if I eat this.”

  “You’ll get over it.” Sunshine laughed. “Take it before I change my mind.”

  He quickly ate it. “Now I owe you,” he purred softly. “Want to go to my room so I can show my appreciation? I’m still hungry.”

  Sunshine nodded. “Give me two minutes to finish this.” She held one more taco out to the male. “So you have your strength. You’re going to need it. I’m full of energy today, and you can help me work it off.”

  He eagerly took it.

  Bluebird rolled her eyes and bumped Midnight’s arm with her shoulder. “I see why you chose a human.”

  Midnight kept silent, eating.