True

by Laurann Dohner

  “We don’t allow reporters into Homeland or Reservation. It’s a security risk for anyone to know the layout of our streets and buildings in case someone wants to attack. The air above NSO land is a no-fly zone. It’s also law that they can’t climb trees and use telescopes to peer over our walls and take photos or videos. All press conferences are held outside the walls.”

  “Aren’t they like twenty feet high?”

  “Thirty in most places.”

  “That’s pretty tall.”

  He tugged on her hand, leading her through the broken door into the hallway. Flame smiled at both of them but kept silent and out of the way. Jeanie walked a little slow so he adjusted his stride for her shorter one. Talking seemed to distract her so he continued to share information she might find interesting.

  “We don’t allow them to photograph our females either.”

  “I knew that. I just don’t know why.”

  “All males who have been photographed or attended press conferences have gotten death threats and hate mail. We don’t wish our females to be subjected to that.”

  “That makes sense.”

  She followed him inside the elevator and smiled as the doors closed. Her demeanor changed once they reached the main floor though. Males in the large community room stopped watching the big-screen television to fix their attention on her instead of the game.

  “It’s fine,” he rasped, gripped her around the waist and used his body to shield her from many of the stares. He glared around the room as he tugged her toward the main doors.

  One of the males stood. “True? A moment?”

  The primate had a history of disliking humans. True stopped, steering Jeanie behind him to keep her far from the male. “What do you want?”

  The male growled. “I don’t like her here. It offends me that she’s under the same roof. Are you returning her to the humans? That’s where she belongs instead of down the hall from where I sleep.”

  “Back off,” he warned. “She’s with me and that’s where she will remain. Sit down, 861.”

  The male puffed out his chest and clenched his fists. “She’s our enemy.”

  “Not mine.”

  “She’s dangerous and a threat.”

  True snorted. “You should go speak to one of those head-shrink doctors they made us see after we were freed if you’re afraid of a female. That or you should ask Fury for more training since you think you are incapable of defending yourself from someone so small.”

  861 hissed. “I see the appeal in mounting her but send her back to her cell afterward. You should always put your toys away when you’re done playing with them.”

  True pushed Jeanie farther behind him and released her to free his hands. The male appeared ready to attack and he hoped he would, wanting to make him bleed for the insulting words. He glanced around to see if there were any other threats. A few of the males who’d been released from a Colorado facility had stood as well but they stayed back. They were known to really dislike all humans, the treatment they’d suffered while in captivity making them bitter. Book got to his feet and reached down, lifting one of the lamps from the table. One good jerk and he pulled the cord from the wall.

  “I’m ordering you males to go to your rooms,” Book demanded with a soft growl. “The female is here with Darkness’ permission. You don’t want to piss him off.” He paused. “True and I would be the least of your worries.”

  True was glad the male wasn’t ready to attack. It still worried him that the others might decide to fight. One of them could possibly get around him and Book to go after Jeanie.

  861 refused to back down. “I don’t want her here.”

  “Perhaps you should go do better things with your time than harass a helpless human.” Book moved closer to True, putting his body between the males and Jeanie too. “Do that now. You don’t want to go after another human the way you once did. Breeze and our females haven’t exactly let you forget that, have they? It’s no surprise you’d attempt to insult him for actually having a female in his bed.”

  “Human lover,” 861 snarled.

  “I love all females,” Book snarled back. “Jealous you can’t mount one? It shows.” He smirked, almost daring them to advance.

  “There’s going to be a fight if my keen hearing isn’t just picking up a television show.” A new male entered the community room from the hallway. “And it’s about a female. It’s rude to insult one.”

  True glanced at Query, identifying the male as one from Drackwood. The male rounded the couches and glanced behind True, obviously spotting Jeanie. He appeared stunned before his lips twisted into a grimace as he studied 861 and his two companions.

  “He brought a human under our roof,” one of them spat. “She’s our enemy. The only thing they are good for is mounting and tossing into a cage afterward.”

  Query lengthened his stride, got behind the three males and grabbed the one who’d just spoken by the back of his neck. He leaned in close, putting his lips next to his ear.

  “I’ll rip off your dick,” he threatened. “Then I’ll feed it to you and watch you choke to death if you even think again of touching that female. Do you understand me?”

  His words shocked them all. He gave the male a rough shake and released him, baring his teeth.

  “You better run. You know I have a temper.”

  The three males glanced at each other, obviously frightened, and scrambled toward the stairs, taking them two at a time. True relaxed and glanced back at Jeanie. She’d paled but didn’t seem too afraid. He sniffed, finding her scent not overly sweet. He held Query’s stare, then glanced at Book.

  “Thank you.”

  Query shrugged. “Those three are nuisances. Our females snubbing them tends to only make them more cranky.”

  True wasn’t sure what that meant and it must have shown in his expression.

  Book grinned, setting the lamp on a table. “861 once tried to attack Valiant’s mate. Breeze didn’t take that too kindly since she likes her and the females avoid sharing sex with those three. They are filled with hatred.” He sobered. “They’ve refused to take names and my guess is it helps them keep hold of their bitterness.” He jerked his head toward Jeanie. “And you’ve brought her home. Watch them. Understand? I wouldn’t put it past them to do something foolish. They are okay to hang with but would I want them anywhere near a human I cared about? Hell no.”

  True clenched his teeth. “You think they might come after her in my home?”

  “Not after this,” Query whispered, craning his neck to get another look at Jeanie.

  True stepped forward and glared at the male. “What are you looking at?”

  Book cleared his throat. “I’ll have a chat with them to make certain they understand how stupid going after your human would be. Darkness will also be informed of their behavior. Where are you taking her?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Don’t tell me you stood up to everyone just to back down now by returning her to Tim’s custody.”

  “Never. She needs clothes.”

  “Okay.” Book turned away. “I’m going to go upstairs and have that chat with them and find Darkness to fill him in.”

  True faced Jeanie and hated to see the pained look in her eyes. “It’s okay.”

  “I knew leaving your apartment wasn’t such a good idea.”

  He took her hand. “Not all Species have come to terms with the past. Don’t allow them to frighten you. They wouldn’t dare harm you.” I’ll kill them if they try, he silently swore.

  “Shiver,” Query rasped. “I hoped it might be you when I heard the rumors of a human from Drackwood. I couldn’t understand why one of our males would protect any of them otherwise.”

  True spun, snarling out a warning. He didn’t like the way the male had advanced or the obvious interest he showed in her.

  Jeanie peeked around True and spotted 716. She’d tended the man after a severe beating he’d taken for refusing to fight with another New Species. The as
sholes training him had broken both his arms. She’d fed him daily until his arms healed and had managed to slip him some sweets.

  True let go of her hand and got between them. “She’s not our enemy.”

  “I know that. I don’t go around threatening to hurt other males just for the hell of it.” His expression softened. “Hello, Shiver.” He gave her a warm smile. “It’s nice to see you again. I’m now known as Query.” He chuckled. “I’m very inquisitive. I thought the name fit. I heard you were shot, Shiver. Are you well?”

  Emotions choked her at seeing him looking so healthy and fit. “I’m good. You look great. How are the arms?”

  He moved both of them and made fists. The muscles bunched in his bare arms, displayed clearly by the tank top he wore. “Great, thanks to you.” He tried to step closer but True blocked his path. He glanced at him, frowned, but seemed to decide to shrug it off. “You got me addicted to oatmeal cookies. None of them taste as good as the ones you brought me though.”

  The fear she’d felt over True almost getting into another fight melted away under the compliment. “The secret is I put applesauce and cinnamon into the mix when I bake them. I can give you the recipe.”

  “I’d like that.” He turned to face True. “She’s with you?”

  “Yes.”

  Query frowned. “In what capacity?”

  Jeanie moved, grabbing True’s hand once more. She would be heartbroken if he and Query fought the way he’d had to fight Flirt. “He’s protecting me,” she quickly stated. “He saved me from being sent to prison.”

  Query peered down at her from his greater height. “Are you a couple?”

  She wasn’t sure how to answer. True had taken her into his home and they’d gotten physical but did that mean they were in a real relationship? She wasn’t certain.

  “We are,” True stated.

  Jeanie glanced up at him but he seemed too intent on glaring at the other male to spare her any attention. She watched Query’s expression to see how he’d take the news. His tense features relaxed.

  “Good. She treated me well and made my life easier while at Drackwood. I’d fight you for her if you didn’t have good intentions.”

  True tried to shake off her hand but she clung to him. “He would never hurt me or do anything bad.” She forced a smile and purposely changed the subject. “I like your name.”

  The two men stared at one another but Query finally turned his attention back to her. “Thank you. I do tend to ask a lot of questions.” He looked back at True. “Are they charging her because she worked at Drackwood?”

  True shrugged. “I don’t know. She also worked at Cornas. I’m trying to find proof she was at both places to help our kind.”

  Query nodded. “We could pull together the ones from our facility and have them testify about her kindness and of the things she did to make our lives better.”

  “It could be helpful.” True hesitated. “A human was using her to gather evidence and collect rewards.”

  Query nodded. “I can contact everyone from our testing facility and we could put a team together to work on finding this human. Most of us work Security with access to computers. This human has to have a driver’s license or some form of identification we can track through records. The out world gives us access to their databases.”

  True nodded. “I’ve asked our task force team to search for this male but I’d like us on it as well.”

  “Done,” Query agreed. “I’ll call them together after my shift and we’ll brainstorm.”

  “You’ll need her information.”

  “Why don’t you bring her to the library at seven o’clock? It should be big enough to hold everyone and they’ll be happy to see Shiver.”

  “Fine.”

  Query glanced at Jeanie, then back at True. “You might want to keep her in your home until then. There is still a lot of hostility in some of our people for any human associated with the testing facilities. Those three males are prime examples. Not all of us had any positive experiences so they don’t understand why we’d fight to keep her safe.”

  “I’m taking her to supply.”

  “Understood. Avoid large areas with many of our kind,” Query warned. “I’d go with you but I need to get ready for work. Fury gets testy when I show up out of uniform or if I’m late.”

  True nodded. “I will.”

  Query reached inside his front pocket and dangled a set of keys. “Cart nineteen is mine. Use it and leave the keys under the seat when you’re done. I’ll jog to my station. She is without shoes and shouldn’t walk that far.”

  “I planned to carry her.”

  Query glanced at Jeanie and laughed. “She sure wouldn’t strain you.”

  “No. She would not.” He accepted the keys.

  “See you at seven.” Query smiled at Jeanie again. “It is good to see you and I’d love that recipe.”

  “It’s yours. I’ll write it down the first chance I get.”

  Query spun around and headed toward the elevator.

  Jeanie stared up at True. “I can wait on the clothes. You almost got in another fight.”

  “It doesn’t matter. We’re going.” He leaned down a little, staring into her eyes. “How close were you to him?”

  She glanced at Query as he stepped inside the elevator before holding True’s gaze. It reminded her of the look he’d had when he’d quizzed her about Flirt. It dawned on her why he asked. “I took care of him when he was injured. If you’re asking if he ever showed a sexual interest in me, the answer is no.”

  He blinked. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  True led her outside into the bright sunshine and released her hand. She gasped when he grabbed her around her waist with one arm, bent, hooked her behind her knees with his hand and lifted her into his arms.

  “The ground will be hot and your feet are too tender not to burn.”

  She wrapped her arm around his broad shoulders. “Thanks. I could walk though.”

  “There’s no need.” He turned, striding to a line of golf carts parked around the corner of the building. Each one had numbers printed on the side near the front wheel well. “I won’t risk you getting injured.”

  He gently placed her on the seat and circled the cart. The seat was small so they ended up pressed together. She didn’t mind. True started the engine, backed up and threw it in drive. Traffic consisted of a few other golf carts and one SUV. A few Jeeps were parked in front of buildings and New Species walked along the sidewalks. There weren’t many but the ones she saw turned to stare at her as they passed.

  “It’s like a small town. There’s so much grass and hardly any vehicles.”

  “We have a bar here where we dance.”

  That stunned her for some reason. She peered at him instead of their surroundings. “You dance?”

  He glanced at her. “Yes.”

  “To what?” She was really curious.

  “Music.”

  “I meant what kind?”

  “Something with a good beat. It’s one of the better things we’ve discovered since being freed.”

  She grew quiet, mentally trying to picture True on a dance floor. He was big, muscular, and women would probably love to use the excuse to rub up against him. Jealousy reared its head when she wondered who had taught him, if it had been fast or slow dancing, and if it had led to sex.

  The cart slowed to a halt and Jeanie forced her attention outward. They’d parked in front of a large building. The windows were darkened and the two front doors were closed. No signs stated what it was.

  “Supply building,” he informed her, turning off the engine. “Stay put. I’m coming around to get you. Don’t forget that the ground is hot.” He lifted her into his arms. “We also have a bowling alley here at Homeland. Our kind enjoy that sport and we even have a movie theater. Everyone loves to watch movies on a big screen.”

  Jeanie wrapped her arms around his neck. She liked True holding her pressed against his chest and noticed again how
good he smelled. His words sank in and she laughed.

  “What is funny?” He paused, staring at her.

  “Bowling. I’ve never played but it just struck me as funny to call it a sport. I thought it was a game.”

  “So is football and baseball but that is considered a sport.”

  She smiled. “You’re absolutely right.”

  “I’ll take you bowling soon so you can experience it.” True started forward again.

  The doors were automated and opened when they approached. She blinked rapidly to adjust from the bright sunshine to the darker interior. It appeared to be a warehouse with tons of tall shelves. A New Species sat behind a desk, using a computer. He lifted his head and stood as True carried her right up to it. He gently placed her on her feet.

  “The female needs clothing, personal items, and shoes if you have them.”

  The feline male frowned. “She’s the one from Mercile?”

  “She’s from Drackwood and don’t take that tone,” True warned. “Do you have Gift items in stock or not?”

  Jeanie had heard that term before and wanted to ask what a gift was but refrained. The grim-looking New Species behind the desk didn’t seem happy to have her inside his warehouse. She tensed, hoping that True wasn’t about to get into yet another argument with someone over her. Guilt seemed inevitable because she kept putting True in the position of having to defend her. The two males glared at each other. The tension was tangible.

  “It’s okay if you don’t have anything in my size,” she whispered, wishing she’d talked True into staying at home after all.

  “No. You will get things.” True didn’t look away from the other male. “She’s a guest here, staying in my home.”

  The other male relented by dropping his gaze. “Fine. How long will she be with you?”

  “Indefinitely.”

  The New Species glanced down Jeanie’s body, seeming to size her up. “What is her scent preference?”

  “Vanilla and coconut for her hair,” True instantly replied.

  It shocked Jeanie that he’d remember what kind of scented shampoo and conditioner she normally used. Species had a great sense of smell but she had showered at their hospital, using their products, before he’d taken her home with him. He retained that information from the past.