New Species 06 Wrath (8 page)

“You are safe.”

She nodded, pretty sure he wouldn’t hurt her. “I know.”

His hand lifted and he motioned her to precede him. “Walk straight ahead and I’ll tell you when to turn to reach the kitchen.”

“I’ll just stick to your side, if you don’t mind.”

“Vengeance won’t hurt you. He’s calmed down and will be over his behavior.”

Lauren licked her lips. “I’m not.” She wasn’t embarrassed to admit how much she’d been frightened. “He’s scary.”

Chapter Four

Lauren felt trepidation as Wrath led her down a long hallway that opened up into a large room. There was a pool table in the corner. Couches, tables and a large television sat in the center, and along one corner was a kitchenette with a large refrigerator, cabinets, counters, and a sink. There was also a table and chairs. That’s where her attention fixed and she halted in fear.

A hand gripped her elbow gently and Lauren’s gaze darted up to Wrath’s face. He gave her a small smile. “It’s all right, Lauren. These are the males I work with. You’ve met one of them.”

She had no choice but get closer to the table since Wrath held her arm and tugged her along. Two men sat at the table opposite each other. One was the large blond from the warehouse, minus his sunglasses, and his eyes were clearly displayed. He was obviously New Species. He had blue eyes, unlike Wrath, but their features were similar. The blond man frowned as he watched their approach.

“This is Shadow,” Wrath introduced.

Shadow glanced at Wrath. “Why is she out of the holding cell?” He studied her with a quick sweep of his gaze. “Was her perfume bothering you so much while you interrogated her that you made her wear your clothing?” He sniffed. “I do admit I prefer being in her presence now more than before.”

Wrath ignored Shadow. He nodded toward the second man. “This is Brass.”

Lauren studied the man with brown hair and almost-black eyes. He was big too, had wide shoulders, and was as muscular as Wrath and Shadow. Brass frowned too.

“Why is she out here? We were trying to intimidate her.”

Wrath hesitated. “We’ll discuss that later. Right now she needs food. I believe she is not Bill’s girlfriend but only works with him. She told me that he said he likes to hang out at a bar within walking distance of his home. We should have Tim send a team there and put it under surveillance. Perhaps he will show if it is a regular place he visits.”

Footsteps sounded behind Lauren and she turned her head. Vengeance stepped into the room. He had changed into a tank top and cotton shorts. The skimpy outfit showed off his big muscles. It only took one look at him before terror hit her faster than a bolt of lightning. She whimpered and jerked out of Wrath’s hold. She stumbled backward, looking for a place to run.

Wrath moved fast and grabbed Lauren around her waist. Strong arms hauled her against his chest. He turned in a way that blocked her from the source of her fear and glanced down. “It’s fine, Lauren. He won’t touch you again.”

Her fingers clawed at Wrath’s shirt. She didn’t fight to get away but instead clung to him. He had saved her once and she felt safe huddled against his big frame.

“What is going on?” Brass stood. “I can smell pure terror coming from her.”

“That’s an interesting reaction to Vengeance. Is it his shaved head? It does look strange. Was she too distracted to notice him when we took her from that building?” Shadow chuckled. “Are you all right, Wrath? Do you need help before she climbs up you?”

Wrath snarled and his body tensed against hers. The sound was vicious and threatening. Lauren would have pushed him away and tried to flee but his arms were locked tightly around her waist. One of his hands rubbed her back even as he made another scary sound.

“See, Vengeance? See what you’ve done? If you can’t contain your temper then you should be back at Reservation until you can.”

Another growl sounded inside the room. “I said I was sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” Brass snarled now. “What did you do, Ven?”

“I scared her,” Vengeance admitted.

“How? I think if she could climb up Wrath to escape you, she would.” Shadow even sounded angry. “Did you cross a line?”

“She shared sex with that monster.” Vengeance’s voice deepened. “I lost my temper. She’s protecting him when she shouldn’t. I’m going for a walk.”

Long seconds ticked by but Lauren wasn’t willing to release Wrath until she was sure Vengeance had left. Brass finally spoke.

“What happened?”

Wrath continued to rub Lauren’s back. “I heard her screams and ran in there. He had torn her clothing off and was about to force breed her to get her to talk. He thought mating her would make her switch loyalties to him.”

“Son of a bitch,” Brass ground out. “No wonder she reacts to him that strongly. Is she all right?”

Wrath’s arms still gripped Lauren, but he said, “He’s gone. You can let go now.”

Lauren released him and stepped back. She leaned sideways to peer around Wrath to make sure Vengeance had really left. The fear faded and she peered up at her hero. Wrath watched her calmly.

“Thank you.” She swallowed.

Wrath touched Lauren and turned her to face the two New Species. They were now standing only feet away. Lauren gasped and quickly put more space between them. Her back slammed into Wrath’s chest. His arms wrapped loosely around her waist to anchor her there.

“Easy,” he urged. “You’re safe.”

Shadow smiled but it looked forced. “We aren’t going to hurt you. We only tried to frighten you into giving up information but you were never in any real danger. We don’t harm females.”

Brass’ expression was grim. “Ven never should have touched you that way. We don’t condone forced mating or rough physical treatment of females.”

“I was careful not to harm you when I put you on the table.” Shadow frowned. “It was just to shake you up a bit but Wrath said I took it too far. That is why he had us leave you alone. I apologize.”

“I explained. Her wrists were a little torn from the handcuffs when she fought to get away from Vengeance but I bandaged them.” Wrath gently eased Lauren a few inches from his body. “I brought her in here to get something to eat and drink. Her stomach rumbles from hunger.”

Brass sighed. “You must think the worst of us. I apologize for Ven’s rage.”

Wrath released her. “She isn’t happy about having to stay here until we capture Bill.”

“Who would be happy to be kept prisoner?” Shadow turned and sat down but his gaze remained on Wrath. “I’m shocked you didn’t tear his head off when you walked in on that.”

“I would have if he hadn’t calmed.” Wrath was grim. “Brass, you might want to talk to him. He has no business being part of his mission if he can’t control his anger. He should return to Reservation. They handle irate males there much better than at Homeland.”

Brass nodded. “I will go have words with him.” He paused. “She’s your responsibility, Wrath. She seems more at ease with you than the rest of us.”

Wrath paled. “I thought we could turn her over to the task force to hold.”

Shadow shook his head. “No.” His blue gaze traveled over the length of Lauren’s body. “I would feel better if she were with us. I am sure they are fine but we don’t know these humans well enough to be certain they can be trusted with a female. We brought her here. She should be our responsibility to protect until she’s released.”

“She’s our responsibility to protect,” Brass agreed. “I know it doesn’t need to be said but don’t leave her with Ven. I’m sure he’s fine now but his behavior is alarming. Perhaps he’s not as stable as he seemed. We’re all under a great deal of stress on this mission. I’m sure the female won’t want to be left anywhere near him.”

Wrath frowned. “Where do I put her?”

Brass shrugged. “Close to you.”

Shadow nodded. “Better you than me.”

Lauren darted a glance at the three men. Brass looked indifferent, Shadow seemed uncomfortable, and Wrath flat out frowned. It was clear he didn’t want to be stuck with her, nor did the other two. It might be time to try to gain her freedom again.

“Can’t I just go home? Please? I won’t tell Bill anything. I want you to catch him.”

Three pairs of eyes turned on her with grim expressions and she swallowed. No one said a word. She sighed and knew she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Fine. I am hungry. I was just sitting down to dinner with my friend when I got the call to show the warehouse. I didn’t get to actually eat.”

Wrath moved away from her. “Have a seat. Do you like roast beef or ham sandwiches? I’ll make you one.”

“Roast beef, please. No mustard. I’m allergic.”

“I understand.” Wrath kept his back to her as he started pulling things from the fridge to make her a sandwich. “Feeding you should be easy.”

She sat and eyed Shadow as Brass left the room. He held her gaze and frowned. He kept glancing at her hair though.

“What?” She reached up to touch her head, felt the bun still in place, and no parts of it sticking up. “Is something in my hair? Tell me it’s not a cobweb. I hate spiders.”

“No spiders are there. Why do you do that to your hair? It looks uncomfortable.”

She let her hand drop. “I look more professional with my hair up. I should cut it but I always had short hair as a kid. I always wanted long hair so I let it grow out when I got my own place after high school.”

“Why didn’t you just stop cutting it when you were young?”

She hesitated. “My grandparents raised me. My Grandma said it was easier to care for if it was short and my grandfather was afraid boys would take notice of me so he agreed with her. They made me cut it every few months until I moved out. It was their house, their rules.” She smiled.

“Can you take it down please? I am curious.”

Lauren shrugged. She reached up and started pulling pins. She knew it would look messy but wanted to appease his curiosity. She understood it since she had a ton of questions about New Species. She realized that she might seem as strange to him as they did to her.

She placed the pins on the table and unwound her hair and then pulled the ponytail holder out. She ran her fingers through her unbound hair, happy to have it down since she usually brushed it before bed, and met Shadow’s gaze to see his reaction.

His lips were parted and his blue eyes were wide as he gaped at her hair. He blinked a few times but finally smiled. “It’s beautiful and longer than I thought it would be. I miss my long hair.”

She glanced at his short-cropped hair. “Why did you cut it if you like it long?”

“The mission was more important and it will grow back.” His smile faded. “I had to cut it to look more human and fit in with the task force. It wasn’t as long as yours but it hung past my shoulders.”

She could understand that. “I keep mine up for my job. Maybe instead of cutting it you should have put it up.”

Glass broke in the kitchen area. Lauren started and her head jerked in the direction of the loud sound. Wrath stared at Lauren, openmouthed, and the plate that held her sandwich was broken on the floor at his feet, where he’d dropped it.

Shadow chuckled. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Much longer than I thought.”

Wrath’s face tightened and his gaze lowered to the floor. A growl tore from his throat as he crouched and started picking up the mess. Lauren was confused and she glanced at Shadow.

“Did he just growl? I thought I imagined it before.”

“We all growl. It’s the change in us. We snarl too. Howl.” He chuckled. “We show teeth. Have you seen them yet?”

She shook her head. “They look like regular teeth.”

“That’s because we’ve learned to only open our mouths so far around humans. We practice speaking and smiling in front of a mirror so we don’t frighten humans when we deal with them. Would you like to see my canines?”

She hesitated. “Sure, if you don’t move closer.”

He laughed and opened his mouth all the way. Lauren couldn’t help but gawk. She swallowed hard. Shadow’s teeth were beautifully white and looked human until his fangs were revealed. They extended longer than a normal person’s canines and they turned into sharper points at the end. He slowly hid them.

“We’re all canine on our team. That’s what we were mixed with. The feline mixes have the same anomaly, only they roar when they get emotional. We howl and snarl.” He shrugged. “We all growl. Don’t be alarmed when you hear it. We do it often. It doesn’t mean we’re angry.”

“Feline?”

“Some of our people were mixed with large-breed felines, what we believe were lions, tigers, and the black big cats—your people call them panthers. It’s just a guess but they have the catlike eyes and they roar. Canines are better trackers and deal with each other better. Our sense of smell is stronger and we enjoy company. Felines are faster and they can leap a floor or two in height. Most of them aren’t real social though, long term. They prefer solitary situations.”

“Justice North is feline then, isn’t he?”

“He’s the exception. He is feline but he’s very social.”

“I have seen him on the news plenty of times. He seems really nice.”