New Species 08 Obsidian (13 page)

Alli wasn’t sure if she should feel insulted or scared but one thing was for certain. His words wounded her. She wondered if he’d not only used her for sex but as a way to find retribution against the idiots who’d kept him locked up all his life. The monsters who had killed his mate were out of his reach but she’d willingly agreed to stay in his room.

He peered down at her, perhaps waiting for a response, but he wasn’t getting one. She didn’t know what to say.

“My mate didn’t like me.” Emotion akin to pain flashed in his eyes. “She didn’t touch me unless she was in need and even then she never stroked my skin or slept against my side unless it was really cold or she was too drugged to move away when they brought her to me sick. I would hold her to give comfort.” He took a deep breath. “She endured me and we learned to do tasks for each other in mutual need. She was mine and I was hers but she didn’t want to be with me. There was another male from before that she wanted. They forced her into my room.” He withdrew from her physically and climbed off the bed. “I live with the knowledge that I never had deep feelings for her either. We weren’t true mates but instead forced together.”

The image he’d created in her mind was a heartbreaking one. She sat up, staring at him as he inched backward toward the bathroom. A thousand questions battled in her stunned mind while she tried to determine which one to ask first. The only thing she could piece together was that his mate had known someone before Obsidian and she must have loved him to reject any emotional tie to the attractive man before her. It had made their relationship cold and unfeeling.

“I did something to cause her death but I don’t know what it was. I must live with the guilt of how I failed her. You are not to replace 46. I am strangely drawn to you but I am free.” He snarled, flashing sharp teeth, as his hands fisted at his sides. “I will not hold another female to my side who doesn’t want me. There are no locks on these doors. Go, Alli. Flee.”

The last thing she wanted to do at that moment was to leave him. He was clearly upset and she couldn’t imagine how it would feel to be forced to live with someone who obviously had treated him badly. He’d mentioned violence when he said his mate hit him. Another set of questions arose, wondering exactly how dysfunctional their relationship had been.

“You didn’t cause her death.”

“They killed her in front of me as punishment.”

“They were assholes, Obsidian. They stole you, your mate and the two other New Species from Mercile to try to make money off you. They—”

“You wanted to leave. Go!”

She wiggled enough to reach the edge of the bed and clutched the towel to keep it covering her as she stood on wobbly legs. Though he grew increasingly irate, she couldn’t leave him in that state.

“Some people are just cruel and the ones working for Mercile lacked moral compasses, Obsidian. They didn’t kill 46 because of anything you did or didn’t do. They probably just didn’t want to pay to feed her anymore. They knew they had arrest warrants on them and they couldn’t go home. That means they were desperate and low on money. Maybe they killed her to get even with all they felt they’d lost by pinning the blame on New Species but it was their own fault. Never yours. You were a victim and so was she.”

He glared at her while his fists remained balled at his sides.

She wondered if he understood what she was trying to tell him and decided to clarify. “What Mercile did to you was illegal, against the law, and they were looking at being punished for it. An arrest warrant means all their money was frozen and the police were hunting for them. They were fac—”

“I don’t want to hear. You don’t want me. That is all that matters. Go.”

If he only knew.
She took a timid step closer. “Let’s sit down and talk. Please?”

“Why do you want to sit? Do you think I can hear you better if my ears are closer to your height?” He was furious.

“No. I just thought it would be more comfortable.”

His arm raised and pointed at the door. “Go!”

“I’m not leaving you until we talk this out.”

Her life flashed before her eyes, panic instant when he lunged at her with an enraged expression. He was a New Species and his animal traits were closer to the surface than his human ones. His hands gripped her upper arms but they weren’t crushing or painful. She stared up at him, mute, breathing rapidly as her heart pounded.

“Leave or tell me you want me to mount you.”

Those are my only options?

“Either you want me or you don’t.”

“Calm down, please,” she whispered. “I’m trying to make you feel better.”

“Tear off the towel and get on your hands and knees in front of me. That will change my mood.”

“Is it always about sex with you?”

He lowered his head enough to stare deeply into her eyes. “I don’t want to talk. I want to mount you. Either leave or we will fight. You are weak. It wouldn’t be fair since you have no strength or ability to defend yourself.” His hands on her arms slid lower to her elbows, the calloused pads of his thumbs caressing the sensitive skin on the inside, also touching the sides of her breasts. “I wouldn’t hurt you but I will manipulate your mood until you want to be mounted. I have done it before. Go or accept your fate.”

Obsidian always had a way of keeping her off balance. He didn’t wait for her to answer.

“You are not a replacement for 46.” He made a hissing sound. “Do not insult yourself or me. I am not blinded by her memory. You are very appealing but you believe I am so baffled from my long sleep that I don’t know the difference? I am not a victim. I’m a survivor and I adapt. It’s what I do best.” His thumbs kept teasing her skin, making her very aware of his touch. “I want you despite your flaws. You lure me to you and you make my blood boil with need.”

She leaned closer to him, affected by his hoarse confession. It obviously wasn’t easy for him to admit. She’d had plenty of men hit on her before, their words much more polished and suave. Obsidian’s straightforwardness turned her on. He had no reason to lie to or fool her. It was a backhanded compliment but sincere.

“I took you facing me because I couldn’t pull away and wanted to see your eyes while I was inside you.” One hand slid higher to her bare shoulder, traced the line of it to her throat, where his knuckles explored. “You fascinate me.”

Alli forgot how to breathe for seconds as she swayed closer to him until she pressed against his chest, peering up into his dark eyes. He’d been sexy when he was sleeping, unpredictable when he woke, but he was undeniably irresistible when he let down his guard enough to drop the forceful exterior he projected.

“You scare me sometimes,” she admitted softly. “But right now all I want to do is kiss you.”

His head tilted slightly and lowered a tiny bit more. Alli released her towel and reached up, her hands cupping his face as her attention fixed on his jawline. She lifted on her tiptoe and hesitated before closing her eyes. She urged him closer until her mouth brushed his. He had full, generous lips that were amazingly soft for someone so dangerous, a fact she couldn’t ignore.

He didn’t deepen the kiss, instead just stood there immobile, breathing. She turned her face slightly to align their mouths perfectly and parted her lips just enough to get a taste of him when she ran the tip of her tongue along the seam of his. A deep groan rumbled from him that she felt against her chest and he moved then, both hands grabbing her ass. He lifted her right off her feet and tighter against his tall frame. She spread her thighs and wrapped her legs around his waist.

The towel ended up twisted between their bellies but she ignored it, waiting for him to respond to her kiss. He didn’t, instead allowed her to flounder. She pulled back and opened her eyes, peering at him at eye level since he’d made them even in height.

“What’s wrong? I thought you wanted me.”

“I do.” His hands tightened enough to firmly squeeze each ass cheek and he ground his hips against her pussy to allow her to feel his thick, hard cock as it rubbed against her through his sweatpants. He took a few steps and halted by the bed. “I’ll put you down. Get on your hands and knees.”

“You want to fuck me without kissing me first?” She wasn’t sure if she should be insulted or not. “Do I have bad breath? I brushed my teeth.”

He took a deep breath, her bare were breasts smashed against his chest, of which both of them were acutely aware. He admired the view. “I don’t know how,” he muttered so softly she barely heard him.

She was grateful he held her in his strong arms. The ramifications of his confession reminded her of other hints he’d said about being limited with his sexual knowledge. He’d only taken his mate doggy style and now she learned he had never kissed her either.

The questions hit her again, so many, but mostly she wondered how long he’d been with 46. Months? Years? She used her hold on his face to urge him to look at her. Anger glinted from the dark depths when he held her gaze.

“You never kissed someone before?” It was tough to ask the question. She assessed his rugged features, verifying that he had to be at least in his thirties.

“No.” His voice came out gruff, his eyes crinkling at the corners, but not from humor.

She noticed the rising color in his cheeks. His skin was naturally tan but she didn’t miss the telling signs of embarrassment. It explained his foul mood. She didn’t need a degree in psychology to guess how it would rankle such a proud man as Obsidian to admit he wasn’t a master at something—anything.

“It’s okay. I could teach you if you want.” Excitement at the prospect made her eager to do just that. Maybe he had something against mouth intimacy or something. She’d dealt with a lot of people who had germ phobias. Some of them washed their hands a hundred times or avoided human contact. Treating them when they hated to be touched had made her job difficult at times but they had always calmed when she put on gloves and a face mask. “May I ask why? I mean, do you not like it?”

He dropped her. She bounced, startled from the fall, to the bed where she landed on her ass. He crouched down before her and glared. “My mate didn’t want my touch unless she was in need.”

“Need?”

“Heat.” He stood, spun away, and paced. “You say you are a doctor but you know nothing.” That statement caused him to pause long enough to snort at her with a disgusted glance. “She would need me sometimes. Grow aroused and allow me to mount her from behind.” He began to pace again.

The depiction of his life broke her heart. He’d been forced to live with a woman who had loved and wanted someone else. She’d only allowed Obsidian to touch her when she’d craved sex. Alli was familiar with the fact that some of the female New Species suffered symptoms from their altered DNA. They would go into mild heat, the ingrained urge to breed instilled in their genetics that manifested physical symptoms. They exhibited tenderness in their breasts, steadily increased arousal, and acute awareness of their male counterparts.

“She went into heat,” he grumbled. He paused. “That’s what the technicians called it.”

“I get it.” It was a grim realization. “That’s the only time you two engaged in sex?”

He nodded sharply. “She only allowed me to taste her or mount her from behind. She didn’t want my touch otherwise.” He glared. “Go, Alli. I no longer want you here.”

She glanced down to the front of his sweatpants. The stiff outline of his cock said otherwise. She looked up. “We should talk more about this.”

He threw back his head and howled. The sound made her flinch and she dropped the towel and covered her ears. He spun and his fist plowed into the wall. She eased her palms away from her ears and heard the sound of pounding boots coming down the hallway at a run. She barely recovered the towel to hide her bare breasts before Jericho burst back into the room.

“Get her out of here,” Obsidian snarled. “I want her gone.” He refused to look at her as he stomped inside the bathroom and slammed the door.

Jericho cleared his throat. “You got your wish. You’re free to go, Dr. Allison.”

Hot tears burned behind her eyelids when she closed her eyes.

“Dr. Allison? Let’s go. My back is turned. Put on something, grab your gear and you’re out of here. No way in hell are you staying. You’re in danger.”

She didn’t believe that. Obsidian could have hit her instead of the wall.

Chapter Twelve

The door squeaking alerted Obsidian that he was no longer alone and he turned his head to shoot an intimidating glower at the guard who refused to stop checking on him. He wasn’t going to jump off the roof of the building in an attempt to escape. He just wanted fresh air to clear his head and be alone.

“Go away.”

“Hey.” Moon stepped out. “It’s me.”

The other male was out of the black uniform and instead wore human clothing. The small blue tank top hid little of his shoulders and none of his arms. The material of his pants he’d seen before when the technicians had moved him to the new place where 46 had died. They’d called them jeans. His feet were bare.

“I heard you and the doctor hit a bit of a rough patch. I thought you might want to talk to someone.” He lifted something from behind his back. “I brought iced coffees. Have you tried them?”

Obsidian glanced at the two bottles held in the other male’s grasp. “Talk! Why is that what everyone wants?”

“Ah.” Moon cautiously approached. “Did they send the shrink to examine you?”

“The what?”

“Headshrinker. We have one who comes to speak to us and he asks how we feel about certain stuff. I guess Tiger wanted him to evaluate you. Dr. Kregkor isn’t so bad.”

“No human male visited me.”

Moon lifted a leg and straddled the ledge of the building, firmly sitting on the wall. He held out one of the bottles. “Twist top. You just give it a twist and it comes off. Try it. They are good.”

He hesitated but accepted the cool drink, eyeing it warily.

“Trust me, it’s good. I grabbed us two from my refrigerator when I heard you were having a bad day. Not much goes on around here that remains private. I just didn’t get the details. What happened with your doctor?”

Obsidian tested the top of the drink and it came off in his palm when he exerted a little muscle. The thing smelled good so he took a sip. “She always wants to talk.”

“That’s how females are. They all do that.”

“46 didn’t.”

“Your mate was a unique female then.” Moon opened his drink and took a long swallow, resting it in front of him between his thighs. “Females love to talk. I think it’s because we spent solitary lives and the silence is something they enjoy avoiding now that we’re free.”

“Alli is human.”

“They really talk. They don’t have our keener senses and can’t judge anything except by their vision and hearing words.” He sighed. “Consider how limited they are. It must be a bit frightening without the sense of smell to help figure things out.”

“What do you mean?” Obsidian relaxed slightly, leaning against the wall that overlooked Homeland.

“Most of us can pick up a lot using our noses. Anger. Arousal. Hell, some of us can scent pain if it’s sharp enough. They sweat when they are afraid or nervous as their hearts race. We pick that up too.” He shrugged. “All they’ve got is the ability to guess while they watch us but we tend to be good at hiding our emotions when we feel the need. You know what I’m talking about. Mercile used any sign of weakness or emotion against us.”

Obsidian couldn’t disagree.

“So humans press us to talk. They want to know what we are thinking and feeling. They don’t understand a lot about us and are curious by nature. I take it that caused the argument? I asked Jericho but he refused to say what happened. He must like you.”

“The male and I fought.”

Dark eyebrows arched. “Really? Who won? I didn’t see damage on him.” He visually assessed Obsidian. “Or you. It must not have been too physical.”

“Alli got in the way and it stopped before she was harmed.”

“Tough little female, huh? Brave too. I’d hesitate to get between you and the primate. I’ve seen him fight and you don’t look easy to take down either.”

“He makes weird sounds.”

Moon chuckled. “We think he’s got gorilla DNA. It is a large primate species. You’ll learn about the different types of DNA we carry.”

“He has red eyes.”

“I wouldn’t comment on that to him. He’s touchy on the subject and to be fair, they are more brown than crimson.” The male took another drink. “Not too many primates survived and the ones who did tend to be chimpanzee mixed. They are much mellower than Jericho. He’s had a rough time of it.”

Obsidian admitted to curiosity. “Why?”

“Have you seen him? He’s intimidating as hell and he’s weird about his territory. He had to move out of the men’s dorm because he beat on his neighbors for disturbing his sleep. The guy doesn’t have much of a sense of humor, probably because he doesn’t get laid often. The females tend to avoid him because they are afraid he’ll try to claim one of them if they end up in his bed. He’s not exactly someone you want to say no to without feeling a bit of fear.”

“Laid?”

“Share sex. Laid. It’s a human term. I guess you weren’t exposed to much of their language in the facility?”

He shook his head. “They fed us and sometimes tested us. They didn’t talk much and 46 rarely did.”

“You were in another part of the facility than most of us. Do you know why?”

“No.”

Moon lifted his chin to stare at the sky. “Were you only bred with one female?”

“Yes. My mate.”

The other male looked at him then. “I know it was hard to keep track but was it for a short time or for quite a while?”

Flashbacks of his life emerged in Obsidian’s thoughts. “Forever,” he rasped, his chest tightening. “It seemed that long.”

“You miss her.”

He hesitated, testing his emotions. “I let her down. I am here but she is not.”

“Hate the ones who murdered her and stop beating yourself up.” Moon’s gaze held his. “It was out of your hands. You would have stopped them if you could have. I saw you when you were first rescued. You must have tried like hell to escape to save her and that’s all you could have done. You nearly died from your injuries. You need to let it go.”

“I won’t while they live.”

“That’s out of your hands too.” He paused, changing the subject. “What happened between you and the doctor?”

“She accused me of wanting to mount her to replace 46.”

Moon’s features twisted into a grimace. “Ouch. No wonder you two got into it. No female wants to feel as if a male wants to use her body to slake his passion for another.”

“I am not confused. 46 is dead. Alli is different. I had no thought of 46 when I wanted Alli.”

“Did you tell her that?”

“Yes.”

Silence stretched between them until Moon hiked his leg over the wall and stood, facing him. “I am your friend. I know you never had one before but it means you can tell me anything and I won’t repeat it. You need one right now that won’t bullshit you. That means I won’t tell you lies or judge you. What really happened between you and the doctor? Last we spoke, you wanted to mount her. Are you still worried you’d hurt her if you shared sex? I told you to just go slow and easy.”

Obsidian dropped his gaze, staring at the dark roof under his bare feet.

“What happened? Did you try it and she was afraid? Don’t growl, you need to hide your teeth from her as much as possible and be very gentle. Some of our traits can be frightening to human females. I know she’s into you big-time. I was assigned to guard you and saw the way she’d look at you while you were sleeping. Hell, she kidnapped you and put her ass on the line trying to save you. That speaks volumes. Then she agreed to stay with you while you recovered. That female is into you.”

“Into me?” Obsidian shot Moon a confused look.

“She cares. I believe she’s highly attracted to you.”

“She rejected me.”

“Did you scare her?”

His shoulders slumped, remembering her fear. “Yes.”

“Mystery solved. Just tell her you’re sorry, give her a puppy-dog look and tell her you will try harder not to do that. Females are pretty forgiving if they care about you.”

“Puppy look?”

Moon’s eyes widened and his lower lip jutted out a little while he lowered his head slightly. He blinked a few times, a sad emotion easily visible. “Like this.”

A laugh surprised Obsidian when it broke from his lips. The male’s expression was humorous. “I refuse.”

The male grinned. “I know it looks ridiculous but yeah, it totally works. It gets me out of hot water all the time.”

“Why would you go into hot water?”

“It’s a saying that means trouble. You really were kept secluded and your interaction with the technicians was limited if you don’t know that one. What did they do to you?”

“Tests. I was given pills and injections. Mostly they wanted 46 and me to breed.”

All humor disappeared from Moon’s features. “Did it work? Did she conceive?”

“No.”

The male sighed loudly. “Good. The thought of them getting a child from one of us is our worst fear. They probably wanted to segregate you and your mate from the rest of our population to see if that would get the results they wanted. One of the Mercile employees said there were rumors that some of the scientists believed a mated pair in love would be able to conceive.”

“In love?”

“You know, fiercely emotionally tied to each other.”

Obsidian looked away, feelings of guilt and sadness filling him.

“What is it?” Moon stepped closer.

He finally looked at the male. “We were not in love. 46 rejected a bond between us.”

Moon cursed softly. “Shit. She was forced?”

Obsidian straightened, his spine stiffening. “I never harmed her or mounted her without consent.”

“I didn’t mean it that way. We assumed you two wanted to be mated.”

“She was brought to my room and left there. She had known another male and pleaded to be taken to him.”

Moon slumped back against the wall, one hand lifting to run fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry. That must have been hell for both of you.”

“It was difficult.” He relaxed slightly. “She only agreed to my touch during her need. Life was harsh but I tried to make her happy. She wasn’t.” His chest hurt when he breathed. “We existed together in that room but sometimes…” He couldn’t say it.

“What?” Moon stared at him with compassion. “I’m your friend. Tell me.”

“She would purposely provoke the technicians, hoping they’d harm her. I would stop her but she’d fight with me. I had to restrain her until she calmed. I think she wanted to die but I didn’t want to be left alone. She accused me of being selfish and said she hated me.”

“Fuck,” Moon rasped, closing the distance between them.

Obsidian braced for the male to attack but instead hands just gripped his shoulders while they stared at each other.

“I’m so damn sorry. Of course you had to stop her. I would have done the same. Technicians never needed much of an excuse to kill or hurt us.”

The things he’d told the other male threatened to overwhelm him as guilt, sorrow and regret flashed through his system. The words had burst out before he could prevent them, the relief at being able to confess things too strong to deny.

“I feel guilt that she died because I let her down and I should miss her but I don’t. That makes me as cruel as the technicians, doesn’t it?”

Moon didn’t look at him with horror. “I’m going to hug you. It means I care and you are not heartless. You did your best for your mate but it sounds as though her love belonged to another before she ever met you. You didn’t stand a chance. We tend to obsess over one person in our lives and that’s it. You haven’t seen happily mated couples but I have. It wouldn’t have mattered how good you treated her or what you did, trying to make her content. Her mind was always on another and she wasn’t going to give you a chance.”

The male suddenly jerked Obsidian against his chest, his arms holding on to him and he just stood there, allowing it. It wasn’t exactly a comfortable feeling having another male so close to his body but he didn’t get the urge to punch him. Moon withdrew slightly to meet his gaze.

“We’ll find you a female who will make you forget all about 46. One who makes you feel alive again. You need to get laid.”

The image of one woman filled his thoughts and he uttered her name instantly. “Alli.”

Moon arched his eyebrows. “Ah. Kind of stuck on her, huh?”

“I want her.”

“Then practice that puppy-dog look and say what I told you.” Moon released him and stepped back, glanced around, then walked to the edge of the building to peer over the wall. He glanced back. “Luckily for you I know where she lives. How do you feel about a late-night visit? Nobody is going to check on us since Jericho knows I’m with you. Have you ever jumped before? It’s easy from this height. Just watch me closely and do what I do. Land on your feet and bend your knees.” He flashed a grin. “We have an advantage as Species.”

* * * * *

Alli finished closing the last box, suffering nostalgia despite only having lived in her home for a few months. It had been the best time of her life. She blinked back tears as she tried to plot out her future. It looked pretty bleak.