New Species 12 Darkness (13 page)

Kat clawed the bed and moaned. The tingling in the back of his throat and his chest began. He didn’t mute his instincts. She had said she found the noises he made sexy. He closed his eyes when he was buried deeply within the inviting confines of her pussy. He wanted to just stay there, to enjoy the feel of her, but desire drove him to move.

He tried to be gentle but the more he fucked her, the less control he was able to maintain. He increased the pace, her moans growing louder over the sounds he made. Kat came hard, her vaginal muscles clenching and unclenching around his dick. He rode out his own release and was oblivious to everything for the next few seconds until the magnitude of it passed and only their heavy breathing remained.

He wanted to climb on the bed with Kat and hold her in his arms, remove her shirt and press his skin to hers. Just keep her close. She relaxed under him and he eased her legs down. It came as a shock when she suddenly reached for him, her fingers splaying on his chest and lower stomach. He jerked but didn’t withdraw from her body.

Her hands were soft and gentle, almost petting him. He looked down, watching them caress his flesh. His softening dick stirred and it reminded him of the spent condom. He captured her wrists and removed her touch.

“Don’t.”

Her hands fisted. “Fine. Sorry.”

He let her go and eased away. The separation of their bodies left him feeling cold. He stood and entered the bathroom, disposed of the condom. He lingered for a full minute, debating. The smart thing would be to leave. He didn’t want to go just yet. He returned to the bedroom. Kat had the bedside lamp on and was sitting against the headboard with the blanket covering her from her breasts down. She smiled.

“I like seeing you.”

He wasn’t sure how to respond. Her gaze lingered over parts of him, especially his chest and groin area. He held still, not minding her examination. She could look all she wanted but he didn’t want her to touch him. It was too personal.

“I’ll draw you another bath.” It gave him something to do.

“No.” She shook her head and lifted a hand, curving one finger. “You could come over here, though, and join me.”

He tensed. “No.”

Disappointment and a flash of pain showed in her eyes. “Okay.”

“I should go home. You have a class in the morning and I have a meeting.”

“You could sleep with me,” she offered. “I don’t snore.”

It steeled his determination to keep away from the bed. It was tempting to agree. “I can’t.”

“It’s a big bed.” She inched over a little to make more room. “I’ll even let you pick which side you want.”

“Kat,” he warned, his tone deepening. “Stop.”

“Fine.”

He dressed and retrieved the condom box then grabbed the bag from her trash. She stopped him before he could escape. It felt as if he were about to do just that.

“Why do you always do that?”

He paused, turning to face her. “Do what?”

“Take the trash with you.”

“Security does sweeps of your home while you’re gone.”

“They come in here?” She frowned. “Why?”

“It’s procedure.” He didn’t tell her they did checks on the cameras and audio devices to make certain they worked properly. “It also lets them know if you’re low on any supplies you may need. It’s not as if you can shop for new shampoo or food.”

“I guess that’s nice.”

“We like to take care of our visitors.”

“Just not sleep with them.”

“I’m sure many males would be happy to share your bed.” It pissed him off even saying it. He’d wanted to punch the feline male who’d asked to share sex with her. He might have if she’d accepted the offer. Anger boiled under his skin just thinking about someone else stripping Kat bare.

“Just not you.”

“I told you I’m different.”

“Are you sleeping with Bluebird?”

He was so surprised he didn’t think he hid the reaction but masked his features fast. “No.”

“I met her today. I also noticed she’s allowed to touch you.”

Darkness noted the way her fingers were clawed on the covers and the slight anger in her tone. “We’re friends. Are you jealous?”

Her lips pressed together. “No.”

He growled. “You’re not dressed and I think that’s a lie.” Had she forgotten their agreement to be truthful when she was naked? “Do you want to try again? You’re agitated.”

“That’s a polite way to put it. I just assumed you didn’t like anyone touching you but I guess it’s just me. I’ll admit that’s not the best feeling in the world.”

Regret surfaced. He wasn’t being fair to Kat and knew it. “Bluebird doesn’t interest me.” He should have left it at that but hated the way she looked at him, as if he were hurting her. “I’m not immune to you. Good night, Kat. Sleep well.”

He left before he could change his mind. He did a sweep of the outside perimeter before going home. He showered to remove Kat’s scent but the memory wouldn’t fade. He took a seat on the bed and peered at the laptop he’d left on after taking over the security feeds.

Kat lay curled on her side facing away from the lamp. Her eyes were closed but the restless way she kept moving assured him she didn’t sleep. It was as if she couldn’t get comfortable. He lifted the laptop and set it on his lap. His finger, just an inch from the screen, traced the outline of her body. He wanted to touch her again.

“Damn,” he muttered.

Kat sat up and threw off the covers. He tensed, part of him hopeful that she’d come after him. He’d given her reason to be angry. Kat was a confrontational female. He tracked her out of the bedroom but she didn’t go near the slider. She fixed a sandwich instead and plopped down on the couch.

The morose expression on her face while she turned on the TV and ate tugged at him. She’d been sleeping peacefully before he’d woken her. She curled up on the couch eventually and drifted to sleep. He found himself rising before giving it thought.

It was easy to sneak into her home and take the comforter off her bed. He crouched down next to the couch, watching her sleep. He took care not to wake her when he tucked the material around her body.

I could just pick her up and carry her to bed.

He rejected the idea and left her cottage before he changed his mind. The protective urges he felt toward Kat were only growing stronger. It was a bad sign. He couldn’t afford to form an attachment to her. She wasn’t a female he could ever fully trust. None were though. He refused to make that mistake again. Caring meant pain. He’d had enough of that to last him a lifetime.

He sat on his bed and moved the open laptop to the night table, turning it so he could keep watch over Kat’s still form. He lay down, leaving the lights on for once as he prepared to sleep. He wanted to understand the female. A well-lit room didn’t give him a sense of security. He preferred the dark. It was just a reminder of how different they were.

Darkness reached out and turned up the volume to the listening device in her living room. The TV had been left on, the movie she’d been watching was still playing. He could detect her light breathing though. He closed his eyes, focusing on it instead of the human voices. He should switch the feed back to Security but didn’t.

“That was a great class.” Jinx grinned. “Thanks for having lunch with the males today.”

Kat smiled at the ten males who were jammed around three tables that had been placed in a row. “Thank you for asking me.”

“We behaved,” Flirt muttered, shooting Jinx a dirty look.

The male grinned. “I threatened them with punishment if they brought up sex.” He stood. “I’m in charge of chores in the men’s dorm this week. None wanted to scrub toilets in the downstairs bathrooms. Are you ready to go on the tour I promised?”

Kat set her napkin next to the plate. “I am.” She really wanted out of there. New Species were nice but the way they’d watched her every move had been a little unsettling. They were curious, she understood that, but it made her self-conscious. She followed Jinx outside to a waiting Jeep. He motioned for her to climb inside.

“We’ll go to the training facilities first. Do you have to train to be a crime lab technician? Physically, I mean. Of course you went to school to learn all the techniques you know.”

She put on her seatbelt, noticing that he didn’t. He just started the engine and threw it in gear, only glancing behind him once to make sure he didn’t pull out in front of traffic. There wasn’t any.

“Some.” She kept it vague.

“Good. There won’t be any sessions right now but sometimes we drift in to work out our frustrations or extra energy.”

She studied the feline male. He had gorgeous blue eyes and a carefree personality. The muscular body displayed in a T-shirt and snug jeans proved he was fit. Long black hair whipped freely around his shoulders as he drove fast, barely slowing for a turn. She gripped the edges of her seat.

“Are we in a hurry?”

“Sorry.” He slowed. “Darkness put me in charge of giving you the tour and I don’t want to mess it up.”

Her interest peaked. “You’re afraid of him?”

“No.” He chuckled. “He’s definitely intimidating but he’s fair. It’s just that he never asks anything of anyone so I want to make sure I do exactly what he said. You’re to tour the training rooms and then I’m to take you to Security.”

“Is he on duty?”

“Not yet. He assigned me to you because he felt you’d be more at ease because he’s just not friendly. He asked Sunshine first but she couldn’t trade her shift today. I was his second choice.”

He parked in front of a building and turned off the engine. “This is it. It doesn’t look like much from the outside but it houses sparring rooms, weight rooms, some offices, showers, and we even have a climbing wall. That was added after we took over.”

She paused by his side as he used a card scanner to unlock the door. “I noticed all the common areas have those, except the bar.”

“It’s for security reasons. This place was built as a military base but we were given it when it was complete. Upgrades were made. It assures us that if the gates are breached we’re able to be secure inside the buildings.” He tapped the glass as he held open the door. “Weapons grade is what I think you would call it. Bullets don’t pierce the glass and metal shutters slam down in case of an emergency.” He pointed up, showing her where they were hidden above the interior doors.

“Impressive.”

“Unfortunately, we’ve had to use them.”

“The breach when Homeland first opened?”

He growled softly. “Yes. We’re always upgrading our security. That was a lesson.”

Kat let the subject drop. He showed her the reception area. It was a lounge setup with a hallway leading past closed office doors. None of them were marked. He opened a door to a room that held weight benches and free weights.

“May I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure. What do you want to know?”

“It’s about your name.”

He laughed. “Say no more. I tease that anyone who causes me harm will have bad luck but the truth is…”

Seconds ticked by. “The truth is what?”

His expression grew serious. “I was heavily abused as an adolescent. I have damage to one ear after suffering a blow to the head. It can’t be fixed. It messes with my equilibrium. I didn’t want to call myself clumsy so Jinx sounded better.”

“I’m sorry.” She regretted bringing it up.

“It’s all right. I was one of the lucky ones. Damaged Species were usually killed but they spared me because of my intelligence and because I have a pleasant disposition. It wasn’t a happy place at Mercile but you lived longer if you played their games. I was good at pretending I didn’t hate everyone who worked there.”

He touched his left ear. “This was done by orderlies. I was being taken to one of the scientists for some sort of testing and came across other orderlies escorting a female. One of them had her cornered and was kicking her for some unknown reason. She might have resisted going with them or one of them could have touched her wrong. The others were laughing and helping him keep her trapped. I attacked to defend her. They all turned on me with their batons. We’re good fighters but ten on one wasn’t good odds. I wasn’t fully grown.”

Kat reached out and touched his arm. “I’m so sorry.”

“You didn’t do it. I don’t blame all humans for the actions of Mercile or the other facilities. I was taken to a second location then later freed. The humans planned their assault badly. They should have struck all the Mercile facilities at once but instead they did it over a matter of days. It gave some of the staff time to transfer small groups of us out before all the locations were searched.”

“Your task force found you?”

“Yes. See? Some humans are our heroes.” He nodded, patted her hand and turned away, breaking their physical connection.

“May I ask you another question?”

“Sure.” He closed the door and led her down the hall to a room full of mats. It was obviously used for wrestling and sparring.

“How come most New Species are feline or canine? I hardly see any of the primates.”

“There used to be more ape primates but few made it out alive. They are pretty aggressive, with short tempers.” Jinx threw open a door. “Welcome to my favorite place.”

Kat peered in and grinned. “Wow!”

“Do you want to have some fun?”

She stepped into the room and stared up at the sixty-foot wall. The entire surface had been sectioned into three parts. The first was covered in rocks, the middle smooth with handholds and the third appeared to be a flat cliff face with small cracks running through it, as if nature had put it there.

“Our climbing room. We added this. The original ceiling wasn’t high enough. Would you like to try one? I’d suggest the handholds. That is the easiest.”

She stared at the ceiling. “I don’t see safety lines anywhere.”

“The mat is thickly padded. It won’t kill you if you fall.”

She turned to him. “You don’t use safety equipment?”

“What would be the fun in that?” He laughed. “Watch but don’t stand directly below me. I wouldn’t want to fall and land on you. That would hurt.”

He crossed the room and kicked off his shoes. In seconds he was climbing the rock section. He used his fingers and toes to hold his weight while he changed each handhold. He made it to the top in record time and turned his head to grin at her from above.

“It’s fun.”

“It looks dangerous,” she called.

“Not for us. Watch.”

He kicked off and Kat gasped when he flipped in the air, falling. He landed in a crouch and stood. “Easy.”

She was too stunned to speak. He approached with a grin.

“Felines are good at leaping and landing. The floor is very padded. I wouldn’t want to do that on solid ground. Our bone density is stronger than yours but they can be broken. Anything over thirty feet is iffy.”

“You look pretty agile to me.”

He laughed. “That’s easy. Don’t watch me run on a six-inch-wide balance beam. I can’t make it twenty feet without missing a step. I actually wanted to land a little closer to you.”

“I couldn’t do that.”

“Try the handholds. I’ll catch you if you fall. You’d have to slip to do that. They are for…” He sobered. “Um, beginners. I have faith in you.”

It was her turn to laugh. “I’m glad someone does.”

“Have a little fun, Kat.”

She bent to remove her shoes. “Okay. I know you guys have an onsite medical center, right? I might need to use it. I’d hate to go home with crutches or an arm in a sling.”
Or dead.
That fall could kill a human, no matter how thick the mat was.

Jinx cleared his throat. “You might want to leave those on. Your toes are human.”

She straightened. “And?”

He bent a leg up to show off the bottom of his foot. “See the padding on my toes? You could compare them with calluses. I’d hate for you to hurt yours or get a blister. You’ll also have better traction with your shoes on so you don’t slip.” He dropped his leg.

“Okay.” She blew out a breath and approached the middle section. She’d done indoor climbing before but not without being in a harness, rigged to a rope in case of a fall. “I wish I had gloves.”

He took her hand and turned it, studying it closely. One of his fingertips brushed over the tip of her index finger. He frowned. “Perhaps you shouldn’t climb. We don’t have gloves. I didn’t think about that.”

“I’m good.”

She grabbed one of the handholds. It was curved in a way her that fit her fingers comfortably and the rim seemed solid. The inside and top even had rubber to help a climber keep a firm grip. She caught one a little higher. There were no footholds until about five feet off the ground so she had to use her upper-body strength to hold her weight until she could climb high enough to brace her feet.

“You’ve done this before.”

“It’s been awhile.” She was a little out of breath but it was fun. “I forgot how much I like it.”

“Take your time.”

She twisted her head to stare down at him. She’d made it about ten feet off the ground. He stood under her. “Maybe you should back away in case I slip. I’d hate to land on you.”

“Just twist in the air so you fall sideways and I’ll catch you. Tense your body if it happens.”

“I think I’ll climb up and then down. I don’t have your grace. I’d just go splat!” She faced the wall and reached up for another handhold.

“What the hell?” The snarled words startled her.

Kat’s hand slipped but she managed to recover since she had solid footholds. She turned her head again and watched Darkness across the room. He looked furious as he glared up at her.

“What are you doing?”

“Climbing.”

“She’s doing good,” Jinx assessed.

“I told you to give her a tour, not allow her to use our equipment.”

“She has experience.”

“Kat?” Darkness bent and tore off his boots. “Don’t move.”

“I’m fine.”

He ignored her and pushed Jinx back. He bent at the knee and she gasped when he jumped. He landed on the wall beside her, grabbing onto handholds and finding footing. He maneuvered next to her and used his longer arms to stretch around her until he pressed against her back.

“Turn and wrap around me.”

She refused to let go. “I’ve got this.”

“Do it,” he snarled.

The look on his face wasn’t something she could ignore. He was enraged and his eyes were almost black. He bent a little and braced. “I can take your weight. Just release with one hand and twist your body. Wrap one arm around my neck and then the other. You won’t fall.”

“I wouldn’t have fallen anyway.”

“Kat,” he hissed, “do it or I’ll tear you off and just fall back so you land on top of me. You could get hurt that way.”

He braced his arms wider and gave her room to move. She followed directions and ended up clinging to him. He pressed her body against the wall and let go with one hand to hook an arm under her ass. He hefted her higher.

“Wrap your legs around my waist.”

She did, with his help. Her upper arms were braced against his shoulders. He climbed slowly down until his feet reached the floor. She eased her hold and slid down him until she stood in front of him.

“I was fine.”

He growled low but fixed his angry stare on Jinx. “We’ll discuss this later. Take her to Security to finish the tour. Don’t let her play with our weapons while you’re there, either, or put her in a uniform and take her to the wall to discover how rude the protestors are…for the fun of it.”

“Can we have a minute alone, Jinx? I have a few words to say to Darkness that aren’t for polite company.”

“Um, sure.”

She waited until the door closed behind him. That was her cue. “What is wrong with you?”

“Me? You could have fallen.”

“I was doing fine until you almost scared the hell out of me.”

“You’re not Species. You could have broken your neck if you’d fallen from higher up.”

“I would have been fine. You were also really rude to Jinx. He was just trying to make the tour fun. It
was
until you arrived. Is he in trouble? That’s messed up, Darkness. It’s my fault. I insisted on climbing.” It was a little white lie.
I’m dressed.

His lips pressed into a tight line.

She tried to notch down her temper. “I don’t know why you’re acting this way. Just don’t tear Jinx a new one, okay? He didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You’re protective of the male?”

“I guess. He shouldn’t—”

Darkness moved fast and grabbed Kat around her waist, yanking her off her feet. She slammed into his chest hard enough to knock the air from her lungs. He held her so tightly that it took her a second to suck in a breath.

“Do you want to share sex with him?”

She stared into Darkness’ eyes and felt a shiver of fear. The cold look in them would have frozen lava. “No.”

His nose flared.

She opened her hands cautiously and placed them on his biceps. “Are you jealous?”

He didn’t say a word to admit or deny it, just held her gaze. Some of her fear eased. She had faith that he wouldn’t hurt her since the worst thing he’d done was to put them at face level in a bear hug that wasn’t painful.

“Don’t start mind games,” he warned softly. “Do you understand? I’m not a male who plays well.”

“I’m not.”

“Are you interested in Jinx?”

“No.”