Numbers (16 page)

Destiny leaned against the back of a couch, partially
sitting on the edge. “I guess I’ll start from the beginning. A human female
showed up at the front gates. Jinx and Torrent brought her in about an hour
ago. She’s underweight, the palest human I’ve ever seen, but from her history,
it’s understandable. The humans kept her locked up in an asylum. That’s a
hospital for humans with mental illnesses.”

“Tell him the important part,” Snow urged.

Destiny nodded. “She is human but was raised like we were by
Mercile. I didn’t want to believe it, but you should have heard her snarl when
we drew blood. She sounds just like one of our females when they feel pain. I
was listening to her talk to Justice and Breeze while Doc Trisha examined her.
This human female gave them precise details about her life at Mercile. A doctor
took her there when she was just a young child and raised her inside a cell
with one of our males. A canine.”

Hero didn’t hear any more as blood roared to his ears,
obliterating sound. Reacting before he could think, he snarled, slamming into
the door before he realized he exited the building. It gave from the force of
his weight, and then he was outside, running toward Medical.

It can’t be.
He ignored the dull ache in his side
when he pushed his body beyond its limits, not even bothering to check for
traffic when he rushed into the street. Someone yelled at him but he ignored
it. The building housing Medical came into sight and he jumped the curb. He
only slowed since the automatic double doors couldn’t open as quickly as he
moved.

Paul, the nurse, stood up from the other side of the
reception desk. “What’s wrong? Is there an emergency?”

He inhaled the second he entered, ignoring the male. Familiar
scents came to him, just not the one he sought.

“Hero? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Paul came forward. “Is
someone hurt? Are you?”

“Where is the female?”

“Doc Trisha? She’s talking to Justice and Breeze in her
office.”

Hero spun right, striding fast down the hallway toward the
exam rooms. Paul called out to him, but he didn’t bother to acknowledge him. He
turned a corner and spotted Jinx and Torrent leaning against the wall across
from a closed door. They both turned their heads to stare at him.

“Where is the human?”

Jinx pushed away from the wall. “Showering. I take it you
heard? We’re still processing the shock of it, but she is the real deal. We’re
certain.”

He sniffed again. He could pick up an unfamiliar female
scent but not the one he sought. A stabbing pain jabbed his chest.

“Are you all right?” Jinx studied him. “You’re really
flushed and panting. Should I get Doc Trisha?”

“No.”

“Okay. Well, this area is off limits. We don’t want anyone
to frighten the female. She’s been through a lot. Breeze is going to take her
to the women’s dorm as soon as the new female is done showering and is dressed.
They are treating her as if she’s a Gift.”

It was a polite hint to leave. He turned around, a sense of
loss making that pain in his chest worse. He might think he was having a heart
attack if he was human. It was probably the stress of running that hard and
then having his hope dashed.

“All done,” a female voice called out. “I’m ready to go.”
The door opened.

He turned his head and stared at a slender female form
framed in the doorway. She was a little thing, too skinny, and her waist-length
hair dampened the baggy clothing she’d been given. His gaze lifted. She stared
directly at Jinx, but the profile of her face was enough. She’d changed, but
not enough to fool him. He’d know her anywhere, especially since she visited
his nightmares often. A snarl tore from his throat, and it jarred him to
motion. He twisted toward her as she looked directly at him.

There was no mistaking those eyes that widened at the sight
of him—light golden-brown with little splashes of green spread around the
irises. Eyes he would recognize anywhere. They’d always made him dream of the
parks she’d told him about, all those trees with leaves that changed colors
with different seasons. He’d seen hope of a future that was never meant to be
every time he’d gazed into them. Then that last time, the pure terror that he’d
caused.

She took a stumbling step forward, hitting the side of her
shoulder on the edge of the doorframe. Her mouth opened but no words came out.
She looked as shocked and stunned as he felt. He got closer to her, inhaling
her scent. It was foreign. He reached up and touched the side of her head. He
wasn’t gentle when he stabbed his fingers into the wet strands, tearing his gaze
from hers to look where he parted it.

A faint scar marred her scalp just over her ear. He jerked
back as if she’d burned him. He almost stepped on Jinx’s boot.

“927?” Tears filled her eyes, giving them a sheen. “They
told me you were dead.” She reached out for him, but he avoided her touch by
stumbling back. She froze.

“You died,” he managed to get out. A roaring sounded in
Hero’s head and his vision blurred. He wasn’t in Medical anymore, but back
inside his cell at Mercile…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The chain slashed across the side of her head and she went
down, blood spilling across the concrete floor of his cell. It was so red, wet
and warm when he threw himself down, reaching for her. The chains still
connected his ankles to the wall. The length barely allowed him to reach her,
but he got a grip on her arm.

She was so still. The technicians shouted as they rushed out
of his room. They didn’t matter. Only she did. He hadn’t meant to hurt her.
No
,
he mentally corrected. He’d wanted to kill her, but seeing her fall, and all
that blood, horrified him. He’d done that to her.

“Candi,” he rasped, dragging her closer. Her body was limp
as she lay in the blood that smeared the floor. “No. Open your eyes.”

He pulled her close enough to put his face next to hers. She
didn’t open her eyes, but her chest rose and fell. She was breathing. He
reached up, his hand shaking as he gently pressed his palm against the wound
where the chain had struck. He needed to stop the bleeding. He applied pressure
and looked toward the open door of his cell.

“Help!”

Where had the guards gone? They’d never left the door open
before, but they had that time. There was shouting down the hallway, and an
alarm blared. He lowered his face, his vision blinded by tears. “Open your
eyes,” he pleaded.

Heavy boots thundered down the hall. Help would come. They’d
take her to a doctor and fix her. He held her head until the first dart penetrated
his back. He didn’t fight when he could have. He didn’t make a sound or move.
He just wanted them to get into his cell and help her. Three more darts pierced
his skin—tranquilizers.

“Help her!” His voice was ragged, panicked.

The drugs kicked in fast and he couldn’t move anymore as
they paralyzed him. His cheek hit the cold floor, but her head lay next to his.
He felt her there. More boots pounded down the hall and the alarm stopped.

“What have you done?” It was Dr. C. “Oh my god. Get a gurney
in here stat!”

He couldn’t hear her breathing anymore over all the other
noises in the room. She was taken away. The cell door slammed shut and all he
could do was lie there, smelling the fresh scent of her coppery blood, fighting
to remain conscious.

He woke chained to the wall. They’d replaced the ones he’d
snapped. A stain remained on the floor inside his cell and his hand was crusty
with her dried blood. Dr. C entered his cell minutes later.

“Is she well?” He was terrified, sick with worry. He didn’t
even care what they did to him. He just wanted to be told that Candi lived.

“You killed her.” Dr. C looked at him with such hatred. He
held something behind his back. “She died. You crushed her skull, you animal.”
His arm arched out as he swung the broken chain. It struck him in the stomach.

He closed his eyes and didn’t feel it as the blows kept
coming. His skin split in places, his own blood spilling. A few bones broke. It
didn’t matter. He didn’t even try to twist away in an attempt to avoid the
chain as it struck him over and over. He’d killed Candi. She was dead. He
wished for death too…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“It’s you,” the voice of the dead female whispered.

The roaring faded, his vision cleared and he jerked back to
the present to focus on Candi. She was real and alive. Another memory surfaced.
The scent she had carried that day, and the reason he’d fought those chains. He
needed to get away from her. He’d mourned her loss a long time ago. She’d died
that day, whether from his chain striking her head or not. She’d killed him
inside too.

“Hero?” Jinx took a few steps toward him, but stopped. He
looked at the female, his mouth open. Hero turned and fled.

Hero nearly knocked Paul over in his rush to leave Medical.
He needed to get out of the building, away from her. He ran with no destination
in mind, just kept going until his legs gave out. He landed on the grass. The
park surrounded him.

A Species female came over and crouched next to him. “Hero?
What’s wrong?”

“Leave me alone.” He didn’t want to talk to Sunshine.

A gentle hand stroked his hair. “Hero?”

He squeezed his eyes closed as he lay sprawled on the grass,
panting. He would have gotten up but he had worn his body out in his flight for
life. At least, that was how it felt. He had a new life now. The female in
Medical would destroy the male he’d become. He couldn’t allow it. She should be
dead and buried. He’d left her in the past and she should have stayed there.

Sunshine sniffed at him and lay down to press against his
side. She wrapped an arm around his back. They were friends. They’d even shared
sex from time to time.

“I’m here. Whatever is wrong, you’re not alone.”

She continued to stroke his hair, keeping against his side.
If other Species were nearby, they stayed away. He finally caught his breath,
but refused to look at her. He wasn’t certain how long he remained there, but
it wasn’t long. He needed to get up.

“Thank you.” He rolled away, separating them. He glanced
around but didn’t see anyone else.

Sunshine sat up, concern evident when he looked at her. “You
can talk to me about anything.”

“Not this.” He stood. “Thank you.” He headed in the
direction of the men’s dorm. He needed to leave Homeland and go to Reservation.
He couldn’t be in the same place as Candi.

“He’s alive.” Candi still reeled from seeing him.

“That’s who you were raised with?”

She almost collapsed but the canine male, Torrent, lunged
forward and grabbed her around her waist, hauling her up into his arms. He
carried her back into the exam room she’d just left and placed her on the bed.
He slid his arms out from under her. “Jinx, get Doc Trisha. She’s whiter than
the sheets.”

“Fuck,” Jinx muttered and rushed down the hallway.

Torrent took her hand. “Look at me.”

She did.

“Hero is the male you thought had died?”

“He’s alive.”

She realized she’d said that before. It was just too
unbelievable. Christopher Chazel had visited her one time after sending her to
Penny. He’d sat in a chair next to the bed where they kept her restrained,
machines hooked up to her while she healed from a head injury. He’d told her in
a cold voice that he’d personally terminated 927. It hadn’t surprised her. She
knew he could kill. She’d seen him do it before. But he’d lied.

927 was alive and the canine and feline males had called him
Hero. She let that sink in, and then jerked her hand out of Torrent’s. She
tried to sit up. She needed to find 927.
Why did he leave me? Why did he take
off like that?
It tore at her.

“No!” Torrent pushed her flat. “Stay down.”

“I have to go after him. I have to find him.”

“He took off like a bat out of hell. I don’t think he wants
to see you.”

“I need to see him.” She shoved at the male’s hands and even
resorted to kicking him hard in the thigh. He snarled and backed away.

She rolled off the other side of the bed and grabbed the
first thing she could. It was a pitcher. “Move.”

He gaped at her. “Or what? You’ll beat me with water in a
plastic container?”

“I need to find him!” A sense of desperation hit her.

Sympathy softened his features. “I understand. You both
appeared deeply stunned. He probably just needs to pull his emotions together.”

“I need to find him now!” She refused to back down. 927 was
alive, and she had to get to him. She lowered the pitcher back to the table and
masked her emotions. “I don’t feel so well. Can you wet a towel?” She leaned
against the bed and lifted a hand to her face. “I think I’m going to faint.”

He spun, striding into the bathroom to do as she’d asked.
“Lie down.”

She lunged once he was out of her way. The door remained
open and she rushed through it. No one tried to stop her until she reached the
area with desks and a long counter. Doc Trisha, Jinx and the female canine stepped
out of an office on the other side of the room. They all appeared surprised and
confused. Heavy boots hitting the floor sounded from the direction she’d just
fled. Torrent appeared, having realized her ploy.

She spun and slammed into the double glass doors. They
started to open and she tried again, twisting her body to squeeze between the
parting doors. She darted out onto the sidewalk. There were buildings and a
street. She made it to the road, frantically searching for 927. She sniffed but
her sense of smell wasn’t good enough to be of help. It was one flaw 927 had
never been able to fix. He’d tried, but her senses weren’t like his.

A feline male down the sidewalk turned. He seemed surprised
when he spotted her. She twisted her head, looking the other way. Trees—a lot
of them.
That’s where I’ll go
. She heard Torrent behind her.

“Easy, Candi. We’ll find him. Don’t make me grab you. I’m
afraid I’ll hurt you. Come back.”

“Don’t touch her,” the female canine growled. “Candi, it’s
going to be okay. Hero, or 927 as you knew him, probably just freaked a little.
I’ll personally track his ass down and bring him here if you want to see him.
Just come back inside.”

There were no cars. She ran into the road. When her bare
feet hit the pavement she didn’t care about the slight pain. She was fixated on
those trees. He’d always wanted to see them. The hours she’d spent describing
them to him when they were children would mean something to him. They pursued
her and she was more than aware they could easily catch her. All Species were
faster than humans, but they allowed her to run, staying close behind.

She entered a park with a large body of water. There were
too many trees and rolling hills to see all of it. She stopped, panting. No one
grabbed her but she heard them come to a halt behind her. She twisted around.
The doctor wasn’t with them but she disregarded Jinx and Torrent, imploring the
female canine, “Sniff him out. Track him for me. Please?” She would beg. “He’s
here. I know it.” She remembered the female’s name. “Please, Breeze?”

The female hesitated but nodded. “Okay. I don’t have to
track him though.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. She
touched the screen and held it up to her ear. Long seconds passed.

“This is Breeze. Locate Hero for me now. Track his cell.”
She paused. “Priority. Do it.”

“Breeze,” Jinx whispered. “This might not be a good idea.
You didn’t see his face.”

“I see hers.” Breeze stepped closer, keeping eye contact
with Candi. “We all carry cell phones, and we can track everyone in an
emergency. I’d say this constitutes one of those. It takes about a minute.
We’re going to find him for you, okay?”

“Thank you.”

“I take care of my females, and you’re one of mine now.”

“Damn it, Breeze.” Torrent lowered his voice enough that he might
have figured Candi couldn’t hear him. “He bolted out of there. I saw rage and
fear. We should speak to him before we take her near him.”

“Shut up,” Breeze snapped. “I’d tear this damn place apart
if I were her.” She glanced at him. “I’d tear through you if you tried to stop
me from going after a male I was raised in the same cell with, and discovered
he was alive after being told of his death. You were right there while she
talked about him. She went through hell, and was just hoping to find the ones who
took him from her. She’s killed for him. Do you want to be next?”

Torrent scowled. “As if I’d allow her to harm me. She’s a
little thing.”

“Females are mean,” Breeze growled. “If you aren’t afraid of
her, be afraid of me. She might be underweight and scrawny, but I’m not. Want
to tangle?”

“This is irrational,” Jinx rasped. “Hero probably needs time
to process all this, and the female needs to be fed and monitored. You heard
Doc Trisha. The doctor who kept her didn’t make sure she ate healthy, and the
years of drugs have left her in a weakened condition.”

Breeze extended her middle finger. “Tell it to the hand. I’m
finding Hero for my female. He can feed her and help her regain her strength.
She’d eat for him more so than for one of us. She knows him. I don’t care what
is wrong with him, he’s going to man up.”

“Breeze, this isn’t cut and dried. You’re acting as if she’s
his ma—”

“Where is he?” Breeze snapped, turning her back on Jinx to
talk on the phone. She paused, listening. “Okay. He is? Right now? Say hell no.
Do you understand me? I’m pulling rank. That’s a big-ass no way. Thanks.” She
hung up and faced Candi.

She’d caught her breath. “You found him?”

“He’s heading toward the men’s dorm to pack. He just called
Security and said he wanted to go back to Reservation. Let’s go. How afraid are
you of seeing a lot of our males?”

“I’d face anything to see 927.”

Breeze pocketed her phone. “I know you would. He likes to be
called Hero now. Say it in your head over and over. We hate the numbers. Okay?
It reminds us of being at Mercile, and you know what fun times we had there.”
Breeze walked toward her. “Come on. We’ll go find him together.”

Candi was touched that the female was being so nice. “Thank
you.”

“I’m putting myself in your shoes.” Breeze glanced down and
cursed. “Your feet are bleeding. You need shoes. Mental reminder. Where the
hell are the ones you came with?”

“They didn’t fit. I stole them off Penny.”

“The doctor you killed?”

“I knew I’d need them. I took her pants, and found her
jacket in the car. I needed to get out of the clothes they kept me in. I was
afraid humans would call the police if I still looked like a patient. I didn’t
know how to drive so I left the car there. I did take her purse. I remembered
cash. She had some of that.”

“You poor thing. It must have been terrifying being out
there alone, but you made it to us. We’re going to find your male and make him
talk to you, okay? Do you need one of the males to carry you? They will.”

“It doesn’t hurt.”

“I bet not. I’d be feeling no pain either, if I were you.
Lift them up though and let me make sure it isn’t bad. I’ll worry otherwise.”

It was a small request. Breeze was concerned with her
health. Candi did as asked, noting a small cut on one heel and another on the
meaty area by her big toe. “Minor. I don’t have the protective pads on my feet
that you were born with.”

“We’ll clean and patch them up at Hero’s place. We all keep
medical kits in the bathrooms of our homes. Let’s go. If you start to hurt,
speak up. One of the males will be more than happy to carry you.”

Candi glanced at Torrent and Jinx. They both appeared
irritated at best, certainly not happy.

Breeze turned, waving an arm. “This way.”

Candi didn’t care if the males were upset. Breeze was taking
her to 927.
Hero.
She needed to learn his name. Her gut instinct was to
trust the female canine. They walked on the sidewalk. Others stared, but she
knew they were entitled to. They probably didn’t see many humans. She’d only
encountered the guards at the gate and the two in Medical—the female doctor and
the male nurse.

“Do many humans live here?”

Breeze shook her head. “Only mated ones, and a few of the
most trusted ones who work for us. You met Paul. He lives here with his wife.
She’s human too. Trisha is mated to one of our males.”

“I liked them.”

“They are good humans and nothing like the technicians and
doctors at Mercile. Hell, Trisha would use her scalpel to cut them up, and Paul
would assist her by holding them down. They have no love for anyone who harms
Species.”

“Why the name New Species?”

Breeze shrugged. “What else were we supposed to be called?”

“What you are. Canine.”

“We have canine, feline and primates here. We wanted it to
be fair. We were new since the world didn’t know about us. New Species seemed
appropriate and fitting. We took a vote.”

“Did one of you finally make it to the top and go back to
save the others? We used to dream of doing that.”

Breeze stopped walking and Candi paused too, staring up at
the other female. “You don’t know?”

“They didn’t allow me access to much. I was kept locked
inside a room and drugged most of the time.”

“A rumor that we existed started and the human authorities
sent one of their females, named Ellie, to work at Mercile. She smuggled out
enough evidence to convince them we were real. They came and rescued us. None
of ours ever made it to the surface until the good humans brought us out.”
Breeze resumed walking. “How did you learn that we were freed and live at
Homeland?”

“One of the cleaning staff had a little portable television.
She brought it in sometimes when she was mopping the floor in my room. I saw
Justice North a few times, and he mentioned Homeland was where his people lived
in freedom. I knew I needed to reach here, but I didn’t know where it was. I
figured humans would know what I didn’t. No one seemed concerned when I asked
them where Homeland was and how to get here. A truck driver told me a little,
but I didn’t want to ask too many questions after he looked at me in a way that
set off alarms. I hitchhiked since I was afraid to go to the police for help. I
killed a human to escape and they are human too.”

Candi stayed at Breeze’s side until they reached a tall
building. Breeze stopped. “This is the men’s dorm. Are you ready to see him? I
don’t know how he’ll react, but he won’t run away again.” Her voice deepened.
“Bet on it.” She turned her head. “Stick close, guys.”

“This is going to be bad,” Jinx rasped. “I can feel it.”

“You should have seen his face. He was enraged for some
reason,” Torrent added. “I think we should go in and speak to him first.”

Candi knew why 927 had reacted that way. She said nothing in
case they changed their minds and wanted to keep her away from him.
Hero.
Hero. Hero.
She kept replaying that name inside her head.

“Please,” she whispered. “Take me to Hero.” It felt odd
saying the new name aloud.

There were at least a dozen males in a large community
setting, seated on couches in a wide U shape. A television revealed humans in
strange uniforms running on a field with lines painted on it. The males stopped
talking, stood and stared when Jinx used a card swipe to open the front doors.
Breeze lifted her hand, waving at them once they entered.

“Don’t mind us. Sit and pretend we’re not here. Has anyone
seen Hero?”

A primate male jerked his head toward the stairs. “He came
in about a minute ago, looking as if he wanted to tear off someone’s head. He
didn’t speak, just pounded upstairs.”

“Where are his quarters?” Breeze glanced around. “Anyone?”

“I know,” Jinx admitted. “Let’s go.”

The elevator moved at a snail’s pace to take them to the
third floor. It opened and Jinx took the lead. He paused before a door halfway
down a hallway. He turned, frowning at Breeze.

“Let me go in first to test his mood.”

Breeze advanced and placed both hands on Jinx’s chest,
giving him a light shove to move him out of the way. She fisted her hand and
pounded on the door. “Hero? It’s Breeze. Open up or I’ll kick it down.”

“Go away.” The familiar snarl came from inside.

“I’m not kidding. I know I usually do, but not right now,”
Breeze yelled back. “Do you want me to hurt my foot? I’m not wearing my
work-issued boots. I might break a toe. Open up.”