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  “I would never hurt Dana.”

  “Don’t break her heart either. Are you sure you are serious about her? She’s not like your females, Mourn. They can have sex with a guy and be your friend. She takes that shit very non casually. Do you understand?”

  “I would mate her if she would say yes.”

  “I don’t want to hear that. She needs someone who has his shit together, and that’s not you. Dana has been through hell and back. The last thing she needs is to have to take care of another guy on his way out of life. Did she tell you she was going to be a nurse like me until Tommy was diagnosed with cancer?”

  Mourn shook his head.

  “Hospitals remind her of all he endured so now she works in an office. My mom told me Dana would be all smiles in front of Tommy, reassuring him it was all great and good. Our mother found her one day in the garage hiding behind some boxes. She crouched there sobbing. That’s the kind of person she is. She was ripped to shreds inside, but hid it from her husband because she always put his needs first. Don’t do that to her, Mourn. Don’t make her be strong for you and help you deal with your shit. She’s got plenty of her own that she can barely withstand.”

  It tore at Mourn, hearing of Dana’s suffering. “I won’t. We’re helping each other.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Paul stepped closer, studying his face. “She needs someone who is going to take care of her, not the other way around. Just think about that. If you can’t be that man, get the hell away from her.”

  Mourn watched Paul walk down the sidewalk, grateful the male hadn’t come to fight him. He glanced down at the package in his hand and sighed. He’d have to ask someone how to use condoms. He climbed into the Jeep and went to the next building on his rounds. He spotted Jinx talking to a female who was picking up mail. He walked up to them.

  “May I speak to you?”

  Jinx frowned but, excused himself from the other Species. “Sure.” He walked outside and turned.

  Mourn closed the door and held his gaze. “What do you know about condoms?”

  The male’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”

  “I need someone to tell me how to use them. Did you take the class, or have you used them before?”

  Jinx nodded. “Yeah. I take it that the rumors going around about you and Paul’s sister are true?”

  “Yes. We are spending time together.”

  “Let’s go to the bar. Christmas keeps some bananas on hand to make shakes. It is a good way to teach you how to put one on. We’ll need to go to my place first so I can grab a few condoms.”

  “I have condoms in my Jeep.”

  “Okay. Let’s go.”

  Chapter Seven

  Dana was nervous. Paul hadn’t returned all day so she figured he must be avoiding her. Becky kept glancing at the door too.

  “Your date is late. It’s almost five o’clock.”

  “Mourn was going to pick up food first. He’ll be here.”

  Becky grinned. “You sound pretty certain.”

  “I am.” She had no qualms that Mourn would show.

  “How exciting.”

  Dana arched her eyebrows.

  “The whole dating thing.” Becky chuckled. “I kind of miss that. I wish Paul would take me out on dates, but the only real place to go is the bar. That gets kind of old after a while. We never leave Homeland anymore.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “Not really. We used to go out occasionally, but it wasn’t worth the hassle. There’s always some idiots hanging out around the exits, even at the back gates. They shout at us and try to take pictures. We were once followed. Paul turned right around and brought us back. He couldn’t shake them, and didn’t know what they wanted or who they were. He wasn’t willing to risk me being in danger.”

  “I’m sorry that happened.”

  “It’s part of living here. We disguise ourselves with wigs and dark glasses when we do leave in case someone does take photos. Employees have access to the NSO-registered vehicles. That way our identities are protected and our families are safe.”

  “Wow. I had no idea.”

  “It was fun at first. I felt like a super spy.” Becky laughed. “We changed clothes and got out of costume after we made sure it was safe, and then we’d have dinner or whatever we had planned to do. Afterward we’d change back before we returned. Then they started following us so it wasn’t fun anymore.”

  “It sounds like a pain.”

  Becky shrugged. “It was worth it. I don’t really have much family that I’m close to, but Paul worries about you and your mom. No one has ever shown up at your door asking about Paul and the NSO, have they?”

  “No.”

  The doorbell rang and Dana sprang off the couch, excited. She rushed to the door and jerked it open. Mourn stood there with flowers in hand and a big grin.

  “Hi. Are these appropriate?”

  She took the roses. “Thank you. Yes. They are beautiful.”

  Becky held out her hands. “I’ll go find a vase, and put them in your room. Go. Have fun. We’ll leave the door unlocked for you.” She smiled at Mourn. “She doesn’t have a curfew so she’s all yours until she’s ready to come home. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t. It’s a short list.” She winked at Dana. “Why do you think your brother married me?”

  Dana laughed and handed over the flowers. She stepped outside with Mourn and closed the door behind her. “How was your day?”

  “Good. How was yours?” He led her to a Jeep parked at the curb.

  “Okay. Paul kind of blew a fuse, but he’ll come around. Becky and I spent the day watching TV and talking.”

  He helped her into the passenger seat and rounded the Jeep to climb into the driver’s seat. She turned her head, spotting two large duffle bags in the back, and a box placed between them to keep it from moving around. The smell of food reached her nose so she guessed what was inside. She looked back at Mourn.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To my new home. I haven’t toured it yet. We can do it together.”

  “It sounds fun.”

  “I made sure Darkness didn’t put me back where I used to live.”

  She nodded. “I understand.”

  “I wanted a place for us without memories. He said it’s a different layout. I’m not certain what that means.” He checked for traffic and pulled away from the curb.

  “The same builder probably constructed the homes, but they have different floor plans. It won’t be a duplicate of the home you once had.”

  He nodded, paying attention to his driving. “Don’t be nervous.”

  “I’m not. Are you?”

  He glanced her way. “A little.”

  “Why?”

  “I want to convince you to live with me. I’m afraid I’ll do or say something that will scare you away.”

  He was so sweet, and she appreciated his candor. “Relax. It’s just me. No pressure, remember?”

  He smiled. “I really want you to sleep with me tonight. Think about staying.”

  She smiled too, and watched as they left the cottages, traveled down a road, and eventually came to another gate. The guard manning the shack stepped outside to meet them. Mourn slowed to a stop next to the large New Species.

  “Hello, Mourn.” He looked at Dana. “Hello, Paul’s sister. You both are expected. You want to take the first left and it’s the second cottage on the right. It’s painted light gray. Supply has already come by to stock it for you. Welcome back, Mourn.” He turned and pressed a button inside the shack, opening the gate.

  Mourn thanked him and drove up a hill. Dana couldn’t help but appreciate the slightly bigger homes. “It’s so clean and nice. The homes here are spaced farther apart than where Paul lives.”

  “We take pride in our homes and their appearances.” Mourn turned and parked in a driveway. “This is Species housing. Paul lives in human housing. There are more homes there. Homeland was built originally to be a military base. It was still be
ing constructed when we were freed so they were able to redesign some of it to meet our needs. I heard that these were built for officers and high-ranking military personnel. Paul lives in an area meant for enlisted families. The dorms were created to include multiple apartments meant for privacy instead of large rooms to house many of us together.”

  “I didn’t know that. I can’t believe the government handed this place over to the NSO.”

  “They had their reasons.” He got out and rounded the Jeep, and helped her out.

  “Are you allowed to say why? I’m curious.”

  He held her gaze. “It’s confidential, but not classified. I’ll tell you. I know you won’t share our secrets. They funded Mercile without knowledge of us. It would have been bad if that had come out. Your people might have been upset that their tax dollars helped create us and keep us imprisoned. The president apologized and gave us Homeland.”

  She inwardly flinched. That information would have caused a bloodbath in the press. “It was a bribe.”

  He shrugged. “We were grateful. We have a home and don’t have to live in the human world. I was told that was a fear when Species were first released. It would have put us in great danger if we’d been separated. The humans took the original survivors to remote motel locations to protect them and divided them up. They were given counseling and knowledge of the world outside of Mercile. Justice represented us, and negotiated with the president for Homeland. Let’s go inside and look at our home. I’ll come back for the bags and food in a minute.”

  She noticed his use of the word our, but didn’t comment on it. “Is it okay to just leave this stuff here?” She glanced around, not seeing anyone on the sidewalks or street. “You left the keys in the ignition.”

  “Species don’t steal from each other. We have no crime.” Mourn took her hand and they walked to the front door. He opened it and allowed her to enter first.

  Dana openly appreciated the new furnishings. It was tastefully done in desert colors of soft browns, creams and light-red hues. The living room was large with vaulted ceilings. A dining room was tucked to the left side, and she could spot the kitchen through a wide archway.

  “Do you like it?”

  “I do.”

  He seemed to relax finally. “Good. Let’s view the rest of it.”

  She liked that he still held her hand as they entered the kitchen. He paused. She did too, taking it in. “Nice.”

  “There will be food in the pantry, fridge and freezer. Supply will have also stocked the bathrooms with everything we’ll need, and put fresh linens on the beds.”

  “They do that?”

  He nodded. “Every home comes furnished and ready to live in. We can’t shop the way you can. We text a list of things we need to Supply and they can either drop it off the next day, or we can go pick it up ourselves.”

  “No grocery shopping?”

  He shook his head. “We have no grocery store. We have Supply. They get daily deliveries from the out world.”

  “It’s nice that they set up homes for people to live in.”

  “It’s more efficient. We like that.”

  “Who doesn’t?” She grinned.

  They strolled down a hallway and checked out both bedrooms. He took her into the large master bedroom and stopped, holding her gaze. “This will be our bedroom if you will consent to live with me.”

  “No pressure, remember?”

  “Is it nice enough? I had a lot of time to think today. You said your male bought you your dream home. We’d have to live at Homeland if you move in with me.”

  The sad look on his face made her regret telling him that. “It’s very nice, and I could live here if we become that serious.”

  “I want to be able to care for you as well as your mate did.”

  He made her ache a little because he was so concerned about her. “I’ll tell you a secret.”

  “Please do.”

  “We didn’t really enjoy that house much. Tommy’s dad had a massive heart attack and died right after we graduated high school. Tommy had planned to go to college. We both had. Instead we took over the company and had to learn everything really fast. He needed my help, and that’s why I’m so good with office work. We had a quickie wedding and bought the house, but we weren’t home much those first few years. When he reached the point that he could handle it all on his own, I started nursing school. We led very busy lives until Tommy was diagnosed with cancer. He sold the business before he had surgery and the chemo started for the second time. He had a really rough time of it. It was an aggressive cancer so the treatments were too. It was tough,” she admitted.

  Mourn released her hand and put his arm around her, leading her to the bed. They sat. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m just telling you this because not all of my memories there are great ones. Our dreams died with Tommy.”

  Mourn surprised her when he suddenly lifted her up and placed her on his lap. She only hesitated for a moment before she wrapped her arms around his neck. They gazed at each other.

  “I don’t catch colds. We have really good immune systems. Species don’t have any hereditary diseases. Mercile was able to delete them when they created our DNA…us. No Species has ever had cancer.”

  Mourn regretted saying that as soon as he saw the tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you pain. I don’t want you to ever worry about that. I won’t get sick the way your mate did.”

  “I’m glad you said that. I never want to go through something that horrible again.”

  He held her tighter. “You won’t.” He wanted to distract her. “I’m stronger than a human. I growl and purr. I can roar if I’m highly angry or upset.” He considered their differences. “You’ve probably noticed my fangs, and the tips of my fingers and my nails.” He showed her his hand. “My feet are the same.”

  She lowered her arms and examined one of his hands. “I didn’t notice. I just thought you had calluses when you were touching me.” She ran her soft fingertip across one of the pads. He liked her exploring him.

  “I’m faster and I can leap, unlike a human.”

  “Leap?”

  “Felines are good jumpers. I could leap onto the roof if I needed to.”

  She appeared a little stunned by that. “That’s kind of cool. You won’t need a ladder to clean out the gutters and drains.”

  He was glad that she accepted it with humor. “There’s something else I need to tell you. I don’t want any lies between us, Dana. No secrets. You’re not my mate, but I want you to be. It’s classified information, but I trust you will keep the secret. I might be able to get you pregnant.”

  Her lips parted, and her surprise was clear. She said nothing.

  “Justice said your people wouldn’t react well if they found out we have children. I think he’s right. Species can’t breed together, but some of the mated pairs with human females have had babies.”

  She seemed to recover. “Now it makes sense.”

  “What does?”

  “Paul ordered me to use condoms if we have sex. He was really upset after he found out we hadn’t used any last night. He asked. Why wouldn’t Paul just tell me that?”

  “He’s loyal to the NSO and promised he wouldn’t. I’m not even supposed to tell you this until we’re mated, but I want you to know that we could have a family if we’re mated. It’s possible. I’m worried that you’ll reject me because you think we can’t have babies.” He paused. “Are you angry? I should have mentioned that last night but it didn’t cross my mind.”

  She released his hand and reached down, placing a hand over her stomach. He watched her face, wondering what she was thinking. He didn’t have long to wait.

  “I’m not on anything.” She lifted her gaze, staring at him. “That means—”

  “I know. I’m sorry if you’re upset. I didn’t mean to put you at risk. I didn’t think about it until today when your brother accused me of trying to get you pregnant on purpose. That’s not tru
e.”

  “Paul what?”

  “He sought me out today. I thought he wanted to start a fight, but he brought me condoms.”

  She frowned. “I’m sorry he did that.”

  “No. I’m glad he did. I didn’t think about being able to get you pregnant. I was more worried that you’d be afraid of me, or that I’d do something wrong since you’re human. I asked a male today how to use them, and he took me to the bar to teach me.”

  Her eyes widened. “What?”

  “He got a banana from behind the bar and used it to show me how to put them on.”

  She surprised him by laughing. “I wish I could have seen that. How did it go?”

  “Good. I think I can do it, despite not being shaped that way. I understood the concept. Why did you look so strange when I first said Jinx took me to the bar?”

  “I thought you might have gone there to pick up a woman and have sex with her.”

  He growled. “You’re the only female I want. Why would you think that?”

  “Guys go to bars to pick up women to have sex with them.”

  “I’m not a guy. The bar is for eating, dancing and socializing. I would never share sex with another female, Dana. Species don’t cheat.”

  “I’m sure some do.”

  He shook his head. “None have. You’ve never seen mates together, have you?”

  “No.”

  “You’d understand if you did. A mate bond is very strong. There is talk that we become addicted to our females’ scent and none other will do. No other females tempted me when I had a mate, despite the fact that she wasn’t able to share sex with me.”

  “I’m not the cheating type either.”

  “I knew that.”

  She let go of her stomach. “I could be pregnant.”

  “I don’t think you are. I’ve scented ovulating human females before, and don’t smell it on you. Does that disturb you?”

  “Not really. That just falls into the category of things I never thought someone would say to me.”