New Species 13 Smiley (23 page)

“That’s good. Especially since everyone I’m close to is
already in hiding from the Woods Church and the media.”

“Very true.” He waited for her to express other objections.
She was thinking. He could almost see the wheels of her mind spinning. It was
cute how easy she was to read. She locked on to something because she gripped
his hands a little tighter, staring intently at him but said nothing.

“What is it?”

“I wanted to have kids one day. Would you consider allowing
me to carry a baby? We could go to a doctor and set it up. They’d use donated
sperm from someone to impregnate me in a surgical setting. I know it wouldn’t
be biologically your child since you can’t have them but would you think about
it? Is it possible that you could love a baby that is created that way? I would
adopt a baby if I wasn’t able to carry one of my own. I’d love it anyway. Could
you?”

Her rushed words poured out, stunning Smiley. She gasped a
breath before he could respond.

“I know it’s asking a lot but I really want to be a mother one
day. It’s part of the reason I agreed to marry Carl. I’m not saying we need to
do it right away but I want that option. I love my niece and nephews. I didn’t
give birth to them but I want that. Children. A family. With you.”

His gut tightened and emotion choked him. She wanted babies
with him one day and to become a family. It was a dream of his as well.

“Too much to ask? I’m sorry. I know some men are weird about
that.” She tried to tug her hands away, a resigned look on her face.

He clasped them tightly, refusing to let go. “Vanni, we can
have children.”

She blinked. “Are you just saying that? It wouldn’t bother
you raising a baby or two that is all human?”

He leaned in and brushed his lips over hers. He released her
hands and rose to take a seat on the couch next to her. She watched him. He
just turned and lifted her, putting her across his lap. She allowed it but he
could see he’d surprised her. He held her close and kept eye contact.

“I was hesitant to tell you this after what the Woods Church
told you. We want to live in peace with humans. We never want to take over the
world. Running the NSO is difficult enough. Do you believe that?”

She nodded.

“They fear us but there’s no reason to. A lot of the ones
who hate us are waiting for us to die. They think Species are a blight with a
limited time on their Earth. Mercile attempted to breed us but it never worked.
We’re still trying to figure out why but since we were freed some children have
been born.”

He could see her confusion.

“We hide them from your world. We fear for their safety. The
male I told you about who lived in your world and who was taken with his female
were kidnapped for a reason. They wanted to use her against him to make him do
as they demanded. It seems there’s a black market for Species babies—as exotic
pets. Do you understand our fears and horror? They want to enslave our children
the way we were. They stole the male to attempt to figure out how to create
more.”

“Oh god.”

“They would steal our children and sell them. Worse, some
would wish them killed outright to prevent Species from multiplying and having
a future. Morons like the members of Woods Church would spread their fear that
we’ll overrun the humans. It’s not true. We just want to live in peace.”

Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back.

“I trust you with their lives by telling you this, Vanni.
You can’t share this news with anyone without endangering the Species children.
There aren’t many, but some. It’s possible for me to get you pregnant if we’re
both in good health and blessed. My genetics are stronger than yours. The
question isn’t whether I would be willing to be father to a human child. More
importantly, would you be willing to mother a Species child? He would look like
me, a primate. All our children are born male. It’s the way we were created in
Mercile’s laboratories.”

“I’ll never tell and I’d love to have kids that are just
like you.”

Warmth spread through his chest, as well as an overriding
sense of relief when she smiled. No deceit showed and he knew he could trust
her words. “I want you to be my mate, Vanni. I want to spend the rest of my
life with you in my arms. I’ll marry you in an official human ceremony. I know
you will want that.”

“That doesn’t matter to me.”

He scowled. “It’s important to all humans.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he liked the way
she rested her head against his shoulder. It proved she trusted him when she
snuggled closer. “I got kind of sick of making wedding plans. It burned me out.
Would you elope with me?”

“What is that? I’ll do it but you need to tell me what to do
first.”

She chuckled. “You would do it, huh? What if it’s something
horrible?”

“I’ll still do it for you if it makes you happy.”

She eased her hold on his shoulders and cupped his face. Her
kiss was welcome when she planted her lips on his. He tried to deepen it but
she pulled back though she stayed close.

“Elope means we run away together and just get married.
Sometimes you invite a few close friends. I don’t want a big wedding. It would
remind me of the nightmare with Carl.”

“Where would you like to elope to? I’ll arrange it.” She was
saying yes. He’d make it happen. “We have a helicopter and we’ll take a
security detail.”

“We could do it here. I don’t care where. It’s just supposed
to be somewhere pretty and private so we can enjoy doing it together.”

“Reservation,” he decided. “I know the exact spot. Would
that be okay?”

“I need to take Beth. She’s my best friend. She’d never
forgive me otherwise. Who is your best friend?”

“I have a few.”

“Invite them.”

“What about your siblings and parents?”

She shook her head. “No way.”

“You don’t want your family there?” It concerned him. “Will
they be upset if you marry me?”

“Not you specifically but I’d rather send them a video
afterward. My brother is being a butt. My sister already tried to take over my
wedding once. She and Mom were yelling at each other when we went to pick out
my dress. Beth got into it with them when we were picking out bridesmaid
dresses. They wanted to put her in purple. She hates that color. You have no
idea how stressful and awful a big wedding can be. Everyone wants to put in
their two cents and they fight. A wedding should be about the bride and groom
committing to each other. Everyone seems to forget that.”

He arched his eyebrows. “It sounds stressful.”

“We won’t have that.” Vanni smiled. “We’ll keep it simple.
You, me, Beth, your friends and a minister. That’s all we need.”

“That will make you happy?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll be my mate?” He wanted to make sure before he
allowed too much excitement to hit.

“Yes.” Her features grew animated. “This is crazy, isn’t it?”

“No. This is wonderful and perfect. You’re perfect.” He slid
his hand into her hair and cupped the back of her head gently, pulling her
forward.

He loved to kiss Vanni. Her lips were soft and she opened up
to him. He could easily get addicted to her taste and wanted to. He felt a
little guilty for not telling her it was possible she might already be carrying
his child. He wanted to give them a little more time together before he shared
that information. She wanted babies. That was the biggest hurdle down. She
wanted them with him.

The doorbell rang. Smiley regretfully dragged his mouth from
hers. He wanted to take her into the bedroom and make love to her. He groaned. “I
need to get that or they will come inside.”

“Okay.” She smiled at him, her cheeks flushed and rosy.

“You’re so beautiful.” He would never stop telling her that.
He lifted her off his lap and stood, having to adjust his stiff dick. It wasn’t
comfortable crossing the room with a hard-on. He unlocked the door and jerked
it open just enough to peer out, shielding his lower half from whoever had bad
timing.

Jericho sighed when he saw him. “Sorry. We need to speak.”

“Not now.”

The male crossed his arms over his chest. “Now.”

Smiley lowered his voice. “She just agreed to be my mate. Go
away.”

“You said you’d wait awhile before signing papers,” the male
grumbled.

“
If
they asked me to sign them. I want to do it. She’s
mine. We are going to elope.”

“What the hell is that?”

“Get married.”

Jericho opened his mouth then closed it. He shifted his
stance. “We know who sold the drug to the Woods Church. There’s going to be a
meeting about it in Security. I thought you’d want to be there.”

“Who was it?”

“Does the name Dean Polanitis ring any bells?”

“I could never forget that bastard. He ran Drackwood
Research.”

“His people turned on him during interrogation at Fuller.”

“Do we know how much of the drug he sold?”

Jericho hissed. “A few hundred doses at least.”

“Shit!”

“We have to recover all of it. We’ll have to worry every
time we leave the NSO otherwise. They could dose us or the females near us. Our
enemies could also sell it or hire a chemist to figure out how to make more to
put into the mainstream human population. Imagine that horror. The human males
without honor could use it against their counterparts.”

Smiley was aware of Vanni walking up behind him. His
erection wasn’t an issue anymore. He opened the door wider and made space for
her to stand next to him, putting his arm around her. “Did you hear all of
that?” One look at her face assured him of the answer. Her features appeared
grim.

“I heard. You should go to this meeting. Jericho is right.
You have to find that drug and destroy it.”

“We have a wedding to attend.”

She peered up at him. “It can wait. This can’t. What if they
drug someone else?” She clutched his shirt. “I don’t want anyone to suffer the
way we did. It’s the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life.”

He knew she was right. “They don’t need me. You’re my priority.”

“You have no idea how much that means to me but this is
important too.”

“She’s right,” Jericho announced.

“Fine.” Smiley rubbed her back. “I’ll return soon.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

He lowered his head and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll
hurry.”

Security was a hive of activity when Smiley and Jericho
arrived. The human task force was assembled and entered ahead of them. There
was also a familiar vehicle parked nearby, a transport van from Fuller Prison.
Smiley frowned.

“They brought a few of the prisoners here. Darkness and I
want a shot at them,” Jericho informed him.

“We need Gregory Woods and the male who works for him, the
one who Tasered my Vanni.”

“We’ll get them,” Jericho assured him. He jerked open the
door and they entered the building. Loud voices led them to the main operations
center. It was standing room only.

Justice climbed up on a chair and snarled, commanding
silence and everyone’s attention. He paused until he had everyone’s attention
before he spoke.

“We leaked the video of the bartender to the press. It hit
every broadcast about twenty minutes ago. We need everyone here because shit is
hitting the fan faster than we believed it would.”

Smiley clenched his fists. He didn’t like hearing that. He
preferred operations that ran smoothly. Justice seemed angry and frustrated,
never a good sign.

“Trey Roberts!”

A male standing in the corner responded, “Here.”

Justice pinned him with a stare. “You are in charge of the
two teams tracking Gregory and Carl Woods. Report.”

“Gregory is freaking out. He screwed up by using one of the
phones we cloned instead of a new disposable one to call our pilot. He ordered
him to prepare the plane and to be on standby. He also called his attorney. He’s
going to make a run for it.”

“His son?”

Trey nodded. “Carl Woods is packing right now. He’s at his
home. We’ll grab them after they land. You wanted records of him flying away
from the airport for the authorities. Our pilot will fly low under the radar to
make tracking the small plane difficult. We cleared a remote road near
Reservation for him to land. Crews are still there in preparation of giving him
some light if it happens after dark. The pilot is planning on telling his
passengers they are having engine trouble and need to make an emergency
landing. New Species will be waiting to take them into custody.”

“Good.” Justice turned, pointing at Tim. “Report.”

“We have small teams at each residence and at the church
with a few of your canine males to help them execute a search. They are on
standby to toss each location. Say the word and they go in.”

Justice nodded. “I think Gregory will want to travel with
the drug so we’ll wait until they are in custody. I don’t want to invade human
places unless we need to. It could draw too much attention. We want to appear
as if we had nothing to do with their disappearance, if possible.” Justice
swept his gaze around the room. “We’re on high alert. Is that clear? The church
may stage a distraction to keep us busy. We have no idea of their exact numbers
since he televises his show. Keep in close contact with your teams. Move out!”

The room cleared of all nonessential officers. Justice
jumped down and approached Darkness. He stopped in front of him.

“We have four prisoners from Fuller. I want to know everything
they know about this drug and how much of it was sold. I want verification of
the numbers we were told. I hate surprises. Make certain there was only one
purchaser. We need to make sure we go after every dose.”

Darkness nodded. “Whatever it takes.”

Justice turned toward Jericho and Smiley. “Thank you for
coming. Help Darkness. Don’t kill them but I want answers. Medical is on
standby if they are needed.”

“Understood.” Jericho cracked his knuckles. “Intimidate
first then break bones if that doesn’t work.”

“Whatever it takes,” Justice repeated Darkness’ words. “I’ll
be here. We’re keeping in constant contact with Reservation. They are on high
alert too. Gregory Woods has a lot of supporters. They aren’t going to be happy
that their leader is about to flee the country. They’ll blame us.” A cold smile
curved his lips. “They would be correct, for once.” He spun away, moving toward
the males and females monitoring the cameras.

Jericho jerked his head, motioning for them to move out, and
Smiley followed Darkness. They entered the back part of the building where the
interrogation rooms were. A male was assigned to each door. The mood was
forbidding. Darkness turned. “I’ll take room one. You two team up for room two.”

“I can handle a prisoner myself.” Smiley held Darkness’
gaze. “I won’t lose my temper.”

The male frowned. “You’re not known for being overly
aggressive, Smiley, but under the circumstances you might be. I’d rather not
have to patch them up and keep them in the basement until they are cleared for
return to Fuller. Intimidation is far better than violence.”

“I can be intimidating.” He allowed his anger to show. “I
won’t lose control and damage anyone.”

Darkness blew out a breath. “Take room three but I’ll be in
to monitor you shortly. I’ll scare the shit out of this one and give him a
little time to think I’m about to kill him.”

Smiley paused outside room three and allowed his emotions to
surface. Just thinking about the night he and Vanni had been drugged and all
the things that could have gone wrong enraged him. He threw open the door and
stomped inside. The human male handcuffed to a chair that was bolted to the
floor jumped, his complexion already pale from living at Fuller Prison.

“Hello, human.” He slammed the door behind him and cracked
his knuckles, making a show of it. “You can call me Pure Hell. That’s what you’re
going to experience if you don’t tell me exactly what I want to know.” He
approached the prisoner, keeping that anger alive inside. “I know we tend to be
less violent than the felines and canines but don’t relax because I’m a
primate. That would be a mistake.” He paused in front of the male and bent a
little, glaring at him. “I have a mate. That makes me the most dangerous
Species you’ve ever come into contact with. She was drugged.”

“I had nothing to do with that.” The male had an annoying
whine to his voice.

“Drackwood created a version of the breeding drug for
humans. She’s human. You’re guilty. You sold that shit to other humans.”

“It was Dean. He’s the one who sold it. It was his
brainchild to weaken the dosages until it wouldn’t kill women.”

Smiley moved fast, grabbing the guy’s jaw. He applied enough
pressure to bruise. “What did you do at Drackwood?”

“I’m Dr. Kent Berter. I ran research trials.”

“So you were the one who hurt Jeanie Shiver?”

His eyes widened. “No. That was Dr. Brask. I was animal
research only. I refused to do human trials. Dean asked me first but I said no
way. It’s one thing to kill a rat but something else entirely to watch a person
suffer.”

“You worked for Mercile.”

“Drackwood. I never worked for Mercile Industries. We had
nothing to do with New Species until some of them were transferred to our
facility after they were shut down. We only had some mutual shareholders. I
told all this to the men who interviewed me after I was arrested.”

“Who was the drug sold to?”

“I don’t know. That was above my pay grade.”

“What can you tell me?”

“I know two hundred doses of it were synthesized. I already
told your people what I know. Dean authorized it. It happened a week before we
were raided. Chris bitched about the mass order and the overtime he had to put
in to make it happen. He was our chemist. He’s here. He was brought with me.
You’ll have to ask him if any more of it was made. He was the only one
qualified to do it.”

Smiley wasn’t willing to call it quits. “You know more.”

“I saw a guy there around that time. I thought he was the
buyer. He looked like a professional wrestler or something but he wore a suit.
All muscle and kind of scary. He was kind of a dick. I ran into him in the
break room and he glared at me. I was afraid of him. He bitched about our
shitty coffee, as if it were my fault. I was afraid he was going to punch me
out. He wasn’t in a good mood.”

“Did he tell you his name?” Smiley released his face.

The prisoner shook his head. “Dean came in though, and I
think he called him Bruce. I remembered it because I have a brother-in-law with
that same name and they are polar opposites. I tend to take an interest in
traits of people with the same names. I remember thinking he had nothing in
common with my sister’s husband.”

Smiley flashed his fangs. It was probably the same male who’d
abused Vanni. It was the same description. “What else can you tell me?”

“I got the hell out of there because he complained to Dean
the second he walked in that he thought his boss was being robbed. I got the
impression he didn’t like the price he was paying. Dean came in carrying one of
the freezer cases we use to transport liquid drugs. That’s all I know. As I said,
I got the hell out of there. Dean was never a pleasant guy to be around in the
first place and that Bruce guy seemed even worse and bigger. I thought they
might get into a fist fight or something. Dean never took shit from nobody.
Look at me. Do I look like I’m into violence?”

Smiley ran his gaze over the thin male. He didn’t appear
very strong or aggressive. “No.”

“That’s all I know. I swear. I don’t even understand why I’m
serving time in prison. I mean, sure, I should have called someone when they brought
New Species into our facility but I was afraid. They told us they’d kill our
families. I just kept my nose to the ground and tried to ignore it all.”

“That’s why you’re at Fuller. You admit you could have made
a call to the NSO, yet didn’t. We would have protected you and your family.
Instead you chose to do nothing while our people suffered.”

The door opened and Jericho stuck his head in. “Let’s go.”

Smiley followed him into the hallway, closing the door
behind him. “What is going on?”

“Woods and his son are on the move. They have left for the
airport. I thought you’d want to monitor it all from Security.”

Smiley increased his pace. He wanted to make sure Bruce was
with Gregory and Carl Woods. That would mean all the males who had harmed Vanni
would be brought to the NSO, to him. He couldn’t wait to get a little payback
on her behalf by watching them suffer.

* * * * *

Vanni showered and put on an oversized T-shirt to be
comfortable. It was just after seven. Smiley had been gone for a long time. She
wished she dared call and check on him. She resisted. She’d told him to go to
that meeting but she hadn’t expected it to last all day and into the evening.

She finished her sandwich and eyed the clock over the stove.
She sighed and started washing the few dishes she’d used.

The front door swung open and hit the wall. She spun toward
the living room. Smiley looked okay as he entered. He slammed the door and
strode to her. She opened her mouth to ask him what had happened but never got
the chance to speak.

He hooked an arm around her waist and jerked her against his
body. His other hand tangled in her hair as he lowered his head. She closed her
eyes when his lips came down over hers, his tongue invading her mouth in a
passionate kiss that left her breathless.

She gripped his forearms just for something to cling to. His
arm around her waist lifted her off her feet. She thought he was going to take
her to the bedroom but they didn’t make it that far. The back of her legs hit
the cabinets and he set her on top of the island. His hungry mouth played hell
on her senses. She no longer cared what had happened as Smiley wiggled his hips
to get between her thighs. She parted them wide to make room.

A moan tore from her when he rubbed the front of his pants
against her panties. He was hard and it felt good to have the rigid length of
his trapped dick in contact with her clit, despite the material between them.
He released her hair and reached down to shove up her shirt to get it out of
his way. He pulled it over her head and tossed it aside then hooked his fingers
in the top edge of her panties. The thin fabric tore.

Smiley pulled his mouth away and went for her throat next.
The feel of his fangs and hot tongue on the sensitive skin just under her ear
inspired her to wrap her arms around his neck. He reached between them and
cupped her pussy. She moaned louder when he used his thumb to massage her clit.
Vanni hooked her legs behind his knees, holding him close.

“I missed you,” he rasped between kisses.

“I can tell.”

“I have to have you. Say yes.”

“Yes.”

He made a soft, sexy sound and stopped playing with her
clit. She wanted to protest but he nipped her hard with his fangs. A jolt of
awareness shot throughout her body. She loved when he did that. It was not hard
enough to hurt but it sure put her in the mood.

Smiley shifted his hips and opened his pants. The sound was
almost drowned out by their heavy breathing. He returned in seconds and he
pressed the thick crown of his cock against her pussy, rubbing it through her
slit to her clit. She moaned louder and clawed at his shirt, wishing she could
feel skin.

He entered her in one long thrust and Vanni cried out. It
felt amazing having him inside her. He froze, buried deep. He stopped kissing
her and lifted his head. She opened her eyes and stared into his beautiful soft
brown gaze. She noted the concern reflected there.

“Don’t stop.”

“Lie back and use your arms to cushion your head,” he urged.

She didn’t want to let him go but did as he demanded. The
granite countertop wasn’t exactly comfortable but she didn’t care when Smiley
reached down, gripped her behind her knees and hiked them up. Her ankles rested
on the tops of his shoulders and he let go to grip her hips. He dragged her to
the edge of the counter and hooked one arm over the top of her thighs to keep
them pressed against his chest. He started to fuck her slowly, moving in and
out.