.jpg)
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.”
He blinked and his hold eased. “Yet you are defending him.”
“He didn’t do anything wrong. For someone who doesn’t do commitment, you’re acting irrational. You realize that, don’t you?”
He lowered her to her feet and backed away, letting her go. “He’s waiting to take you to Security.”
“You don’t want to talk about this?”
“No. Forget it.”
As if. She stepped forward but didn’t touch him. “You’re jealous,” she accused.
“I was worried.”
“About me wanting to nail Jinx?”
His upper lip curled and his fangs showed. “Stop, Kat.”
“Fine. Are you coming by later?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I’ll see you then.” She spun away and crossed the room, refusing to glance back. He was jealous, whether he wanted to admit it or not. She opened the door. Jinx paced the hallway but stopped when he saw her. “Ready to show me your security setup?”
“Sure.” He flashed a dubious look toward the door.
“He’s not friendly. You were right.” She walked away, hoping to lure Jinx from the doorway before Darkness appeared. He needed some time to cool off and she wanted to analyze what had happened. She did cover for him though. “Darkness is bent out of shape, thinking how bad it would look to send me back to work at the crime lab if I sprained an ankle or something.”
“That makes sense.” Jinx hurried to her side. “We’re always worried about bad press. Some humans might accuse us of purposely harming you.”
“Journalism has really taken a dive in the past ten years. It’s a valid worry. They seem to print any damn thing nowadays.”
Darkness climbed the sheer wall face, wanting to punch it instead. It had infuriated him when he’d walked into the room and found Kat in danger. Jinx had been staring up at her shapely ass. Any male would.
He muted a roar of rage and shoved away from the wall at the top, free-falling. He tensed before impact with the floor but loosened his knees just enough to prevent injury. He landed, straightened to his full height then sat hard and put his boots on.
“Jealous.” It had him seeing red. It didn’t anger him that she’d called him on it but that she’d accurately read his emotions. “Get control of yourself.”
The door opened and he jerked his head in that direction, expecting Jinx to come apologize. Slade entered. He paused.
“Sorry. I thought I’d be alone.”
“I’m leaving.”
“Did Jinx come through here already with our guest?”
“Yes. He’s escorting her to Security now.”
“That’s what the officer said but I wanted to make sure.” He removed his cell and dialed. “All clear.”
Darkness stood. “What is going on?”
Slade grinned. “Forest was bored and Trisha needed a break.”
The door opened and Fury entered with Forest and Salvation. The young males were grinning, their excitement clear. Darkness tried not to stare at Fury’s son. He was a replica of his father in miniature size. Both young ones spotted him and froze.
Darkness twisted his lips up in a smile to put them at ease. “Hello.”
Salvation glanced at his father. Fury nodded. “You remember Darkness.”
The young male glared. “You fought with my daddy. Mommy was pissed.”
“Sal,” Fury rasped.
“Sorry. She was angry. She doesn’t like it when you fight.”
“No, she doesn’t.” Fury chuckled. “It’s rude to mention those things. Species fight. It’s in our nature but we don’t hold grudges. It’s just how males work out their differences sometimes. No real harm was done. Darkness and I are friends.”
Forest reached over and slapped Salvation’s arm. “Like us. We fight sometimes but you’re my best friend.”
“I thought you two wanted to climb,” Slade reminded them. “Less talking. Go!”
The young males rushed to the center area of the wall and jumped. Salvation caught a handhold but Forest missed, inches short of reaching it. He landed on the floor and growled.
“I’m taller,” Salvation chuckled. “Climb me.” He gripped two handholds, dangling there.
Forest jumped again, this time grabbing hold of the slightly bigger boy around his waist. He hugged him around the middle with one arm then gripped Salvation’s shoulder. He scrambled upward until he could reach the handholds. They stayed close together.
“Not bad for a pair of canine young,” Slade whispered.
Fury nodded.
Darkness knew he should leave. It was a family moment, shared between fathers and sons. He didn’t though. He watched the children and tensed as they reached the thirty-foot mark.
“Do they ever fall?” He worried about their bones breaking from that height.
“Sometimes. They are tough,” Fury answered. “We are good at catching them.”
“Forest is more likely to tire out. He’s still working on his upper-body strength,” Slade whispered. “But he’s improving.”
Darkness moved closer to the wall. He climbed faster than a canine. He could also leap to reach them. He kept his focus on each movement the children made, ready to go after them if
one needed assistance.
“We should install safety lines and harness them.” Darkness decided he’d ask for the improvements, regardless of Fury or Slade’s opinion.
Fury moved to stand next to him. “They do this often. We come every few days. They haven’t been hurt yet.”
“Yet.” Darkness scowled. “I’ll make certain that rope lines are added by this weekend.”
Slade moved to the other side of him. “It might encourage the task force to come in here. Trey is the only one who’s attempted it. He didn’t fall but he was sweating it.” He chuckled. “He didn’t try again. Once was enough.”
Fury bumped Darkness’ arm. He turned his head to find the male grinning at him. “You care.”
“Of course I do. No one wants to see young ones harmed.” Darkness stared up, intent on taking action if either child needed help.
“They need to learn,” Fury added. “They are our future.”
“They won’t be if they get hurt.” Darkness softened his tone, not wanting to startle the children. “They are too high.”
Fury bumped him again. “Relax. Watch. Move a little to the left and back three feet.”
Darkness moved and Fury took his spot. “Sal? Emergency drop!”
The boy pushed away from the wall and turned in the air as he fell. Darkness wanted to jump up and catch him but Fury opened his arms. The child landed safely in them. Giggles erupted from the boy when Fury tossed him in the air once and then set him on his feet.
“Emergency drop,” Slade called out.
Darkness tensed again but expected it when Forest shoved off the wall and fell. He curled into a ball. Slade caught him and put him on the floor, tickling him in the process. They both laughed.
Fury winked. “See? We have this down. They not only are learning how to climb but gaining upper-body strength in the process.”
Slade gave him a meaningful look. “In case of emergency they know to follow orders without pausing to give it thought. He’d have dropped for you too if you’d asked, trusting you to catch him.”
Darkness nodded. “Species only, I hope.”
Fury shook his head. “We don’t discuss that. They are still too young. Their mothers…”
Darkness understood. He could finish what Fury hadn’t said aloud. Their mothers were human and therefore they’d only been exposed to love. “That will be a tough conversation.”