Charlie Artzola cleared his throat. “She owns a lot of things that she would like to keep. It is normal. It was the place where she grew up and it’s filled with her belongings and memories.”
Valiant hesitated. “Fine but you no longer live there. You can keep it but you are to never live there again. You live with me at our home here. It’s not safe for you to leave Reservation. You were already attacked once.”
The attorney blew out a relieved breath and flashed Tammy a grin. “Now, can we get on with the paperwork? You need to sign this so I can obtain a marriage license.”
Tammy hesitated. Valiant wanted to marry her and had the attorney arrive with the paperwork to start the process. It seemed he wanted to push her into a fast marriage. She hadn’t expected him to want to seal the deal immediately when she’d said yes to his proposal earlier that morning.
Tammy turned to stare at Valiant. “What if I want to go back to work? I like working sometimes.”
He growled and his golden eyes narrowed. “You will be too busy to want to work. I will keep you very occupied.” He closed his mouth. “I want you to be at home with me. I will care for you.”
She closed her eyes and counted to ten. Valiant tended to be super pushy. It wasn’t always an attractive trait with him. It was the one thing that drove her crazy. She opened her eyes to find Valiant watching her with his sexy gaze that always got to her.
“I love you.”
The words made her heart melt. “You do?”
“You’re everything to me.” Valiant suddenly slid off the couch and walked on his knees to face her. His hands cupped her face. “I’m happy for the first time in my life and you are the reason. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Tammy. I know you’re surprised that I want to marry you right now but I know what I want. That is you.”
“Um,” the attorney cleared his throat. “Should I come back later?”
“No,” Valiant growled. His expression softened. “I love you. You are mine and I am yours. We will work these things out. We want to be together. We are happy and we’re mates.”
Tammy stared into his eyes, unable to look away. He meant every word. She could see that as clearly as the golden flecks in his exotic eyes. The past few days together had been the best ones of her life.
They had a lot to work out but didn’t all couples have issues? She figured they did. The idea of life without him seemed bleak. She wanted to go to bed, be held in his arms every night and wake to him nibbling on her and making love. She knew how she felt about him. He was impossible not to fall head over heels in love with.
“Okay. I love you too.” Tammy smiled at Valiant “I’m all in. Move out the way and let me sign the papers.”
The attorney looked relieved when Valiant sat back down and Tammy bent forward to put her signature on the forms where he pointed. She might be making a mistake but as she glanced at Valiant, she figured he was more than worth the risk. Sometimes you have to say what the hell. She grinned. Shit happens. Sometimes it’s good shit.
“Well, I’m on this.” The attorney quickly shoved papers into his briefcase and stood. “It was very nice meeting you both.” He nearly ran for the door and fled their suite.
Tammy laughed. “That was a big lie. He wanted away from us so bad I could almost taste it.”
“I frighten him. I could smell his fear.”
“Really? I just thought he was annoyed because I didn’t just sign on the dotted line right off the bat. He really didn’t seem happy to be here.”
Valiant smiled. “I frightened him. Fear has a smell, sexy.” He leaned closer to her. “I smelled your fear when I met you. You smell sweet when you are afraid and it turned me on.”
“Well, in that case, I bet you’re sorry you don’t frighten me anymore.”
“You get frightened when I get mad at someone else. You think I will harm them.” He moved closer. “I always wonder if your fear is for them or for me.”
“Them. Definitely. I know you’d kick ass and take names.”
“I don’t care what their names are if I want to kick their asses.”
“It’s just a saying,” she laughed. She pressed against Valiant and rubbed her palms over his chest, wishing he wasn’t wearing a shirt. She loved touching his bare skin. “I’m trying to say that I know you would win a fight but I don’t want you to actually kill anyone.”
“Why not?”
“Well, there’s that whole life-behind-bars reason.”
He shrugged. “Our laws here are not the same as the ones you are accustomed to. I would never kill someone without a good reason. I wouldn’t be punished for that.”
The doorbell rang, startling Tammy. Valiant frowned before he rose from the couch, stalked toward the door and yanked it open.
Tammy stared at the New Species man who stood there. It was someone she had never met before but he seemed familiar somehow. She just couldn’t place him. He was tall, stood about six-foot-four, had long, flowing, black hair, and the darkest catlike eyes she’d ever seen.
He smiled widely at Valiant, showed off some sharp teeth, and smoothed his hands down his sides. He wore an expensive tailored black suit but it didn’t camouflage the dangerous vibe he put out. Tammy tensed.
Valiant didn’t smile back. “It is an honor that you are here.”
The stranger nodded. “Thank you for saying so. I heard the news and wanted to personally congratulate you on finding a mate. I know how excited you must be. It’s wonderful news.”
Valiant smiled. “Yes. Thank you.” He moved to allow the stranger to step inside. “Justice North, I’d like to introduce you to my Tammy.”
Justice North? That’s why he looked familiar to her. Tammy forced a smile, tried not to gawk at him, but he was a celebrity. He was the leader and figurehead of the New Species Organization and the most well-known of them. On television and in print his eyes and hair didn’t seem so dark. Tammy wasn’t sure if she should just keep smiling at him or if she should try to shake his hand.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she rose to her feet but stayed in place.
He smiled at her but she noticed he carefully made sure his sharp teeth weren’t noticeable when he faced her. She almost smacked her forehead as she realized why she hadn’t recognized him. That was why she hadn’t gotten it was him. It wasn’t just the hair and eyes but he smiled without showing his sharp teeth every time she’d ever seen him on TV or in pictures.
“It is good to meet you as well, Tammy.”
“Did you see the baby?” Valiant closed the door.
Justice chuckled. “I did. He’s perfect. Slade and Trisha are very proud and happy. We all are overjoyed with his healthy birth.”
“And the boy is Species.”
Justice seemed to beam with joy. “He is definitely Species.”
“I had wondered if the human traits would be stronger than Slade’s.” Valiant spoke softly. “I hope, if my mate and I have a child together, that it will resemble me. Tammy believes our baby would be adorable.”
“We all hoped Species traits would carry on when the baby was born. It is a good thing to no longer be alone and know we will live on in our children with future generations.” Justice paused. “But to have a child who would appear fully human would be a blessing too. To just be given the gift of them is enough.”
Tammy kept silent, not sure what to say, as she watched the two men talk. She wondered if she should give them some time alone but then Justice looked at her. He chuckled as he glanced at Valiant.
“You are so small.” Justice studied her. “Forgive me for my amusement but Valiant was adamant in some discussions we held that we should never be with humans and if any of us were going to mate with one, they needed to be strapping, large females. I find it humorous that he would claim you. I mean no offense but it is,” he grinned, still hiding his teeth, “amusing.”
“I understand.” Tammy smiled. “I’m not offended. He’s huge and I’m not. Would you like to have a seat
?”
“I unfortunately can’t stay. My life is filled with schedules that always keep me on the move. I will be here for the day to meet with security and I have an appointment with the person who does my hair.” He reached up to touch it. He sighed heavily. “Our public relations team demands that I lighten it before I go before any cameras.” He met her gaze. “Do I appear more frightening with dark hair, to you?”
“I didn’t recognize you at first. I thought you looked familiar but I didn’t know why until I heard your name. Your eyes seem darker right now too.”
“I am forced to wear contacts too. Again, they seem to think humans will accept me easier if I appear softer. They also change my looks when I’m traveling in public to try to hide my real identity since I’m so well-known.”
“You look fine to me,” she admitted. “But different.”
“Thank you.”
Valiant studied the other man. “Are you staying in the hotel tonight? We’d enjoy sharing a meal with you.”
“I wish I could but I have to hold a press conference tonight at Homeland for the evening news. A helicopter will fly me home after my last meeting this afternoon. I’ll probably eat dinner on the ride home. One day I wish to take a few days off. Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening any time soon. I will be back the day after tomorrow. I have to fly in for a meeting with the mayor of the town before I go back to Homeland for an interview with a local newspaper. It’s endless.”
“You should find someone to claim.” Valiant gave him a sympathetic look. “A mate would make you happy.”
Justice chuckled. “I don’t have the time, Valiant. Every day is usually this hectic. There are always meetings and conferences or places I need to go to for more meetings. No female would wish to share my burdens.”
“You have a hard life.” Valiant inched closer and grasped his shoulder to give it a squeeze before his arm dropped. “You have sacrificed much for us, Justice. We all owe you and appreciate it.”
Justice shrugged. “Someone had to do it, Valiant. I was the best at adapting to humans and had the best ability to blend in. It was just natural that I took the job.”
“If there is ever anything…” Valiant left the rest of that sentence unsaid but his meaning was clear.
“Thank you and I already know that.” Justice smiled at Tammy. “It was very nice to meet you and welcome to the family.”
Valiant closed the door after the departing New Species leader and walked to Tammy. He had a sad expression on his face. “I do not envy him his life.”
“He’s a busy man, that’s for sure.”
Valiant nodded and suddenly pulled Tammy into his arms. “I am glad that my only responsibility is to make you happy. He carries the weight of all New Species on his shoulders.”
“Are we going to take the last name of North too when we marry?”
Valiant nodded. “Yes. It is an honor to carry the name he chose. I support him and everything he has done for our kind.”
“What did that mean when he said welcome to the family?”
“You are one of us now. You are family. We do not have parents or uncles or cousins the way humans do. We only have each other. Family is very important to us and all New Species is considered such. Together we stand strong.”
Sadness filled Tammy. “Do any of you know who your birth parents are? I mean, you had to have parents once, right? At least a mother who carried you.”
Valiant growled. “We are all orphans. Our parents abandoned us to hell. They allowed Mercile to create us, we were nothing more than donated material to them, and the females who birthed us were done as soon as they cut our umbilical cords. We learned that from some of the doctors who were arrested.”
“I’m so sorry, Valiant.” She hugged him, heartbroken over his past. “I always said love is all you need to form a family. My mother abandoned me. I will never understand how she could do that but I’m grateful she gave me life. I wouldn’t be here without her.”
He stared into her eyes. “Where is she? Does she live?”
Tammy shrugged. “I have no idea. She dumped me with Grandma and we never heard from her again. My grandma thought she probably died. She said my mom would have at least contacted her for money otherwise. I used to pray that she’d show up one day to tell me she loved me and how sorry she was over leaving me. You know?” The pain still made her chest ache a little. “That she’d tell me she made a horrible mistake. After a few years I realized it wasn’t going to happen. I began to hate her a little and that turned into outright anger. I don’t want to see her now if she is alive.”
Valiant smiled. “You have me now and I will never leave you, Tammy. You belong to a large family. He or she will always know love and how it feels to be a part of a large group who will love them greatly if we ever have a child. Our child would never suffer loneliness or pain. Or ever experience a loveless life.”
Her heart broke a little more for him. She heard the pain in his voice. Had anyone ever loved him as a child? She’d at least had her grandmother to love her. Tammy tightened her hold on him.
“I love you, Valiant. I love you so much.”
“I love you too and you make me happy that you love me.”
The doorbell chimed. Valiant growled. “I was going to take you to our bed.”
“I would have let you.”
The doorbell chimed again. Valiant released Tammy when she stepped away from him. He stormed to the door, looking irritated. Tammy had to fight a grin. He had no patience whatsoever. Valiant flung it open.
“We have a problem.” Tiger stood there looking grim. “Sheriff Cooper called us. Two more women have been taken from the town. They need our help to track them. I need your help, Valiant. I know it is not Tammy this time but these women work for us. You are one of our best trackers with your stronger sense of smell and though other males from the Wild Zone have keen senses like yours, I can’t trust any of them around humans. The humans lost the tracks in the woods. Will you help?”
Valiant studied Tiger. Long seconds passed.
“Valiant?” Tammy waited until he glanced at her over his shoulder. “Please help them.”
He blinked at Tammy before he nodded. “I will do this for you.” He moved toward the bedroom. “Let me change my clothes. I will be with you in a minute.”
“Thanks,” Tiger whispered when they were left alone.
Tammy nodded. “Do you think this is related to the men who took me? Their boss should be in town by now unless you figured out who he is. Did you?”
“The survivors haven’t broken and given up the name of their boss yet. We have no idea who hired them to kidnap you. I don’t know many details but the sheriff said the women are roommates and they work here at Reservation. They are both cooks who decided to live in town instead of accepting human housing inside the gates. Someone broke into their home and took them. The neighbors heard screams and witnessed at least six men removing the women by force. It happened half an hour ago. They found the van they were taken away in at the location where you were found.”
“I hope you find them.”
“Me too.” Tiger sighed. “The sheriff thinks they were targeted because they worked for us. This means that all of our human employees need to be warned and we will offer them protection here again. I don’t know where we will put them but we look after our own. There aren’t that many of them at least. Slade is notifying them and will handle those arrangements.”
Valiant returned wearing jeans, a black T-shirt, and running shoes. He walked to Tammy, looked down at her, and said, “I will be back soon. I will miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too and thank you for doing this. Be careful.”
“Always.”
Tammy watched the two men leave. She sat on the couch and began to worry. She wondered if she knew the two women, if they were locals she might have grown up with, and wished she’d asked Tiger their names. She stood suddenly and walked to the phone to dial her boss, Ted, at hom
e. The phone rang six times but his answering machine picked up. She left him a message to warn him that he might be in danger just in case New Species hadn’t thought to contact subcontractors who dealt with them.
She was worried about Ted and all the people she worked with. They’d done more than a few catering jobs for Reservation since that first one when she’d met Valiant. She proceeded to call her other coworkers but got their machines as well. She left them messages and included the phone number printed on the phone so they could call her back. She wondered where they all were, hoped they were out on a job, and not also kidnapped.
Seconds later the phone rang. She grabbed it up. “Hello?”
“Hello, Miss Shasta. This is Charlie Artzola. We just met, remember? I am at my office down the block and there seems to be a problem.”
She sighed. “Did I forget to sign something?”
“No. It’s just that I can’t find you in the system. It’s as if you don’t exist.”
“Excuse me?” She was shocked. “What system? I don’t have a criminal record.”
He laughed. “No. I mean I ran your driver’s license number but you don’t exist according to the database. I need to fax a copy of it to get your marriage license since there’s some kind of computer glitch. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding but we need to clear this up. I called the hotel and asked if someone from security could escort you to my office. I’m sure we can sort this out if you could bring me your identification. They’ll accept a faxed copy of it as proof that you do exist.” He laughed. “So, do you mind coming down here? It shouldn’t take more than maybe ten to twenty minutes. Just bring your wallet with you and your license.”
She sighed. “Sure. Let me get my shoes and find my purse. It’s a good thing the sheriff returned it to me. It’s around here somewhere. Did security say it was all right for me to leave? I’m supposed to stay inside the suite.”
“I obtained permission from Tiger before he left. Someone will be there to escort you when you are ready to leave. Thank you, Miss Shasta. This is a big help. I know Valiant wanted this done quickly and I can’t get the marriage license without submitting proof of who you are.”