Slade

Laurann Dohner

“Don’t you have something to do?” They could be childlike but she appreciated their playful traits.

“I’m on it.” Brass walked downstairs. He muttered the entire way down.

Trisha had Harley sit on the bed. “What did he say?”

Harley grinned. “Something about having to eat crow when he calls and Slade finds out there has already been a problem here when we just arrived.”

Trisha walked inside the half bath and grabbed a hand towel. She returned to the bedroom to apply a new wet compress to Harley’s bleeding head, holding it there. Brass wasn’t the only one who dreaded how Slade would react when he found out there’d already been an incident at the cabin.

146

Slade

Chapter Fifteen

“Valiant?”

Slade was so mad he saw red. He stood at the gate of the house that Valiant had been given. Slade heard a door slam and seconds later the mostly naked Valiant casually strode down his porch steps to approach the gate.

“Slade. Why are you out here? You could have called if you needed something.”

“What were you doing?” Slade opened the gate and stepped inside. He was ready for a fight if Valiant got pissed about Slade entering his yard without permission. “I was told you didn’t hurt the woman but I swear to God if you had, I’d kill you myself. You were out of line going after her,” he growled.

Valiant crossed his arms over his chest. “I smelled a human. That cabin isn’t far enough away and I was pissed. Justice said that no humans were allowed here.”

“Well, you went through two of our people to reach her so you knew very well that she was supposed to be here. That cabin isn’t inside your personal territory. You had no authority to attack our own people.”

Valiant shrugged, saying nothing.

“I’ll kill you if you go near her again,” Slade threatened with a snarl. “Are we clear?

I know you are friends with Tiger but damn it, I won’t permit you to hurt that woman.

You stay away from her and don’t go near her again. Do you understand me? You are not to touch one hair on her head.”

“I won’t go near her. I already discussed this with Brass. She’s one of us as far as I’m concerned.”

Slade glared at Valiant, slightly confused by the other man’s remark. “She’s not one of us but she’s a good friend to Species. She works for us. Justice and I trust her.”

“She’s one of us now, isn’t she? I smelled her myself. She was very brave and didn’t even scream when I scented her stomach.”

“You what?” Slade exploded. “You got that close to her? You touched her?” He advanced.

Valiant growled and sank into a crouch. “Stop or we will fight.”

Slade halted his angry approach but he almost shook with fury. “You touched her?”

“I kept my word to Brass and didn’t hurt her. I wanted to scent her when he told me the news because I didn’t believe him. They both agreed to allow me to get close to her. It wasn’t an attack.”

“He allowed you touch her?”

147

Laurann Dohner

Slade would kick Brass’ ass at his next stop, the cabin. Valiant was unstable and anyone with a brain shouldn’t have let Valiant anywhere near Trisha. If he’d been there, he would have killed the big Species for even trying.

“I didn’t believe she was pregnant. Now I know she is.”

Shock tore through Slade. “What?”

Valiant slowly straightened from the crouch. “Pregnant. Didn’t someone tell you?

The woman is carrying a child. That is why Brass brought her here to safety—from humans.”

The anger seeped out of Slade and pain tore through his chest instead. Trisha is pregnant? His knees felt as though they were going to collapse under him. His heart pounded and the rage started to seep back into him. She’s pregnant! A haze of emotions gripped him, mostly murderous ones, that some guy had touched what was his. The idea of anyone doing that nearly sent him over the edge of insanity.

“Justice ordered them to bring her here to protect her from her people. Justice thinks when the humans find out she is carrying a mixed breed they might try to harm her. I have to agree with him. Humans are erratic and hostile for stupid reasons. There’s something about her scent against the skin that makes her different. It must be the baby inside her, changing her chemistry.”

“The father is New Species? Are you sure?” Slade ground out the words, his bitterness and rage growing by leaps and bounds.

“Scent her yourself. She smells different. Human and of us faintly but enough that I am sure. I have smelled pregnant human women when the military assigned a bunch of them to bring us food and supplies where they kept