Best Friends (New Species Book 15) Read online

  “Justice was sympathetic when I explained the problem. I shared the story with him about the small canine in the store, and Mary climbing into a shopping cart to escape it. He looked up the breed on his computer while we talked. We both had a good laugh because it is a ridiculously small pet. He agreed that if a chihuahua terrified her that deeply, regular visits to Reservation would be traumatic. Especially if she ran into a Wild Zone resident. It’s vital that our mates be happy. No one wants Mel to lose her friend because she chose you.”

  “I appreciate it. I only hope Mary doesn’t disappoint my mate by backing out of coming to the wedding.” Anger stirred as he remembered when Mel had called her parents. “It’s important to Mel that someone stands with her from among her humans.”

  “Her family isn’t coming?” Brass frowned. “She has living parents. I read her background check. Didn’t you offer to have them flown here, and allow them to enter Reservation and stay for as long as they wished?”

  “They aren’t coming.”

  “Why not? Is it because you’re Species?” Torrent growled.

  “Mel told me that they had a human male in mind for her to marry, and that’s why they aren’t happy with her mating me. I’m not as certain that’s the real reason,” he admitted.

  “Nothing in their background checks showed any flags, but we didn’t find much on either of those humans. No arrest records or known association with any hate groups.” Brass pulled out his phone and tapped on the screen. “I’ll look again.”

  “There’s no need to do that. Mel is hoping they will change their minds once the shock of finding out about me wears off. She said it doesn’t matter, but I could see that it hurt her feelings. It makes me glad I don’t have parents. I’ve heard some of them aren’t kind, but listening to the things her mother said to Mel made me enraged. Her mother threatened to never speak to her again.”

  “We’ll be her family.”

  He smiled at Brass. “We will.” He looked out the front window. Mel and Mary were standing close to each other, staring at something on the other female’s phone. He leaned closer to the open window to try to hear what they were saying.

  “That color isn’t bad.” Mary nodded. “I could live with that. It’s not fugly.”

  “Fugly?” Torrent glanced at them. “What does that mean?”

  “Fucking ugly,” Brass translated. “It’s human slang. I believe Mel is showing her friend dresses from one of the stores in a larger city near here. The owner gives the NSO a huge discount because they cater to wealthy human males and females. It’s good for their business when we wear their clothing. Jaded orders some of his suits from them online and has them delivered here. They are fast. He shared the information with Mel.”

  Torrent shook his head. “How do you know this?”

  “I’ve sat in on a lot of meetings Jaded has held with businesses who want to be associated with us.” Brass shifted, getting more comfortable in the driver’s seat.

  “I meant human slang.”

  “Thank the human task force.” Brass shrugged. “I have spent a lot of time with them, too. I’ve picked up a lot of bad speaking habits from them, Torrent.”

  Snow had one more thing on his mind. “Brass, I need to request to stay at Reservation indefinitely instead of transferring back to Homeland in a few months.”

  “Given. Justice and I discussed that, too, when we were talking. Your mate is going to want to stay close to her friend. The task force will be informed you won’t be joining them as originally planned. Another Species will fill that spot.”

  “Thank you.” Snow watched Mel. “She has enough changes to deal with right now. I don’t want to uproot her to Homeland until I’m certain she’s ready to spend time there.”

  “It’s more relaxing here.” Torrent motioned to the woods. “We’ve got better scenery. Why do you think I live here full time now? Homeland is great but I don’t miss being that close to large cities and all the humans that come with them.”

  “Wild Zone residents live here,” Brass reminded him. “They can be difficult and unpredictable.”

  “I’ll take them and their issues any day over being mobbed by humans every time we drive outside the gates of Homeland. We can extensively expand the property we own here, and have. There, we can only purchase a small plot with a home, if we’re lucky, to put more of a cushion between our walls and the humans who want to harass whoever’s patrolling at any given time.”

  Snow silently agreed with Torrent. He preferred Reservation, too. He’d never have met Mel if he hadn’t decided to spend time there and eat at the diner. New Species never went to human eating establishments near Homeland. The few times they’d attempted it without major prior planning, it had turned into a security nightmare.

  Mel hugged Mary, and the other female walked toward her car. Snow opened the door and slid out but he stayed next to the SUV to avoid frightening Mary. The female made it to her car and climbed in, starting the engine. She turned around on the narrow street and drove off. He rushed to Mel’s side as she waved goodbye until the car was out of sight.

  “How did it go?”

  Mel grinned up at him. “Great. She said she’d come to our wedding. We even picked out her dress and mine. I know she’s scared, and I totally used a guilt trip, but whatever works.”

  He pulled her into his arms. “I’m glad. I know it’s important to you.”

  “We just have to make sure everything goes right. You know, bring her in a back gate, hide as many New Species from her as possible, and keep everyone a little distance from her.”

  He chuckled. “We’ll do whatever it takes. Mary is safe with us.”

  “I know that. You know that. But it’s Mary. She’s trying really hard though. I’m proud of her.”

  He watched as dozens of New Species stepped out from the forest around them, where they’d been stationed to stay out of sight, protecting the area, and grinned. “She only guessed a few were hiding, correct?”

  Mel glanced around too. “Yes. She’d have flipped out if she knew the truth.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “Let’s go home. We still have a wedding to plan.” He scooped her into his arms.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck. “And we have to celebrate signing those mate papers.”

  He couldn’t wait.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “There are things I need to tell you.”

  Mel reached up and cupped Snow’s face. “Later.” She kissed him, tugging at his shirt.

  He broke the kiss, growling at her. “Mel, it’s important.”

  “So is consummating our mate papers. I figure it’s like a wedding, right? We have to do the naked deed to make it legally binding.”

  He chuckled and gripped her wrists, gently forcing her to let him go as he stepped back, bumping against the bed. “We were legal the moment we signed the papers. I’d like your permission to throw away the condoms. I don’t want anything between us ever again.”

  That cooled her libido a bit. “You want to see if we can make a baby together?”

  “I told you it’s possible. There is more, though. I wasn’t allowed to share this with you until after we were official mates, and you became one of us…there have already been Species children born to human females. If we are lucky enough to conceive a child, it will be born male and have my traits.”

  Mel gaped at him.

  “It’s something to do with our genetics. All the babies born have been male and resemble their fathers. The pregnancy length is also much shorter. Twenty weeks.”

  It was difficult for her to imagine any of that.

  “Say something, Mel.”

  “We just signed those papers a few hours ago.”

  “This is too fast.” She couldn’t miss his disappointed expression. “I understand.” He released her and walked to the nightstand, removing the box from the drawer, and walked back to her with the condoms. “I won’t bring it up again until you’re ready to think abo