Best Friends (New Species Book 15) Read online

  But soon.

  He ended the kiss and their gazes locked. Mel was his entire world now…and by the love in her eyes, Snow knew she felt the very same.

  Lash

  Chapter One

  Mary wished she could crouch lower on her seat or even hide under the table. She kept her chin tucked down, since it seemed as if everyone stared at her when she looked up. The wedding cake sitting before her was great, but she couldn’t take another bite. Her appetite wasn’t present.

  She just wanted to leave. Her stomach felt queasy. Nerves always did that to her.

  No one at Reservation had been rude. It wasn’t them. It was her. She was terrified to be here, and no amount of reason or logic could fix her distress.

  New Species frightened her. It wasn’t personal. Her past had made her the way she was.

  A dog had attacked her when she was five. It was the first time, but it wasn’t the last. Another dog had come after her when she’d turned eight. Then again at ten, thirteen, nineteen…and just six months before in a grocery store, right after her twenty-sixth birthday. Worse, everyone had laughed at her when she’d climbed inside the cart to get away from the menace. It may have been small but the second it saw Mary, it snarled and barked as it lunged toward her.

  Why couldn’t anyone else see how that might be scary?

  Cats absolutely hated her, too. She’d smile at them and they’d just hiss. One had even chased her right out of her aunt Christine’s front door. The entire family had sworn they’d never seen anything like it before. Their loving and typically calm kitty had turned into a snarling hairball that seemed intent on clawing Mary’s eyes out.

  The hatred animals demonstrated toward her even extended to horses. The one time she’d tried to learn how to ride, the beast had gone crazy when she’d approached and had attempted to trample her. Then it had tried to take a bite out of her. That had killed her dream of maybe falling in love with a cowboy. Ranches weren’t a safe choice.

  Animals just hated her. It used to hurt her feelings, but she stopped caring as much after the attack of the rodents. That had been the last straw.

  She’d been on a date with a man at a park. Picnics were supposed to be fun and romantic. One second they’d been smiling at each other over a basket of fried chicken, and the next, a dozen field mice rushed them. It had been like something out of a horror movie.

  Her date had later said they must have been starving and going after the food. Mary wasn’t buying it. They’d come after her, and if she hadn’t run for her life, they probably would have tried to eat her alive.

  She’d sworn that day to avoid anything with claws, fangs, hooves, or tails. Goldfish were safe—from at least a four-foot distance. She’d figured that out after a couple had actually leapt from their little bowls when she’d been around. Their owners had to scramble to quickly scoop them up and dump them back into the water. It had happened twice in her life. Both friends had assured her it happened but she was pretty sure…it only happened when she was around.

  It was just a fact. Animals seemed to instinctively hate her. It was just one of those mysteries of life she’d stopped trying to figure out or explain. It just was.

  Now she sat in a large cafeteria with at least forty New Species at Reservation. They were all part animal. Worse, they’d grown up being severely abused by humans. She wondered if any of them harbored any resentments. A chill ran down her spine, and she glanced around surreptitiously, praying that she didn’t remind any of them of someone horrible from Mercile Industries.

  “You look ready to jump out of your skin.” Mel leaned in close and bumped her shoulder. “Breathe.”

  She turned her head and gave her best friend a pleading look. “Can I go home now?”

  “No. You made it through my wedding but the reception isn’t over. Dancing is up next, and then I’m going to toss the bouquet. You have to try to catch it…and I happen to have inside information that you’ve totally got this in the bag. The few New Species women who came swear they don’t want to be mated. They’ll clear the area for you to make sure you get it.”

  “I don’t want to find a man that bad.”

  Mel sighed. “You like Snow.”

  “Because he loves you, and he knows you’d be pissed if he attacked me. That means he’s got motivation to fight his instincts.”

  Mel rolled her eyes. “That’s bull pucky. You’ve just had some bad luck.”

  “Yeah, you’ve told me that before. Then you brought that cute little kitten into the diner that the Johnson family had just adopted from Animal Control, to prove me wrong. Do you remember what happened?”

  Mel nodded. “It hissed at you and tried to jump on you.”

  “Animals hate me.” She shrugged.

  Mel looked around. “Well, New Species don’t. Some of the men are staring at your breasts, though. You’re showing a good amount of cleavage, what with you hunched over like that.”

  “It’s likely my throat they’re staring at.”

  Mel got that irritated look Mary knew too well. “You’re safe here. These folks are really…well…human. Forget they have fangs and get over it. Now, sit up straight like I’m sure your mama told you a million times while growing up and find your backbone.”

  “My mother never said that to me.”

  “Rub it in. Mine sure did. Then she’d touch my hair, ask if I was getting a yellow streak and say that I was embarrassing her. I still can’t believe her and my papa refused to come to my wedding. She’s praying for me with her church group instead.”

  Sympathy rose for her best friend. Mel tried hard to seem like it didn’t matter that she didn’t get along with her mother, but Mary had seem glimpses of her pain. Especially when her family hadn’t reacted well when she’d told them about falling in love with a New Species. “She’s still upset that you married Snow? I hoped it would just take a few days to adjust to the surprise of your news and she’d get onboard.”

  “She isn’t going to get over this. Snow is hurt that my folks aren’t happy about us, but I had to tell him the truth. It doesn’t matter. My mama’s more upset that she isn’t getting to marry me off to the old widower next door. She really did have her heart set on trading me for those corn fields and that bigger pond.”

  Mary hoped Mel kept telling herself that, and it caused the hurt to lessen. There were a few choice things she’d love to tell Mel’s mother. None of them would be nice. “I remember. The neighbor’s old and he drinks, and she was hoping he’d die fast so you’d inherit all his property.”

  “She’s never going to win a Mama of the Year award.” Mel grinned. “Plus, she swore she’d never come visit me and made it clear Snow wouldn’t be welcome there. Do you know what that means?”

  “You don’t have to see your family ever again.”

  Mel lifted her hand. “High-five me, best friend.”

  Mary smacked her palm, despite seeing that hurt again in Mel’s eyes. “I’m so happy for you.”

  Mel dropped her arm. “It’s your turn next to find what I have. That’s why I’m not letting you leave until after you catch the bouquet.”

  “You don’t really believe in that crap, do you?”

  “It couldn’t hurt. Why take a chance?”

  “Fine. I’ll stay. I’m not dancing, though.”

  “Hey, I can compromise.”

  “Good.” Mary glanced around, and she did see men watching her. She dropped her gaze as fear surged. “Where’s a bathroom?”

  “I’ll take you.”

  That meant Mel would hustle to get her in and out as fast as possible, but Mary just wanted to hide. She guessed the women’s bathroom should be a safe place to do that. “No. You go dance with your new groom and just point the way. I won’t be too long.”

  “I know what you’re up to. Do you have your cell phone in your purse?”

  “Always.”

  “Fine. Go drag out fixing your hair until I call you. Swear to me you won’t leave, though.”