Best Friends (New Species Book 15) Read online

  The vent under her made a creaking noise, and she froze.

  That doesn’t sound good.

  The loud pops that followed had her dropping the phone and frantically trying to find something to grab when she’d gone from lying flat, to sliding down at a sharp downward angle.

  The vent walls were slick, and she kept sliding until there wasn’t anything under her anymore. That’s when the real fall happened.

  Mary opened her mouth to scream but it never came out. She slammed into something that knocked the breath out of her.

  Her face was planted against something squishy. It felt like artificial rubber. She opened her eyes and tried to figure out if she was hurt. Besides the startling landing, she seemed okay. She focused on something ahead of her and to the left.

  What she saw made her gawk.

  Beyond a rounded lip was a wall of rocks…with a waterfall flowing down the rough surface. Blue lights lit the structure, and the sound of running water reminded her of a forest stream.

  It was beautiful. It was the biggest indoor fountain she’d ever seen. It had to be twenty-five feet high.

  She looked down. Her hands were planted on a mat that reminded her of something from gym classes in high school. “What in the world?”

  She took a better look around the vast room. The ceilings had to be forty feet from the floor, and dim lights shone from above. Large potted trees were spread around the room. It looked as if someone had made an indoor garden living space.

  She lifted to her hands and knees, realizing just how large the mat was that she’d fallen on top of. She estimated it to be eight feet wide and about four feet off the floor. She knelt up and stared at the ceiling above her. A vent ran the length of the room, and part of it was now broken apart, one portion hanging down like a long slide. Clearly the part she’d fallen through.

  She looked around her, hunting for her phone, but it wasn’t there. Nor was her purse. She looked up at the broken vent and had a bad feeling they hadn’t fallen with her. It left her with little choice but to climb off the mat and find a way out of what she guessed must be the basement of the hotel.

  The floor was covered in what seemed to be artificial grass. She wiggled her bare toes. It felt like good-quality artificial turf. The massive water fountain couldn’t be ignored, and she approached it in awe. The lighting gave the waterfall a natural look. It was beautiful. Even the air around her stirred as if there was a breeze. The lip of the fountain turned out to be taller than Mary, reached by a gentle moss-covered slope.

  One touch with her fingertip proved the moss wasn’t real, either. Curiosity had her touching the short green sprigs…and then climbing upward to the water’s edge. It was the size of a small pool. She dipped her fingers into the water and found herself in for another surprise. The temperature felt pleasantly warm.

  She had a better view from at least six feet off the floor, and she looked around, searching for a lit exit sign, but didn’t spot any. The walls were dark, making it difficult to find the boundaries of the large space. She turned and scooted down the slope, deciding to just walk the perimeter to find a way out.

  Something large dropped about six feet in front of her, and Mary gasped. It took her a few seconds to realize what it was.

  She blinked, but the sight didn’t disappear or change.

  Crouched before her was the biggest New Species she’d ever seen. Not big as in fat. Far from it. He was muscled and big boned.

  If that wasn’t shocking enough, he had some seriously wild, long hair. It was a light rust color, with some orange streaks, and very fluffy. His chin lifted, making it possible for her to make out his face.

  Pure terror struck.

  He was a New Species—but more animal than man. His eyes were pure feline, the color a startling gold. His nose came out a bit, as did his jaw, making the bones in his face seem more animalistic. It reminded her of a mini muzzle. His lips were human, at least. They were also generous. But her gaze fixed on his hair. It reminded her of a lion’s mane.

  Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.

  Those words kept repeating in her head.

  He rose up from his crouch, and she was in for another surprise. He had hair on his naked chest, but it looked more like a patch of fur. It wasn’t a whole lot, but enough to freak her out even further.

  That’s when she also noticed he wasn’t wearing pants. Mary simply stared. She’d never seen someone sporting an actual loincloth before.

  He growled low, causing the hairs on the back of her neck and on her arms to raise. She knew she shouldn’t have come to Reservation. Mel said she’d be safe, but her bestie had been wrong. She was about to be killed by a lion man.

  His lips parted, and he revealed scary fangs. They were shiny white and looked lethal.

  Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.

  Mary wanted to faint but she wasn’t that fortunate.

  He stepped closer, and she scrambled back, falling onto the slope of fake moss, praying she could dig her way under it. Her fingers even clawed at the material.

  The man loudly sniffed, and she froze.

  He lunged forward.

  All Mary could do was twist her head to the side and squeeze her eyes closed. She didn’t want to watch her own death happen. It would be bad enough feeling it.

  Chapter Two

  The lion man didn’t slam into Mary, but she could hear him breathing. It sounded close—and then she felt his hot breath against her neck. Some of that fluffy hair on his head brushed her cheek. She whimpered.

  He was probably picking the right spot to bite into so he could rip out her throat for maximum blood loss.

  He sniffed at her again and growled deeper. It was more of a rumble, really.

  Another whimper escaped. She couldn’t scream. Her body wasn’t functioning properly at this level of terror. She expected to piss herself before she remembered she’d just used the bathroom prior to her failed escape attempt.

  The lion man lowered his head, that soft hair touching more her jaw.

  Then it suddenly went away.

  Long seconds ticked by…until she felt something grip the front of her dress.

  Warm fingers brushed against the sides of her breasts.

  That startled her enough to open her eyes and turn her head a little.

  She wished she hadn’t. The lion man was crouched over her, yet only touching her with his way-too-large hands. He had a grip on each side of her bodice, where the vee revealed some cleavage. He wasn’t looking at her, but giving her chest a glare that wasn’t friendly.

  He suddenly tore the dress open.

  The buttons down the front gave way, and Mary almost managed to scream. Her mouth even opened, but his head jerked up and those golden eyes muted her. She stopped breathing.

  He snarled and lowered his head. Then he scooted down a bit, and continued tearing open her dress.

  Lions ripped out the bellies of their prey. She was pretty sure she’d read or seen that somewhere.

  He bared her stomach and adjusted the position of his big body, until his face hovered over her middle.

  His mouth opened and Mary whimpered, knowing it was going to be a horrible way to die. Slow. Him tearing out her throat would have been faster.

  He sniffed at her again and released her dress with his freakishly large hands. They appeared normal, except there was enough light coming off the waterfall behind her to see that they weren’t totally human. Fine hairs covered the back of his fingers.

  Fur. That’s fur. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God!

  He planted one open hand on her stomach, and Mary gasped. It didn’t hurt, but he did it with enough force that it wasn’t exactly gentle. His fingers curled, and she felt sharp fingernails press into her skin. They didn’t hurt, either, but she could distinctly feel the tip of each one.

  He wasn’t going to bite into her. No. He was going to claw her skin open instead to reach her internal organs.

  He lowered his head and sniffed h