Best Friends (New Species #15)(106)

Mel frowned but then glanced at Snow. “She really hates workout clothes. You should see her closet. She loves wearing skirts and super girly tops.”

“Lash would kill me.” Snow crossed his arms.

“We did promise to keep her safe…but I messed up by letting her hide in the bathroom by herself. The least we could do is let her get her clothes so she’s happy. Nobody is going to think she was here. Folks really do make jokes about Mary and her animal fears.”

She inwardly winced, knowing it was true. It worked in her favor, though. “One hour. I’ll pack super-fast. I won’t tell Paul where I’m moving. I’ll just tell him I no longer work for Joel and I can’t afford the rent, so I’ll have my things out sometime next week. I promise. I’ll also tell Lash I forced you to do it.”

Snow arched his eyebrow.

“Tell Lash I forced my husband to do it.” Mel grinned. “I’m way meaner than you are, Mary. No offense. That’s more believable.”

“He’ll kill me.” Snow shook his head again. “No.”

“No, he won’t. Am I prisoner here but no one told me? Is the NSO going to hold me at Reservation against my will?” Mary stared at him with narrowed eyes. “That’s what you’re basically saying if you refuse to let me leave. I’ll be back in an hour.” She crossed her heart with her finger. “I swear on my life. One hour.”

Snow shook his head again.

Mary was frustrated. She might be falling for Lash, and be willing to give up her life as she knew it to live with him, but she had to have some necessities. Including her own clothing and things from her bathroom like razors, her brand of shampoo and conditioner, and deodorant. Her bestie might not mind going without, but Mel was more of a tomboy. Mary wasn’t.

More importantly, she had to know she wasn’t a prison in Reservation.

She lifted her arm a little and turned her head toward her armpit, sniffing at the deodorant that she’d borrowed from Lash. It smelled like wet grass. She wrinkled her nose. Lash also used hair products that might be great for a lion mane but her human hair felt greasy after being washed.

“What are you doing?”

Mary met Mel’s gaze. “Is it so terrible to want my own things?”

“No.” Mel looked at Snow.

“I’m not allowing her to leave. Even if I wanted to, which I don’t, the NSO wouldn’t allow it.”

“So I am a prisoner.” Mary felt a bit of panic rising at the thought.

“No.” Snow leaned forward, holding her gaze. “You might be pregnant, Mary. Do you understand that? Someone could see you leaving the direction of Reservation. The humans who are familiar with your fear of animals would assume you were somewhere else, but who is to say anyone spotting you would be local? They could hurt you, kidnap you, or even kill you. We do deal with random human haters trying to breach our walls to hurt us here at Reservation.

“I realize you want your own things, but there’s no way I’m helping you leave here without a full security detail and with your mate at your side. Please be reasonable. Do this the safe way, if you wish to get your belongings. Mel understands that, and it’s why she’s agreed to wait for us to send someone to collect her belongings.”

“But Mel’s in danger. I’m not.”

Snow sat up straight and sighed. “That’s what you don’t seem to understand, Mary. You are now a Species mate.” His gaze dropped to her stomach before he looked her in the eyes again. “Think of the child you may be carrying.”

She reached down and touched her stomach. She didn’t think she was pregnant but she wasn’t one hundred percent sure. “Fine.”

“We’ll arrange to get your possessions as quickly as possible,” Snow promised.

She nodded, resigning herself to smell like wet grass, having greasy hair, and wearing workout clothes for a while longer. Then she thought about Lash.

He was worth it.





Chapter Ten



Lash was frustrated. Every male he’d come into contact with had picked up Mary’s scent on him. He remembered how most of them had treated Valiant when he’d taken Tammy for a mate, and their curiosity. It suddenly explained why Valiant had become so grumpy. Lash wasn’t feeling friendly, either.

“Stop trying to creep up on me, Lapis,” he growled, turning his head to the male and meeting his gaze.

The male was crouched on all fours, just feet away. The pendant he always wore hung against his chest. He and Lash had one thing in common. They hated clothing. The male also wore a loincloth. They’d both compromised with the other males. No one wanted to see their dicks.

“Human,” Lapis whispered.

“Yes.”

“Why?” Lapis stood upright and stepped closer.

“I wanted a mate.”

“You can’t trust them.”

“Mary is a good female.”

“None of them are.” Lapis reached up to push some of his long, wavy black hair out of his face. “Humans can’t be trusted.”

Jaded sighed. “I keep telling you, not all of them are like the ones who worked at Mercile. You liked the doctor who helped you heal after we were freed, enough to wear that necklace she gave you.”