“Hello, Slade.”
“We have a new couple. They are staying in the house next to Justice’s. This is Jeanie and you know True.”
The male grinned. “We got a call that you were coming and that they are newly mated.”
“You were also told she’s in danger?”
All humor left the man’s face. “Yes. I sent an officer to check out the home and he radioed back that all is fine. We’ll increase patrols.”
“Good.” Slade stepped on the gas as soon as the gate opened to admit them. “These are the cottages for the mated couples and for some of the Species with greater responsibilities.”
Jeanie stared at the large homes. “Cottages? They have to be over three thousand square feet. My version of a cottage and your version are completely different.”
True captured her attention with a questioning look.
“Cottages are tiny homes, kind of cute, but small.”
Slade laughed. “Everything is bigger with New Species.”
True chuckled. “Everything.”
Men. Jeanie could guess where their minds were and decided, in some ways, they were more human than they would admit. She kept silent until they pulled into a driveway and came to a stop. True opened the door, lifted her off his lap and climbed out after her. The other New Species stayed in the SUV.
“Your security detail is on the way. Go inside and relax. Someone will bring food immediately and clothing within the hour. Enjoy being newly mated. The door is unlocked. Justice ordered a breakfast feast for you,” Slade explained. “Expect the doorbell in about ten minutes. They’d already started preparing food at that cafeteria so it’s just a matter of sending someone to deliver it. They’ll be quick.”
True walked Jeanie to the front door. She eyed the house. It was a pretty shade of pink and was huge. Any apartment she’d ever lived in would have probably fit in the garage. He twisted the door handle and it swung open. She peered inside.
“Wow. It’s fully furnished.” That surprised her.
“Justice’s mate lived here for a while.”
She glanced up at him. “They lived apart after mating?”
He chuckled. “It was before they mated. He wanted her close.” He jerked his head. “Their home is that one.”
She glanced in the direction he indicated and saw an even larger home. “That’s kind of intimidating.”
“You don’t want to live next door to them?” True frowned. “I want you to be happy.”
“He’s the leader of the NSO. He’s like a celebrity. I never thought I’d be neighbors with someone so well-known. I don’t mind though. It’s just kind of strange.”
True surprised her by laughing and abruptly scooping her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I know human customs. I’m to carry you inside.”
“That’s really sweet.” She was touched at the gesture. “Thank you.”
He stepped inside, turned and used his foot to slam the door. He shifted her weight enough to free his hand and twist the deadbolts. Their gazes met. “Do you want a marriage ceremony? We could invite your family and friends.”
She imagined that phone call to her parents. They’d have a ton of questions, mainly starting with how she’d met True. To tell them the reason she rarely called was due to the dangerous situations she’d put herself in wouldn’t be fun. They’d be angry that she’d lied to them and kept so many secrets.
“Maybe in a few months,” she decided. “For right now, I think we have enough on our plate with this Boris thing.”
“Agreed.” He turned, studying the room.
She followed his gaze. The living room was large and included a nice fireplace. The kitchen and dining room area looked modern and nicely furnished.
“Jeanie?” She turned her face to peer into his eyes. “Are you worried your family and friends will have a problem with you being mated to me?”
“No. I think they’ll be surprised since I never told them anything about what was actually going on in my life but once they get past the shock of everything I’ve kept secret and realize I survived it all in one piece, they’ll be fine with it. The one thing they always taught me was to judge people for their actions rather than what kind of upbringing they had. Your being New Species isn’t going to matter. You’re an incredible person, True.”
“You chewed on your lip when I asked about marriage.”
“It’s nothing to do with you. I promise. Telling them that we’re together is going to be the easy part. They’ll want to know how we met. That will be the hard part. That makes me anxious. They are going to be furious when I have to tell them I was leading a double life and lied to them about what I was doing for a living and why I couldn’t see them more often. That’s something I’d like to avoid a little longer.”
“I understand. We have a lot of stress right now.”
“Exactly. There’s no rush to deal with them yet.”
He stepped farther into the living room and lowered her to her feet. “Stay put. I’m going to search the house.”
“That guard at the gate said someone already did that.”
He scowled. “You’re my mate. Your safety is my duty.”
She swallowed a protest and just nodded. True yanked open a closet door to investigate, disappeared for a few seconds to check out the kitchen, and then walked down the hallway toward what she assumed were the bedrooms.
“Be careful,” she called out.
She could have sworn she heard him growl and smiled. He was cute when he was being paranoid and protective. She kicked off her shoes, walked over to the couch and sat. It was plush and comfortable. The large television drew her attention and she longed to turn it on. It was something she had missed since True either didn’t own one or had removed it before he’d taken her home with him. The remote beckoned but she resisted the temptation.
“All is secure.”
She turned toward him and grinned. “I knew it would be.” She patted the couch. “Come sit next to me. It’s been a long night, hasn’t it?”
He walked over but instead of taking a seat, he leaned down and lifted her into his arms. “There is a big bed down the hall. You need sleep.”
Her stomach growled. It was loud and she blushed a little, knowing he couldn’t have missed hearing it.
He glanced down at her middle. “Food first though.”
“They said they were sending something.”
The doorbell rang. She chuckled. “Good timing.”
He gently deposited her back on the couch. “I’ll get it. You stay put.”
She didn’t protest. Exhaustion was taking its toll. Her side ached but she wasn’t going to mention that. True would have her flat on her back and feeding her by hand if she did. The person at the door was blocked from view by True’s big body but she heard them exchange soft words before he closed the door and turned, holding a covered tray in one hand.
“Breakfast.”
He placed it on the table and lifted off the lid. Two large platter-size plates were side by side with juice and milk containers next to each. Napkin-rolled silverware lay on the other side. The sight of a big steak, scrambled eggs and fried potatoes made her mouth water.
“Take your pick of which plate you want,” True shifted the tray so their plates were in the right place. “They cooked both of them all the way through.”
“You can tell that just by looking at them?”
“My nose tells me. Justice told them we were just mated so they cooked mine a little more than normal.”
“Why?”
He sat on the floor next to her instead of on the couch. “To not offend you.”
“You like your steaks bloody.” She remembered that about New Species. “I don’t mind.”
He grinned. “They were being thoughtful and didn’t know that, Jeanie. It’s fine. I’m just happy to eat. They probably wanted to assure that you’d allow me to mount you and didn’t want you to be disgusted by watching blood drip from my fork. They wanted to avoid anything that might put you off.”