Species Interaction

by Cheyenne Meadows

  I dropped the phone and teleported out immediately.

  Opening my eyes, I found myself in Meat's living room. He and Misha sat together on the sofa. At least they still had clothing on.

  They both stood at my sudden entry. He shot me a quizzical look, his head tilting to the side. Misha stared at my attire and snarled her lip in disgust. So she wore the latest fashions. I still had my pink pajamas on, now dusty, along with my pink bunny house slippers. She was Marilyn. I was Lassie on the scale of beauty, but I had fortitude. Besides, underneath the happy-go-lucky exterior, Lassie could spontaneously morph in to Cujo at any instant. This could be just one of those instances.

  "Shy?" Meat asked.

  "I have something for you." Opening my hand, I gave them a quick glimpse of the relic before tossing it at Meat.

  He caught it easily, gaping at the object in his hand for a long moment. Turning it over a couple of times, he appeared to verify the legitimacy.

  Misha glanced at the item before her incredulous gaze turned on me. "Where did you get that? It can't be the real thing," she bit out as her eyes narrowed.

  "It is." Once more Meat rubbed his thumb across the stone, and his eyes met mine. "But how? And do I have a mess to clean up?"

  His words stirred my hormone induced irritability once more, setting a frown on my face. "You don't have to do anything. The how doesn't matter."

  Misha huffed. "Like we should believe her."

  He walked over, gave me a hug, then turned to Misha. His fangs flashed as a low growl escaped his throat. "She wouldn't have had to do anything if you hadn't messed with things you were told to leave alone. As it is, she fixed your screwup. Instead of being a bitch, you might say thank you then shut your damned mouth for once."

  She glared at him, her ice façade cracking as her eyes filled with water. With a hateful glance my direction, she disappeared.

  "So much for manners." I sighed, suddenly tired and worn out.

  "You should have done as I told you. Not taken the risk." His lecture lacked fire, as if he chided a small child for spilling a glass of milk.

  I shrugged, too tired to argue.

  Wrapping me in his embrace, he kissed my forehead. "Let's get you home."

  In a flash, we stood in my bedroom.

  Chapter 10

  I woke alone in bed, way before the first rays of dawn covered the sky. Checking the clock, I groaned. Four fifteen. So much for sleep.

  After Meat escorted me home, he tucked me into bed, kissed my nose, and left. I wanted him to stay, but harbored a bit of annoyance toward him with the whole incident. First, shooing me away lest I hear details of this missing rock, then his teaming up with Misha to recover the silly object she lost in the first place. Let's not forget his order to obey. I shuddered. Sure, he wanted to distance me from any danger, but his decree backfired. The more he wanted me out, the more determined I became to be in. Not to mention all the time he spent with his former lover, who wanted to get her claws in him any chance she had.

  Flipping over, I pushed my long braid to the side. The whole event left me unsettled, like Meat and I covered a particularly rocky patch in the path of our relationship. He maneuvered the area without difficulty, while I clung to the face of a small cliff holding on tight, with slipping confidence.

  Picking up my cell phone, I called him. The sooner we ironed out things, the better. Maybe I could actually get some sleep then.

  He answered on the second ring. "What is it?" The hoarse sound of his voice told me he'd been sleeping.

  "We need to talk. Now. Please?"

  Meat puffed out a long breath. "It's four fifteen in the morning, Shy."

  "I know. Please?"

  "Fine." He sounded resigned.

  "I'll be at your house in ten." Quickly, I hung up before he could change his mind.

  Tucking the phone in an oversized pocket on the pajama bottoms, I closed my eyes and teleported out.

  Whap! Ow! Dang. That landing needed work.

  Blinking, two things came to my attention quickly. The power had to be off as I couldn't see past my hand in the dark and I smelled spaghetti, lots of it. A quick glance told me all I needed to know and grossed me out at the same time.

  Sure enough, I landed in a trash dumpster. The quantity of the noodles, sauce, and garlic, told me this happened to belong to an Italian restaurant. By the sheer amount of waste, I decided the entree fell short of expectations.

  I lifted my arms; sauce coated my clothing, sinking through to run into my slippers. A few cold noodles fell from my shoulders and another batch from the top of my head as I pulled myself to a standing position. Sloshing and crawling, I managed to somehow climb out of the trash only to stand dripping on the street. Shaking my whole body only loosened a small portion of the discarded leftovers.

  Just great. I'm slimed with tonight's special.

  A nearby clock struck half after. Closing my eyes, I focused once more, hurrying to avoid showing up late.

  The crackling zing rushed through me. Opening one eye, I peeked out then sighed in relief. Sure enough, I landed in a familiar living room occupied by a yummy liger.

  He wore leathers pants, probably from work, his chest bare. A few sparse hairs sprinkled across the muscular ridge, emphasizing the fitness and strength in his upper body. The black material coated his thighs like a second skin, leaving little to the imagination as to their size and power. Hair so dark brown, it bordered on black, tossed back to rest just below his shoulders. His eyes caught my attention. Piercing deep blue, like an endless ocean. He could easily pull you in and under with one look.

  His gaze raked over me as a dark eyebrow shot up. "Looks like you landed in an Italian restaurant."

  I shrugged, dislodging another spaghetti noodle to fall onto my nose, then slide downward, plopping on an ear of my right bunny slipper. "Close." I glanced down at the gradually growing puddle of sauce forming around me. "More like their garbage dumpster out back."

  His lips twitched as he moved closer, his eyes twinkling with mirth. "I see. Having troubles with teleporting again?"

  I glanced at him. "Again? I'm not sure I ever mastered it in the first place."

  His grin widened slowly into a smile as he stopped just in front of me. One large hand reached over, as his index finger gently brushed my cheek, coming away with red sauce covering the tip.

  I squirmed under his scrutiny. "At least there wasn't anyone naked in the dumpster. That would have been… awkward."

  "Probably so." He chuckled and snapped his fingers.

  Looking down, I found myself spotless once more. No more puddle, no more noodles on my bunny slippers, no more ick in my hair.

  I rewarded him with a sincere smile. "Thank you."

  He inclined his head marginally. Stepping back, he stared down at me and waited.

  "I missed you," I whispered earnestly. He left me a couple hours ago, but too long in my book.

  "Ditto."

  When he didn't make any move toward me or continue speaking, I nervously chewed my lip. "I guess I should explain why I needed to talk to you right now."

  "That might help."

  Not sure where to begin or what to say, I headed to the couch, plopped down, and waited for him to follow suit.

  "Well… I wanted to help. No. Knew I could help."

  He remained mute.

  "When you wouldn't listen to my information and ordered me to leave it alone, I guess I needed to prove it to you."

  "And?" He folded his arms across his broad chest.

  Another reason? "I thought we loved one another. To me, that means being a team, not simply you ordering and my being a submissive, brainless trophy girlfriend. I do have a brain. Maybe not the best brain or smartest in the world, but it's a fine one I intend to use and keep." I huffed loudly and continued my tirade. "I also know about 'others'. All kinds of them. So I couldn't see why you would clam up about this situation and shut me out. I'm a good listener. I could help. Heck, I even sleep poofed
to find your silly lost relic and caught a glimpse of a thief in Misha's apartment. Well, his hairy mole elbow anyway."

  His brow furrowed at my words, those muscles in his upper body tensed considerably.

  "And?"

  "That hurt. I love you with all that I am and want to stand beside you. Our relationship is a partnership, or at least, I thought it was."

  "And?" he insisted, his eyes locked on mine.

  Oh good grief. What in the world did he want me to say? I dug a little deeper. "And you no longer had time for me. I thought if I helped you'd finish the case faster and return to me, to our time together. Show you how valuable I can be as a partner. No matter what I did to help, you refused to release this case from your tight grasp. You held on like it was a lifeline, spending every waking hour working on it."

  "And with Misha?"

  I saw red. "Yes, damn it. With Misha." I quickly stood, pacing the living room floor in front of him. "She's beautiful, gorgeous, could easily be the cover model on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. She's rich, has fancy clothes, knows fashion, and always dresses to make men drool at her feet. Not to mention she's a shape-shifter, one of your own kind. You understand one another, share common traits. She goes into heat; you drool like a thirsty tomcat at the sight of a rare and illusive oasis. You've been with her before. Even after we started seeing one another. You chose her over me."

  I continued walking, turning back and forth with agitation, thinking about how much havoc she heaped on my only relationship in several years.

  Pausing, I looked at his face and whispered words from my soul. "She's Marilyn Monroe. I'm just… Lassie." Plopping down on the floor, I curled my knees against my chest.

  Unable to bear the expression on his face, I lowered my chin, staring at my feet as I continued to wring my hands. There. I said it. He could now validate my thoughts and toss my dreams and hopes out the window like dirty laundry. My eyes burned as my breath caught. No matter how I tried, the first tear slipped out, tracing a path down my cheek.

  The couch creaked as Meat stood. His large bare feet entered my vision as he stopped directly in front of me. He cupped my cheek as he lifted my face to meet his eyes.

  "Baby." His arm slid around my waist, pulling me to my feet and flush against his body, while the other remained on my cheek, maintaining our eye contact. "Shhhh. That's not true. Don't you know that you're all that I want and need?"

  I tried to read his face, those soulful eyes, searching for truth in his words.

  "I bet she'd never land in a trash dumpster." I sniffed. "Or wear bunny slippers and pink pajamas." I wore my heart on my sleeve when it came to her.

  "Probably not. But it's cute on you."

  I'm cute. She's a hot sexy pin up girl and I'm a matted stray hound covered in day old rotten spaghetti sauce.

  He leaned in, placing a butterfly kiss to my forehead, then my nose. His thumb wiped the first tear away followed by another. "You're beautiful, smart, courageous. More than enough to keep me on my toes." Another gentle kiss took more tears away. "And, I do love you, Shyanne."

  I snuffled and tried blinking more back. "But you shut me out… and went off with her. She's every man's dream."

  "She's not my dream," he said sincerely.

  He gestured to the couch. Tentatively, I sat. He locked onto my hand, holding it gingerly between his, allowing his thumb to slowly stroke my palm. Our knees touched as he cuddled me closer.

  "I'm the son of an alpha." His soft tone carried easily to my ears, soothing and calming. "All my life, I've been responsible for the Familia. They all trust me to do what's best for them, just as they trust my father. They never question. To do so would be seen as a flat out challenge at worst and a rude insult at best."

  He leaned in for a quick kiss to the top of my head as I wiped at my watering eyes.

  "Problems aren't shared unless they involve the entire tribe. That would only lead to gossip and concerns for the integrity of the Familia."

  "I'm human, thus not privy worthy." The statement came out flat and defensive.

  He sighed and pulled me onto his lap, enveloping me with his large frame, his warmth. I smelled the spicy scent of his skin and heard the muted thump of his heart.

  "Yes and no."

  I opened my mouth to protest.

  "It's simply a policy, a habit not to share many details with those not directly involved. You know that. Shifters may be fierce, but we can't take on the entire world and expect to win. The peace is fragile; any whispered rumor could unbalance the whole process, setting off rounds of violence, causing my kind to be hunted like no other."

  I understood and showed so with a slow bob of my head.

  "Being a human isn't a downfall. It's just not part of the family unit."

  I tensed. Tugging, I struggled for release.

  He relented marginally, keeping a loose grip on me, lest I should bolt. Those eyes bore down into my own as he quickly explained, "I… you…" His mouth closed as he gathered me onto his lap once more, cuddling me tighty. He rubbed his chin over my crown while holding me close. "I've never dealt with a human in such a capacity before."

  "But…"

  He shushed me with a quick kiss. "I'm trying to apologize."

  "Oh." I blinked up at him and returned the chaste meeting of lips. "Go on."

  With a tiny smile, I watched his facial expressions morph as he squirmed. "I… I'm sorry." He managed to get out, looking sheepish and frustrated at the same time.

  It reminded me of the boys when they had to apologize for their actions, particularly to one of the little girls in their day care class. His response only endeared Meat to me more.

  "Was that hard?" I teased, blinking away the last of the tears.

  "Yes." He growled, pulling me around to straddle his lap. His lips peppered kisses across my face as he rocked his pelvis against mine. "I'll show you something else that's hard."

  I squirmed a bit, pushing at his chest. "Now, hold it right there, Mr Liger." I peered into his sparkling eyes.

  He arched a brow and grinned mischievously, all the while rubbing my back. "You don't want to enjoy a Meat Popsicle?"

  I rolled my eyes and tugged on a lock of his hair. "For a furry with exceptional senses, you aren't too observant today."

  Meat tilted his head in question.

  Kissing his nose, I delivered the blow. "Sorry, but you shall have to wait a couple more days for such… activities."

  A grin popped onto his face. "Why? Sex is messy anyway… so…"

  "Pervert!" I struggled as he held tight, chuckling in amusement. Unable to get free, I settled for slapping him lightly on the chest. "You're so mean."

  Meat planted another kiss on my forehead. "That's not what you said the last time you were in my lap like this…"

  Chapter 11

  I trudged through the alley leading to the back door of Hot Lava, intent upon speaking with Meat and setting up our next date plans. If I caught him stripping on stage, all the better.

  A new Transformers movie just came out, and Bas volunteered to take the boys this evening, allowing me a few hours of freedom. Secretly, I think he wanted to see the movie himself, the boys just provided a good cover for his tough alpha reputation.

  Bas and I met a few years back, when I first started working for the PPD. As a black panther shifter Enforcer, he traveled all the time, but when in town, he made a point to stop by and speak to me when in the office. Not too long after, he showed up at my doorstep injured. I took him in, cared for him, and fed him. Like a stray cat, he stayed. We sort of adopted one another and he's been a solid support since.

  Hello Kitty ruled the wardrobe decision today. I sported the shirt and shoes, while tossing in pink jeans and socks to match. Considering the DNA of my boyfriend, I figured he would appreciate the irony of the outfit.

  Hearing a loud thump, I paused, scanning the long narrow passage in front of me. Misha stood at the next doorway, her left side to me, watching something wi
th interest. My 'something is up' radar binged loudly.

  Hurrying over, I peered around Misha, viewing what drew her attention.

  A large darkened room full of boxes sitting on a cement floor outlined the scene. Noises pulled my attention from the walls to more of the center area. Two men paced in a circle, both large and bulky with dark coloring. Meat stood in the center, lightly shifting and twisting, trying to keep them both in view. One sleeve bore red blood stains already.

  "You'll be begging for death before we're done with you." The taller of the men sneered while waving a dark metallic device resembling a Taser in the air. The other guy flashed a knife back and forth with practiced motion. A Taser? Either he couldn't afford a gun or they really wanted my boyfriend just incapacitated instead of dead.

  I glanced around until my gaze landed on the evil Misha. She stood leaning with her back to the wall, filing her nails despite the violence in front of her. Anger bubbled and boiled over in my system. Stomping over, I stopped just short of stepping on her brand new shiny red shoes.

  "What the hell are you doing?"

  Her gaze flicked toward me, then raked me from head to foot. Her mouth curled in obvious disgust. "Where did you get that nasty outfit? The Goodwill Store?"

  I bit my tongue and pointed to the action. "Why aren't you helping Meat?"

  She shrugged. "He's a male. Males fight." I opened my mouth but she continued, "Besides, if I got involved, it would only piss him off."

  "But he's hurt!"

  She looked up once more then returned to her nails. "He's fine."

  "Ohhhhh. You're pathetic!" I left her in my wake, taking myself and my hot pink Hello Kitty tennis shoes into the action.

  The bad guys glanced at me as they continued their strategic maneuvering, coming closer to make a swipe before backing away. One rolled his eyes in my direction before dismissing me completely. My superhero costume of Hello Kitty Wonder girl apparently lacked intimidation. No respect, I swear. Oh, how stupid bad guys can be.

  I paused a moment then dashed into the center of the impromptu circle, skidding into Meat's back. The attackers took a couple of seconds to confer strategy, leaving me the opening I sought.