Worry surfaced as he contemplated his unknown future. Moon had said he’d be trained to work to be a part of the community. He had no real skills besides surviving and fighting humans. The ones at Homeland were supposedly friendly and not enemies. His attention shifted to Alli, watching her regain her calmer breathing with her eyes still closed. She wasn’t someone he’d ever harm so he was willing to believe not all of them were bad or cruel. She’d risked her life and job to save him. No one he’d ever met at Mercile had done anything to help him.
Her eyes opened. “Hi.”
She made him happy. “I’m not moving. I like having you under me.”
Her fingers caressed the back of his arms. “I’m not complaining.” She laughed. “I like you over me. You didn’t mount me from behind.”
He looked proud. “I enjoy seeing your eyes while I’m inside you and thought about ways to do that. You don’t need strength to hold your weight in this position.”
Some of his contentment faded while memories tugged him into the past. 46 had never looked at him the way Alli did or allowed him to get close to her. She’d have fought him by now to put space between them despite the uncomfortable difficulty of separating their bodies. He’d never understood why she’d been so resistant to being his mate until he’d met the human female.
Is this the strong bond that 46 made with the male before me? Is that why she hated our time together? He’d resist caring about another female if she weren’t Alli. He’d resent her and be angry if they were locked inside a room together, forced to mate. 46 had rage. He suddenly understood the source. It hadn’t been personal dislike for him but instead that she hadn’t been allowed to be with the male she’d chosen.
“Hey? Are you okay?” Soft hands left his arms to cup his face, drawing his attention back to the present while he stared deeply into her expressive eyes. She liked to touch his cheeks. “You looked a million miles away.”
“I am right here.”
“What were you thinking about?” Small lines appeared on her forehead that he identified as anxiety. “Are you sure you’re okay? Are your knees still bothering you from when you jumped off the roof? I want to look at them.”
“I am fine.” He paused. “I understand something I did not before.”
“What is that?” Her fingertips lightly traced his facial bones.
Alli worried he had deep feelings for 46. There was nothing wrong with his intelligence. He’d grow angry if she spoke of another male while they were physically joined so he quickly sought a reason to be stressed.
“I wonder what kind of task they will have me do at Homeland. I have no skills that would be useful. I’m one of them but I don’t know how to fit in.”
Her expression relaxed. “They will find some kind of job you enjoy. Some of them are guards who patrol Homeland or Reservation while others learn new skills. Destiny, for example, is learning how to be a nurse.”
A snarl tore from his throat, insulted and jealous in a flash that she’d dare mention that male. “He wants you.”
“Calm down,” she whispered, stroking him as her legs tightened around his waist. “I’m not interested anyone but you. I don’t know why you hate him so much. I work…worked with him. That’s all.”
“He wants you,” he repeated firmly. “He can’t have you. You’re mine.”
Her hands slid down to his throat, lower, to his shoulders. She gripped him firmly and he tensed, believing she’d begin to fight. Instead her fingers dug in and rubbed. It felt good and some of the rigidness eased.
“That feels good.”
“It’s meant to. Shoulder massages always relax me. I just brought him up as an example. There are lots of things you can do or learn in order to be a part of New Species society. That’s the last thing that you should be thinking about right now.” Her gaze lowered to his chest. “You’re regaining your body mass and strength. You were down for a long time and lost a bit of weight.”
“I’m big.”
“I bet you were bigger before you were hurt.”
He couldn’t deny that. His body had changed from the way it used to be. The changes had reminded him of when he’d angered the technicians at Mercile and they’d refused to feed him before 46 was brought into his room to be his mate.
“They aren’t expecting you to get a job right away. You’ll be moved to the men’s dorm and adjust to life on the outside first. You’ll learn how to live independently and they’ll take you out with different males to show you what they do. You’ll also be asked if you want to see a therapist.” She paused. “A doctor who will help you work through the anger and pain you suffered while you were in captivity. I strongly suggest it. Kregkor is a good guy. He’s a bit of a nerd but he’s excellent at what he does.”