Prologue
Stella
"Vieni qui,come here" the voice called her, "gattino, kitty."
She crept forward, silently, warily; her belly to the ground, trying to make herself as small as possible.
The hand that touched her head was gentle, brushing her tangled hair softly away from her face. She looked up into kind brown eyes. She recognized this face, he was sometimes with the Big Man. The one who picked her up roughly and held her up, laughing, showing her off in bright lights and loud rooms.
He said something else, something she didn't understand, and then scooped her up. She fought him, hissing and scratching, rolling her body, trying to get away.
"Stai bene, you're okay" the voice said again, over and over. His hands still gentle, his arms a cage, though not hard, not cruel.
He carried her quickly; she saw rooms fly by, and then she was outside, under the stars. She had only seen the stars once before, and her breath left her body when she looked up at them. Pinpricks in the sky, infinite and dizzying. The man cradled her, whispering things that made no sense to her. Then the sky was gone, and she was cradled in new arms, softer, sweet smelling arms. She looked up into a face that was completely different than any she'd seen before; red lips, dark skin, a beautiful face. She raised her hand and touched it wondrously and the red lips split into a smile.
"Piacere di conoscerla. It's nice to meet you," the voice was high and light, "Mi chiamo Carla. My name is Carla."
She moved closer, her eyes wide. Then she saw that she was moving, even though her body stayed still. She looked around her fearfully, but she heard the soft voice again, "Va be, va be, it's okay, it's okay" and she relaxed. She watched the face, saw the smile, and let her eyes shut, drifting off to sleep.
Orion
501 kept his head back, watching the stars. He had been days in this motel, in the dry hot desert, the only break from the heat the required meetings with a head shrink and the nights. He tolerated the shrinks, but waited breathlessly for the night.
He took off his shirt, enjoying the way the air raised goosebumps on his skin. He dropped to the ground where he was; crossing an arm behind his head and watching the night. A bright light streaked across the sky.
"Wha..?" he said outloud.
"It's a falling star," a voice said near him. He jumped to his feet, ready to fight, but when he saw who it was, relaxed. It was Justice, the male who had named himself after they were taken from the labs at Mercile.
"The stars fall?" 501 looked around, mentally judging the distance between himself and a concrete bunker if he needed to take cover.
"It's so far away, it will be a speck of dust when it comes to earth," Justice reassured him.
"Good," 501 said, "I will enjoy the sight from a great distance."
"Have you chosen a name yet?" Justice asked. He'd been encouraging males to choose a name, to dispense with the numbers they'd been called since their first memories.
"I have," 501 said, "Orion."
"Orion?" Justice asked, lying down next to him when 501 moved back to the ground to stare up at the sky again.
"Yes," Orion said, "It is a constellation of stars. Something far away, cold, but not alone. One of many."
"I like it," Justice said, "It's a good name."
Chapter 1
"Mom," Stella whined, "please, for the love of God, turn down the Puccini. I can't listen to this woman die again."
Carla Turner laughed at her daughter, "Sorry Stella Bella," she said, "This is all part of the American road trip experience. Crappy diners, gas station restrooms, classic tunes."
"Usually that means things like blasting AC/DC or, I don't know, Katy Perry. It doesn't mean actual classical music," Stella replied tartly.
Her mother laughed again, a beautiful musical laugh that never failed to make Stella feel utterly content and loved.
"My baby just graduated from college," Carla said, and looked over at Stella in the front seat, "My loving husband is sleeping in the backseat, after dutifully driving for over, what was it? Two hours? And now, I am enjoying some much needed girl time. Puccini is the soundtrack to my happiness."
Stella lowered her window, letting the warm air flow over her hand, before propping her arm on the door and letting her cheek drop to her hand.
She cleared her throat, and moved her other hand to her throat, tapping her finger there. Tap tap tap. Stop. Tap tap tap.
A gentle hand curled around her fingers.
Stella looked over and Carla grinned at her and squeezed her hand, "You can make the noise, Stella. It's just Dad and me."
Stella cleared her throat, but she knew she couldn't stop the noise that emanated from her without tapping her finger. She tried clearing it again.
"Stell…" her mother said quietly, "It's okay."
Stella closed her eyes, and relaxed, letting the hum become audible.
"I always know you're happy that way," Carla said, "I love your little purr."
Stella smiled. Ever since she was a little girl, her mother had a way of saying things that made her completely at ease.
"Thanks for coming to get me," Stella said, "I really didn't want to drive by myself."
Carla laughed out loud, "You didn't want to move your stuff by yourself."
Stella looked behind her at the trailer their SUV was towing, "That too," she answered honestly.
"Mmhmm," Carla said.
Stella saw her mother's eyes flick to the rearview mirror, and a crease appeared between her eyes. A moment later a large black SUV thundered past them, going so fast it felt like they were standing still.
"Geez," Stella said, rolling her eyes, "In a hurry much?"
Carla didn't say anything, but took her hand away from Stella's and gripped the wheel with both of hers. The sunlight flickered off of her mother's diamond, throwing a reflection onto the dashboard, catching Stella's attention.
"Gino!" Stella's mother suddenly cried out, right before their car slammed into the SUV that had passed them.
Stella's body hit the seatbelt hard. Their smaller SUV rocked and veered into the guardrail, throwing Stella sideways, and making her head hit the window. Time seemed to slow down.
She watched the world tilt and spin.
She heard breaking glass and then a groaning and scraping of metal.
Her mother crying out, and her father's deeper yell, "Carla!"
Their SUV came to a halt, tilted and rocked before slamming back down to four wheels.
"Carla!" her father cried out.
Stella looked over at her mother. Her dark brown eyes stared unseeingly out the window, a trail of crimson trailing out of the side of her mouth, another trail dripped slowly down her earlobe.
The air seemed to thicken around Stella, her body felt slow and heavy, her father's voice filtered to her as if it was underwater. He started to climb over the seat, "Carla!"
The window next to him shattered, and the door pulled open. For a moment, Stella thought it must be the EMS. Save her, she thought, but then her father was pulled roughly through the door.
"Papa!" Stella screamed, just like she had when she'd had a nightmare as a little girl.
The door next to her mother was ripped open. Stella watched horrified as she was pulled and dumped unceremoniously on the pavement.
"NO!" her father yelled.
A head dipped into the SUV, and leered at Stella. Huge meaty hands reached toward her, triggering memories from before she had words, making Stella's stomach clench and roll with nausea, "Ciao gattino," he said smoothly.
Stella pushed desperately at the door next to her, throwing her back against it. But her side of the car was resting against the guardrail, and there was no moving it. Still, she pushed. The man laughed, and gripped her ankle, pulling her toward him. She hissed at him, her fingers curling, and she swiped at him, raking his face with nails.
"Gatto cattivo," the man said, drawing him toward her, "You're a bad kitty."
He gripped her waist and threw her out of the car.
"Stella!" her father cried out.
Stella saw her father. His brown eyes were wide and wild looking.
"Gino," the man said, "Gino, Gino." He shook his head as he walked toward Stella's father. Stella saw two other men, clothed in expensive looking suits, standing on either of him. He was hunched over, the men propping him up.
"Papa!" Stella sobbed. The man who dragged her out of the car, held tightly to her arm, and started laughing.
"Papa?" he laughed, "You stole property from La Famiglia and then raised it like a child?"
Her father groaned and would have fallen if the men hadn't held tightly to him, "She's my daughter."
The man continued to laugh, wiping his eyes, "You call this animal your daughter? She is in for a quite an awakening," he said, "when I return her to her cage."
"Bastardi!" her father ground out.
The man let go of Stella. She watched him reach into his jacket, and walk to her father.
Her father looked at her, his kind brown eyes wet, tears leaking from them, "Correre," he whispered in Italian. Run.
Stella was frozen in place. The sun glinted off the man's gun as he aimed it at her father's head, and pulled the trigger. The sound reverberated through the forest, provoking Stella into action. She turned around and sprinted toward the trees, leaping over the guardrail.
"Arresto!"
But Stella didn't stop. Her feet flew over the ground. Bark exploded off a tree near her head. She ducked, and ran in another direction. She could hear feet pounding behind her, and she sped up, her breath coming in heavy pants. The terrain changed, newer growth trees packed closer together, slowing her down. She weaved between branches that whipped her face and pulled out her hair. There was a burst of leaves to her left, and a body slammed into hers, grasping her arms tightly. Stella acted without thinking; throwing her head forward and biting the man, her teeth sinking into his neck. He cried out and released her, and Stella leapt. She leapt like she did when she was a child and weighed nothing, scrambling up a tree, gripping with her fingers and toes, moving lightly from branch to branch until she was high above the men who chased her, and who now stood, observing her with no concern, at the base.
"Come down kitty," one called, and made a kissing noise with his lips.
Stella held tightly to the tree, looking around her, measuring the distance between the tree she was in, and one nearby.
"No jumping, you bad cat," the man laughed, "We'll get a ladder and help you down."
Stella unwound her arm from the branch and flipped him off, "Come up and get me asshole."
"Puttana!" the man called up at her. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun, shooting up at her.
Stella jerked her head to the side, heard a hiss of air and a thwack and saw a dart embedded in the bark.
"The fall will kill me, dumbass," she called down, "Stop shooting shit at me!"
"Kitty." It was the man who shot her father, he lumbered casually through the forest, brushing dirt from the lapels of his jacket, before looking up at her, "We're going to get you one way or another. We are happy to take you healthy, and we are happy to take you with broken bones. It makes no difference to us."
Stella held onto the branch, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the man. She wasn't able to respond, her anger overwhelmed her, and she heard herself hiss at him.
"Bene, Kitty," the man said, "We will use you as target practice."
Chapter 2
"Orion?" Tiger's voice came over Orion's radio as he drove along the edge of Reservation.
"Go ahead, Tiger," Orion answered.
"I need you to check out the eastern edge of Reservation, near the highway. Got reports from the Wild Zone of gunshots. Vengeance will meet you there."
"Roger that," Orion said.
He turned the ATV around, heading toward the highway. Orion pressed down hard on the gas, enjoying the way the spring air whipped at his face. The clouds were heavy in the sky, and the air was thick with humidity. He slowed as he got closer to edge of Reservation, and parked the ATV. He was more careful here, quieter; listening for humans and keeping an eye out for residents of the Wild Zone. He approached the newly built wall, surveying the top, looking for breaches and keeping an ear out to traffic. They were still pretty far from the highway, a thick swath of forest acted as a buffer between humans and New Species territory.
"Orion," a voice called to him.
Orion looked up and saw Vengeance on the top of the wall.
"Hey," Orion greeted, "Find anything?"
"Not yet," Vengeance answered, "I was waiting for you before I got closer to the highway."
Orion smiled, flashing his sharp canines at Vengeance, "Need a big strong male with you?"
"Asshole," Vengeance replied, "No. But I promised my mate that I would be careful. So I am doing that. I will probably be rewarded for my diligence when I return home." Vengeance smiled to himself, obviously thinking about his reward.
Orion made a noise like he was gagging, "You're pathetic," he said to Vengeance.
"You are just jealous," Vengeance answered with a smile, "I have a mate and share sex regularly."
Orion snorted, "You keep telling yourself that."
Vengeance smiled, "I will enjoy mocking you when you find your mate, my friend."
"Well, I hope you're writing down the insults, because it's going to be a long time, and I'd hate for you to forget them."
Vengeance laughed, "I will be sure to do that."
Orion patted his pockets, pretending to look for a notebook, "I thought I had one…" He stopped, tilting his head to listen. He looked at Vengeance, who nodded, letting him know he heard the same thing. They waited, calculating the direction the noise came from when they heard it again: growling, hissing.
Vengeance took off at a run, with Orion next to him. He radioed it in, "Tiger, send backup. It's New Species in distress, female by the sound of it."
"Roger," Tiger's voice calm and clear, "I have three dispatched."
"Going silent," Orion said tonelessly. He and Vengeance slowed as they approached the source of the sound.
Orion breathed in deeply, "Three human males," he said, "One female. Feline."
Vengeance nodded, "They have weapons that have been discharged," he added. As a canine his sense of smell was slightly better than Orion's.
The wind kicked up, alerting Orion and Vengeance to the presence of three New Species males approaching. Flame, Shadow, and Brass moved toward them silently. Shadow used hand gestures, letting them know to fan out, surround the humans, and wait for his signal to attack.
The males split off. Orion loped through the forest, scenting the air around him and pushing down his instincts. The air was rife with the smell of the female's fear and pain. The stink of exertion from the humans would have led him to them, but as it was, their loud voices were easily followed. He approached them silently from behind where they were gathered around the base of a tall pine, jeering and calling at the female.
Orion was transported momentarily back to Mercile as their words filtered through the haze of his anger, "You're making it worse. Just come down. Come here." Orion breathed through the rage, bringing himself back to the present, doing his best to push back the past.
The humans were laughing now and he saw one raise his weapon and shoot up into the tree. It was a dart gun, and the stink of drugs was blown toward him with the breeze.
"Got it!" the human was clapped on the shoulder by another male.
Orion sprinted forward, head lowered and plowed into the male with the gun. The male let out a surprised scream that ended on a choke, as Orion crushed his windpipe. The man grasped his throat and fell to the ground, back arching and heels pounding into dirt as he desperately tried to suck in air. Flame and Vengeance emerged from the forest at the same time, easily subduing the two other males in nonlethal, but still painful, ways.
Orion looked up the tree, but he couldn't see the female.
"I'm going up," he said to Vengeance, "I think they struck her with a dart."
Vengeance nodded, speaking into his radio, "Which female is it?"
Orion didn't wait for an answer, but leapt into the tree. He moved smoothly, looking up now and then. He could smell blood on the bark, probably where the female had scraped her body on the rough bark, trying to get away from the humans. He snarled at the thought, females should be safe on Reservation. Their fear of human males relegated to the past, but these men had come into Reservation. They had tried to assault one of their females. Orion was sorry that he had only killed one of them.
He looked up and saw feet, one with a shoe, one without, and he stopped. It was a very tiny foot, much smaller than a New Species female. He breathed in, she was definitely feline.
"Hello," he called up, "The humans are no threat to you anymore. Are you injured?"
The female didn't answer, but he heard a high growl, warning him off. It was the sound of injury and fear. Orion worried that she could fall out of the tree since she was hit with a dart, but he still moved toward her.
"You are safe now, Female," he said, moving toward her. He saw denim clad legs. HIs gaze moved upward, taking in pieces while his brain pieced clues together, a striped shirt, a blue jacket, long dark curling hair, wild golden brown eyes, wide cheekbones, a full mouth. Orion stifled a gasp.
"A Gift!" he said, shocked.
The female hissed at him before her eyes rolled back into her head, and she fell forward. Orion reached out, snagged a small wrist and pulled her into his body. Her weight threw him off balance and they both fell from the tree. He wrapped his body around hers, but was still able to shift his weight, and though he landed harder than he liked, he was able to avoid injury.
He stood up slowly, keeping her wrapped in his arms. She was very small, and light.
"What the hell, Orion?" Vengeance asked as all the males crowded around him to look at the female in his arms.
Orion growled, something about the approaching males triggering his protective instincts.
"Jesus," Shadow said, "She's a Gift."
"She's not one of ours," Brass added, "How the hell did she get here?"
Flame smiled at the humans, and kneeled down next to them. The stink of their fear was overwhelming, and one wet himself, "Gentlemen," Flame said, "Let's talk."