“I knew the risks and I took them.”
Trisha’s gaze narrowed. “Do you think I’m going to sleep at night, knowing where you’re going? The NSO doesn’t control it and I’ve heard horror stories about that place. I’m trying to talk them into just firing you and escorting you to the gates. You’ll be banned from having any further contact with the NSO or discussing Species in public. I just don’t know if they are going to go for it. Would you sign a total confidentially clause if they offered it to you?”
More tears filled her eyes. “I just wanted to help New Species, 880 in particular.”
“I know but you did the wrong thing. It was insane, irrational, and you did put 880 in severe danger. If someone had gotten a hold of him they could have killed him, ransomed him to the NSO for millions, or worst case, someone from Mercile could have gotten their hands on him again. There are a lot of those assholes out there who haven’t been caught yet. They are desperate.”
Alli’s shoulders dropped. “I’m sorry.”
Trisha stared at her grimly. “Hang in there.”
Alli watched her go. The officer guarding her glanced in before the door closed. The sounds of locks being turned made her curl up on the bed. Her room was small, consisting of a bed, a handful of books she’d been given, and nothing else. It had been two days since she’d been arrested. Tiger and now Trisha were the only ones who had visited her besides a few humans on the task force who had come to ask her questions. At least she knew 880 had regained consciousness and he was getting stronger.
“It was worth it,” she whispered and squeezed her eyes closed as more tears slipped out.
* * * * *
Trisha glared at Justice, then at her mate. Slade took a step closer, his hand lifted to caress her but she stepped out of his reach. She was furious.
“There’s your criminal. The big bad threat to New Species. Give me a damn break. Alli did something stupid but she shouldn’t be locked up.” Trisha pointed to the camera feed inside Allison Baker’s cell. “She’s a doctor. We will do anything to save a patient and nobody here would listen to her. I would have raised hell until someone caved if I had a suggestion I believed in but she’s different. I can’t see her yelling or getting in someone’s face. She secretly plotted to get 880 out of here where she could try to do what it took to save him.” She paused. “And it worked. I want Tiger in here right now.”
Justice hesitated but lifted his phone. “Send in Tiger please.” He hung up. “Trisha, we are all upset.”
“Doc—”
“Shut up, Slade. Don’t ‘Doc’ me. I’m mad. I swear I’m going with her if you send her to Fuller Prison. You can lock us up together in a holding cell over there.”
Shock widened her mate’s gaze and he shot an alarmed look Justice’s way. A growl tore from his throat and Trisha backed off that one immediately, afraid he’d get into a fight.
“Slade?” He looked at her. “Just stand still and let me handle this, okay?”
He frowned but his body relaxed.
The door behind them opened and Tiger strutted inside. “I was told you needed me?”
Trisha turned on him. “I demand you walk over to Security and have them lock you inside the cell next to Alli’s.”
His pretty gaze widened. “What?”
“You heard me. She called you, asking for permission to do what she thought was best for her patient but you turned her down flat. She wouldn’t have kidnapped him if you’d just given her a chance to do whatever she thought would help 880. You’re just as guilty of a crime as she is. Someone has to pay for this, according to Justice, and damn it, I’m holding you accountable too. Alli was right. 880 is awake. He might not be if she hadn’t had to go to such drastic measures to save him. Go lock yourself up and whatever time she gets, you deserve too.” She took a deep breath. “I demand you stay in the cell next to hers so you can both suffer together.”
Tiger’s mouth dropped open but he closed it. His gaze slid to Justice.
Trisha turned on him next. “That’s fair. Alli might have put 880 at risk by taking him off NSO grounds but Tiger put him at risk too for not listening to his doctor. She woke him. 880 would still be in a coma if it wasn’t for her. You want someone to pay for what she did but she was driven to do it by him.” She pointed at Tiger. “And you could have overridden his veto but you didn’t so you should be in a third cell.”
Justice frowned. “Calm down, Trisha.”
“Screw that. Either all three of you serve the same amount of time or I demand you release her. I want her back on duty. Tiger was down the hall in his office. You’re in yours. I want Alli back in hers. She’s a great doctor.”
“We can’t trust her anymore, Trisha.” Slade’s soft voice calmed her a little.
She met his gaze. “Then ban her from the NSO and escort her to the gates but let her out of that damn cell. She’s not a criminal. She’s dedicated to saving lives, she did what she felt was necessary for 880. Give her credit for that. Do you know how scared she must have been to take him? What kind of courage it took not to only implement her plan but go through with it? She put her life in danger too, knew she’d face punishment, and probably didn’t think it would even work. That makes her braver in my book. She risked it all for a Species.”
Trisha hesitated. “She had more faith in 880 than any of you did.” Tears filled her eyes. “I’d do anything for you and you’re the love of my life, Slade. You’re my mate, my heart. Alli did that for 880 and she doesn’t even know him. You should give her a raise and be damn grateful we have a doctor with that kind of loyalty. All she was thinking about was him and giving him the best chance at survival.”
The room became silent and Slade drew closer to pull her into his arms. She let him hold her. Justice finally sighed.
“Tiger, go to Security and escort Dr. Allison to her home.” He paused. “I don’t know what to do with her but she doesn’t belong in a cell. She worked for us and she may not be safe outside our gates due to her association. Have an officer placed at her door and let her know she’s confined to her house. I want her made very comfortable until we decide how to handle this.”
“Understood.”
Trisha lifted her head and stared into Slade’s gaze. “Thank you.”
“I can’t stand to see you hurting.” He turned his head to peer at Justice. “Thank you.”
“Trisha made valid arguments.” Justice paused. “This is a hell of a mess.”
* * * * *
880 stared at the females and softly growled a warning, unsure of what their presence meant. He didn’t welcome the sight of them. One of them looked too similar to his mate for comfort.
The tall dark-haired one growled back. “I am Breeze and that is not how you make friends. Just be blunt if you are trying to initiate sex. I am not interested but I don’t want to worry about you attacking me either.”
Shock filled him at her frank statement and the way she evenly stared at him. 46 had avoided speaking to him when he was in a bad mood unless she wanted to argue. This one seemed to want to challenge him.
“You remind me of her.”
The female’s gaze softened. “Your mate?”
“Yes.”
“What was she called?”
“46.”
The female took a seat in his room while the other two stayed by the door. Breeze pointed to his bed. “Sit. You make me nervous. I don’t know how in control you are or how you will react around females.” She then pointed to the other two. “They will jump on your ass if you attack me. Are we clear?”
His eyebrows lifted as he glanced at the two females before taking a seat on the edge of the bed to study the one named Breeze. “I will not strike out at you.”
“That is good to know.” She smiled. “How are you doing with knowing freedom? You look strong and healthy. I heard you ventured outside today to take a walk.”
“I am well.”
“You don’t speak much to others, do you?”
r />
“I am adjusting. It is strange.” He avoided discussing why he wasn’t talkative, unwilling to admit he didn’t feel comfortable around so many after his solitary life with only his mate.
Sympathy flashed in Breeze’s eyes. “We all understand that but trust me, you have it way better than we did. Humans had to deal with us after we were rescued. It was tough on them, as well as us, to find a happy middle ground. You’re surrounded by your own kind.”
“Why would I feel trust? I don’t know you.” He wanted to be honest.
She grinned and he relaxed slightly when her features softened.
“True. We’re your kind though and you are ours. We have to stick together and you can depend on us to have your back. Do you know what that means?”
“You are telling me I can trust you.”
“That’s right. You can.” She leaned forward a little. “How are you really doing?”
“I’m growing stronger.”
“I mean how are you doing inside your head? I know you lost your mate. Are you filled with rage?”
He nodded. “I want revenge for her death.”
“We have the assholes who killed her.”
He tensed. “They are here?”
“We captured them when you were rescued. They were sent to a cage of their own and will pay for her death. Does that help? They will never be free again.”
“I want to be taken to them.”
She shook her head. “You desire to make them bleed but you can’t. We don’t kill humans. We lock up the ones who committed crimes against us. They suffer. They are now caged and under the mercy of humans themselves.” Her smile looked forced. “Does that help?”
“They should die.” Anger boiled inside him.
“I agree but we are better than the ones who imprisoned us. We show mercy.”
“I don’t.”
Her gaze sparked with amusement. “You have a heavy sense of justice inside you.”
He said nothing but wasn’t sure what she meant.
“You would have done anything to protect your mate, right? Broken any rule to keep her safe?”
“Yes. They killed her without provocation. I did nothing to anger them.”
“Those Mercile employees were mean assholes.” She took a deep breath and glanced at the females by the door before speaking softly to them. “How does it look?”
The one with streaked red hair glanced away. “We’re still clear.”
Breeze met his gaze. “We’re not supposed to be here but sometimes we are bad at following orders. I had an officer who owed me a favor turn off the cameras.” She pointed to the corner. “They are there for your protection and to make sure you are in no danger but are currently off.”
He became alarmed. “Is there a threat to my life?”
“Not from us.” She cocked her head. “Do you know who is in danger?”
“Who?” He quickly became confused.
One of the women by the door revealed her hand, which had rested behind her back. It held a clear bag with material inside, which pulled it out and tossed to him. It was a shirt. The sweet scent he inhaled was familiar and a soft growl tore from his throat before he could stifle it.
“Her name is Alli.” Breeze hesitated. “Dr. Allison Baker. She’s human but never worked for Mercile. She risked her ass to save yours. I like her.” She jerked her head toward the other two women. “They like her too. Do you want to know why? Alli is a good human. She’s sweet and our friend.”
He fisted the female’s shirt in his hands but said nothing. He wasn’t sure what they expected from him. Part of him worried they were trying to spot a reaction that would betray his emotions. He tensed, alert, and schooled his features not to reveal anything. He wanted to know more about Alli but refused to admit as much. He shouldn’t care. She was human but he was curious.
“You were unconscious and wouldn’t wake after you were rescued. The truth is that we all thought you would die. No one here knows you and you were kept separated in the Mercile facilities from all our females. None of us have ever shared sex with you. Mercile used to take us to males for breeding experiments, attempting to make more of us. We know nothing about you and feared you were going to be insane. It’s what we call feral. It means your mind was so broken by the abuse you suffered that you couldn’t be saved.
“Alli refused to give up on you though and stole you from this place to take you somewhere where she could do what none of us would. She put her life in danger by trying to wake you with her female scent. You males are horny creatures who are driven by your dicks. Maybe she thought you’d want to mount her enough to wake.” Breeze shrugged. “Knowing her as I do though, she probably didn’t consider you might want to share sex but instead just thought having a female near you would bring you back. She’s naïve that way. All the males she’s met are pretty protective toward us and they don’t approach her for sex.”
He wasn’t sure how to digest that information. Part of him was glad to know no other males approached Alli for sex. Anger stirred at the memory of the masked humans touching her when he’d stumbled outside. He’d wanted to kill them for making her scream in terror. Breeze’s voice drew him from his musings.
“It worked. You smelled her and woke when she was in trouble. Maybe you wanted to mount her or perhaps you mistook her for your mate. I don’t know. Do you?”
He debated answering.
“880? Did you hear me?”
He decided to be direct. “I knew she wasn’t my mate. I remembered 46’s murder. I thought at first she might be a technician. I heard the words she spoke to me but I couldn’t move my body. I had finally decided she was another female brought to replace the mate they took. They needed her to control me.”
“Shit,” one of the females by the door sighed. “It’s as we thought. They gave him a female to make him compliant. She was just a tool to them.”
A snarl of rage tore from 880. “She was my mate!”
Breeze motioned the other female to silence as she continued to warily watch him. “We know that and meant no insult. Did Alli harm you? Did she hurt you?”
“No.”
“She stole you to save your life. I want you to understand that. She cared for you and stayed by your side. She put her life at risk to save yours. Do you know what happened to her?”
“No.”
“They locked her up. She’s a prisoner inside her home. She isn’t allowed to be a doctor anymore and is no longer trusted.” Anger deepened her voice. “We don’t agree with that but the males won’t listen to us. They are butt hurt over her being able to steal you as easily as she did. A mere little human smuggled you past all their security measures.”
“Butt hurt? Did she give them injections to make them unconscious?”
“No. Their pride is injured and they are being stupid,” one of the women by the door softly growled. “You’ve got to help her after all she did for you. It is the right thing to do.”
Anger gripped him at being given orders. “Humans are my enemy.”
Breeze growled back at him as the color of her eyes darkened. “She isn’t your enemy. She’s our friend and she woke you from a coma.”
He threw the shirt at her. “She is not my concern.” He hated the way his voice lacked sincerity. He didn’t enjoy owing anyone but if the human female had saved his life then he would feel honor bound to repay her some way.
Breeze caught it and rose to her feet. She hesitated. “One day you are going to be deemed well and leave Medical. Do you know what you are going to want?” She tossed the material to one of the females and reached for the front of her shirt to lower it enough to reveal the tops of her breasts. “Us. You’ll miss sex, won’t you? You had a mate. Remember her body? The feel of her in your arms?”
His body tensed as his gaze locked on the skin she revealed. He wasn’t interested and felt offended that she’d believed he’d be tempt to want her. The female yanked her shirt up to cover the view of her cleavage. Hi
s gaze lifted to hers.
“That will be the last bit of skin you see on a female unless you get motivated to help Alli. I speak for myself and all our females when I say none of us will share sex with a male who allows someone we care about to remain in captivity. We’ve discussed it and you will be one lonely, sexually frustrated male unless you learn to care about Alli’s fate. Do you understand me?”
“She’s human and I don’t want to share sex with you.” He might injure Breeze’s pride by stating he didn’t want to mount her but she made threats. He didn’t care if she felt offended.
“Alli is Species as far as we are concerned. She’s not your enemy or ours.” She backed up. “Tell them you want to see her even if you don’t. You could even say you feel depressed from missing her scent. Just be nice to her. Tell them you trust her even if you have to learn to do so. She risked her life for yours. Remember that instead of what other humans have done to you in the past.”
He growled, resented being ordered what to do and say. The females seemed unfazed by his anger as they calmly watched him. The idea of seeing Alli again was very tempting. He wanted to know why she had gotten into trouble on his account. His pride refused to allow him to admit as much though.
“Don’t scare or harm her.” Breeze backed up more. “Remember, she believed you could be saved when others had given up hope. You will help her if you have any pride left. You owe her a debt.”
He considered his options as the females silently regarded him. It would be a mistake to show weakness, such as interest in speaking to the human. They could use it and her against him to attempt to control him. Mercile had done it often with 46. Of course Alli wasn’t his mate. They wouldn’t threaten to kill her if he refused to do as they demanded.
“I will see her to repay the debt,” he conceded carefully. “That is the only reason.”
The females withdrew but one of them tossed the shirt at him again. He caught it and the sweet smell of Alli filled his nose. Confusion filled him over why others of his kind would care so much about a human. They had all survived Mercile Industries and should hate humans too.