“Will do.”
He left her alone and she stood, stretching her limbs after sleeping in the cramped position. Tiger’s color looked better and she bent over him, brushing a kiss on his cheek.
“Wake up for me, sexy. I miss you.”
The door opened behind her and she straightened. It was a doctor who stepped inside the room and he frowned when he spotted her. “Hello. I’m Dr. Razner.” He drew closer to glance at Tiger, then the machines, before turning his attention on her again. “What agency do you work for?”
“Agency?” She had no idea what he was talking about.
“The nurses said you’ve been on duty since yesterday. You’ve bathed the patient and kept vigil at his bedside since you arrived. No one knows what agency you were hired from and I am slightly alarmed by that. Did you get permission to work here? This isn’t a private home. Are you a registered nurse? A certified nurse practitioner?”
Her mind was still a little sluggish from lack of sleep. “I’m not a nurse.”
“You’re a doctor? What’s your field?”
“I’m not one of those either. I’m here for Tiger.”
The older man shoved his glasses a little higher on his nose and frowned. “What are you to him?”
She hesitated. “I’m his girlfriend.”
The doctor’s expression slowly changed to one she could easily read. Disapproval wrinkled his face and a coldness seeped into his gaze as he regarded her.
“Shame on you,” he accused softly.
“Excuse me?” Shock slapped her at his words.
“Didn’t your parents teach you right from wrong? It’s abhorrent for humans to have intercourse with animals. That’s just sick, young lady. This hospital boasts an excellent mental-health facility. You should go check yourself in immediately to get the treatment you need. You’re an attractive young lady who doesn’t need to stoop to dating those things.”
It took a few seconds for Zandy to recover from the astonishment of his verbal attack and to let his insulting words to sink in. “How dare you speak to me that way.” Her hands curl into fists, the urge to slap him strong. “Why don’t you go find another doctor to pull your head out of your own ass?”
He sputtered. “What did you say to me?”
“You heard me. How dare you talk to me that way about Tiger. He’s a better man than you’ll ever be, you prejudiced loser. I deal with letters spewing hate and stupidity from pricks like you all day at work. You went to med school? Let me guess. Was it by any chance the school of doctors without brains? Where did you do your residency? Assholes anonymous?”
His fists clenched. “Get out of here before I call security. You’re banned from this patient and the entire hospital.”
“Fuck you.” She flipped him off. “You’re the one out of here. You’re not touching Tiger. You’re fired. I demand someone else treat him. I wouldn’t let you near him with a ten-foot pole.” She remembered that the NSO had their own female doctor somewhere on the premises who’d been sleeping when she’d arrived. “I want the NSO doctor right now.”
“Security!” the creep yelled.
Jaded and Trey Roberts rushed into the room in seconds, both of them focused on Tiger, probably expecting him to be awake and violent. Zandy moved to block the doctor when he tried to step closer to Tiger’s bed.
“Get the hell away from him.”
“Get her out of here,” the doctor demanded.
“Over your dead body,” she threatened.
“What the hell is going on?” Trey Roberts stepped closer, glancing between them.
“He’s fired,” Zandy ground out. “I don’t want him near Tiger ever again.”
“This is my hospital. Get her out of here.” The doctor glared at Trey. “I want our security staff in here and she’s to be removed from the hospital property immediately.”
“This piece of shit just lectured me about how sick it is to date an animal and called Tiger a thing.” She took a threatening step closer to the doctor, ready to deck him. She was that angry. “Tiger is a wonderful person and you don’t deserve to breathe the same air he does.”
Jaded growled and the door opened again as Bestial and another task team member rushed inside the room.
“What is going on?” Bestial glanced at Tiger. “He didn’t wake?”
Jaded moved slowly, cupped Zandy’s hips, and tugged her away from the doctor. She didn’t resist but kept glaring at him. The big New Species holding her growled again, deeper. The threatening sound caused her to turn her head to peer up into his face. His sharp teeth were showing as he watched the doctor with about the same amount of anger as she felt.
“Get out, Dr. Razner,” Jaded demanded. “You’re done here. You will no longer treat our male.”
“This is my hospital.”
Trey Roberts stepped between the doctor and where Jaded stood holding Zandy in front of him. “Get out, Dr. Razner. You’re fired.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Yes, we can,” Trey argued. “I have the administrator of this hospital on speed dial.” He pulled out his cell phone. “She assured us that Tiger would get the very best care and we would get her total cooperation on everything we need.” He stepped into the doctor, bumped him back with his bigger body and glared at the shorter man. “I need you to get the fuck out before I lose my temper. Tiger is my friend, not a thing, and the only animal you need to worry about is me. I’m feeling like going a little savage on your dumb ass right now.”
The doctor paled and stumbled back. Bestial growled, showed his sharp canines to the terrified doctor and Zandy watched the jerk flee the room. Trey shoved his phone back into his pocket and turned to stare at Jaded.
“That went well, don’t you think? Did he piss his pants?”
“No.”
“Too bad.” Trey’s gaze lowered to Zandy. “Are you okay?”
She nodded.
He turned to Bestial. “I’ll let you handle Justice on that incident report, who will hopefully tell Tim not to jump my ass. I’m going to have a heart-to-heart chat with the administrator before that asswipe calls her, crying about us being mean to him.” He chuckled. “I think we handled that well. No blood was spilled.” He walked out of the room.
Bestial sighed, staring at Zandy. “What did I miss?”
“He is anti-Species,” Jaded answered for her. “He insulted Tiger’s female for being with him.”
“Got it. I’ll call Homeland to let them know what happened.” He spun and left the room.
Jaded’s hands released her hips and she faced him. “Thank you.”
“You’re lucky the humans are honest about their hatred with you. That same doctor was on duty when Tiger was brought in. He helped treat him but never showed his distaste for our kind. He could have harmed Tiger or not done his best to make him well without us realizing it.”
“I can’t believe he said that shit.”
Jaded sighed loudly. “Get used to it, Zandy. You’re with one of us and it unfortunately comes with the territory. I’m sure you knew it wouldn’t be easy when you decided to be with Tiger.”
“I really haven’t thought much about it. Our circumstances are a bit odd.”
He took a seat. “Talk to me and tell me how you two met.”
“I’d rather skip that part.”
His gaze narrowed while he watched her.
“It’s kind of an embarrassing story I’d rather not share.”
“How long have you been seeing him?”
“Not long.” She walked over to Tiger and watched him rather than the man intent on getting information out of her.
“You’re in heat. I asked one of the human task team members to pick you up some supplies to hide your scent.”
That made her look at him and she blushed. “Sorry.” She wasn’t sure what else to say. It was still weird that they could smell her ovulating.
“It’s a pleasant scent.” He smiled. “That’s the problem and why I asked them
to get you a few items. Did Tiger tell you how to hide your scent? I could explain it to you if need be. I’m a council member and used to educating humans about Species habits.”
“No. Creek told me how to do that.”
“The male I asked to buy your supplies was upset by the request. You’re blushing and so did he. I’ll never understand why this causes that reaction in humans.”
“Well, you asked him to buy me panty liners.” She laughed. “My ex-husbands would never have done that for me.”
“You have been married?” He frowned.
“Twice. And divorced.”
“You don’t have a good history of loyalty to men. Tiger is my friend. Do you plan to leave him as well?”
Zandy tried not to take offense since he was New Species. “My first husband cheated on me with another woman. My second husband turned out to be a bum. He didn’t live on the streets, before you ask. He wouldn’t get a job and he just wanted me to feed him and pay for everything. I got sick of it pretty fast. He also slept with one of our neighbors. I was always loyal to them but it wasn’t returned. I just have shitty luck finding the right guy.”
His expression softened. “I understand. They betrayed your trust and weren’t mate-worthy.” His gaze darted to Tiger before meeting hers again. “Tiger is a male who has sworn to never take a mate.”
“I know. That about sums up my history with men. I’m always picking the ones who won’t be in my life for long.”
“I’ve watched you with him since yesterday. You have deep feelings for Tiger. Is he aware that you love him?”
She wasn’t about to deny it. “No. He’s been really clear that he’s not looking for something lasting and I can respect that. I wasn’t looking for a relationship either after being burned twice by love. Now, I wish I’d told him.”
“He’ll survive. He’s a tough male.”
“I hope so.” Hot tears filled her eyes and she blinked them back. “I’m going to go take that shower. You’re staying with him, right? I don’t want him left alone.”
“We have another room next door where Bestial and I are sleeping. It has a private bathroom. Go use it. Your bags were taken there. They are in the corner.”
“Thanks.” She checked on Tiger one last time before crossing the room. She had opened the door when Jaded spoke again.
“Zandy?”
She turned toward him. “Yes?”
“Please come here.”
Nervousness pitted her stomach. “Why?”
“Curiosity. I won’t harm you. I would like to see those bites again please.”
She could refuse but Jaded had stood up for her with Dr. Razner. She stopped before him and he stood. His hands were gentle as he lifted her hair out of the way and tugged her shirt to the side to expose the back of her shoulder.
“I can see two distinctive times you were bitten.” He paused. “They were done at different times. Did you ask him to do this to you?”
“No.”
“You’re a small female and we’re strong. Did he accidentally take you too rough and cause you to try to get away from him during sex?”
“No.”
“For someone who doesn’t want a mate, he’s extremely possessive of you.” He released her shirt and stepped away. “Has he bitten you anywhere else?”
She shook her head.
“We don’t usually bite females during sex unless we are in the middle of it and they try to move away. We will grip them with our teeth to hold them in place during highly passionate moments. It’s instinct to finish the sex with us after a certain point. The only other time a male has been known to bite a female is possessiveness. The urge to have all of them, including to know the taste of their blood on our tongues. To mark them for that reason is very rare. It’s a trait we’ve discovered in males who want to make the female their mate. Tiger has bitten you twice, one of those times deep enough to scar. It’s a lasting mark that will warn off other males who see it. They’ll know there’s a male willing to kill them if they mount you.”
“He said he just lost control. He didn’t mean to do it. You’re making too much out of this.”
“I’m educating you, Zandy. I don’t care what he said. Actions speak with Species. Those bites assure me that my friend isn’t easily going to allow you to leave his life. Think about this while he recovers. He might not have wanted a mate and you might not have wanted one either but you both are feeling strongly for each other.”
She nodded her understanding and hope flared to life that perhaps Tiger was falling in love with her too. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”
“Go.” Jaded took his seat. “Breakfast will be here soon.”
The other room was empty but four cots had been set up in there, all obviously used by Tiger’s security detail. Her bags were neatly stored in one of the corners and she walked into a towel-messy bathroom. Clean ones were folded but a pile of used, wet ones were on the floor. She closed and locked the door behind her.
The shower felt great after spending a rough night sleeping in a chair at Tiger’s side. Jaded’s words were stuck in her mind. The thought that Tiger wanted to mate her didn’t make her fearful. It wouldn’t be easy telling her family about him but she’d deal with them. They’d be leery of any man she fell for after two divorces.
It would change her life but he would be worth every single one. They’d have to live at the NSO. She loved the people there and wouldn’t miss her house. She wasn’t attached to it except for the mortgage payment. Tiger was one in a billion and worth taking risks for.
She dried off quickly, dressed and returned her bags to the corner of the room. Bestial had exchanged sitting duty with Jaded when she entered Tiger’s room. He was eating and met her gaze.
“You showered.”
“I did.” She approached Tiger’s bed. His coloring had improved and the scratches were healed. It amazed her how much better he looked in a twenty-four-hour period. “The drugs he’s on are amazing.”
“Mercile did a lot of bad things but they were an excellent pharmaceutical developer. They wanted the ability to heal us quickly after the abuse they made us suffer at their hands. Sick test subjects weren’t useful to them.”
That sobered her appreciation. She reached out to caress Tiger’s cheek. His nose twitched when her fingertips traced his jawline and his mouth tightened. Excitement made her heart race as she leaned in closer to him.
“Tiger? Can you hear me?” She didn’t look away but spoke to Bestial. “He moved.”
The chair squeaked and the New Species rounded the other side of the bed. “Talk to him,” he encouraged. “I’m right here in case he wakes violently. If he does, get back and I’ll handle him.”
“Tiger? Please open your eyes. It’s Zandy. I’m right here. Come back to me. Come on and open those beautiful blues for me.”
His hand moved and she grabbed it with her free one, squeezing it gently. His chin lifted a little as his head turned in her direction, seeming to seek her out.
“Wake up for me,” she urged. “Tiger?”
His eyelids parted and he stared at her, looking confused. His tongue darted out to lick his lips. “Zandy?”
“Yes!” Joy hit her hard. He was awake and knew who she was. She had to blink back happy tears that he had come out of his coma-like sleep. “I’m right here. You’re going to be fine.”
His expression changed, hardened. He tore his hand out of hers and a deep, mean snarl came from his parted lips. “Get away from me.” He turned his face away as if her touch burned him. “Go! I can’t have a mate. Stay away from me. You aren’t safe.”
Her horrified and hurt gaze lifted to Bestial’s. He appeared just as stunned as she was by Tiger’s reaction to her. He glanced down.
“Tiger, you’re in a hospital. Zandy is fine. You—”
“Get her out of here.” Tiger reached up and grabbed his friend by the shirt and snarled again. “Get her away from me. I won’t ever see her again. I won’t
take her for a mate. Never!”
“Tiger,” Bestial snarled.
His heart rate was so fast the alarm he was hooked to started beeping in warning. He turned his head and roared. “Humans are the enemy. They attack for no reason and there’s no safety. Get away from me!” he roared and tried to get out of bed.
“Stay down!” Bestial threw his body forward to hold his injured friend down. “Get help, Zandy.”
She stumbled back, horrified that Tiger blamed her for what had been done to him. He fought Bestial and turned his head to glare at her. Another roar tore from him and pure rage showed on his face. The door behind her burst open as Jaded and two human task team members rushed inside.
“Get Dr. Allison,” Bestial shouted. “Tell her we need to sedate him.”
“Get her away from me,” Tiger snarled. “She’s not safe. The enemy is everywhere. I will never take you for a mate. I never should have touched you. Get away from me!”
She spun and rushed for the other door. Seeing her made him fight harder. Her bags were still in the other room and she grabbed them. Her shoes were near Tiger’s bed but she wasn’t going to go back in his room to retrieve them. Another roar sounded as she stepped out into the main hallway barefoot. Nurses and doctors rushed toward Tiger’s room.
She ended up in the elevator alone, crying. Tiger and she were over. He regretted ever touching her. Those words still rang in her ears. It devastated her. So much for hoping he loved her and wanted something serious. He’d demanded his friend throw her out of the room.
She completely broke down in a fit of tears when she reached her car. Tiger would live but he wouldn’t be part of her life anymore. It tore her heart apart. She finally pulled herself together, paid for parking and began the long journey to her house. She might need her job at the NSO but she wasn’t ready to return to work until she had some time to harden her heart.
* * * * *
Bestial glared at Tiger. “Why did you say all that bullshit to Zandy?”
Tiger snarled. “Mind your own business.”
Bestial growled back. “You were very wrong to do that.”
The door opened and Dr. Allison Baker rushed in with her medical bag. “What is it? Is he having a violent reaction?”