Tiger

  “He’s having a something,” Jaded snarled. “Sedate him.”

  She shoved her bag at one of the human task team members who held it and she withdrew a syringe. Tiger wildly fought at her approach.

  “Get that human away from me. They aren’t safe.”

  “Knock it off,” Jaded hissed. “Give him the shot. He’s strong for someone so injured. Do it before he reopens his wounds.”

  The doctor jabbed Tiger in the hip and jumped back as he fought the two males holding him down. “It’s going to take a minute. I didn’t want to risk over-sedating him.”

  Tiger panted but his thrashing lessoned. “What happened to the others? We were in a helicopter crash.”

  Bestial answered. “You were hurt the worst. The others lived but one of the pilots suffered severe burns. He’s being treated in the burn unit.”

  “Tell me what two plus two is,” Allison demanded. “I need to know if you’ve suffered any brain damage.”

  Tiger growled. “Four. Did they catch whoever shot us down?”

  “Yes,” Jaded said, nodding. “There were six human males trespassing in the woods. We’ve changed the flight patterns to prevent them from trying to shoot at more of us. The helicopter was a total loss. We’re going to be down one for a few weeks. We’ve ordered another but the company said that is the quickest they can do the modifications we need.”

  Bestial growled. “Why the hell did you say all that to Zandy?”

  Tiger snarled. “Mind your own business.”

  Jaded gave him a disgusted look. “She sat with you and wouldn’t leave your side except to go to the bathroom. She threw a doctor out of this room because he called us animals. She held your hand.”

  “She bathed you,” Bestial added. “She talked to you while you slept until she was almost without a voice. I told her how dangerous you could be because we had to give you the healing drugs but she didn’t care. She said she knew you wouldn’t hurt her. She was wrong, wasn’t she, Tiger?”

  Tiger growled. “Zandy doesn’t belong with me.”

  Bestial drew back when Tiger ceased struggling, the sedative taking hold. “I want her if you don’t. I see what kind of mate she’d make. I’m not a fool but you seem to be one.”

  Jaded growled at Tiger. “I’ll definitely take her. You hit your head really hard to have no sense left.”

  Tiger tried to get up but both males moved, pushing him back down. Tiger snarled and tried to fight while they struggled to hold him down.

  “You need to stay put!” Jaded roared at him.

  Tiger snarled and snapped at Jaded, almost biting into his friend’s forearm. Jaded roared again at Tiger, barely escaping his snapping teeth.

  “Hold him down,” Bestial ordered the other New Species and human task team members. His gaze sought Dr. Allison. “When is the sedative going to knock him out?”

  “Any second. His heart rate is high and the adrenaline from his anger is fighting the effects of the drugs.”

  Bestial relaxed his hold on Tiger when the male turned limp and his eyes closed in sleep. “He is strong for someone so hurt.”

  Jaded softly growled. “We should have let him get up and hit the damn floor for what he did to Zandy.”

  Bestial sighed. “He hurt her deeply. I saw the pain he inflicted on her emotionally.”

  Jaded growled. “Asshole.”

  Bestial nodded.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Zandy parked her car in the driveway and just sat there. It had been a long, horrible twenty-four hours. She’d learned Tiger had been in an accident and now she’d lost him. He was alive. That was all that really mattered. Tears threatened to spill again but she pushed them back. Ice cream was definitely going on her list of what to do next.

  She unlocked the door and pushed it open, instantly shocked at the sight that greeted her. Her couch was ripped up and the stuffing from the cushions spread on the carpet. The table next to it lay on the floor in pieces with the lamp smashed. Something red had been smeared on the walls and her nose picked up the smell of paint and something offensive.

  “What the…”

  Someone had broken in and vandalized her house. She took a few steps backward, afraid whoever had done it might still be there. She spun to rush to a neighbor to call the police but gasped instead, jerking to a halt. A tall man blocked her door where he stood on the porch. He appeared to be in his late twenties. He frowned.

  “Hello, Satan’s whore.”

  His words sank in. She heard glass crunch under someone’s heel and jerked her head to stare at her living room again. Two more men in their twenties walked out of her kitchen area. They had paint smeared on their hands—at least she hoped that was the source of the red. It looked a lot like blood. Her gaze darted to the wall and she was sure the nasty words scrawled there were done in paint. Her head twisted back around.

  “I have fifty bucks in my wallet. Take it.” Her hands trembled as she held out her purse in one hand and her car keys in the other. “Take the car too. They are just things to me and not worth my life.” She took a shaky breath. “I never saw you or your friends. Take whatever you want but please don’t hurt me. I swear to God that I won’t even call the cops.”

  The one she confronted snorted loudly. “What would you know about God? We’re not here to steal your possessions. We’re here for you.”

  Fear tensed her entire body. “Why?”

  “You work at Reservation and help the demons who walk this earth.”

  Confusion was her next emotion. “What?”

  He stepped forward and closed the door behind him, trapping her inside her destroyed living room with him and his two friends. “We thought you might be Jessie North but our Brother told us your real name and address. That’s how we found you. He gave us your information before those demons killed him.”

  “He can’t be dead,” one of the men behind her whispered. “Don’t say that, Brother Adam.”

  She darted a glance at the speaker, the youngest of the bunch. He had a severe acne problem and she pegged him to be in his early twenties. Tears filled his eyes as he stared at the man in front of her. She looked at Brother Adam since he seemed to be in charge.

  “He never got out of that den of evil. They either killed him or his soul has been compromised. They spread their evil into others. I’m sorry about your cousin, Brother Bruno. He gave his life to hand us this sinner.” The jerk in front of her stared down at her. “We’ll make his sacrifice count.”

  Zandy knew she was in deep shit. Her terror level notched higher.

  Brother Adam smiled—a cold, scary sight that didn’t reach his dark glare, which was directed at her. “She’s going to set an example to all God-fearing women to stay away from those demons.”

  The third man chuckled behind her. “I think she’ll look good nailed to a cross and set on fire at the gates of that hellish place. It will be shown worldwide to all the potential sinners and dissuade them from stepping away from the righteous path. We’ll call all the media outlets to be there to witness the first strike at evil.”

  She’d heard enough. The three men were nuts and no amount of reasoning would make them sane. Her gaze darted around the room before she addressed the one in front of her. Hate mail had come in from enough religious fanatics that she could guess these were a few of them.

  “Are you with the Woods Church? Your leader has sent in a lot of mail to the NSO. I read it.” She darted her gaze around the room, hunting for an escape route. “We could discuss the grievances he has with New Species.”

  “That hack?” Brother Adam snorted. “He doesn’t speak for God. We do.”

  She lunged toward the kitchen to reach the back door. A scream tore from her throat in hope that one of her neighbors would hear it and call 9-1-1. Her quick movement surprised the men but there weren’t just three of them. She slammed into a fourth one when he jumped around the corner into her path.

  “Got you!”

  She collided with h
im hard enough to bounce off his body and her ass hit the floor hard. Zandy screamed again and rolled away. Pain shot up her arm when her palm came down on broken glass from the lamp. A hand fisted in her hair and dragged her to her feet. Agony made her gasp.

  The one holding her hair used it to control her as she was flung forward and crashed into the wall. Her cheek hurt from the force of hitting the plaster. Hands grabbed her from behind to yank her arms behind her back. The hand in her hair pulled and she screamed again as her attacker rammed her face into the wall.

  “Let’s get out of here. Someone could have heard her.”

  “Get the van,” Brother Adam demanded. He was the one gripping her hair.

  A hand wrapped around her throat and squeezed. Zandy fought but a body leaned in and pinned her painfully between it and the wall. He had her hair in one fist and her neck in the other. She couldn’t breathe, her face got really hot and pure panic surged when it dawned that she was suffocating.

  She tried to claw at the hand on her throat but more hands grabbed her and pinned her arms to the wall. She kicked and struggled but couldn’t get away. Spots appeared before her eyes before blackness swept reality away.

  * * * * *

  Tiger awoke to stare at a white ceiling with thousands of tiny holes high above where he lay. The smells hit him next. Humans, antiseptic and air-conditioning. He wrinkled his nose at the hospital smell he recognized as he struggled to remember how he’d gotten there.

  Memory returned quickly of the terror he’d experienced when the helicopter had been struck by ground fire and gone down. The crash had been painful but he’d obviously survived. He turned his head to stare at the male seated in the corner.

  “How are you feeling now?” Bestial growled. “Feel like less of a bastard?”

  Tiger was shocked by his friend’s words. “It wasn’t my fault the helicopter crashed. Did everyone make it?”

  Bestial nodded grimly. “One of the human pilots was touch and go but they said he’ll live. He is in the burn unit. You were given the Mercile drugs. You suffered broken bones and a head injury. You will be in some pain for another day but you should be fine by tomorrow night at the rate you’re healing.”

  Tiger relaxed. “I need a phone please. I have a call to make.”

  Bestial growled. “No.”

  Tiger felt stunned. “No?”

  “No. I wouldn’t do anything for you at this moment. I wouldn’t even be here anymore if Justice hadn’t unfortunately ordered Jaded and me to protect you.”

  Tiger looked confused. “Why are you so angry with me? What is your problem?”

  “Don’t pretend you don’t understand my issue. I meant what I said. I’m going to pursue the female and mate her myself. You’re a fool, Tiger. A dumb fool.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Her who?”

  Bestial snorted. “She sat at your bedside and tended to you. She slept curled in a chair at your bedside just to hold your hand while you were unconscious.”

  “Who? How long was I out?” Tiger felt shock. “How injured am I?”

  “Were. I told you the drugs are working. Your bones were broken but they are mending fast. Your arm and leg are fine but they haven’t had time to remove the casts yet. Your head suffered a severe enough injury that the doctors suspected you might not wake. They say you are fine now but I disagree. I think you have major brain damage. You lost your common sense.”

  “What is your problem? Why are you so angry with me?”

  “She pushed her chair next to you to keep touching you while you slept. I watched her bathe and tend to you. She almost lost her voice whispering to you to get better and wake for her. She wouldn’t go to another room to sleep on a bed. Hell no. Instead she sat there worried about you.”

  “Who did?”

  Bestial frowned. “You know who.”

  Tiger shook his head, puzzled. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

  Bestial softly cursed. “You don’t remember Zandy being here?”

  Tiger tried to sit up but gasped in pain from his ribs. His gaze darted around the room frantically. “Where is Zandy?” He inhaled but the hospital odors messed with his sense of smell. Her scent didn’t linger. He stared at his friend.

  The big male slowly stood and approached his bed. “You made her leave. You said harsh words until she cried and fled.”

  Tiger’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?” Rage hit him hard. “I wouldn’t do that. Where is Zandy?”

  A snarl came from Bestial as he gripped the bed railings. “You honestly don’t remember your verbal attack on her before you demanded she leave?”

  “No.” Tiger struggled to sit again. “I wouldn’t have done that.”

  “You did.” Bestial pushed him flat. “Stop struggling. You need to stay down!”

  Tiger glared at his friend. “Where is Zandy? I have no memory of seeing her. She was the last thing I thought about before the crash. She is in danger being with me and I need to protect her from humans harming her.”

  “She arrived here yesterday morning after hearing about the helicopter crash and demanded to see you. She even showed us your bite marks to prove she was with you because it was difficult to believe you were involved with a human female. You woke and verbally attacked her.”

  “I wouldn’t do that.” Tiger had a sinking feeling he had though since Bestial wouldn’t lie to him. “What exactly did I say?”

  The door opened and Jaded walked in. “He’s awake again? Do we need to sedate him again?”

  “He claims no memory of waking before or seeing Zandy.”

  “Shit.” Jaded paused by his bed, frowning. “Honestly?”

  Tiger stared at his other friend and felt his heart squeeze in his chest. “What did I say to her?”

  “You yelled at her that you didn’t want a mate and you’d never take one. You ordered her thrown out of your room.” Jaded paused. “You said she was your enemy.”

  Tiger stared wide-eyed at them both. “Tell me this is payback for some of the pranks I’ve pulled on you both. I didn’t really do that.”

  Bestial’s gaze softened. “You did. She cried and took off out of here fast. She was in pain and shock. You hurt her deeply. She didn’t deserve that, Tiger. She loves you. She sat here tending to you and not leaving your side. She left Reservation as soon as she heard what happened and drove her own car here. Smiley tried to talk her in to waiting for an escort but was told it would be hours before they could free up males to escort her. She refused to wait and had to get permission to be allowed to see you. She loves you and anyone could see that from the way she looked at you. You were a total ass and she is a good female, Tiger. You are a stupid bastard not to have taken that one to mate.”

  “I don’t remember. I…” He was in shock. “I wouldn’t say any of that to her.”

  “You did.” Bestial softly cursed. “You really don’t remember?”

  “No. I wouldn’t do that, damn it. I wouldn’t drive Zandy away. That’s why I want a phone. I need to call her.”

  “You did it,” Jaded confirmed. “You made her flee in tears and in pain. It must have been the drugs. We didn’t know. We just thought you were being an asshole since you’ve always been so vocal against Species mating humans.”

  “How long ago did she leave?” Tiger felt his chest squeeze in pain.

  “Five hours. She’s had time to get back to Reservation.” Bestial withdrew his cell phone. “I will get her on the phone for you and tell her it was the drugs talking and not you.”

  Tiger nodded. “Please.”

  Bestial dialed and asked to talk to Security after identifying himself. “Direct my call to Zandy Gordon’s escort.”

  He listened. “You are sure?” He paused. “Fine. I want to be called immediately when she gets there.” He hung up and grimly gazed at Tiger. “She never arrived back at Reservation.”

  “How far are we from there?”

  “Almost three hou
rs by vehicle.”

  “She must have gone home.” Tiger softly cursed. “Give me your cell. I’ll call hers.”

  Tiger dialed the number he’d memorized but it just rang until it went to voicemail. “Zandy? It’s Tiger. I just woke up and don’t remember what happened before. I didn’t mean anything I said. I was out of my head. Please call me, little one. This is Bestial’s number you see on your phone so call it back.” He hung up.

  Bestial eyed him. “Little one?”

  Tiger frowned.

  Jaded chuckled. “You have it bad, don’t you?”

  Tiger hesitated. “She’s all I think about, so yes, I have it bad.”

  Bestial sat back down. “The feeling is mutual. She loves you very much and is completely dedicated to you. It was very obvious. She was terrified you wouldn’t make it and she tended to you as if she was your mate. It was very impressive.”

  Tiger relaxed. “She is very impressive.”

  Bestial suddenly laughed. “She might not forgive you. She would make a wonderful mate.”

  “Try to go after her and die,” Tiger growled. “She’s mine.”

  “But you haven’t mated her,” Jaded pointed out, grinning.

  “I am confused,” Tiger admitted. “I never wanted a mate but I hadn’t met her. She has been hurt by males and I’ve been trying to take things slow.”

  Jaded shook his head. “It isn’t our way. We take what we want.”

  Bestial snorted. “Tiger spends too much time around the task force listening to those males. The human condition must be rubbing off on him.”

  “Bite me,” Tiger growled.

  “You nearly bit Jaded,” Bestial informed him. “I think that’s enough near-blood draws for the day.”

  Tiger glanced at both males and saw honesty in their faces. He couldn’t remember snapping at one of them with his teeth. “I have to explain to Zandy that I didn’t mean the words that were said.”

  “He has it bad.” Jaded leaned against the wall and grinned. “Tiger is going to take a mate.”

  “Perhaps not. She might prefer me,” Bestial boasted with a chuckle.