“Nobody wants it to come to that.” Breeze glanced down at him again. “I asked Trisha to dose you. I knew you’d be very angry and
male
when we had this discussion. In other words, irrational and violent.” She glanced at Moon. “This is kind of cool. I wish I could have all of you restrained when I have to break bad news.” Her gaze dropped to him. “You’re so docile it’s cute. I’m almost tempted to see how it feels to pinch your cheeks the way mothers do to their young on television.”
“Breeze,” Moon growled. “Don’t screw around. What are we going to do?”
Her expression clouded with severity. “Sorry. Rare moment I had but I’m over it.” She took a deep breath. “I’m going to talk and you are going to listen. I’d ask if that is all right but you don’t have a choice.”
He was going to growl at her when the drugs wore off. He’d enjoy frightening the female to gain retaliation.
“Once upon a time in a land right here,” Breeze whispered.
“Damn it, Breeze!” Moon grabbed her, yanking her away. “That’s not funny!”
“I wasn’t trying to be. We all heard fairy tales when we were children. I think he could relate to why we have worst-case scenarios of newly freed males if he understood what happened to cause it. He needs to hear the story.”
“I’ll do it.” Moon bent, staring into his eyes. “Here’s the condensed version. Some of us were really screwed up in the head by Mercile and a few of them plotted together to kill Justice because they didn’t agree with him choosing a human mate. You can relate to that because of how you want Dr. Allison.” He sat on the edge of the bed, using his arms to brace on both sides of him. “They almost murdered him and his mate. They died trying and it made us realize that not all of us are right in the head. We’d do anything to protect our mates and our friends. That includes killing the ones who are a danger to them. You would kill to protect Dr. Allison.”
“Your version is too blunt,” Breeze muttered.
Moon shot her a disgusted glance. “Be quiet. That’s how males relate to each other. He understands me fine.” He snapped his head back to hold Obsidian’s gaze. “You beat on Jericho, threatened Justice and Fury, and now almost killed Destiny when you should have just beat on him until he couldn’t get up or hit you back. You’re considered dangerous and that’s a real bad thing. We can’t have someone walking around who might kill other Species.”
“Now it’s my turn,” Breeze pushed Moon. “Move.”
The male hesitantly stood, stepping away from the bed. “Be blunt.”
“Fine.” She bent, her hair falling to create a curtain around his face. “They sent Allison away to be a doctor. She is fine but on her way to somewhere far from here where you can’t see her.”
Rage boiled and he struggled frantically, mentally screamed his frustration. His body didn’t respond to the command to get up and find her. Instincts hammered him to hunt for her.
Hands gripped his face firmly, making him aware of the Species female.
“Your eyes are rolling back into your head. Look at me and focus.”
He wanted to hit her but his hands wouldn’t curl into fists. She stood in his way—everyone did—to reach Alli.
“You can’t get her back unless you learn to join our society.”
No one would be able to keep him apart from Alli. He’d leave Homeland if they’d taken her away. It didn’t matter how long or how far he had to go but he would find her.
“I can imagine what you’re thinking and plotting. I would be doing the same. They will have to kill you before they allow you to escape Homeland. You’re dangerous and the humans would panic having a wild Species on the loose in the out world. They have weapons you’ve never seen before and your strength wouldn’t matter. You wouldn’t survive a day. You want her back? You can get her returned to you but you must control your temper.” She smoothed the hair from his forehead. “You can either die or you can learn what you need to survive here. We’ll get Allison back to you if you show them you aren’t dangerous.”
Moon suddenly walked around the bed, flipped Breeze’s hair back and bent his face close in able to be in his line of vision. “We are on your side and we’re going to help you. You need to leash down your urges. Think back to the times you wanted to kill a technician but resisted because it would cause your mate harm.”
Obsidian more than remembered—he’d done it countless times.
“It’s going to kind of be like that. Seem cool and controlled, reasonable when you aren’t, and we will be able to have her returned to you.”
“We aren’t your enemy. That’s something you need to learn. You made everyone afraid and now you need to show them you aren’t so damaged that you can’t fit in with your own people. We’re family, Obsidian. I know you’re enraged but the only way you’re going to get Alli back is by fitting in. It’s not fair, it wasn’t our decision, but that’s the truth.”
“It is,” Moon agreed. “Think about it. Learn control while the drugs work their way out of your system. How you get out of that bed is going to determine if you live or die.”
Breeze nodded. “We want you to have Alli. She is depending on you to do this so they will return her. She didn’t want to leave you but they made her. She’s terrified you will die. You should have seen her tears. I promised her that we’d do anything to help you survive. Don’t let her down.”
That statement made him close his eyes.
Is she being hurt? Who has her? Where is she? Is she afraid?
He hated the helplessness he felt.
A masculine hand gripped his shoulder and he snapped his eyes open and stared at Moon. “Are you worried about her? She’s safe. No one would dare harm her. She just isn’t here anymore. No one is keeping her prisoner or abusing her. She’ll be given housing similar to what she has now. Relax. Prove you’re not deadly and no one will feel the need to protect her from you.”
He’d never harm his Alli.
“We’ll get her back,” Breeze swore softly. “She’s my friend and you’re going to be one too. You may be stubborn but so am I.”
His eyes closed again. He needed to think.
Chapter Nineteen
Three months later
“He looks really good.” Alli hugged her waist, overcome with so many emotions she wasn’t sure which one was the strongest. Obsidian played soccer with over a dozen males on the side yard next to the men’s dorm. His hair was down, the silky strands blew in the wind, and her fingers flexed from the desire to touch him.
He’d filled out more, judging by his arms and chest, which were displayed in the red tank top that also accented his tanner skin. He ran across the grass barefoot, kicked the ball and it made it past the goalie. He turned—she was sure he smiled and high-fived another male wearing the same-colored shirt.
“He’s healthier and stronger,” Breeze agreed. “He’s not as lean as when you last saw him. I told you all this when you arrived. Do you believe me now? Why are we hiding inside Smiley’s room spying on your male?”
That was the problem.
Is he still mine?
Fear wrapped its icy tentacles around her heart. She’d been a mess since she’d received the call three hours before from Homeland. They’d offered her the option to visit Obsidian. It had been a dream come true but at the same time, worry had nearly given her an ulcer.
Sixteen weeks and three days had passed since she’d been escorted by a few members of the NSO task force to one of their vans. Fuller Prison was less than an hour’s drive from Homeland. The new boss had been an asshole with a Napoleon complex—she’d barely tolerated him. The entire facility had been contained by high walls similar to Homeland but it was a lot smaller. The job sucked but she’d endured treating the prisoners, hoping to get “the call” saying she could see Obsidian.
“Allison?”
She refused to look away from the man she loved as he ran the length of the yard. “Yeah?”
“Are you well? Was it bad at Fuller?”
“I thought about him every day. It helped battle the loneliness.”
“You didn’t make new friends?” Breeze’s voice drew closer.
“No.” She pushed back unpleasant memories of the time she’d spent away. “It was a coin toss whether the prisoners or the guards were more offensive.”
“Did they offer to share sex with you?”
Too many times to count.
The question did make her curious enough to turn her head and stare at her friend. “I was the only woman working there. What do you think?”
Breeze sniffed loudly. “I don’t smell a male on you. Is that it? Did you form a bond with someone else?”
“Hell no.” She took a calming breath, the sharp retort revealing too much of her anger. “Sorry. Let’s just say it isn’t the best job in the world. I’d be a billionaire if I got a dollar for every time one of them hit on me.” She gazed back out the window of the third-floor apartment to locate Obsidian. “Has he missed me?” Hope flared while she watched him kick the ball.
“He doesn’t speak of you at all.”
Ouch.
The jab to her heart felt as though a knife had been shoved into it.
“He did at first, maybe two weeks. After that he stopped.”
“Oh.”
“I think it made him too angry.”
Alli glanced back. “At me?”
“At you being gone. He knows you didn’t abandon him. I left no doubt in his mind that you had no choice. Moon and I were very blunt with him.” She lowered her voice. “Although I wanted to break it to him more gently.”
“What does that mean?”
Breeze moved close enough to peer outside. “Moon and I had different ideas of the best way to handle Obsidian. It worked out well though. He’s made friends and has a job.”
“Really?” That was good news.
“Lots of friends. Moon taught him how to drive and guessed right when he believed he’d take well to delivering things around Homeland.”
She wanted to ask about women but couldn’t stand to hear the answer. It might very well shatter her heart if Breeze named off the ones Obsidian had slept with. She turned, spotting him again. It wasn’t hard to do since her eye was naturally drawn to his tall frame. It was torture being so close yet so far away from him.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“About what?”
“If he bonded with another female.”
The knife in her heart turned into a javelin. She said nothing, didn’t even look back, unable to face that possibility yet. In her mind, she liked to imagine he pined for her as much as she did for him. The bad thing about daydreams was reality had to come crashing in at some point.
“Allison?”
“Don’t,” she whispered. “I don’t want to know.”
I couldn’t take it.
“You no longer care about Obsidian? I am surprised.”
Her head whipped around, gaping at Breeze. “I still love him. Not a day has gone by when I didn’t worry that he’d meet someone else and forget all about me. I just…” emotion choked her.
A smile played at the Species’ lips. “There were none. He refused all offers to share sex.”
Knees weakened in relief. “Really?”
A sharp nod. “He said he was done with females.”
That respite was short-lived. “What does that mean?”
“His mate rejected him and he was separated from you. He said he didn’t want another female to matter to him.”
She gazed back out the window, silently suffering. “Were there a lot of women who hit on him?” It was pathetic to ask but she couldn’t resist.
“Many. He’s attractive and mysterious to our kind since he’s different. They are accustomed to being pursued by males and he isn’t into the chase.”
Had Breeze hit on him? She bit that question back, smothering it in a blanket of jealousy. It was stupid to feel that way since he wasn’t hers. Regret was a bitter pill to swallow. She should have signed those mate papers. It would have given her access to him sooner, possibly even prevented her from being sent away in the first place.
“He is also exceedingly polite and courteous. Many of our females are charmed by him when he drops off packages and supplies to them during his work shifts. Some believe he is too shy to touch them while others think he might be too embarrassed to reveal his bare skin if he has scars.”
That had Alli not only stunned but gaping at Breeze. It had to be a joke but there wasn’t a hint of a smile or humor when she studied her closely. There were a lot of ways Alli could describe Obsidian but none of those fit the man she’d known. He was aggressive, a bully, opinionated, blunt, and sometimes downright crude. He also didn’t have a modest bone in his body when it came to stripping out of his clothes or taking them off a woman.
“Obsidian?” Maybe Breeze had started to talk about someone else and she’d been too distracted to notice.
“Yes. He is very sweet and docile now. He’s really taken to Species life. You should be very proud of him.”
She turned to the window again, not wanting Breeze to see her pain. It seemed her leaving might have been the best thing to happen to him. His personality had undergone a drastic change and he’d thrived in her absence. Guilt nagged at her when she identified her disappointment. It wasn’t right but she’d hoped he’d been like a bear with a thorn stuck in his paw and only she’d be able to make it all better for him when she returned. Reality bit her hard in the ass.
Obsidian laughed at something someone said, smiling so big she could see the white of his teeth from three floors above. He seemed really happy and carefree as he played and interacted with his new friends. He had found a home finally and she wasn’t a part of it.
Breeze touched her shoulder. “They will be finished soon and scatter when the game ends. We need to hurry to make sure we don’t have to track him down to another location. He will be surprised to see you.”
“No one told him I was coming?” She figured they would have but she’d obviously been wrong.
“We thought it would better if he just saw you.”
Warily she faced Breeze, carefully studying her. The only reason to avoid telling him of her visit was if they expected him to take the news in a negative light. She’d asked to see him from afar just so she didn’t act like an idiot by gawking at him or throw herself into his arms. Instead the time watching him hadn’t given her a moment of composure first. It had just shown her how he didn’t need her anymore.
The other woman avoided eye contact, her smile seeming a little forced. “Let’s go.”
Alli didn’t budge. “What is going on? Why wasn’t he told I was invited to visit him?”
Breeze glanced at the floor, the wall, even at the ceiling before finally meeting her gaze. “We weren’t sure how he would respond. He has refused to speak of you at all. Every time Moon or I, anyone for that matter, says your name, he just walks away. No discussion, no explanation. He just avoids us for a day.”
That was really disheartening and telling at the same time. “Take me back to the gates. The task force is waiting there to drive me back to Fuller.”
Dark-brown eyes narrowed. “We’re going to surprise him downstairs.”
“I’m leaving.” Alli inched around Breeze, heading for the door.
The woman gripped her shoulder, holding her fast. “Not so fast.”
Frustration, fear of the unknown and possible heartache battled. “You didn’t tell him I was coming and you said he gets angry just hearing my name. It’s obvious that he won’t want to see me. I’m not going to do that to myself.”
“Do what?”
“Watch him reject me,” she admitted. “It would tear me apart.”
“Leaving without talking to him would do the same. You won’t know how he reacts until you face him. Both of you were once bonded. The attraction could still be very alive.”
It was on her part but Obsidian might have grown to resent her. All the fears she’d had of him using her for a crutch to get past the pain of losing his mate and waking in a new world brought her insecurities to the front again.
“You’ll regret leaving if you don’t at least say hello. What could it hurt?”
“It would destroy me from the inside out if he looks at me any different than he used to,” she whispered, admitting her deepest fear. “I still love him. I never stopped.”
Breeze sighed softy. “You won’t know until you face him. Love is so complicated. I’m glad I don’t suffer from it and hope I never do. It’s amazing how smart, strong people turn into frail, frightened idiots once their hearts are involved.” The hand dropped away. “Let’s go and get this over with. At best, you’ll be dealing with a male who is starved of sex and he’ll make up for lost time between you two. At worst, he’ll state that your coming for this visit was a mistake. You’ll have your answer either way.”
“I’m terrified.”
“He won’t harm you physically. I can guarantee that.”
“That’s not what I’m afraid of.”
“I know. I was trying to use humor during a stressful moment. Big fail on my part. Let’s go. You’re still stalling.”
“Shouldn’t you warn him first or something? Give him a minute at least to let it sink in that I’m here before he’s confronted?”
Breeze latched on to her hand, tugging. “Good try but no dice. Now is a good time.”
Alli stumbled a few times, her legs leaden with dread. Her world might be about to come crashing down on her head. There would be no mental barriers she could erect that would protect her if the time they had spent together were moments he regretted.
The game was still in full swing when they left the side door of the dorm. Some males were sitting on the grass in the shade of the building. Alli could feel their stares turning her way but she only had eyes for Obsidian. He was bent slightly, watching the ball about to be tossed in from the sideline where it had gone out, but frowned when the one holding it paused.
The other players began to turn in her direction, watching her approach with Breeze. They were either fascinated by two women at the game or they knew who Dr. Allison Baker was. Obsidian finally realized there was a stir and glanced their way.
He spotted Breeze first and smiled openly, welcoming her presence. His gaze shifted to Alli. She stopped walking, unable to move when his expression hardened, became closed and his dark eyes narrowed.
“Allison has come to speak to you,” Breeze stated loudly. “Doesn’t she look wonderful, Obsidian?”
Someone growled and Alli was pretty certain the unhappy sound had come from the man she loved. It hurt when he turned his head away to say something to one of the males closest to him. She wished the ground would open under her, just take her somewhere dark, where she could fall apart privately away from the prying eyes of everyone within sight. He obviously wasn’t happy to see her as he continued to ignore her.
Her heel caught on the grass when she stepped back to make a hasty retreat. Breeze saved her from an embarrassing fall by gripping her arm. The Species hissed. “He’s being an ass.”
“Thank you.” She gently wiggled out of her hold. “I’m leaving.”
“Don’t. Give him time.”
Alli spun, carefully watching her step as she fled. It was difficult to keep it to a fast walk when she really wanted to run. The man she’d known never would have shunned her but he had. It seemed more than his appearance had changed. Grief threatened to spill out loudly, along with the tears she fought to contain.