“He’d be awake at least. Alive.”

“No.”

“I think I’ll run this by Tiger or Justice.”

“Don’t. It is a bad idea. You don’t understand Species if this is something you truly wish to consider. He could wake feral too and become violent with one of our females. Nothing is worth taking that risk.”

“He’s chained down. I still think that’s unnecessary.” She glanced at the restraints attached to her patient’s wrists and ankles. “He hasn’t stirred since he was flown in.”

“He may wake on his own.”

“He may lie there until his body gives out. He’s lost weight. The only reason he’s survived this long is because of his hybrid genetics.”

Destiny’s broad shoulders shrugged. “He will either wake or he won’t. We tend to him, do our best, and have given him a chance at survival. It’s all any of us could ask for. No female will put her life at risk to wake this one. He isn’t familiar from the facilities any of them came from and we know nothing about him.”

“He’s New Species.”

“That is evident from his features and his blood tests but no one knows him. He never touched any of the females and they won’t feel compelled to risk being mated or stalked by him if he were to want them enough to come out of his deep sleep.”

“It would be worth it if it brought him around.

We’ll just explain why we did it and it’s not as though he’ll know her personally to feel emotions. He’ll just be used to her scent.”

“No. You don’t understand.”

“So explain it to me.”

Destiny suddenly moved and it scared her when he invaded her personal space. He halted inches away from her. His gaze narrowed. “I smell you every day I work with you. I have adjusted to your scent but I tend to miss it when I leave.” His gaze left hers to slowly wander down her body. “I know it means nothing, that our close contact is unavoidable if I’m to learn nursing, but that doesn’t stop my body from reacting to you.

I’m hard, Alli. Do you want to talk about erections?”

Her jaw dropped and she backed up fast enough to slam against the door. She didn’t overlook the fact that he’d called her by her shortened name either. Destiny didn’t move but his lips parted enough to flash his sharp canines—a benefit from the animal DNA.

“I know you aren’t interested and I would never cross that line. I’ve never scented arousal on you but I am very aware of your every movement. I think often of stripping you bare to show you how I could be your male.” He took a step back. “I am logical, calm, and have been free for a long time.” He glanced at their patient before his gaze held hers. “I wouldn’t have shown any restraint when I was first released if I had these desires. You’d be flat on your back under me and your clothes gone from between us. I’d make you want me as much as I do you.” He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I don’t mean to frighten you but you must understand that is the nature of Species. Never forget that, regardless of how civil we seem. Any female you used to bait him to struggle to survive would be at his mercy.

He has no restraint, no calm, and she would find herself with one aggressive male who would demand nothing less than what he wanted from her.

He isn’t safe.”

Allison swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “I’m sorry. I don’t feel that way about you.”

“I’m aware.” His gaze cooled. “Don’t feel guilty. I am not in love with you but I easily could be. Your detachment has reminded me daily that the desire isn’t mutual. I am rational, in control of my body and thoughts. You needed to be told the truth to stop you from making a mistake that would endanger one of our females.”

“Okay.”

He turned. “I will bathe him now. Please close the door, Doc Allison.”

She fled quickly. She’d had no idea the nurse was attracted to her. She leaned against the wall down the hallway near the elevator. 880 would die if something wasn’t done.

She’d grown to know his features so well and they haunted her. He’d suffered greatly for the scars he carried on his face, neck, and upper body. At some point he’d been whipped. Whoever had done it to him had been vicious. The fact that no one from the facilities had ever seen him or picked up his scent off any of the technicians stumped her.

Mercile employees had stolen him when they’d fled the facility. He had to have been there somewhere, perhaps on some floor where others weren’t kept. He’d obviously never had any breeding tests done with any of the females since none of them knew him.

Who are you? What did they do to you? And how did you end up mated to a New Species female? She chewed her bottom lip, realized she was once again doing it and stopped. It was a bad habit of hers.

Whoever that Species woman had been, 880 was willing to give up his life over her loss. That had to mean he must have loved her deeply. A cold-blooded soul wouldn’t grieve. She believed with all her heart he was worth saving.

“Feral, my ass.” She pushed away from the wall while waiting for the elevator to take her one floor higher. She closed her office door and collapsed into her seat when she got there.

She finally admitted she was obsessed with the New Species male. Drawn to him. 880 needed to be saved and she wasn’t about to let him die.

She was more than willing to do it for him if he couldn’t fight to return to life on his own.

She reached for her phone and dialed the NSO main offices to ask to speak to Tiger. She hoped the kindhearted male would agree to her plan. He patiently listened as she explained her idea but quickly shot it down.

“It’s too dangerous. We can’t find any Species who knows his scent or his face.” He paused.

“We’ve interviewed some of the Mercile employees who have been captured and they said that a handful of our kind were assigned to special projects. We have no idea what was done to them but I assume it had to be pretty bad. We’re guessing, and that’s all we are, that they wanted to see the long-term effects of putting a couple together. They wanted us to breed for them and a few of the doctors theorized a long-term relationship might get those results. There is also the possibility that he was severely tortured. Mercile tested pain medications, according to some of the records we were able to recover. That would mean he could have suffered years of agony if they experimented on him.”

“We can’t just allow him to die. He’ll lie there until his body wastes away if we continue our current methods of treating him. It’s not enough just to feed him and keep him clean.”

“I understand but we’ve done all we can. We have faith in you and the other doctors that you’re all doing your best. Since there are no medical reasons for the coma, he has probably just emotionally shut down.”

“I think this could work if that’s the case. He’ll form a bond with someone and it might draw him out of his coma.”

“It’s too dangerous. We won’t risk any of our females on an unknown male. I know that sounds harsh but the bottom line is protecting the ones who survived.”

“He’s not dead.” He would be if something wasn’t done soon but she kept that to herself.

She’d sent reports to Justice and his people every few days. They knew how grim the outlook was for 880. “What if I volunteer? I’ll spend a lot of time with him and allow him to get to know my scent. That won’t put your women at risk.”

“No.”

“Why not? It’s my ass on the line and I’m willing to do it. It won’t interfere with my duties. I’ll set up a cot inside his room and kind of move in there when I’m not working. I’ll read to him and get him used to my voice too.”

“You’re human. He will probably kill you on sight if he wakes. We won’t allow you to put yourself in that kind of danger. You work for us, Allison. We care what happens to you just as much as if you were one of our own.”

“He’s going to die!” Her temper snapped. “I can’t just do nothing, damn it. That’s what you’re asking me to do. He’s hitting a point where there’s going to be no return. Even with PT, his muscles are starting to atrophy, he’s lost weight, and it’s only a matter of time before his internal organs begin to fail. You hired me to be a doctor and treat New Species. Don’t tell me to sit on my ass and just watch this go down.”