“Yes.”

“Mystery solved. Just tell her you’re sorry, give her a puppy-dog look and tell her you will try harder not to do that. Females are pretty forgiving if they care about you.”

“Puppy look?”

Moon’s eyes widened and his lower lip jutted out a little while he lowered his head slightly. He blinked a few times, a sad emotion easily visible.

“Like this.”

A laugh surprised Obsidian when it broke from his lips. The male’s expression was humorous. “I refuse.”

The male grinned. “I know it looks ridiculous but yeah, it totally works. It gets me out of hot water all the time.”

“Why would you go into hot water?”

“It’s a saying that means trouble. You really were kept secluded and your interaction with the technicians was limited if you don’t know that one. What did they do to you?”

“Tests. I was given pills and injections. Mostly they wanted 46 and me to breed.”

All humor disappeared from Moon’s features.

“Did it work? Did she conceive?”

“No.”

The male sighed loudly. “Good. The thought of them getting a child from one of us is our worst fear. They probably wanted to segregate you and your mate from the rest of our population to see if that would get the results they wanted. One of the Mercile employees said there were rumors that some of the scientists believed a mated pair in love would be able to conceive.”

“In love?”

“You know, fiercely emotionally tied to each other.”

Obsidian looked away, feelings of guilt and sadness filling him.

“What is it?” Moon stepped closer.

He finally looked at the male. “We were not in love. 46 rejected a bond between us.”

Moon cursed softly. “Shit. She was forced?”

Obsidian straightened, his spine stiffening. “I never harmed her or mounted her without consent.”

“I didn’t mean it that way. We assumed you two wanted to be mated.”

“She was brought to my room and left there.

She had known another male and pleaded to be taken to him.”

Moon slumped back against the wall, one hand lifting to run fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry.

That must have been hell for both of you.”

“It was difficult.” He relaxed slightly. “She only agreed to my touch during her need. Life was harsh but I tried to make her happy. She wasn’t.” His chest hurt when he breathed. “We existed together in that room but sometimes…”

He couldn’t say it.

“What?” Moon stared at him with compassion.

“I’m your friend. Tell me.”

“She would purposely provoke the technicians, hoping they’d harm her. I would stop her but she’d fight with me. I had to restrain her until she calmed. I think she wanted to die but I didn’t want to be left alone. She accused me of being selfish and said she hated me.”

“Fuck,” Moon rasped, closing the distance between them.

Obsidian braced for the male to attack but instead hands just gripped his shoulders while they stared at each other.

“I’m so damn sorry. Of course you had to stop her. I would have done the same. Technicians never needed much of an excuse to kill or hurt us.”

The things he’d told the other male threatened to overwhelm him as guilt, sorrow and regret flashed through his system. The words had burst out before he could prevent them, the relief at being able to confess things too strong to deny.

“I feel guilt that she died because I let her down and I should miss her but I don’t. That makes me as cruel as the technicians, doesn’t it?”

Moon didn’t look at him with horror. “I’m going to hug you. It means I care and you are not heartless. You did your best for your mate but it sounds as though her love belonged to another before she ever met you. You didn’t stand a chance. We tend to obsess over one person in our lives and that’s it. You haven’t seen happily mated couples but I have. It wouldn’t have mattered how good you treated her or what you did, trying to make her content. Her mind was always on another and she wasn’t going to give you a chance.”

The male suddenly jerked Obsidian against his chest, his arms holding on to him and he just stood there, allowing it. It wasn’t exactly a comfortable feeling having another male so close to his body but he didn’t get the urge to punch him.

Moon withdrew slightly to meet his gaze.

“We’ll find you a female who will make you forget all about 46. One who makes you feel alive again. You need to get laid.”

The image of one woman filled his thoughts and he uttered her name instantly. “Alli.”

Moon arched his eyebrows. “Ah. Kind of stuck on her, huh?”

“I want her.”

“Then practice that puppy-dog look and say what I told you.” Moon released him and stepped back, glanced around, then walked to the edge of the building to peer over the wall. He glanced back. “Luckily for you I know where she lives.

How do you feel about a late-night visit? Nobody is going to check on us since Jericho knows I’m with you. Have you ever jumped before? It’s easy from this height. Just watch me closely and do what I do. Land on your feet and bend your knees.” He flashed a grin. “We have an advantage as Species.”

Alli finished closing the last box, suffering nostalgia despite only having lived in her home for a few months. It had been the best time of her life. She blinked back tears as she tried to plot out her future. It looked pretty bleak.

She’d gambled with her career and now it was time to pay the price. It wouldn’t be hard to find employment elsewhere as long as the NSO didn’t file kidnapping charges. Any backwater hospital would be eager to hire her. The computer screen she’d left on drew her attention as she sank into the desk chair. The search results were displayed as she pondered her options.

An image of Obsidian distracted her when she closed her eyes. No regret surfaced over taking him from Homeland. It had saved his life. He was recovering quickly physically. She could attest to his strength.

Her hand lowered to her hip where a slight bruise had formed. It had resulted when he’d hooked her around the waist before tossing her on the bed. There was no pain but she was more than aware of it. She wished her emotions could heal as quickly as the contusion would. In a matter of days the physical mark would disappear but she had a feeling the memory of him would stay with her for the rest of her life.

Go!

She relived the memory of him pointing to the door, demanding she leave his room. It was for the best. Part of her knew that but another part refused to accept it. He needs me. No. He just wants to use me. It’s all about sex. Damn. She blinked back tears.

“Stupid,” she whispered aloud. I should know better than to get personally involved with a patient and I had to go and fall for him. He was damaged in so many ways yet it just made her want to be with him more.

The doorbell pulled her from her tortured moral debate. She tried to calm her racing heart, afraid that Justice North had sent someone to return her to Security. They’d had to spend money and resources to send the task team after her. She hoped they would just escort her off NSO property. The other option would mean her job search had been wasted.

Dread froze her by the door, her hand on the doorknob but not turning it. The concept of going to prison scared the shit out of her. She wasn’t tough and had never been in a fistfight in her life. Her parents had sheltered her from other kids by homeschooling her and later she’d gone directly to med school where violence wasn’t exactly commonplace among the students. Prisoners were going to eat her alive and she’d be lucky to survive a week unless her medical degree offered her some kind of special privileges. She could hope they needed her to work in the prison hospital as free labor to keep her out of general population.

The doorbell buzzed again and she straightened her shoulders. She’d face the consequences of her actions with her chin held high.