“We won’t be certain until he wakes again, Tiger.” The other male sighed deeply. “What the hell do we do with Dr. Allison? She’s begging the officers to allow her to check on him. What if he bonded to her scent? Is he unconscious because he can’t smell her? Trisha is on her way and will be landing in twenty minutes. I pulled her from Reservation to deal with this. Ted is great but he’s at a loss with how Dr. Allison managed to get 880 on his feet. He’s been following his progress every step of the way.”
“Gregory was the closest. He said 880 seemed surprised that Dr. Allison was human and even accused her of being a technician. Trey Roberts believes 880 woke to come to her aid. He must have heard her screams when the team grabbed her and it snapped him out of the coma. Maybe he thought it was his mate in trouble.”
“Did she say why he wasn’t restrained? I haven’t had time to read all the statements from the team but understand he wasn’t.”
“Dr. Allison released him after the first day. She said she felt stupid having an unconscious male restrained and she believes he’s not dangerous.” The one called Tiger paused. “She’s been around us for too long and has never seen an angry new male who came directly from Mercile.”
“We’ll have Trisha make the hard decisions. Right now he’s stable and Dr. Allison isn’t leaving the cell she’s contained in. Destiny is raising a fit to see her but I don’t think that’s a good idea. He’s admitted to being attracted to her and I’m afraid he’ll attempt to pull mate status to save her if we decide to prosecute her for kidnapping 880.”
“Shit,” Tiger muttered. “It’s going to be ugly if we have to lock her up for years. She’s made a lot of friends here but we can’t just forgive what she did. I’m fond of her myself but it doesn’t change the fact that she put a Species at risk. We can’t condone that.”
The one called Justice hesitated. “She woke him. That’s got to count for something. It’s a hell of a mess.”
“I know.” 880 sensed that Tiger stepped closer. “I’m afraid he’ll care what happens to her. What if locking her away from him keeps him from waking again? She might have been onto something with the female scent. He woke to protect her.”
“Hell.” The voice of the other male came closer too. “We’ll see what Trisha has to say. I know Dr. Allison has been clear that she’s willing to put her life at risk but what if he were to kill her if we allowed her near him? I’d feel guilty. We just don’t know enough about him.”
“He’s clueless that his life has changed and probably thinks he’s still at the mercy of Mercile. I wish some of our men had been with the team who located them. Maybe seeing one of us would have shocked him more but it might have made him realize who has him now.”
A firm hand gripped 880’s shoulder and he was able keep his body lax to hide the fact that he was conscious. He expected pain but none came.
“880, if you can hear me, I am Justice. I am like you.” He paused. “Tiger is like you too. We were once held prisoner by Mercile Industries but we were freed. You are safe here with your own kind. We have you restrained because we don’t know if you are dangerous to us or not. Your mental state is unknown.” His hand moved away. “The female who stole you is human but she isn’t a technician working for Mercile. She’s a good one who just wanted to save your life. She meant you no harm.”
It could be a trap but 880 made the decision to open his eyes. The light was blinding but something suddenly leaned over him to block out most of it. He stared into a face inches above his own. The male had features that weren’t human and strongly familiar since he’d seen his own reflection at times. His heart raced.
The male smiled, his expression alight with kindness, and he opened his mouth enough to show his sharp teeth. “I am Justice. Can you speak, 880? You are safe. See? We are the same and I was created by Mercile as well.”
Movement to his left drew his attention and he turned his head to stare at yet another male with altered features. That male smiled.
“I’m Tiger. You’re safe. Mercile no longer has you. We’ve been freed.”
Shock gripped him as the words sank into his confused mind. It couldn’t be true but he stared at two males, proof that it might be. He didn’t even know other males existed besides the ones he’d smelled recently when his mate was murdered. He opened his mouth, his throat dry, but managed to speak.
“Are we the only three left?”