Chapter Ten.

A noise woke Zandy and she glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was just after eleven. Tiger had finally arrived. She was on her stomach under the covers but had left the light on in the living room of the one-bedroom apartment. Her hair was still damp from the shower she'd taken. She used her arm to lift up and turn in bed. The covers slid down a little as her gaze swept the dark room until she found his darker shape near the dresser.

"I was wondering if you'd ever show. Thanks for the clothes and all the stuff you had deliv-"

The shadow lunged at her, hit the bed hard enough to knock her flat, and a gloved hand clamped around her throat. Shock tore through her as fingers squeezed painfully tight until she couldn't breathe. Her mouth opened to scream as the body on the bed with her scooted even closer when she tried to struggle under the covers.

It wasn't Tiger. She couldn't see the man's face. The hand felt big and he was heavy as he tried to pin her body down. Panic and sheer terror made her claw at her throat-he was strangling her. She found his skin just above the leather gloves and dug her fingernails in. Her lungs burned from lack of oxygen and she focused on hurting her attacker.

He cried out and the hold on her throat loosened for a split second. It was just enough time for her to suck in much-needed air. She screamed. The sound came out as more of a shriek. The man let go to roll away. He fell off the edge of the bed as Zandy screamed again, blindly turning the other way to put space between them.

A dark shape lifted from the floor and rushed toward the corner of the room. He hit the glass window hard enough to break through when he slammed into it. Cool air filled the room while she continued to pant. Wood splintered from the other side of the apartment and two New Species rushed inside her room from the living room. One flipped on the light, both of them sniffed the air and the blond rushed toward the destroyed window.

"Stay with her. It was a human male," he snarled before he leaped out the opening to chase her attacker.

The remaining officer held up his hands in an almost calming way to show he posed no danger to her. "Are you all right?"

She nodded and tried to speak but coughed instead. Her throat hurt. It took some work to swallow before she tried again. "I woke up and someone was in the room."

He stalked slowly around the bed and bent down. One hand gripped the sheet and lifted it to her upper chest. "You're naked." He sniffed. "He didn't sexually assault you."

She clutched at the sheet that the officer had handed to her, still gripping her throat with the other. He'd seen her bare breasts. Her hair falling over her shoulders hadn't totally hidden them but at that moment she was too confused and frightened to be embarrassed.

"Did you see his face?" He backed off as soon as she held the sheet up without his assistance. "Do you know who it was?"

She'd thought it was Tiger but couldn't state that without admitting they were sleeping together to explain why he'd be in her bedroom. "No. It was too dark."

He crouched and gently moved her hand from her throat. A soft growl came from him as he studied her neck. "He hurt you."

"He tried to strangle me. He was wearing gloves. I felt them when I tried to make him let go."

The officer took her hand and sniffed her fingertips. "You made him bleed. Wipe them on the bedding. We will want his blood scent."

Shock prevented her from responding so the officer used part of the bedding to clean her fingertips. Blood stained the material and she realized she must have really nailed her attacker. He released her hand and rose to his feet.

"I will guard the door. Go into the bathroom and wash your hands. Human males can carry diseases. Use soap."

"I'm naked," she reminded him.

He paused to glance at her. "I won't look. Hurry, more officers are on the way." He strode to the dresser and removed some of the clothes Tiger had ordered for her. He returned to her side and offered them. "Just come out when you are dressed."

He spun, moved to the bedroom door and turned his back to her. She glanced at the broken window, the curtains swaying in the breeze, before tossing back the sheet to streak to the bathroom. Once the door was closed she realized how badly she was shaking.

Someone had attacked her in her bed. When she looked in the mirror she saw red marks on her throat where she'd been squeezed. She tilted her head to get a better look. She'd probably have bruises. Her hand rose to touch the sore spots but the sight of blood on her fingers stopped her. She lowered her gaze to the sink to turn on the water. Her hands trembled badly as she soaped them and scrubbed under her fingernails.

The T-shirt and sweatpants were too large but she didn't have a choice. She opened the door when she'd put them on. Two officers were in her room. The one who'd tended her was stripping the comforter off her bed. He folded it to keep the blood stains on top.

"Here," he passed it to the other officer. "Take this to Security immediately." He turned to face Zandy. "Are you well? We're tracking the male who attacked you. Did he say anything to you?"

"No. He was by the dresser when I woke and he just attacked me. He grabbed my throat and I couldn't breathe."

"He wanted to keep her silent," the second officer stated. "He had to have known we were posted outside."

A third officer walked into her room. "We found his point of entry. He broke through the kitchen window in the back. Smashing this window to escape cost him severe injuries, judging by the amount of blood we found outside. It shouldn't take us long to track him. He won't be able to get away." He grimly regarded Zandy. "Are you well, female?"

"I'm okay. Shaken, but I'll live."

"He harmed her throat," the first officer informed the one who seemed to be in charge. "We should escort her to Medical."

"It's just red. I can breathe fine now and it's just a little sore. I'm sure I don't need a doctor."

"Are you sure?" All three of them studied her.

"Yes. I just want a drink." She inched past them and entered the living room. Her purse was on the floor and all the contents had been dumped out over the coffee table.

She picked up her wallet and opened it. Her cash was still there and she showed it to the officers who'd followed her. "He wasn't a thief. I don't know what he was looking for though."

"Don't worry. We'll find out when we catch him."

She dropped her wallet on the table and entered the kitchen. It was small and her gaze immediately focused on the window. It was closed but she could see where the lock had been broken along the bottom.

Tiger was furious as he glared at Vengeance. The male snarled at him, in a foul mood. He was really testing Tiger's patience. He had spent the past few hours trying to calm the male but admitted to being ready to call in someone to tranquilize him and put him down for the night.

"You attacked a female human while working for the task force and that's how you ended up here. I know you want to do something but you blew it. I'm not arguing with you anymore, Ven. I have things to do tonight and I'd like to get some sleep. More important things are happening than you throwing a fit because you aren't happy here."

"I should be doing something."

"I understand but you tried to force mate a female." Tiger's cell phone rang and he reached for it. "Tiger here."

"The human female, Zandy Gordon, was attacked at her apartment at human housing."

Tiger snarled from rage and shock that someone had harmed Zandy again. "How? Who did it? Is she well? Where were the officers I assigned to guard her?"

Timber sounded angry too. "They were near the curb, in front of the building. You said to keep them outside. A human male broke in through a back window. He tried to strangle her in bed but she managed to scream. The human attacker is injured and bleeding. We're tracking him now and he's heading toward the Wild Zone. He's going to be one sorry bastard if he makes it there. The unstable ones will kill him if they find him before our officers do."

"Is Zandy all right?"

"She's fine. She refused medical treatment and officers are with her now."

"I'm in the Wild Zone with Vengeance. I'll see if I can head him off."

"He's bleeding a lot."

"She did that much damage to him?" That surprised him since Zandy wasn't a big female but a little pride swelled inside his chest too.

"No. He jumped through a window after she screamed. It must have cut him badly."

"Good. I'll call you if I find him or you call me if he's found." He ended the conversation.

"What happened?"

Tiger studied Vengeance and fought down his rage. He wanted to punish the human for touching Zandy. "I have a job for you. You're an excellent tracker, aren't you? A human male has somehow trespassed onto Reservation and attacked a female human employee. He's heading this way and I want your help finding him. Just don't kill him. I want to know what he is doing here."

Vengeance nodded. "I could use a good hunt."

Tiger nodded. "Me too. Just remember to keep him alive and he needs to be able to talk. I want a piece of this one myself."

Tiger and Vengeance got in the Jeep. Tiger would find the male and remove the hand that had tried to kill his Zandy. He forced himself to take deep breaths to try to calm down. If he hadn't gotten tied up at work, he would have been with her and he wouldn't have allowed anyone to cause her harm.

He drove to meet the tracking team. A comforter had been taken from Zandy's bed and offered to all the males to sniff. He spotted the blood stains on the spread and rage gripped him. He didn't calm until he realized it had come from the male. The stench of the human male mixed with Zandy's fear set him on edge. He leaped back in the Jeep and glanced at Vengeance.

"Do you have his scent locked?"

Vengeance nodded. "Who is the female? She smells good. She's showered recently."

"Forget the human female," Tiger growled. "Let's find the male."

Vengeance stood from his seat and sniffed the air. "It's faint but I got him." He pointed. "The wind is blowing from that direction."

Tiger punched the gas and watched the Species. Canines had a stronger sense of smell than felines. It was the one thing he hated about his heritage. Right now he wanted to be the one to sniff out the human and locate him. His fingers gripped the steering wheel painfully due to his rage. Soon enough he'd have his hands on the male. He'd be one sorry son of a bitch for going after Zandy.

Zandy stared across the coffee table at Smiley as he watched her. She sat on the couch while he'd taken up residence in the chair. "You got to babysit me, huh?"

He shrugged. He'd shown up ten minutes before in a pair of sweats and a loose T-shirt. His hair was wet, hanging loose and he wasn't even wearing shoes. "Snow was called to Homeland since they needed extra help. You are familiar with me and Timber asked me to sit with you. He wanted someone here that you've spent some time with."

"You were off duty."

He shrugged again. "I don't mind. I'd eaten and showered. I was bored anyway. How is your throat?"

"It's better. I put some ice on it." She shifted her position. "You don't really need to sit with me."

"The human is still at large and we'll feel better if someone is with you."

"You're not even wearing shoes."

He grinned. "A lot of us hate to wear them but we're required to on shift. I'm off."

The silence was a little uncomfortable. Zandy wasn't sure what else to say. Smiley sniffed and smiled.

"What?"

"Your scent is changing."

"What does that mean?"

He hesitated. "You will be ovulating soon."

"What?" She gaped at his out-of-left-field statement.

"You are about to go into heat, Zandy."

Her mouth opened but no words came out.

"Our females try to hide the scent from our males. It's arousing."

"Ovulating? You can smell that? Really?"

"Yes."

"Bitchin'," she muttered sarcastically. "How the hell does Richard find this amusing?"

"I don't understand. Richard warned you already that your heat was coming?"

"Never mind. So, did you enjoy the weather today?" She decided to change the subject quickly.

"It was a nice day. Thank you for asking." His gaze narrowed as he watched her. "Your cheeks are pinker. Is this an uncomfortable conversation for you? Going into heat is perfectly natural."

He wasn't going to let it drop. "Women don't go into heat. And yes, this isn't a topic I want to discuss."

"Females do experience heat. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. My nose doesn't lie and you are going into heat. You should speak to one of our females about how to hide it from our males before you fully hit that stage. It's very faint now but every male will scent it when it grows stronger. They will offer to share sex."

"Why?" She was stunned and curious.

"Nothing smells better or tastes better than a female in heat." His gaze roamed her body. "May I ask you questions that might make your cheeks pinken more? It is attractive."

"Um, I guess. What do you want to know?"

"Our females strongly desire to share sex while they are in heat. Don't humans react that way?"

"No. We don't even know when we're ovulating."

He frowned. "Really?"

"Obviously. You're telling me something I didn't know. I had no clue."

"Don't you feel an increase in your sex drive?"