Zandy twisted her head to glare at Bestial. "I'm not leaving him."

"The drugs he was given have a serious side effect. It's not safe for you to remain in this room. That's why Jaded and I are here. He could become very aggressive if he wakes."

"Tiger won't hurt me." She believed that.

Bestial hesitated. "Our kind have been known to get sexually aggressive as well as unreasonably combative from this drug. He was given high doses because he is so injured. He could hurt you and not mean to. He could wake to the scent of your heat cycle and force sex with you. He wouldn't mean to but your scent might drive him over the edge of sanity."

Zandy eyed the large man. "I'll be ecstatic if he feels well enough to want to have sex with me because it will mean he's getting better. You can't force the willing."

Bestial blinked but then laughed. "Fine."

"Thank you for letting me stay."

He nodded. "I will be sitting over there. One of us has to remain inside this room at all times in case he is aggressive when he wakes. We don't want him killing one of the medical staff. One of our human doctors came with us but she is sleeping right now."

Zandy returned her gaze to Tiger. He could have died, still could. She should have told him how she really felt. It might have made him dump her for fear that she was getting too attached to him but at least he'd know she loved him. Regret twisted at her.

No more fear. She silently made that promise. When he woke-she refused to consider anything less-she'd tell him that she was in love with him. He might not feel the same but she wasn't going to hide behind uncertainties anymore. Their future would be in his hands. He could end their budding relationship or take it to the next level.

She kicked off her shoes and assessed Tiger again, more closely now that the shock had worn off. The scratches were healing, not raw wounds. The bruises on his body appeared days old rather than from the night before. The drugs they were giving him were obviously some kind of miracle treatment for New Species. Gratitude for them struck her hard. It would give the man she loved a better chance at survival.

"He is tough," Jaded stated.

"Yes. I know." More tears threatened to fall. "I'm not giving up on him."

She ignored the two men who watched her every movement as she touched and softly spoke to Tiger. They didn't trust her perhaps or maybe it was just strange to see a human tending to one of their own but she didn't let it stop her from doing what she wanted.

At one point she walked into the bathroom to wet a washcloth and began cleaning the blood off Tiger's skin.

"The nurses will do that," Bestial informed her from his seat in the corner.

She ignored him and kept gently scrubbing Tiger's arms and chest. Zandy wanted something to do to feel as if she were helping him.

Chapter Sixteen.

Zandy was tired when she woke. Jaded had touched her shoulder gently where she'd fallen asleep curled in the chair next to Tiger's bed. Her gaze lifted to the bright green stare of the New Species.

"I'm going to order breakfast for you. You should take a shower before it arrives."

"Thanks." Her gaze shifted to Tiger. Her palm rested on his chest where it rose and fell with each breath he took. The cuts looked almost healed and the bruising far less noticeable. "He looks better."

"The drugs are working. We'll feel better when he wakes and talks to us."

"I'm concerned about that myself," she admitted.

Jaded released her shoulder and backed away. "Bestial is talking to the task team here. Will you be all right for a few minutes alone? They make me fill out request forms for our food at the nurses' station." He rolled his eyes. "It's a silly human rule."

A smile curved her mouth at his expression. He was a handsome man but looked a little too stern. "Yeah. We're all about making silly rules sometimes. I'll be fine."

"He could wake. Yell if he does. We have no idea what kind of mental state he'll be in."

"You've warned me half a dozen times that the drugs could make him violent. I've assured you every time that he won't hurt me."

"Just yell if he wakes."

"Will do."

He left her alone and she stood, stretching her limbs after sleeping in the cramped position. Tiger's color looked better and she bent over him, brushing a kiss on his cheek.

"Wake up for me, sexy. I miss you."

The door opened behind her and she straightened. It was a doctor who stepped inside the room and he frowned when he spotted her. "Hello. I'm Dr. Razner." He drew closer to glance at Tiger, then the machines, before turning his attention on her again. "What agency do you work for?"

"Agency?" She had no idea what he was talking about.

"The nurses said you've been on duty since yesterday. You've bathed the patient and kept vigil at his bedside since you arrived. No one knows what agency you were hired from and I am slightly alarmed by that. Did you get permission to work here? This isn't a private home. Are you a registered nurse? A certified nurse practitioner?"

Her mind was still a little sluggish from lack of sleep. "I'm not a nurse."

"You're a doctor? What's your field?"

"I'm not one of those either. I'm here for Tiger."

The older man shoved his glasses a little higher on his nose and frowned. "What are you to him?"

She hesitated. "I'm his girlfriend."

The doctor's expression slowly changed to one she could easily read. Disapproval wrinkled his face and a coldness seeped into his gaze as he regarded her.

"Shame on you," he accused softly.

"Excuse me?" Shock slapped her at his words.

"Didn't your parents teach you right from wrong? It's abhorrent for humans to have intercourse with animals. That's just sick, young lady. This hospital boasts an excellent mental-health facility. You should go check yourself in immediately to get the treatment you need. You're an attractive young lady who doesn't need to stoop to dating those things."

It took a few seconds for Zandy to recover from the astonishment of his verbal attack and to let his insulting words to sink in. "How dare you speak to me that way." Her hands curl into fists, the urge to slap him strong. "Why don't you go find another doctor to pull your head out of your own ass?"

He sputtered. "What did you say to me?"

"You heard me. How dare you talk to me that way about Tiger. He's a better man than you'll ever be, you prejudiced loser. I deal with letters spewing hate and stupidity from pricks like you all day at work. You went to med school? Let me guess. Was it by any chance the school of doctors without brains? Where did you do your residency? Assholes anonymous?"

His fists clenched. "Get out of here before I call security. You're banned from this patient and the entire hospital."

"Fuck you." She flipped him off. "You're the one out of here. You're not touching Tiger. You're fired. I demand someone else treat him. I wouldn't let you near him with a ten-foot pole." She remembered that the NSO had their own female doctor somewhere on the premises who'd been sleeping when she'd arrived. "I want the NSO doctor right now."

"Security!" the creep yelled.

Jaded and Trey Roberts rushed into the room in seconds, both of them focused on Tiger, probably expecting him to be awake and violent. Zandy moved to block the doctor when he tried to step closer to Tiger's bed.

"Get the hell away from him."

"Get her out of here," the doctor demanded.

"Over your dead body," she threatened.

"What the hell is going on?" Trey Roberts stepped closer, glancing between them.

"He's fired," Zandy ground out. "I don't want him near Tiger ever again."

"This is my hospital. Get her out of here." The doctor glared at Trey. "I want our security staff in here and she's to be removed from the hospital property immediately."

"This piece of shit just lectured me about how sick it is to date an animal and called Tiger a thing." She took a threatening step closer to the doctor, ready to deck him. She was that angry. "Tiger is a wonderful person and you don't deserve to breathe the same air he does."

Jaded growled and the door opened again as Bestial and another task team member rushed inside the room.

"What is going on?" Bestial glanced at Tiger. "He didn't wake?"

Jaded moved slowly, cupped Zandy's hips, and tugged her away from the doctor. She didn't resist but kept glaring at him. The big New Species holding her growled again, deeper. The threatening sound caused her to turn her head to peer up into his face. His sharp teeth were showing as he watched the doctor with about the same amount of anger as she felt.

"Get out, Dr. Razner," Jaded demanded. "You're done here. You will no longer treat our male."

"This is my hospital."

Trey Roberts stepped between the doctor and where Jaded stood holding Zandy in front of him. "Get out, Dr. Razner. You're fired."

"You can't do that."

"Yes, we can," Trey argued. "I have the administrator of this hospital on speed dial." He pulled out his cell phone. "She assured us that Tiger would get the very best care and we would get her total cooperation on everything we need." He stepped into the doctor, bumped him back with his bigger body and glared at the shorter man. "I need you to get the fuck out before I lose my temper. Tiger is my friend, not a thing, and the only animal you need to worry about is me. I'm feeling like going a little savage on your dumb ass right now."

The doctor paled and stumbled back. Bestial growled, showed his sharp canines to the terrified doctor and Zandy watched the jerk flee the room. Trey shoved his phone back into his pocket and turned to stare at Jaded.

"That went well, don't you think? Did he piss his pants?"

"No."

"Too bad." Trey's gaze lowered to Zandy. "Are you okay?"

She nodded.

He turned to Bestial. "I'll let you handle Justice on that incident report, who will hopefully tell Tim not to jump my ass. I'm going to have a heart-to-heart chat with the administrator before that asswipe calls her, crying about us being mean to him." He chuckled. "I think we handled that well. No blood was spilled." He walked out of the room.

Bestial sighed, staring at Zandy. "What did I miss?"

"He is anti-Species," Jaded answered for her. "He insulted Tiger's female for being with him."

"Got it. I'll call Homeland to let them know what happened." He spun and left the room.

Jaded's hands released her hips and she faced him. "Thank you."

"You're lucky the humans are honest about their hatred with you. That same doctor was on duty when Tiger was brought in. He helped treat him but never showed his distaste for our kind. He could have harmed Tiger or not done his best to make him well without us realizing it."

"I can't believe he said that shit."

Jaded sighed loudly. "Get used to it, Zandy. You're with one of us and it unfortunately comes with the territory. I'm sure you knew it wouldn't be easy when you decided to be with Tiger."

"I really haven't thought much about it. Our circumstances are a bit odd."

He took a seat. "Talk to me and tell me how you two met."

"I'd rather skip that part."

His gaze narrowed while he watched her.

"It's kind of an embarrassing story I'd rather not share."

"How long have you been seeing him?"

"Not long." She walked over to Tiger and watched him rather than the man intent on getting information out of her.

"You're in heat. I asked one of the human task team members to pick you up some supplies to hide your scent."

That made her look at him and she blushed. "Sorry." She wasn't sure what else to say. It was still weird that they could smell her ovulating.

"It's a pleasant scent." He smiled. "That's the problem and why I asked them to get you a few items. Did Tiger tell you how to hide your scent? I could explain it to you if need be. I'm a council member and used to educating humans about Species habits."

"No. Creek told me how to do that."

"The male I asked to buy your supplies was upset by the request. You're blushing and so did he. I'll never understand why this causes that reaction in humans."

"Well, you asked him to buy me panty liners." She laughed. "My ex-husbands would never have done that for me."

"You have been married?" He frowned.

"Twice. And divorced."

"You don't have a good history of loyalty to men. Tiger is my friend. Do you plan to leave him as well?"

Zandy tried not to take offense since he was New Species. "My first husband cheated on me with another woman. My second husband turned out to be a bum. He didn't live on the streets, before you ask. He wouldn't get a job and he just wanted me to feed him and pay for everything. I got sick of it pretty fast. He also slept with one of our neighbors. I was always loyal to them but it wasn't returned. I just have shitty luck finding the right guy."

His expression softened. "I understand. They betrayed your trust and weren't mate-worthy." His gaze darted to Tiger before meeting hers again. "Tiger is a male who has sworn to never take a mate."