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“Joy?” He backed up a few feet to evaluate the best place to plant his boot. The door didn’t appear too sturdy. One strong kick should bring it down.
A deadbolt slid and the door eased open a few inches. Joy’s face appeared as she peeked out at him. “What are you doing here, Moon?”
He winced. There was a trace of fear in her voice and her face looked unusually pale. He hadn’t meant to scare her. He stayed still instead of pushing forward to shoulder his way inside her home as he wanted to do. The other problem was that she seemed to be pressed tightly against the door. She might get hurt if he forced it open.
“Why did you leave?” His heart pounded as blood rushed to his ears. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if she ordered him to go away. He wouldn’t, not until he talked her into returning to Homeland. It was tough to keep his voice neutral when he wanted to snarl.
“An emergency came up at work.” She licked her lips and cleared her throat. “I’ll give you a call tomorrow. It’s late and I need to get some sleep.”
Her answer floored him. It wasn’t what he expected but it angered him after he let it settle. “You’ll call me?”
“Yes.” She pushed against the door until her cheek dented along the edge of it. “I love you.”
Three softly spoken words caused him to sway on his feet and forced him to shift his weight to keep upright. She loved him? The door slammed and the lock clicked. He blinked a few times while it sank in. She loved him? He wasn’t sure what to do. How could she tell him that but put a door between them? A variety of jumbled emotions burst forth. He wasn’t the only one with strong feelings. Love meant everything to him but what about her?
It pissed him off that she had blurted it out without warning. And slammed the door in my face. He backed up, paused, stepped forward. His hands twitched at his sides, wanting to touch her. He needed to know how she loved him. Humans were far too vague. They loved their friends, their cars, and possessions with seeming equality.
He lunged, not giving a damn if it startled her or sent her neighbors into a state of fear. No way would he turn and walk away from her when he wasn’t sure what loving him meant to her. His boot nailed the door inches from the handle. The snap of wood was far louder than he intended but the door flung open.
He expected Joy to jump or perhaps scream when he stormed inside to go after her. The sight of a male facing him across the small room with Joy between them halted his forward movement abruptly. The human’s face was mostly hidden by a floppy hood but the gun pointed directly at her head drew his attention.
Time seemed to stand still while he struggled to make sense of the situation. The arm holding the weapon jerked in his direction. Joy cried out and spun around to face him. Her hair whipped around so fast that the long strands snagged on the metal. She kicked upward and jumped in his direction. His reflexes were slow as her body plowed into his chest. A sharp bang deafened him in the small room.
He’d been off balance when Joy’s full weight tackled him and they were propelled backward. The feel of her was enough to jar him from his shock. His back crashed into the wall next to the door, the only thing that kept them from both hitting the floor. Instinct took over as he glanced to the side before he threw her into the kitchen. He didn’t have time to see if she landed safely behind the row of cabinets that separated it from the living room. All that mattered was that she was out of the line of fire.
He howled in rage and shoved away from the door. The human had shot at them. The male stumbled backward as Moon leapt at him, tripping on the coffee table. The male’s arm flew upward when he lost his balance. Another shot hit the ceiling, sending down white debris.
Moon landed on the human’s legs. The grunt of pain from him barely registered as he tore the weapon away. The male sucked in a sharp breath screamed as if he were a female. It was cut off when Moon threw all his rage behind his fist that plowed it into the pasty face that wasn’t hidden anymore. The human’s eyes rolled back, accompanied by the crunching sound of his jaw breaking from the blow. He didn’t move but he was alive as his chest rose and fell.
Moon snarled, ready to tear out the male’s throat.
“Don’t kill him,” Joy panted. “He’s sick.”
Moon didn’t give a damn. The human was inside Joy’s home and he’d taken a shot at them. Rage surged. Why was the male there in the first place? Was he the reason she’d left Homeland? Was he someone she cared about? Loved? He snarled and his fingers curved into claws as he eyed the exposed throat.
“Moon!” Joy sounded a little closer. “Please don’t kill him. Tie him up.” She tossed something at him that landed on the floor next to where he crouched.
He glanced at the dishtowel. It was black and thick.
“Tear strips and tie him up. I’m calling 9-1-1. Please, Moon? He’s a client of mine. He’s mentally ill.” She took a ragged breath. “He suffered abuse growing up. He is obviously delusional and dangerous now.”
I’d like to snap his neck, Moon grumbled to himself, battling the urge to kill the bastard. It would upset Joy more. He bent and grabbed the towel. It was easy to bite into an edge and tear it into three long strips. Moon wasn’t gentle when he rolled the human onto his stomach. It gave him satisfaction when he realized, from the odd way it was twisted, that one of the human’s legs was broken near the knee. It would be painful when he regained consciousness and hurt like hell.
The bindings might be too tight but he had no gentleness in him. Not when it came to Joy’s patient. He was tying a second binding a little higher than the first one when something caught his attention. He glanced at his thumb to see blood. He finished the job and examined his hands to see where he’d been cut. He wasn’t cut or wounded. He lifted his thumb to his nose to learn the scent of his enemy.
The stench of the gunpowder had left his senses a little dulled but the scent he picked up now stilled him. He knew it only too well. He turned his head to stare at Joy. She was in the kitchen on the other side of the counter, leaning heavily against it. One hand was holding her upper arm and blood seeped between her fingers.
He’d hurt her. It must have happened when he’d thrown her out of the way. Her arm must have slammed into a counter and cut her skin. Regret was instant as he stared at her. She was pale as she watched him. He glanced at her hand again as he rose to his feet.
“I’m sorry.”
Tears filled her eyes, spilling down her cheeks. “My phone is in the bedroom. Call 9-1-1. My cordless is in the charging cradle in there.”
He was torn between going to her and doing what she asked.
“Tell them we need the police and an ambulance.”
He growled, shooting a hate-filled glare at the unmoving human sprawled facedown on the floor. “I’ll tell them to come arrest him but I won’t ask for medical assistance. I want him to suffer for as long as possible.” He glanced back at her, hoping she knew what it had cost him not to kill the bastard in the first place.
“It’s not for him.” Her voice cracked. “It’s for me.”
Moon’s heart lurched. “I hurt you that much? Is your arm broken?”
She frowned. “You didn’t do this. I was the one who jumped in front of the bullet. I’m glad it hit me instead of you.”
He looked at her arm, noticing that she was bleeding a lot more. Her fingers were covered and it stained her shirt to the elbow. She’s been shot! The scene at the door replayed through his mind.
The human had stood across the room but Joy had been walking away from the door when it had come crashing open. She’d been much closer to him than the male holding the gun. She’d been facing the man so she must have seen him aim at Moon, ready to fire. The next part almost took him to his knees.
“You purposely got between us. You knew he was going to shoot me.”
“Call 9-1-1. I’m trying really hard to remain calm. I’ve never been shot before. It really hurts and did I even mention that I don’t handle the sight of blood well? I don’t. I am tryin
g really hard not to pass out.”
He rushed to her and swept her up into his arms. She gasped but didn’t protest when he almost ran to her bedroom. It was easy to locate the bathroom. Human households were the same as Species. The light was already on in there when he placed her on the counter.
“What are you doing?” The pain in her eyes tore at him.
He gripped her hand tenderly and pulled it from the wound. Blood ran faster. It was too much for him to treat with any first-aid kit she might have stashed in the bathroom. He released her hand. “Put pressure on it.” She needed a doctor, not him.
She moaned. “I think I’m going to faint. I really can’t stand seeing blood.” She did what he demanded though, seeming to fight her reaction to the wound as she held on to it.
He slammed his knee into a corner of her bed as he ran into the bedroom, almost tripped, but recovered as he reached her desk. The small room was littered with too much furniture for him to easily maneuver. He noticed that his hand was coated in her blood when he jerked up the phone and found the talk button. He dialed with an unsteady finger.
“9-1-1. Please state your emergency,” a calm female answered.
“My female has been shot by a human male.”
There was a few seconds of silence.
“Did you hear me? Send an ambulance. She’s been shot in the arm and is bleeding.”
“All right.” The female didn’t sound alarmed by the news. “You said a female has been shot by a human male?”
“Yes.”
“Is she human too?”
“Yes.” He carried the cordless receiver into the bathroom to check on Joy. She sat where he’d left her, holding her arm. He was afraid she’d fall over so he pressed closer, wrapping an arm around her waist. She leaned into him. “Send help.”
“Sir,” the female on the phone sighed. “9-1-1 is for real emergencies.”
“This is one. A human male has shot my female. She’s in need of medical care.”
“Okay. I’m routing a patrol car to your location. The responding officers will be able to help you.”
“I need an ambulance.”
“I’m sure they’ll be happy to call one if you need more assistance than they can give you.” She paused. “Do you take medication?”
He growled. “You think I’m insane? My female is bleeding. The human male is tied up in the living room.”
Joy looked up at him and he hated the way she swayed before her lids lowered. He hoped it was her aversion to blood that made her woozy. He adjusted his arm behind her and shoved her fingers out of the way, hating to hurt her as he clamped down hard to apply pressure to the wound. It could be from the trauma of being shot or blood loss but he wasn’t going to take any chances with her life. She dropped her face against his chest and whimpered. He didn’t ease his hold.
“I’m not implying anything, sir. Officers should be there within a few minutes. Do you have a weapon? You said she was shot?”
“Not by me. It was a human!” Did they think he’d hurt Joy? It angered him.
“All right. As opposed to what? Aliens?”
It suddenly made sense. “I’m New Species,” he snarled. “I’m calling Homeland. They’ll send a helicopter to us if you won’t help.” He hung up and hit talk again. The phone beeped at him but he heard a dial tone. He called the NSO.
“You’ve reached the NSO. How may I help you?” He recognized the male’s voice.
“Book, this is Moon. I need help immediately.” He rattled off Joy’s address. “Scramble a team to this location and we need a doctor. My female has been shot. The human police are on their way.” All hell was going to break loose at Homeland but it didn’t matter. He’d face whatever punishment came his way. “I sneaked out to find Joy. Tell Justice and everyone that I’m sorry. You should call Harley too. I want him on that helicopter.”
“Shit!” Book snarled. “This isn’t a joke, is it? This is coming from an outside line.”
“No.” He lowered his chin to rest on top of Joy’s head, pressing her tighter against him. He hated feeling helpless. “Did you write down that address? Hurry. She’s bleeding. A human shot her in the arm.”
“Don’t hang up,” Book demanded. “I’m on this. We’re coming.” He put his hand over the mouthpiece but it barely muffled the sound of him yelling out orders to the Species around him. He finally spoke directly into the phone again. “Listen to me. You ready? I’ve got Justice on one line and Trisha on another. Fury just got on the line too. I can hear them but you can’t. I’m putting you on speaker so they can hear you.”
The other line kept beeping but Moon ignored it. It was probably the annoying operator trying to call him back. “I understand.”
“Tell the humans who arrive at the scene that you’re New Species. I’m sure they will see that but state it loud and clear so there’s no mistake. They have no jurisdiction over the NSO. They can’t arrest you but they could shoot you first from a distance if they don’t know what you are.” He paused. “Fury says they are contacting the local police to make sure they know you are Species and know the laws concerning us. We might be able to keep them from entering her home.”
“I brought a gun with me but haven’t used it.”
Book hesitated. “Don’t point it at anyone. Where is it?”
“Tucked into my pants in the back.”
Book hesitated again. “You’re allowed to carry it. Their laws don’t apply to us. Tell the humans you have it and where it’s located. Do not touch it. They might panic.”
“Understood.”
Moon’s keen hearing picked up the sound of footsteps. “They are here. Someone is anyway. They just entered her living space.”
“Yell out that you’re New Species,” Book paused. “Now.”
Moon closed his eyes, his back to the door, not wanting to jar Joy. “I’m New Species!” he stated loudly. “I’m armed but it’s tucked into the back of my waistband. I won’t use the gun. I’m on the phone with Homeland.”
“Put me on speaker,” Book demanded.
“I don’t think her phone has that option.” Moon glanced at it. He didn’t see it on the face. “It doesn’t.”
He raised his chin, his sense of smell confirming what his hearing told him. He slowly turned his head, meeting the gaze of a uniformed human officer. The male had a gun pointed at him from the doorway but lowered it. He gripped the mic attached to his shoulder.
“It’s not a prank,” the male stated to whoever was on the other end of it. He cocked his head, listening to the device in his ear. “Confirmed. I’m looking right at him. He is New Species.” He released the mic and slowly holstered his weapon. “Easy.” One palm extended, as if he wanted to hold Moon back if he attacked.
“I’m not a danger to you.”
The male swallowed hard. “Sorry. We’re not trained, um, I’ve never met one of you before.” He glanced at the mirror behind Moon, eased a little to the left, and his mouth tightened into a grim line. “She’s hurt?”
“She was shot in the arm. The human who did it is in the living room. Joy is a shrink and he was her patient.” He wouldn’t ever be again if Moon had anything to say about it. He’d hunt down and kill the male first before he ever allowed him near his female again. “The NSO is sending a helicopter for us.” He held out the phone. “They want to speak to you.”
The officer hesitated but stepped closer, accepting it. He didn’t put the receiver up to his ear right away. “Can we send in help to her when the paramedics arrive?”
“Please.”
The cop pinched his mic again. “Send in the paramedics when they arrive. The situation is calm inside the bathroom. Evacuate the man in the front room.” He put the phone up to his ear. “This is Officer Ventino. Who am I speaking to?” He listened, making one-word responses before disconnecting. He warily regarded Moon the entire time.
Irritation flashed through Moon but he understood his fear. He was glad that they weren’t attempting t
o kill him or rip Joy out of his arms. He turned away, rested his chin on her head and closed his eyes. She was breathing but so slowly that he knew she’d lost consciousness.
“Please tell the ambulance to hurry.”
“Yes, sir,” the officer responded. “Maybe she’d be more comfortable on the bed?” He backed out of the bathroom. “I’ll clear a spot.”
Moon gently lifted Joy, keeping his hand in place against her wound. Her head rolled against his chest. He peered down at her and knew he’d lose his mind if she died. The officer stayed at least four feet away as he entered the bedroom. Moon watched him shove two heavy suitcases to the floor.
Moon sat with her in his lap. He ignored the officer watching him, barely paid attention to the noises coming from the other room while two more officers came to take away the bastard who’d shot Joy. It didn’t even make him smile, hearing his agonized protests when it jostled him to consciousness. He kept Joy as still as possible, every breath she took a relief.
“Is there anything I can do, sir?”
Moon opened his eyes and stared at the human. Compassion was reflected in the human’s eyes. Moon glanced at the male’s left hand, which sported a gold band. “You have a mate?”
“I’m married. Yes.”
“My name is Moon. I can’t lose Joy. Is there any way to get medical help here faster?”
Loud sirens drew closer. “They will have cleared the front of the building and another officer will hold the elevator doors open so they can get up here faster. There’s another one who will direct them right to the front door.” He stepped closer and bent, gripping the bottom of the blanket. “Let me help. She’s lost a lot of blood. We’ll keep her warm to help prevent her from going into shock.”
Moon was touched that the human cared. He noticed the way the male tucked in the blanket around Joy’s body as if he were a parent tending a child.
“I’m John.” The officer crouched. “Can you tell me what happened here, Moon?”
“I came to see Joy but her patient was here before I arrived. He had a gun on her and I kicked in the door.” He paused, not clarifying that he hadn’t known that at the time. “He tried to shoot me but Joy got between us.” It was purely unacceptable to show weakness in front of humans but tears welled in Moon’s eyes as the reality of it all slammed into him full force. “She did it on purpose.” He stared down at her beautiful face. “She could die because she risked her life for mine.”