She kicked off her shoes inside the door and locked it. She hit the switch and light filled the open-concept living space that combined the kitchen with the living room. The seven-hundred-square-foot home wasn’t big but it was affordable. A long counter she used as a dining table was the only thing that separated the rooms. The lone barstool was a reminder of her solitary life. She missed Moon.
The trip to her bedroom was a quick one. The twin bed with matching furniture was more suitable for a teenager but with the limited space it allowed her to use one side of the room as a home office. She turned on her computer to check emails and noticed her answering machine blinking as she waited for them to load. She hit the button to check them.
“Hi, Joy. It’s Mom. Don’t forget to call Aunt Margie on Tuesday. She’s having surgery again and you know how she gets. Make sure she doesn’t rewrite her will. Poor Markus is fed up with her saying she’s going to die. Give your cousin a break by calming her down. Love you.”
Joy winced as she listened to the next four terse messages from her boss. He’d left them before they’d spoken on her cell. The last message was another reminder that she’d totally lost touch with her own life when she’d rushed away to be with Moon.
“Are you okay?” It was Meg’s voice. “I know you’re stressed with the flood of new clients that were shoved on you when your coworker retired but you never stand me up. I’m worried. Call me.”
She grabbed up the phone and dialed. Meg answered on the first ring.
“I’m so sorry. I hope it’s not too late to call.”
“Never. I was making a snack. Right from my lips to my hips at this hour but I’m counseling someone with a food disorder. I suddenly don’t care if I gain a few pounds. Being the perfect weight is overrated. Enough about me. How are you?”
Joy grinned and sat down at her desk. “I’m good.”
“You always call me if you aren’t able to make our movie night.”
“I am sorry about that. Life kind of took a surprising turn.”
“Do you need me in professional mode?”
“No.” Joy laughed. “Just relax and be my friend.”
“You say that so you don’t have to pay me.”
It was a standing joke between them. “It cuts both ways. I didn’t charge you when you rambled on about your ex-boyfriend.”
“True. What’s going on? Are they working you too hard at the hospital? I keep telling you private practice pays more and the hours are very stable.”
“No.” Joy debated what to say. “My past kind of came up and bit me.” She subconsciously rubbed where Moon had sunk his teeth into her. It was still a bit tender. “I took some time off work to deal with it. I knew you’d freak out if you didn’t hear from me and I don’t want you to be concerned. I’m alive and well. I won’t be around for a bit until I get this sorted out.”
Meg was silent for long seconds. “What is going on? I can’t think of anything that would distract you to the point of blowing me off and having to take time away from your clients.”
“Remember when I moved in with you for a few weeks? It’s about him.”
“Shit. The guy you fell for? Did he show up at your office asking you to counsel him again?”
“No. Let’s just say we ran into each other and I’ve been spending some time with him.”
“Is he still massively hot?”
“Even more so.”
“And he’s not your client anymore.”
“Nope.”
Meg softly cursed. “You went there, didn’t you? I remember how depressed you were. I’ve never seen you so hung up on a guy. You even refused to tell me anything about him.”
Joy knew what Meg wanted to know. “I went there. We had sex.”
“Oh my god!” Meg sounded astonished. “Okay. It’s been a few years. No one could accuse you of anything unethical. At least in theory.” She paused. “How was it? Please tell me he isn’t one of those types who is all looks but totally clueless in the sack. You went through hell over that guy. Was it worth it?”
Heat warmed Joy’s belly just remembering the intimate moments she’d shared with Moon. “It was a hundred times better than anything I ever fantasized about.”
“I’m glad and a bit jealous.”
“Thanks. I only came home to pack some of my clothes and then I’m going back to him. I don’t want you to worry if you don’t hear from me.”
“So you’ve temporarily moved into his home?”
“Um, not exactly. I’m staying at the same place he is.”
“That sounds mysterious and vague. Do you want to expand on the details?”
She couldn’t tell Meg about Homeland without giving away that Moon was New Species. “Not really. I’d still be with him but I had to handle an emergency at work. I stopped home to pack my bags since I’m only a few blocks away from the hospital.”
“Is everything all right?” She didn’t ask for specifics, knowing she couldn’t give precise details on anyone she treated.
“Someone broke into the offices while everyone was out.”
“A drug addict looking for a score?”
It was a common problem in their line of work.
“No. Whoever they were, they opened and screwed with every one of my files.”
“You’re sure?”
“The pages were out of order in some of the files and I’m meticulous about that. Nothing was missing though and the copier we use keeps records of everything we print. They didn’t make duplicates. Of course, that doesn’t mean they didn’t use some other technology to do it. For all we know, they could have snapped pictures of every page with their phones.”
“Shit!”
“I know. The police were still dusting for prints when I left. Hopefully they’ll locate some and find out who did it. I had to call all my clients to let them know about the breach of privacy. The lawyer had a fit but what else was I supposed to do?”
“It was your duty to inform them.”
“That’s what I said but the jerk was worried we’d get sued.”
“Great.”
“Yeah.” Joy glanced at the clock. “Look, I need to get going. I have to get back to, um, him, and I’d prefer he not know I’m gone. We’re meeting in the morning. I have to pack enough clothes to last me for a good week just in case I’m there that long. It would be good to get some sleep tonight.”
“You’re not even going to give me a name, huh?”
“No.” She hoped that would change though if she and Moon could work beyond their issues. One day she’d love to introduce him to the important people in her life.
“What does your boss say about your leave of absence?”
“He’s not happy but I had vacation time. I used it. I have nine days to figure out if I should return to work or quit.”
Meg didn’t say anything.
“Are you there?”
“I take it he lives too far from the hospital to commute to work daily if things become serious between you two?”
They already were but she didn’t state that. She loved Moon. It didn’t get any more serious than that. “Yes.”
“Don’t you think you might be acting on impulse? This is your career, Joy. I feel the need to point out that it would be a mistake to make a rash decision. Date him for a while and give it time before you alter your life to mesh with his.”
It wasn’t as if Moon could leave Homeland to live with her. She’d have to make the sacrifices. He might be willing to have a long-distance relationship but she wasn’t. It had only been six hours since she’d seen him and she missed him so much it gnawed at her. The concept of only spending time with him on her days off wasn’t acceptable.
“You’ve got a job and your condo to think about. I know you’re not independently wealthy,” Meg gently prodded. “You can’t afford to quit and make your mortgage payment. Keep all that in mind before you do anything that might have dire consequences.”
“Noted, therapist,” she q
uipped. “I’m grateful that you care and you’d be impressed if you could peek into my thought process. I need to go.”
“All right.”
“Don’t worry about me. I have hope that things might work out in a way that would really make me happy.” She hung up and focused on the computer.
* * * * *
Moon couldn’t sit still and he knew it irritated Harley. “Stop watching me as if I’m going to explode into a rage. I haven’t hit anything yet but that could change.”
“You’re acting like a caged tiger.” A gleam of amusement flashed in his expression. “And you sure don’t look like one. Your eye shape is wrong, plus you’re no longer behind bars.”
“Is this your version of helping me? She left. Again. Stop with the attempts to tease me out of a bad mood. It won’t work.”
Harley shifted his position slightly where he sat on the couch. “Did you argue?”
“No.”
“Was the sex bad?”
Moon flipped him off.
“She is human. It was a legitimate question. You tamed it down, right? Made sure you didn’t frighten her? You know the drill. You have to give them polite compliments and take it real slow so they don’t believe we’re rabid when things get heated.”
“She wasn’t afraid.”
“I’ll take your word for it since I wasn’t there. She did handle you well when you were on drugs. Hell, I wouldn’t have taken my clothes off around you when you were in that condition and I know I’m not even your type. You were pretty out of it. There was no telling what you’d do.”
“Harley!”
“Perhaps she fled in fear of something else.”
“Like what? No one here would dare threaten her.” Suspicion struck. “Do you think one of the males said something to her? Two of them were stationed outside human housing.”
Harley rose to his feet. “Smiley is too human friendly and Darkness would avoid her. That male isn’t social but he wouldn’t terrorize a female. I meant that she might have needed some time to think things through without you invading her space.”
“I should speak to them to be certain there wasn’t a problem.”
“Now you’re just being thickheaded. She’s a female. It’s in their nature to do things we don’t understand. It’s part of the reason we are so drawn to them.” He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. “She will return. Think as if you are a human.”
“I’m not.”
“True.” Harley nodded. “Her life will drastically change if you two mate. It’s forever and she isn’t naïve about what we are. Divorce isn’t on the table if she agrees to become yours. It would mean giving up a job that I’m certain means something to her and leaving the outside world. They have family and friends to consider too. I have no young but if I did, I’d be leery of sending mine to the out world where they could get hurt. Her people might feel the same about our world. Maybe they are not Species fans and believe all the bad hype they hear from our enemies.”
Moon frowned, not enjoying the queasy sensation he experienced. It would be difficult to talk her into being his mate if her people were set against it. The emotional turmoil it would cause to decide between them or him would be great. Only she could guess at their reactions since he’d never met anyone from her personal life.
“It’s been a long time since she was around Species and we have evolved. That will take some adjustment time too, Moon. Humans panic when they are faced with long-term commitments. That’s why they have that ‘cold-feet’ saying.”
“I didn’t mention anything about making her my mate.”
“She’s not blind. You’ve got all the symptoms that are easy to spot.”
“Not to her.”
“She learned a lot about us after we were freed.”
“She dealt with Species right out of Mercile. There were no mated couples at site four.”
“True.” Harley let his arms drop to his sides and shrugged. “I believe she has strong feelings. She’ll return. Give her some time.”
“What if she doesn’t come back?”
“We could have the task team go after her and bring her back. She’d be easy to locate and grab.”
Moon was tempted to call Trey Roberts. They were friends and the male was always helpful. It would only take about an hour to assemble a team. He mentally picked out three other members he’d entrust Joy to. Better yet, he’d go with them. They’d only need one vehicle. Tim Oberto needed to be kept out of the loop since that human would want approval from Justice, Fury, Slade, or one of the council members to collect a human female from the out world.
“You’re plotting it in your head right now, aren’t you?”
Moon stared at Harley. The male had the audacity to laugh.
“It was a joke. You have it bad. Are you sure your balls are still attached?”
He snarled, insulted.
Harley threw up his hands as he stood. “Okay. I get it. This isn’t humorous to you. I’m sure you’ll tease me if I ever find a female I go insane over. No more kidding around. You can’t send a team after her. Can you imagine how terrified she’d be to have the equivalent of their SWAT team suddenly surround her? She might handle it well but the ones near her would flip out. It would draw media attention and Justice would have to hold press conferences to undo the damage. He’d be unhappy at having to assure the public that we’re not going around kidnapping their females to be our mates.”
But when? In another two years? He couldn’t even get the words out to express that fear.
Harley looked concerned. “She has strong feelings for you. You weren’t there when she was facing down a roomful of males. The female is fierce when it comes to you. I would guess it’s a case of cold feet. They aren’t as focused as we are on getting and keeping what we want. They tend to chase after something, catch it, and panic when they realize they have it within their grasp. You fell for a human so you need to accept her flaws.”
“Fine.” He needed to be alone and think.
“What does that mean?”
“She’ll return to me.” Even if he had to make certain she did.
“Why don’t we go for a run? It will drain some of your restless energy. You’re still wound too tight.”
“I’m fine.”
“Lie,” Harley accused. “You are anything but fine. I’d be pissed if she had abandoned me. You need to run and sweat it out.”
“I’ve had enough of that to last me a lifetime.” He had a flashback what he’d endured at Medical.
Harley grinned. “True. That was hellish.” He sobered. “I can’t hand over the bastard who hurt you so you’re able to pound him into a bloody pulp or track down your wayward female. What I can do is help you deal with the anger. We’ll run or take it to the mats if you need to fight. You sure can’t seek out a female to distract you since you only want Joy.”
He did want her in the worst way. First, he’d yell at her for leaving him but then he’d seduce her to prove she belonged to him.
“I am angry,” he admitted. “I know they’ll catch the ones involved with the attack. Patience still isn’t my best trait but I know it’s only a matter of time before they are brought to us. I need to be alone to think about Joy.”
Harley glanced low and smiled. “Miss her that much, huh? It must make it harder with her scent clinging to you.” His eyes sparkled with amusement when he looked back up.
“You said you’d stop making jokes.”
“Sorry.” He shrugged. “You wouldn’t have let that one pass either if it were anyone else. I’ll sleep here tonight to keep you company.”
“Go home. I promise I won’t destroy my house or call Trey to assemble a team.”
Harley studied him with suspicion.
“I found my mate but she’s fled Homeland. I only want to take some time to adjust to everything. I need some space and quiet. It was easier to find calm in the silence of our cells at Mercile.”
“Okay. You call me though i
f you need anything. I’ll keep a phone within reach at all times. We’ll share breakfast in the morning if I don’t hear from you by then.”
“Thank you.”
The hug they shared wasn’t awkward. It was a reminder that someone cared about him and the bond between them was strong. He had found family in Harley. They separated.
“Call me if you need to talk,” Harley murmured. “Or want someone to sit with you.”
“I will.”
Moon watched him go and waited a full minute to make sure he wouldn’t return before spinning on his heel and stomping into his bedroom. He threw open the closet door, flicked on the light, and scanned his clothing. He picked black leather as he pulled the jacket from the hanger. He threw it out into the bedroom to land on the bed. Jeans followed, along with his boots.
A team wouldn’t be sent after Joy. Harley had reminded him that it would cause a scene if there were any witnesses around her when they arrived. One male wouldn’t draw too much attention though. He growled low, exiting the closet to take a quick shower.
“I’ll go after her myself.” Fuck waiting. He’d spent two years without Joy after she’d run from their feelings and he refused to allow her to do it a second time.
* * * * *
Guilt was an emotion Moon rarely experienced. He didn’t tell lies or do things he knew were wrong. Until tonight. He made sure to mask his expression as he held the gaze of the officer on duty at the concealed gate. It was an emergency exit in case of attack or if they needed to sneak someone in or out of Homeland.
“I didn’t recognize you in that outfit, Moon.” True was a male who’d been stolen by some of Mercile’s employees before the facility had been breached to free Species. He’d been located later and recovered with a few dozen others. “Is that a motorcycle?” He studied the machine between Moon’s thighs. “I’ve never seen one other than on television.”
“Harley loves them and we each keep one here. He has five of them at his home at Reservation.”
“It’s beautiful.” The male walked around the bike, admiration in his gaze. “Is it difficult to drive with only two wheels?”