“I want them to pay for what was done to me and everyone harmed during the attack on Reservation,” Moon stated.

“We all do.” Justice ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. “It seems we have a bit more patience to learn. Our enemies are cunning but we’ll never give up. We’re done here. Meeting adjourned.”

Moon hesitated. “That’s it? You aren’t going to confine me to my house or lecture me?”

Justice resumed his seat. “Do you want me to?”

“No. I’d like to return to Medical and speak with Joy.”

“That’s what I thought. I know you regret the trouble you caused and it won’t happen again. You need to figure out how she feels about you but don’t allow your pride to stop you from being totally honest with her. That’s my best advice. She won’t see it as weakness if you admit you need her in your life as a mate. Come talk to me or another mated male if you need advice or if you feel compelled to do something you know is wrong.” His gaze sharpened. “That’s an order.”

“I will. Thank you.” Moon fled the office, feeling grateful that most of them had been so understanding.

Harley stayed at his side until they reached one of the Jeeps parked outside. He grabbed Moon’s upper arm, halting him from using it to drive to Medical. “I wish you’d told me your plan to leave Homeland.”

“You would have tried to stop me and I had to see her.”

“I would have gone with you as backup in case you ran into trouble. You did and I wasn’t there to help. That torments me. We’re brothers. You let me make jokes when you could have told me how raw you felt inside. I wouldn’t have given you any shit over it.”

It was a good description to fit his emotions. It was tough to hold his friend’s gaze. “I need your respect. It’s important to me that I always keep it.”

Harley suddenly yanked him into a hug. “You always have that.” He stepped back. “You could cry like a human little girl and I’d still have your back, man.” He grinned. “It might disturb the hell out of me but we’re bros. I’d hand you tissues and buy you a teddy bear.”

Moon started to laugh. “Trey’s right. You’re such a dick at times. I wouldn’t want you to change though.”

“Okay.” Harley grew serious. “So what’s your next move? How do you plan to get Joy to become your mate? I’m here for you. Name it and I’ll do it. Should I snag handcuffs from Security so you can chain her to you? She sure couldn’t get past the gates to leave again if she were dragging your body behind her.”

“My body?”

“Yeah. In case she knocks you out trying to run away. She’s kind of sneaky, isn’t she? It’s a human thing, I guess, but they are cute. I see the draw.”

Moon turned and climbed into the Jeep. “You’re doing wonders for my confidence.”

Harley jumped into the passenger seat. “You want my advice? Sex. Lots of it. Keep her too tired to run.”

Moon started the engine. “You’re not being helpful.”

“I am. I’m throwing out backup plans in case talking doesn’t work. I wouldn’t know what to say to convince any female to move into my house and stay there. Do you?”

Moon was at a loss. “No.”

“You’ll figure it out. You’re smart. Besides, she did have a few of the task force members bring some of her belongings. I heard Trey giving them the list over the headset on the helicopter. They’ll arrive in a few hours when that team returns. That means she wants to stay here for a bit at least. That’s half the battle won.”

He’d forgotten about that. “John said both of her suitcases were heavy. I’m hoping that means she brought lots of clothes.”

“Who knows what humans pack? She might have brought her favorite barbells.”

“I don’t think Joy lifts weights.” Moon was very familiar with her body and appreciated that she wasn’t muscular.

“Everyone loves to work out.”

“Not all humans do.”

“Right. I don’t understand that.” Harley turned his head and frowned. “Who is John?”

“I’ll tell you about him on the way to Medical.”

* * * * *

“It’s going to be an ugly scar, isn’t it?” Joy had to look away from her arm as Trisha worked to change the bandage. There wasn’t much blood at least and none of it was fresh.

“No. They did a really good job. The stitches are first rate. You need to take it easy and keep the arm immobile for a few days. Keep it dry so when you shower, put plastic over it. I have something you could use for that. It’s going to be difficult to wash your hair one-handed but the wound needs time to heal. I’m giving you a sling as a reminder and to limit your movement.

“You really need to take better care of yourself. You lost a lot of blood. Not enough to need a transfusion but enough to make you feel weak and wobbly for several days. The pain meds will make you a little groggy until they wear off. Especially since you haven’t eaten enough, nor gotten much sleep, and you’ve been so focused on Moon that you’ve ignored your health. Your body was already worn down and now you’ve gotten hurt on top of it. I’m ordering you to stay in bed and food is on the way. Eat, then sleep, in that order.”

“Okay.”

The doctor finished and stepped back. “Now that we’ve dealt with the physical side of this, we need to discuss a few things.”