Obsidian Read online

  The plea in her voice softened his reserve to keep the males outside. He grimly nodded and allowed her to tug him into the house. “I’m watching them though. I will attack if one of them touches you.”

  Justice cleared his throat. “We won’t.”

  “No,” Fury agreed. “This is interesting.”

  “I have a feeling things just got more complicated.” Justice sighed. “Shit.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Alli had to practically wrestle the stiff Species into a seated position on the loveseat and sat next to him in case he tried to attack Justice or Fury. She wouldn’t put it past Obsidian to start a fight with either of them. She gripped him firmly, ready to tackle him if he tried to stand. He had no idea how important both of them were to his future life at the NSO.

  “Please,” she whispered, leaning into him. “Let me handle this and just be quiet.”

  Rage flashed in his glare.

  “Do you trust me?”

  It hurt, seeing the indecisive expression wafting over his face as he debated the answer. “Yes.”

  Relief swept through her. “Thank you.”

  She relaxed slightly but kept hold of him. She gave her attention to the two men who settled on the couch across the coffee table from them. Justice appeared a bit stunned and Fury stared, his expression grim, at her hands gripping Obsidian’s arm. They might be checking on the newest member of the NSO but she had a sneaking suspicion it was about her fate. Justice confirmed it when he spoke.

  “We held a meeting this morning about what you did, Allison.” He paused, holding her gaze. “Your plan worked. Don’t think we aren’t grateful for that.”

  Her stomach felt as if it lodged in her throat. Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good. But?—there is always one of those coming when someone talks that way. She ignored her rapidly beating heart while trying to outwardly appear calm and collected since she sure wasn’t on the inside.

  “We are,” Fury agreed. “You were very brave to put your life at risk. He could have woken feral and killed you.”

  “You should have contacted Trisha to detail your ideas on how to wake the male. I realize she was at Reservation but we have procedures you agreed to follow. Rules.” Justice paused. “You betrayed the trust of everyone by using the friendships you’ve made to smuggle Obsidian out of Homeland. The medical staff knew you had access to him and no one realized you posed a threat to his security. The officers at the gate allowed you to pass without searching the truck because you’ve always shown them kindness when they came in for ailments you treated.”

  Guilt weighed on her. “I know.”

  “Part of me wants to ignore the things you’ve done because I believe the reasons were pure. You had no malice in your heart.” He glanced at Obsidian before staring at her. “You are an excellent doctor.”

  “Thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say. A spark of hope that she might keep her job ignited at the compliment. It died quickly when Justice resumed speaking.

  “Unfortunately, the trust has been broken. We can’t have someone who does irrational things when she or he is told no. That’s what you did. Do you understand how fortunate it was that the members of the task force found you, instead of our enemies?”

  “I know.” Tears burned behind her eyes but she blinked them back, unwilling to break down. “In my defense, may I point out that no one outside of the NSO knew we were missing? You were the only ones looking for us.”

  “We’ve had breaches of information leaked to our enemies in the past.” Fury cleared his throat. “By trusted human employees. There could be more of them that we haven’t discovered yet. What if they told someone that you and Obsidian were out there within their reach? You risked his life and your own.”

  She couldn’t argue with that, even though she wanted to. “I’m really sorry. It was an extreme situation. He was wasting away and Trisha wasn’t here. I really believed my plan would work but it was shot down.” She stared at Justice. “You said no but you were wrong.” Her chin lifted, knowing she had nothing to lose. “You hired me to save Species’ lives and that’s what I did. That’s my job and I was doing it, despite the limitations you put on me. Can we at least agree that while I was wrong to take him, you were wrong too, by denying my requests? We both made mistakes. I’m no threat to the NSO. I’d never hurt or willingly endanger a Species if I believed there was a real danger to their lives. I was sure we’d be safe at that farm. I get the fact that I screwed up somehow because we were found but the bottom line is Obsidian is right here with us.”

  Justice wasn’t angry, judging by his calm expression at her tirade. “I agree. We both fucked up. That’s why we won’t hold you criminally accountable for stealing him.”

  She rapidly blinked to prevent tears from slipping out. She wasn’t going to prison. Her shoulders sagged a little in reprieve. “Thank you.”

  “We don’t trust you anymore though. What kind of message would we be sending if we allowed you to continue to work for us?” Fury leaned forward. “We don’t want to throw you into the out world though, unprotected. It’s too dangerous if anyone discovered your prior association with us. Justice made some phone calls this morning on your behalf and we came up with a solution. We are grateful to you for all you’ve done.”

  “I have spoken to Jerry Boris. He heads a special department assigned to us by the government.” Justice paused. “He’s not an easy man to work for but they could use a doctor at the facility he runs. It is self-contained, as the NSO is, and you’ll be assigned living quarters. The pay and benefits will remain the same. You’d be treating humans.”

  Fury held her gaze. “This is classified information. Fuller is a prison that contains captured Mercile employees and others who have harmed Species. They would be your patients along with the staff. It’s a completely human facility. You can accept the job or enter the out world. It’s your call.”

  Her mind blanked for seconds. They were offering her a job treating criminals but she’d be living in a highly guarded location where she’d never have to worry about NSO enemies coming after her for payback for her time spent at Homeland. She’d been warned of that possibility before she’d agreed to work for them. It was a good, fair solution. It just made her sad that she’d have to leave the home and friends she had made.

  “You can think about it.” Justice rose to his feet. “We’ve hired your replacement and he’ll arrive tomorrow evening. We need your answer in the morning so we can arrange for you to move out of this house.” Sorrow filled his eyes. “It’s the best we could do. I hope you understand.”

  “I do.”

  Obsidian had been silent the entire time but he growled low, alarming Alli. She turned her head to stare at him.

  “Don’t.”

  He was too strong to hold on to when he stood, almost knocking her off her perch on the edge of the loveseat when he tore out of her grasp. “I go where she does.”

  Fury stood. “Fuller is heavily guarded and secure but they aren’t equipped to have one of us live there. It’s in direct violation of its purpose. We send our enemies there to be punished by fellow humans. No Species are allowed. It would be too tempting to kill the prisoners.”

  “I go with Alli.” He snarled, hands fisting at his sides, ready to do battle.

  She grabbed his thigh, clinging in case he lunged at one of the other men. “Obsidian? Look at me.”

  He glared down.

  “Stop. You don’t understand what is going on but I do. Trust me. It’s really nice of them to offer me this job and not send me to prison…on the wrong side of the bars.” She shot Justice a grateful look. “I’ll take the job. I don’t need to think about it. I know my contract clause says if I leave the NSO that I’m banned from here but can I visit him?” She glanced at Obsidian, then back at the NSO leader. “Please? Fuller is a subdivision of the NSO, right? That would mean the no-contact clause isn’t in effect, right?” Desperation clawed at her from the inside out, terrified he’