Justice Read online

  “We’re going to have to talk to each of the new ones.” Fury shifted his stance. “I hate to say it but if they can’t be a part of us, I don’t want them running around.”

  “Fury!” Ellie gasped. “Are you saying we should kill them?”

  “I said I don’t want them running around. Maybe we can contain the dangerous ones until they smarten up.”

  “Justice will decide. For now,” Tiger peered down at Jessie’s sleeping form, “we have them separated and accounted for. I have officers talking to all of them to see where their heads are. My main concern is Jessie. She is either going to recover from this or she’s going to shoot anyone she doesn’t trust who goes near Justice.” He suddenly grinned. “Hey, she could shoot reporters. That’s a plan.”

  Fury chuckled. “Don’t get excited. I know how great that would be but then Justice would be angry to have a mate locked up at a slammer.”

  “It’s ‘in the slammer’. And yes, that would be bad for her to be sent to prison. Of course, as his mate, she’s a Species and they can’t take her away since their laws don’t apply here.” Ellie pointed a finger at Tiger. “Don’t think about it and wipe that grin off your face. You can’t send her after them no matter how much you hate those vultures. Did anyone call her father? Maybe he could help her snap out of this and realize it’s not as bad as she thinks.”

  “No humans,” Tiger announced. “Imagine how it would sound if this got out. We’re going for the ‘we are better people’ campaign and now we have five dead Species assassins. It would be a disaster.”

  “Public relations nightmare all the way,” Fury agreed. “Her father isn’t going to be called.”

  The door to Justice’s room opened and Nurse Paul stepped out. “He’s doing great.” Paul glanced at Jessie in Tiger’s arms. “Sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t know she fell asleep. Justice is going to be fine and should wake soon.”

  Tiger pushed off from the desk. “Good. Let’s go into his room and I’ll put her next to him.”

  Paul shook his head. “She can’t be put in bed with him.”

  Tiger arched his eyebrow. “Really? Stop me from putting her there.” He pushed past Paul.

  Tiger gently laid Jessie on the bed beside Justice. Both of them slept while he watched them. Pure rage filled him. His best friend and his mate could have been killed. His focus fixed on Jessie and his anger softened. She was tough and she loved Justice. His best friend had chosen his mate well. He backed away from the bed to leave them in peace and go back to sit on the desk.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Justice woke and realized three things instantly. Jessie lay beside him sleeping, he was in pain and Tiger sat in a chair next to him, silently regarding him with a grim expression. He’d survived the attack since he was in Medical.

  “How bad are my injuries and did you catch the fifth male?”

  “Jessie killed him. You had surgery but you’re going to be fine within a few days. I had Dr. Treadmont give you the drugs to help you heal faster so that’s the reason if you feel a little aggressive. Please control it.”

  Justice turned his head to study Jessie. She lay curled on her side facing him, his arm rested under her head and his hand curved around her back. He didn’t see a mark on her delicate features, reassuring him she hadn’t been harmed. He felt relief. His attention shifted back to Tiger.

  “When did she fall asleep?”

  “She didn’t.” Tiger hesitated. “Don’t get mad because I can explain. She’s drugged. We had no other choice.”

  “Why?” Justice growled softly. “Was she harmed and needs the rest to heal?”

  “She’s fine except for the fact that you gave her two loaded guns with spare clips and she stood outside this room threatening to kill any Species besides Breeze or me if they came within ten feet of your door. She meant it. She said she would trust me since you do and she trusts Breeze because she’s her friend.”

  “She doesn’t know who to trust after the males came after us.” He smiled. “She defied my orders to remain in the bathroom and saved my life. She is battleworthy, Tiger. You should have seen her.”

  “I did. We arrived and found her planted protectively over you and holding two guns. I’m lucky to be here because she pointed them right at me. The fifth male was outside the back slider of your office. He must have realized when we arrived that he had one last opportunity to kill both of you. He launched himself through the glass. She turned both guns on him, didn’t miss once and he was dead before he ever touched either of you. She reacted before I could. We had to drug her, Justice. She was in shock and told Halfpint and Tiny that she thought we were going to suffer a civil war. She was ready to kill any of us who got near you, thinking we’d split loyalties. She’s very protective of you.”

  Justice grinned and his arm tightened around her. “She’s a perfect mate.”

  Tiger laughed. “I’d say so. Remind me to never piss you off. She’ll hurt me.”

  “I’ll explain things to her when the drugs wear off.” Justice paused. “We need to weed out the new ones to make sure none of them want to come after Jessie or me. I won’t allow that to happen.”

  “I thought of that already and ordered all of the new ones, including the females, to be detained for questioning. Our officers are talking to each of them to see if we have any more problems.” He paused. “We will deal with them if there are more of them who hate humans enough to turn on their own people. We can’t allow them to endanger any of us if they are unstable.”

  “I know.” Justice sighed. “Did you ever think we’d be discussing this?”

  “Never. It must be done though.”

  “Yes.”

  “The council is in the waiting room. They wanted to ask you to give permission for them to take over your duties while you are healing. They asked me to tell you that if you need to take some time to,” Tiger’s gaze drifted to Jessie, “calm your female, please take as many weeks away as you need.” A grin suddenly split his face. “Everyone is requesting you hide your weapons from her in the future.”

  “She can keep them after she realizes this won’t happen again.” Justice suddenly laughed. It hurt and he groaned. “I would feel safer at night knowing she has access to a gun. She can protect me but I’ll hide them when I make her angry.”

  Tiger laughed. “Should I tell everyone that is the reason why you won’t take her guns away? They might believe it and not know you are teasing.”

  “No.” Justice laughed. “Just tell them I’ll think about it.” His smile suddenly died. He glanced at Jessie and then Tiger. “Did she say anything about me?”

  “She was worried and she cried when we thought you weren’t going to make it.”

  “I meant about how I tore apart the first male who came at our bedroom? Was she horrified? Upset? Sickened? I never wanted her to see that side of me.”

  “She never said a word but I saw the body. She walked through his blood and had to have known how you killed him. It was obvious. Didn’t you tell her we don’t use weapons against one another? That it is our way? Didn’t you tell her that we were sure it would result in death if our males ever fought when it comes to protecting a mate?”

  “I never explained it clearly, in enough detail.”

  “You are afraid she won’t be able to look at you again and not remember? I’m sure she’ll still love you.”

  “I ‘m worried she will fear me.”

  “You are her male, Justice. Her mate. You tore your bed apart at Reservation, over a female. She was the one, wasn’t she? She was there that night but had to leave suddenly for her job. I had to allow their helicopter to land to pick her up during your press conference with the reporters outside the gates. I should have put it together but I assumed the female was one of ours.”

  “I should have told you but you know how you are when it comes to our males and humans. You’d have worried. She is all I’ve wanted since I first touched her and all I could think about.”