There had been times since he’d gained his freedom when he’d considered how he’d react when Tech Shiver was located and arrested. The sense of betrayal he’d once felt had remained. She might not have been his female but her reasons for being kind to him had been suspicious after learning she worked closely with Polanitis. Had it all been an act to get him to care about her so she could be safely mounted by a Species? He wanted answers.

He placed her hand back on the bed and stepped away. The anger he had thought he’d feel at seeing her again didn’t surface. It would have been easy to pretend he just wanted to question her if she survived but he prided himself on being brutally honest. True just wanted her to open her eyes and be well. He’d cared about Shiver too much and her death would cause him pain.

She probably would be sent to Fuller Prison. There was no denying that she worked for the enemy. The humans who ran the place would put her in a cage and justice would be served. She would learn confinement, hopelessness of ever gaining freedom, and suffer for her crimes against Species.

A memory from the past formed inside his mind…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Shiver stepped inside his cell with a smile on her heart-shaped face, glanced at the camera before coming inside, schooling her features. The kit in her hand indicated why she’d come. They took many vials of blood after forcing drugs into his body.

“Hi,” she whispered. “I’m sorry about this.” Shiver placed the kit on the table and his chains activated, pulling him tight against the wall. She wasn’t the one to do it so that meant a guard outside the door watched their movements. “I’ll make it quick.”

She donned gloves as she uncapped a needle and inched closer with the syringe. A small alcohol packet was held between her fingers as she invaded his space. Her head didn’t even reach the top of his shoulder when she stopped mere inches away. She used her teeth to rip the tip off one finger of the glove, then also tore open the packet and swabbed his arm near his inner elbow. She lifted her head and studied his face, paying careful attention to his jaw.

“I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

She referred to the bruising there. He didn’t answer, rarely did.

Her warm fingers gripped his arm so gently he almost missed the soft way she stroked his skin with that single bare fingertip. She had told him once that tearing away the latex made it easier to feel his veins but they were very prominent. Sometimes he pretended it might be possible that she just wanted to be able to touch him, skin to skin. Her body blocked the camera so he was the only one aware of her actions. The needle was inserted into his arm so carefully that he barely felt it. Others just stabbed him roughly, seeming to enjoy inflicting pain.

“I brought you pain pills. They are safe to take,” she whispered. She released his arm and reached down the front of her shirt. He couldn’t look away as the neck of it dipped lower to reveal her creamy, white skin and the top curve of her br**sts as she removed something hidden there. She reached down and slid a small plastic packet against his palm. He closed his fingers around the object.

She withdrew the needle and capped it, shoving it inside her front pocket. She pressed a small gauze square to the puncture site. Shiver glanced up then, holding his gaze.

“Those pills are mine—from a dental appointment. I smuggled them in. Just take one at a time with some water, two if you are really sore. They’ll help take away some of the discomfort.” Her gaze drifted to his swollen jaw again then to his bruised ribs. Tears surfaced in her eyes but she blinked them back. “Don’t give up, 710. I promise this won’t last forever. Just keep calm and don’t cause fights.”

Her meaning was confusing. He always healed. The pain would fade until the guards inflicted more damage. Nothing in his life changed, especially the suffering the guards routinely inflicted upon him. He glanced down his body to study his chest, certain he’d experienced worse bruising than the dark ones now marring his skin. She shouldn’t be alarmed enough by their appearance to worry that he’d do something that would provoke a deadly response from the guards while he was helplessly chained. His life wasn’t a happy existence but he would only attack if he had a chance of winning a fight.

Realization dawned that she stood too close to his body. He could strike out and cause damage. His muscles tensed while he mentally reviewed her weaknesses. One downward arc and he could shatter her nose with his chin or cause facial injuries. She was even near enough to bite. Her tender flesh was vulnerable. He resisted, unable to hurt Shiver. He didn’t want to spill her blood or hear her screams. It made his chest ache, imagining seeing terror in her gaze when she looked at him instead of the warmth he always glimpsed.

She backed away and he watched her safely leave with her kit. The chains loosened and he limped to the sink. The camera remained at his back when he studied the white pills inside the tiny clear bag. He removed two, hesitated before shoving them into his mouth. He bent and sipped water from the sink to wash them down.

It was a risk to take her drugs but he trusted Shiver for some unknown reason. He hid the bag in his fist, making his way to the sleeping mat. He lay down, curling onto his side. He shoved the bag under the mat where it would remain hidden since they never moved it. Everything hurt but as time passed the pain eased. She hadn’t lied to him. Why did she care if he suffered? Why had she risked giving him her pills? He was sure the guards hadn’t known about it. She’d been careful to keep the exchange hidden.