“Don’t you have phone calls to make or someone else to taunt?” Fury glared at him. “I was talking to Wrath.”

“He loves me. My man is just grumpy because he’s not getting any loving.” Tiger laughed.

“I am though.” A smile curved Fury’s mouth. “There are many ways to do that.”

Wrath glanced between the males, knew they were friends, and wished he could escape their good-natured argument. “I have a phone call to make.”

“Not so fast.” Tiger shifted to block his path and all humor left his face. “You did agree to work with the task force for six months and we can’t afford to lose you. We’re already one Species down since Vengeance didn’t work out. Whoever this female is, she can wait.”

“You could keep her with you. You have your own sleeping quarters, correct? I can talk to Justice and he’ll be able to smooth things over with Tim.”

Excitement struck Wrath for a few heartbeats as he absorbed Fury’s offer. “I don’t know if she’d agree to that.”

Tiger growled. “That’s too risky. She’d have to—”

“Agree to remain there during the rest of your mission.” Fury shot Tiger a warning look. “He has feelings for the female. You may not understand but I do. I’d live anywhere with Ellie and she’d live with me. It could be inside a cave in the woods but she wouldn’t care as long as we’d be together. This female might return his strong feelings.”

“Tim is going to pitch a fit. I know him better than you do. He will adamantly refuse to allow a human female to live with one of our males.”

Fury shrugged off Tiger’s assessment. “That’s not his call to make since he works for us and we give the orders.” He stared at Wrath. “You should find out how deep her feelings run for you. Justice and I both have mates and we understand how important they are to our happiness. He’ll support me on this issue. Do you love her?”

“She is all I think about,” Wrath confessed. “I’ve never been happier than when I’m with her.”

“Sounds like love to me.” Fury chuckled. “Stop wasting time with us and go call her. Find out if she loves you.”

Wrath hesitated, staring at the other male. “What if she doesn’t return my feelings?”

“It’s her choice and her heart. You can’t be mates unless the love and need to be inseparable flows both ways. It’s what makes the mating bond alive. Just don’t be surprised if she asks for time to figure out if she is willing to give up her life as she knows it to be with you. They are different from us and I’ve heard their males aren’t as intense as we are. She may not take you seriously due to how some human males don’t understand the true meaning of loyalty and commitment for life. It’s your duty to tell her how we are, that it’s for life, but you aren’t allowed to share classified information about Species until after she is your mate.”

“He means use condoms to prevent her from becoming pregnant and don’t tell her there’s a possibility of it until she’s really yours. I’d wait until you live at NSO before you do that. We can’t allow the humans to know we can have children. It’s too dangerous and you getting her pregnant while living with the team would reveal our secret.”

Wrath understood the importance of protecting his people and their future. “She is on the birth-control shot.”

“Good. Make sure she keeps taking it. They assume we can’t get them with a baby and might decide she no longer has to take it.” Tiger spun on his heel. “I do have calls to make. Good luck.”

Fury nodded toward Wrath. “Call her.” He stepped into his office and closed the door.

Wrath hesitated and walked outside to find privacy under a shade tree before he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number on the note Lauren had left him. His stomach twisted from the uncertainty of what she would say or how she would react. They hadn’t started out on good terms when he’d taken her from that warehouse but emotionally they’d come a long way in such a small amount of time. He was willing to risk anything for her, even the pain of rejection.

* * * * *

The phone woke Lauren and she lunged for it. “Hello?”

“Lauren.”

Her heart instantly squeezed at hearing that deep, wonderful voice. “Wrath.”

“The briefing took longer than expected and then I was asked to be present while Bill was interrogated. I returned to the cottage to see you but was informed you’d been escorted to your friend’s home.” He paused. “I wanted to see you and was deeply disappointed that you were gone.”

“I wanted to see you too but they didn’t exactly give me a choice.” She sat up and clutched the phone tighter, fully alert. “You got my note.”

“I have it right here.”

She only hesitated for a second before blurting out what she really wanted to say. “I miss you already. I know I shouldn’t say that, it probably makes me seem kind of clingy but I just wish I was there with you.”

“I miss you too and wish you were in front of me.” He growled.

Her body instantly responded to that sexy sound. “Don’t do that. It makes me miss you more and I’m remembering the night we spent together and how you would make that exact sound when we were making love.”

He growled again and she closed her eyes, listening to him breathing, and hated holding the phone instead of him.