“Does he look better?”

“No humans are allowed on that level so I haven’t been able to examine him in person.

Justice thinks it’s best right now if he’s not exposed to any. Destiny and Field are living down there to tend to him around the clock. I did get a look at the live feed from the cameras. I insisted and I could tell his coloring is much better from what I saw. You can imagine how difficult it is trying to evaluate a patient by video monitoring though.”

“How is his mental state? Is he showing any signs of brain damage or depression? We have no idea what was done to him or how traumatic his brain injuries were before he arrived at Homeland.”

“He seems fine.” Trisha frowned. “I’d be worried about my own ass right now, Alli. You kidnapped a Species and took him from behind the gates. Do you know how dangerous that was?

What if someone not associated with the NSO had found you with him? Did you think about that?”

“I just wanted to help him and they wouldn’t let me do that. I thought it would be safe and I took every precaution I could think of. I planned to call Homeland on day seven if 880 didn’t show any signs of improvement or if he worsened.”

“You unchained him.” Trisha hesitated. “Did you think about what could have happened if he’d woken, thought you were his enemy, and he killed you? He would have been out there alone.

He wouldn’t have known what to do and he could have killed innocent people, thinking everyone he saw worked for Mercile.”

Alli shook her head. “He would have been too weak to do much damage to me and I was sure I could handle him.”

“He attacked Tim Oberto’s team. He not only got out of his bed but put two of them on their asses. Think of what he could have done if he’d opened his eyes to see you there.”

The blood drained from her face as she did just that. “He would or could have killed me.”

“Exactly.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.” Trisha reached out and took her hand. “You’re in a lot of trouble and I don’t know what they are going to do with you. Justice won’t even discuss it with me. Slade is my mate but he is Species too. You put one of his males at risk and none of them can ignore that. You were obviously right about a female scent drawing 880 out of his coma but it doesn’t cancel out the danger you exposed him to. At the very least, you’re fired. You could be facing some jail time.”

Tears filled Alli’s eyes but she blinked them back. “I knew that and I’m ready to take whatever sentence they hand out to me. 880 was worth it.”

“Damn it.” Trisha released her and stood to pace the small area. “This is a mess. So far they’ve kept you in this holding cell but they can’t keep you here indefinitely. Justice is against Species imprisoning humans. They’ll have to hand you over to the people who used to manage Homeland. They opened a prison run by them to hold Mercile employees.” Trisha hesitated and met her stare. “It’s a hellish place full of people who will hate you and you’ll hate them since they are monsters. You’re not one.”

“I knew the risks and I took them.”

Trisha’s gaze narrowed. “Do you think I’m going to sleep at night, knowing where you’re going? The NSO doesn’t control it and I’ve heard horror stories about that place. I’m trying to talk them into just firing you and escorting you to the gates. You’ll be banned from having any further contact with the NSO or discussing Species in public. I just don’t know if they are going to go for it. Would you sign a total confidentially clause if they offered it to you?”

More tears filled her eyes. “I just wanted to help New Species, 880 in particular.”

“I know but you did the wrong thing. It was insane, irrational, and you did put 880 in severe danger. If someone had gotten a hold of him they could have killed him, ransomed him to the NSO for millions, or worst case, someone from Mercile could have gotten their hands on him again.

There are a lot of those assholes out there who haven’t been caught yet. They are desperate.”

Alli’s shoulders dropped. “I’m sorry.”

Trisha stared at her grimly. “Hang in there.”

Alli watched her go. The officer guarding her glanced in before the door closed. The sounds of locks being turned made her curl up on the bed.

Her room was small, consisting of a bed, a handful of books she’d been given, and nothing else. It had been two days since she’d been arrested. Tiger and now Trisha were the only ones who had visited her besides a few humans on the task force who had come to ask her questions. At least she knew 880 had regained consciousness and he was getting stronger.

“It was worth it,” she whispered and squeezed her eyes closed as more tears slipped out.

Trisha glared at Justice, then at her mate. Slade took a step closer, his hand lifted to caress her but she stepped out of his reach. She was furious.

“There’s your criminal. The big bad threat to New Species. Give me a damn break. Alli did something stupid but she shouldn’t be locked up.” Trisha pointed to the camera feed inside Allison Baker’s cell. “She’s a doctor. We will do anything to save a patient and nobody here would listen to her. I would have raised hell until someone caved if I had a suggestion I believed in but she’s different. I can’t see her yelling or getting in someone’s face. She secretly plotted to get 880 out of here where she could try to do what it took to save him.” She paused. “And it worked. I want Tiger in here right now.”

Justice hesitated but lifted his phone. “Send in Tiger please.” He hung up. “Trisha, we are all upset.”

“Doc—”

“Shut up, Slade. Don’t ‘Doc’ me. I’m mad. I swear I’m going with her if you send her to Fuller Prison. You can lock us up together in a holding cell over there.”

Shock widened her mate’s gaze and he shot an alarmed look Justice’s way. A growl tore from his throat and Trisha backed off that one immediately, afraid he’d get into a fight.

“Slade?” He looked at her. “Just stand still and let me handle this, okay?”

He frowned but his body relaxed.

The door behind them opened and Tiger strutted inside. “I was told you needed me?”

Trisha turned on him. “I demand you walk over to Security and have them lock you inside the cell next to Alli’s.”

His pretty gaze widened. “What?”

“You heard me. She called you, asking for permission to do what she thought was best for her patient but you turned her down flat. She wouldn’t have kidnapped him if you’d just given her a chance to do whatever she thought would help 880. You’re just as guilty of a crime as she is. Someone has to pay for this, according to Justice, and damn it, I’m holding you accountable too. Alli was right. 880 is awake. He might not be if she hadn’t had to go to such drastic measures to save him. Go lock yourself up and whatever time she gets, you deserve too.” She took a deep breath. “I demand you stay in the cell next to hers so you can both suffer together.”

Tiger’s mouth dropped open but he closed it.

His gaze slid to Justice.

Trisha turned on him next. “That’s fair. Alli might have put 880 at risk by taking him off NSO grounds but Tiger put him at risk too for not listening to his doctor. She woke him. 880 would still be in a coma if it wasn’t for her. You want someone to pay for what she did but she was driven to do it by him.” She pointed at Tiger. “And you could have overridden his veto but you didn’t so you should be in a third cell.”

Justice frowned. “Calm down, Trisha.”

“Screw that. Either all three of you serve the same amount of time or I demand you release her.

I want her back on duty. Tiger was down the hall in his office. You’re in yours. I want Alli back in hers. She’s a great doctor.”

“We can’t trust her anymore, Trisha.” Slade’s soft voice calmed her a little.

She met his gaze. “Then ban her from the NSO and escort her to the gates but let her out of that damn cell. She’s not a criminal. She’s dedicated to saving lives, she did what she felt was necessary for 880. Give her credit for that. Do you know how scared she must have been to take him? What kind of courage it took not to only implement her plan but go through with it? She put her life in danger too, knew she’d face punishment, and probably didn’t think it would even work. That makes her braver in my book. She risked it all for a Species.”