“I know.” Justice sighed. “Do whatever you need to, quietly, to recover our male.”

The female climbed into his bed, pressed against his side, and 880 was aware of her small size. More feeling had returned to his body but his limbs refused to answer his commands. Under the covers the fingers of his left hand curled though, a sign he had worked past the drugs paralyzing his body.

Why was the female sleeping next to him?

Where were the human males who tormented him daily? The mattress under him was different, softer than the one he’d grown accustomed to.

His sense of smell was slowly returning as well, with faint hints of unfamiliar things.

The female carried a sweet aroma…but strange. Her body heat wasn’t strong. She must be cold, but why didn’t she just leave his cell if the cooler temperatures bothered her? A horrifying thought crept into his mind. What if the human guards had forced a new female into his cell?

They’d once introduced 46 into his life by locking her inside his room. The technicians had told him she belonged to him. They wanted them to breed to see if having children was a possibility. They had been young at the time and he’d cared for her. They didn’t get along, both of them were strong willed, but they’d depended on each other. Her loss filled him with rage.

The technicians had sworn he could share a living space with 46 as long as he lived if he did as they ordered. He’d mostly agreed to their tests and hadn’t fought the technicians too often unless it became too painful. The consequences of those refusals had caused 46 harm. They used her to punish him by hitting her or giving her drugs that made her sick. It amused them to see him worry when his female grew weak. He’d learned quickly to suffer anything they did to him to protect her.

Things had changed though one day. They’d been drugged, moved while they slept, and had woken in a new place. He didn’t understand what they wanted from him anymore. The new technicians were crueler and they didn’t care if he obeyed or not. They’d taken 46 away despite his obedience, only to bring her back sick. Needle marks had assured him they’d given her drugs and she’d weakened. The food he fed her wouldn’t stay inside her stomach. He hadn’t done anything to anger them into killing her, yet they had.

A small hand slid over his chest and drew his attention. The new female’s touch was soft against him as she rubbed a small patch of skin over his heart. Her body pressed tighter to his side as she shivered, obviously cold, and used him for his body heat.

“Day one didn’t go so bad, did it? I just wish I’d thought to bring a radio or a television. You might enjoy listening to them instead of me.”

She rested her cheek on his chest near her hand and soft strands of her hair tickled his arm. “I’m kind of boring. I’m sorry about that. If you were awake, you’d probably say something like ‘Alli, please shut up’ or maybe ‘Alli, you need to get a life’.”

He pondered her words. She had a name but it was a strange one. He mentally repeated it a few times, trying to determine if he’d ever heard it before. Alli. It wasn’t familiar.

Silence stretched and he wiggled his toes. They twitched and hope flared that he’d battle off the effects of the drugs soon. He didn’t think he’d ever been down so long before and he was alarmed. Normally his body was strong but he didn’t feel that way at the moment. He detested weakness.

“I hope you don’t mind sharing the bed but it gets cold here at night. I also worry without the machines monitoring you. I’m right here if you get into trouble and I’m a light sleeper. I figure you will also get accustomed to my scent better if I’m this close. I just wish you’d wake. I’d be so happy if that happened. I want you to sit up and talk to me.”

I would as well. He moved his fingers again.

His toes twitched. He held his breath a few seconds before continuing the steady rate, in case she noticed. She might alert the technicians and he decided to hide the fact that his body was recovering until he knew where he was, who she was, and why they’d put this new female with him.

Her hand slid a little lower to his ribs, explored them, and his body responded when blood filled his cock. It had been a long time since he’d shared sex—too long—and guilt welled inside him. 46 had died. He shouldn’t want to mount the new female.

“You’re really worrying me. I’d guess you’ve dropped a good forty pounds since you were brought to me. You’re a big guy but this isn’t healthy. Every day you stay down is just one more that it’s going to take you to recover. Please fight to come back. I know how sad you must be.” She paused. “I was really in love once but he died. I was such a mess for a long time after that so I get it. I honestly do. You wonder why you should keep living, what the point is, but I’m glad I kept going. He wouldn’t have wanted my life to end because his did.”

Her soft fingertips and palm slid higher to his heart. She burrowed tighter against his side and a soft breast pressed against his ribs. He breathed in her sweet scent—not arousal, but nice.

“He died suddenly. It was such a shock because he was so full of life.” Her voice changed as emotion softened it. “I shut down too for a few months. I never thought he could die, he was just too animated, and it was beyond imaginable that anything could take him away from me. We had planned to spend the rest of our lives together until that car accident.”

A warm, wet drop landed on his skin and he realized that she cried. It stunned him and left him disconcerted. He inhaled slowly and tried to pick up any sick smell, but didn’t get anything but the sweetness he had begun to associate with the female.

“I admit I’ve kept anyone from getting too close to me since then. I don’t want to risk feeling so much just to suffer that kind of pain again. Of course as the years pass I realize I’m going to be that crazy lady with twenty-five cats if I don’t get over it.”

The surprise of her tears turned to confusion fast as he listened to her words. She didn’t make much sense. What does that even mean? He wasn’t sure.

“I’ll get over it if you come out of this healthy.

You have to fight, 880. You need to know that life is worth living. It’s worth the risk. Look at what I did trying to save you.”

He waited for her to explain that but she didn’t speak for a long time. He wanted to know what she’d done for him.

“You’ve got to come out of this.” More tears wet his skin. “I have a feeling that I’m going to be in really big trouble over stealing you from the NSO. They will probably lock me up and throw away the key.”

She’d stolen him? How? Many questions filled his mind, quickly developing into hundreds. How had she taken him from his cell? How had she escaped in the first place? Why had she burdened herself with him? She didn’t feel big enough to carry him.

He couldn’t remember anything past the day 46 had been murdered. His rage had taken hold and he’d attacked the bars. He’d refused to give up trying to reach the humans who’d killed her no matter how much he’d damaged his body.

One thing became clear. This female wasn’t his enemy. At least he hoped that was true. She could have been forced to try to lull him into a sense of trust only to calm his rage at their captors. They’d need to find a new way to control him if they still needed him.

The fingers of his left hand actually fisted and he squeezed. He wasn’t going to allow the female to know he was regaining the use of his body.

He’d remain meek, wait for the perfect moment when he was stronger and strike then. Their captors would pay for what they’d done to him, 46, and the female at his side.

She yawned and nuzzled her cheek against him where her head rested. He knew when she drifted to sleep as her breathing slowed. His left foot moved.