Great, Ellie thought. Just f**king great. She couldn’t even speak. Now the director was involved in her worst nightmare too.

Trisha released Ellie’s hand. “How dare you come bursting into my house? This is my bedroom, Director Quish. As for what you heard, an unfortunate accident happened and that’s all.”

She moved forward, putting her body between Ellie and the director. He looked confused.

“What happened?” He sounded calmer.

Trisha straightened her shoulders and glared at the director. “What happened is that someone got past your security and scared Ms. Brower. She screamed. Mr. Fury, Mr. North, and the security officers were at the house,” the doctor lied. “I told you I saw some idiot with a camera today sneaking around by the clinic. It could have been the same guy.” She twisted her head to stare at Ellie with wide eyes. “Was the guy you saw peering into the window a short blond man wearing jeans and a green shirt?”

Ellie stared at the doctor, trying to hide her stunned surprise that this stranger would tell lies to protect her secrets but managed to nod. “That sounds like the guy who startled me.”

A frown marred the director’s face. “Then why is Mr. Fury in lockup?”

Relief flashed over the doctor’s face before she faced the director again. “Because he wanted to hunt the son of a bitch down and kill him. Ms. Brower was startled, fell back, and hit her head. It knocked her out cold when she struck the edge of the counter. You know how protective of women these guys are. She’s a guest in his home and some flash-happy jerk scared her, she got hurt, and he lost his temper. You know they can hunt and track with those animal instincts. Mr. North thought it would be a bad idea to allow Mr. Fury to kill the man since he’s a human. They didn’t see eye to eye in the heat of the moment. Mr. Fury is being detained until he can cool down.”

“That’s true,” Slade agreed from the doorway he leaned against. He wasn’t wearing the NSO uniform this time, instead he sported jeans and a black tank top. “I came over here to take a statement from Ms. Brower about the man she saw at the window. If you’ll excuse us, Director, I’m off duty but I’d like to get her statement as fast as I can. Maybe you could get your security guards to search for this guy before he causes more problems?”

Ellie watched Tom Quish’s face, seeing anger there. “Fine. If that’s the story you want to tell, I’ll run with it.” He gave Ellie a grim frown. “Are you all right, Ms. Brower? Is there anything I can do for you?”

“I’m fine now,” she promised softly. “But thank you for caring.”

He spun on his heel to march out of the room. Ellie stared at the doctor, still surprised that the woman would help her by lying. The doctor shrugged.

“I told you that you can trust me.”

Slade blew out a heavy breath. “I think I’ll go have a seat in the living room to prevent anyone else from barging in.” His gaze slid to Ellie. “They are bringing Fury to you and he should arrive real soon. He’s pissed as hell but fine.” His gaze swung to the doctor and he grinned. “You lie good, Doc.” Slade winked at her and softly closed the door behind him.

Trisha’s shoulders sagged. She sat down next Ellie on the bed. “I’m not the best liar. Was that at least passably good?”

“Pretty good. He left, didn’t he?”

Trisha studied Ellie. “You need to take it easy for a few weeks. You really whacked your head good on that counter. If you suffer headaches, dizzy spells, or just don’t feel right, you need to call me immediately. I want you to take it easy and try not to have sex for at least a week. You need to remain calm with no physical activity. Keep the area where I stitched you as dry as possible. I used dissolvable stitches and I won’t need to remove them. I doubt you’ll see much of a scar.”

“Great.” Ellie couldn’t hide the anger that flared or her sarcasm at that bit of news.

“Could I ask you just a few questions?”

“Like what?”

“Well,” Trisha scooted to face her, adjusting her body on the edge of the mattress. “I read some of the medical records on New Species and realize Fury is canine. It says their penises swell during sex.” She paused. “Does the swelling hurt?”

“No,” Ellie shook her head. “I can’t believe this happened.”

“How long do you usually have to wait until the swelling goes down?”

Ellie frowned at the doctor.

“Please? I want to know.”

“So you can help other people if a woman decides to sleep with one of them?”

Trisha hesitated. “For my own benefit. I’m attracted to one of them.”

Ellie relaxed. “Oh. Well, in that case, it’s not painful. The swelling only lasts a few minutes. Maybe three.”

“Thank you. Any surprises?”

“I love him more than my own life.”

Trisha stood. “You can go home with him tonight. Just remember what I warned about your head and Mr. Fury is going to need to wake you every few hours to make sure you’re okay. If he has any trouble rousing you, he is to call me immediately. I’ll get you pain pills to help with the headache you’re going to have after the medication wears off.”

“Thanks, Doctor Norbit.”

“Just call me Trisha.” She left the room.

Ellie heard voices a few minutes later. The bedroom door swung open and Fury stalked inside. Ellie gasped. Bruises marred his face and someone had given him a shirt that looked as though it had been shredded in places. He crossed the room in just a few strides, leaving the bedroom door ajar. He sat down carefully and reached for her, his arms wrapping gently around her. He picked her up and lifted her carefully onto his lap to hug her tightly against his chest.