“You just glanced away from me,” Breeze accused. “You’re lying. Don’t do that.

We’re friends but I refuse to have a dishonest person around me. You must be honest.”

Guilt ate at Jessie hard. Breeze had been nothing but honest and kind to her. She’d shared secrets about Species, had trusted her, and she wanted to do the same but this was too big to tell. “I wish I could blurt it all out but I just can’t.”

Anger suddenly filled Breeze’s face. “Did Flame cause you pain? Did he touch you in a bad place? Was he coming on too strong at the bar? I will cause him such great pain he will―”

“No,” Jessie shook her head. “He was a total gentleman while we danced.”

Breeze was baffled. “What has caused you pain? Are you ill? Do you need a doctor?”

“You have no idea how much I need someone to talk to but I just can’t.”

“I understand. It is classified. We have these things too.”

Jessie cried harder. That fit her and Justice’s relationship all right. No one was ever supposed to know. Breeze said soft, soothing words and put her arms around Jessie.

She patted her awkwardly on the back as she hugged her. Eventually Jessie stopped crying.

“I’m sorry I fell apart. I shouldn’t drink. Usually I can control myself when I’m like this.”

“It’s fine, Jessie. We all have moments when we cry.”

“You cry?” Jessie studied her.

Breeze hesitated. “I did when I was young but I learned that tears don’t ease the pain or change the reasons for it. I do envy you the ability to release some of that hurt through the physical exertion of crying. You should be tired now and will sleep after that much crying. I will tuck you in and stay with you until you fall asleep. Our females who you bring to us enjoy having that done. It makes them know we care and I care about you, Jessie. You are my friend.”

“Thank you. You’re my friend too. I appreciate you letting me fall apart on you the way I did. It really helped not to be alone.”

“Any time.” Breeze hesitated. “Just try to give me warning next time you feel this way. I will wear a thicker shirt so your tears don’t soak my skin.”

A laugh burst out of Jessie. “I apologize for getting your skin wet. I promise, I will tell you immediately if I feel advance warning the next time I cry.”

“Thank you.” Breeze winked at her.

Breeze pulled back the covers and Jessie climbed in. Breeze disappeared into Jessie’s bathroom and came out moments later with a hairbrush and tissue. She handed the tissue to Jessie.

“Blow your nose.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Breeze laughed and pointed to Jessie’s hair. “I will brush it. It will soothe you and everyone enjoys having it done.”

“That’s so nice. I appreciate it.”

Jessie relaxed as the other woman draped her hair down her back, applied the brush at the bottom and slowly worked out all the tangles. It did feel nice. Her body relaxed and she yawned. The brush paused and the bed dipped as Breeze shifted. One of her hands shifted Jessie’s hair to lay it over her shoulder and a soft growl tore from her.

“Who did this to you?”

Confused, Jessie turned her head to frown at her. “Did what?”

Breeze gripped her shoulder, shoved the shirt out of the way and revealed more of her skin. She glanced down, saw the almost-healed red marks that remained from when Justice had bitten her hard enough to break the skin and knew the color drained from her face. There would probably be a faint scar there for the rest of her life once the redness faded.

“Jessie? Who did this? This is from one of our males.” Breeze uttered a foul word.

“There are only two ways for a male to bite like this. He either mounted you from behind and you fought so he bit into you to force you to stay under him or one of my kind mounted you and is going around biting humans. Some of humans who have slept with Species beg our men to bite them. They think it would be a turn-on but it is strictly forbidden for our males.”

“Leave it alone,” Jessie urged softly.

Breeze released Jessie’s shoulder, stood and glared at her. “You’ve been mounted by a Species male. It was either by force or one is biting females for the novelty of it.

That wound isn’t that old. Is this why you were crying? I want a name now.”

“Please, Breeze. It’s not that way. You need to drop it.”

“I’m calling for officers. You don’t understand the seriousness of this. If one of our males is forcing your females into sex or biting them for fun, they need to be stopped immediately.” Breeze spun for the door.

“Stop!”

Breeze turned and Jessie gave her a pleading look, panicked at the idea of her friend making that call. “It’s not that way.”

A growl tore from Breeze. “How is it? I’m calling the officers.”

Justice would be furious. Their secret would be out if the officers were involved.

Every bit of pain she’d gone through would have been for nothing and he’d think she’d done it out of revenge. She wasn’t that petty. “If I tell you the truth will you swear to me that you will never repeat any of it to anyone?”

Breeze looked uncertain. “I won’t be silent if a male is harming females.”

“That’s not what happened. It wasn’t forced and…” She touched the bite mark. “It wasn’t just one of your men going around biting my kind for the hell of it.”