“I’m sure.”

“You’re brave.” He left, quietly closing the door.

“You surprise me.” The deep voice held a hint of respect.

Joy had almost forgotten about Harley. He moved to stand in front of her. She shrugged. “You were wrong about me. I really care about Moon. I always have and still do.”

“It seems.” He suddenly crouched down to her level. “Listen to me.”

Here it comes, she thought, preparing for more dire threats from him about what he’d do to her if she hurt Moon. It was the natural reaction of someone feeling helpless when someone they loved was in jeopardy. They needed a way to try to control the situation.

“Don’t fight him if he ever gets his hands on you. It will send him into a rage. Go still.” He paused. “If he sinks his teeth into you, don’t pull away. Don’t scream. Don’t struggle. Am I clear? He’s more animal than human right now. Show him absolute submission if you want a chance at survival.”

She nodded, not trusting her voice at that point. His warnings put vivid images in her mind. The screaming part made her wonder how rough Moon would be if she did offer him her body. He was a really strong, big guy.

“Good.” Harley studied her features. “He talked about you to me. He said you were brave and had the courage of one of our females. I didn’t believe that until now. He could never understand why you bolted. I’m giving you a chance, so don’t screw it up. He’s the closest person to me and I’ve lost too much already in my lifetime.” His focus lowered down her body, then jerked back up. “You better not be blowing smoke up my ass and chicken out. I stood up to Justice and Tiger to give you this chance. I wouldn’t have done it but I’m desperate to save him. So are they or they’d never have agreed to allow this.”

“Me too.” Heartfelt words. “I won’t leave him this time.”

A current of understanding flowed between them. Harley suddenly reached into his back pocket and pulled out a cell phone. She wondered if he would offer it to her to use to make those calls. Instead he looked down and touched it, tapping the faceplate.

“I want you to see something.”

“Okay.”

He turned the phone face in her direction and a video began to play. She took it from his fingers, staring at a smiling Moon displayed on the small screen in her palm. He was outdoors, wearing a tank top and shorts. Humor glinted in his beautiful eyes. “What are you doing?” His voice was husky, the one she remembered.

“Making a memory,” Harley chuckled. “Videos are popular.”

Moon laughed. “I’m so not ha**ng s*x with you. You’re not my type. I thought those were the only videos you watched.”

“Ha-ha,” Harley snorted. “I think you’re talking about yourself instead of me.”

“We are friends because we have so much in common.” Moon glanced away, then back at the camera. “Why don’t you film them?” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “They are more interesting than I am.”

Harley panned the camera to record some Species females playing volleyball. After a few seconds he zoomed back to Moon. “I wanted to video you. You’re leaving for Reservation soon and I’m going to miss you. I’ll watch this when I do.”

Moon smiled. “It’s only for a month. You won’t even know I’m gone.” He pointed again in the direction of the females. “You can play with them and look sad so they keep you occupied. It sounds as if I’m doing you a big favor.” His hands gripped his hips. “It will gain you sympathy. Tell them you miss going riding with me and take them on your bike.”

“It won’t be the same.” Harley sounded a bit depressed. “I’m really going to miss you.”

Moon’s suddenly somber, dark gaze peered into the camera. “I’ll be back before you know it and we’ll have fun. I’ll miss you too. I never thought I’d ever be close to someone.” He suddenly grinned. “Now turn that off and let’s go play some ball. We’ll play two against five and show them how it’s done before I leave.”

Harley chuckled and the video ended. Joy blinked back tears as she lifted her gaze to the man holding out his hand for her to return his phone.

“I want my friend back.” Sincerity shone in his eyes. “That was recorded a few weeks ago. That’s the Moon I know.” He glanced away, shoving his phone back inside his pocket. He held her gaze once more but she saw tears shimmer in his eyes. “I need him to be fixed.”

“I’m going to do whatever it takes,” Joy swore.

* * * * *

Moon snarled, rage a living thing inside his body. He couldn’t think and nothing made sense. Pain, anger, and the urge to explode was all he knew. He threw back his head and howled. He wanted something. No. Someone. A female.

A memory struggled to surface but it was buried under layers of haze. She’s real, isn’t she? He wasn’t sure. He paced the cell, snarled at the bars that contained him, and wanted to run. His chest slammed into them but he couldn’t get free.

He wiped at his mouth and a scent made him freeze. He sniffed, drew his fingers to his nose and inhaled deeply. It was familiar, female. He closed his eyes and the image of a dark-haired human sitting behind a desk came into focus. She was smiling at him. She had a silky mass of curls pinned up at the nape of her neck in a bun but he wanted to see it down. Big blue eyes with flecks of yellow in her irises fascinated him. They were rare for a human but he wasn’t sure how he knew that.