“Why?”

He hesitated. “You’re Gift.”

She blinked and her mouth turned downward as if she didn’t understand.

“It’s procedure to call in another female to attend you,” he explained.

“I’m fine.”

Her arms lifted to hug her chest and it hid her ni**les but the mounds were still a tempting sight. Her wrists were too small to cover much. Shadow experienced guilt at noting that fact and he jerked his gaze to her face. She was a pretty female with pale features. A few strands of her hair were stuck to her cheek.

“You’re wet and not as sturdy as other Species. You need medical care.”

“I can’t deny the wet part.” She grabbed a handful of dripping hair that fell to her waist and glanced at it then looked at him. A small smile appeared. “It’s a good thing I’m not part rat.”

Shadow stared at her, surprised that she was so calm. She almost seemed amused by the situation.

“You know, ‘drowned rat’? It was a joke. I heard monkeys can’t swim though. I wonder if that’s true. I’ve never tried it before.”

This wasn’t going as he’d imagined. He’d thought she would be screaming, perhaps bursting into tears, but she just released her hair to peer around the cramped room.

“What is this place?”

“We store sports equipment here.”

“Oh. Are they fun to play? I’m not allowed. I’ve watched though and it looks enjoyable.”

“It depends on the sport.” He almost turned around but then remembered why he kept his back to her. His dick refused to comply with his brain, which was ordering it not to be interested in the Gift Female.

A shiver ran down her small frame and Shadow softly growled. Her gaze darted to him and widened. A hint of fear finally showed in her eyes.

“Sorry,” he rasped. “I’m not angry or anything. I just hate that you’re cold. I need to get you help.” He reached for the door.

“Stop!”

His hand hovered over the handle when he glanced back at her. She’d risen to her feet. The white nightgown hugged every curve of her body and made him aware she wasn’t similar to the Species females he was accustomed to. Her h*ps were fuller, her belly softer and she was little. He guessed she couldn’t be more than just an inch over five feet tall. One thing was certain. She wasn’t wearing underwear. His gaze paused at the thin material plastered to her middle before he stared at the floor.

“Please don’t risk your life by walking out into that storm. Just wait for it to pass. This is my fault. I shouldn’t have left the dorm but I wasn’t thinking rationally at the time. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”

“I’ll be fine.” His chest puffed up a little, his pride injured. “I’m tougher than a little hail.”

“I don’t doubt that. You look fierce in your uniform and you’re very big.”

He glanced at her face, worried that she might be afraid if she noticed those things. No fear showed in her gaze though as they examined each other. He wasn’t sure what to do.

“Please don’t go.” She stepped closer. “Would it be so bad to wait out the storm with me?”

He held back a groan. “You’re Gift and you need assistance from another female.”

Her chin lifted and anger flashed in her eyes. “I know the rules but I’m not afraid of you. It’s just stupid to leave here to get help when I don’t need it.”

“I’m a male.”

“I see that.”

He tried a new line of reasoning. “You shouldn’t be alone with one.”

Her arms hugged her chest again. “Are you going to hurt me?”

“Never.”

“Exactly my point.” She glanced around. “We need to get warm first. I read a lot and that’s what the books say. We should take off our wet things and find something dry to wear.”

His mouth fell open. “What?”

She stared at something above his head to the left and pointed. “What is that up there?”

He followed the direction of her finger. “Those are flags.”

Beauty worried that the big man would bolt. He looked ready to as he faced the door once again. Shadow was really tall and his hair was short. It was an oddity to see a Species with it cut so close to his head. His blue eyes were really pretty and she was sure he was canine, the way he growled and snarled.

“Flags?”

He sighed loudly and partially turned in her direction to stare at her calmly. “Flags. We have teams and someone thought it would be nice to put them on the benches when we play.”

“Can you hand me one?”

He slowly reached up to the folded material and pulled. She inched closer. He towered over her by almost a foot and a half. Her head didn’t even reach his broad shoulders. Shadow was careful not to touch her when he passed it over. The soft, silky material was dry and thicker than she’d hoped. She unfolded it to stare at the white fabric with an orange lion’s head printed on the center of it.

“It looks as if it’s made out of flames. That’s pretty.”

“I guess.” He shifted his stance. “The other one has a wolf face. Or a dog. I’m not sure which was intended.”

“Is there a third one for the primates?”

“No. Just the two. I don’t know why but there probably should be one.” He appeared uncomfortable.