“Tiger?” Zest kept hold of him. “I hear engines. They are so close. Hold on, my friend.”

His mouth parted. He wanted Zest to swear to guard Zandy with his life. The male was his friend and would do it. A soft groan came out but no words. He tried to focus harder but he was slipping away. The pain intensified and everything faded into blackness.

* * * * *

Zandy stared at her cell phone. Tiger hadn’t called and it had been over an hour since he said he would. She lifted her gaze to the clock with a loud sigh. It was almost ten thirty. She had to work in the morning, needed sleep, and tried not to feel hurt that he must have forgotten about her.

She stood and carried her glass to the kitchen. A string of excuses formed in her mind. He could have been stuck in a meeting or was so exhausted he’d fallen asleep. Whatever the reason, she missed hearing his voice. She longed to talk to him but had no idea how to contact him. She scooped up her cell phone and turned off the lights as she headed to bed.

It was empty and cold without Tiger’s big body and his heated skin. She tossed and turned, thinking maybe he’d forgotten her phone number. He could have misplaced the number. Maybe the switchboard had been too busy to connect his call.

“Fuck,” she sighed. He hadn’t called. It wasn’t the end of the world. He had a life and more important things to do than tell her good night. An emergency had happened at Homeland and he should be focused on that.

She tried to drift to sleep. She’d see him at some point tomorrow, hopefully. They’d have dinner at his house. She wanted to tell him how she really felt. He might dump her when she admitted that she was falling in love but at least they wouldn’t be pretending their relationship was just sex anymore.

Chapter Fifteen

Zandy had overslept and was running late when she opened the front door to greet her escort. She had missed breakfast. Someone had left a covered dish on her coffee table but she hadn’t had time to eat any of it.

Smiley and three other males were grouped together in the courtyard when she stepped outside. Four pairs of grim gazes turned her way. Some of them looked so angry that she winced.

“I’m sorry I’m ten minutes behind. I had a rough night. I hope I haven’t made any of you late.”

Smiley walked closer. “It’s not you. We’re upset about what happened last night.” He glanced at his watch. “I didn’t even notice. I should have driven you to work already. Let’s go.”

“What happened last night?” She fell into step with him as he led her toward one of the Jeeps parked at the curb.

He stopped and his gaze met hers. “You didn’t hear what happened yet?”

“No. I didn’t even turn on the TV this morning.” Her heart plummeted. “Was there another attack at Homeland? Did one of the injured officers take a turn for the worse?” She really hoped not.

“Last night one of our helicopters was shot down. We’re still trying to figure out how they did it but it crashed. It happened right outside NSO walls. They were incoming to land but didn’t make it.”

“Oh my god. Is everyone who was on board okay?”

He hesitated. “One of the human pilots is touch and go. He has burns and broken bones. Most of our males had injures but Tiger is the worst of them.”

Her knees almost gave out beneath her. “What?”

He blinked. “I’m sorry. You know him. Tiger was on board.”

She clutched Smiley’s arms just to keep from falling. Hot tears quickly filled her eyes. “Is he alive? Where is he?”

The tall Species grabbed her h*ps to steady her and frowned. “Zandy, you are very pale suddenly. Are you ill?”

“Is Tiger alive?” Her nails dug into him where she had his arms. “How bad is he hurt?” She refused to believe he was dead. Fate couldn’t be that cruel. “Where is he, Smiley?”

He studied her eyes and softly snarled. “You shared sex with him, didn’t you?”

“Is he alive?” she yelled, frantic to get an answer.

“He’s alive but in critical condition. He suffered multiple broken bones and a head injury. We were told the pilot was able to get them to a low altitude before the engines seized. He did some kind of maneuver to halt their momentum. They estimate that the helicopter fell about a hundred feet into the tree branches at the crash site. That cushioned the crash somewhat but it landed on the side where Tiger sat.”

Every word he spoke was like a dagger to her heart. Tears slid down her cheeks. She’d been sleeping and Tiger had been fighting for his life. It was beyond horrific. Someone should have told her when it happened. She’d have been at his side.

“His ribs are fractured, as well as one arm and his leg. He suffered cuts and a blow to his head. Our doctors suspect swelling in his brain but they aren’t sure how extensive the damage is.”

“Take me to him.”

Smiley frowned. “He’s not here, Zandy. His injuries were severe and our doctors felt he needed a neurosurgeon. We don’t have one of those. He was airlifted to a trauma center a few hours from here last night. He is under heavy guard and protected where he is.”

“Where? I want to go there.” The desire to get to Tiger’s side was nearly overpowering. She just had to see him to make sure he was really alive. Inside she was falling apart. “I need to get to him.”

“How many times have you shared sex with Tiger? You’re really upset by this. Did you share sex with him? You didn’t answer me.”