A tiny noise broke in her throat as her body responded to Zev’s frantic kiss. She needed him. Needed him desperately. The drive-in her gut… but she was bleeding and they had females and—

Zev broke the kiss, his shoulders heaving, but leaned his forehead on hers. “Fuck, Sasha.” He clung to her, his fingers trembling.

”I know,” she whispered, stroking his face and trying to ease her own driving need.

He kept stroking her hair, his fingers drawing tingling lines down her scalp. “We’ll go talk to the males in a second,” he said, his voice low and gruff. “I just needed a minute with you.”

”I know, me too,” she sighed. He wrapped his arms around her and she fell into his chest, a shudder rocking her frame from head to toe.

”Sasha…” he said nervously, “Did they… hurt you?”

”I don’t know,” she whispered honestly.

He pulled back and his eyes were dark and alarmed. He held her face. She gripped his wrists, meeting his gaze. She was being honest and she needed him to see that.

”You don’t know?”

”They didn’t do anything to me while I was awake,” she said.

Zev’s jaw tightened. “They drugged you?”

She nodded. “Nick said it was to do tests. But they did tests on me when I was awake and I did what they asked. So what did they do that I needed to be asleep for?”

Zev started cursing under his breath, his fingers clawing, his eyes searching hers.

She could feel his fear and anger.

”I’m fine, Zev. And… I’m not pregnant,” she said, slightly embarrassed.

He raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I noticed.”

Oh **. His sense of smell. So embarrassing. She dropped her head to rest against his chest. But he put one hand to her chin and nudged her back up.

”Hey, hey, don’t Sasha, don’t hide from me. Ever.”

”It’s embarrassing!”

”Why?”

”Because… it just is.”

Zev shook his head. “No, Sash, it’s part of who you are and what makes you… you.”

Sasha didn’t want to talk about it anymore so she flapped a hand at him. Then she went still. He waited as she swallowed and gathered her courage. “I was glad when I wasn’t pregnant,” she whispered. “Because it’s why they let me come back to you. And it just felt too… off. I didn’t want them to know we were having a baby before you did. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want that, Zev, you know that, right?”

”I know,” he whispered, pulling her into a hug and laying his cheek on the top of her head. “I know, Sash. They make everything sick. But this isn’t sick. You and me… this isn’t wrong. At all. Don’t ever let them make you feel that way, okay?”

But she could feel the tension in his back where she gripped him.

”You either,” she whispered, and found herself on the edge of tears. She couldn’t give in to that now! She had to get through… all of this day. And these conversations. And help the females. And stop Nick and…

Zev kissed her again, but softer this time, and quickly. Then he straightened with a sigh. “God, help me get through this day without tearing your clothes off,” he said dryly. Sasha giggled, but her stomach trilled.

”Okay,” she said. “First things first.”

”The males.”

”Right.”

Zev took her hand and walked her into the Village. “There’s only a few of them here—even less since we took some with us. I think Yhet and Dunken were going ahead to the City to let the males there know—I’ll send a guard to make sure they stay there and wait for us.”

He caught her up on everything he’d put in place while she was gone, and Sasha heaved a sigh of relief that he’d dealt with the ridiculous conflicts between the males over housing and status.

She couldn’t believe they’d thought this was the time to fight those battles! She wanted to groan, but she just nodded, asking quick questions as they walked into the deserted village square, and through towards the Trough and then the clearing where the medical building sat under the trees.

The males they ran into rushed to greet her and Sasha found herself the recipient of several brushed cheeks and quivering bodies.

Zev only growled once, she was proud of him.

To every male they gave the same message—the females were coming, but they’d been traumatized. They needed some time to get used to the idea of being back, so the males were to stay at their stations in the Village.

Zev appointed two of the sentries to become guards for Nick, and sent them down the trail with warnings to avoid the females, go wide, then come up behind and follow Nick, making sure he didn’t get into any trouble.

”Ernie’s already keeping an eye on him, but just to be safe.”

The males saluted, then turned and shifted, running off towards the trail.

All of the males looked pained when Sasha warned them to stay away.

”I know, I know,” she said. “And I’m hopeful that really soon they’ll be ready to see you all. But for now… please. Let them rest.”

Zev cleared his throat and Sasha blinked.

That’s right. Take control. Expect obedience.

She cleared her throat. “There’s no room for mistakes here,” she said, clipping the words off. “You don’t touch them, you don’t talk to them unless they approach you, and you don’t follow them. Give them space.”

The males all submitted, but some eyes flashed to Zev, who backed her up.

When they got to the medical building clearing, they found Lhars with a fire already crackling, organizing a group of males carrying benches and stump seats from the trough to put around the fire.

”This is great,” Sasha told him after they greeted warmly. “But there’s not going to be time, or enough seats. Let’s pull out some blankets and furs. They like to be together anyway, so they’ll probably just sit in their groups.”

Zev stayed right at her back as she and Lhars worked through what would be needed, and how wide of a perimeter to require of the males.

”They’re going to know they’re here,” Lhars said, referring to the female’s ability to scent.

”I know. Maybe that’s a good thing—they can get used to smelling them and seeing that they’re safe before they have to interact?”

Zev and Lhars looked at each other and shrugged.

”Trust me,” Sasha said sadly. “Just… give it time.”

Lhars nodded and got to work, but Sasha hadn’t missed the slump to his shoulders and the dimness of his eyes.

”I take it things aren’t going well with Kyelle?” she whispered to Zev.

Zev shrugged. “I don’t really know. We haven’t really talked about it. He told her and she rejected him. But… I don’t know where they are now. They were together when we found out you were coming through,” he said, his handsome face lighting in a smile at the memory.

Sasha indulged in another hug, just for a moment, holding him and putting her ear to his chest, listening to his heart. Feeling hers beat in response.

She was home, she was finally home. And no matter how ugly it might get, she swore she was never leaving unless it was to get away from the humans forever.