The doorbell chimed loudly, pulling Carolline from a dead sleep. She glanced around, confused for a few seconds about where she was. A dark room with a soft glow from one side of the room coming from the television. Heavy drapery pulled closed over a large window. A nice, big comfortable bed beneath her that smelled like her. No antiseptic. No weird hospital smells. “I’m home,” she mumbled as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “So, who the hell is at my door?” Her cell phone buzzed as the doorbell rang again. The pounding quickly followed the chime.

“Go away,” she groaned to absolutely no one. Maybe she should get a cat to keep her company. A little rescue kitten to love and keep her company at night. Then she wouldn’t look as crazy when she talked to herself. Not that there was anyone there to hear her in the first place.

Whoever was at the door pounded harder, propelling her into action. It was clear they wouldn’t go away until she answered. “I’m coming,” she shouted, wincing slightly as she moved through her house.

Whipping open the front door without bothering to check to see who it was, she was surprised to find Devon, fist raised, ready to knock again. His brows were furrowed, lips thinned. Frustration rolled off him, and a wave of heat spread over her, starting at her feet. Ben stood behind him, a smirk plastered on his too smug face.

“What took you so long?” Devon grouched.

Carolline looked down her body, then back at him. You’d think he’d get a clue by what she was wearing. It seemed pretty obvious to her. Her thin white tank top molded to her breasts. Her short, plaid sleepy shorts barely covered her ass. She knew her hair was in disarray, when was it not after sleeping as heavily as she’d been? And she would hazard a guess there was drool on her face, judging from the disgusted look Devon shot her. “Good to see you too, Dr. Andersen.” Her grip tightened on the knob when he shifted forward, and she grabbed onto the doorframe with the other hand, blocking his entrance.

One dark eyebrow inched up after he got the clue she wasn’t about to let him in. “Care to invite us in?”

“I’m sure this conversation won’t take long. I am supposed to be resting after all.” She shot an accusing glare at Ben before letting her gaze drift back to Devon.

He frowned and stepped back slightly. “I would much prefer to do this inside away from prying eyes, and anyone else who might be loitering in your neighborhood.”

“Seeing as it’s the ass crack of dawn, I doubt many people are loitering.”

“Let us in, Caro. What needs to be said should be done in private.” Ben gave her one of those you better listen to me looks. His jaw was set and one eyebrow was raised high. His right hand rested on his holster, fingers dangling near the grip. He looked serious, and that was the only reason she relented. Along with the general vibe that neither man would back down anytime soon, and she was still fairly exhausted.

Caroline let out a sound of frustration before spinning away too quickly. She gasped as pain radiated from her side, her hand immediately finding the bad spot on her ribs. Her mind and body were fully awake now, and letting her know everything that was still wrong with her. I wish I’d fucking heal already. The constant throb with each move she made aggravated her even more.

A hard body rocked into her from behind, a solid band of steel in the form of an arm wrapping around her waist. A thick earthy scent washed over her like an electrical current. Her nipples puckered and gooseflesh coated every inch of her skin.

Her eyes drifted shut, and she allowed herself a moment to sink into Devon’s warmth. To enjoy the feel of him crowding against her. The hardness of his chest pressed to her back. The firm yet gentle grip of his hand on her hip, keeping her anchored to his front. The heat from his palm sinking through her thin shorts. She suppressed the shudder trying to take hold. His touch felt exactly how she imagined it would. Strong. Confident. Panty-melting good—if she’d been wearing any. Her knees trembled as his lips brushed against the outer shell of her ear. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she breathed out a tad shaky. She was torn between staying in the comfort of his arms and moving away to stand on her own two feet. Her tigon purred within, relishing the attention from Devon and his tiger. The very human side of her realizing the things she felt for him were normal in certain circumstances—like him being her mate. If, by some off chance, it was true, then for a week he’d ignored her. Ignored his inner beast telling him a vital part of his being was missing. He’d brushed her off onto another doctor and didn’t look back. He obviously had no intention of claiming her.

Before she had a chance to shove his arm away, a throat cleared loudly behind them. Devon’s arm dropped as he stepped back. She, unfortunately, immediately missed his touch, but was damn thankful for the forced distance. Holding onto the anger building in her was a good thing. He couldn’t stroll back into her life and act as if he cared. He’d told her all too efficiently, without words, what she meant to him. Nothing.

“Carolline,” Ben said, following Devon into the house. “I need you to pack some things and come with us.”

She made her way into the living room, carefully sitting in her overstuffed chair. Leaning back, she focused on Ben, actively ignoring Devon as he wandered around her living room. “What do you mean, come with us? I’m fine here, Ben. You checked my place out last night and, as far as I can tell, nothing has changed.”

“We don’t know conclusively that you’re safe here.” Ben sat on the couch close to her and grabbed her hand. A low rumble sounded from Devon. Heat immediately surrounded them, making her wince. Ben, on the other hand, rolled his eyes. “Enough with the power stuff, Andersen. The only one you’re hurting is Carolline, and I think she’s suffered enough on your behalf already.”

Devon stomped over to them, glaring down at their hands like a petulant child. He had no right to be irritated, as far as she was concerned. Everything he did confused the hell out of her. “What is wrong with you? One minute you’re hot and the next cold. Make up your damn mind.”

Devon huffed out an irritated breath and crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re mates.”

Her forehead scrunched in surprise at his admission. Seconds later the words no shit, Sherlock, were on the tip of her tongue. Her gaze slid up his solid body, tension evident through every inch of muscle. Their eyes locked, Devon’s shifted from dark brown to an amber-golden hue within seconds of colliding.

“Don’t bother denying it, Carolline. Ben was right about what he said. Your eyes have a faint golden ring that wasn’t there before.” His words came out harsh, like he was pushing poison from his mouth.

Why was he pressing the mate thing when it was clear he had no interest?

“Don’t sound so excited about it,” she snapped. “I may not be able to hold back from throwing myself at you because of your enthusiasm.”

Devon reached for her, but pulled his hand back at the last second. The indecision he displayed was the complete opposite of how she knew him to be. He scowled and grunted. “I didn’t ask for this.”

And wow, that hurt. She never imagined she would have a mate. Never thought about what it would be like. Still, to have someone claim to be hers and then in the next breath say he didn’t want it…well, it still hurt. “Neither did I,” she hissed, much like the wounded feline she was.

They stared at each other for minutes on end, until Ben cleared his throat. Devon blinked rapidly before pacing away toward the front window. He brushed the curtain aside and focused on something out front.

Carolline let out a breath and slumped back into the chair. “Care to explain what this is all about? I’m pretty certain it was decided I would be fine. The house has an alarm system, there’s a security gate, and there’s the roving security team. I see no reason I can’t recover here. On my own,” she said raising her voice.

Ben leaned back, stretching his arms across the back of the couch. “No, you assumed I was on board with letting you stay here alone. In my professional opinion, you should have been at your mate’s house, but since he’s a stubborn ass, like you, I went to have a little talk with him before coming back to set you straight. Nothing was taken from your office, Carolline. You verified it yourself. There were only two logical conclusions I could make from that discovery. They wanted the files you had in your hospital room, which I highly doubt, since they didn’t take any from the office, or they were looking for your home address.”

For the second time in as many days, Carolline felt the blood rush from her face. “Why would anyone be looking for me? I told you before, I study hybrids, nothing else.”

“You interfered with the kidnapping,” Ben said. “People low enough to take children have no problem eliminating someone who stood in their way. Even if it was purely coincidence.”

Her analytical brain went into overdrive. She solved problems and calculated probability for a living. There were too many things wrong with Ben’s theory and, if he was right, there was an even bigger problem at the hospital. “How would they know it was me? The man who ran off never saw me out of tigon form. He wouldn’t have been able to tell anyone who I was or what I looked like.”

Ben’s smile dropped from his face, a grim look setting in. “There aren’t many tigons in the area, Caro. You know that. A little Internet search would bring you up in a heartbeat. I don’t think what happened in your office was a coincidence. I grabbed those files for you on Monday. The office was clean, just like you like it. Jessie was out of her office Tuesday, and she never heard anything the rest of the week. That’s when I’m guessing it happened. There were no other opportunities. Frank is checking the security camera footage to verify. I doubt whoever did it showed their face though, so I’m not expecting much.”

“It could have been the dead of night.”

“Maybe.”

“I don’t believe an Internet search ratted me out either. I look enough like a tiger for people not to notice with a quick glance. The only people who could figure it out were the ones who saw me at the scene. Which would be Devon and the EMTs.”

“Plus, the hospital staff when you were brought in. People know who you are and what animal form you take,” Devon finally spoke. “Gossip has flown through the place like wildfire.”

She shifted in her chair to get a better look at him. He swiveled in their direction, allowing the curtains to fall back into place. Devon’s lips were pulled down in disapproval. It had to hurt his pride to think someone on his staff—because, let’s face it, he ran that place—would have ill will toward any one.

Carolline shook her head. “Probably not staff. They could have looked at my admission information, or access employee records. They wouldn’t need to go through my files.”

“I didn’t have your information when you were admitted, and since you work there, it really wasn’t needed. If it was a staff member, it would be easy to trace them looking through the personnel database. Plus, they wouldn’t have had time to sneak away. We kept the same staff working with you the entire week. I thought it would be best, so you weren’t inundated with questions every other day.”

“I know they didn’t work around the clock. There were two shifts. Someone could have done it after they got off, or they had an accomplice. Plus, you handed my case over to another doctor. Who says he was as careful as you would have been,” she snipped, glaring at Devon. It irritated her that he had no qualms about walking away.

Ben chuckled, pulling both their regard. “How many mystery shows have you watched?”

Carolline flushed and looked away from both men, picking a spot that lead into the kitchen. “Enough,” she grumbled. She loved trying to solve the who-done-it before whatever sixty-minute show was over, revealing the killer. It was something she’d gotten into the habit of when she’d first started dating Ben, and she used the term loosely. It made her feel like she had some sort of connection to him.

“Regardless of how it happened, since we don’t know for sure what’s going on, it would be better if you were surrounded by other people. Mainly him and his family.” Ben pointed at Devon. Pushing up from the couch, he checked his watch. “I need to get going. Can I assume you have this handled?”

Carolline blinked a couple of times in confusion. The conversation wasn’t over…in her mind. She didn’t have anything handled. Not what happened in her office. Not what was going on with the man who refused to get closer to her than was absolutely necessary.

“I’ve got everything under control,” Devon answered. “She’ll be at my place from now on if you need her.”

“You wish,” she snorted. Her eyes rounded when Ben laughed. Shit, she’d said that out loud.

“No, I insist,” Devon growled.

“And I’m telling you, I’m staying in my home. I get the impression you don’t want me around, and I’m not inclined to put myself in another uncomfortable situation. From your body language and tone when you talk to me, you aren’t exactly thrilled with the mate thing. For your information, I’m not either. Let’s forget about it and move on,” she sniffed and thrust her chin up. If she had to be someone’s mate, then she wanted them to want her. Not grudgingly take her because their animal decreed it. She had more pride in herself than to go along with a ridiculous trick of fate. “I don’t doubt we can steer clear of each other at work. I’ll stick to my floor of the hospital, and you can do whatever it is you do. There’s no need for our paths to cross ever again.”

A rough, aggressive sound burst from Devon’s throat. Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, she wasn’t sure she liked what she saw. His narrowed eyes glittered gold, his mouth was open the slightest bit with a hint of fang showing. Irritation radiated from him. And a lick of heat brushed over her skin. The result was gooseflesh decorating her arms and legs, and a shiver of delight racing down her spine. No, you horny girl. Just because he goes all primal on you, it doesn’t mean you get him, she chastised her tigon.

“I’ll be going now,” Ben declared. He gave a quick, sharp nod to them before turning on his heel.

Carolline bolted up from her seat, ignoring the sharp pain in her side. “Take him with you.”

Ben stopped and turned around. “No, Caro, go home with him. It’s for the best.”

“No,” she said through gritted teeth. It was too early in the day to be dealing with these men, and she was finished with this conversation. “You are not my brother, nor my father, or anyone with any authority over my life, and you don’t get to tell me what to do.”

She was done with this silly notion that she was mated to a man who didn’t want her. She was over people telling her she couldn’t damn well protect herself if need be. She was just done, and definitely ready to go back to bed…alone.

“Take him and leave,” she growled, letting her own aggression bubble up. She glanced at Devon, who stood like a statue near the window. There was a blank mask on his face. The one she’d seen him wear at the hospital. It meant all business and no emotion. That was fine by her. She was too tired to deal with it anyway. “I’m a big girl, and I don’t need his or your protection. There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Ben, and I’m telling you right now, I can protect myself. I’ve been doing it for more years than I’d care to count, and I’m not going to stop now. I am not leaving this house with that man, today or the next, or the next.” She pointed to Devon to make her point. A person would have thought she’d physically poked him with the way he cringed. “Besides, if there is one thing I know about you, when you’re concerned about someone, you pull out all of the stops. I’d bet my life that you have someone watching the house and have been since you dropped me off last night.”

Ben opened his mouth to refute her claim. She held up her hand to stop him. “Don’t even bother trying. I know you had someone watching Cuppa Claire’s when that Omega wolf came through town not too long ago and was sniffing around her place.”

Ben’s mouth snapped shut. A deep blush darkened his cheeks.

Carolline turned her attention to the man who should have been saying more. Who should have been by her side all along. “Devon, I don’t know what’s going on with you. One minute you’re nice, the next you act like you hate the ground I walk on. I am too tired to deal with you and your bipolar attitude. Approaching a woman first thing in the morning and pulling her from a dead sleep while she’s recovering, honestly, isn’t the brightest idea, and I expected more out of you. If either of you had any sense, you would have given me a couple days at home to recoup before attempting to talk to me about all of this. Since you didn’t, I’ll give you a couple things to think about before you darken my doorstep again. Does my tigon feel drawn to you? Yes. Do my eyes take on the glow of someone who has found their mate? I’ve yet to see it, but I’m willing to consider that you’ve both said you’ve seen it happen, as fact. Do yours change? Yes. Am I ready to believe we’re mates? No, and nothing you do will convince me of that right now. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back to bed. Please don’t bother knocking on my door again today. Ben, use the extra key I gave you to lock up. Have a lovely day, gentlemen.”

She turned and left the room. All the energy she’d had upon waking up, which admittedly was very little, drained from her body, and it was all she could do to keep her eyes open long enough to crawl back into bed. She genuinely didn’t care what they decided. Stay. Leave. Whatever. She was going back to sleep. If a tiny part of her hoped Devon stayed and crawled into bed with her to keep her warm, then she would blame it on exhaustion. Seeing as it didn’t happen, well, that was fine….no really, it was.