“Let her go.” Justice’s tone lightened but it held the authority of an order. “Ease up, Fury. I understand. Did you hear what the man said? She worked there to help them gather proof of our existence. She helped save our people.”

Fury didn’t release Ellie and he continued to glower down at her. She stared back at him, certain he didn’t care why she’d been there. She knew he hated her for framing him for Jacob’s death and she didn’t blame him for it. She had done it to save his life but that didn’t alleviate the guilt of the crime committed against him.

“Ellie?” Director Boris spoke. “What was your exact job at the research facility and what did you do to this man?”

Shit. Ellie swallowed. She watched Fury’s eyes darken even more, turning from a chocolate brown to near black. “I just assisted when needed,” she explained softly. “I kept a lot of the charts on the test results from the blood and saliva samples they had me draw.”

“Why does he hate you so much? Did you personally hurt him somehow?” Director Boris voice rose in outrage. “Did you harm them?”

Ellie stared into Fury’s tense, lined face. If she’d been sexually assaulted, she wouldn’t want it flaunted about. He had been a proud male and it probably wasn’t something he wanted to share with the entire room. She’d have to tell everyone why she’d killed the technician if she admitted what she’d done to make Fury so angry. She hesitated. His eyes narrowed to slits as the growl rumbling from his chest became louder.

“Don’t,” Fury ordered.

“Fury?” Justice spoke. The man had an unusually deep voice. “What did she do to make you want to hurt her so much? Did she force you to take their drugs?”

“Ellie, tell us now,” Director Boris demanded.

“I had to do tests,” she lied. “I had to inflict pain on him.” That part was truthful. She knew what she’d done had to have caused him emotional distress on top of what Jacob had done to him while he’d lain helpless on that floor of his cell. “He also didn’t like me taking samples from him.”

He snarled at her in response.

She didn’t look away from him once, her gaze locked with his. “I’m so sorry but I didn’t have a choice. I knew help was coming if I could just smuggle out the evidence. I did what I had to do to rescue you. You were so close to getting a chance at freedom.” More tears spilled down the sides of her face. “I am so very sorry. I just wanted to save you.”

Fury had the woman who had betrayed him in his grasp. He couldn’t believe he had found Ellie again, she worked at Homeland, and his hands were actually on her. He had his freedom now, was no longer helpless, and he battled with himself over what he should do to her. A small part of him wanted to snap her neck while the rest of him wanted to pull her against his body and hold her. Either way, he didn’t want to release her. Self-disgust welled at his conflicting emotions after what she’d done to him inside his cell. He’d never forget that day or the one that followed.

Justice demanded again that he release Ellie but his hands refused to let go. That she’d dare be where New Species were supposed to be safe from their tormentors enraged him. She’d been the worst, with her pretty blue eyes that had lured him into a sense of trust that she’d never do him harm. His fingers flexed on her soft skin as he inhaled her scent that had haunted him many nights.

Her pale-blue gaze seemed more beautiful than he remembered and he inwardly flinched while he watched tears pool inside her eyes and slip down the sides of her face, knowing he hurt her. He battled with the knowledge that he had the right to get revenge but at the same time hated to cause her pain. When she spoke up to tell everyone not to hurt him, it confused him more. Ellie had to be his enemy so why did she attempt to protect him?

“Fury,” Justice whispered. “She’s a woman.”

No one needed to tell him Ellie’s sex. Her sweet scent of strawberries and vanilla made him want to groan, to bury his nose against her skin and investigate exactly where it originated from. He wondered if her hair products or her body wash gave off the tempting smells. It angered him more that he wanted to find out.

It stunned him to learn she had been working against his enemy. It did matter to him why she’d been at the testing facility but he couldn’t let go of his sense of betrayal over her leaving him inside that cell to face the consequences of her actions.

Didn’t she realize what she’d done or how he’d been harmed? But he didn’t want her to tell the truth about what she’d done to anger him so much. Too many questions would be asked. He had enough shame. He didn’t want anyone to know how deeply his humiliation ran when it came to feeling helpless all those years he was locked up and the abuse he’d suffered in his lifetime.

He was New Species, in control of his mind and body, though he’d been a prisoner. He couldn’t have prevented the technician from attacking him but as he’d lain there helpless, still traumatized from what had been done to him, and his body had responded to Ellie being so close to him. She’d turned him on despite the horrible situation. He had not wanted to react to her that way. It only made her betrayal even more unforgivable. He’d lowered his guard and then she’d harmed him. He acknowledged that he’d lost control again when he’d mindlessly grabbed her and now refused to release her.

The pain revealed by her features finally made him understand how strongly he gripped her arms and it horrified him, realizing he’d bruised her tender skin. He should want to kill her but instead he wished to massage out the pain, even apologize, and it disgusted him. He had earned the honored job of being second in command of his people, an example to Species of how they could live in peace with humans, yet he stood over a terrified small woman who had haunted him since he’d been freed.