“Hunt,” he growled. “I excelled at that training. I was the best of the prototypes. They taught us how to do things to sell their drugs, to show living examples of what humans could become if they bought their stupid shots and pills.”

Ellie realized her future seemed questionable at that moment. Fury hated her and he spoke in a way she knew could turn deadly. She couldn’t find the right words, didn’t know how to defuse the situation. He took another step toward her. Shit, double shit, she thought frantically. He would reach her with just a few more steps.

“I didn’t have a choice that day,” she blurted. “I killed Jacob to protect you but if they’d known I did it, they wouldn’t have allowed me to leave. I just wanted to save you. I didn’t even mean to kill him.”

“Did you tell anyone what he did to me or how you allowed me to suffer for what you’d done?”

“No.” She shook her head. She had been too afraid to tell her handler that she’d interfered, certain he’d be angry since she’d gone against direct orders to do nothing to make anyone at Mercile suspicious. Killing a technician to protect a New Species would have definitely done that. His words sank in. Suffered?

“Were you too ashamed of what you’d done?”

She hesitated. “You have no idea how much so. I―”

“You told the guards I killed him,” he snarled, cutting her off. “You smeared his blood on my hands. Don’t bother denying it.”

Hot tears of regret threatened to spill but she rapidly blinked them back. “I―” She swallowed. “I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t think they’d kill you or I never would have implied you’d been the one to kill Jacob. You have to bel−”

“Believe you?” His dark gaze narrowed and a dangerous sound emanated from deep within the back of his throat. “It turned you on to see me suffering, to know what kind of cruelty you would cause me.”

How does he know I was turned on? She didn’t dare ask but she wasn’t about to lie to him, considering she owed him far too much to do that. Her lips sealed. She was unsure how to explain to him why she’d responded so strongly to him because she couldn’t justify it. Her body’s response to him as a man under those circumstances had just been wrong.

“It wasn’t because you suffered or that I planned to jab you with that needle. I had to make it look as if he’d died while trying to inject you to make the story believable. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m surprised you aren’t attempting to lie.”

Ellie lifted her chin to meet his angry glower. “You’re right. My body did respond to being that close to you. I have no excuse. All I can do is apologize. I know it was immoral and I feel really guilty. You are…” She hesitated, about to tell him how attractive she found him. “You were na**d and I couldn’t help but notice despite the horrific circumstances. I’m sorry.”

Fury’s jaw tensed. She could see his features clearly now that only a few feet separated them. “You were working for Mercile Industries. Did you drag your feet on finding incriminating evidence? Did you enjoy what that technician did to me?” He snarled at her, flashed sharp teeth, and inched closer. “Did it turn you on that he harmed me and planned to rape me? Did you earn the trust of other Species males when you walked into their cells until they didn’t growl at you either? Did you lure them into a sense of being nonthreatening? Did you allow them to be blamed for things you did?” His nostril’s flared and he growled deep in his chest. “Who else did you betray?”

Ellie reeled back at his vicious accusations, as if he’d physically struck her. “No! You were the only one I ever had to do that to. I tried to find enough proof for a judge to issue a warrant. How dare you! I collected samples, wrote reports, but I wasn’t given access to any of the older files that showed anything that would prove you existed down there. Every day they strip-searched us before we were allowed to leave. I couldn’t smuggle in a camera to prove what the hell they were doing to any of you or that you weren’t just a rumor. You have no idea how terrifying it was for me to go through the main door to that elevator every single shift. I always wondered if I’d ever see daylight again if they figured out I spied for the police. They would have killed me. The other employees talked and warned me what happened if Mercile even suspected anyone would turn against them. They cautioned that I’d just disappear and my body would never be found.”

“If they stripped you then how did you smuggle evidence out?”

Heat bloomed on her cheeks. “You really want to know?”

“I do.” He snarled.

“I swallowed it.”

His features blanked for a second and then he frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“I had to make friends with a few of the doctors and that took time. I didn’t have access to anything vital but they did. I carefully gained their trust, became very close to a doctor who looked similar to me, and I switched lab coats with her during lunch. I stole her keycard, started wearing my hair the way she did, I tucked my head when I passed the security cameras and when I marched into her office. I’d seen her punch in her code a few times and remembered it to gain access to her office. I had a tiny computer data drive my handler had given me to copy files. I swallowed it. So many things could have gone wrong.”

He stared at her, frowning.