He stared down at the top of Ellie’s head, her face pressed against his chest, and then he lifted her gently into the cradle of his arms, backing up into the darkness to hide. It would be a challenge to get her to his house undetected but he was stealthy enough to pull it off.

He may as well be an assassin. Mercile Industries had trained them to fight but they’d never been able to control them. Species refused to harm other Species males regardless of the orders they’d been given. Mercile wanted recorded proof of their enhanced skills as evidence of what their blood drugs could do. If given the opportunity to attack their male guard captors, they did kill them, though they weren’t supposed to. The guards had been vicious, brutal, and Fury had taken a few of them out when they’d been lax enough to make a mistake.

Mercile Industries had spliced animal DNA into their genes and given them countless drugs, changing more than their appearances. His sense of smell heightened as he aged, he’d grown stronger, his reflexes faster than a typical male, and his instincts sometimes ruled his mind.

It had been difficult to manage the rage he sometimes experienced but he’d learned patience over the years. He’d learned control—for the most part. He glanced down at Ellie and frowned. He’d watched and listened to every word spoken between the doctors and staff while they’d run tests on him. Everything he’d heard had taught him the differences between humans and New Species.

Humans didn’t have the senses Species possessed. They couldn’t see in the dark or smell him if he was upwind of them. They also didn’t have his exceptional hearing. Humans didn’t possess their speed or strength, either, unless they were given drugs. Species’ alterations were permanent, but Mercile’s drugs couldn’t maintain the same effects in humans, long-term. Sometimes the drugs killed the human volunteers. They’d accidentally made New Species superior but had treated them as inferior.

Fury shifted Ellie’s unconscious body in his arms and carried her gently as he stalked through the shadows. He had no idea what to do with her once he reached home but his animal seemed content now that he possessed her. The man inside him plotted revenge. She’d offered to make it up to him and possibilities raced through his thoughts. He wouldn’t really harm her, wasn’t capable of that, but she could at least learn a lesson or two about what he’d suffered for her crime. A small part of him hoped some time alone with Ellie would cure him of the obsession she’d become.

* * * * *

Ellie woke confused at first, until memories returned with a rush. Her throat felt a little sore. She reached for it but her arms caught on something. Her eyes opened to stare at a white ceiling inside a dimly lit, unfamiliar room. She lifted her head to peer around.

The large bedroom contained dark furniture and a fire blazed in the hearth inside a corner fireplace, the source of the light. A toilet flushed, startling her. With a few tugs she discovered that her arms were stretched wide apart above her head, tied at the wrist with soft, black material that connected to the sides of the headboard.

After a brief blast of running water sounded, a door opened at the side of the room. Fury stepped out of the bathroom. She glanced at his na**d chest and the black sweatpants he wore. Ellie’s fear increased, seeing his half undressed state. She warily studied his muscular build. He flipped the light off behind him, causing the room to darken again, hiding all the tiny details of his body.

“You’re awake.” His tone softened. He sounded deceptively calm under the circumstances. He moved toward the bed. “Good.”

He’d covered Ellie with a thick, soft blanket. She looked down and realized the top portion of her chest was bare and exposed. She moved her leg, feeling sheets against…bare skin. Her stunned gaze returned to Fury.

He stopped at the edge of the bed. “I removed your clothes.” He paused. “All of them.”

“Why?” Her voice came out raspy from her dry throat. Her fear level notched higher. Why would he bring her to his home and tie her na**d to his bed? She had a really bad feeling and she didn’t want to know his answer, positive it would terrify her more.

“You know why.” He moved toward the nightstand. “Are you thirsty?”

She nodded. The bed dipped when he sat on the edge, grabbed the bottled water obviously placed there for her, and then twisted to face her. He reached out with one hand to gently slide it under her neck and lift as he brought the mouth of the bottle to her lips. She swallowed as much as she could without choking. He pulled back from her, his touch leaving her as he replaced the water on the nightstand.

“I thought long and hard about what to do to you,” he informed her softly. “I once wanted to kill you outright but that was before I knew you were a spy. I didn’t understand you were inside that hellish place to save my people.” He paused while he adjusted his position to sit sideways to stare at Ellie. “Now I’ve decided you can live.”

Her heart rate slowed and some of the terror eased. “Why am I here? Why did you take me from the park?”

Fury’s eyes narrowed. “You said you’d do anything to make it up to me. I decided you deserve some punishment.” He paused. “I also don’t know if I believe what you say. You are a spy, used to dealing in lies, and telling people what you think they want to hear to avoid danger. You injured my pride, betrayed my trust, and you need to pay for that. Do you know how they made me suffer for killing the technician?”