“Damn,” a man yelled from the next room. “People are seeing!” He sounded panicked. “Run.”

The arm around Ellie suddenly released her waist. All three of them bolted the opposite way. She panted, hurting from the struggle, and sagged against the railing. The big crazy jerk who’d assaulted her had been strong. She twisted her head and watched while the three men reached the far corridor, nearly fell down the stairs in their haste, and fled from the parking lot to disappear around the building. She nearly crumpled to the walkway but managed to lock her knees to keep upright. She trembled all over. A door opened and she spun toward the noise, expecting another threat. A woman holding a baby stood there looking pale.

“Were they muggers?”

Ellie relaxed. “No.”

“The police are on their way,” a man shouted from the parking lot. “Are you all right?”

Ellie had to clear her throat. “I’m fine. Thank you!” She saw her fast food bag on the ground where she’d dropped it when she’d grabbed the railing. She leaned down to pick it up and winced at the ache the movement caused around her sore middle. She cursed under her breath, hoped the jerk hadn’t left bruises with his little tug of war with her body, and staggered back to the stairs. She sat down hard, darted glances at the people staring at her, and noticed a crowd gathered to gawk at her. Her heart pounded still from her scary ordeal but she was safe and hungry. She reached inside the bag. She might as well eat while she waited for the police.

Ellie munched on her burger and twisted the lid off her flavored water, glad she hadn’t bought a soda since it wouldn’t have survived being dropped. She wiggled her fingers into her back pocket to dig out her cell phone. She’d already left a message just an hour before with Homeland to let Justice know her cell number but his secretary had insisted on her leaving an address as well. She could no longer stay at the motel since the nut jobs knew where she’d rented a room. She hit redial to connect her to Justice’s office. She wanted to reach someone before they left for the night and her watch stated she only had minutes before five o’clock.

“Hi,” Ellie said after finally getting transferred to a woman who claimed to be Justice’s secretary. “I think we spoke before. I’m Ellie Brower. I left my motel information in case Mr. North wanted to contact me but I’m afraid that information isn’t any good anymore. I have to switch motels. I guess I’ll call you tomorrow morning with the new information. You have my cell number so you can reach me still, right?”

The woman on the other end of the line went silent for a moment. “Why would you change motels?”

“Uh…” Ellie spotted a cop car turn into the parking lot. “I had some problems. I promise I’ll call in the morning with my new address. I really need to be going now. The police have arrived and I need to pack quickly to get a safe escort out of here when I leave. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Ellie hung up.

* * * * *

Fury paced his office. Ellie wouldn’t ever come back, he’d never see her again, and he needed to get a grip on that painful bit of reality. A knock sounded on his door. He took a deep breath, schooled his features, and cleared his throat.

“Enter.”

Brass, his friend, and the man he’d placed in charge of scheduling classes for the Species to learn different skills, walked in. He closed the door behind him and leaned against the wood.

“We have a problem.”

“What else is new? What is it this time?”

“Some of the human guards have been flirting with our females. Our males are very protective of them.”

A grin curved Fury’s mouth. “Our women can handle a human. I’ve yet to meet a human who could take down a Species, male or female, when they are angry.” The smile died. “Is it harassment or just typical flirting?”

“Typical flirting but our males may start fights over it. None of the women feel threatened or have filed a complaint. I wish to avoid conflict between the humans and us. If our males start busting the heads of humans who wink at our women it may cause a lot of tension.”

“I’ll talk to them. Call a meeting.” He glanced at his watch. “Let’s say in two hours?”

“Sounds good.” Brass flashed a grin. “You realize you’ve become a father figure to everyone. You give advice and deal out harsh threats when we misbehave. Justice is our mother figure—protective, nurturing, and nesting to make our new Homeland a home.”

Fury’s hand lifted and his middle finger extended. “There’s your lesson today, son.”

A bark of laugher filled the room. “I decline if that is an offer. You aren’t my type.”

“No one is.” Fury chuckled. “Our women are too smart to choose to mate with you.”

Brass pushed away from the wall and took a few steps closer, his smile fading. His eyes narrowed as he studied Fury.

“Speaking of women, I heard the little human you saved has left Homeland.”

All humor fled. Fury nodded. “The director fired her and Justice asked me not to get involved. I wanted to overstep the director’s authority, give her job back, and keep her here. I saw the danger it placed her in to be associated with us after the attack we suffered. Justice made me understand she’d have a better life without me in it.”

“If you’d pulled rank on that pompous ass**le, he would realize we’re aware of the power we yield.”