“What was your childhood like?”

His jaw clenched. “I remember being afraid and being locked up. I remember the darkness that terrified me and then the pain. They would strap me down and inject me with all those damn needles. I remember,” he hissed, “pain and terror were my only childhood companions.”

Tears filled Ellie’s eyes. She reached up without thinking and put her open palm on his arm. “I’m so sorry.” She wanted to comfort him.

He closed his eyes, took long, deep breaths, and then opened them. “They changed me. I remember my shock when my baby teeth fell out and my new teeth were longer and sharper. I didn’t have a mirror but I could feel the difference. I could feel my face, knew I didn’t look like the technicians or the doctors. By the time I hit puberty I’d grown muscular because they were filling me with drugs to alter my body. I knew I wasn’t right, my body changed, and they were making me different with the drugs but they didn’t stop giving them to me.”

“I’m so very sorry, Fury.” She trailed her hand a little higher, then lower, rubbing him. “They were so wrong for doing that.”

“I know this. It’s little comfort to be told some of the research they did created drugs to help sick humans when a lifetime of painful memories haunt me. Now there are groups of people, thousands of them, who wish me dead just because someone tossed me into hell as a kid and forced me to endure that nightmare. We suffered for the benefit of humans and for Mercile to make money.” He cleared his throat. “I am tired of always feeling on the outside of life peering in. Being different,” he rasped. “I knew something made me unique for as long as I can remember. I’d look at them, feel my teeth and face, notice my body’s differences, and then I started to pay attention to what they would say. In time I was able to learn enough to figure out what had been done to us and why. I felt so alone and only saw humans until—” He clamped his mouth closed.

“I don’t blame you for hating everyone at Mercile. Doesn’t it help at all though to hear some good came from it?”

“No,” he snarled softly. “Maybe. I don’t know. I hate what was done to us.”

“I do too. What were you going to say about only seeing humans until? You stopped.”

His dark gaze narrowed, watched her, and he cleared his throat. “Until they brought a female into my cell. She was New Species and it was the first time I ever saw someone who looked similar to me. They wanted to see if we could breed.” He glanced at the wall next to her face, stared there. “They forced us to be together sometimes but it never worked. We weren’t able to produce children.” His jaw tensed before he met her gaze again. “I’m glad. We didn’t want them to succeed and bring new life into that hell.”

Ellie bit her lip and her hand stilled. “I heard something about that from the women,” she admitted. “It’s not fair what was done to you. They were wrong and just evil to do that, Fury. I call people like that total morons without a speck of intelligence or compassion.”

Fury searched her eyes, looking deep into them. “Are you afraid of me, Ellie?”

She hesitated. “I am when you’re angry, though you’d scare me if you had animal DNA or not, to be honest. You’re a big man.”

His whole body slumped, his tension eased. “I didn’t mean to hurt you on my bed by drawing blood.”

She hadn’t expected him to say that. She blew out the air she’d gasped in. Her heart raced and then she forced herself to calm down. Fury silently watched her.

“I believe you.”

“I don’t think I would have hurt you if it wasn’t for what they did to me. I wouldn’t have sharp teeth.”

Ellie didn’t know what to say. She just swallowed the lump that formed inside her throat. The attraction she held for Fury was strong, she admitted that, always had, since the day she’d laid eyes on him. She’d thought about what he’d done to her in his bed many a night, her mind filled with erotic memories while dreaming. It had been fantastic until that last part when he’d suddenly withdrawn from her and Justice had arrived.

“I just thank your God that I didn’t do the things I wanted to do to you.”

Ellie warmed all over suddenly. “What…?” She had to swallow. Her voice had broken. “What did you want to do?” The question came out a whisper.

His eyes flashed some emotion she couldn’t quite identify. “I really would have scared you. We aren’t sexually compatible in all ways.”

Ellie stared up at him. She opened her mouth to ask him what he meant by that. Fury suddenly pushed away from the wall and turned his back to her. He stalked away until a good eight feet separated them.

“Your room will be the first door on the right down the hallway. Make yourself at home. I’ll run by the security office and have a temporary pass made for you but for now you should stay inside. I’ll make sure your things from your car are on the way. There’s lots of food to eat in the kitchen if you’re hungry.” He stormed out of the house and slammed the door.

Ellie leaned against the wall for a long time staring at the door he’d disappeared through. What did he want to do to me that night? She closed her eyes, hugging her body. And why do I suddenly wish I knew really, really bad? Damn!

* * * * *

Fury left the house before he totally made a fool of himself by grabbing Ellie, burying his nose against her throat, and inhaling her wonderful scent. The urge to hold her, put his arms around her, and cradle her was so strong he physically ached.