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  “I have that,” the male confirmed. “I can guess her size. I’ll supply her for two weeks but you should go online to order her things. The Gifts do that.” He spun away, disappearing behind a tall shelf.

  True turned to her and his smile appeared forced. “He won’t take long.”

  “What is a gift?” She kept her voice low.

  “Small female Species.”

  “Why are they called that?”

  A muscle along his jaw strained. “They were created by Mercile to be used as gifts to investors. We’ve retrieved some from information in the few records we recovered.”

  “Gifted to investors? What does that mean?”

  His beautiful eyes glinted with rage. “They were purposely created smaller and weaker so they couldn’t effectively fight back.” He hesitated. “Mercile was funded by some rich human males who wanted to sexually abuse females. The Gifts being part animal was considered to be a bonus and they paid a lot of money to get them. Most of the records were destroyed, making it difficult to figure out where the money came from and who might have them so we could attempt to rescue the females.”

  Jeanie stared up at him as she absorbed his words. She swayed on her feet and might have fallen over if he hadn’t grabbed her hips. “Oh my god.” It sickened her, imagining something so appalling.

  “I’m sorry. I should have worded it kinder.”

  She gripped his arms, happy for the support. “I destroyed the mainframe computer at Cornas.” She felt sick. “I didn’t know, True. Did I erase information that could have helped find some of them?”

  He pulled her against his body. “I don’t know.”

  She clung to him, closed her eyes. Her hands slid up his arms to grip his shoulders. Her legs seemed to turn to jelly. “I just wanted to stop the security guards from being able to gas the New Species they held at Cornas.”

  “It’s okay.” He rested his chin on the top of her head and wrapped his arms firmly around her waist in a tight hug. “You felt you had no choice. I believe that. You did what you thought was best. You did save their lives.”

  But how many did I cost? That question haunted her. She didn’t dare say it aloud. No wonder the task force team wants to know what was on those computers so bad and why they acted as though what I did was such a terrible thing. It might have helped them find some of those women.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jeanie hated making True worry but she just didn’t have much to say. The New Species at the warehouse had offered to show her what clothing they had in her size but she couldn’t muster any interest. They could have given her grain sacks to wear and she’d have just said thank you. She was in shock.

  True had kept hold of her until she’d pulled out of his arms when the other guy had returned. She didn’t want him to have to justify giving her any comfort or possibly getting into another fight. Humans who’d worked for any company associated with Mercile Industries were hated by New Species for good reasons and she had just discovered yet another one.

  She shuddered, thinking about men as cruel as Dean Polanitis getting their hands on a Gift New Species. She’d never seen any of them at Drackwood or Cornas but according to True, they weren’t kept inside the facilities. The horror of what those women must suffer left her reeling.

  She’d experienced firsthand how horrible the drug testing had been at Drackwood. She hadn’t been sexually assaulted though. To imagine years of sexual abuse at the hands of someone atrocious was a nightmare. She’d rather be beaten and verbally abused than to have some sicko use her to satisfy whatever deviant sexual behavior he could think of.

  True carried her back to the golf cart and left her there to retrieve half a dozen bags. She sat very still, not even daring to glance up as vehicles passed. He quickly returned and drove them back to the dorm. The engine shut off.

  “Are you all right?”

  She forced herself to look up at him. “Why did you save me?”

  “I shouldn’t have told you about Gifts. I didn’t know it would upset you this much. Mercile gave them away a long time ago. I doubt Cornas had information on their computers.”

  “What if they did?”

  “What if they didn’t? You’re upset without knowing if there is a reason.”

  She nodded, trying to grab hold of that hope. “Okay.”

  “We’ve rescued some of them. Most were long dead by the time we tracked them down.”

  “Dead?”

  He frowned. “I’m not telling you more.”

  “Please?”

  “They didn’t survive long. Let’s go inside.”

  She got out of the cart before he could round it. “I can walk.”

  He growled, not happy, but reached for the bags. “Stay on the grass. The sidewalks will be hot.”

  She didn’t care if her feet burned but knew it would upset him so she kept to the grass. He punched in a code and swiped his card to gain access to the dorm. It reminded her of Drackwood and Cornas, with their security measures. The community room was empty when they entered the building. He led her directly to the elevators. No words were spoken until they reached the third floor.

  Flame remained stationed in the hallway, leaning against a wall. He smiled. “That didn’t take long. All your personal stuff has been moved into the new home.” He straightened and opened the door for them. “I had them deliver lunch. I hope you don’t mind.” He slipped True a card. “Same code.”

  “Thank you.” True gripped her arm, steering her inside.

  “Thanks,” she mumbled.

  “Is she okay?” Flame sounded concerned.

  “She will be. Thank you. Don’t let anyone disturb us.”

  “You got it.” Flame firmly closed the door.

  Jeanie turned when she reached the center of the room, watching True place the bags on the counter between the living room and kitchen. A tray rested on the table with two covered dishes. “You eat. I’m not hungry.”

  He frowned. “You need to.”

  “I kind of lost my appetite. Do you mind if I go lie down?”

  She didn’t wait for an answer, just walked into the bedroom. The sleigh bed was a leather monstrosity, set higher than the one at his old place. She paused, hating that she was the reason they’d had to move. The mattress stood waist high and she’d have to climb on it. The bright-blue bedding was pretty but she preferred True’s.

  “Jeanie?”

  She turned, staring at him where he braced his arms against the doorframe. “Yes?”

  He released it, came closer. “Tell me how to make you feel better.”

  Her gaze traveled down his body, pausing over his wide chest, lowered to his narrow waist and tight stomach, to the sweats that covered his muscular, long legs. She stared at the carpet, not daring to answer.

  He stepped closer until she had to look up or just stare at his crotch. She examined his full lips, wishing he’d kiss her. That would distract her from all the pain and misery. Regrets were aplenty too.

  “Jeanie?” He reached out and his hand curled around her hip. The other one brushed her hair back and his thumb caressed her jawline. “What do you need?”

  “You,” she got out. It surprised them both, judging from the way his brown eyes widened and her cheeks warmed.

  True made a soft, animalistic sound that was kind of sexy. “I’m hoping you mean what I think you do.”

  It was an encouragement to her, to reach out and glide her palms up his chest. She wished the shirt was gone, longing to touch warm skin instead of the soft material stretched over his firm body. Her fingers curled around the back of his neck, grasping him there, and tugged to lower his head. He complied and she tilted her head slightly, licking her lips to wet them as she rose on tiptoe.

  “Kiss me? Please?”

  He didn’t need to be asked twice. His mouth lowered and she closed her eyes. The first brush of his mouth against hers sent shivers down her spine. Those firm lips were softer than they appeared to be as they met