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He studied her eyes, looking for signs of pain but didn’t see any. He lifted up some, wishing he wasn’t locked inside her body, and just sat back on his folded legs with her on his lap. He curved around her enough to get a look down at her belly to see the healing injury. No blood marred her skin. He relaxed, hugging her.

  “Let’s wait until you’re completely better to see what snaps my control next time.”

  She pressed her back against his chest, lifted her arms and her hands curved around the top of his shoulders as she grinned. “Let’s not. I don’t regret that in the least.”

  “I was too rough and didn’t remember you were hurt. I just love taking you doggy style.”

  “I love that position too.” She chuckled. “Love is an understatement.”

  He dropped his head and buried his face against her neck, breathing in her wonderful scent. Just holding her and knowing she wasn’t harmed was a huge relief. He had lost control, hadn’t thought of anything beyond joining them and part of him felt as if he’d let his mate down. Her welfare came before his needs.

  “Can we do that again?” Her request stunned him as he stiffened. He lifted his head to stare at her. “Really. You have a fast recovery.” She released his shoulder and pointed up at the bed. “Instead of doggy style, maybe we can do it flat on top of the bed, though, this time, like we did before. Less rub against my stomach. It doesn’t hurt but let’s not push it.”

  His mate was really something. He was certain now that he hadn’t been too rough or harmed her. “We can do that.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  True jerked, unsure what woke him. He turned his head to glance at the clock on the nightstand. It was just after four in the morning. Jeanie peacefully slept, curled in his arms. He carefully withdrew and got to his feet, padded across the floor, and found his discarded pants. The cell phone in the pocket revealed no new texts. He frowned, realizing it hadn’t been the cause.

  He listened, straining for any noise, but didn’t hear anything. He turned, walked into the bathroom and used it. One glance at Jeanie on the bed assured him she slept on as he quietly opened a dresser drawer to remove a pair of sweats. He donned them quickly and decided to do a security check throughout the house.

  There was no need to turn on lights. His night vision allowed him to see everything quite clearly. He entered the guest bedroom and glanced around. Nothing was disturbed. He moved down the hallway, stopped in the spare bathroom then moved on to the living room. He was on his way to the dining room when a soft tap caught his attention. He swung his head around, identified where the noise had come from. It took mere seconds to reach one of the front windows and yank back the curtain.

  He relaxed as he realized the tree was the source. As the wind blew, one branch brushed against the eaves above the window. He released the curtain and backed away. A slight metal creak made him spin, his instincts going on alert. It could be someone outside or just the strong breeze creating more sounds but he wouldn’t return to bed until he was certain.

  True crept toward the hallway again, inhaling the scents around him. Nothing seemed out of place or odd. The aroma of the dinner Jeanie had cooked lingered, her scent and his, and he could even detect the bath salts she’d used earlier. He paused in front of the bedroom door, checking on her. She slept in the same position.

  Thump. He growled low, stalking down the hallway and back into the living room. He paused there, scanning the room and inhaling again. An odd smell teased his nose, something he couldn’t place. It smelled of artificial outdoors. The slight itch in his nose assured him that the scent was off, wasn’t from a real tree, but he couldn’t place the type.

  His peripheral vision detected movement and drew his attention. His heart rate accelerated as he saw the closet door slowly move. He reached for his phone, glanced down and wished it were a weapon. The screen lit up at his touch and he texted three words to Darkness.

  Send help now.

  He shoved the phone into his pocket and decided he wouldn’t go for the weapon in the bedroom as he tensed, prepared to attack anyone who stepped out of the closet. The door stopped moving and he strained to hear the sounds of breathing but nothing happened. He advanced, moving stealthily. He paused and then jerked the closet door open wide, prepared to fight.

  His eyes adjusted to the darker interior but saw nothing. It was empty. He frowned but then a slight breeze touched his skin. His gaze lifted and he stepped closer, staring up at the ceiling in the closet. A square hole was open. The attic beyond was pitch dark. He was certain he would have noticed the missing attic access panel when he’d done the earlier walk-through inspection. The artificial tree scent was stronger in that area.

  What the hell?

  A very slight noise startled him. It sounded as if someone inhaled deeply. He turned his head as a dark shape rose from behind the couch. It appeared human, though somewhat rounded, dressed in all black, and it wore strange glasses. He’d seen those before at task force headquarters. It sank in that the night-vision goggles gave the human the ability to see as well, if not better, than he could. A howl of rage tore from his lips as he lunged, going for the threat.

  Four sharp jabs of pain struck his chest as he reached the couch, prepared to dive over it to tackle the human. His body failed to do his bidding, going limp instead, and he slammed into the piece of furniture. His momentum carried him forward as he crashed into the couch when he fell, tipping it over. He rolled onto the floor and stayed there.

  His body felt heavy and he couldn’t move his arms or legs. He howled inside his mind as he fought the drugs. Jeanie was in danger. His mate needed him. Somehow he found the strength to push up from the floor.

  “Fucking tough bastard, aren’t you?” The voice belonged to a male.

  Two more sharp darts embedded in his flesh, sinking into his back near his shoulder blades. He collapsed but managed to suck in one more lungful of air.

  “RUN!” He roared that word before his face smashed into the carpet.

  He tried to lift up again, fighting hard to stay conscious. His mate was unprotected. The drug in his system made him really lightheaded. He tried to shake it off but couldn’t get his arms to move again. He did manage to open his eyes and watched from where he lay sprawled on the carpet as the human in dark clothing rushed across the room to the front door and unlocked it. Another figure entered.

  “Goddamn it, is that what you call quiet? You dumb fuck,” another male complained in a soft tone. “They probably heard that all the way to the gatehouse.”

  “Those animals have great hearing but not that good. We’re inside and it’s too far away. Besides we’ll be long gone before anyone knows we were here.”

  “What about the damn neighbors? They might have heard. If one of them lives next door, he might hear something. Let’s go. We don’t have time to argue. I knew I should have been the one to breach the house.”

  “Like you could wiggle through the attic vent. Just calm your ass down. You heard our boss. Nobody knows about those tunnels. They’d never expect anyone to be able to get this far inside Homeland.”

  “Let’s move. Where is the woman?”

  “I don’t know. The animal must have heard me crawling around up there. He came out and caught me right after I dropped down. I shot him with six darts. Tough motherfucker.”

  “Move and stop yammering. We have to grab the bitch and bug out. We’re supposed to get her and be back within ten minutes. Stick to the plan.”

  True watched them helplessly as they rushed toward the back of the house and down the hallway, heading toward Jeanie. A door slammed before they were out of sight and he heard wood smash. He blacked out.

  RUN! The howl pierced her sleep. Jeanie jerked awake and bolted upright in the dark bedroom. There was no mistaking that bellow or the snarled tone. True! She reached behind her but her hand only found warm sheets. Her heart raced. She was instantly afraid.

  Lights came on in the house next door. She could see it faintly through th