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  True gave the male a grateful look for backing him up before turning his head and growling at the doctor. “She belongs to the NSO now. You stated it. Do what we say. Stop giving her the drug.”

  “You do work for us.” Jericho’s voice deepened. “That’s an order.”

  “I’m on it.” Paul removed the bag he’d just hung. “I’ll go get plain saline. Let’s not fight. I don’t want to get my ass kicked,” he muttered. The nurse rushed around them and fled the room.

  “I’m calling Justice.”

  “You do that.” True wasn’t concerned with Harris’ threat. “Tell him it could have killed her. I’m sure he won’t be happy.”

  The doctor stomped out of the room and True relaxed, looking at the primate male, Jericho. “Thank you.”

  The other male shrugged. “My job is to protect and keep her safe. I fail if she dies.” He glanced at the bed. “I heard she once worked where you were held.”

  “She did.”

  “You want her to survive to experience the suffering you once lived with daily? Fuller is run by humans. She’ll learn to regret all she’s done.”

  “She wasn’t like the other technicians.” He studied Shiver, resisting the urge to step closer.

  “How so?”

  True hesitated. “She wasn’t callous or cruel.”

  “A polite technician?”

  True shrugged. “She was different.”

  “Different how?”

  The questions began to annoy him but he owed the male a debt. He faced him, crossing his arms over his chest. “She brought me pain pills without the guards’ knowledge a few times after I suffered severe beatings. She also sneaked in candy, saying it was Christmas. I didn’t know what that meant at the time but I liked the sweetness of it. No one had ever given me a gift before.”

  The male’s eyes widened, revealing more of the red in the irises. “What did she want in return?”

  True looked at her. “She asked for nothing.”

  “Odd. Mercile never did anything without a motive.”

  “Yes.”

  “She escaped when you were rescued?”

  “She wasn’t there. I reviewed the statements taken from all employees that were captured. She’d called in sick that day.”

  “That was unfortunate.”

  “Not for her.” True couldn’t stay across the room anymore and dropped his arms to his sides, drawing closer to Shiver. “She remained free to work in another place our people were kept.”

  “She was finally captured.”

  And almost killed. He kept silent.

  “I’ll return to the hall.” Jericho paused by the door. “You might want to hide your emotions better.”

  He spun around. “What does that mean?”

  The male cocked his head, staring back at him. “You should be filled with rage but that’s not what I see when you look at her. She’s little and pretty, despite the bruising. Don’t forget what she is and where she comes from. That’s not a female you should trust.” His lips curved into a smile. “You’d have to keep her in front of you at all times to be sure she doesn’t strike when your back is turned. You want to mount her.”

  “I don’t.” His temper flared.

  The primate had the nerve to outright grin. “Humans have a saying that is appropriate right now. You protest too strongly. That means your anger comes from knowing that what I say is right.” He stalked out of the room.

  True fumed. He didn’t want Shiver. Perhaps once, he admitted. That had changed when he’d learned she had a motive for being kind. Polanitis had attempted to use his fondness for the female to force him to agree to participate in breeding experiments. The thought of what would have happened if they’d been successful was enough to cool his desire.

  She was human and he could have gotten her with child. He hadn’t known it was possible at the time but the consequences would have been horrific. Mercile would have bred countless Species infants after learning humans and Species could breed, exposing their offspring to the hell their fathers had suffered at their hands. His fists clenched and he had to swallow a howl of rage. Shiver had tempted him to mount her and that weakness caused a deep sense of shame.

  Chapter Three

  Jeanie opened her eyes, peering in confusion at the bedrails rising on both sides of the mattress she lay on. It came as a shock to be alive. The familiar sights of a hospital room assured her that she hadn’t died. The dull pain in her side when she shifted was also proof.

  She tried to touch her face but her arm jerked to a halt as something pinched her wrist. She stared at the handcuffs securing her to the bedrail. Confusion instantly surfaced.

  “Hello?” Her voice came out dry and rough. She swallowed, wishing for water.

  A white-haired man sporting a pair of glasses appeared and stared down at her, frowning. “Hello. I’m Dr. Harris. You’re at the NSO Homeland in Southern California, Ms. Shiver.”

  “Water,” she croaked.

  He disappeared for a few seconds then reappeared with a glass and a straw. He lowered it to her mouth and she sipped the room-temperature liquid. It wet her tongue and throat, soothing away the soreness.

  He drew it back. “Not too much at once. You can have some more.”

  “Thank you.”

  “How do you feel, Ms. Shiver?”

  She swallowed. “It’s Shy-ver. That’s how you pronounce it.”

  He blinked. “Fine. You’ll live. You may wish you hadn’t by the end of the day but I did my job. I’m sending in a nurse to help you get showered and dressed. The NSO wants answers. You’ll be escorted to the lower floor where your questioning will begin.”

  Jeanie swallowed, taken aback at his words and cold attitude. “Why am I handcuffed?”

  He hesitated but instead of answering, offered her a few more sips of water. She accepted.

  “Do you know what NSO stands for?”

  “Yes. New Species Organization.” She shifted on the bed a little to get comfortable. “I understand where I’m at.” She glanced down. “Am I okay? The bullet didn’t do any severe damage?”

  He seemed at a loss for words for a moment. “You’ll heal just fine but expect a scar. We had to operate to remove the bullet and you suffered internal bleeding. You needed a blood transfusion but it didn’t hit anything vital.” He paused. “Expect tenderness at the wound site for a while.”

  “Thank you.” She was stunned the injury wasn’t worse.

  She saw a flicker of emotion in his eyes and finally figured out what it was. For some reason the guy pitied her. She wanted to ask what was wrong but he turned abruptly and walked away.

  “The nurse is here,” he said as he exited the room.

  A tall New Species woman entered. She frowned when their gazes met but approached the bed, gripped the side rail and lowered it. “Sit up. You need to shower and put on clean clothing.” Her tone was icy. “You stink of medicine.” Her blue gaze remained narrowed, her manner unfriendly. “Your hair needs to be washed too.” She produced a key from her pocket and unlocked the handcuffs.

  “Hello.” Jeanie smiled, happy to meet a free New Species despite it not seeming mutual. The pain in her side dampened her joy, though, when she forced her body upright. “Oh. That hurts.” She tenderly touched the gown over her injury, feeling a thick bandage under the thin material.

  “Being shot causes pain.” The nurse stepped back. “Do you need assistance getting down?”

  Jeanie pushed her legs over the edge of the bed only to notice how far her feet dangled above the floor. “These beds are pretty high.”

  “They were designed for Species.” The nurse advanced, her touch gentle when she wrapped her arm around Jeanie’s waist, carefully helping her transition to a standing position.

  Jeanie half expected dizziness to strike but she felt surprisingly good. The nurse released her after a few seconds, seemingly confident she wouldn’t fall.

  “Follow me.”

  “What’s your na