Wrath Read online

  Be nice to the kidnapper and maybe the kidnapper will be nice to me.

  Wrath was furious as he carried the female down the hallway to his room. He was glad he’d decided to check on her and heard her screams. He’d felt very guilty while watching Shadow use her assumptions about them against her. Fear made humans talk more easily but it had been hard to see her tremble at times.

  His blood boiled over Vengeance’s behavior. The male couldn’t just force a female to be his. Why didn’t he know that? Perhaps he shouldn’t have been assigned to the team. The fact that Vengeance had caused her to bleed, had stripped her of her clothes, made him want to beat the male. No one should harm a female physically.

  He inhaled and bit back a growl. She was so soft, smelled so good, and the feel of her in his arms turned him on. She rested her cheek against his chest, her silky hair tickled slightly, and his fangs dug into the inside of his lower lip. The last thing she needed was to fear him more and she would if she realized how she affected him. It confused him that he felt attracted to her.

  The door was difficult to get open with her in his arms but he managed, kicked it open, and turned to get them inside. He pushed it closed with his foot and glanced around his barren room. It was a square room with dull bricks for walls and concrete floors. He only had a bed with one nightstand and the bathroom to call his own. He gently placed her on the mattress, wished the blanket was softer, and released her.

  “Stay.”

  Big blue eyes stared at him with trepidation. Guilt ate at him. She was a little thing compared to the females he was used to, softer, and obviously not accustomed to stress. Her hands trembled when she tugged at his shirt, trying to hide her blue panties and the tops of her creamy thighs. She looked as if she worried he’d attack. It wasn’t a stretch of her imagination after what Vengeance had pulled.

  “Easy,” he crooned and tried to express that he wasn’t threatening as he backed away. “Do not run. There is nowhere to go and Vengeance is out there.” He hated to use that threat but figured it would be effective. The terror that widened her eyes assured him he’d been correct. “I’m getting the first-aid kit to take care of your injuries.”

  He spun quickly to stalk into the bathroom and flipped on the light. The kit was a white box with a red cross on it and was hooked on a peg inside the door. The female didn’t attempt to flee in his absence. She sat huddled on his bed with her arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

  She started when he crouched before her. His heart hammered as strongly at them being so close but she needed medical attention. Tim’s team wouldn’t return until morning and that left just him to tend her. Brass was above, using the telephone to speak to Justice while Shadow had gone to eat. He sure wouldn’t allow Vengeance near her again.

  He placed the kit down, opened it, and tried to ignore his body’s response to the female. Memories surfaced of what humans looked like naked. A stream of images from the movies he’d been forced to watch played through his mind—images of them touching their own bodies. Another growl rose inside his throat that he barely swallowed down. Fear quickly followed. He’d been conditioned to react to human females and he wasn’t sure if he could trust himself, alone in a room with one.

  “Let me see your wrists.” He winced when his voice came out deeper than he’d intended.

  She cautiously stopped hugging her middle to show him her arm. The cuts weren’t deep, just scratches, and relief swept through him. She wouldn’t need more medical attention than he could give. Wrath took his time to unpack the kit and get what he needed, while he battled with the desire that rose within him.

  “You live here?” She glanced around.

  “Yes.”

  Her teeth bit down on her lower lip and drew his attention. Memories hit him of other females doing that while they moaned. Their hands had traveled over their breasts and stroked their spread pussies. Blood rushed to his cock, made his heart pound, and the air froze inside his lungs. Her voice forced him to concentrate on something besides his body’s responses to the flashbacks he suffered.

  “Why? I mean, we’re underground, right?”

  He refused to answer, opened the alcohol, and dampened one of the cotton balls. “This may sting.”

  A small sound came from her. She gasped when he applied the wet cotton to one of the deeper scratches. He remembered something he’d seen on television when he’d tried to get used to the outside world. A mother had blown on her child’s injury to alleviate the burning sensation. He leaned in and fanned his breath over it.

  “Does that help?”

  “Thank you. Yes.”

  Wrath quickly cleaned and bandaged both her wrists. He packed away the medical supplies, closed the lid, and rose to his feet. He just wanted to put some space between him and her scent, which drove him a little insane.

  The female stared at him as he paused by the bathroom door when he turned to peer at her. Her heart-shaped face was attractive, her nose strange but not unappealing, and she seemed to have a tendency to chew on her full bottom lip.

  “I won’t identify you to the police. I want to put that right out there. I don’t care what you do with what’s-his-name, that’s none of my business, but I do want to survive this. Tell me what that’s going to take. Do you want me to sign a sworn statement or something that I won’t go to the cops? I’ll do that.”

  “I’m not concerned with you going to the police.”

  It shocked him when tears welled inside her eyes and slid down her cheeks. She didn’t bother to wipe them away. He took a hesitant step forward, alarmed that cleaning her wounds might be causing her pain. Her next words halted him quickly.

  “I’ll do whatever you want but please don’t kill me. I have a whole list of stuff I want to do before I die and I haven’t done any of it yet.”

  “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Right. That’s why you’re hiding your face.” She pointed up at him. “You’re making sure I can’t see your eyes. Is that supposed to terrorize me more, because it’s working? This might be some kind of sick sort of amusement for you but not for me. I’m hungry, tired, and scared. Don’t you have a heart at all?” Her hand lifted to wipe at her tears.

  “I am not wearing them to frighten you. My intention is the exact opposite. I wear the glasses to keep you at ease with me.”

  “Big fail.”

  He hesitated. “Do not be alarmed. I swear I won’t hurt you. Humans are afraid of us.”

  Her eyes widened. “Humans? What are you? An alien?” She frowned. “Crap. You’re nuts too? Really? Shit.”

  Wrath reached up and slowly removed his glasses. He stared at her calmly while she paled. Her mouth opened, closed, but nothing came out. He figured it was a good sign when she didn’t scream.

  Chapter Three

  Lauren knew she was gawking at Wrath. His eyes were strange. She was adding up facts and it all slammed together in her brain on why his features looked so masculine.

  “Oh God.”

  “Do not be frightened.”

  Is he kidding? Relief swept through her and her fear eased. “You’re not some ex-con who works for the mob. You’re a New Species, aren’t you?”

  He gave a sharp nod of his head.

  “You don’t just have weird nicknames. They are actually your names!”

  “Yes.” His lips twitched. “And I don’t think our names are weird.”

  “Most men have names like Joe or Ralph but I shouldn’t have used the term weird. I know that New Species have names like Justice and Fury. I have seen both of them on television and I heard or read somewhere that you all pick names that have meaning for you. So you really are New Species. I’ve never met one of you in person.”

  “I am New Species.”

  “I didn’t know any of you kept your hair short. I should have realized when I saw your cheekbones and that nose…damn. I feel stupid for not putting it together. It’s just that the bald man’s eyes are really weird and he doesn’t exactl