Breeze paled but focused her attention out the window too. “What do we do?”

“Beauty? Get upstairs.” Shadow sounded calm when he spoke.

She hesitated, watching them. Fear and dread raged inside her. Her friend and the man she loved were in danger because her of her past. Shadow had admitted they were outnumbered and she had spotted fear lurking in Breeze’s eyes before she’d looked away. She was the most fearless woman she knew.

“I could go out there and surrender to them.”

Shadow’s head whipped in her direction and his gaze filled with fury. “What?”

“They’ll leave with me. Both of you will be safe.” It was a sacrifice she was willing to make. She held Shadow’s gaze. “You’ll find me again with the task force. I know you will. You have to live to be able to do that. Master won’t kill me. He obviously wants me back pretty bad to hire those men.” She hugged her waist. “I can’t let you die.”

He snarled. “Get upstairs. Don’t call that bastard ‘Master’ again and no way will I allow you to be returned to him.”

At one time she would have run from his harsh tone but she knew Shadow now. Beauty held her ground and kept eye contact with him. “It makes sense. You’ll die trying to protect me but they’ll still retrieve me in the end. This is the only way to avoid that.” She glanced at Breeze. “Tell him I’m right. You both need to survive. Those men out there need me alive to get paid. I know the man who used to own me.” She carefully avoided his name. “He just wants me back. The task force will find me the way they did before.”

Breeze’s mouth opened then closed. Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back. “What makes you think we’ll lose? I’m so proud of you right now for being brave enough to offer your life for ours but it’s not happening.” Her features tensed. “Now get your ass upstairs and in that bathtub. We’re Species. We fight. No way are we just sending you out there to be returned to a prison.”

Beauty’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “You know I’m right.”

“We’re stubborn by nature.” Breeze suddenly grinned. “And we love a good fight.”

“Get upstairs,” Shadow ordered.

She met his gaze. He was still enraged. No amount of talking would change their minds.

“Do it before I tie you up and put you there,” he rasped. “I’ll do anything to protect you, even that.”

She spun and jogged up the stairs. The handgun felt a little better in her hand when she retrieved it from the dresser top. The safety was off and she entered the bathroom. One glance at the bathtub made her turn and go into her bedroom instead. She peeked out the window, looking for signs of the men Master must have sent after her.

She was Species and she’d fight too.

Chapter Sixteen

Shadow fumed. Beauty had dared offer to give herself up to those humans to be returned to the male who had abused her. The idea was insulting and outrageous.

“Calm,” Breeze whispered. “I’m almost choking on the scent of your rage from across the room.”

He didn’t spare her a glance. “She was willing to give up.”

“I heard.” She sighed. “It was sweet.”

He growled. He’d rather face an army of heavily armed humans than allow Beauty to be captured.

“Her heart was in the right place.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Her heart belonged with him.

“Damn, Shadow. Give her a break. She’s putting us before herself. Do you really think she misses the bastard who held her captive? I was there when she was brought to us. There’s no way she wants to go back. It proves how much we matter to her.”

His temper cooled slightly. “They are holding their positions. What are they waiting for?”

“I don’t know but it beats them opening fire on us.”

“They don’t want to risk shooting Beauty if that’s who they are after. That’s why I wanted her in the tub. It might help hide her if they can look for heat signatures. It depends on what they are using. Her size is going to make it easy for them to distinguish her from us if they can see through the walls.”

“Like in the movies?”

“Yes.”

“Working with the task force taught you a lot.”

He didn’t deny it. The technology the task force had at its disposal was impressive. “How many Wild Zone residents are out here?”

“About forty in all.” Breeze paused. “They were specifically told not to venture into this area but I’m hoping the stench of human intruders prompts them to ignore the order.”

“Me too.” A little help would be good but it might just get some of them killed. He didn’t want that. “I wonder what is going on at the gates. Maybe they launched another attack there to keep Security busy.”

“Another attack?”

He grimaced, realizing he hadn’t filled her in on all the information. He told Breeze about Moon being tranquilized. “It had to be a diversion.”

“A good one,” she agreed. “We’re screwed. Security would have ordered all available officers to the gates to assist there. General protocol is to take all the officers assigned to ground patrol to the hot spot while the ones on the walls keep their posts. They wouldn’t dare leave their positions for fear of a wall breach. Somehow the humans got past them.”