“Don’t!” He rushed forward, moving faster than the human. He hooked an arm around her ribs and barely swung her out of the way when the task force member ignored his order. The other male brushed against his side from the near collision, on his way to hitting the floor as True whisked her beyond his grasp.

True lifted Jeanie into his arms as she screamed again. Her legs kicked wildly and her fists flailed the air. He glanced around, searching for somewhere to take her that she couldn’t be hurt if he put her down. There was nowhere. She bucked in his arms and it was difficult to keep hold of her.

He just dropped to the floor, her ass on his lap where he sat. A snarl tore past his lips as he adjusted his grip on her and managed to pin her arms over her br**sts by hugging her against his chest, one hand pressing them down over her ribs to keep them contained between their bodies. His other hand fisted in her wet hair near the base of her neck as he leaned forward, glaring at her when he managed to keep her from tossing her head.

“Enough!” he roared. “Stop.” He winced when one of her flailing feet hit the concrete but he protected her head from the same fate.

She stilled in his arms as her struggles ceased. The way she looked at him with pure terror was something he’d hoped to never see. He inhaled, almost choking on the scent of her fear. It had to be a very strong emotion for him to smell it, which assured him of the sincerity of her response. A human couldn’t fake those kinds of extreme physical reactions that could be picked up by Species senses. The rapid rise and fall of her chest reminded him of the danger of her having a heart attack. Had the drug she’d been given caused some type of damage? She panted, seemingly unable to catch her breath.

He cleared his throat, softened his tone. “Easy. Breathe in and out. Slow it down.”

She stared into his eyes as if he were a lifeline but responded by licking her lips, obviously attempting to do as he instructed.

“Get the damn medic!” Trey yelled. “Now!”

“I’ll be fine,” Jericho growled low, sitting up, but kept one hand over the front of his groin in a protective gesture. “It hurts like hell but give me a minute.”

“It’s not for you. The female is in distress.” Flame kept his distance. “I can smell her.”

“The bitch is nuts,” Chris muttered, pushing himself off the floor to a sitting position. He shot a glare at True. “I think she broke my nose when she threw her head back into my face and I probably just busted my lip when I kissed the floor. I would have had her if True hadn’t interfered.”

“You hit the floor hard,” Flame pointed out. “That looked painful.”

“Fuck you.” The human stayed on the floor and checked out his palms. “Great. They are bleeding too.”

“How can you tell? They were already covered in blood.”

“Shut up, Flame.”

“Both of you shut it,” Trey demanded, staring at True. “Is she okay? So much for thinking she shouldn’t be in handcuffs or that she’d avoid a physical altercation with us.” He spun around to glare at Jordan. “I told you to reel it back, goddamn it. She’s not ex-military or some thug. Women snap under too much pressure. I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

True dipped his head, staring into Shiver’s eyes. She still peered up at him, her pupils dilated. He eased his hold. Her breathing seeming to slow to a more normal rate.

“Please,” Shiver whispered, now limp in his arms. “Don’t let him near me.”

He frowned, shooting a glare at Chris. The male could have hurt her if he’d succeeded with the tackle. She was no match for his heavier body and slamming her into the concrete floor could have caused a lot of damage.

“He won’t touch you.”

“I can’t take it.”

He frowned, wondering if she was having flashbacks to when she’d been arrested. He silently swore that Chris would be pulled off any duties that involved females until he had better training. She never should have been treated with such disregard. The near-death experience had left her traumatized.

“You won’t be harmed. Just keep breathing slow and steady.”

The elevator opened and Midnight rushed forward. She took in the scene with a grim expression and approached him quickly with a syringe. He adjusted his arms to lift Shiver a little more toward him to give the nurse free access to the back of the female. Midnight crouched.

“This will keep her really mellow,” Midnight promised, using an alcohol swab to rub a spot on Shiver’s thigh and gently inserted the needle. “It’s fast acting. It won’t knock her out but she won’t cause more trouble. Do you want to carry her or should I have Paul bring a wheelchair? She won’t be able to walk in a few seconds. It’s going to make her a bit drowsy and a lot loopy. No more escape plans will be forming in her brain.”

“I’ll carry her.” True wasn’t about to hand her over to any of the other males.

The female nodded and tugged on the gowns that encased Shiver, tucking some of the fabric between his forearm and her thighs. Midnight leaned in. “You don’t want to keep her exposed. She’s bare under the gown.”

He gnashed his teeth in anger. No one else had mentioned that. The dimness of the room where he now sat would account for the humans not seeing her exposed body too clearly but the Species males were another matter. Jericho seemed oblivious as he recovered from having his nuts smashed but Flame had no excuse. He glared at the male.