“You did it?” True couldn’t comprehend such a deed, especially taking the life of a female he’d shared sex with.

“I did.” Darkness stood. “Her plan would have harmed the other Species males. I protected them from being used by her.” He held his stare. “My point is that I would make a bad mate for any female regardless of my skills of seduction. You have heart, True. I don’t. Mine was torn out a long time ago and damaged beyond repair. That’s what you have to offer your female. Go home to her and tell her how much she means to you. That’s what females value the most.”

True watched the male walk away, dodging other Species as he left the bar. He got to his feet and followed him outside. Darkness was gone by the time he reached the street. He jogged back to the men’s dorm with plans to tell Jeanie that she was his heart. He could improve his skills as a lover but he couldn’t live without her.

* * * * *

Jeanie’s state of undress had finally sunk in and she’d walked into the bedroom to retrieve one of True’s shirts from the dresser. It dwarfed her, more of a short dress than a top. After a quick search, she’d located a pair of drawstring boxers from a lower drawer and put them on too. She still sat on the bed, stunned by True’s abrupt departure.

It hurts. His words kept playing through her head. True had accused her of wanting to sleep with other men in order to compare them as if it were a sexual competition to establish who she wanted to settle down with. That smacked of irrational jealousy. It slowly dawned on her that he might be feeling a lot more than she ever suspected. Is it possible he loves me? Her heart rate increased. It fits.

She really wished he hadn’t left. They needed to sit down and discuss their feelings. The prospect of him returning her love made her impatient for him to return. She paced the room, finally quit the bedroom, and went into his kitchen to have a snack. Time crawled by. Where did he run to? Is he jogging around the entire property line of Homeland? It was pretty large. He’d been gone for almost an hour. She decided to lie down until he got back.

The doorbell rang. She rushed to the door, hoping it was him. He hadn’t taken his card with him and might have thought she’d locked the door. The tall New Species standing there was the same grim one from earlier.

“Ms. Shiver, these two males have come for you.”

He backed away and two men in uniform blocked the doorway. They were both human, in their late twenties and big. “What?”

“Hello, Ms. Shiver.” The dark-haired one with the dead brown eyes spoke. “You’re being transferred to Fuller. Please come with us.”

“Don’t put up a fight,” the blond man warned. “It would be pointless.”

She stumbled back, shaking her head. “No. I’m not being sent there.” She grabbed at the door, trying to close it.

One of them pushed it wide open, entering True’s apartment. “We have the paperwork. You’re to be transferred to Fuller immediately.”

“No!” She lunged, trying to put the couch between her and them. “True said I could stay here.” She caught the eye of the New Species. “Where is True? Get him.”

“I don’t know where he is.” The Species male stayed by the door. “Their paperwork is in order. Don’t fight them, female. You won’t be harmed.”

The two uniformed humans broke apart, circling the couch to reach her. Panic bolted through Jeanie. “Stay away from me. I’m living with True.” She couldn’t and wouldn’t believe that he’d changed his mind about that just because she’d refused to mate him. He wouldn’t send her to a place he said she’d never survive. “I want True. Get True!” she frantically pleaded with the New Species guard. “Keep them away from me until True gets back. I don’t think he knows about this and he won’t want me to go.”

“Wait,” the Species ordered, reaching for his cell phone. “Let me call the male first.”

The blond man reached inside his vest and withdrew a gun. Jeanie watched in horror as he spun and shot the officer. The weapon made a soft sound.

A small red thing embedded in the New Species’ arm. He glanced down at it, his eyes widened in surprise and he growled before pitching forward to fall on the carpet, facedown. Jeanie’s stunned mind took a second to process what had happened and it cost her. The dark-haired man was on her before she could scream.

One arm wrapped around her throat in a chokehold as he spun her around and applied enough pressure to make breathing impossible. She bucked in his hold in terror. The blond pointed the gun at her.

“Don’t,” the one holding her ordered. “Use the injection instead. We’re under orders to get her to Fuller alive. They want to interrogate her and those darts are too strong for someone her size. She’d overdose.”

The hold around her throat eased just enough for her to suck in air. Tears filled her eyes as she clawed at the arm holding her but couldn’t get him to let her go. The blond shoved the weapon between his vest and shirt, effectively hiding it. He reached into a pocket on his thigh and brandished a syringe.

The blond used his teeth to yank off the cap and jabbed the needle into her arm. She tried to cry out but the arm tightened around her throat, effectively silencing her.

“Pull that bastard inside and lock the door. We’ll rappel off the balcony. There are too many of them on the first floor to sneak her past and some of them might smell her if we try to go out the back. You know they can sniff out pu**y from a mile away.”