New Species 11 True (12 page)

He studied her while seeming to consider her words. “He
offered you to me.”

The shocks kept coming. “What do you mean by that?”

“He said I could mount you if I didn’t harm any more of the
guards. He seemed concerned that hiring new ones to replace them might heighten
the risk of Drackwood’s activities being discovered.”

She gaped at him. No words even came to mind. Dean Polanitis
had been malicious, a nasty person, but to offer to allow someone to have sex
with her surpassed the scope of evil she believed he’d been capable of
committing. It also came as a surprise that her boss hadn’t taunted her with
the threat. They’d hated each other.

“I refused.”

She dropped her gaze to his chest, letting that sink in. Her
response was easy. “You could never be cruel.”

He cleared his throat. “It seems this agent fooled you into
believing he really worked for the NSO. There is no such person affiliated with
us. I received information while you slept that ransom money was paid for the
locations of Drackwood and Cornas.”

The sharp sensation to her chest had to be caused by
betrayal and heartbreak after learning all she’d done had been used to
financially hurt the NSO. She studied his face. “You’re sure?”

“We’re positive.” He straightened in his chair and lifted a
cell phone from the nightstand. He turned the screen her way after using his
index finger to manipulate the device. “See? We paid a million dollars for the
location of Drackwood and a million and a half for the location of Cornas. This
so-called agent pocketed the money. We were anonymously sent samples of blood,
hair, saliva and fingernail clippings that were tested. It was determined they
belonged to Species who weren’t in our current database. Everyone who has been
freed has samples taken and tested for comparison.”

“What do they compare them to?”

He hesitated. “Some Species have a wish for family. We’ve
found some who have the same biological markers. It also helps us determine if
the tips are real or not. We can test to see if they are Species, if it’s
someone we’ve already recovered or not. We get a lot of humans who lie and
claim to have knowledge of where Species are being held in captivity in hopes
we’ll pay them money. We do if we can determine their information is real.”

“I could kill Brice.” She was livid. “That son of a bitch.”

“Some believe you knew what he was doing.”

It was a verbal slap in the face and it hurt. “I didn’t.”

“Did you receive any money from him? The task force team is
checking your finances.”

“Not the way you’d think.” She really wanted True to believe
her. “The only time he helped me financially was when I moved to South Dakota.
I had to rent a truck to move my stuff and needed enough money to get into my
apartment. I couldn’t afford the first and last month’s rent because I hadn’t
planned to go there until he told me about Cornas. Someone had to prove New
Species were there so he could get them free.”

“How much money did you accept?” He didn’t look happy.

“He gave me two thousand dollars.”

True stood, pacing the room. Jeanie watched him, worried he’d
think the worst.

“I only accepted that money because I didn’t have the funds
to move. I swear I didn’t know he demanded a ransom from the NSO for the
information I gave.”

He stopped, stared at her. “Okay. I’ll relay that to the
task force members.”

“Did Agent Brice give you the names of the employees at
Cornas? How many of them were arrested?”

“Just you. We were given no list of employee names.”

She pushed at the sheet, trying to climb off the side of the
bed. “Do you have a pen and paper? I want to write them down. They’ll try to
flee the country.”

True blocked her from standing by stepping next to the bed. “Stay
down. You’re healing. I’ll bring you something to write on.”

“Thank you.” She covered her legs and leaned back against
his padded headboard.

True walked to the bedroom door but then paused, turning to
face her. “You should also write out a list of personal contacts so we can
notify them of where you are. I’m sure your loved ones are worried.”

“No one will notice I’m gone for quite a while.”

He tilted his head, frowning. “What about the male in your life?
He must be frantic, attempting to discover your whereabouts.”

“You mean a boyfriend? I don’t date.”

He stepped closer. “Why not?”

She dropped her gaze to his chest again. “I just don’t.”

“Jeanie? Answer me.”

Her gaze lifted to his. “I just don’t. Can’t we leave it at
that?”

“No. You’re an attractive female. There should be a male in
your life.”

She glanced anywhere but at him, her cheeks warming from
embarrassment. It made her feel elated that he thought she was attractive. That
feeling quickly faded. He could have said it to be polite.

“I just thought it was safer. I was living a lie, unable to
trust anyone because it could get me killed. A boyfriend could have been a
plant hired by my bosses to see if I was trustworthy or not. I also didn’t want
either of those places to think I had close ties to anyone who could be hurt by
association. They loved to make threats about killing the people we cared about
if we betrayed our confidentiality clauses.” She paused. “I distanced myself
from my friends and family to protect them. They only hear from me on birthdays
or Christmas. I knew they weren’t empty threats after…” She just couldn’t say
it.

“They forced you to become a test subject,” he guessed.

“Yes,” she whispered. “After that I had no doubts about how
evil those bastards could be.”

“I’ll be right back.”

He left the room. One glance at the nightstand assured her
he’d taken the cell phone. She really wanted to dial the number for Agent
Brice. He had a lot of explaining to do and she had some choice words to say to
him. He’d lied and she’d been used. True wouldn’t make that up.

She huddled on his bed. One sweeping glance across the room
revealed he didn’t display many mementos or personal items. It reminded her
more of a hotel room than a home. It made her sad. She wished there were
mementos on his walls or at least some photos of friends to indicate he had a
lot of people in his life.

True disconnected the call and ground his teeth in
frustration. The task force team seemed leery of Jeanie’s story. Trey had
listened to him until Tim came on the phone a few minutes into the
conversation. The male again demanded she be returned to his custody. It wasn’t
going to happen.

A slight noise in the other room alerted him to Jeanie’s
movements. He stalked to the doorway and peered inside. She’d slipped out of
bed, had crossed the room and stood in front of his dresser.

“What are you doing?”

She jumped and spun around, eyes wide. Suspicion surfaced
that she might be searching for a weapon. He wanted to trust her but refused to
be made a fool of again.

“I didn’t want to disturb you but I was hoping I might be
able to borrow some of your clothes.”

“Why?”

She waved a hand down the front of her body. “I’m not a huge
fan of these gowns. They are kind of uncomfortable and they didn’t have
anything else for me to wear at the hospital.”

“There are shirts in the top drawer. You may borrow one.”
The idea of his clothing against her bare skin created an odd, possessive
reaction inside him. He didn’t like it one bit but refused to deny her comfort.

“Do you have any boxers or drawstring shorts?”

“Third drawer down.”

“Thank you.” She appeared emotionally torn as she just stood
there. “I hate that this is so awkward between us. I imagined things would be
different if we ever saw each other again.”

Curiosity became too strong to resist. “How so?”

“It never crossed my mind that you’d think I was one of the
bad guys.”

“You’re female.” He hoped a little humor would ease the
tense situation.

“You know what I mean.” She sighed. “Thank you for at least
giving me the benefit of a doubt by bringing me here instead of allowing them
to take me to prison.”

He took a cautious step closer, then another, before coming
to a halt. “You never harmed me or any others I spoke to from Drackwood. Fuller
is a bad place for females. One was killed there a few months ago. I refuse to
allow you to be put in danger.”

“Killed? You mean executed?”

“Not by us.” He regretted the fear he identified on her
features. “The guards there allow the inmates a little exercise sometimes by
having them walk between the cages. The female’s cell door wasn’t locked by
mistake and she was attacked by other prisoners when they freed some of the
males. The guards weren’t able to save her.”

She took a step back and bumped into his dresser. “That’s
horrible. They beat her to death?”

“You don’t want the details. She didn’t die well.”

“Thank you for believing me. I’m afraid of Polanitis. He has
to know I’m the reason Drackwood got busted. I never called in sick for work
except the day of the raid. He’d do anything to get even.”

True felt grateful she didn’t question him further about the
human who was killed. “I want to believe everything you say.”

She flinched. “It’s hard to trust me. I understand.”

He didn’t enjoy seeing the unhappiness on her face. “You can
change your clothes in the bathroom.” His gaze ran down her body, lingering a
little too long on her shapely, attractive legs. “I want you comfortable.”

She turned away. The dresser was tall and she had to ease up
on tiptoe to peer inside when she opened the top drawer. He immediately went to
her aid. True’s torso pressed against her back when he reached around her, his
hand brushing hers as he grabbed a shirt.

Jeanie sucked a sharp breath, her head jerking in his
direction to stare at his face. He studied her features. “I’m not going to hurt
you.”

“I know.” She didn’t edge away.

She smelled sweet. The lingering scent of her fear played
hell on his libido. It would be easy to wrap an arm around her waist, lift her
off her feet and carry her to his bed just steps away. He became aware of their
size differences. He’d never mounted a human but wanted to.

The golden brown of her eyes was absolutely beautiful. His
gaze lowered to her slightly parted lips. The urge to kiss them formed as his body
responded to the soft curves of her ass lightly touching his thighs. The two
hospital gowns she wore were thin, easy to get rid of. He fisted the shirt and
pulled it out of the drawer.

“Go into the bathroom to change. Close the door,” he managed
to get out as he put a little space between them. The way his voice deepened
couldn’t be helped.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’ve barely gotten any sleep in the past two days.” He
refused to admit his bad mood wasn’t the result of weariness. He wanted Jeanie.
She’d probably scream if he attempted to mount her.

“Go now,” he ordered, his control about to slip. She smelled
too good, was too close and his dick grew harder with each passing second. She’d
notice if he didn’t get her away from him. He shoved the shirt at her. “Take
this. It’s really soft and one of my favorites.”

“What about boxers? Or shorts?”

“You’ll be in bed recovering from your injuries. You don’t
need them and the shirt will fall long on you.” She’d be bare from the waist
down beneath it. His imagination went there. Flame had said she shaved most of
the hair from her sex. He’d never had the urge to explore a human female’s
anatomy but Jeanie was different. There wasn’t one inch of her that he wouldn’t
like to memorize by touch and taste. “Go on. I need to change out of my
uniform.”

She accepted the shirt. He turned his back in case she
noticed the way the material of his pants strained to contain his erection. He
wanted her in another room and away from him.

He gripped the bottom of his shirt, knowing the sight of him
stripping out of it would motivate her to flee. The door clicked closed before
he pulled it over his head and tossed it to the corner. He glanced at the
bathroom door and cursed softly.

I’m supposed to protect her but who will keep her safe from
me?

Jeanie studied her reflection in the mirror as she removed
both hospital gowns. Bruises still marred one side of her face and her chin but
the colors were wrong. They should be black and blue, not greenish yellow. The
bandage covered her lower abdomen on one side, gauze sealed beneath a clear
plastic cover. It was ugly but she worried that what hid under it looked worse.
She hesitated before carefully tugging at the edges, the adhesive a little
painful when it pulled away from her skin. She dropped the bandage in the trash
next to the toilet.

The bullet wound wasn’t a hole. It was a two-inch red line
with tiny dots from staples. They hadn’t bothered with stitches. She brushed
her fingertip over the jagged, angry line marring her skin, stunned. She hadn’t
torn open her lab coat to examine how badly she’d been hurt when she’d been
shot but there had been a lot of blood.

Something was off. There should have been a bloody hole, not
a mostly healed incision line. Her knees weakened and she swayed, having to
grab the counter to keep upright. A small noise escaped her parted lips while
she tried to figure out how that was possible.

“Jeanie?” True’s voice startled her from the other side of
the door. “Are you all right?”

She lunged at the shirt she’d laid on the counter, grabbed
it, and pulled it over her head. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

He jerked open the door before she managed to tug the shirt
all the way down to her thighs. She gave him her back in an attempt to maintain
her modesty. The quick action made her dizzy and she almost tripped over her
own feet. A big, solid arm wrapped around her rib cage to anchor her upright
and he used his body to support her.

“Jeanie? What’s wrong?”

She didn’t twist her head to peer back at him but instead
met his gaze in the mirror. “How long was I out?”

“I don’t understand. Did you faint?”

“No! I was shot! I felt the pain, saw the blood, but I just
removed the bandage. Was I in a coma or something?”

He adjusted his hold enough to turn her around to face him.
She noticed he was shirtless. She couldn’t help but stare at all that tan skin.
The well-defined muscles of his arms were imposing but fascinating at the same
time.

“Take a deep breath and calm down,” he demanded.

“I just saw where I was shot. It’s almost healed. How is
that possible? When was I shot? How many days was I in the hospital before I
woke up?”

True shifted his hold until his arm hooked her at her hips
and his free hand pushed the hair away from her face. “You were given Mercile
drugs. The same thing they used on Species to help us heal fast.”

She was glad he held her when that information sank in. “The
ones the FDA banned?” She’d read about that in the news. Once it had become
known that Mercile Industries had used illegal methods to produce some
groundbreaking pharmaceutical drugs by abusing New Species, every product they’d
made had gone under extensive investigation. The results had been appalling
when they found evidence that human drug trials had ended with fatalities,
something Mercile had managed to cover up until that point. “They are
dangerous, aren’t they?”

A muscle along his jaw jumped. “You were in critical
condition and the doctors felt they had nothing to lose. You responded well to
the healing drug but were taken off it as soon as you were out of danger.”

“When was I shot?”

“Yesterday morning.”

“That’s impossible.” She reached between them, pressing her
palm over the wound. “I’ve had surgery before. This looks at least two weeks
old. It should still be raw and need stitches or something. It doesn’t even
need a bandage. I…”

Her mind blanked, too overcome with conflicting thoughts. It
shouldn’t be possible but she saw the evidence. What kind of damage had been
done to her internal organs if the drugs were flawed? What kind of long-term
side effects had she been exposed to? She tried to remember the exact details
of how those people involved in the drug studies had died but couldn’t.

True growled and bent, scooping her into his arms. She didn’t
protest when he carried her to the bedroom. “Dr. Harris should have explained
this to you.” He gently deposited her on the bed and crouched.

She held his gaze.

“You are fine. The drug helped you heal faster. You would
have died without it.”

A detail surfaced. “Some of those poor people had seizures
and strokes from medications made by Mercile.”

“I didn’t know you were dosed until after it was done. I
made Dr. Harris take you off it as soon as I learned the risks. Some of it is
still in your system though so your healing is continuing. We’re given it
regularly when we’re injured.”

It was sobering. “Your people purposely take Mercile drugs?”

“They used us to perfect their performance.” He shrugged. “They
work fine on Species but apparently are too strong for humans.”

She touched her cheek. “I’m healing at an accelerated rate.”

“Yes. Now you’ll heal normally after they completely leave
your system.” He reached out and took her hand, gently holding it. “That’s why
you need to take it easy and get plenty of rest. Don’t worry about anything
right now. Stress is bad for your recovery.”

She couldn’t prevent the bitter laugh. “Right. Don’t be
stressed. I just discovered I’ve been working for some asshole who used me to
screw over the NSO and I was almost sent to prison. I’m considered to be a bad
person by your task force guys but all I wanted to do was save people.” The
reality of her situation slammed home. “You’re not even sure if you can trust
me.” She ducked her head, not wanting him to see her blink away tears. It was
embarrassing to seem so weak after all he’d survived during his lifetime.

“Jeanie.”

The way he said her name in that sexy, husky voice drew her
gaze. He released her hand and stood. She wondered if he was disgusted with her
tears. He did the unexpected though by sitting on the edge of the bed and
leaned sideways enough to brace one hand on the other side of her hip. He
closed the space between them until their faces were inches apart.

She forgot how to breathe. There were no chains holding his
arms above his head now, nothing to stop him from doing anything he wanted. He
sniffed as he leaned in, seemingly interested in her neck as his nose brushed
it. She held very still, unsure what his intentions were.

“True?” She whispered, drawing in a sharp breath.

He backed up a little to stare into her eyes. “You’re not
aroused. I used to smell it on you when we were this close.”

Jeanie swallowed, stunned. Her cheeks warmed. “What?” She
really hoped she’d passed out and had entered a nightmare.
Wake up!
Nothing changed as he blinked, the appealing brown of his eyes revealing darker
flecks near his pupils as she stared deeply into them.

“I’ve thought a lot about our interactions in the past and
if you’d still react the same way now that I’m no longer restrained.”

She had no words.

“I wasn’t sure if you were into control or if it was my body
you found attractive.”

“I…” She swallowed again. “Control? I don’t understand.” She
didn’t want to talk about his body. It was half bare and way too close to her.

“Some humans feel sexual excitement when they have physical
dominance over another person. You could do anything to me without
consequences. Was that why you were aroused?”

“I hated you being in chains. Not a day went by that I didn’t
wish you were out of them.” That was honest.

He frowned. She glanced at his wide chest, the perfectly
defined muscles of his pecs, at the dusky-rose color of the flat disks of his
nipples. They were slightly stiff, the centers beaded. She swallowed hard,
unable not to glance downward to his washboard abs that nearly begged to be
touched. She quickly looked up but her blush intensified when she realized he’d
caught her perusal.

“It was my body that drew that reaction from you?”

She looked away and wished a hole would open up under her so
she could disappear. He had her pinned on his bed between his hand beside her
hip, the headboard behind her, and his body blocking her exit off the side.

“Jeanie?”

The sharp growl startled her and she jerked her gaze back to
stare into his face. He appeared a little angry. “What?”

“I want answers and you’re the only one who can give them to
me. Don’t play human games. Be direct. Why did I smell arousal on you when we
were near each other?”

The urge to touch him became so strong she fisted her hand
to stop herself from following through with the action. So many horrible things
had been done to him in his lifetime that she figured he deserved answers to
any questions he asked. Even if they happened to be uncomfortable and
embarrassing for her.

“I won’t hurt you.”

“I believe that. It’s just that I didn’t expect this
conversation.” She stalled, feeling a tiny bit of guilt. “It’s not an easy
topic, you know?”

“Answer me,” he demanded, softening his tone.

“I was always attracted to you,” she admitted, lowering her
gaze to his neck. It made admitting her secrets a little easier. “We weren’t
able to spend a lot of time together but I just felt this pull toward you. It
didn’t make much sense but that’s how I felt.”

“You wanted me to touch you?”

She nodded, lowering her chin but then turned her head away
since it left her staring at his nipples. “Yes.”

“Did you feel the same attraction with other Species males?”

“No! It was just you.” She lifted her head, holding his
gaze.

“Why me? I need to know.”

“Oh hell.” She was embarrassed. “You really want to discuss
this?”

“I do.”

“I just liked you. You’re attractive, True. You didn’t
frighten me by snarling or snapping when I had to collect blood. I just…liked
you.”

“But you don’t anymore? I’m not frightening you. I don’t
smell fear.”

“Oh wow.” She closed her eyes, realizing he wasn’t going to
let the subject go until she’d completely humiliated herself to appease his
curiosity. She was sure he didn’t understand how difficult it had been on her
to be attracted to a man who’d been in that nightmare situation. There just
seemed something so wrong about it, a bit perverse even.

“Jeanie?”

He’d lost his patience, gauging by his irritated growl. She
opened her eyes to stare at him miserably. “What do you want from me, 710? An
apology? I have beaten myself up so many times it’s not funny. I’m completely
ashamed of myself for how I responded to you.”

He drew back, his mouth pressing into a firm line. “My name
is True.”

“Sorry. I’m just used to thinking about you by number.”

“It shames you to have been attracted to me?” His voice
deepened and he seemed angry. “To an animal?”

“You’re not that.” She stopped and gently placed her hand on
the front of his chest between his nipples, to avoid touching them. He was
really warm, his skin silky soft with a solid mass of muscle behind it. It took
willpower just to leave it there instead of exploring more of him. She’d love
to surf her palm over the waves of abdominal muscles protruding from the
otherwise flat surface of his stomach.

“You were locked inside that hellish place and it was just
wrong on so many levels to be attracted to you there. Not because of your
genetics but because you’d been victimized enough.”

His gaze narrowed. “I no longer smell arousal from you. Why
is that?”

He apparently found it somehow insulting that she didn’t
show any physical signs that she still found him sexy. Her tense body relaxed
as she took a few settling breaths. As much as she saw him as a person, there were
major differences between Species and humans. She needed to remember that if
she let down her guard. Any embarrassment caused by allowing him to know how he
affected her dimmed in comparison to causing him to feel as if she viewed him
as less than anything purely remarkable.

She breathed through her nose, loving how he smelled. She
studied his firm lips. They were generously full, a Species trait that she’d
fantasized about often. Just thinking about what it would feel like to brush
her mouth against his caused a flutter in her belly and her nipples hardened.
She examined his eyes next. That shade of brown had become her favorite color
after meeting him. Everything about him was fascinating.

His nostrils flared and she studied his nose. It was wider
than a human’s, a little flatter, and perfectly matched his other features.
Slight wrinkles crinkled the top sides of it as he sniffed, a cute sight. He
had strong cheekbones, a square chin, and everything about him seemed as
masculine as a man could be in her opinion. There was nothing boyish about that
face. To label him handsome seemed an understatement. Some people thought New
Species looked a bit too harsh but she didn’t agree.

“I’ve been trying to fight how I feel when you’re near me,
True.” She was proud she’d said his new name. It was something she’d have to
keep repeating inside her head so she wouldn’t accidently call him 710. “I’m
not now. How do I smell?”

The low growl that rumbled from him and the slight
vibrations under her hand were sexy but a bit scary at the same time. She wasn’t
sure if it was caused by anger but quickly dismissed that when he leaned in
closer. She didn’t see that in his eyes as she studied them but whatever he
felt looked pretty intense.

Jeanie wondered if he would kiss her. He cocked his head to
one side and sniffed her neck instead. Goose bumps of the good kind broke out
over her arms as his warm breath teased the sensitive skin under her ear. A TV
special she’d watched on a cable station flashed through her mind. She tilted her
face away to give him free access to her throat to acknowledge his dominance,
the way she’d seen wolves do. He could bite, his sharp fanglike canines a real
threat if he planned to draw blood.