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Justice frowned. “Were there experiments between the two of you?”
“No.” True scowled. “I’ve never mounted her if that’s what you’re asking.”
Justice seemed to accept that. “How was she kind?”
“She didn’t treat us as if we were animals. She sneaked in candy and pain medication to our injured. She seemed to care about us.”
Justice cocked his head, the frown returning. “You cared about her?”
“I never attempted to attack her when I could have but I then learned she was working with the doctors on a drug development.”
“How did you learn that?”
True hesitated. “Polanitis believed I cared about her since she’d shown kindness and tried to secure my agreement to willingly mount her, promising it would mean she’d survive. He informed me they were working on a new breeding drug.”
“Shit,” Tiger cursed. “You probably would have killed her if you had agreed.”
“You said you didn’t mount her? There’s no shame in admitting it if you did.” Justice studied him. He didn’t seem angry, more curious than anything.
“No. I told Polanitis I’d kill her if she was sent to my cell. I never mounted that female. He wanted my word to stop attacking the guards after that and to comply with the doctors in charge of testing another drug on me by answering their questions. It was something they were working on to improve intelligence or memory.” He shifted his stance, appearing uncomfortable. “I didn’t agree to his terms until he threatened to have the guards rape a Species female in front of me to get my compliance.” His voice deepened into a snarl. “I agreed to protect her from harm. I didn’t inflict injury on humans when I could have but I wasn’t meek either.”
“Why did he believe you would be able to fuck that woman while drugged and not kill her?” Tim was curious too.
True glanced at him, his cheeks a little red. “I had a fondness for her but that changed once I realized she’d probably been nice to gain my trust. I believe he thought I might fight my instincts while drugged. I never saw her again after Polanitis’ visit or I might have done some harm in retaliation of her deception.” His jaw clenched. “I wouldn’t have killed Shiver though. It was just a threat I made to keep her out of my cell. She didn’t deserve to die. She might have been kind just to trick me but she did help some of our people at Drackwood.”
Justice curled his lip in disgust. “I really hate that son of a bitch, Polanitis. I remember him from last year.”
“Polanitis offered up human females for mounting to reward Species for good behavior?” Brass growled. “I never heard about that before now.”
Justice motioned the other Species to silence. “Did he offer other human females to you?”
“No,” True snarled. “I’ve never mounted that human or any other, for that matter.”
Justice nodded. “You may be at the interrogation of this female since you once knew her. It might be an advantage.” He turned to Tim. “True is in charge. He’s to take over if he thinks it’s too intense.”
Tim wasn’t happy but those were orders, not a request. “Fine. When should we start?”
Justice hesitated. “We’ll keep her drugged until she’s better and only wake her when she’s strong enough to withstand interrogation.”
“Sounds good.” Tim hated to wait that long but Justice had spoken. It would be a waste of his breath to argue.
* * * * *
True entered Medical and walked down the hallway to the patient rooms. The Species male guarding the door glanced up at him from where he sat before dropping his gaze to reading an ebook on his electronic device. “No change,” he muttered.
“Thanks, Jericho.”
The male grunted.
True stopped next to the bed and his hands fisted as he studied the dark bruise and cut on the female’s cheek. It was healing, the yellowish color appearing better than when it had been a bloody, fresh wound. Her skin was too pale for his liking. He glanced at the monitor, seeing that her heartbeat was steady. She’d survive but it had been close.
Footsteps sounded behind him and he turned, forcing himself to relax into a more approachable stance. Paul smiled when he entered the room and rounded the bed with a new bag of fluids.
“She’s doing great, True. I was really worried when Dr. Harris pumped her full of your healing drug but she took it like a champ. I was sure it would kill her.”
“Why was she given them if it was dangerous?”
The male switched out the bags, checked the tube that ran to her arm and held his stare. “Man, I’m shocked she was still alive when they brought her in. She should have been taken to the closest trauma center but for some reason the task force team decided to fly her here instead. The fact that their medic kept her breathing that long was lucky as shit. Giving her the drug was the only thing Harris could think to do. It speeds up the healing process and she was a mess. It boiled down to having nothing to lose since she was so critical.”
The male checked her arm where the needle had been inserted. “It’s a good thing she’s got a sound heart. That shit is way strong for humans. I doubt he would have risked it if she’d been older. It’s like shooting massive amounts of straight adrenaline into us.”
That unsettled True. He hadn’t been allowed to travel in the helicopter with Shiver when they’d airlifted her. He’d been assigned to handle the newly freed Species. Protocol dictated he stay with them during their transfer to Reservation. He’d taken a helicopter to Homeland as soon as he’d made sure they were settled. It had been hellish hours until he’d discovered if the female was alive. His attention returned to her. Shiver appeared very frail and small on the big hospital bed designed for use by his kind.
“Harris is keeping her so drugged that she isn’t going to wake up if that’s what you were hoping for. It’s better to keep her knocked out since we have no idea how she’ll react emotionally when she comes around. As I said, this shit is hard on humans. We want to keep her heart rate as slow as possible so heavy sedation helps with that.”
“How can she eat?” He clenched his teeth. She was already too small.
“No worries there. We’ll make sure she gets what she needs to get well. Food is not the most important thing for her right now. She’s been through the wringer.” He stepped away from the bed. “Is the rumor true that she’ll be transferred to Fuller when she’s stable?”
The idea didn’t sit well with him. “I’m not certain.”
“I just hope they have a good medical staff.” Paul circled the bed and lifted the sheet. He removed the bandage, revealing her wound.
True bit back a growl at seeing her pale stomach and the angry red wound on her side. There were ugly bruises on each of her hipbones. The gown shielded her from her ribs up but if the nurse tugged the sheet any lower her sex would be exposed since it was obvious she was naked from the waist down. The protective urge that struck was strong, goading him to shove the nurse away, but he resisted. Her modesty was covered. He’d put a stop to it though if the nurse dared lower that sheet another few inches.
“I will apply a fresh bandage but Harris is really curious as to how the drug will work on us. He needs to see this first. Damn. That shit is amazing. Look at that.” Paul pointed to the staples. “I think I can remove those. The skin seems to have already fused. It’s only been about twelve hours but you’d swear this happened at least a couple of weeks ago, judging by how rapidly it’s healing. I think the drug is working faster on her than it does on you guys. I’m going to call in Harris. He might want to lower the dose. This is so exciting to be able to finally test it on humans at full dosage. Nobody wanted to do that before.”
True covered her stomach with the sheet after the nurse laid gauze over her incision and left the room to seek out the doctor. It angered him that they were viewing Shiver as an experiment. He hesitated, straining for any sound of approaching steps, before carefully taking her delicate hand in his. It was totally lifeless bu
t warm. He was gentle as he caressed her fingers, memories of finding her bloody and dying on the floor prevalent in his thoughts.
There had been times since he’d gained his freedom when he’d considered how he’d react when Tech Shiver was located and arrested. The sense of betrayal he’d once felt had remained. She might not have been his female but her reasons for being kind to him had been suspicious after learning she worked closely with Polanitis. Had it all been an act to get him to care about her so she could be safely mounted by a Species? He wanted answers.
He placed her hand back on the bed and stepped away. The anger he had thought he’d feel at seeing her again didn’t surface. It would have been easy to pretend he just wanted to question her if she survived but he prided himself on being brutally honest. True just wanted her to open her eyes and be well. He’d cared about Shiver too much and her death would cause him pain.
She probably would be sent to Fuller Prison. There was no denying that she worked for the enemy. The humans who ran the place would put her in a cage and justice would be served. She would learn confinement, hopelessness of ever gaining freedom, and suffer for her crimes against Species.
A memory from the past formed inside his mind…
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Shiver stepped inside his cell with a smile on her heart-shaped face, glanced at the camera before coming inside, schooling her features. The kit in her hand indicated why she’d come. They took many vials of blood after forcing drugs into his body.
“Hi,” she whispered. “I’m sorry about this.” Shiver placed the kit on the table and his chains activated, pulling him tight against the wall. She wasn’t the one to do it so that meant a guard outside the door watched their movements. “I’ll make it quick.”
She donned gloves as she uncapped a needle and inched closer with the syringe. A small alcohol packet was held between her fingers as she invaded his space. Her head didn’t even reach the top of his shoulder when she stopped mere inches away. She used her teeth to rip the tip off one finger of the glove, then also tore open the packet and swabbed his arm near his inner elbow. She lifted her head and studied his face, paying careful attention to his jaw.
“I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
She referred to the bruising there. He didn’t answer, rarely did.
Her warm fingers gripped his arm so gently he almost missed the soft way she stroked his skin with that single bare fingertip. She had told him once that tearing away the latex made it easier to feel his veins but they were very prominent. Sometimes he pretended it might be possible that she just wanted to be able to touch him, skin to skin. Her body blocked the camera so he was the only one aware of her actions. The needle was inserted into his arm so carefully that he barely felt it. Others just stabbed him roughly, seeming to enjoy inflicting pain.
“I brought you pain pills. They are safe to take,” she whispered. She released his arm and reached down the front of her shirt. He couldn’t look away as the neck of it dipped lower to reveal her creamy, white skin and the top curve of her breasts as she removed something hidden there. She reached down and slid a small plastic packet against his palm. He closed his fingers around the object.
She withdrew the needle and capped it, shoving it inside her front pocket. She pressed a small gauze square to the puncture site. Shiver glanced up then, holding his gaze.
“Those pills are mine—from a dental appointment. I smuggled them in. Just take one at a time with some water, two if you are really sore. They’ll help take away some of the discomfort.” Her gaze drifted to his swollen jaw again then to his bruised ribs. Tears surfaced in her eyes but she blinked them back. “Don’t give up, 710. I promise this won’t last forever. Just keep calm and don’t cause fights.”
Her meaning was confusing. He always healed. The pain would fade until the guards inflicted more damage. Nothing in his life changed, especially the suffering the guards routinely inflicted upon him. He glanced down his body to study his chest, certain he’d experienced worse bruising than the dark ones now marring his skin. She shouldn’t be alarmed enough by their appearance to worry that he’d do something that would provoke a deadly response from the guards while he was helplessly chained. His life wasn’t a happy existence but he would only attack if he had a chance of winning a fight.
Realization dawned that she stood too close to his body. He could strike out and cause damage. His muscles tensed while he mentally reviewed her weaknesses. One downward arc and he could shatter her nose with his chin or cause facial injuries. She was even near enough to bite. Her tender flesh was vulnerable. He resisted, unable to hurt Shiver. He didn’t want to spill her blood or hear her screams. It made his chest ache, imagining seeing terror in her gaze when she looked at him instead of the warmth he always glimpsed.
She backed away and he watched her safely leave with her kit. The chains loosened and he limped to the sink. The camera remained at his back when he studied the white pills inside the tiny clear bag. He removed two, hesitated before shoving them into his mouth. He bent and sipped water from the sink to wash them down.
It was a risk to take her drugs but he trusted Shiver for some unknown reason. He hid the bag in his fist, making his way to the sleeping mat. He lay down, curling onto his side. He shoved the bag under the mat where it would remain hidden since they never moved it. Everything hurt but as time passed the pain eased. She hadn’t lied to him. Why did she care if he suffered? Why had she risked giving him her pills? He was sure the guards hadn’t known about it. She’d been careful to keep the exchange hidden.
He’d once witnessed firsthand that she wasn’t on friendly terms with the guards. It had been that time they’d purposely kept him chained to the wall for days while beating him for injuring one of them in self-defense. He hung there, helpless to retaliate.
She’d entered his room, seen his condition and yelled at the guard near the door to get a doctor. When he refused, she’d shoved the male and yanked the radio from his belt, demanding one come to the cell. The guard had pushed her roughly into the hallway before the door closed. A doctor had come and—
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“You have to see this.” Paul’s voice tore True from his memories as the nurse returned with the doctor.
True turned to glance at both males. He should leave but he wanted to hear what Harris had to say. The doctor approached the bed, drew back the sheet and lifted the gauze pad.
“Wow. At this rate she should be fully healed within a few days. It’s a real breakthrough we can use to our advantage.”
“That’s what I was saying.” Paul grinned. “Do you know what this means?”
“We keep a lid on it,” Dr. Harris snapped, shooting a glare at Paul. “Mercile created it and any hint that they came up with a miracle drug would have them ranting about how what they did to New Species was beneficial to mankind. That isn’t happening.”
“They destroyed their records to hide evidence of what they’d done to New Species. Won’t this drug formula be lost to them? They can’t claim ownership if they don’t have proof it was created in their labs. We didn’t exactly share the information that we recovered the formula from those bastards.”
“Who knows what backup files they hid? I’m not willing to risk it. I’ll send some samples to a trusted friend at the FDA if this continues to go well. They can test it in human trials and take credit for its creation at that point. Nobody wins a fight with the FDA.”
“How is she?” True didn’t care about the drug, only her prognosis.
Harris pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and shrugged. “She’s doing great so far. She hasn’t stroked out or had a heart attack. I half expected one of those two scenarios to happen by now but it’s only been twelve hours. It’s a powerful drug.”
Alarm shot through him. “Stop giving it to her. She’s no longer in danger of dying, correct?”
Harris frowned. “This could help humans, True. We’ll learn a lot if we keep her on it.”
“Her life is more important than a test.”
“She works for Mercile.”
True growled, his temper flaring. “So?”
“I won’t lose any sleep over this test. They didn’t give a shit if they killed New Species. The least she can do is help us find out if it’s possible to fully heal on the same dosage of the drug that they used on you guys. It could be used on mates if they are injured.”
“Take her off the drug.”
“I’ll discuss it with Justice.” Harris shook his head, turning away. “I’m sure he’ll see it my way. It’s worth the risks.”
True lunged, blocking the doctor from exiting the room. “Take her off the drug.” He growled. “She isn’t a test subject. Her life isn’t yours to gamble with.”
“She belongs to the NSO now. I don’t know why you’re so upset about this. They used you for testing so who gives a damn if we turn the tables? Did Mercile ever ask your permission to inject you with drugs? She would be dead already if it wasn’t for what we’ve done so far.”
“We’re not them. Stop giving her the drug, Harris.” He clenched his fists, ready to strike the male if he refused.
“Calm down!”
“You could kill her.” He glared over the male’s head to the nurse. “One of you is going to comply or both of you are going to need medical assistance. You can test the drug on yourselves if you feel the risks are acceptable.”
“Fuck,” Paul muttered. “He means it, Dr. Harris. They are really protective of women.”
“You have no authority here,” Harris snapped.
True snarled, giving the man a cold stare. “Stop giving her the healing drug.”
“Do what he says,” Jericho rasped from behind him. “We don’t kill females. I wasn’t aware she no longer needed the drug to survive or the harm it could cause to her body if you continue to dose her.”
“Neither one of you has any medical knowledge,” Harris protested. “I’m not being mean, damn it. This could help human mates if they are hurt. I’d rather test it on her than someone we care about.”