“I—”

“She likes you, kitty cat. I guess if anyone knows pu**y it would be you.” Randy’s voice startled them both.

Horror filled Becca as her head whipped toward the side of the cage to gawk at the vile man. He stood there smirking, his arms crossed over his chest. Two other men stood behind them. They all stared at her with expressions that assured her they’d been watching long enough to have gotten a show.

Brawn rose to his feet and snarled menacingly at them, reached down and grabbed her arm. She was pulled a little roughly to stand, too stunned to get up from her knees on her own and was shoved behind his big body to block her from the men’s view.

“I see why you like her.” Randy chuckled. “Tight, huh? I told you he was holding back on you, Becca. He gave it up eight times and could still bang you.”

“Don’t say her name,” Brawn threatened. “Don’t talk to her.”

“Possessive bastard, aren’t you? I guess I’d be protective of a fine piece of ass too. The doctor is real happy with the samples you gave up. Get some sleep because in seven hours, she wants more.”

Becca heard them walk away. Brawn turned, their gazes met and she leaned in to him. His arms wrapped around her and he lowered his chin to the top of her head as he pulled her tighter against his body.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t hear them.”

“We were kind of distracted.” Embarrassment and dismay still gripped her that those assholes had been watching her and Brawn together. “I didn’t hear them either.”

“I should have.” His voice deepened to reveal the extent of his rage. “I am so sorry.”

She hugged him tighter. “It’s not your fault.”

It is, Brawn disagreed silently. With his heightened senses, he should have been aware of every sound and smell. He inhaled, couldn’t miss the human-male stench of their captors and their lust. His arms tightened. Those men wanted his Becca. He turned his head, his gaze narrowed as he watched his enemy leave the room and realized how much danger he’d exposed her to, even if she didn’t.

Human males were the animals. They wouldn’t harm Becca as long as they could use her to keep him in line but once they didn’t need that anymore, he feared the men would plot to touch her. He held back a snarl of outrage.

He needed to get her out of there, to escape with her and he was still outraged that she’d even suggested he allow her to die so he might break free at her expense. She believed the Species males were his priority but she was wrong. He nuzzled the top of her head, breathed in her scent and held her tighter.

His gaze left the double doors once the threat was gone, glanced at the two cages containing the sleeping males and could still pick up the scent of the third. Worry ate at him for those three males and the smell of drugs in the air assured him that’s what kept them so docile and he knew that if he had to choose, the choice had already been made.

Becca was the most important thing to him. Without hesitation, he’d give his life and those of the males and kill every human who posed a threat to her. He adjusted his hold, lifted her gently in his arms and saw how pale she looked when she stared into his eyes. Tears made her blue eyes glimmer and he felt like a total bastard. He’d promised to shield her body yet he hadn’t. He’d selfishly taken her at a great expense.

She’d never forgive him regardless of her being generous enough to share the blame. He knew the truth. Even if they survived somehow, if they got out of this nightmare alive, their time together was tainted by the ugliness of being locked inside a cage by their captors. He laid her down on the cot, curled up tightly to her on the small bed and tucked her firmly against his body.

“Sleep,” he urged. “I am here and will protect you.” As much as I am able. Shame burned deeply that he felt so helpless. She deserved a better male. He’d failed her miserably.

Chapter Nine

Tim Oberto was fit to be tied. “What the f**k is taking so long?”

Tiger, head of security for the NSO, watched the man grimly. “We lost the signal.”

“How the hell could this happen?” Tim paced like a caged animal. “They took my daughter.”

Tiger knew what it was like to pace that way. He’d been caged. He watched the human male and could relate to his worry. Tiger felt that emotion too. He didn’t know the man’s daughter, Rebecca Oberto, but he did know Brawn.

“We have to search the area and it’s taking time. You have your men out here too, going to every building.” Tiger took a deep breath. “The signal was last active in this section and they have to be within a mile radius. It’s an industrial area and hundreds of buildings are close together.”

Tim spun. “You know this guy, right? This Brawn? I want you to tell me everything about him now. He’s with my daughter.”

“Brawn is a council member. He’s—”

"Explain the council to me."

Tiger took another breath. “Each of the four testing facilities that we were rescued from appointed a Species to represent them after we elected Justice to lead. We knew he would be busy dealing with the outside world and trying to handle our people as well. Some human suggested each set of survivors from the testing facilities have one spokesperson to represent their needs and issues. They keep track of all the Species from their labs and report to Justice if there is a problem. Brawn was chosen for his ability to remain calm under pressure, his fighting skills and his intelligence. He’s known among my people to have a good sense of humor and to be very reasonable.”

“His fighting skills didn’t save him and my daughter,” Tim raged. “If he was any good they’d never have been taken.”

Tiger immediately took offense. “He never would have been captured if he wasn’t protecting your daughter. He could have fled and left her. He’s feline. He could have easily leapt onto your roof from the window or to the ground below without injury on his own. We believe he was mixed with black leopard. I have hunted with him myself and he’s really fast. I told you that there were at least six men inside your daughter’s home and you saw the body. He fought but they had drugs. He didn’t flee because he stayed with your daughter. Do not dare insult him.”

Trey Roberts cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, everyone calm down, please. This isn’t helping.”

A man sitting in front of a laptop computer cursed suddenly. He turned to face his boss, Tim. “I’ve got really bad news.”

“What is it?” Tim tensed.

“It was tough but I have hacked into the dead guy’s financials. He’s been getting regular deposits from a shell company. I was able to trace that to the real source of money.” He held Tim’s gaze. “Mercile Industries is behind this. The money is coming from a slush fund they have. All the deposits in that account were made by their investors. The dead guy was getting paid by them.”

Tim fisted his hand and jerked his head to Tiger. “Why would they want my daughter when they killed my neighbors? Why keep her alive?”

Tiger tensed as he studied Tim, trying to judge if the man could handle the truth without coming completely unglued. Tiger took a deep breath. “You need to assign one of your men to handle the task force. You’re too emotionally invested.”

“No!” Tim yelled.

Trey suddenly reached out and gripped Tim’s arm. “He’s right. You can stay but you have to step down for this one. I know you are going out of your head. This is Becca, Tim. I understand but you need to let me take this one.”

Tim cursed viciously. “Why?”

Tiger hesitated. “Mercile Industries took another human once who had an association with a Species male. I am afraid if I tell you and you are heading this that you will be very unreasonable. I can’t inform you of facts without you being a father and becoming unstable.”

Tim tensed and rage swept through him. “What do you think they are going to do to my daughter?”

Tiger hesitated. “Give over command to your second and I will share the information we know.”

Tim turned and punched the inside of the van. He nodded at Trey. “You’re in charge.”

Trey nodded and stared at Tiger. “What do you think is going on?”

Tiger hesitated. “Are you very close to his daughter?”

Trey nodded. “Yes but I’m more rational and objective. Becca and I are friends but I can stay cool-headed.”

Tiger regarded him carefully and saw a calm control there. He nodded but he focused on the father of the missing female. “A human female was kidnapped by a Mercile doctor and his team recently. She is mated with one of my kind. Since this Rebecca was with Brawn they might have mistaken her for his mate. They don’t have our sense of smell, which would make it obvious to one of us that she slept in her bed alone. She only ended up in his room because of the attack. He put her inside his bathroom because they had to fight him to get to her there.”

Trey nodded. “Rebecca isn’t the type to jump into bed with someone.”

“Brawn wouldn’t touch a female human either. He likes our women and has been very clear that he holds no sexual interest in your females.”

“Just tell us what you think they took my daughter for and why I’m only hearing about this other woman being taken now. I’m supposed to be informed of all issues that arise and my team should have been called in if a mate was kidnapped.” Tim’s voice shook.

Tiger hesitated. “We handled the situation and didn’t want to call you unless we had to. They took the other human to breed with Species they’d stolen from Mercile before the testing facility they worked in was breached by your law enforcement. They wanted her because she was mated to a Species. The doctor assumed that since one Species would take her to bed that another of my kind would without killing her, perhaps believing that because she carried one of our male’s scents would make her irresistible. They probably took your daughter alive to breed her to a Species male. They want to see if a human female can get impregnated by my kind.”

Tim paled and leaned back against the inside of the van. He shook his head. “No.”

Tiger nodded grimly. “They shoved the other human female into a cell with a Species male who had never been freed but he didn’t touch her. He could smell her mate on her and protected her as if she were Species. We’re hoping Brawn is the only male they have and that’s why they came after him. She should be safe if that’s the case.”

“Should be?”

Tiger hesitated. “They forced us to breed with our females. When we refused they would harm the female until we agreed to breed or they used drugs to send the male into a mindless state where he was left without option.” Tiger hesitated again. “If that happens and they use the drugs, your daughter would not withstand it well, if she isn’t killed. Our females barely survived a forced breeding. The males lose the ability to control or to think. Afterward the male will not even remember what he has done. He would not be responsible for his actions. You have heard of a date rape drug? This is similar to one only the male gets aggressive and his body is in torturous pain unless he breeds with a female. The drugs strip him to the animal inside.”

“I’m going to kill the assholes,” Tim ground out through clenched teeth. “You’re saying you think they took both of them to force him to rape my daughter?”

Tiger nodded. “He will not harm her if they don’t use the drugs and he will refuse to have sex unless they threaten to kill or torture her. Brawn knows we are trying to track him if they didn’t find the device. He managed to hide the coin tracking device we gave him long enough to get us to this area. He will do anything to keep her alive if he can.”

Trey softly cursed. “You know this guy well?”

Tiger nodded. “Yes.”

“If he’s forced to, uh, touch her, he won’t hurt her?”

Tiger gave him a sincere look. “He wouldn’t. Brawn is very resistant to touching a human female. He doesn’t hold interest in them. I am more afraid that whoever took them will use drugs. That’s my biggest fear.”

“Will he kill her?”

Tiger shrugged. “It would depend on whether they use the drugs. I told you how they work. He wouldn’t be responsible for what happens if he’s out of his mind.” Tiger studied Tim. “If that’s the case, it would be an accident if he killed or seriously harmed your daughter. He is a victim in this too. That is why you had to step down.” He stared at Trey. “If you can’t guarantee his safety from your men if they drugged him and the worst has happened, you need to say so now. Your task force will be removed from this mission. That’s why we insisted upon coming here with our own team of males.”

Trey looked grim. “On the drugs he’d rape her, wouldn’t he?”

“On the drugs he wouldn’t be himself. He would be mindless and in agony. It would be like someone injecting you with drugs that made you so crazy you would have no recollection of what you’d done. You would be in so much pain that it would turn you into a mindless animal. When you woke later you would be horrified if you had harmed someone. Do you understand?”

Trey nodded. “He won’t be harmed, no matter what. I give my word.”

Tiger nodded. “What about your men? If we find the worst will they react and just kill him?”

Trey sighed. “I’ll talk to them now. I swear we won’t kill him, regardless of the circumstances.”

“There is one more thing.” Tiger paused. “You remember the raid in Colorado on that testing facility we took down? We have talked to our recovered people. We did not rescue all of them. There are about two dozen males and one female still unaccounted for and we might find them there. They may have taken Tim’s daughter to another Species male to breed. You cannot kill them either, even if you find his daughter’s body inside one their cells. But, if another of my kind has harmed his daughter or if she was killed without the male being drugged, I’ll put him down myself. Some Species were driven mad and may be beyond saving.”