Fury had been watching the women’s dorm where Ellie lived and had caught many glimpses of her through the first-floor glass windows. She worked with his women and he’d been proud when they gave the human the cold shoulder until he’d seen the sadness on Ellie’s face. It tore at him to witness her pain. He shouldn’t care but he did.

He had been stunned when he’d seen her leave the secure building alone, jogging away from safety. Didn’t she realize the danger he posed? That he’d be watching her? Didn’t her survival instincts scream out that he’d be close?

Obviously not since he’d easily followed her and watched her slowly run into the park where the secluded area nearly begged for him to approach her. Then she stopped as if she were waiting for him. He inhaled her scent on the wind and groaned as his body reacted. He wanted to be closer to her more than his next breath and it really angered him. She was his enemy.

He snarled as he battled the beast that lurked inside him for control. His human side knew she was off limits. She’d been an informant, had helped his people. It was the reason she’d been at his testing facility, but the animal side of him wanted to draw closer to touch and to claim her. That truth startled him.

He balked at following his instincts. She had betrayed him after he’d trusted her to never do anything that would harm him. Regardless of her reasons working for Mercile, it didn’t excuse what she’d done to him, or the anger he lived with, knowing the price her actions had cost him.

He trained his males to keep their animal instincts on a tight leash and he needed to do the same, set an example, and stay in control. He had responsibilities to Species to show them life existed outside the testing facilities and that they weren’t just animals created by Mercile, who had drilled insults into their heads all their lives. Ellie was living proof, though, that he had a weakness―her.

She peered around her in the darkness, as if she could sense him. His animal howled inside his soul to go to her, to take her, and to touch her. He fought the urge but then he moved toward her regardless of his wishes. Once again he’d lost control when it came to her. He just couldn’t resist her scent, the strong desire to look into her eyes and hear her voice.

Rage boiled through his human side while his animal reveled in pure lust at the sound of her sweet, taunting voice. He battled himself once again when he inhaled her fear, wanted to protect her, but also needed to terrify her to send her as far from him as she could get.

Movement once again caught Ellie’s attention. She gasped when Fury stepped from behind a tree twenty feet away. Her entire body reacted to the sight of the tall, attractive male, and the sensation of danger radiating off him. She swallowed, her breathing increased and fear jolted through her when the shock wore off. She hadn’t heard a dog at all—the growl had come from him. Fury had made that scary sound.

His long silky hair cascaded down over his shoulders and chest, as free and unrestrained as he appeared to be at that moment. The black clothing he wore hugged his broad shoulders, impressive muscular arms, and outlined his trim waist. An air of danger emanated from him when his dark gaze seemed to fasten on her, swept down her entire body slowly, and a soft growl grumbled deep within his throat. His jaw clenched, the muscles tensing, apparent even in the dim light.

He took a step forward, more of a predatory motion than the way a man would move, advancing on her slowly. Her gaze lowered to his muscular thighs, outlined in his tight black pants, all the way down to his black shoes. He radiated strength and sex appeal and she swallowed hard. Her heart speeded up, her breathing increased, and her body became aware of him as a purely male being.

No one had ever affected her the way he did. He advanced another stalking step, the fluid motion nearly seductive and she realized he dressed to blend into the darkness, as if he’d intended to hide, but had allowed her to see him by stepping into just enough light to reveal his presence to her alone.

Fury regarded her silently now, his gaze trained on her face, and as she studied him, she swore she saw a hungry look on his handsome features. His tongue darted out to wet his lower lip, the pink tip a taunt of something forbidden but tempting, and his dark eyes narrowed as if he could read her mind. She wanted to kiss him, longed to know how it would feel to have him touch her again but this time, not in anger. Of course that wouldn’t happen. He hated her.

“Oh crap,” she whispered but then spoke louder. “Hello, uh, Fury. Nice night for a jog, isn’t it?”

He said nothing but took another step closer before he stopped. Her terror built. They were alone and he’d sworn to kill her. She couldn’t call to the guards on patrol for help—they weren’t within sight.

A low snarl passed his parted lips as he took another step in her direction. The urge to flee increased for Ellie but she held still, having read reports that the New Species were really fast. Their altered DNA, depending on what animal it had been combined with, accounted for that. Fury obviously had been mixed with canine and could certainly run her down if she fled. She wasn’t sure if she should scream, attempt to talk her way out of the frightening situation, or just hope he meant no harm. He moved closer.

“Do you know what they trained us to do in order to show us off to their investors?” His voice came out harsh, cold and scary.

She had to clear her throat, which wanted to close with fear. “Not really. Most of the files were destroyed when the testing facilities at Mercile Industries were breached. I wasn’t allowed access to that information when I worked there.”