“I was sure they’d catch me and that guards would storm the office and kill me. You have no idea how terrified I felt walking out of there and praying I could switch coats back without her figuring it out. It was that day too, you know.” She paused. “The last thing I wanted to do was draw attention with that damn thing sitting inside my stomach, knowing how important it was to get to my handler, but I still tried to save you regardless of the risk to myself or the evidence. Do you want to hear how painful it is to throw up something the size of a mini thumb drive? It made it seem easy to swallow it in the first place. I was willing to allow them to operate on me to retrieve it if puking didn’t work. They were afraid my stomach acids would damage the thing if much time elapsed.”

He continued to frown as seconds ticked by. “You deceived me as well. That’s what you do.” His mouth pressed into a firm line. “You lie to people and then betray them. You’re no better than those monsters who created and enslaved my people.”

Pain lanced through her chest at his harsh words, followed quickly by all-consuming anger. She’d killed someone for him and risked her life to free his people. Damn him.

“I didn’t want to hurt you in any way.” She paused. “But I’ll tell you one thing. I saved your ass, Fury. You are still alive because of what I did. You would be dead if I hadn’t walked into your cell and stopped that ass**le. You’d have died chained to a floor being abused by that son of a bitch just mere days before you would have been set free. If that’s unforgivable to you then too damn bad. Keeping you alive became my main priority.”

“You said you hated me. You called me a worthless bastard and you wanted me to know that. I never forgot what you said.”

Ellie gaped at him. “No.”

“I lay there on my back helpless and you moved away from me to take blood from the technician to smear on my knuckles. You hissed those hated words at me.”

Understanding dawned and she knew the color drained from her face. “I wasn’t talking to you. I was saying it to Jacob! I hated him and he was a bastard for what he’d done to you.”

“The male was dead. Don’t lie to me. You spoke those hated words to me.”

“No.” She frantically shook her head, her gaze locked with his. “I swear, I was talking to him. I hoped that if he could hear me in hell—I’m sure that’s where he went for all his evil deeds—that he’d know how I felt about him.”

Fury frowned, studied her features, and remained silent.

“That’s the truth.”

“Do you want to know the worst part when you walked into my cell?” His deep voice turned ice cold. His entire body tensed visibly.

She just shook her head and her fear returned. Rage emanated from his eyes. They looked darker than she remembered but it was dimmer in the park than it had been inside the conference room weeks before.

“I can still feel your touch on me. You soothed me at first. You saved me and I believed you wouldn’t cause me any harm. I actually welcomed your hands on my body. I close my eyes and the memory of you is burned there.” He took another step. “I remember you running away after what you’d done, leaving me confused and in pain. The needle you shoved it into my skin hurt less than the pain that pierced my heart.”

“I’m so sorry. Not a day goes by when it doesn’t haunt me.” She paused. “I did it to save your life. You know what Jacob planned to do to you but I stopped him. I had to find a way to smuggle that evidence out. I’m so sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you more. I didn’t want to frame you for his murder or jab you with that needle but I had to make it look convincing enough for them to let me walk out of there.”

He took another step. “None of it matters,” he growled. “All I remember is what you did. It’s all I hold on to. I swore if I saw you again I’d kill you with my bare hands.” He nearly touched her as he stopped inches away. “You should run if you have a brain in your head. I’m fighting to keep in control and have no idea which side of me will win. Never forget that I’m part animal.”

Fury hoped she would take his advice. He could see Ellie’s fear on her expressive, delicate features. He hated noticing the little lines by her mouth that revealed she smiled often. He wondered what it would be like to hear her laughter. He’d never had a reason to smile until he’d gained his freedom. Her lower lip pouted out slightly with worry, fuller than her top one, and the urge to suck on it struck him.

Her hair drew his attention next. It was so unlike his, with its near-white appearance and unruly curls. It appeared to have a soft texture, smelled of strawberries, and framed her face, making her bone structure seem fragile.

New Species women are drastically different from my small human. He froze, realizing he’d just called her his. Outrage poured through him. He knew better than to trust any human. They inflicted pain every chance they were given. Especially her. She’d just admitted to being a skilled liar. For all he knew, everything she’d just said could be false to gain his sympathy.

He’d be damned if he gave her a chance to betray him again. And yet the idea of her being his did confusing things to him. His gut tightened, his fingers itched to touch her and he had the crazy urge to say something to alleviate her fear of him. Hell, he realized with disgust, I want to make her laugh just to see her smile. It was insane and wrong. His conflicting thoughts and emotions when it came to her made his rage burn hotter. Ellie, it seemed, had become a master manipulator and he didn’t ever want to be on the receiving end of it again.