She hadn’t meant to kick him in the balls but it was effective. She’d been aiming for his stomach but the guy was too tall and her legs weren’t long enough. His head snapped up and she had no doubt he wanted her dead. Pure rage was displayed on his harsh features.

“Calm down,” Jessie demanded, trying to sound composed when she wasn’t. “I wouldn’t have done that if you’d kept your hands and temper to yourself. I won’t hurt you if you don’t try to hurt me.”

Jessie knew all hell broke loose around her. She didn’t dare take her attention away from the large male who glared at her, still bent over, gripping his injured crotch. It was only luck that she heard a warning growl and twisted her head to check out the new threat.

Another large Species male sporting new clothes, shoved other males out of his way who were frozen in stunned shock. The new threat stormed toward her and she only had seconds to assess the situation. A few Species snapped out of their stupor and tried to stop him but he easily shoved them to the side. No one was able to prevent him from reaching her.

“Shit,” Jessie gasped as his fist launched at her face.

Instinct alone shot her arm up to knock his fist to the side and deflect a direct punch that would have been dead center to her face. His knuckles brushed her ear and pain shot through the side of her head. He gripped her shirt with his other hand. She hadn’t seen that move coming. Her sole priority had been avoiding the fist. He jerked her off her feet as if she weighed nothing and terror struck. He would probably either throw her into something or smash her bones by slamming her down onto something hard.

Either way, it would be very painful.

Two hands gripped Jessie’s h*ps firmly from behind. Shit. I'm so screwed. Two of them had her. She could only hope that some of the Species would come to her aid before the males turned her into a wishbone. Though she was human, she doubted they would allow her to be killed before they stepped in. How hurt she got before being rescued was anyone’s guess.

The hands on her h*ps yanked hard. She was torn away from the one in front of her and the sound of tearing material registered. She'd seen him haul back his fist to attempt to nail her again but now she was out of his range.

Her back slammed into a rigid body and the large male—she assumed it was one-twisted away from her attacker. He put his body between her and the incoming fist, taking the punch himself. Jessie felt the impact through the man holding her and it sent both of them flying forward. She saw the wall coming and turned her head away, guessing it was going to hurt when they hit. He’d squish her between it and his body.

The male holding Jessie twisted again at the last second and his shoulder and hip slammed brutally into the wall instead of her. He dropped her onto her feet, moved lightning fast to position her against the wall gently and she bumped the plaster. It left her gawking at the wide back of the Species male who’d come to her rescue. He braced, his body tense as a loud snarl tore from his throat.

He's protecting me. Jessie relaxed instantly. The guy was huge and stood between her and anyone who wanted to do harm. Who says chivalry is dead?

“Back off,” her protector roared—a harsh, brutal sound. Jessie carefully studied his back and it sank in that he wore jeans with a black tank top. His muscular arms were well displayed and his fingers curled into fists, lifted at his sides to fight. Her gaze roamed higher to the back of his head and identified the auburn hair with blond streaks. It hit her then that Justice North was the male who’d saved her ass.

“She’s human,” another voice barked.

“That doesn’t give anyone the right to attack. She is a guest here.” Justice snarled the words in obvious anger. “We are friends with humans and don’t attack them. We especially,” he shouted now, “don’t attack females.”

“I’m sorry, Justice,” a new male voice panted. “We should have had more officers present.”

“I want every one of the new ones rounded up and taken into the cafeteria immediately.” Justice gave the order with harsh authority. “This is going to be settled immediately. This is the second attack on a human female since this morning and there won’t be a third.” Justice growled those words.

“Even the new females?” The out of breath male spoke.

“No. Just the males. The females seem to know better. I want to see every new male inside that cafeteria in ten minutes.”

“We’re on it,” another man stated firmly.

Jessie stood perfectly still and waited for the tension to ease. Justice still appeared ready to do battle since he didn’t budge from his position in front of her. She heard movement in the room, soft voices, a few growls and finally silence. Justice relaxed his stance. His arms lowered to his sides, his fists unfurled and he slowly turned.

Jessie stared up into Justice’s handsome face. Breathtaking fits him, she thought, as she realized she’d stopped breathing. She sucked air into her lungs and met a pair of furious cat eyes framed with long, black eyelashes. They were a huge contrast to his blond-streaked auburn hair. On television and in photos his hair appeared much lighter and the camera didn’t begin to capture his beautiful eyes. They were so exotic that they were probably the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen.

“Who are you?” he growled softly. “How did you get past security?”

Jessie frowned. He should have known who she was and why she was there. She took a deep breath. “I’m Jessie Dupree and I work for the task force assigned to the NSO. I’m their female ambassador to your retrieved Gift Females. Last night I was on the raid in Colorado and I came here with the females who were recovered.”