Flashbacks filled his mind of the one time in his life he’d been dosed. “They wouldn’t. No human could survive a drugged male. I know that because I’ve been dosed. She couldn’t have withstood the pain if they dosed her instead. Her body is too frail. Her heart would have given out.”

“It sounds as if they did,” Midnight protested. “It makes sense that they’d dose her as well. She’d be out of her mind with the need to have sex, aroused, and a male wouldn’t kill her if she didn’t attempt to fight him. He’d be more interested in mounting her if she was prepared for him.” She reached up and stroked Jeanie’s head. “The pain from the drug would have already been unbearable so any rough treatment from the male couldn’t have been much worse.”

True’s temper exploded. He didn’t agree with Midnight’s assessment. Logic said if she’d been dosed, the males probably hadn’t been. He’d never heard of both parties being drugged at the same time. It would mean the male had been totally in control of his actions, yet still agreed to the experiment. It also explained why she wasn’t killed. The male could have taken care not to inflict damage on the helpless, drugged female. Polanitis must have made a deal with other males and they’d agreed. His rage grew until he broke out in a sweat and couldn’t even speak.

“Who is this Agent Brice?” Midnight stared up at him, seeming to notice how close he was to hitting something when she rubbed his arm. It was a gesture to calm him. “She mentioned him a few times. She warned him about a drug that would turn Species on Species. That’s what I heard, didn’t you? Do you think that’s the drug that was used on Moon? He attacked everyone. She also said Brice was supposed to help. What is a warrant?”

He felt gratitude that she’d turned the conversation to a safer topic, knew it was on purpose. “She said he was an agent who worked for the NSO and he demanded proof that Species existed when she located them. A warrant is a human word for their law that allows searches and arrests.”

Midnight turned, dumping the clothes on a counter, and took a seat in the chair. “You didn’t believe her?”

“No.”

“She is so drugged that I believe her. This person exists.”

“Are you sure she couldn’t be manipulating us?”

“I work in Medical. You should hear what you males say when you get shot with that stuff.” She rolled her eyes and then smirked. “Book gets a hard-on for Doc Trisha every time he sees her and confessed that he sometimes gets hurt on purpose when she’s here just to feel her touch. Slade would kill him if he knew. Do you think he’d ever admit that if he had a choice?”

He shook his head.

“Flame cried like a baby two months ago when he was doped up after being hurt when his shoulder was dislocated during training, rambling about some human. He’s got it bad for her but he’s too stubborn to go after what he wants. He found out she was almost killed by some human she trusted and he doesn’t want her to deal with the bullshit we get from our enemies. He cares too much to risk causing her any emotional difficulty on his behalf.”

“Amanda.” True had heard the story but it was difficult to believe Flame would shed tears.

“Yeah. That’s the name.” Midnight leaned forward, her voice lowering. “Fury? He keeps a pair of Ellie’s underwear in the pocket of his uniform. Worn ones. He likes to sniff them when he misses her, swearing it keeps him from rushing home and pissing off everyone because he neglected his duties to go bury his nose in her lap. The scent calms him and he feels closer to her. That’s what he confessed when he went nuts in the delivery room when Salvation was born. Doc sedated his ass to keep him from tearing us apart every time his mate cried out in pain. He wanted everyone to suffer the way she did.”

Midnight grinned. “I think humans would call that pu**y whipped to the extreme but you won’t ever repeat that. He’d beat on whoever said it. They’ve been mated the longest. I guess a female’s scent is an addiction that just gets worse as time passes. It makes me partially alarmed but sometimes curious to see what it would be like to have a male addicted to sniffing me.”

True glanced at Jeanie, then back at Midnight. “You are mated to the younger Dr. Harris.” They had two Drs. Harris—a younger and an older.

“He calls it that but it’s not an actual mating. He’s not Species. I say it, too, because I don’t want to hurt his feelings.”

“Ellie and Doc Trisha aren’t Species but they are mated.”

She bit her lip, hesitated, and sighed. “Our males do the mating, True. They are the ones with the strong instincts to cement the bond. Human females are submissive enough to allow it to happen. Human males aren’t dominant enough for a Species female. I have very strong feelings for my human and he usually makes me happy but there is distance between us. Do you understand? He isn’t in tune to my needs the way a mate would be. I’m fine with it for now but that doesn’t mean I don’t have moments of envy for real mates. I can guarantee he’ll never carry my scent around with him or need to rush home to mount me just because it’s been a few hours.”

“Why?”

“He doesn’t have our strong sex drive.” She stood. “Humans can stand the touch of others after they claim a mate. Species can’t because other females smell bad after they bond.”