“Please,” Tammy begged frantically. “Don’t do this.”

All three men ignored her.

“Here we go,” Pete said, tugging on her chains to pull her toward the opening where the room had been separated. “You better hope he smells something on you he likes.”

Mike chuckled. “We’ll find out real soon.”

They passed an archway and Tammy dug her heels into the floor, stopping. Someone had placed a large cage in front of the concrete walls in the back corner. The thick bars lined all four sides and the ceiling of the cage. A solid metal floor rested on the existing concrete.

A single twin bed, just a frame and mattress, adorned the cell and a toilet sat in a corner of it. That didn’t hold her attention. The male inside sent terror straight to her heart. He was big, had wild black hair that fell midway down his na**d back, and they had him wearing off-white pants that had thick seams down the sides of the legs. They hugged his waist low and fell loosely to just under his knees. Bare, muscular calves and big feet were planted a foot apart where he stood. He turned his entire body to snarl at them, revealing sharp teeth, a flattened nose, and those strong, wide cheekbones that New Species all seemed to have.

Pete yanked hard on the chain attached to her wrists to make her stumble forward. Tammy whimpered. Her gaze refused to look away as the large New Species furiously stormed closer to the bars. His hands gripped them, which made her glance at his muscular arms and chest before he made loud sniffing noises. Dark, nearly black eyes met hers.

“We brought you a friend,” Mike laughed.

“Play nice,” Pete taunted. “She’s someone you might like. She enjoys spending time with beasts a hell of a lot. She’s screwing one of your kind. We caught her just for you, 927.”

They stopped by the cage door about seven feet from the enraged New Species who sniffed loudly again. The weight around her neck dropped away, the collar gone, and she barely took notice as the shackles were removed from her wrists. She remained terrified and focused on the New Species. They planned to push her into his cage.

He was almost as tall as Valiant. Maybe an inch or two shorter at about six-feet-four, if she were to guess. His shoulders, thick chest, and muscular arms were very similar in size to Valiant. It was his face that terrified her the most.

A vicious, low growl of warning rumbled deep from within his throat as sharp teeth flashed. Like Valiant, this one had more dominant animal features than most of the New Species. That probably accounted for how terrifying he looked as he snarled at her, flashing teeth that looked as if they could easily tear her apart without effort. Fear sizzled along Tammy’s spine like lightning and ran down the length of her body.

Tammy realized something as a hand shoved her forward, past an opening into the cage. A thick glass wall partition stood between the man growling at her two captors and the door they’d just opened. The man behind the glass suddenly lunged and his body slammed into the clear barrier. A loud crack came from the action and parts of the glass spider-webbed.

“Son of a bitch,” Mike hissed. “Hurry up. That isn’t going to hold for long. He’s really being aggressive today.”

Pete pushed Tammy hard, knocked her off balance, and she stumbled farther into the cage but managed not to fall face first on the metal floor. The door slammed closed behind her and she turned, lunging for the bars that now locked her inside. She jerked hard but the door didn’t move. She stared at Mike and Pete, pleading with them silently. They refused to even glance her way as they spun and disappeared into the other half of the warehouse at a hurried pace, seeming not to be able to flee fast enough. The hair at the back of her neck rose.

She knew why. Her breathing increased and her fingers clung so hard to the cold metal that she knew they were turning white. You can’t get out. You’re going to have to face him. Maybe he can be reasoned with. She drew in a deep breath and blew it out. You have no choice. Just talk. You have nothing to lose.

Tammy slowly released the bars and turned, dread making her stomach heave a little. The scariest eyes she’d ever seen watched her from the other side of the partition just feet from her. His seemingly black gaze narrowed and he growled at her again. She backed up, moved away from the door, and pressed against the bars as far away from him as she could get in the small space.

His hands lifted and he glanced at them. She followed where he looked, wishing instantly that she hadn’t. His hands ended in thick fingernails similar to Valiant’s but they hadn’t been clipped. They resembled short but lethal claws that scratched over the damaged part of the glass. A piece of it fell away, letting her know he could get to her. A scream rose but became trapped inside her throat. He scratched the divider with his nails again. It was a hideous sound when more bits of the glass fell away to ping on the metal floor.

“Please,” Tammy begged softly. “Don’t hurt me. I was kidnapped and brought here against my will. I’m not your enemy. I don’t work for Mercile Industries.”

The New Species stopped watching his hands to peer at her instead. She only saw aloofness in his stare as their gazes met. His hands pulled away from the glass, he backed away, and she hoped her words had meant something to him.

He suddenly lunged forward, his body turning at the last second, and his shoulder slammed into the glass. More of it cracked. Tammy whimpered again and slid along the bars until she reached the corner a few feet away. She couldn’t escape. He was going to break through and reach her.