“Don’t fight me. I don’t want to hurt you,” he growled.

“I’m not your enemy,” she panted. “They are. Please let me go. You’re New Species.”

Confusion clouded his extremely blue eyes. “What does that mean?”

“It means they are bad people and you’re not. New Species are good.”

He refused to release her. “They have my female and will kill her if I allow you to escape. I’m sorry.”

Hot tears filled her eyes. “Please let me go.”

“I wish I could.” He hesitated. “I smelled unknown males in your home and again in your bedroom. Some of them are like me, aren’t they? Did you really help her sister kidnap others of my kind?”

“No. I rescued him and helped him get away from her sister. His name is Wrath and I love him.”

His eyes widened and he frowned. “You don’t scent as his mate.” He sniffed. “I can’t smell him on you. Where is her sister? Do you know? Tell me.”

“I showered but he’s coming for me. Please let me go. Her sister and the men with her were arrested by your people. They have them at the NSO. That stands for New Species Organization and they run it. A lot of your kind have been freed from Mercile. They’ll help you if we get out of here and call them. You’re one of them and they’ll do anything for you.”

“I can’t allow you to escape. If Mary doesn’t call the one who holds my female every hour, he’s been ordered to shoot her in the head.” He turned her in his arms, threw her over his shoulder as if she were as light as a body pillow and growled.

“Act as if I hit you hard enough to knock you out,” he ordered. “Don’t move or talk. I’m going to try to save you. I know you have no reason to trust me but I don’t wish you harm. I will treat you as if you are the mate of another one of my kind. I would hope someone would do the same for my female if ever given the chance.”

Lauren went limp over his shoulder, knew no amount of struggling would get her free of someone so strong, and closed her eyes. Regret swamped her over telling him the truth about her ex-coworkers’ whereabouts. She shouldn’t have trusted 140 but she wanted him to know how hopeless her situation was. She couldn’t help Mary get her sister back, that was a lost cause, and now she was useless. That meant they’d kill her.

He moved fast, her body swayed with each step, and she knew when they entered her home again because, even with her eyes closed, she felt it when they stepped out of the sunshine.

“I didn’t tell you to kill her,” Mary snapped. “Fucking stupid animal.”

“She’s not dead. I struck her and knocked her out.” Anger made his voice deepen. “The ‘fucking stupid animal’ will tell you how to get your sister back if you’ll allow me to speak. I know where she is. I made this one tell me by torturing her with pain.”

Lauren listened, confused over his lies, but willing to try to trust him. She was all for anything that would keep her breathing. The silence was long until Mary finally spoke.

“Where is Mel? What do you mean, get her back?”

“This one is mated to one of my kind. His scent is all over her and she told me that the NSO has taken your sister and her technicians. You can exchange her for them.” Bitterness laced his voice. “You are very aware of how far we will go to protect our mates. Hers will get your sister safely back to you if you return his female safely to him.”

“I don’t know about this,” one of the thugs grunted. “It sounds fishy.”

140 growled now. “You remember how protective we are of our mates. You have me leashed like a dog to protect mine. Otherwise I’d kill all of you. He’ll get your sister and her technicians to you, whatever it takes, to get his female back.” He turned his head, his hair brushed Lauren’s side where her shirt had ridden up and it tickled slightly.

“You keep your hands off her. Scent stays with a body for a long time and he won’t want her back if another male mounts her. He’ll insist on smelling her first before he accepts her back. I know your fondness for forcing females but leave this one alone. He’ll know and reject her.” His head turned again. “Order him to leave her alone if you want your sister and her technicians back.”

Lauren felt sick at hearing that last part. Her skin crawled thinking that one of those guys obviously was a ra**st but 140 was trying to protect her from that too. The fingers gripping her thigh slightly squeezed, almost a reassuring gesture. She guessed he could figure out how terrified she felt.

“How do you know for sure that her mate has my sister?” Mary had moved closer.

“Her mate has them. She was so terrified she confessed everything to me. Trade her for them. It will be the only way you will ever get your sister back.”

The silence was lengthy. Mary sighed. “Fine. You better be right, 140. Since you’re so damn smart, how do we set up this exchange?”

“Leave a note and a way to contact you here. He will come for her soon. You know we can’t be away from our females for long without going insane.”

Mates go insane if they are separated for too long? That bit of information stunned Lauren but of course, 140 could be lying. He was bullshitting a lot to try to save her butt. Gratitude filled her. The New Species was buying her time and trying to protect her.

“It had better work, 140.” Mary sounded furious. The threat was clear that he’d pay if he were wrong.