Laurann Dohner - Wrath

His eyebrows rose.

“They are our friends.” Midnight hesitated. “I know you can’t understand that but these humans never harmed our kind. They didn’t work for Mercile and they help us. We aren’t doctors but they are. Do you understand?”

He growled and Midnight did something that made Lauren gasp while Wrath tensed. The woman suddenly spun, her foot shot out and she knocked the canine’s legs out from under him. He hit the floor hard on his back and Midnight dropped on top of him. She straddled his waist and growled as she leaned over him. Her hands cupped his face and she got so close they could have kissed.

“Don’t move,” she demanded. “Be calm and listen to me carefully. One of those humans is a female mated to one of our males. I’d hate to take you home only for you to be killed by him when you give him no choice but to protect her. Any of the humans you come into contact with are our friends. Do you understand me?”

He snarled but didn’t fight.

Midnight hesitated before she released him and rose to her feet. She offered him a hand. “You’re weaker right now. You’ve been caged and I doubt they fed you well. I could take you in a fight. Behave. You are free but that doesn’t mean you can be an asshole.”

Lauren closed her mouth and watched the tough female pull the male to his feet. He didn’t snarl again but kept away from her. All his anger seemed to have been knocked out of him as effectively as the air in his lungs must have been when he’d been dumped on the floor.

The golden-haired feline made a rumbling noise and Midnight spun toward him. She tensed and her features tightened.

“Do you need to be taken to the floor and talked to?”

He shook his head and slowly grinned. “You’re a fierce female. Are there more of you where we are going?”

A chuckle escaped her and her hands dropped to her side. “Yes. You’re a lover more than a fighter, aren’t you?”

He sniffed. “I smell no male on you. Is there one in your life?”

“There is. I’m not mated to him but there are plenty of females for you to get to know better. We’ll discuss that on the drive back to our home. I’ll inform you of the right and wrong way to approach them.”

“Good.”

“Where is my female?” 140 began to pace his cell, agitated. Midnight moved closer to him.

“Easy,” she whispered. “They will bring her soon.” She shot a worried look Shadow’s way.

“Can I go to her? I know where she is. Please? She will be—” 140 stopped talking and snapped his head in the direction of the hallway. He lunged forward, left his cage and rushed in that direction.

Brass appeared suddenly carrying a tall, frail-looking New Species woman in his arms. A blanket was wrapped around her body but it didn’t hide how thin she was. Her head rested against his chest and it didn’t appear she was conscious. He saw 140 coming and froze, staying that way.

140 reached them and opened his arms. “Give her to me.”

Brass hesitated. “She needs a doctor. We need to airlift her to our medical facility.” He glanced around the room, searching for someone. “Tim? Get one of our helicopters here right now. She’s in critical condition.”

“Give her to me,” 140 snarled.

“I’m going to,” Brass assured him. “You can hold her but we need to get her to our doctors.” He inched closer to the upset Species and transferred the woman into his waiting arms. “Do you know what they did to her? The humans we captured won’t talk.”

140 gently cradled the woman in his arms and rested his cheek against the top of her head. Pain sounded in his voice.

“They have been giving her pills that make her sicker. I don’t know what. They refuse to tell us what they do. Please help her.”

Brass turned to one of the human task force members. “Call Homeland and tell them to get everyone awake. Have Medical standing by.” He looked at one of the New Species. “Slash, call Justice. Let him know what is going on and that we need to find out what they did to her. We’re sending the prisoners to Homeland and I want Darkness there to interrogate the bastards. He’ll make them talk.” He finally looked back at 140. “We are going to do everything we can to save her. You have my word.”

Lauren blinked back tears. The woman was so pale, so lifeless, that she already seemed dead. The grim mood in the room assured her that everyone was more than aware of how ill the New Species was.

“Follow me outside,” Brass urged 140. “I promise no one will take her from you. You can stay with her but our doctors need to work on her when we reach them. You have to allow them to do that. I swear that they will do everything possible to save her life.”

“Please,” 140 whispered.

Brass moved and everyone parted for them to make their way outside. A few of the men kicked down the wall under one window so 140 didn’t have to step over it to get outside. A helicopter could be heard approaching and Lauren hugged Wrath tighter, grateful they were together and had a happier outlook than 140 and his mate.

“That could have been you needing a doctor.”

Lauren stared into Wrath’s beautiful, haunted eyes and knew they both pondered the same thing. He continued to hold her until she wiggled.

“You should put me down. I’m not exactly light.”

He shook his head. “No. Let’s get out of here. I’m taking you back to my home.”

She probably should have felt embarrassed from the many eyes that had to be watching them but she wasn’t as Wrath walked with her outside. She buried her face in his neck, closed her eyes and just clung to him.

He had to put her down when they climbed into the SUV to open the back door. She scooted inside, he came after her and Shadow opened the other door. The men were on either side of her and she felt safe. Her gaze drifted to the mostly destroyed building, all the windows were gaping holes now and she hoped to never see it again. Jasper’s had once held fond memories but not anymore.

Wrath suddenly turned in his seat, his hands dug behind her back and under her thighs, he lifted her and settled her sideways over his lap. She didn’t protest, instead just leaned against his chest and curled into his big body.

“Are you really well, Lauren?”

She nodded against him. “I am. I’m just glad it’s over.”

“You are very brave,” Shadow stated. “We found the male you killed inside your home. I was proud.”

Her stomach rolled at the reminder and she wasn’t sure what to say to that. Her silence stretched until the front doors of the SUV opened. Two human task force members climbed inside and both glanced back. A familiar face grinned at her from the passenger seat.

“Hey, Lauren,” Brian greeted. “We’re glad to have you back. How are you doing?”

“Much better. How are you? You were bleeding and out cold the last time I saw you.”

“I’m fine. What’s a little concussion and blood loss? That’s why I’m not driving you today. I heard what was going down, who was taken, and I wasn’t going to miss this assignment.”

“Thank you.” Emotion choked her voice. “Please thank everyone for me who was here today.”

“Let’s go home,” Wrath roughly snarled. “Now. Lauren needs a shower. Start the engine and return us to headquarters. I don’t know how much longer I can keep in control.”

Lauren’s gaze flew to Wrath. It surprised her at his blunt intentions to get her naked but she was amused by it too. “You missed me that much, huh?”

He growled instead of answering but he didn’t appear turned-on. His angry expression confused her as she watched him in the dim interior of the vehicle, hoping it wasn’t because she’d talked to Brian. She remembered that he thought the guy was flirting with her before.