Laurann Dohner: Fury

She watched 416 cautiously as she allowed her gaze to roam over his naked body. His back rose and fell with his breathing but besides blinking, he didn’t otherwise move. She noticed a red mark on his side. With his arms stretched upward she could see it clearly. Ellie hesitated. He could kill her if he broke a chain.

He is worth saving. She repeated that silent chant a few times while she worked up the nerve to inch closer to his downed body. She’d already decided to put her life on the line when she’d agreed to work undercover, understanding the real possibility that she might not survive. Lives were all too often taken in the name of science. This company only cared about money and they needed to be stopped.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” she promised him. Her hand brushed next to the mark and anger stirred. Jacob had jabbed him hard enough with a needle to leave a dime sized injury. Her gaze shifted to his face. “He drugged you?”

The male didn’t answer but she didn’t really expect him to. She knew they could talk, had heard some of them curse and threaten staff as she’d drawn blood, but this one had never spoken to her. The times she’d entered his cell, he hadn’t even growled at her. He’d silently watched her approach, occasionally sniffed at her, but his dark brown gaze always fixed on her every movement. She swallowed again, taking note of his hot skin, and wondered if he were sick. He felt feverish to her.

“It’s going to be okay. He’s dead. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Her hand left him and she crawled a little down his body. She winced at the sight of what Jacob had done to him. His ass was red from blows from the baton. Jacob had beaten him with it on his buttocks, inner thighs and the backs of his legs. She clenched her teeth. She hadn’t arrived in time to prevent another horror either. The sight of blood near his rectum assured her that Jacob had been doing exactly what she’d assumed. He’d used the baton to sexually assault 416.

Rage gripped her again as she shot a murderous glare at the dead man. His pants were still open and his flaccid cock showed, covered in a condom. She didn’t see blood on him. That small relief, that she’d arrived before he’d raped his victim, helped slightly. A growl emanated from 416.

“Easy,” she crooned. “You’re bleeding. Let me take a look. I’m a nurse.”

She didn’t bother rushing for the corner cabinet to get gloves. She wasn’t sure how much time she had. With only a slight hesitation, she lifted her leg over the man’s thick, muscular thigh to get a better view, and peered down at a rounded, beefy ass. Her hands touched him softly, spread the cheeks enough to check the damage, but it looked minimal, considering.

“I’m so sorry for what he did. It doesn’t appear he got—” Her voice died. To say Jacob hadn’t raped him much or seemed not to have penetrated him deeply sounded horrific to even note. This shouldn’t have happened at all. “You’re going to be fine.” At least physically , she amended. Her hands released his ass.

She moved from between his spread thighs to crawl up next to his body and leaned down to study his features. He watched her and she couldn’t miss the look of rage. His lips parted to reveal sharp fangs. He snarled at her, a little louder than the mild growl he’d given her before. His body didn’t move though.

Dear God, he has canines. She could see the sharper teeth at close range. Like a dog’s or maybe a vampire’s. She guessed it had probably been some kind of canine breed. It could account for the terrifying growl that erupted from the back of his throat that eerily resembled a vicious dog. She hesitated, afraid he’d snap at her with those sharp teeth if she got too close.

“Easy,” she urged again. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Peering into his eyes told her a few things. His pupils were unusually large and he seemed a little confused. Jacob had obviously drugged him pretty strongly but she had no idea what he’d used. The powerful guy sprawled on the floor probably couldn’t move. He’d have fought otherwise when Jacob had assaulted him. He lay meekly next to her but his eyes were lively and another growl tore from his slightly parted lips. She tried not to shiver from the sight of his sharp fangs.

“Did he do anything else to you? Did he mention what drug he gave you?”

416 stopped growling but he didn’t say anything. It made her wonder if he could speak. The drug might be preventing him from doing more than making throat noises. Ellie knew she’d have to check him over, do it quickly, and think a way out of the mess she’d created by rushing to 416’s cell. The security cameras would have recorded her going into the room.

She opened the metal pin cemented into the floor to release the arm chains that held him flat to the floor and grunted as she pushed the large male onto his back. He was very tall and had to weigh at least two hundred sixty pounds or so. She tried hard not to gawk at his wide chest or the fact that he didn’t have on any clothes.

Ellie took note of how tan he appeared and determined it had to be his natural skin tone since they kept him below ground. His coloring never changed. With his dark-brown hair and deep-chocolate eye color she thought he had to be a good portion Native American. Of course she couldn’t miss the fact that he was a great deal bigger than any Native Americans she’d ever seen. She guessed he had German or some other husky, tall ancestry too.

He wasn’t handsome in any conventional sense, his cheekbones so pronounced they made him appear too harsh. Some might not consider him good-looking but he was quite exotically beautiful. She guessed the bone structure might be caused by whatever genetic altering had been done to him. He looked human but not quite fully so. With his hate-filled glare and the tense jaw, it gave him a snarling appearance, which he actually did the moment Ellie inched closer. The deep growl made her pause, heart pounding, and fear shot through her. He looked intensely masculine and rough, projecting how dangerous he could be. It disturbed her that she found him extremely attractive. She couldn’t deny how his muscular body and pure masculine magnetism drew her to him.

If he regained movement she’d die. She knew that and he probably wished he could get his hands on her. She glanced across the room to stare at the cracked and peeling white paint that ran the length of the room on the floor by the door. The staff called it the kill line. All test subjects were shackled by each limb. Though they were strong enough to break chains occasionally, none had ever broken all four at once. They only needed one free limb to kill. She sat inside the kill zone with an enraged, huge male whose two arms were chained but they weren’t connected to anything anymore. That realization made her want to crawl away from him but she resisted the urge.

He’s worth saving . She nodded. He needs help. Check him over, do what you can for him, and pray no one walks in here. Yeah . She could just hope the drugs didn’t wear off immediately. He’d probably snap her neck before she could beg for her life. He had to hate everyone who worked for Mercile and he had a damn good reason. Her gaze landed on Jacob’s dead body, her teeth clenched, and she forced her gaze to return to 416. See how hurt he is.

Red marks marred his stomach. Her fingers traced the proof that Jacob had punched him there. She felt his ribcage where more marks showed. She didn’t feel any broken bones. His belly had firm, hard muscles even while he lay lax, but she didn’t feel anything that would suggest internal bleeding. She tried to stay professional but her fingertips lingered a little too long as she traced an integrate pattern of muscle groups. She couldn’t deny touching him affected her as a woman. He was forbidden, dangerous, and sexy.