“What did they do to you?”
She curled into a tighter ball.
“Tell me,” he demanded roughly, his tone harsher than he intended.
Her eyes opened as she jerked, seemingly startled. Her unfocused gaze searched and found his face.
“What did Polanitis do to you that kept me alive?”
The pain etched on her delicate features tore at him. “Anything. I told Agent Brice, hoping he’d get that warrant faster to help us.” A small whimper passed her lips. “Polanitis had me hurt, 710. I wanted to die sometimes but I knew I couldn’t give up until you were free.” She sucked in a ragged breath, almost a sob. “You gave me the courage, though, to go to that new place Agent Brice sent me to. I had to save the others.”
His free hand fisted, rage growing at what he suspected. “Did he mount you against your will?”
She closed her eyes, her face turning into the bed.
“Jeanie, look at me!”
She did and he almost wished she hadn’t as she stared up at him with anguish. He identified the signs of pure suffering. The suspicion that had filled him about what that monster was capable of, what kind of threats he’d made to True about female Species, prompted him to apply it to Jeanie. Would the male rape, or have the guards rape, a human?
“Jeanie!” He growled. “Were you force mounted?”
She didn’t look at him. “So much pain.”
He gently reached down and cupped her jaw, turning her head. The slight show of redness from Jordan’s rough touch angered him. It had taken a lot of control to stand back when the task force interrogator had used those tactics but he had known no real harm would come to her. He regretted it, though, since the male had left faint marks. She didn’t fight when he leaned in to stare intently into her glassy eyes.
“What did Polanitis do to you?”
“Tests,” she whispered. “Injections. I’d scream. My skin was on fire and…so much pain.” Her voice broke and she twisted her face away.
He allowed it, reeling from her revelations. There was only one drug given to Species with that result. He locked his knees to keep upright when they threatened to buckle. His mind raced to think of reasons why they’d give that drug to Jeanie, all of them horrible. She would have died from that drug though. It wasn’t possible. It seemed more feasible that she was just confused, talking about a male’s reaction to the breeding drug.
Had Jeanie been subjected to a crazed male high on drugs that would have sent him into a frenzy to have sex with a female? He’d refused to share sex with her but had others agreed? It would have been violent since she was human, a target for their rage. The images of what she’d have endured were sickening. How would she even have survived?
“You agreed to help them with breeding-drug experiments to save me the day they sent me out to that building, the one that none of my kind had ever returned from. Didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
He closed his eyes, seething. That day had never made sense to him but what she said fit. She’d always been kind but would she allow a monster to harm her to save his life? He opened his eyes but hers were closed.
“Jeanie? Tell me more about that day.”
She didn’t speak.
“Jeanie?”
“She’s out for the count,” Midnight stated from behind him. “I did give her too much sedative. She’s not going to wake for hours.”
He twisted his head, surprised she was right behind him.
“You were too intent on her and these were left just outside the door on a cart. I heard most of it.” Midnight adjusted the pile of clothes in her arms and reached out to rest one of her hands on the curve of his arm, giving him a comforting squeeze. “She’d be unable to lie while she’s that drugged. I guess the mystery is solved. You have your answer now about why they brought you back to your cell and changed you from one drug trial to another. She made a deal with a human to save your life.” She held his gaze. “I remember how much you said it bothered you when we talked after you were freed.”
“Why would she do that?”
Midnight shrugged. “I’m not sure. We caved in to some of Mercile’s demands when they threatened other Species.” She paused. “She’s human. Would she care enough about one of us to do the same?”
He turned his head, watching Shiver sleep.
“Either way, she doesn’t seem to be a coldhearted human, True. I saw her expressions. She endured what was done but she’s damaged.”
He let go of Shiver’s hand and rose to his feet. Midnight released him when he stepped out of her reach. “Damaged?”
“You never recover fully from being forced,” she softly stated. “Aren’t you thinking what I am? Only a few females were recovered from Drackwood. Ten to one on the male-to-female ratio. Not even Mercile would be stupid enough to send one of us to that many males on breeding drugs. We wouldn’t have lived long.” Midnight reached out and brushed a lock of Jeanie’s hair off her cheek. “Poor human. She doesn’t look strong or sturdy enough to survive, does she?”
He had to step away from the bed. “They wouldn’t put a human at the mercy of one of our drugged males.”
Midnight sighed. “She wouldn’t have fought the male to protect her body if she was also drugged. It may be how she survived. Not all the males talk to others about what happened to them during captivity.” She stepped away from the bed too, holding his gaze. “Especially if a human was brought to them. They might not retain the memory of who or what she was. No one enjoys discussing those things since they aren’t the fondest memories to share. The males were insane from the pain and it was terrifying for us females. We never knew if we’d survive.” She frowned. “She described exactly the kind of reaction the males had on the breeding drug. Shit. They really did give it to her.”
She curled into a tighter ball.
“Tell me,” he demanded roughly, his tone harsher than he intended.
Her eyes opened as she jerked, seemingly startled. Her unfocused gaze searched and found his face.
“What did Polanitis do to you that kept me alive?”
The pain etched on her delicate features tore at him. “Anything. I told Agent Brice, hoping he’d get that warrant faster to help us.” A small whimper passed her lips. “Polanitis had me hurt, 710. I wanted to die sometimes but I knew I couldn’t give up until you were free.” She sucked in a ragged breath, almost a sob. “You gave me the courage, though, to go to that new place Agent Brice sent me to. I had to save the others.”
His free hand fisted, rage growing at what he suspected. “Did he mount you against your will?”
She closed her eyes, her face turning into the bed.
“Jeanie, look at me!”
She did and he almost wished she hadn’t as she stared up at him with anguish. He identified the signs of pure suffering. The suspicion that had filled him about what that monster was capable of, what kind of threats he’d made to True about female Species, prompted him to apply it to Jeanie. Would the male rape, or have the guards rape, a human?
“Jeanie!” He growled. “Were you force mounted?”
She didn’t look at him. “So much pain.”
He gently reached down and cupped her jaw, turning her head. The slight show of redness from Jordan’s rough touch angered him. It had taken a lot of control to stand back when the task force interrogator had used those tactics but he had known no real harm would come to her. He regretted it, though, since the male had left faint marks. She didn’t fight when he leaned in to stare intently into her glassy eyes.
“What did Polanitis do to you?”
“Tests,” she whispered. “Injections. I’d scream. My skin was on fire and…so much pain.” Her voice broke and she twisted her face away.
He allowed it, reeling from her revelations. There was only one drug given to Species with that result. He locked his knees to keep upright when they threatened to buckle. His mind raced to think of reasons why they’d give that drug to Jeanie, all of them horrible. She would have died from that drug though. It wasn’t possible. It seemed more feasible that she was just confused, talking about a male’s reaction to the breeding drug.
Had Jeanie been subjected to a crazed male high on drugs that would have sent him into a frenzy to have sex with a female? He’d refused to share sex with her but had others agreed? It would have been violent since she was human, a target for their rage. The images of what she’d have endured were sickening. How would she even have survived?
“You agreed to help them with breeding-drug experiments to save me the day they sent me out to that building, the one that none of my kind had ever returned from. Didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
He closed his eyes, seething. That day had never made sense to him but what she said fit. She’d always been kind but would she allow a monster to harm her to save his life? He opened his eyes but hers were closed.
“Jeanie? Tell me more about that day.”
She didn’t speak.
“Jeanie?”
“She’s out for the count,” Midnight stated from behind him. “I did give her too much sedative. She’s not going to wake for hours.”
He twisted his head, surprised she was right behind him.
“You were too intent on her and these were left just outside the door on a cart. I heard most of it.” Midnight adjusted the pile of clothes in her arms and reached out to rest one of her hands on the curve of his arm, giving him a comforting squeeze. “She’d be unable to lie while she’s that drugged. I guess the mystery is solved. You have your answer now about why they brought you back to your cell and changed you from one drug trial to another. She made a deal with a human to save your life.” She held his gaze. “I remember how much you said it bothered you when we talked after you were freed.”
“Why would she do that?”
Midnight shrugged. “I’m not sure. We caved in to some of Mercile’s demands when they threatened other Species.” She paused. “She’s human. Would she care enough about one of us to do the same?”
He turned his head, watching Shiver sleep.
“Either way, she doesn’t seem to be a coldhearted human, True. I saw her expressions. She endured what was done but she’s damaged.”
He let go of Shiver’s hand and rose to his feet. Midnight released him when he stepped out of her reach. “Damaged?”
“You never recover fully from being forced,” she softly stated. “Aren’t you thinking what I am? Only a few females were recovered from Drackwood. Ten to one on the male-to-female ratio. Not even Mercile would be stupid enough to send one of us to that many males on breeding drugs. We wouldn’t have lived long.” Midnight reached out and brushed a lock of Jeanie’s hair off her cheek. “Poor human. She doesn’t look strong or sturdy enough to survive, does she?”
He had to step away from the bed. “They wouldn’t put a human at the mercy of one of our drugged males.”
Midnight sighed. “She wouldn’t have fought the male to protect her body if she was also drugged. It may be how she survived. Not all the males talk to others about what happened to them during captivity.” She stepped away from the bed too, holding his gaze. “Especially if a human was brought to them. They might not retain the memory of who or what she was. No one enjoys discussing those things since they aren’t the fondest memories to share. The males were insane from the pain and it was terrifying for us females. We never knew if we’d survive.” She frowned. “She described exactly the kind of reaction the males had on the breeding drug. Shit. They really did give it to her.”
