She blinked twice and he hated to see the traces of tears in her eyes. She had to feel helpless and it was an emotion he understood since he struggled with it as well. His Jeanie had been hurt and he hadn’t been there to protect her when those humans had shoved a needle in her arm.
“Is it okay if I lift you and carry you to a Jeep?”
She blinked once.
He very gently eased one hand under her thighs and with the other he cradled her back and neck as he lifted her into his arms. Strong hands gripped him under his arms and helped him rise to his feet as the other Species assisted him. Her slight weight against his chest only heightened his awareness of her frailty.
“Let’s go.” He kept glancing at her face, looking for any signs of alarm in her eyes as he quickly walked around the building.
Two Jeeps were waiting. Flame and another male already had Slash in the backseat of one of the vehicles. They supported the drugged male between their bodies. Another male jumped into the driver’s seat and they speeded away.
Jericho took the driver’s seat of the second Jeep. “They’re expecting us at Medical.” He had somehow managed to grab one of the earpiece microphones Security used and was in contact with them. He reached up and touched the device. “We’re coming in with her.”
True had more help from Jinx and Flirt as he climbed into the backseat of the Jeep. Dagger jumped in the back and used the cargo section to crouch, gripping him by the shoulders, and braced his body behind the seat.
“I’m going to be better than a seat belt,” he swore. “Move it, Jericho. Pedal to the metal!”
The Jeep lurched forward as the primate punched the gas and they shot forward. True stared down at Jeanie as she held his gaze.
“I’m so sorry,” he rasped. “I shouldn’t have left you.” The misery in her expressive eyes couldn’t be denied. “Faster,” he demanded, not looking away from her.
It seemed to take forever before they reached the building. There was a flurry of activity and the older Dr. Harris and Midnight were already outside with a gurney. True ignored it as he climbed out of the Jeep with his precious cargo. “Which room?”
“Three,” Midnight urged, her voice deeper than normal, showing her stress. “We have the recovered syringe and the dart. We have someone trying to identify what drugs they were given.”
He didn’t give a damn. He just wanted Jeanie to be all right. He rushed down the corridor and laid her on the bed in exam room three. Dr. Harris and Paul closely followed.
“Leave, True. We are going to do everything for her. It will probably take hours for the drug to wear off.” Dr. Harris whipped out a tiny flashlight and bent over Jeanie, studying her eyes.
“Fuck you.” He wasn’t going anywhere.
Dr. Harris muttered a soft curse as he gripped Jeanie’s wrist, taking her pulse. “Steady but sluggish,” he announced after long seconds. “I’m going to hook her up to a monitor. Her pupils are sluggish too. I’m going to need…”
True tuned out the male’s voice as he inched around the bed to Jeanie’s head. Her gaze sought his and he leaned down.
“I’m right here,” he rasped.
“True?” A gentle hand touched his arm.
He glanced at Breeze.
“Justice wants you. The other human hasn’t been found.” She spoke slowly, softly, each word enunciated with care. “I know you’re very upset right now. We all are. You can’t do anything for her here. Midnight will stay with her, okay? Did you see the other human well enough to identify him? That’s important. We need everyone who saw him. The quicker we identify him, the quicker this is over.”
He was tempted to say no, hoping it would mean he wouldn’t need to leave Jeanie’s side. He wanted the bastard caught though. “Yes. I saw his face.”
“More details are coming in.” She used her free hand to point to her earpiece. “We think they came from Fuller Prison. We had two human males from there who checked in at the gate and they are the only strangers. We located their van but not them. The human you caught…” She paused and glanced down at Jeanie before lowering her voice. “Um, he was impossible to identify easily from the photo taken at the scene and sent to Security, with so much facial damage. We have footage from surveillance we need you to see, of those males entering Homeland, since you saw both of them.”
“Darkness allowed the other male to escape?”
Breeze winced. “I wouldn’t say he allowed to him. He’s kind of pissed, judging from the ranting I heard in my ear. One second he had the scent and was closing ground, the next it just seemed to disappear after the male crossed one of our roads. He and the other males who came to assist couldn’t pick up the scent again.”
A killing rage tightened his chest again as he glanced down at Jeanie. She blinked up at him but some of her fear had eased. He bent closer, staring into her pretty eyes.
“Are you okay?”
She blinked once.
“Tell me again so I can be sure. Blink twice now if you’re really all right.”
She blinked twice.
“I need to do something but I’ll be back soon. Is that okay? One for yes, two for no.”
She blinked once.
He didn’t want to leave her. It went against his instincts but the blond was out there free. He needed to be found. Jeanie would be at risk until he was captured.
“I have dozens of males flooding Medical.” Breeze seemed to read his mind. “They are concerned about Slash and horrified this happened. She’s totally safe here, True. That human would be torn apart if he dared enter this building in an attempt to get to her. This is the safest place at Homeland right now. Midnight is right here too.”
“Is it okay if I lift you and carry you to a Jeep?”
She blinked once.
He very gently eased one hand under her thighs and with the other he cradled her back and neck as he lifted her into his arms. Strong hands gripped him under his arms and helped him rise to his feet as the other Species assisted him. Her slight weight against his chest only heightened his awareness of her frailty.
“Let’s go.” He kept glancing at her face, looking for any signs of alarm in her eyes as he quickly walked around the building.
Two Jeeps were waiting. Flame and another male already had Slash in the backseat of one of the vehicles. They supported the drugged male between their bodies. Another male jumped into the driver’s seat and they speeded away.
Jericho took the driver’s seat of the second Jeep. “They’re expecting us at Medical.” He had somehow managed to grab one of the earpiece microphones Security used and was in contact with them. He reached up and touched the device. “We’re coming in with her.”
True had more help from Jinx and Flirt as he climbed into the backseat of the Jeep. Dagger jumped in the back and used the cargo section to crouch, gripping him by the shoulders, and braced his body behind the seat.
“I’m going to be better than a seat belt,” he swore. “Move it, Jericho. Pedal to the metal!”
The Jeep lurched forward as the primate punched the gas and they shot forward. True stared down at Jeanie as she held his gaze.
“I’m so sorry,” he rasped. “I shouldn’t have left you.” The misery in her expressive eyes couldn’t be denied. “Faster,” he demanded, not looking away from her.
It seemed to take forever before they reached the building. There was a flurry of activity and the older Dr. Harris and Midnight were already outside with a gurney. True ignored it as he climbed out of the Jeep with his precious cargo. “Which room?”
“Three,” Midnight urged, her voice deeper than normal, showing her stress. “We have the recovered syringe and the dart. We have someone trying to identify what drugs they were given.”
He didn’t give a damn. He just wanted Jeanie to be all right. He rushed down the corridor and laid her on the bed in exam room three. Dr. Harris and Paul closely followed.
“Leave, True. We are going to do everything for her. It will probably take hours for the drug to wear off.” Dr. Harris whipped out a tiny flashlight and bent over Jeanie, studying her eyes.
“Fuck you.” He wasn’t going anywhere.
Dr. Harris muttered a soft curse as he gripped Jeanie’s wrist, taking her pulse. “Steady but sluggish,” he announced after long seconds. “I’m going to hook her up to a monitor. Her pupils are sluggish too. I’m going to need…”
True tuned out the male’s voice as he inched around the bed to Jeanie’s head. Her gaze sought his and he leaned down.
“I’m right here,” he rasped.
“True?” A gentle hand touched his arm.
He glanced at Breeze.
“Justice wants you. The other human hasn’t been found.” She spoke slowly, softly, each word enunciated with care. “I know you’re very upset right now. We all are. You can’t do anything for her here. Midnight will stay with her, okay? Did you see the other human well enough to identify him? That’s important. We need everyone who saw him. The quicker we identify him, the quicker this is over.”
He was tempted to say no, hoping it would mean he wouldn’t need to leave Jeanie’s side. He wanted the bastard caught though. “Yes. I saw his face.”
“More details are coming in.” She used her free hand to point to her earpiece. “We think they came from Fuller Prison. We had two human males from there who checked in at the gate and they are the only strangers. We located their van but not them. The human you caught…” She paused and glanced down at Jeanie before lowering her voice. “Um, he was impossible to identify easily from the photo taken at the scene and sent to Security, with so much facial damage. We have footage from surveillance we need you to see, of those males entering Homeland, since you saw both of them.”
“Darkness allowed the other male to escape?”
Breeze winced. “I wouldn’t say he allowed to him. He’s kind of pissed, judging from the ranting I heard in my ear. One second he had the scent and was closing ground, the next it just seemed to disappear after the male crossed one of our roads. He and the other males who came to assist couldn’t pick up the scent again.”
A killing rage tightened his chest again as he glanced down at Jeanie. She blinked up at him but some of her fear had eased. He bent closer, staring into her pretty eyes.
“Are you okay?”
She blinked once.
“Tell me again so I can be sure. Blink twice now if you’re really all right.”
She blinked twice.
“I need to do something but I’ll be back soon. Is that okay? One for yes, two for no.”
She blinked once.
He didn’t want to leave her. It went against his instincts but the blond was out there free. He needed to be found. Jeanie would be at risk until he was captured.
“I have dozens of males flooding Medical.” Breeze seemed to read his mind. “They are concerned about Slash and horrified this happened. She’s totally safe here, True. That human would be torn apart if he dared enter this building in an attempt to get to her. This is the safest place at Homeland right now. Midnight is right here too.”
