Suddenly, the crushing weight was eased. For a moment it was all Amber could do to breathe, let alone anything else. She only knew Ven hadn't moved on his own, someone had rolled him off of her.

Panicking, she sat up as soon as she was able, her hand going immediately to Ven's chest. Tears of relief pricked her eyes when she felt it moving up and down steadily. She swayed, still feeling dizzy from the lack of air. That's when she noticed Josh, standing at the edge of her bed with a sour expression twisting his lips.

"Could you be anymore disgusting?" He shook his head, sneering at Ven's limp form.

"What did you do, Josh? Dear god, what did you do to him?"

"It wasn't me." He smiled coldly. "Remember, I told you I found friends who know all about your precious New Species….and how to bring them to heel like good little puppies."

"Thank you so much for distracting him for us, though. It made it that much easier." A slim woman with Asian features moved from behind Josh, who smirked as he waved a hand from her to Amber.

"Gi, this is Amber. Amber, Dr. Maeng."

"This is the woman you told me about? The scientist from the fundraiser?" The word 'scientist' came out of her mouth like a bad word.

"Oh, you always were quick on the uptake." Josh said bitingly. "Yes, she is. And she was very interested to hear about your new fuck buddy."

When Josh had interrupted her run, leading to the black eye incident, he had been on and on about that stupid fundraiser he'd been to, and how much she needed to learn about the NS. How much had been kept secret from the general public. How much her employers should be in cages, not running around free.

He had sounded like a huge conspiracy nut, to be honest, and she had barely paid attention. But she knew Josh had mentioned Dr. Maeng several times. Amber was wishing she had tuned in better then. But she sure as hell was now. The woman didn't look like a monster, but when she leaned over to exam Ven, Amber slapped her hand away.

Instantly, two goons Amber hadn't yet noticed yanked her off the bed, away from the doctor…and Ven. More panic hit Amber as she realized Ven was at least alive, what about the other New Species? Her gut tightened painfully.

"What did you do to Brass and Flame? And Jinx?!" Amber struggled against the hands holding, her eyes desperately going to the windows as she screamed their names.

Josh stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face. "Shut up, you stupid cunt!

I can't believe you're all teary eyed about a couple of animals. I guess I shouldn't be as you're fucking one of them. Maybe all of them. You always were such a damn slut." Josh spit in her face, shocking her silent. "Don't worry about your pets, they're fine. Too much trouble to kill them, so they all got Tazered, too. But the doctor isn't interested in them. Just your big baldy there. Apparently, he's special."

The sick feeling in Amber's stomach starting forming itself into knots. "Why? What are you going to do to Ven?" She addressed her words to the doctor, not Josh.

"Don't worry," Gi Maeng spoke smoothly as she straightened from examining Ven. "You'll be there to see every bit of it."

"Wait." Josh suddenly went stiff. "You didn't say anything about taking Amber with him."

"I know, you just wanted us to kill her for you instead." The doctor rolled her eyes, then gave an icy smile that had goosebumps snaking down Amber's neck. "But she's far more valuable to me alive, as leverage. It's a more effective use of assets to use her to control him, rather than Tazers and drugs. Plus, I am very interested to know how long they've been having sex." The doctor's light brown eyes traveled over Amber as if she were a specimen in a jar. "When was the first time he came in you? Are you using protection?"

Amber stared. "Go to hell, you fucking bitch."

Dr. Maeng smiled, then turned to one of the goons holding Amber. "Shoot him."

The man let Amber go at once, taking a gun from a holster under his jacket. "Where, boss?"

She shrugged, her eyes on Amber. "Right shoulder. He'll recover from that easily enough." The man nodded, twisting what had to be a silencer on the end of the gun, then he extended his arm.

Amber didn't believe they would do it, but when she watched his finger tighten…

"No!" She shrieked. "Don't…please."

The doctor lifted a hand, and the man pulled his finger from the trigger. "Answers?"

"Umm," Amber was trying to breathe, to think. "We…that…only two weeks ago. Ten days, I think. And, I'm on the shot…but I missed my six month appointment." She just realized this, having forgotten in all the excitement of the last week. How could it possibly matter, though? Amber thought wildly. New Species were sterile…weren't they?

"That's good. Very good. It's nice to see I can use this leverage both ways. So efficient." She gave Amber a frightening normal nod, then jerked her head at the man with the gun. "Kill the rat."

"What? Ven? NO!" Amber screamed, lurching forward, only to have hard hands hold her back, but it wasn't Ven the man aimed his gun at anyway. It was Josh.

It happened so fast, so casually and quietly, Amber didn't believe it at first. Josh didn't even have time to make a sound. His eyes widened, his mouth opened…

Then there was a faint pop, like a balloon bursting.

Three times, the gun fired. Slightly louder each time. Two point blank in the chest. One in the head. There was no blood until the last shot.

That was Amber's first thought as Josh staggered backwards, where is all the blood?

Even when the last shot blew out the back of his head all over her dresser mirror, she didn't scream. She couldn't.

It was too terrifying for screams, she just stood there gulping air.

"Thank god I don't have to hear him yap anymore. Tiresome prick, wasn't he?" The doctor sighed, then turned to Amber who was standing next to the bed, stiff with horror, unable to tear her eyes away from Josh's body.

The doctor sighed again. "Get over it, you little idiot, he sold you out like so much junk stock. We have to run. Strip them both bare," she spoke to the men covering Ven, yanking open Amber's dresser, despite the pink and gray gore dripping down the wood. She threw out a pair of jeans and a top at random. "I don't know if the NSO is smart enough to have trackers on these two and I am not taking the chance. Let her dress, but don't leave her, not for a goddamn second. Him, you can leave naked. We'll back the van up to the door and be back for them both in five."

"Yes ma'am." The goons said in unison. The bristly one with the gun pushed the tip of it between her breasts hard, as left without a backward glance. "You heard the boss, bitch. Strip."

Tears threatening to streak down her face, Amber did as ordered, trying to make her mind blank, but blinking hard as the men's eyes wandered over her in tandem.

"Damn," the one without the gun—the stocky red-headed one—breathed, giving the front of his trousers a rub as he stared at her, licking his lips. "Get a load of that shit."

"Can it, Roberts. Get your pants on, bitch." The one with the gun threw the clothes the doctor had grabbed at her. "We ain't got time for this. The NSO could be here any minute."

"Not likely." The redhead laughed, still rubbing himself as he took a step closer to Amber, who felt sickly grateful for the paltry protection as she clutched her clothes to her chest like a shield. "As soon as we got the call he was here, Dragon Lady had one of the other teams lob a missile at that zoo they have."

"A missile?" Amber gasped, momentarily forgetting the clothes in her hands as her heart nearly stopped. "At Reservation?"

The goon with the dark, bristly hair gave her a nasty smile. "That's what he said, sweet cheeks. Now, not that I am complaining about the view, but get that ass dressed." He shoved her toward the dresser hard and Amber caught the lip of it, almost falling on top of Josh.

She bit her lips, trying not to puke, looking down at his face, his brains leaking onto her favorite purple rug. Choking back a sob, she yanked her shirt over her head. Josh was an awful person, more awful than she had ever imagined to sell Ven out like this, but to see him killed… right in front of her….

What was going to happen to Ven now? And her?

Her arms started to shake as she tried clumsily to step into her jeans.

"That is one fine ass." There was an appreciative whistle from behind her. "I could bend her over right now, man. Five minutes. C'mon. No one needs to know..."

The other guard cursed.

"Mind the job, you idiot. The doc will be back before even you could finish. And you actually want that snatch after where's it's been?"

There was a low, sickening laugh. "Are you not seeing what I'm seeing? Hell yes, Dennison! Pussy is pussy. Turn around, sugar, give us a show. Never hurts to be nice to the ones in charge, you know."

"You aren't in charge, dumbass." The one with the gun was sneering as Amber turned, fastening her jeans with trembling fingers. "You don't watch it, you'll get a bullet in the brain just like that banker asshole."

Amber forced herself to straighten. "Can I get my shoes?" She was shocked to hear how calm her voice sounded. "They're right at the edge of the bed." Where she'd slipped them off when Ven had been on top of her. Ven, who was still lying, boneless and dead to the world on her bed. She bit her lip again, determined not to let them hear her whimper.

At the goon's curt nod, she put one hand on Ven's thigh, tears stinging her eyes as she reached blindly for her ballet flats under the mattress's edge. Instead, her fingers touched something cold and hard and very thin. Her phone. Jesus Christ. Her phone must have fallen out when she'd collapsed on the bed earlier.

Barely daring to breathe, Amber tucked the phone into one shoe, then slipped it on her foot. She found the other and put it on as well. Getting to her feet slowly, her fingers squeezing Ven's thigh. She tried to step away from the bed normally. As if there wasn't a goddamn iPhone 6 in her shoe.

Thankfully, the goons weren't looking at her now, but the door. The doctor stood there again, her face pinched with distaste.

"You idiots, you were ogling the woman, weren't you?" Without warning, she stepped forward and backhanded Amber, hard.

The slap cracked in the room, Amber staggered, her hand going to her burning cheek, even as her other hand clenched into a fist. The doctor noticed and smiled tightly before deliberately hitting her again, on the other cheek this time. Amber's neck cracked with the blow.

"You try to retaliate, and I'll have them shoot your precious dog just like I threatened before. Did you think you could distract them with your body long enough for help to come? Idiot! The NSO is in chaos right now, they don't have time for you. And the sheriff is busy examining a bomb threat at a local school, not to mention just learning a fucking missile was let off in his airspace." With a dismissive wave, she turned back to the goons. "Get his clothes off and get him in the van! Don't forget to drug him again. A double dose this time. The Tazer and that first dose won't hold him very long." She grabbed the end of Amber's braid and yanked her out into the living room so hard Amber nearly fell to her knees.

Trying not to stumble more than necessary, keeping the precious phone in her shoe by curling her toes painfully, Amber felt the cold want of murder bloom in her heart. She knew if the opportunity presented itself she'd strangle this doctor bitch in a nanosecond. But the likelihood of such an opening seemed ridiculously thin.

They were very intent on Ven, Amber held on to that. They seemed to think he was special. Surely that worked in her favor. They were willingly to hurt him, yes, but not fatally. He'll recover from that, the doctor had said. So…as long as Vengeance lived, Amber told herself, she couldn't let herself give up.

But why were they so interested in him? Was it the drug resistance he had mentioned at Homeland? How would they even know about that about him, though? How had they identified him?

She didn't know, but as the doctor threw her into the back of a van with darkened windows, Amber vowed to find out and to watch for her opportunity, no matter how slim.

He woke to pain, mild enough. And a sickening feeling in his stomach. A mouth as dry as desert sand. He blinked, his eyelids feeling heavy even as his body wanted to move, to fight, to tear, to kill. I am one….No. I am not at Mercile. I am not a number. I am Vengeance.

And somehow, he knew it was important to be cautious. To go slow. Assess.

He was in a vehicle. Yes. The sound of the tires against asphalt hummed in his ears. Scent though, that was all wrong. He inhaled in increasing alarm, his heart racing as he realized that sense was nearly dead to him.

Why?!

No. Don't panic. Assess. Ears then. He heard two heartbeats, no, three. One light and fast as a bird's. Frightened. His gut tightened. He knew that heart. He must protect it. Without thought, Vengeance shot to his feet.

"Jesus fuckin' Christ! He's awake!" The last words the man with the bristly dark hair ever spoke.

Ven caught him by throat with both hands, squeezing. Flesh and cartridge tore, bone cracked. And at last, blood erupted, spurting over his fingers before he saw her eyes. Watching him, her mouth open.

Those beautiful eyes. Wide. Horrified. Soft and brown. He remembered those eyes warm with passion, shining with love as he buried himself inside her. Amber.

His mate.

Protect her. Get her away from this bad place.

Ven kicked at the van door, almost tearing it from its hinges, dark highway spilling out into the night as it flew open. He whirled back around, reaching out a hand.

But no. No. Her head was angled oddly as a man held her tightly, his hand fisted in her braid. His face so pale, freckles stood out in stark relief. Ven could hear the coward's heart screaming, threatening to burst, this filth that held his mate's life in his shaking hands. No. Not again.

Please, no.

Ven froze at the van's open door. Amber could see the highway spinning out behind him, the icy spring wind screaming through the compartment.

Jump, she mouthed, the arm at her throat making it impossible to get any volume.

"Let her go." Ven's voice was scratchy, dry and so brutally unrecognizable she couldn't help, but shudder.

The guard behind her cackled madly. His fear was so obvious it made her eyes sting; ammonia and sickly sweat.

"Sure, so you can rip me apart like you did Dennison? Fuck, no. Shut the door and sit like a good puppy. There are more darts in that cabinet," the man jerked his head, at what Amber assumed was the shallow shelf just to the right of Ven. "And do it now, or I put a bullet in your bitch's brain. Choose, you fucker." He dug the barrel of the gun into her temple. "She'd not the asset, you are. The doc will pissed if she dies, yeah, but they'll fucking kill me if I let you get away, so I got nothing to lose. Sit the fuck down, now!" The goon's voice ended on a shriek that made Amber's ears ring.

No, Ven. Don't listen to him.

Jump.

Get away. Her eyes pleaded with him. Vengeance stared at her, then over his shoulder at the night, the easy freedom at his back.

"Go, sweetheart." Amber whispered as the man's arm loosened ever so slightly. She watched those dark eyes narrow at her, but couldn't read the emotion buried there.

Ven reached for the door handle and the guard screamed again, digging the gun barrel so hard into Amber's skin she felt it cut into her skin, the warmth of her own blood trickling down her face. She didn't care, every atom in her body was willing Vengeance out that door, to safety.

"Please, Ven. For me." She shut her eyes, unable to watch.

Please, please, please.