“He’s my friend and I’m not leaving him in this condition,” Rusty protested.

Midnight growled. “Let me rephrase that. Go to the women’s dorm, or wherever you were when you heard the news, but get out of Medical. I’m running X-rays on his jaw. He isn’t permitted to share sex until he’s cleared.”

“He needs me.” Rusty wasn’t willing to give up yet.

“You stay and you’ll need your own room.” Midnight stepped forward, bumped into the other female and pushed her back. “Do you want to test who is more dominant? I’ll kick your ass.”

“Why are you being this way?” Rusty sounded confused.

“We’re in a crisis and you need to leave. I’ll call you if things change. Go.” She handed the vest to Rusty.

Smiley relaxed a little when Rusty spun on her heel and stomped out of his room. Midnight turned and sighed. Her expression softened when she said, “You’re too nice.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You have an expressive face, Smiley. She was too busy staring at your lower half to see your dismayed reaction when she offered to share sex. She was pretty hot to get you out of those pants. A primate Species on a breeding drug probably is an experience she either wanted to try out or perhaps missed from Mercile days. Would you have agreed to it if I hadn’t made her leave, just to avoid hurting her feelings?”

“No. Maybe.”

“That’s what I figured. Now it’s not an issue.” She put her hands on her hips. “My work here is done. I’ll let you males argue. I have some calls to make so I’ll be in my office.” She left.

Fury’s phone beeped and he withdrew it, reading the screen.

“Is it about Vanni? Has she been found? Is she safe?” Smiley hoped so.

Fury’s lips compressed into a tight light and he looked up. “That was Brass. The news isn’t good.”

Smiley sat hard on the bed, gripping the edges of the mattress. “She’s dead?” Just saying the words hurt. He didn’t want to believe it.

Fury put his phone back in his pocket and approached. “Her name is Travanni Abris. She wasn’t registered at the hotel because she was a guest of a group that booked an entire floor of rooms.”

“Is she dead?” he repeated, not sure what he’d do if Fury said yes. The meal he’d eaten early in the evening threatened to come up.

“We haven’t located her yet.” Fury paused. “She was with the Woods Church, Smiley.”

He’d heard that name before. It took him a moment to remember where. “The church that came to protest our presence at the conference?”

“Yes. Gregory Woods is a preacher or something, who heads that church. He’s been very vocal in the news concerning his belief that we should never have been created and insists our existence is an insult to his god. He wants Homeland and Reservation shut down and all of us returned to our cells. He refers to Homeland and Reservation as zoos.”

Smiley let the information sink in. “Why would he say that?”

Fury shrugged. “He’s an asshole. I had to watch some of his televised sermons for research purposes. Know your enemies. He compared us to animals that have been trained to talk and dress as if we are humans. He states that wild animals shouldn’t be domesticated and it is a disaster about to happen. He even referenced a few horror movies for what could happen if we aren’t put back in cages and kept in our place. His tactics are to use fear to frighten humans into believing we’ll take over the world and put them in cages instead.”

“He sounds like someone I’d like to lock up.”

Fury flashed a grin. “Exactly.”

Smiley couldn’t find the humor in their exchange. Vanni obviously belonged to a church that hated Species. He reviewed every moment they’d shared. “She didn’t treat me the way humans who think we’re dangerous do. You know how they act as if we’re going to bite them or they talk slowly as if we can’t understand what they say?”

Fury nodded.

“I liked her,” he admitted.

“She drugged you. At least now we know who Drackwood Research sold the formula to. The Woods Church obviously bought the human version of our breeding drug.”

Dr. Harris walked in. “How are you feeling, Smiley?”

“I’m okay. The pain is gone.”

“I see you’re still suffering an erection. I’m going to have to drain the blood if that side effect doesn’t go away within a few hours.”

Smiley reached down and protected his crotch with one hand. “No. I told you that already when you mentioned it the first time.”

“Priapism can cause you to suffer erectile dysfunction in the future, Smiley.”

“What is that?”

“Priapism means long-term erections. Can you ejaculate?”

The memory of being on top of Vanni, inside her and coming flashed through Smiley’s mind. “Yes.”

“We’re not like you,” Fury reminded the younger of the two Harris doctors who worked for the NSO—father and son. “None of us who have taken the breeding drug have trouble getting hard afterward. That was the point when Mercile created it. They wanted to make sure we had sex often when they were attempting to impregnate our females.”

“Do you feel like yourself?” Dr. Harris studied Smiley.

“I’m a bit irritated but I’m fine.” He’d feel better if they located Vanni and brought her to Homeland so he knew she was safe. “The stomach cramps are gone.”

“How are your levels of aggression?”

“Still high.” He wouldn’t lie. The urge to hit something was there but he resisted. The last thing he wanted was to be restrained if they worried he would hurt someone. “It’s manageable.”

“Some of our tests have been confirmed. It is a form of the breeding drug, albeit a milder version. I wish I could send it off to a friend of mine to look at but Justice said no.”

“The last thing we need is to hand another weapon against us over to unknowns.” Fury’s phone beeped. He retrieved it and he glanced at the screen. “I’m with Justice on this. It’s too risky. Hang on. I have to take this.” He rushed out of the room.

“What would the milder version do to a human?”

“I’m not sure. I’d have to examine her. I was told she escaped custody.”

“Is she going to die?”

“I don’t know.”

It infuriated Smiley. “What do you know?”

Dr. Harris backed away. “Calm down.”

“I just keep thinking she woke up in pain and ran away. She’s probably suffering and some male could come across her. He could do anything to her.” His voice took on a gruff sound and his hands fisted. “She’s defenseless.”

“Listen to me,” the doctor urged, “I tested both drinks. The amount of the drug was higher in your drink than in hers. You’re cranky but fine. The pain is gone. You’re just moody as shit. I’m sure she’s probably the same. I read the report. According to her height and approximate weight, I don’t think it was a toxic amount.”

That made him feel better.

“Unless she has health issues. Those are things I can’t factor in.”

He wanted to hit the doctor. “Go.”

“Smiley, I really think I should run a few blood tests on you.”

“Get out before I strike you. I’m about to.”

Dr. Harris left in a hurry. Fury returned.

“Who called? Have they found Vanni?”

Fury hesitated. “Someone responded to the APB the police put out. A witness said he saw a female fitting her description getting into a truck with another female. She appeared to be fine but the witness remembered her because her skirt was ripped near the hem and she wasn’t wearing shoes. He thought she might be homeless.”

“Were they able to track that truck?”

“He didn’t catch the license plate or where it headed. They pulled her driver’s license information and two police officers are parked outside her apartment. No one answered when they knocked. They are watching in case she returns home. We’ll find her, Smiley. The good news is that she’s with a female. No male took her.”

“All right.” He took deep breaths. “I need an outlet for the rage. I’m not in pain but I’m pissed.”