Free New Species 12 Darkness by Laurann Dohner

walk perimeter or work the gate. I want to do something useful.”
    Darkness sighed, relaxing. He hadn’t liked the idea that the male had a personal interest in Kat but it wasn’t about the female, it was his job. “I don’t do interrogations often and only with special cases.”
    “Only important ones.”
    He studied the Species. “What is really going on?”
    Snow hesitated. “I feel useless.”
    “You aren’t.”
    “There are Species who stand out and get special treatment. I want that.”
    “I don’t stand out. I get no special treatment either. I live in the men’s dorms, as you do.”
    “Our people fear you and you have special skills. You heard Justice. You can seduce a female prisoner and he doesn’t even question it. I’d be sent to Medical for evaluation if I did that. They’d worry about me having a meltdown.”
    Frustration rose but he pushed it back. “I didn’t force any of that. She was the one to initiate my actions. We’ll discuss this later. Right now Justice is correct. We’re all stressed because of the attack. It’s normal to feel ineffective after such an ordeal. You wish to do something to help our people.”
    He wasn’t good about dealing with males who were experiencing emotional upheaval but he liked Snow. The male was easygoing most of the time and had a quick wit. He also didn’t avoid direct eye contact, something Darkness appreciated.
    “We’ll work out a solution. I need to go in there and act stupid. It will be difficult.” He smirked.
    Snow nodded. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”
    “It hasn’t been a good day. Why don’t you work off some of your energy by helping with cleanup? The front of the security building is a mess. They’ll need to rebuild as fast as possible and that means removing the debris.”
    “I’m on it.” Snow stalked away.
    Darkness watched him go and took a few deep breaths. Kat, or whatever her real name was, worked for the FBI. It alleviated his fear that she was a hired killer sent by someone associated with their enemies but that didn’t make her a friend either. She’d come to Homeland for an undisclosed reason. He was going to figure out what it was. He just wouldn’t be doing it by keeping her on that table. Part of him regretted that, while part of him felt relieved. She was too tempting.
    He opened the door and entered. She slid off the table and watched him. He closed the door behind him and approached her slowly.
    “We need to talk.”
    Wariness filled her eyes. “About what?”
    “Someone in Security messed up. They are new. Some Species are learning their jobs and this one was in charge of running your background check.” She’d accept the excuse easily if he gauged her right. She desperately wanted them to believe her cover identity. “Another ran your information and everything came back just as you said. Your name is Kathryn Decker and you work for the Bakersfield Police Department as a crime technician.” He grimaced, hoping it passed for a show of regret. “I apologize.”
    She blinked rapidly and he could almost see that information spinning in her mind. “Good.” She licked her lips and straightened, her shoulders going back. “Great. I told you that.”
    “You did.” He reached in his pocket, located the key to her cuffs, leaned over and unlocked them. She withdrew her wrists and rubbed the skin. “I am sorry for what you suffered at my hands.”
    Her cheeks colored and she broke eye contact. “You have nothing to apologize for, except for being a tease. I’ll survive.”
    He could still smell her. His dick stirred but he quickly imagined the worst moments of his life. That killed his sexual desire. “I’m certain you’ll want to leave us now, rather than being escorted to guest quarters. Your car was damaged but we can provide your passage home. We’ll return the rental to the company you leased it from after repairs are done to it. It’s the least we could do.” He knew she