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There was no way she’d let them take her. They’d have to kill her. She was no one’s science experiment.

Daisy’s gaze went to Rexx. He was facing off with a single Gente. The rest who’d attacked him were dead. They could do this. They’d survive.

Dizziness hit her, and she swayed. She raised her arm to see it slick with her own blood.

“Give up.” The largest of the remaining Gente approached, his gun raised.

Another attacker appeared from around the side of the ship. He charged at Daisy and slammed a bone juddering punch to her head.

Her knees gave out, and she landed in the dirt.

Rexx was still fighting, his grunts and growls coloring the air.

Daisy tried to stand, but her vision was blurry. This couldn’t be the end. She thought of Rexx. She couldn’t give up on him. If she kept going, they’d make it. They were a team. They fought and won together. It had been that way for such a long time that she couldn’t think of doing anything else. He was always with her. They saved each other.

The Gente with the gun approached, shaking his head. “If you make the wrong move, your partner dies. He’s injured. One more direct hit and he’s gone.”

Daisy lifted her heavy head and spat out a gross mixture of blood and dirt. Her gaze locked with Rexx’s, just as he snapped the neck of the Gente he fought.

Rexx took a step toward her. He was slammed off his feet as a shot smashed into his shoulder. He flew back, crashing to the ground.

Daisy heaved herself to her feet, shock and anger shaking her to her core.

Her head shot up, and her gaze narrowed. A Gente had snuck on top of the ship and was taking pot shots. He was aiming at Rexx and the backpack containing the cats. No one shot at the things she loved and got away with it.

She growled and raised her arm to take a shot but was smashed to the ground. Her head hit the dirt, and she dropped the gun.

Daisy flipped over just in time to see Asshole’s head poke out of the bag. He ducked back in, and a few seconds later, the three kittens tumbled out, nudged by his nose.

The Gente on top of the ship continued firing, shattering shots so close to Rexx and the cats that dust blurred Daisy’s vision.

She grabbed the gun she’d dropped, rolled over, and fired off a shot.

The Gente yelled and tumbled off the ship, crashing to the ground in a bloody, broken heap.

“Asshole, take the kittens somewhere safe. Protect them. We’ll come back for you when it’s safe,” Daisy yelled.

Asshole took a second to nudge Rexx, who was still down. He grabbed Helix in his mouth, slung him on his back, grabbed Darwin and did the same, and held the smallest, Quark, by the scruff of his neck. He raced away and disappeared into the trees.

Her heart stuttered with sadness at seeing them go, but at least they were out of danger.

A gun pressed into the back of Daisy’s head, and the weapon was ripped from her fingers. “Human, you will obey me.” The Gente behind her growled out his words.

Her heart plummeted. She was losing everything she cared about. Rexx was injured, her fur babies were gone, and her very essence was being twisted and manipulated by something she had no control over.

Daisy rolled over slowly and looked up at the three Gente. Their weapons were trained on her.

“We don’t want to kill you. You’re too valuable for that. But we don’t mind injuring you badly to get what we need.” The Gente on the right of the group was the one to speak. He was the largest of the remaining fighters, with a prominent brow ridge and a bony spine running down the front of his nose. He had thick, rubbery lips, and pale, sharp eyes.

She was tempted to keep fighting, but Rexx was injured and she was bleeding out. And she couldn’t risk them turning their weapons on him.

She lifted her hands slowly to show she was done fighting. “Why do you want us?”

“We don’t want both of you. You’re the prize we’re after,” the largest of the Gente said.

She rubbed the side of her neck, horror creeping through her and lodging at the base of her spine. “What do you want me for? Why do you consider me a prize?”

The Gente who appeared to be in charge tapped the side of his neck. “Because of what you contain. Our client is interested in seeing the progress of their work. Let’s hope it’s worth it. You’ve been difficult to track down.”