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Chapter 13

There was still a slightquiver to Georgia’s limbs as she strode into the meeting room with Ash by her side. She needed to focus on what had been discovered, but everything she’d just experienced with Ash overwhelmed her senses.

He’d taken his time with her, driving her to distraction as his tongue had teased and his fingers excited her. And when he’d finally entered her, there’d been an explosion in her brain. She’d never had sex like it. No, this wasn’t just sex with Ash, not anymore.

Georgia gave herself a slight shake. He made her feel so damn good, but she had to focus on the mission. But she couldn’t, not with Ash standing so close that she could feel his warmth.

She moved away a fraction, but he simply closed the distance between them, his hand gently brushing against hers. That slight touch sent a shiver of heat through her.

Cleo entered the room a few seconds later. She was accompanied by Hunter, Dallin, Sloane, Rexx and Daisy.

Cleo nodded at Georgia and Ash as she headed to the end of the table and accessed her tablet. “How are you doing, Georgia?”

“I’m ready to go,” she said. “What have you found from the data we recovered?”

Cleo’s mouth tipped up on one side. “We’re still pulling it apart. The encrypted information was partially corrupted, so we don’t have a complete picture of what we’re working with.” She glanced at Georgia. “We do know these aliens have discovered a platelet inside the white tails’ blood. They’re using it as the mechanism to create successful hybrids. It’s the only thing they’ve found that gives them a fifty percent success rate.”

“That’s a good success rate?” Ash said.

“It’s outstanding when you’re messing with different species and merging abilities that have no business being merged,” Dallin said.

“That’s why they want the white tails so badly,” Hunter said.

“But they must know how fragile these animals are. If they capture all of them and experiment on them, the platelet supply will vanish. They can’t be that dumb,” Georgia said.

“They’re not. In amongst the data, we discovered plans for intensive breeding farms. They want to keep them alive and increase numbers,” Cleo said.

“Then they really are stupid,” Georgia said. “Anyone who knows these white tails, knows how sensitive they are when it comes to reproduction. Their breeding cycle is annual. There are only a few days a year when the females are receptive to breeding. If you miss that window, you have to wait a full year before trying again.”

“Which is why they’ve been working on a program of synthetic hormone injections for the remaining females,” Cleo said. “They’re trying to super-charge the reproductive cycle.”

“But that’ll kill them,” Georgia said. “The pregnancies are intensive. They’re pregnant for six months and often in labor for days.”

“Which is why they’re almost extinct,” Dallin said. “They make poor reproductive choices.”

“There may once have been an evolutionary advantage to that method of reproduction but not anymore,” Georgia said. “Their bodies need time to recover from such exhaustive pregnancies. If they’re pregnant more than once a year, they’ll still wipe out the female population.”

“And there aren’t many male white tails left either,” Daisy said. She nudged Rexx. “And we all know, without women, guys are useless.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” he grumbled.

Ash also muttered under his breath.

Georgia grinned at him. “You know it’s right.”

He slid her a smile. “Of course I do. I’d be nothing without you.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away, checking if anyone else heard that comment.

Cleo smiled at her, an amused glint in her eyes, but didn’t say anything. “So far, Dallin’s uncovered two breeding locations.”

“So we go there, take the white tails, and destroy their plans,” Georgia said.

“That’s one possibility,” Hunter said.

“It’s the only possibility,” Georgia said. “We can’t let them keep those animals. They’re too valuable. Not only to the preservation work we do, but to make sure these aliens don’t keep producing successful hybrids. Those things we went up against were mindless killers. They’d been bred to destroy.”

“And as we discovered, the poison these hybrids carry is lethal,” Ash said.