Total pages in book: 165
Estimated words: 159487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 797(@200wpm)___ 638(@250wpm)___ 532(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 159487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 797(@200wpm)___ 638(@250wpm)___ 532(@300wpm)
“We’re not fighting unless there’s no other way,” Severin snapped, shoving the pack strap over one shoulder. “There are too many of them, and Cassandra is still infected. For that matter, so are you. If she is bitten again or if your viral load spikes, we may lose both of you before we reach the surface.”
“My viral load is just fucking fine,” Ravik growled, which was precisely the kind of ignorant statement that made Severin want to throw a sample tray at his best friend’s head.
“You have no idea if your viral load is fine,” he said, turning on the Beast Kindred. “You feel fine because the cure is active in my system and my scent and Cassandra’s scent are stabilizing you. That does not mean you are cured and it does not mean you are safe. It means we are standing on a very thin ledge above a very deep pit and you are stamping your boot on the edge because you don’t like the shape of the bridge!”
Ravik stared at him and Cassandra stared too.
Severin heard how ragged his own breathing had become. He forced himself to turn back to the equipment before either of them could see too much on his face.
“Sorry,” he said shortly. “That wasn’t helpful.”
“It was kind of poetic, though,” Cassandra said after a beat. Her voice was shaky, but she was trying to make things lighter, and Severin loved her a little for that in a way he absolutely could not let himself examine right now.
Ravik grunted.
“I understood about half of it.”
“Understand this,” Severin said, fastening the sample case shut. “We have to reach the communications tower. If I can send a full-power distress signal from there, the Mother Ship may be able to lock onto our location and fold space to send a shuttle. If we stay here, we lose air, power, and eventually the doors.”
As if to emphasize his words, another impact shook the bunker and dust drifted down from the ceiling.
Cassandra winced and looked upward.
“I vote for leaving.”
“I second that,” Severin said shortly.
He went to the opposite wall and pulled open the weapons locker. There wasn’t much left—two plasma pistols, one charge baton, a small packet of flash mines, and Ravik’s heavy shock blade, which had been cleaned and stored after his last patrol. Severin handed the shock blade to Ravik, who took it with the immediate comfort of a warrior receiving a familiar weapon.
Some of the tightness left Severin’s chest when he saw Ravik’s grip settle around the hilt—no matter how hazy the Beast Kindred’s thought patterns became, his warrior’s instincts were still intact.
Cassandra eyed the remaining weapons in the locker
“What do I get?”
Ravik frowned at once.
‘“You stay behind us, baby. We’ll watch out for you.”
“Obviously, I’ll stay behind you,” she said impatiently. “But if something gets past you two giant walls of muscle, I’d like to do more than just scream and wave my arms.”
Severin picked up the charge baton and activated it briefly. Blue energy crackled along the short rod, lighting the lab for half a second. He showed it to Cassandra.
“This will stun a Visskous Infected at close range if you strike the neck, temple, or mouth. It won’t kill, but it may give you enough time to get away.”
Ravik looked like he wanted to object but Severin met his gaze and dared him to try.
After a second, Ravik looked away with a growl.
“Fine. But she stays between us.”
“Agreed,” Severin said. He handed Cassandra the baton and caught her fingers lingering against his for half a second longer than necessary.
Her bite wound glowed faintly under her skin and Severin’s stomach dropped.
“Cassandra,” he said quietly.
“I know.” She looked down at her arm and swallowed. “It started again when the lights went out.”
Of course it had. Fear, adrenaline, Ravik’s tension, his own altered scent—any or all of it might be feeding the viral pathway again. The glow was not as bright as before, but it was there—pulsing gently beneath her skin like a warning he could not afford to ignore.
Ravik saw it too, and his expression went dark.
“Bite her,” he said abruptly.
Cassandra frowned.
“Excuse me?”
Ravik’s jaw worked.
“You said your bite can cure. So bite Cassie.”
Severin froze and a bitter laugh nearly escaped him, but he swallowed it down. Of course Ravik was willing to have him bite Cassandra. Of course he could see the medical necessity there, where the act was intimate but acceptable because she was female and Severin was Blood Kindred. His objection was not to the cure itself, not really. It was to the thought of Severin’s fangs in him.
“No,” Severin said shortly.
Ravik’s eyes flashed.
“You just said she’s infected.”
“She is, but I haven’t tested the delivery in a living subject yet. I don’t know how strong the reaction will be, and the bite will cause immediate orgasm when the essence hits her bloodstream.” Severin looked at Cassandra, forcing himself to be honest, even though he didn’t want to scare her. “If I bite you, it may heal you. It may also overwhelm you and incapacitated you, especially in your current state. I can’t risk until we’re someplace safe.”