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)
“I want you to take these three to our finest guest suitee,” the owl-like doctor ordered. “Make certain they have plenty of food available and then leave them alone to copulate.”
“Yes, Doctor,” the lab assistant said, nodding his head again.
Dr. Verityx rounded on the three of them.
“Remember—copulation is key!” he chirped, loudly enough that everyone in the lab stopped and looked at him.
Cassie made a choked sound that was suspiciously like a laugh and Severin was certain the inherent ridiculousness of the situation was probably “tickling her funny bone” as the humans said.
“Yes, Doctor,” he said, nodding his head respectfully. “We’ll remember.”
“Good—then go with Lipshill here and he’ll take you to the suite. I’ll see the three of you back here tomorrow for the first nectar test,” the doctor told them.
“Okay—we’ll be there…er, here,” Cassie mumbled. She tried to stand up, but swayed dizzily.
Quickly, Severin caught her by the arm. At the same time, Ravik slipped an arm around her waist.
“Let me,” he said to Severin in a low voice.
Severin nodded.
“Of course.”
Ravik swung the curvy little human up into his arms and she rested her head against his chest weakly.
But even in her weakened state, she still put an arm back, reaching for Severin.
“Severin? I need you too,” she whispered.
He came to her at once and stroked her cheek.
“I’m here, sweetheart. I won’t leave your side.”
She looked at Doctor Verityx who was watching closely with his big, round, golden eyes.
“Is…is there a reason I need them both so badly?” she asked. “I can’t…I don’t want just one. I need them both.”
“As I said before, each one of your males gives you something your body needs to fight the Hunger Virus,” the owl-looking doctor replied. “But knowing the nature of Kindred and the way they bind themselves to their females, I wouldn’t be surprised if the three of you hadn’t already started some kind of three-way mutual dependence. A ‘Triune bond’ if you will.”
“A bond?” Ravik growled, looking uneasy.
“Oh, not the regular Soul-Bond that Kindred form with their mates,” Dr. Verityx hastened to explain. “But it does mean the three of you are interdependent on each other now. If one of you were to leave or die, it would wound the other two greatly.”
Ravik looked like he wanted to say something about that, but in the end he only shook his head and growled,
“Where’s the guest suite you told us about? Cassie needs to rest.”
“Oh, right this way!” the lab assistant with the colorful crest exclaimed. “Please, allow me to lead you to it.”
“Thank you,” Severin told him, since Ravik was looking anxiously at Cassandra again and seemed entirely absorbed.
“Right this way.” The assistant nodded and led them to the exit door of the lab.
But as they walked, Severin couldn’t help thinking about what Dr. Verityx had said—that the three of them had already formed a bond and it was going to hurt like all Seven Hells when they had to break it.
57
CASSIE
The world swam dizzily around and around until Cassie had to close her eyes to keep from feeling sick. Luckily, Ravik had a smooth gait and he carried her like she weighed next to nothing—which was certainly not the case.
Cassie barely caught glimpses of the lab complex through slitted eyes. She saw long curved corridors lined with green glass panels, bright diagnostic rooms where bird-like lab assistants bent over glowing instruments, and wide windows that looked out over a landscape she couldn’t quite process.
Cherubin Three seemed to be a world of high white towers, enormous silver-leafed trees, and pale gold sky, all of it blurred around the edges because the dizziness kept making her vision swim.
It might have been beautiful…it also might have been one more alien planet where people wanted to hook her up to medical equipment and do extremely personal things to her body in the name of science, so Cassie decided to reserve judgment.
Ravik carried her as easily as if she weighed nothing at all, one big arm behind her back and the other under her knees. His chest was warm and solid against her cheek, and she could hear the steady thud of his heart under her ear. It was comforting, even though he was still tense enough that his muscles felt like stone beneath her hand.
Severin walked close on her other side, keeping pace with them. Every so often his fingers brushed her wrist or the back of her hand, as though he was checking her pulse without making a big production of it. Or maybe he just needed to touch her as much as she needed him to touch her. Cassie wasn’t sure, and she was too woozy to sort it out.
Their guide, Lipshill, fluttered ahead of them down the corridor. The colorful crest on his head bobbed with every step, opening and closing like a little rainbow fan whenever he spoke. He had a long narrow beak, glossy blue-black feathers around his face, and bright yellow eyes that kept darting back to make sure they were following.