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)
She knelt there between them, panting and flushed, with the taste of both males still on her tongue and the bite wound on her arm dimmed down to the faintest golden shimmer. Her body felt better—so much better that she almost wanted to cry with relief. The frantic, clawing need had gone quiet at last, and the terrible heat in her blood had cooled to something softer and less frightening.
She felt normal now. Well…almost normal.
But as Ravik and Severin settled on the huge bed on either side of her, Cassie became aware of a strange, lingering ache low inside her. It wasn’t sharp like before, and it wasn’t the desperate, feverish hunger that had been driving her out of her mind. This was deeper…heavier. It was a hollow, pulsing emptiness that didn’t go away no matter how many slow breaths she took or how hard she tried to ignore it.
She shifted back on her heels and winced.
Both males noticed immediately, of course.
“Cassie?” Ravik’s big hand came to rest on her shoulder. “Hurting again?”
“No,” she said quickly. Then, because that wasn’t completely true, she made a face. “Well…not exactly.”
Severin, who had been rearranging the pillow behind him went very still.
“What do you mean, ‘not exactly?’” he asked.
Cassie stared down at the coppery sheets beneath her knees, wishing very much that the Visskous mle who had built this bunker had believed in ordinary beds instead of gigantic heated mating platforms designed to make every conversation feel ten times more intimate than it needed to be.
“I feel better,” she said slowly. “I really do. The need is mostly gone and my arm isn’t pulsing like some kind of alien mood ring anymore. But I still feel…” She stopped, pressing her lips together.
“Empty?” Severin asked quietly.
Her head jerked up and she stared at the big Blood Kindred. How could he know that?
His pale blue eyes were fixed on her face, not her body, and his expression was careful—too careful. Which meant he already suspected something and was trying not to say it because he didn’t want to upset her.
“Yes,” she admitted at last, her cheeks heating. “Empty. And before you ask, no, I don’t mean emotionally empty. I mean physically empty. Like my body wants…needs fullness.”
Ravik’s eyes darkened at once.
“Cassie needs to be filled,” he growled.
“Thank you, Ravik,” she muttered. “I was trying really hard not to say it quite that plainly.”
The big Beast Kindred looked contrite.
“Sorry.”
But he didn’t sound sorry—not really. He sounded concerned and aroused and maybe a little proud of himself for understanding what her body wanted before she did.
Severin’s jaw tightened.
“Cassandra,” he said slowly, “I may have something that can help.”
She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Why do I suddenly not like the sound of that?”
He held up both hands in a “don’t shoot” gesture.
“It isn’t dangerous.”
“That is exactly what a man says right before producing something dangerous,” she pointed out, frowning.
“It’s not dangerous,” he repeated. “But it is…intimate.”
Cassie stared at him.
They were all half-naked in a Visskous mating bed after Ravik had tasted her and she had just had both of them in her mouth at the same time, swallowing their cream. The idea that Severin still had some higher category of intimacy available was honestly alarming.
“What in the world did you bring?” she asked.
Severin reached toward the side of the bed, where he had set the piece of equipment he’d grabbed from the lab before they came in. Cassie had noticed it earlier, but only vaguely. At the time, her body had been screaming too loudly for her to care about whatever bit of science Severin had decided to drag into the sex bed.
Now she cared—she cared a whole hell of a lot.
She watched through narrowed eyes as the Blood Kindred lifted a long, clear wand from a slim sterile case. It was maybe eight inches long at first glance— smooth and transparent with faint silver filaments running through its length. The handle was made of some dark metal and had several tiny sensor lights embedded in it, as well as a small dial at the base.
Cassie stared at it, then she stared at Severin.
“Um, is that some kind of a sex toy?”
“It’s not a sex toy,” he said immediately.
Ravik leaned closer to look.
“Looks like a toy,” was his rumbling verdict.
“It is a medical sampling device,” Severin said with great dignity. “It’s a portable honey collection wand designed for sterile sampling during periods of sexual activity.”
Cassie gave him a skeptical look.
“Oh, so it’s a scientific sex toy. A science dildo.”
“Well…I supposed it could be classed in that category,” the Blood Kindred admitted reluctantly. “It has internal sensors that measure temperature, pH, hormone concentration, viral markers, and anti-viral activity in real time,” he continued, because apparently if he used enough scientific words, the clear alien dildo in his hand would become less embarrassing. “It can also expand or contract depending on the subject’s comfort and anatomical need.”