“Oh myGod—oh, no—stop!”Cassiegasped, jumping to her feet.
But her words fell on deaf ears because the two huge warriors were already going at it.
For one awful second,Severindidn’t even defend himself.Hejust sat there on the ground, his fangs still wet with the essence he’d injected intoRavik’ssystem and his mouth already bleeding from the punch his best friend had just landed.Theblow had snapped his head to the side and knocked his oculars askew, but he didn’t raise a hand to strike back.
He just took it.
Cassie stared at him in horror, feeling like her heart had lurched up into her throat.Hehad savedRavik’slife.Hehad risked his own life to carry the cure in his body, then bittenRavikbecause there had been no other choice.AndnowRavikwas looking at him likeSeverinhad done something monstrous.
“Ravik, stop!”she shouted.“Hesavedyou!”
The bigBeastKindredrounded on her, his golden eyes blazing.Theywere completely clear now—not a single trace of milky-white fog left in them—but somehow that made the fury in them worse.Hewas fully himself again, or close enough to it that every word he said sounded deliberate.
“You don’t understand what he fucking did to me!”he snarled.
“I understand that youtoldhim to bite you!”Cassiesnapped back.“Youtold him to do it before you hurt us!”
Ravik’s jaw clenched so hard she could see a muscle jump.Hisface was flushed dark with rage and something else too—shame, maybe—or humiliation.Whateverit was, it was eating at him just as surely as theHungerVirushad been a few minutes ago.
“He used me like awoman,”Ravikgrowled.
The words seemed to strikeSeverinharder than the punch had.
Cassie saw it happen—Severin’sface went completely still and cold, but his eyes changed.Somethingpainful flickered there, something sharp and wounded and quickly hidden behind that icyBloodKindredcontrol he wore like armor.
Then it was gone.
“Healing essence works through sexual response,”Severinsaid, his voice low and clipped.“Youknow that.Youhave always known that.”
“I know you put your fangs in my throat and made me come likeIwas your fucking mate!”Ravikroared.
“You were dying!”Severinshouted back, and this time his voice cracked like a whip.“Youwere turning right in front of us.Youbegged me to stop you before you hurtCassandra.SoIdid—the only wayIcould!”
Cassie flinched at the force of his voice.Shehad heardSeverinfrustrated before—had seen him cool and clinical and aroused and stern and worried—but she had never heard him sound like this.Likeall the fear he had been carrying for months had finally torn through the careful shell he kept around himself and it was pouring out of him like blood.
ButRavikdidn’t back down.
“And what about the rest of it?”he demanded, taking a step towardSeverin.“Whatabout the thingsI’mstarting to remember?Cassiebetween us.Yourhands on her.Hermouth onbothof us.”Hisvoice dropped into a rough, furious growl.“Whatthefuckdid you let happen whenIwas out of my mind?”
Cassie felt her face go hot and cold at the same time.
OhGod, he was remembering.
Not all of it, maybe—not clearly—but enough.Enoughto know that the three of them had crossed some very forbidden lines in the bunker.Enoughto knowSeverinhad been part of it…enough to realize that he himself had not fought it at the time but had joined in willingly.
“Ravik,” she said quickly, stepping between them.“Nothinghappened thatIdidn’t choose.Nothinghappened that you didn’t agree to as much as you were able.”
But the bigBeastKindredbarely seemed to hear her.Hiseyes were fixed onSeverinnow, and the look on his face scared her more than theInfectedhad.Becausethis was not mindless rage—this was pain turned outward.
Severin got slowly to his feet.
“I did not take advantage of you,” he said, and his voice was quieter now, which somehow made everything worse.“Ididnotforce you.Ididn’t forceCassandra, either.Everythingthat happened between the three of us happened because her body was fighting the virus and because you responded to her as your mate.”
“Asmymate,”Raviksnapped.“Notyours.”
Severin’s mouth tightened.
“I never claimed otherwise.”
