Ravik yanked his arm away as soon as he was fully on the platform andSev’sface closed.
Good,Raviktold himself.
Except it didn’t feel very good—not very fucking good at all.
The platform was narrow and slick with mist.Cassiewas pressed against the tower support, breathing hard, one hand massaging her bruised temple.Sevcrouched by the relay panel, already pulling tools from his kit and prying open the cracked crystalline cover.Raviktook his position at the ladder, shock blade in hand, and looked down.
The herd was gathering below.
Dozens of faces tilted up toward them, white eyes glowing, lipless mouths gaping and drooling.Morewere still coming through the ravine, drawn by scent, sound, blood, and whatever else the three of them were giving off.
Ravik could hear claws on metal as the first ones started climbing.
“How long?”he demanded, casting a glance back atSev.
“I need three minutes,”Sevsaid, not looking up from the relay.
“From the looks of this, you have two at most,” he snapped.
“I need three,”Sevrepeated.
“Then you’d better work fucking fast,”Raviktold him.
Cassie made a faint sound beside them.
“Boys,pleasedon’t start again.”
Ravik glanced at her and saw the glow under her sleeve pulsing faintly—the place where she was bitten, he remembered now.Thereason she’d needed male seed—his andSev’sboth.
His anger faltered.Thecurvy little human looked tired and scared and brave, and he suddenly wanted desperately to hold her…wanted to kiss the hurt place on her head…wanted to tuck her behind him and make sure nothing in the universe touched her ever again.
Then his mind threw up another memory.
Cassie tucked against his chest whileSevknelt between her thighs with that clear medical wand, filling her because sheneededto be filled.Ravik’shands on her breasts and belly.Sev’svoice telling him to touch her clit…telling him how to help her take the wand…telling her she was a good girl and that she had such a sweet little pussy.
The memory should have enraged him—Cassiewas supposed to behismate—at least that was how his body recognized her.
Instead, his cock stirred to attention again.
He cursed under his breath—not now, damn it!Hedidn’t need to be fighting for his life with a fucking hard-on distracting him.
He drove the shock blade through the firstInfectedthat got close enough to reach the platform.Thebody jerked and fell, taking another climber with it.Morecame behind them, their long fingers gripping the ladder, their mouths snapping.
Strangely,Raviktook comfort in the battle.Atleast theInfectedwere a physical enemy he could fight—unlike the fucking memories that kept popping into his head and making him unreasonably hard.
Because this made sense—enemy below, female behind, friend at his back—even if that friend had become something more—something too dangerous to name.Allhe had to do was kill what climbed, hold the line, and buy them some time.
That was easy.
What wasnoteasy was the way his memories kept turningSevfrom friend to rival to something else altogether.Theway he rememberedSev’shand inCassie’shair and did not know whether he wanted to rip him away or put him closer.Theway he remembered theTenebrianwoman from years ago, the taste of ale on his tongue and her hands on his chest whileSev’shand had slid over his hip, steadying him…stroking him…making him shudder harder than he’d ever admitted.
He had blamed theGoldsheillale—for years, he had blamed the fucking ale.
But there was no ale to blame now.OnlyCassieandSevand the memory of wanting them both naked in bed with him.
Anda horde ofInfectedclimbing toward them like the whole planet had decided to punish him for remembering.
“Ravik!”Cassieshouted.
