But he didn’t.Heonly looked back atCassiethrough the barrier and then he lifted his hand and pressed it to the clear wall containing her.
“I’m here, baby,” he said.“Notgonna let them hurt you—Iswear it.”
Something inCassie’schest loosened a little.
Severin stepped up beside him, though he kept careful distance fromRaviknow.Hispale blue eyes held hers through the barrier, bruised and tired and full of things he wasn’t saying.Heput a hand on the clear wall too.
“We’ll get this sorted out,” he told her.“Wewon’t be separated from each other for long.”
Cassie wanted desperately to believe him.
“I hope you’re right,” she said and her voice came out small and uncertain, which wasn’t good.Also, for once in her life, she couldn’t think of anything sarcastic or snarky to say.
The shuttle lurched as it lifted away fromVisslickPrime, and the force of it made her knees wobble.Shewas watchingRavikandSeverinon the other side of the containment barrier—the two males who had fought each other, saved each other, pleasured her, protected her, and now stood separated from her by a clear quarantine wall.
And now she couldn’t reach either of them—couldn’t touch either of them when all she wanted was to be held between them and wrapped in their arms.
Well, at least they were offVisslickPrimeand they were alive, she remined herself.
But asRavikdropped his hand from the barrier and turned his face away fromSeverin,Cassieknew the worst of the danger wasn’t over.
It had only changed shape.
50
SEVERIN
“I’m sorry,CommanderSeverin, but you must understand my position.Icannot risk the wellbeing of every male, woman, and child aboard theMotherShipjust on your say-so.You’regoing to remain in quarantine a while longer.”
Severin stared in frustration through the clear barrier that separated him from his commanding officer.CommanderSylvanwas aBloodKindredlike himself but he was also a scientist and a doctor.Severinunderstood his reasoning—which was perfectly logical.Hewas doing the exact same thing thatSeverinwould have done if he was in his place.
However, being trapped in the quarantine quarters withRavikand being separated fromCassandrawas becoming nearly unbearable.
It had been three days since the rescue shuttle had brought them back fromVisslickPrimeand all three of them had been poked, prodded, and tested within an inch of their lives.
It had also been three days sinceRavikhad said a single word to him.
At firstSeverinhad tried to wait him out.Hedidn’t need to speak, he told himself.Hisactions spoke for him—spoke louder than words.Hisbite had healed and saved his best friend—eventuallyRavikwould realize that.
But soon the silence between them got to be too much, even for his cool and stoic constitution.BecauseRavikhad shut down completely—he wouldn’t even grunt a “yes” or a “no” to any ofSeverin’squestions.Hewouldn’t evenlookatSeverin.
He wouldn’t talk toCassandraeither—who was still separated from them by a clear glass partition that divided the quarantine quarters in two.Hewould go sit by the wall that divided them sometimes but if she started trying to talk to him about how he andSeverinshouldn’t be fighting, he got up and left.
The situation was drivingSeverinto the brink, but emotionally and physically.Allhis life the one constant he knew he could rely on was his friendship with the bigBeastKindred.ButnowRavikwas shutting him out completely and it fuckinghurt.
“…develop a vaccine.”
CommanderSylvan’swords broke through his miserable thoughts andSeverinrealized he’d missed something.
“Excuse me—what?”he asked, frowning at hisCommandingOfficer.
“I said, the only wayIcan let the three of you back into theMotherShipproper is if you’re willing to help us develop a vaccine for theHungerVirus,”Sylvansaid.
“Of course we’re willing to help!”Severinexclaimed.“Haven’tthe three of us been giving you everything you want in the way of samples?
EvenRavik, as stubborn as he was, hadn’t resisted a single time when the technicians dressed in protective garb entered the quarantine quarters and asked for multiple blood, skin, hair, and other samples.Hehad even silently taken the offer cup and gone into the fresher to jerk off to give a sample of his seed.
Severin had given a sample himself, and he knew thatCassandrahad given a sample of her honey.She’dtold him so in hushed tones, her cheeks bright red as she admitted it.He’dnever wanted so badly to breech the wall between them and hold her as he had right then.Butsince she still had active virus in her system and he andRavikdidn’t, they couldn’t be together.
