“Yes,Iknow,”Sylvannodded, but he still looked troubled.“Look, let me be blunt,” he said.“I’lltell you what’s required of the three of you and then you’ll need to talk amongst yourselves and decide if you’re willing to participate.”
Severin was getting bad feeling in the pit of his stomach—which wasn’t a very scientific reaction to hisCO’swords, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.
“Go on,” he said, attempting to keep his voice calm and even.“Tellme.”
SoSylvandid.
51
CASSIE
“They want us towhat?”Cassiedemanded, afterSeverinfinished explaining.
Ravik was there too, not looking at his best friend—or maybe it would be better to call themex-best friends now, she thought unhappily—but listening just the same.
“You heard me, butIassume you want me to repeat myself because you feel shocked,” theBloodKindredsaid.“Inorder to re-enter the general population of theMotherShip, everyone on board must first be vaccinated against theHungerVirus.Andthe only way to make a general-use vaccine that will work on everyone is for it to be incubated in a living host.Thesame wayIincubated the cure inside myself,” he added.
“And…I’msupposed to be the host?”Cassieasked.Shewas still uncomfortable with the idea.“Arethey going to let it grow inside me and then take gallons of my blood to make the vaccine?”she asked fearfully.
She wanted everyone to be safe from the deadlyHungerVirus, but she didn’t exactly like the idea of being the sacrificial lamb to make that happen.
“Not your blood,”Severinsaid quickly.“Thevaccine will be made in your mammary glands.”
“What, so they’ll have to…have tomilkme?”Cassiecould hardly believe it.She’dread a few of those fringe romance books about “hucows” where human women were put into a constant state of lactation, but she’d never pictured herself in such a situation.
“It won’t be milk your breasts are producing—more like a kind of nectar,”Severintold her.
Cassie threw up her hands.
“Oh, well then, that just makes everything so much better, doesn’t it?Imean sure—hook me up to the milking machine right now—as long asI’monly producingnectar, why shouldImind?”
“I still don’t understand why you andIhave to be involved,”Ravikgrowled, glaring atSeverin.
TheBloodKindredclosed his eyes for a moment andCassiehad an idea he was gathering every scrap of patience he still had left.
“Because,” he said at last.“Cassandrawill need genetic material from both of us.She’sgoing to need our seed.”
Cassie bit her lip and thought about saying that shealreadyneeded their seed.Thebite mark on her arm was glowing almost constantly now and the deep aching emptiness inside her was driving hercrazy.
The thirst was unrelenting too.Nomatter how much water she drank, her throat was dry as chalk.She’dbeen thinking longingly of their flavors—salted caramel mixed with white chocolate—but the memory of sucking them both only made her thirstier and sadder.
“SoCassieneeds us both to incubate a cure inside her tits,”Raviksaid rudely.“Inother words, you want toshareher again.Whydon’t you just go fucking bite everyone aboard theMotherShipinstead?That’smore your fucking style, isn’t it?”
“You know,CommanderSylvanasked me about that.”Twospots of color were burning onSeverin’scheekbones, but he kept his chin high and heldRavik’sgolden eyes with his own as he talked.“Hewasn’t sure howIwas able to bite you and cure you of theHungerVirus, since a maleBloodKindred’sfangs only get sharp enough to bite someone he loves.”
Ravik just looked at him, butSeverindidn’t look away.
“I care about you,Ravik,” he said in a low voice.“Morethan anyone else in the universe—with the possible exception ofCassandra, now that she’s come into our lives.IfIdidn’t care for you,Icouldn’t have cured you.I’msorry that it made you hate me, but?—”
“I don’t fucking hate you,”Ravikinterrupted, frowning.“ButIcan’t be sharing a mate with you either,Sev.Youknow how my people feel about that.”
“The same way mine do,”Severinsaid calmly.“Iknow it’s forbidden in both our cultures—onlyTwinKindredshare mates.ButI’masking you to come with me andCassandra—if she consents to go—toCherubinThreein order to make a vaccine so we can all get back to our normal lives.Andyes, there may be some ‘sharing’ involved.Ifyou want to end our friendship afterwards,I’llunderstand.Butfor now,I’masking you to help make this cure available to everyone—including the uninfectedVisskousstill trapped onVisslickPrime.”
“Fuck them—they threwCassieout into theDeadZone,”Ravikgrowled.Hiseyes narrowed.“Andfuckyouif you think you can guilt me into sharing again.I’min my right mind now andI’mnot going to do it!”
“Not even for me?”
Cassie had been silent, just letting them talk it out.Thiswas the first time they’d talked since the three of them were quarantined—she knew becauseSeverinhad told her—and she wanted to let them get their feelings out.Butshe couldn’t help interjecting now.
