“I am?”she asked.
“Yes.”Sevtook a slow breath, forcing the clinical urgency back where it belonged…behind discipline…behind restraint.“Forgiveme.Iam not used to miracles arriving in red silk,” he told her.“Ididn’t know it before butIbelieveyouare the reason thatRavikis getting better.”
Cassandra’s eyes opened wide in surprise.
“You think that?Really?”
“Yes.”Hesighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair.“Iwas looking at my samples in the lab just now and the antiviralIgave toRavikisn’t working at all—it does hardly anything to stop the spread of theHungerVirus.Sologically, it must be you—most like your scent—that is bringingRavikback from the brink.”
For one long moment she just stared at him.Thenshe looked down at herself—at the wet nightgown clinging to her full breasts and hips— and made a helpless little gesture.
“Well, this miracle would like a robe.Ora blanket.Ormaybe a flamethrower to keep away nakedBeastKindredand overly enthusiastic scientists.”
Ravik growled softly.
“No flamethrower nearMate.Thatwould burnMate—bad!”he exclaimed.
“I wasn’t going to use it onmyself,”Cassandramuttered.
Sev found, to his own surprise, that he wanted to smile—he didn’t, but the desire was definitely there.Thesituation really was ridiculous—the two of them had been naked and wet for quite long enough.
“I’ll get you a blanket,” he said.“Andsome clothes forRavik.”
“While you’re gone, is he going to keep holding me?”Cassandraasked.Herdropped her voice slightly.“He’s, er,getting hard,”she murmured and nodded down to where the bigBeastKindred’spelvis was pressed against her belly.Nodoubt his cock was rubbing against the soft silk of her nightgown and causing a reaction,Sevthought, feeling embarrassed for his friend.
Ravik’s arms tightened slightly around her.
“Ravik keepsMatewarm,” he rumbled.
“Yes,Igathered that.”Shelooked up at him.“ButmaybeRavikcould keepMatewarmwithoutsqueezingMatequite so tightly?”
At once,Ravikloosened his hold.
“Sorry,” he rumbled, looking abashed.
The word was low and rough and painfully familiar.Ravikused to apologize like that after battle injuries whenSevhad to stitch him up—as though being wounded and bleeding all over the place was somehow an inconvenience to everyone else.
Sev’s throat tightened—he had thought he might never hear that version of his friend again.
“I’ll be back in a moment,” he said, because his voice was not entirely steady and he refused to let either of them hear it.
He went quickly to the supply room and pulled down a thick thermal blanket from one of the shelves, then grabbed the loose black trousersRavikalways slept in.Butas he worked, his mind was racing—darting from hypothesis to hypothesis like a starved creature in search of food.
Cassandra’s scent restored cognitive function.
Cassandra’s blood carried the virus but did not allow replication.
Ravik, aBeastKindred, responded to scent above almost any other stimulus.
TheHungerVirusattacked bonding pathways.
WasCassandra’sscent activatingRavik’smating instincts strongly enough to override the viral command structure?Wasthe word “mate” simplyRavik’sinfected brain assigning meaning to the stimulus that stabilized him?Orwas there a deeper biological recognition occurring—a true mate-response distorted by infection?
And why in theSevenHellsdidSeverin’sown fangs ache every time he got too close to her?
He didnotlike that question, so he chose to ignore it.Hewould think more about the problem later, he promised himself.Inthe meantime, he needed to defuse the situation in theFoodPreparea.
When he returned to the kitchen,Ravikwas still holdingCassandra, though he had turned slightly so his massive body blocked any possible threat from the doorway.Cassandrahad given up struggling and was standing in the circle of his arms with an expression of long-suffering resignation on her face.
