He was a head shorter than the huge, burlyBeastKindred, but still so tall he towered over her.Hehad dark blonde hair and ice-blue eyes that seemed to flash like diamonds as he studiedCassiefrom behind his glasses.
She frowned—it wasn’t usual to see aKindredwith glasses.Theyalmost always had perfect eyesight, along with extremely sharp senses.Infact, she’d heard it said that the averageKindredwarrior had a better sense of smell than a bloodhound—maybe that was why theBeastKindredhad taken her with him.Heseemed to like her scent.
“Hello,” theBloodKindredsaid, nodding at her as he came forward.“I’mSeverinand this is my best friend and partner,Ravik—sinceIdoubt he told you his name,” he added, with a rueful look at theBeastKindred.
“Uh, no—no he didn’t,”Cassiesaid.“I’mCassandraSlisstik.Well, thatwasmy name, anyway,” she added.“BackwhenIwas married to aVisskous.WhichIdon’tconsider myself to be anymore,” she added fiercely.
“Oh, is that how you came here toVisslickPrime?”TheBloodKindredraised one eyebrow inquiringly.“ByJoiningwith one of the natives?”
“Yes,”Cassiesaid grimly.“Iwas working on theKindredMotherShipas an executive assistant toCommanderVarn, the head ofCommunications, and my husband—exhusband,Imean—came to establish trade relations with theKindred.Heconvinced me toJoinwith him and move here.”
“Oh,CommanderVarn—Iknow him.”Severinnodded easily.“He’sa good male.”
“He was always a great boss,”Cassieoffered, smiling.
She felt that the conversation was going extremely well so far.TheBloodKindrednamedSeverinhadn’t asked her again if she was infected and they seemed to know some of the same people.Ofcourse, the bigBeastKindredhad actuallyseenher get bitten by anInfected, but he clearly wasn’t up to talking much, so hopefully she could keep her bite a secret.
“So how did you, er, come to leave yourVisskousmate—if you don’t mind me asking?”Severinasked.
“Well, it was more likeheleftme—for a femaleVisskouswho could lay him ‘a large clutch of eggs’ as he put it, when it comes time to ‘repopulate the world.’”Cassierolled her eyes in exasperation.“Andsince he had no more use for me—seeing as how my hormones are making me have hot flashes andIcan’t lay eggs—he had the guards put me out of theCrystalCity.”
She tried to keep the rage out of her voice and couldn’t quite manage.Afterall, it had been barely an hour sinceSskarthhad abandoned her and broken pretty muchallof theirJoiningvows at once.Shehad a right to be angry, she told herself.
“So…he parted with you because he found another female?Notbecause you were infected with the virus?”Severinasked, raising both eyebrows this time.
“Exactly,”Cassiesaid quickly, nodding her head.“Iwas safe inside the city walls before he had me thrown out.Nobody’sinfected there—they developed a rapid-detection test months ago and nobody gets in without being tested.Soeveryone inside theCrystalCityis free of infection.”
As she spoke, she heard her voice tremble and had to fight to keep from crying.Beingsafe from infection waspriceless—and she no longer was.Afterall she might not be susceptible to theHungerVirusbecause she was human and notVisskous…but then again, shemightbe.Shewouldn’t know for sure unless she started seeing the world in shades of gray and developed a taste for living flesh.
And what if youdodevelop a taste—is it fair to hide the bite on your arm from these two?whispered a guilty little voice inside her head.
IfIstart to turn,I’llleave,she promised herself firmly.Iwon’t hang around untilIattack someone—I’llgo voluntarily.Or, ifIcan find a gun,I’llshoot myself.
It was an awful thought—one she didn’t want to even consider.Shehadn’t seen her children for over a year at this point, since her last trip back toEarthon aKindredtransport vessel had been well before the outbreak.Theidea of killing herself and never seeing them again was almost unbearable.
But death was better than being turned into a mindless killing machine—of that, she was certain.
“…have a rapid test too.”
“Hmm?”she asked, realizing that she’d missed something.
“I said,I’vedeveloped a rapid test too.”the bigBloodKindredsaid andCassierealized he was coming towards her with the syringe.Theneedle at the end of it glittered with a kind of mute menace.
I know your dirty little secret,it seemed to say as he approached her.AndI’mgoing to tell on you!Goingto tell himYOU’REINFECTED!
“No, wait—please!”Shetook a step backwards, holding up her hands in a “don’t shoot” gesture.“Please,I…I’mafraid of needles!”
“I’m very sorry, but you must be tested beforeIcan let you into the bunker,” theBloodKindredsaid firmly.“Ifthere was any other way to get your blood,Iwould use it but there isn’t.”
“Please!”Shetook another step back and felt something hard and warm against her back.Lookingup and over her shoulder, she realized that she’d backed right into theBeastKindred.
“Ravik, hold her,” the one calledSeverincommanded.
At once, the huge muscular arms came around her, pinning her upper arms to her sides.Cassiestruggled, but in vain—she might as well be fighting a huge oak tree or a brick wall—that was how immovable theBeastKindredwas.
“Don’t worry—Idon’t need much blood,”Severinsaid, obviously trying to be soothing.“Justa little will tell me whatIneed to know and my test is accurate almost to the moment of infection.Soif you haven’t been bitten or scratched, you have nothing to fear.”
Stepping forward, he took her by the right hand and stretched out her forearm so he could reach the veins in the crook of her elbow.
