Cassie bit her lip, trying not to cry.Atleast he hadn’t gotten a good look at her left arm—which was where she’d been bitten.Butif his test was as rapid and accurate as he claimed, he was going to find out the truth soon, even if he didn’t see the ragged bite mark left by the sharp teeth of theInfected.
She hadn’t been lying when she said she didn’t like needles, though.Turningher head, she didn’t look as theBloodKindredswabbed the inside of her elbow with something cold and then slid the needle into the big vein in her arm.
He had a surprisingly gentle touch but she still gritted her teeth as the sharp metal tip bit into her flesh.
“Almost done,” she heardSeverinmurmur.“You’rebeing very brave.”
“Don’t speak to me likeI’ma child,”Cassiesnapped, her voice coming out tight because she was fighting back tears.“I’msureI’molder than you—Idon’t need your pity or your condescension.”
Part of her was screaming that she shouldn’t be antagonizing him—that she ought to try and play nice—but another part just didn’t care.Hewas going to kick her out of the bunker as soon as he saw the virus multiplying in her blood anyway—so what was the point of trying to flatter him?
“My apologies ifIoffended you,” theBloodKindredsaid, his voice growing cold.“ButIam thirty-seven cycles old andRavik, here, is thirty-nine.SoIdoubt you’re much older than either of us—even though your scent tells me you’re aMatureElite.”
Cassie thought about telling him shewasmuch older, but it was oddly flattering to know that he had mistaken her age and thought she was younger than she was.
Enjoy it,Cassie,she told herself.It’sprobably the last compliment you’ll ever get.
Severin removed the needle from her arm and put a seal-all bandage on the small wound.Thenhe carried the syringe back to the microscope and began making a slide with her blood.
“Hey—why do you have the scope bolted to the table and the table bolted to the floor?”Cassieasked, voicing her question of earlier.Shedidn’t really care about the answer—she was just trying to distract him and herself from finding out the truth—that she was surely now one of theInfected.
“Back in the beginning of the infection when the virus was first spreading, we had some people get rather…violent, when they found out their results,”Severinsaid, as he slid the slide under the scope.Thisequipment is expensive and hard to come by.Wellnow, it’simpossibleto come by,” he added dryly.“Ididn’t want to risk losing one of my best electron scopes whenIknewIwasn’t going to be able to replace it.”
Cassie could imagine aVisskousgetting angry and sweeping everything off the table with his tail at the news that he was now one of theInfected—it was certainly somethingSskarthwould have done.Soit made sense that theBloodKindredhad bolted his equipment down.Infact?—
“Hmm, this is interesting.”Severin’svoice interrupted her train of thought andCassie’shead jerked up.
“What?Whatis it?”she asked, unable to keep her voice from shaking.
“Well, it appears that you’ve been lying to me—youareinfected with theHungerVirus.”TheBloodKindredlooked up from the scope for a moment, fixing her with an ice-cold stare.
Cassie’s stomach felt like she’d swallowed a fist-sized lump of ice.
“I’m sorry!”she babbled.“Iswear,Iwasn’t infected before they put me outside the city walls!Iwas just bitten not even an hour ago.Iwas clean until then—Iswear it!Please, please—can’t you just?—”
“Just what?Letyou live here with us, anyway?”Severindemanded.
“Why not?You’relettinghimlive here and he’s clearly infected—or half-infected or something,”Cassiejerked her head up to indicate the bigBeastKindred, who was still holding her.
She expected him to say something, butRavikwas silent.Hedid react to her in one way though—he bent his head, buried the side of his face in her hair, and inhaled deeply.Sincehe had taken off the black respirator mask when they stepped inside, she could feel the warm stream of his breath against the side of her neck.Itsent a shiver straight through her.
Her words about being “half infected” might not have moved theBeastKindredto speak, but they certainly got a reaction from his friend.Severinwinced as though she’d punched him and a look of deep pain fled over his previously stern features.
“Ravik’s infection is being controlled,” he said but she could hear the uncertainty in his voice.“However, you didn’t let me finish whatIwas saying.”
“Oh, by all means—go ahead and finish,”Cassiespat.“Finishsaying how you’re going to kick me out into theDeadZoneto be mauled and eaten alive by theInfected.Orto turn into one myself, ifIcan hide long enough for the virus to work on me.Youknow, theKindredalways present themselves as being sochivalrous—they’re all supposed to befeminists.Butyou’ll kick me out without a second thought, just like my worthlessVisskoushusband!You?—”
“Enough, woman!”Severin’svoice was like a clap of thunder.“Letmefinish,”he growled and his eyes actually grew slightly red for a moment.
Cassie was stunned to silence by this sign of extreme anger and irritation—especially in a male who she could tell was usually cool, calm, and collected.Severinseemed like the detached, scientific type—which was the reputation mostBloodKindredhad.
“Fine,” she said shortly, trying to ignore the way thatRavikwas still sniffing her.“Finish.”
“I was going to say that the virus isn’t behaving like it does in eitherVisskousorKindredblood.”Hepeered into the scope again and murmured, “Fascinating.”
Cassie wanted to scream.
“I’m not a science experiment, you know!”she snapped.“What’sso fascinating about me, anyway?”
