He moved to the saliva sample—it was interesting to say the least.
Cassandra’s saliva contained mild anti-viral activity—enough to explain why kissingRavik’sburns might have improved him slightly beyond the burn ointment itself.Butthe reaction was weak unless combined withRavik’sinfected blood after arousal.
Then he moved to the honey sample…the result was nothing less than dramatic.
Severin leaned closer, every part of him going still as he studied the slide.
Cassandra’s vaginal secretions—her honey, asKindredmales called it—were rich with mucosal antibodies, endocrine metabolites, and pheromonal compounds he had no human equivalent for in his database.Someof those compounds were likely produced by her body’s arousal response, but some were stranger than that.Theyappeared to have been altered by contact withRavik’spheromonal signature.
When he mixed a microscopic amount of her honey with infectedRavikblood, the viral proteins immediately retreated from the neural markers.
They didn’t die—they left, as though they’d been repelled.
Severin’s pulse quickened as he considered the implications.Headded the same amount to aVisskousinfected sample.
There was a reaction, but it wasn’t nearly as dramatic.Thevirus slowed, but it did not withdraw.Infact, after several minutes, it began to adapt, wrapping around the compound and attempting to metabolize it.
“Damn it,”Severinmuttered, running his unhurt hand through his hair.
SoCassandra’shoney was potent againstRavik’sinfection butlesseffective againstVisskousinfection.Thatmade sense if the active effect was tied to mate-recognition andKindredbonding pathways.Ravik’sbody recognized her as a mate.TheVisskoussamples did not.
It was useful knowledge—the power of her body chemistry was potent but not universal.
He moved on to the sample takenafterCassandraingestedRavik’sseed, wondering what he might find.Theanalyzer hummed quietly.Tinylights flickered across the interface.Databegan scrolling down the side screen.
At first,Severinthought he had made a mistake.Hechecked the label—no mistake.Hechecked the timestamp—it was correct.Headjusted the scope and reran the sequence but the result was the same.
Cassandra’s blood had changed.Notsubtly—dramatically.
Her viral particles were more active now, but not in the way they should have been.TheHungerViruswas no longer trying to bind to her ordinary appetite pathways.Ithad abandoned theVisskoustemplate completely.Itwas no longer attempting the mouth-blood-sign route.Itwas not colonizing the olfactory bulb the way it had inRavik, either.
Instead, it was clustering around reproductive endocrine receptors.
Severin’s mouth went dry.
“No,” he whispered.“Goddess…”
He zoomed in.
The virus had latched onto the hormonal surge caused by arousal, pleasure, and oral absorption ofRavik’sseminal proteins.Ithad not been able to turnCassandratoward flesh-hunger, so it was doing what viruses did best—adapting.
In her, hunger was becoming desire.Insteadof a predatory appetite, she was exhibiting a sexual appetite.
Severin’s fangs descended so suddenly they scraped the inside of his lower lip but he barely noticed—he was too focused on the data.
Ravik’s seed appeared to have introduced a surge ofBeastKindredimmune factors intoCassandra’smucosal tissue.Herbody had responded by producing stronger anti-viral antibodies.Thatwas good—very good.ButtheHungerVirushad also responded.Ithad followed the same pathway, attempting to hijack the biological need for more of the material that had triggered the response.
In other words,Cassandra’sbody had learned thatRavik’sseed helped fight the infection…and the virus had learned to twist that need.
Severin stared at the screen, cold realization spreading through him.
Cassandra wasnotgoing to crave flesh—she was going to crave seed.
Possibly also touch—pleasure…penetration…even biting.Shewas going to want any biological contact that delivered the markers her body was using to fight the virus.
Gods.
He stood so abruptly the stool skidded back behind him and clanged against the cabinet.Thesound seemed too loud in the narrow lab.
