Page 182 of Tamed By Her Touch

Maera expanded the display. Varell joined them, as did Kaelus, despite the healer ordering him to remain still.

“Doctor Kaelus,” the physician protested.

“I am capable of viewing data while injured,” Kaelus growled and the other male backed off. Even injured, the big Hybrid was intimidating, Clair thought.

Then Maera enlarged the blood work and she focused on that.

“The virus remains present in Kaelus’s system,” Maera said. “In fact, his viral load is extraordinarily high.”

Clair’s stomach tightened.

“Then…he isn’t cured?”

“He is—despite his viral load, Doctor Kaelus is completely cured,” Maera assured her.

Varell shook his head.

“That makes no sense,” he murmured.

“It does if our hypothesis was correct,” Kaelus said, all scientist again despite his injury. He leaned toward the display. “The veloria compound does not eliminate the virus. It inhibits its neurological effects.”

Maera nodded.

“Exactly. Your viral concentration is comparable to what we have seen in the severely affected Glenvarren males, but the markers associated with androgenic overload and neurological aggression have fallen almost completely back to baseline.”

Clair stared at the readings.

“So the virus is still there, but it can’t make him Savage anymore.”

“Correct.”

“And the compound?” she asked.

Maera changed the display and the number that appeared made Clair’s eyebrows rise.

“Oh, wow.”

Kaelus’s active veloria-metabolite concentration was enormous—not merely elevated but off the charts compared with the male samples they had tested earlier.

“That’s nearly twelve times the average concentration we saw in protected Titus Four males,” Clair said.

“Thirteen point four,” Kaelus corrected.

She gave him a look.

“Of course you did the math.”

He shrugged.

“I always do.”

Maera smiled faintly.

“There is more. Let me show you.”

She brought up Clair’s bloodwork beside Kaelus’s and Clair stared at the comparison.

Her own active-metabolite levels had dropped dramatically since the sample she had given that morning.