Fifty-Seven
The burning agony inside was the worst pain Cassie had ever felt. She had heard lots of women say childbirth was the worst. Of course, she hadn’t had kids so she couldn’t say, but it was hard to know how anything could top the horrible feeling of being burned alive from the inside out.
The pain was so bad it seemed to have sapped all her strength. She could barely even raise her head to talk to Stone when he came back to her. She had a vague idea he had been fighting—maybe for his life—but she had been completely unable to get free and go to his aid. The pain was so bad it ate up everything else and soon, Cassie feared, it would eat her sanity.
There was just no way anyone could hurt so badly for so long and stay sane.
Then, for some reason, Stone bit her.
Cassie wanted to protest—she knew he didn’t want to bite her. That would make his body think he ought to bond her too, which was the last thing he wanted to do, since he only wanted to be friends.
She opened her mouth to say all this…and then a blessed coolness ran through her veins. It washed through her like a river of relief, quenching the horrible burning inside her, putting out the fire that had been tormenting her for so long.
Cassie began to sob again, tears running down her face as the pain finally eased.
Oh thank you! she prayed, though she wasn’t sure who she was praying to. Oh thank you for finally making it stop. Thank you for making the pain go away.
But her tears must have made Stone think he was hurting her because he pulled away quickly.
“Cassandra?” he asked, looking at her anxiously. “Did I make it worse?”
“N-no…” Cassie shook her head weakly, wanting to make him understand. “No, the pain…it’s finally going away. It doesn’t hurt anymore, Stone…or not as much.”
“I’ll give you more essence,” he said and bit her again. And then again and again. And again the cool rivers ran inside her, damping the last embers of pain. At last, he pulled back and looked into her face again. “Is it gone? All gone this time?”
“Yes.” Cassie nodded. “Thank you, Stone. I know…know you didn’t want to do that but thank you for doing it anyway. It hurt so much.”
His face looked stricken.
“I know I hurt you, sweetheart and I am so fucking sorry. If I could take the pain I caused you on myself instead, I would.”
“Better now,” Cassie assured him. “Really, Stone, don’t be upset—I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not,” he said fiercely. “But I’m going to take you back to the Mother Ship for healing.”
He started to untie the black leather thongs that held her in place, cursing under his breath when the knots gave him trouble.
“Can I help, Kindred?”
Looking up wearily, Cassie saw it was one of the guards—not the one who had slapped and injected her. Stone looked at her too, giving her a distinctly unfriendly glare.
“You helped us kill our captor,” the girl told him. “Many of us have been here for years, longing to be free from the Slimerian’s horrible penetration. Please, allow me to help you free your partner.”
Stone’s expression softened somewhat.
“All right, if you would. I cannot get these knots free.”
“Here—there is a trick to it.” The guard’s small fingers were nimble and quick and before she knew it, Cassie found herself untied and cradled in her partner’s strong arms.
“Thank you,” Stone said to the guard. “Your help is much appreciated.”
“Is there anything else we can do?” the guard asked him.
“That one.” Stone nodded down to what remained of The Beast. “I need to bring him—or it—back with me for trial, if it still lives. Can you carry it to my ship? I do not want to leave my partner.”
“Of course.” The guard hefted The Beast’s strange shape and tossed it easily over her shoulder. “Lead the way—I will bring him to your ship for you.”
“Thank you,” Stone said again. He looked down at Cassie, who looked up at him.
“Stone,” she whispered wearily. “Let’s go home.”
“Yes, sweetheart.” Gently, he kissed her forehead. “That’s exactly where we’re going.”
Fifty-Eight
Cassie was in and out of consciousness during the flight home. She had a vague memory of Stone buckling her in and covering her with a warm blanket to conceal her torn dress. She heard him calling to the Mother Ship to open the fold in space that would take them home and then she slipped into darkness.
When she woke, gentle hands were loading her onto some kind of floating gurney. She could feel it bobbing under her as she looked up and the Docking Bay of the Kindred Mother Ship swam into focus.
“We have two for the Med Center and one to be locked away in a secure cell,” she heard Stone’s deep voice saying.