Chapter 9 #2
And then he squeezed the kidnapper’s neck so hard there was a snapping sound and the man suddenly went limp in his hand.
Cassie watched—equal parts horrified and amazed—as the dead man’s eyes rolled up in his head and his bladder let go, urine wetting the inside seam of his dirty jeans.
“Oh fuck—you killed him! You killed Buck!” the man who still had hold of Cassie’s arm breathed. She turned to look at him and saw that his eyes were wide with shock.
“That’s right—and you’re fucking next!” the Beast Kindred growled.
He dropped the limp body in the middle of the road and lunged for the other kidnapper.
The man promptly dropped Cassie’s arm and ran—not that he got very far.
He met the same fate as his friend, but Cassie didn’t like to think about it.
She had put an arm around Miri’s shoulders and led the young bride away so she wouldn’t have to see the terrible vengeance her husband was extracting.
Now, as she stood in the bath waiting for Ravik to wash her, Cassie couldn’t help remembering the violent scene. No wonder Severin didn’t dare to try and stop the big Beast Kindred from washing her. If he really did think she was his mate, Ravik would kill anyone who tried to mess with her.
Of course that had been useful back in the Dead Zone when he’d killed the Infected who was using her arm for a chew toy. But it wasn’t quite such a good thing now when she basically had no choice but to play along with the Beast Kindred’s delusions.
“Hold out…your arm,” he said to her now and Cassie realized he meant the arm where the Infected had bitten her.
“All right, but be gentle—it’s really tender,” she said, holding out her injured arm. She wasn’t sure if he understood her or not but when he used the big, puffy sponge on her, he was very careful.
After the bite wound was cleaned thoroughly, he dunked the sponge in water and squeezed it until a mountain of foam came out. Then he nodded at her.
“Come closer…I will wash all of you.”
Cassie thought of protesting, but there didn’t seem to be much point. She stepped closer reluctantly and allowed the big Beast Kindred to wash her thoroughly all over—and he really did wash all over—including her breasts and between her legs.
“Hey, you really don’t have to do that!” she protested as his knuckles brushed her inner thighs and the sponge scrubbed her pussy. At least he wasn’t trying to grab her, but he seemed intent on washing every bit of her body.
“I’m sorry,” Severin said to her and she saw sincerity in his pale blue eyes. “I swear he wouldn’t normally act like this. He really does think you’re his mate.”
“Well, I hope he doesn’t think he can do the rest of the Claiming Period with me,” Cassie snapped. She was mortified to be standing here naked while the big Beast Kindred scrubbed between her legs.
“I don’t think he’d try that,” the Blood Kindred said but she thought she saw uncertainty in his eyes.
At last, Ravik seemed to think he was finished because he nodded at her and said in that deep, gravelly voice,
“Sit…down…now.”
Cassie was more than happy to do so. The water in the deep tub nearly came up to her neck, so at least she was fully covered—except for the fact that her breasts kept wanting to float up to the top of the water.
They floated anyway because she was wearing float dots that she’d gotten when she lived on the Mother Ship.
The tiny anti-gravity devices looked like little red jewels.
When placed on the underside of a heavy breast, they caused it to lift which made Cassie’s formerly drooping ta-tas to look surprisingly perky.
She’d loved the float dots from the moment she first put them on but right at the moment, she was wishing they weren’t quite so good at their job. She just wanted to cover herself—she’d had enough of being naked in front of two strange males to last her a lifetime!
Of course, they were both very attractive—they were Kindred after all—but they were too young for her and besides, she didn’t know them. Also, ever since she’d started perimenopause, her sex drive had completely died. So it didn’t matter how good looking they were—she wasn’t interested.
But just as she was sure the big Beast Kindred was done with her, he poured a bucket of water over her head.
“Hey…what…what are you doing?” she sputtered, pushing her wet hair out of her eyes and glaring up at him.
“Must wash your hair, my mate,” he said. “Please…relax. I will…take care of you.”
He took her firmly by the shoulder and had her lean back against the side of the tub. Then he applied a shampoo that smelled like someone had drowned a bunch of flowers in cherry cough syrup.
Cassie didn’t like the medicinal smell at all, but she had to admit, the big Beast Kindred gave an amazing scalp massage. She couldn’t help relaxing as he washed her hair, working the shampoo into a lather and rubbing it into her hair and scalp.
Slowly, her eyes closed and she felt some of the tension leaving her body as Ravik worked on her.
She was aware that Severin was still looking at her with an anxious expression on his face, but she tried to ignore him.
She didn’t like the Blood Kindred much—he was too cold and clinical, she decided.
At least the Beast Kindred was trying to take care of her. At least he—
But her thoughts cut off completely as Ravik poured another bucketful of water over her head.
Cassie sat up, gasping and swiping at her eyes.
“Ugh!” Warn me before you do that!” she exclaimed.
“So-rry,” Ravik rumbled. “Must wash soap out.”
“Yes, well tell me first next time!” Cassie exclaimed and then wondered if there was going to be a next time. Was she going to be stuck here, playing the Beast Kindred’s mate for long?
Even if you are, isn’t it better than being out in the Dead Zone, waiting for an Infected to bite you again or for the virus to take hold so you turn into an Infected yourself?
she asked herself. At least in here you have a chance—Severin might be able to cure you before you turn.
He might be a cold-hearted jerk, but he’s still a scientist and whatever he gave to Ravik certainly seems to be working.
Yes, staying here in the hidden bunker with the two Kindred was definitely better, she decided. Even if she had to play Bonded Mates with the huge Beast Kindred, at least she was safe from being bitten again or torn to pieces.
So she didn’t complain when Ravik dumped yet another bucket of water over her head. She just sputtered quietly and wiped her long, wet hair out of her eyes. And when he motioned to her and said,
“Stand, mate,” she stood obediently and let him help her out of the bath. She even let him dry her off with a large towel and towel-dry her hair. But when he tried to put his arms around her and pull her close to him, she put her hands on his broad chest and shook her head.
“No—let me get dressed again,” she said firmly. “I’m cold—I need clothes.”
Ravik frowned.
“I can warm you up, mate,” he offered, holding out his arms.
“That’s a very kind offer,” Cassie said, trying to smile because she didn’t want to make him mad. “But I need to get dressed. At least let me put my nighty back on.”
“Here.” Severin handed her the silky red nighty and she pulled it on gratefully.
Ravik frowned as he watched her tug at the hem, trying to pull it down past mid thigh.
“But I like to look at your beautiful body,” he rumbled.
He was sounding more and more coherent, Cassie thought. And his eyes had lost almost all of the milky film that had covered them when she first met him.
She couldn’t deny she was flattered that he thought she had a beautiful body, but she still wasn’t willing to go around naked just to please him.
“Thank you but I’m too cold when I’m undressed,” she said firmly.
“Human women need to stay warm,” Severin added, frowning at his friend. “They get cold easily. You have to let Cassandra stay dressed.”
“It’s Cassie,” Cassie said. “I mean, that’s what most people call me.”
The Blood Kindred frowned.
“We do not shorten the names of females in our culture—it’s considered disrespectful.”
But the Beast Kindred seemed to have no problem with her nickname.
“Cas-sie,” he said, speaking her name slowly, as though he was rolling it on his tongue. “Cas-sie is my mate.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to say that no, she wasn’t his mate, but Cassie didn’t want to upset him. So she just nodded and shrugged, feeling like an idiot.
“Cassie is tired now,” Severin told him. “She must be allowed to rest.”
“She can rest in our room,” the big Beast Kindred rumbled. “Rest in my arms—I will keep her safe and warm. But first, I will taste her pussy and make her come.”
Cassie felt a rush of fear mixed with some other emotion she couldn’t quite name.
“Wait a minute—” she began, but Severin was already speaking.
“You can’t do that yet, Ravik,” he told the Beast Kindred quickly. “It’s not your Tasting Week yet, remember?”
The Beast Kindred frowned as though he was trying to wrap his head about what his friend was saying.
“Not…Tasting Week?” he asked and Severin and Cassie both shook their heads.
“No, not yet,” she said, hoping to reinforce the idea.
“Then…it is still the bathing week,” Ravik decided.
“Yes, which is why you just gave me a bath.” Cassie pointed at the tub and then at her towel.
Ravik seemed to be thinking very hard about that. At last, to Cassie’s relief, he nodded. But the next words out of his mouth sent another rush of anxiety through her.
“Then I must…massage you,” he rumbled. “I must…anoint my mate…with special oils.”
“Wait a minute—” she began.
“We don’t have any of the special oils down here in the bunker,” Severin said quickly, cutting her off. “But if you want, I’ll look for some,” he added. “Only don’t massage her until I find them for you—all right?”
Ravik frowned as though this displeased him, but at last he nodded.
“All right. I will just hold her for now to keep her warm.”
Severin shot an apologetic look at Cassie.
“Er…I’m afraid that’s the best I can do.”
Cassie sighed.
“It’s all right, I guess. As long as he doesn’t try anything.”
“If he does, just tell him to stop. Kindred don’t force women to do anything they don’t want,” Severin said firmly.
“Not even when they’re, er, not in their right minds?” she murmured, casting a look up at Ravik.
“I don’t think so,” Severin shook his head, frowning. “We Kindred understand the meaning of ‘no’…most of the time”
“I hope you’re right.” She nodded and looked up at Ravik again. “Shouldn’t you take a bath too, big guy? You were out in the Dead Zone longer than I was.”
Ravik nodded slowly.
“I will bathe. And then I will hold you and keep you warm.”
“Okay, er…thank you.” Cassie nodded at him. “You take a bath and I’ll see you later.”
Ravik was already stripping off his black leather vest and tight black trousers, revealing a mouthwateringly broad chest with a dusting of dark, wiry hair between the flat copper disks of his nipples.
Cassie turned away quickly, but not before she saw that he had a truly massive cock, which looked like a sleeping python lying along the inside of one muscular thigh.
Crap—I hope he regains enough of his mind to know we’re not really mated before he tries to use that thing on me! she thought, but Severin was already leading her out of the bathroom.
“Come, I’ll give you a tour of the bunker while Ravik is bathing,” he offered.
“Oh, er, thank you.” Cassie nodded.
She cast one last glance over her shoulder at the huge Beast Kindred who was sinking into the large tub and somehow making it look small. Was she really going to have to sleep in his arms tonight?
Surely not, she told herself uneasily. Probably he would go to bed and fall asleep long before she got there. Or maybe his half-Infected mind would forget all about her.
She hoped anyway.