7. Kaelus
KAELUS
PRESENT DAY
“I refuse to go on this mission with Doctor Donovan,” Kaelus said, frowning.
The Savage Syndrome was an extremely dangerous condition. He didn’t want Clair exposed to it.
“However,” he continued, “I will be willing to go on my own.”
“I’m afraid that won’t work,” Commander Sylvan said, frowning. “You see, I need the two of you to go to Titus Four as a couple—a mated pair. They won’t allow a single male to have access to their scientific research. They don’t respect a male who isn’t able to attract and keep a wife.”
“Wow—sounds like a tough crowd over on Titus Four,” Clair remarked. She was smiling, as though this amused her. “Why exactly do we need to go there to study the Savage Syndrome, though?”
“Because almost every male there is infected with the virus that causes it,” Commander Sylvan said. “But—”
“No! Absolutely not! I refuse to put Clair—I mean, Doctor Donovan—in danger by taking her to a planet where all the males are infected with that syndrome!” Kaelus exclaimed. How could Commander Sylvan even think of such a thing?
It was well known that the Savage Syndrome—otherwise known as Viral Hyperandrogenic Encephalopathy, or VHE—caused otherwise normal males to turn into beasts.
Not literally—their appearances didn’t change.
But an infected male would lose control of his inhibitions—the virus caused his testosterone to spike and at the same time, his mental capabilities drained to almost zero.
He would become a mindless savage, intent only on fucking whatever female he could get his hands on.
Taking the petite, delicate Clair to such a planet would be asking to get her raped or even killed!
Just the thought made a protective growl rise in his throat.
There was no way in all the Seven Hells, he would allow her to go to such a world.
She might be irritating and annoying, but she was also his…
well, she was his lab partner, anyway. And that counted as far as Kaelus was concerned.
She was his to protect and care for and he would never, ever let her go to someplace so dangerous.
“Kaelus, I’m going to ask you to ‘take it easy’ as the humans say,” Commander Sylvan said, raising both hands in a gesture of peace.
“Please let me finish. I was going to say that almost every male on Titus Four is infected with the Savage Syndrome but none of them show any symptoms of aggression towards women at all.”
“What?” Kaelus frowned. “But…how is that possible?”
“That’s what I’d like you and Doctor Donovan to find out,” Commander Sylvan said mildly. “It stands to reason that if they have the virus but it’s not causing any problems, they must also have the cure for it.”
“Or maybe there’s some kind of antiviral in the planet’s environment,” Clair suggested. “Something in the air or water, maybe.”
“Maybe so.” Sylvan nodded thoughtfully. “You’ll need to take plenty of samples from the environment and from the people there as well, hopefully.
That’s why I need the two of you to go as a mated pair—so you can gain their trust and get enough blood samples to test so we can find out why the virus isn’t affecting them. ”
“And you’re saying they have no aggression towards women at all?
” Kaelus could hardly believe it. He’d heard the horror stories of males affected with the Savage Syndrome virus.
Males who had loved and doted on their wives for years had savagely attacked the woman they loved—some had even killed their mates in the blind sexual fury the virus caused.
Though as a Hybrid, Kaelus never expected to be able to call a bride or Bond with a woman himself, he couldn’t imagine the agony of savaging the one he was called to protect and care for.
The idea of waking up from a violent, virus-induced lust-haze and seeing the body of the woman you loved and realizing that you were the one who had killed her…
well, there were no words for such horror. It was simply unthinkable.
“No, I promise none of them are aggressive towards their women,” Commander Sylvan said.
“In fact, as I understand it, the males their treat their wives like goddesses to be worshipped and adored. If anything, the virus seems to have the opposite effect on the males of Titus Four than it has on others who have been unlucky enough to be infected by it.”
“They treat their wives like goddesses, huh?” Clair threw him a speculative look. “Well, that should be interesting.”
“Don’t start picturing me bowing down to you just yet,” Kaelus growled.
“I still don’t think we should go. What if I got infected by the virus—we have no proof that whatever is keeping the Titus Four males from attacking their women will automatically work for me.
They may have very different physiology than we do. ”
“As I understand it, the virus can only be passed through blood and body fluids,” Commander Sylvan told him. “So as long as you’re not engaging in intimate activities with any of the natives, you ought to be fine.”
“Sounds like a regular STD,” Clair remarked. “We can avoid that. Come on, Kaelus—let’s go for it.”
Kaelus glared at her. How could she be so brilliant and so reckless at the same time?
“I don’t want to risk hurting you,” he said bluntly. “I’m over twice your size and many times your strength, Clair. If the virus entered my system and you couldn’t get away…”
He couldn’t finish the sentence…couldn’t even finish the thought. It was too monstrous—too unthinkably horrifying. She was so tiny and fragile.
Of course, Kaelus knew she didn’t think of herself that way. She was an Elite—a woman blessed with extra generous curves. Often the humans called such women “fat.” But her gorgeous curves called to him from across the lab daily—he already had to keep himself from getting too close to her.
Her scent was bewitching too, and the few times they had touched, it had given him an aching erection that refused to go down for hours. (Thank the Goddess, Clair didn’t seem to have noticed when he had that particular problem.)
The point was, he didn’t need to go to a place where he might catch a virus that made him even more attracted to her than he already was, Goddess-damn it!
“So you refuse the mission, despite the fact that the Savage Syndrome is running amok on the Glenvarren settlement?” Commander Sylvan asked quietly.
“The what?” Clair asked, frowning.
“It’s a Kindred settlement on the second moon of Glenvarris Prime,” Sylvan explained. “Somehow the virus made its way there. Seven women were killed within the first two days. They’re trying to contain it, but it spreads quickly, and a male might not know he’s infected at first.”
“Oh, those poor people!” Clair leaned forward, her gorgeous brown eyes filled with sympathy.
“Of course we’ll go.” She turned to Kaelus.
“And if you won’t come with me, I’ll take another scientist. Doctor Braxex, for instance—he’s a Xenobiologist. Of course, it would be better to have a Xenopharmacologist like you, so we can make a medicine of whatever we find in the samples, but if you won’t come with me—”
“Stop.” Kaelus raised a hand and frowned at her. “I’ll come,” he said at last. He didn’t want another male near her—especially on such a dangerous world. Just the idea sent a wave of possessive fury through him.
“Thank you.” Commander Sylvan nodded solemnly. “May the Goddess go with you and grant you success in your mission.”
Kaelus just hoped that the Goddess would keep them both safe—especially Clair. He vowed he would do everything he could to keep her safe from any danger that might be lurking on Titus Four…
And from himself.