Total pages in book: 165
Estimated words: 159487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 797(@200wpm)___ 638(@250wpm)___ 532(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 159487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 797(@200wpm)___ 638(@250wpm)___ 532(@300wpm)
Cassie looked for the blood-sign around his nose and mouth but it was impossible to see if he had it, since he was wearing a huge black respirator that covered half his face. It also made him look even more terrifying—which was something, considering he was already a seven-foot tall mountain of muscle.
“Uh, hi there, big guy,” she said uneasily, taking a step back from him. “Look, I appreciate you saving me, but…”
She trailed off because it was clear the huge warrior wasn’t listening. He took a step towards her and leaned down, his milky eyes fastening on hers. His irises weren’t completely opaque yet—she could still see the glint of gold behind the film that made her wonder if maybe he was a Beast Kindred. Was he halfway infected? The Hunger Virus could be dormant in a person’s system for weeks before it took full effect. Was he on his way to full Infected status?
“Hey,” she said, trying to talk to him again, though she had no idea if he could understand her. “Hey, like I said, it was nice of you to save me but now I think it’s time we went our separate ways. I mean, we can’t just—”
The words died in her throat because he reached up and pulled down the mask. He leaned towards her and for a moment, she was sure he was going to bite her. Instead, he pressed his face to the side of her head and inhaled deeply.
When he pulled back, the gold in his eyes seemed a little brighter…a little less obscured by the milky film. And he uttered one low, rumbling word—
“MINE.”
Then he bent down and wrapped one huge arm around Cassie’s knees. Before she could even protest, he swung her up over one broad shoulder like she was a sack of flour.
“Hey!” she cried breathlessly. “Hey!”
But the giant Kindred didn’t seem to hear. He was already moving—jogging along at a steady pace, weaving between the damaged and defunct vehicles with Cassie bouncing on his shoulder, her long brown hair swirling in the wind as the breath was knocked out of her by his steady gait.
Her arm where the Infected had bitten her was stinging fiercely, but she barely noticed. She was too busy trying to figure a way out of this situation.
But no matter how she shouted and struggled and pounded on the Kindred warrior’s broad back with her fists, he seemed completely unaffected and she couldn’t get loose. His grip on her thighs was too tight and also she was afraid to go completely crazy—what if he dropped her on her head? He was so tall it would be a long way to fall.
It seemed there was nothing she could do—he was taking her somewhere else and she couldn’t get free to stop him.
Cassie just prayed he wasn’t planning to eat her.
3
RAVIK
Smells good…smells right. Mine—must keep safe. Must not let go. Mine…my mate…MINE.
Such were the thoughts running through Ravik’s diseased brain as he jogged through the Dead Zone territory, making sure to keep a firm grip on the struggling female over his shoulder.
She was shouting something—something he was sure he ought to understand. It seemed to him that mouth noises used to make sense. They still did sometimes, when they came from Severin. When his partner spoke, Ravik listened and he could still understand him…most of the time.
But the human woman over his shoulder—he thought she was human anyway—was making noises that didn’t make sense to him. He only knew that she smelled right—smelled like a female who could be his mate—and so he had to take her. He didn’t remember much of the past or how he and Severin had gotten here or why they had come in the first place, but the scent of a female who could be a mate was undeniable. And there was something special about this one, too—something that drew him to her.
Mature Elite.
The words flashed in his mind and were gone again before he could grasp them and find out what they meant. He only knew she was special and important and he had to keep her safe from the Infected, who roamed the Dead Zone.
Several times on the way back to the bunker, an Infected tried to get in his way—tried to take his woman. Ravik strong-armed them out of the way, punching and shoving his way through and moving quickly to keep their grasping hands from latching onto his female. He heard her scream in terror several times, but there was no note of pain in her tone, so he kept going.
At last, after looping around the territory to make sure none of the Infected were following, he came to the hidden entrance of the Bunker. There was a loompa tree standing to one side, its spreading purple branches hiding the steel panel. Ravik brushed them away and stepped up to the ocular scanner. He pressed the call button and waited.