Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“You don’t have to worry about that, at least.” Cade’s voice was harsh. “I didn’t Bond you to me, so there’s no way you can be pregnant.”
“Oh…okay.” Andi wondered why she felt such a strange mixture of relief and regret. She didn’t want to be pregnant with the big Hybrid’s baby—did she? Of course, she didn’t, she told herself firmly. So she just looked down at her hands as Cade contacted the Mother Ship. The person on the other end immediately patched him through to Commander Sylvan—their boss.
“Thank the Goddess! I’m so relieved to see the two of you!” Commander Sylvan raked a hand through his spiky blond hair, his pale blue eyes wide with relief. “We’ve been scouring the surface of Zo’rath Two looking for any trace of you this whole week! Where have you been?”
“On Zo’rath Three,” Cade rumbled. “We crash-landed there after a meteor storm, I think. That’s why you couldn’t find us.”
“What? But it was my understanding that any male who lands on Zo’rath Three loses his higher thinking capacity and most of his mental functions!” Commander Sylvan protested.
“They do!” Andi said, speaking up at last. “Because of these genetically engineered spoors drifting in the air there. But I was able to get Cade a dose of the antidote which brought him back to himself.”
“That sounds like a very interesting story,” Commander Sylvan remarked.
“You have no fucking idea,” Cade growled. “Excuse me, Commander,” he added in a more formal tone. “It’s just…this hasn’t been the best experience. Especially not for Andrea.”
“What? But you’re the one who lost your mind and became a Manimal,” Andi pointed out.
“Yes, and then I—” Cade stopped short, a grim look on his face.
“You can tell me all about it during the debriefing,” Commander Sylvan said, frowning in apparent concern. “Though I’m afraid you’ll both need to undergo a period of decontamination first. We need to be certain none of the mind-altering spoors from Zo’rath Three are still present anywhere in, on, or around you. If such a pathogen got loose aboard the Mother Ship, it would cause chaos!”
“We completely understand.” Cade nodded. “I’ve run an air purification program, but it makes sense to be sure.”
“I’ll have some decontamination suites set up for the two of you,” Commander Sylvan said. “Stand by to fold space. The sooner we get you home, the better.”
“Ready when you are, Commander,” Cade said woodenly.
“We’ll see you at the Mother Ship shortly,” Commander Sylvan said. Then the viewscreen went blank.
“Decontamination suites?” Andi said, turning to Cade. “How long do you think we’ll be stuck in there?”
He shrugged, his broad, bare shoulders rolling.
“Could be a few hours or a few days. I don’t blame Commander Sylvan for wanting to be thorough. Think of the number of males aboard the Mother Ship. If they all turned mindless and started assaulting their females…” He trailed off, shaking his head grimly.
Andi wasn’t sure what to say to that…or what to say to the big Hybrid at all. She wanted to try to apologize again, but she sensed he wasn’t in the mood to hear what she had to say. So she just kept silent on the trip home. But all the way back, she was sure she could feel Cade hating her.
She thought she had never been more miserable in her life.
58
ANDI
“Well, looks like you’re all set. You still have the Magroagaricus trisporus spoors in your system, but all our tests indicate that you’re not a carrier and you can’t pass them on to anyone.” Dr. Liv, the twin sister of Andi’s friend Sophie, said. She sat back on the semi-sterile white couch which was one of the few pieces of furniture in the decontamination suite Andi had been in for the past week and nodded with apparent satisfaction.
“Thank you.” Andi nodded her gratitude, but she could barely keep still. She had been shifting restlessly in her seat during the whole examination.
Liv frowned at her speculatively.
“Are you all right? You’re acting like you have ‘ants in your pants’ as my grandmother would have said.”
“I’m fine,” Andi said quickly. “Can I go now?”
Her time in the decontamination suite had been like a vacation in hell. She’d been longing to talk to Cade again—to try and explain to him what had happened on Zo’rath Three. She hadn’t done a good job of it last time—she needed to be completely honest with him and beg his forgiveness!
But that wasn’t the only reason she was shifting around like she had “ants in her pants” as Liv had said. It was the effects of the spoors—she was still feeling them. And what she was feeling was incredibly sexually needy.
Despite the intense and almost painful breeding she’d had with Cade just a week ago, she now felt as though she hadn’t had sex in years. Her whole body was desperate for sexual contact and her pussy was aching to be filled. She felt empty inside and no amount of touching herself helped. Andi was sure what she needed was a male’s touch…and a thick shaft stretching her inner walls.