Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 51404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Oh God, what was it? What was wrong with her? Why did she suddenly feel so achy and empty inside? It felt like the effects of the Mating Drink Chief Lowhung had given her but ten times worse!
“Sunny!” Greer caught her as she crumpled, his arms strong and steady even though his eyes were wide with fright. “What’s wrong?” he demanded, panic lacing his voice. “Goddess, tell me what’s happening to you!”
Sunny tried…but she couldn’t get the words out.
Her only answer was a groan of pain as he cradled her in his arms, holding her to his broad chest as though he could help her just by being close.
“It’s all right, baby,” he murmured as he began striding over the grass. “Everything is going to be okay. Going to take you to the Med Center and figure this out.”
39
GREER
“I’m afraid this looks like a Bonding Fruit overdose.”
Commander Sylvan’s deep voice was calm, but his eyes were grave as he bent over Sunny. In addition to being the Head of the Kindred High Council, he was also an excellent physician and he took regular shifts in the Med Center to keep his skills sharp.
“How much of the special cake did she eat?” he asked, looking at Greer.
“I don’t have a fucking clue.” Greer shook his head. “Why is that important?”
“When Bonding Fruit is used in baking, it’s in a very concentrated form. One bite could be equal to a whole piece of fruit, so the effects are multiplied,” Sylvan explained.
They knew about the cake because Sunny had managed a few words—enough to let them know what had happened. She’d been at the wedding she was helping Kat with and had eaten some of the cake made with Bonding Fruit icing. The only question was—how much?
Greer’s arms tightened protectively around her limp form.
Sunny groaned, her face pale. She was trembling.
“I didn’t get my own slice,” she murmured faintly. “He—the man who attacked me—brought it to me… it was a double piece.”
“A double piece?” Kat was suddenly there, rushing into the exam room with her auburn locks flying. She gave Sunny a worried look. “Doll, I told you to be careful! The Bonding Fruit cake was marked plain as day. There were signs everywhere, only one slice per guest. That stuff can be dangerous if you don’t respect it.”
Greer’s stomach clenched.
Dangerous. His female was in danger and he hadn’t stopped it. The Sunny Effect was in play again…only this time it might be fatal.
He stroked her hair back from her damp forehead.
“What can be done?” he demanded harshly. “I’ll do anything to save her—I swear it, just tell me what to do!”
“She needs to be serviced,” Sylvan said matter-of-factly. His physician’s calm only made Greer’s heart hammer harder. “The aphrodisiac effect of Bonding Fruit is overwhelming in the quantity she consumed. If it isn’t resolved, her body could go into shock. She must be given a sexual release—but not just once. Again and again, until the fever passes and the Bonding Fruit is all out of her system.”
“Again and again?” Greer looked down at her, stunned. Could Sunny handle that kind of attention in the state she was in?
Sylvan clearly misunderstood his hesitance because his piercing, pale blue gaze narrowed.
“I know the two of you had some kind of falling out. Do you want me to call one of the warriors from the Unmated Males section to—”
“NO!”
The roar tore from Greer’s throat before Sylvan even finished his sentence. Rage boiled in his chest, the red haze threatening to overtake him again. He held Sunny tighter, baring his fangs instinctively.
“She’s mine,” he snarled. His vision narrowed until all he could see was Sunny’s flushed, suffering face and the thought of another male’s hands on her made his blood sing with fury. “No one else touches her but me. No one.”
For a long moment, Sylvan just looked at him, then lifted his hands in surrender.
“Very well. Then it will have to be you.”
“I think that’s for the best,” Kat put in quickly, her voice firm. “Better let these two handle it themselves. I know how much Sunny cares for Greer…” She gave Greer an intense look. “And I think we can tell he feels the same for her.”
Sylvan gave a slow nod but his expression stayed serious.
“All right but understand this, Greer—you can’t stop until she’s satisfied. The fruit has flooded her system. If you leave her unsatiated, it could be dangerous for her heart and body.”
Greer rose in one swift movement, cradling Sunny against his chest. Her head lolled against his shoulder, her breath coming in little needy whimpers that gutted him.
“I won’t stop,” he growled, his voice low and deadly. “I’ll give her everything she needs. I swear it.”
And without another word, he strode from the Med Station, carrying Sunny toward his suite, his heart hammering with dread and desire in equal measure.