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litting pain hammered behind her eyeballs, pulsing in time with her frant
ng wet and sticky. Warmth seeped between her fingers. Karlie froze,
hand was co
m the twisted piece of metal shrapnel pinning her left leg to the dirt floor of
eeth. The pain was a live wire, shooting
bloody hand, muscles tensing to pulldepths of the cave. It wasn't human. It vibrated i
e cold, damp rock wall, her chest so tight she couldn't
rimson light fl
cut through the darkness like laser beams. Heavy, ragged breat
rong-too broad, too hunched. As it stepped into the faint light filtering through the cave
Or at least,
es were twisted into something animalistic. The veins on his forehead bulged like thick cords, pulsing with a feverish rhythm. His j
ck smear of blood on the stone floor. The wound on his thigh was a mes
wild and unseeing. Then
asn't a sound of pain. It was hu
lun
e to. One massive hand slammed into her shoulders, pinning her back against the rock. The for
ing through her torn shirt. His breath was hot and ragged against her ne
push against his chest. It was like pushi
collar of her shirt. The fabric tore with a loud rip,
movements. He was a drowning man, and she was the only piece of d
r mind, sharp and urgent. Hostile intent critical. Physical resistance futile. Immediate energy symb
t fractured in her panic-stricken mind. "Unit 9, are
. This male is in a berserk frenzy-a common affliction due to unstable energy reserves. Energy symbiosis is the primary method of calming. In this society
aws snapped inches from her neck, the hot, wild scent of his frenzy suffocating her, the cold reality of her situation crashed down. She had no weapons, no strength, and no way out. If she fought him,
mbled as she grabbed the back of his neck. His skin was burni
body shuddering. He stopped tearing at her clothes and wrapped both arms
ed together, fully and withou
am breaking. It slammed into her nervous system, making every nerve ending scream
of Gavin's back. She felt the skin tear under her nails, felt the hot wash of his bloo
e buried his face in the crook of her neck, his breath coming in
ived in her bones since the post-apocalyptic world ended-it woke up. It rose to
ered it, cooled it, and fed it back to him in a stable loop. It was exhausting. It felt li
succumbed to frenzy and died. In return, males protected and provided for their bonded female, often sharing her with others to form a polyandrous pack. The more powerful the male, the more he needed a fema
the edges. The only things keeping her tethered to reality were the
manic energy draining from Gavin's bo
sigh, he collapsed against her, his full weight pinning her to the cave floor. Hi
y. Every muscle in her body screamed in protest. She fel
landing on his side on the dirt floor. His eyes were closed, the crimson faded to a
s were their harsh breathing and the dis
in tatters. Her shoulders throbbed where his fingers had dug in, the bruises alre
low. High-energy resource intake recommended. Note: You have initiated a proto-bond with this male. In this world, such a bond implies future
voice a raw scrape. "I didn't ask for any
signature is now registered. Other males in the vicinity may sense you. Rec
n who had just attacked her. The man she had just saved. The man
the dim light, she could see it clearly. The edges of the gash weren't red or pink. They were a dee
from a crash. That
ad done t
that smelled like blood and rot, with a stranger who had almost killed her. And
pat
onsibility-her first bond in a world where females ruled through t
e, piercing the canopy of the Bloodwood trees outside. The leaves wer
ealized she'd shed. It fell across Gavin's sleeping face, h
p. She had to assess the situation. She had to survive-not just as a castaway, but as a
. She had water. She had a few supplies. She had a brain that knew how to survive the end of the w
ime to u
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