REYNA
Together, Nana, Kayak, and I hurried to where Dr. Benjamin was being kept. Dr. Alaric went back to the hospital to wait for us.
Two Dakkuth guarded the door to his room. I inhaled before stepping inside after Kayak.
The instant he saw me, his face blanched of all color. Rage unfurled inside me at what Iâd gone through at the hands of Dr. Elizabeth.
My claws burst out from the tips of my hands.
âAre you ok, Sebek?â That was Kayak. I shook my head.
âNo, Iâm not okay, but I will be when Cas finally wakes up,â I said. He nodded with understanding.
Two warriors dragged Dr. Benjamin out of the room.
âHi, doctor, I see youâre not surprised to see me. Why?â I asked.
His mouth parted and closed like a fish out of water.
âYou know what, that can wait. Tell us how to cure a person who has been affected by the poison you helped Dr. Elizabeth infect me with,â I demanded.
âThatâ¦that wasnât me. Itâs Dr. Elizabeth,â he stuttered.
âYes, and you didnât stop her. You are her accomplice. We donât have time to start talking about the horrible things Dr. Elizabeth did to me while you stood there, knowing fully what she was doing was wrong, and you didnât do anything to stop it,â I said.
âReyna, believe me when I sayâ¦â he started, guilt and shame flickering in his eyes.
But I wasnât here to absolve him of his sins. I was here for Casvan.
âIâm here for answers, and be very carefulâwhatever you say next might be your last words,â I threatened, my claws elongating, my fangs sliding out of my gums.
To save Casvan, I would kill him without a second thought.
âThe poison in my bodyâwhat is the cure?â I demanded.
âIâ¦Iâ¦I have to see him first,â the poor doctor stuttered. His eyes were wide with fear.
Kayak dragged him all the way back to the hospital, where Casvan was still unconscious. We all stood out of their way, watching and waiting while he began to check Casvan over.
He and Dr. Alaric talked a lot during this time, using medical terminology that pissed the fuck out of me. I couldnât understand a single thing they were saying.
With every minute that passed, I was unraveling, my hope shattering.
After the longest time and still nothing, I snapped.
âWell, what the hell did you find out?â I spat, cornering the doctor.
âIâmâ¦Iâm sorry, Princessâ¦but I donât see anything wrong. I have to do more tests, more research to find out what is wrong with him,â Dr. Benjamin replied, taking a step back from the murderous look in my eyes.
âWe havenât got enough time. I need him to wake up now. I need to know why he bleeds from his ears and eyes. I need to know if I did this, if Iâm a danger to him or anyone else. I need him alive. Donât you understand that simple concept?â I was yelling wretchedly, tears streaming down my face.
âOh my God. Iâ¦Iâ¦I killed Casvan. And itâs because of you. Itâs your fault. You were there. You didnât stop her. You did this to me.â I was growling.
âIâve done everything I can. We just have to wait and see what happens.â
âWhat?â I yelled, feeling anger and rage collide inside.
I could feel the change come over me, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. I felt so muchâso much anguish, sadness, heartbreak, and rage. So much rage.
So I held onto that rage, knowing if I let it go, I was going to drown in all the other emotions trying to pull me down.
My voice turned husky. I was growling, my eyes glazed over with a red film.
I was a passenger in my own body.
âFix. Him!â I growled.
I could hear screaming, and someone was sobbing. But all my attention was on the doctor who refused to bring back my beast.
âFix. Him.â
âI donât know how,â Dr. Benjamin said, about to empty his bladder. Eyes wide, I liked the scent of his fear. Liked it too much.
âFix him or die.â
I growled, flying at the doctor, but before I got to him, Kayak intercepted me.
Angry at the fact heâd gotten in my way, I clawed at him, drawing blood. I jumped on him, trying to take a chunk out of his neck with my fangs.
Kayak was strong, but he wasnât going to get between me and my prey. No one got in between.
I growled and snarled, clawing at him with all the rage inside me.
Kayak pinned me down, trying to control me, to stop me. He screamed something I couldnât understand in my state.
His plan was to subdue me, but I was unstoppable. I sank my claws so deep into his stomach that he growled in pain.
He punched me hard in the stomach and flipped me onto my back, then he straddled me. He held both of my hands, and another set of hands grabbed my feet while I thrashed wildly under him, snarling and growling.
âLet her go!â a loud, familiar voice growled seconds before Kayak was thrown a couple of feet away from me.
I snapped my head to the side and instantly locked eyes with familiar red ones. I crouched low, trying to control my rage.
âFucking control her,â Kayak growled to the beast who looked so much like my Casvan.
âKitten, stop,â he growled.
I tilted my head toward him, my eyes meeting his.
There was a sudden, deep rush of emotions inside me, and yet I was afraid to believe it was him, only to find out it was a lie.
âReyna, itâs me, Casvan,â he said, striding toward me. His hand cupped my face tenderly, sending a familiar spark through me.
I stared at him for a few heartbeats before the red glaze in my eyes cleared up. I stared at him without moving, afraid he was an illusion and would disappear if I so much as blinked, until he stopped before me.
I lifted a bloody, shaking handâclaws and allâand touched his face slowly. He was warm and solid, his scent filling my senses.
The realization that he was alive and standing before me hit me square in the chest.
A sob burst out of me, and my legs gave out beneath me.
Casvan gathered me into his arms and took me out of the hospital. I was ugly sobbing my heart out.
âItâs okay, Kitten. Iâm okay, see, Iâm alive and healthy. Iâm not leaving you. Never again, Darâsen.â