Charlotte Boyett-Compo- WIND VERSE- Hunger's Harmattan by Unknown (best management books of all time TXT) 📗

“Everyone has that reaction too,” Levechesaid, and she glanced at him in time to see the wound on his back close asthough by magic.

“Take Me unto you, warrior, and I willmake you invincible!”

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Shaneesaid and—to her mortal shame—felt a trickle of urine escape between her legs.

Some kind of milky substance was drippingfrom the eel-like thing’s mouth and where it fell in the beaker, it sizzled.

“Is that acid?” she questioned.

“Aye,” Leveche said. “You won’t feel itinside you.” He got up from the table and tucked his shirt back in. “Up yougo.”

Shanee took a step back at that command.She was staring at the hideous thing in the beaker. “It looks like a tomatohornworm,” she complained.

“My thought exactly,” Bakari said, takingthe beaker from her. He looked at Leveche. “Are you going to do it or do youwant me to?”

“I’ve been through this before,” Levechesaid. “Once I make the incision you can leave. I’ll see to her.”

“I can do it,” Bakari said though his voicesaid he’d just as soon not.

“Go,” Leveche commanded. “But don’t go far.You and I are going to have a little talk about your wimp insult, Burgon.”

Bakari grinned. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Hereached out to pat Shanee’s shoulder. “It’ll be all right, dearling.” He pattedthe table.

Shanee wiped a hand over her mouth. She wassweating as she cocked a hip onto the table then slid her butt along the steelsurface that was still warm from Leveche’s high body temp.

“Lie down on your tummy,” Bakariinstructed, “and pull up your tunic for us or do you want me to?”

“I’ll do it,” she said. She lay down on herside then shifted to her stomach. She had to reach both hands behind her topull the heavy wool material up to bare the small of her back.

“It will sting,” Leveche said. His ownblack volcanic glass dagger was now in his hand. “When the parasite is droppedon you, it will feel cold and slimy. Try not to move. It will sense the cut andshoot down into it under the first layer of skin. As soon as it burrows to yourkidney, it will attach itself there.”

“And that will hurt like hell,” Bakarisaid, only to frown when Leveche flung him an annoyed look.

With her hands to either side of her head,her fists clenched, she felt the initial sting as Leveche made his incision.She heard him tell Bakari to drop the parasite.

The slimy weight plopped on her and shefelt it crawling. Goose bumps popped out all over her.

“Go, Ry!” Leveche snapped, and she heardthe con cell door close.

The parasite wriggled on her back.

“Here we go,” Leveche said in a soft voice.

She knew it was going to hurt. She’d seenthe vid-seqs of Transferences on the Reapers on R-9. She understood that thecreature would sink its sharp fangs into her organ and begin sucking her blood.She thought she knew how bad that pain would be but nothing could have preparedher for the gnawing, tearing misery that came as soon as she felt the creatureslither down into her body.

Leveche quickly sheathed his blade andscooped her up in his strong arms. He carried her across the cell to theopposite wall and slid down to the floor with her, his legs wrapped securelyaround hers.

The Transition began as the pain increasedtenfold within her back. She felt her body temperature soar to an unbelievableheight that drenched her in sweat as the clothing on her body ripped apart asher flesh expanded. Fur wriggled out of her flesh, her bones popped thencracked then compressed. Her sinews stretched, her muscles cramped thenre-formed themselves. Her nose thrust out, her jaws snapped and fangs eruptedwhere teeth had once sat. Her eyes seemed to expand, her vision sharpen and hersense of smell elevate, her hearing intensify. She could barely move within thefirm restraint of Leveche’s arms and legs but she could feel her organsrearranging inside her, making hideous squishing sounds as they altered. Herfingernails became claws and she dug them into his forearms. She struck out athim with her back legs that were now paws and heard him grunt as her clawsraked him but he kept a firm grip on her, not allowing her to move all thatmuch and that—in itself—was agonizing.

“It will never hurt you this bad again,Shanee,” she heard him say, but that meant nothing right then for she was insuch pain she would have begged for death had she been capable of human speech.

Leveche was surprised when hershape-shifting ended and he found himself holding a very beautiful cinnamon redwolf with thick hair tipped in black—around fifty pounds of very mad, verystrong lupine.

“Easy, sweeting,” he said in its ear. “I’vegot you.”

Shanee threw her head back and howled, herfangs bared but she made no move to snap at the vulnerable neck that was withininches of her mouth. She struggled against him and made a keening sound ofmisery.

“I know, baby. I know,” he whispered.

When it was over and her body began toreturn to its human form, Leveche released her and she scrambled away from himto press into the corner of the cell, hiding her nakedness from him as best shecould, her long hair covering her like a living blanket.

Leveche looked away from her just as RydenBakari came in with a blanket. He walked to her, leaned over and covered herwith it.

“I’ve brought the tenerse,” Bakari said.“And I am having the duplicator fashion a Reaper uniform for her. One of theyeomen will bring it to her.”

“Shit, I’d forgotten all about that,”Leveche said. His own black silk shirt was drenched with the combined sweatfrom her body and his own. He pushed up from the floor. “Will you give her thetenerse?”

“Sure.”

The ex-Burgon drew a vac-syringe from hispocket then hunkered down by Shanee. “I must give you this, dearling,” he saidin a gentle voice.

Shanee was trembling and made no sound ashe swept her hair aside and placed the needle of the vac-syringe to her neck.She barely flinched as the fiery payload spread into her carotid artery. Sheshuddered once then laid her head on her knees, the blanket tight around her.

Because she