Page 34 of Forced to Mate By the Mad Scientist

19

KROSS

“Kross? Kross, are you okay? Please, tell me you’re okay!”

The soft, familiar voice was distant, as though whoever was talking to him was calling from a long way away. Kross struggled to answer, but his voice didn’t want to work. His throat was burning—everythingwas burning.

It felt like something was at work inside him. Or maybe somethings,he thought distantly. Many millions of tiny somethings that were acting on him—changing him in some strange and irrevocable way.

He groaned and tried to move, but movement made the burning worse. What was wrong with him? What the fuck had that bastard Barbarous done to him?

“Kross? Please, be okay. Please…please don’t leave me!”

He forced his eyes to open even though it hurt and looked up. Sylvia’s worried face was hovering over his own, her lovely eyes filled with anxiety.

“Kross?” she asked, her voice thick with tears and desperation.

“Can’t…talk,” he rasped. “Hurts.”

“I know. I’m so sorry!” She stroked his face gently, her eyes glimmering with tears.

Kross wished fiercely that she’d escaped when she had a chance. He didn’t want her stuck here with him, especially when was almost sure he was dying. There was no way the burning pain inside him could mean anything else. But before he went, there was something he wanted to say.

“Love…you,” he finally got out. “Always…loved you…Princess.”

“What? You what?” Sylvia swiped at her eyes and looked at him uncertainly.

“Love you,” Kross repeated.

And then the burning pain became too much to bear and everything suddenly went dark.

20

SYLVIE

What did he say? Did he say he loves me?

Sylvie stared uncertainly at the big Kindred. Kross, who had been convulsing with agony a moment ago, appeared to have fainted. Anxiously, she placed two fingers over the pulse point in his neck and was relieved to feel that his heart was still pumping.

Both of them were still drenched to the skin and she shivered as she knelt on the bed, leaning over him. He’d said he loved her. More than that, he said he’dalwaysloved her. Did that mean he’d secretly had feelings for her all this time? Even though they usually fought like cats and dogs, his admission made her heart pound. Could it be true?

But what did it matter even if it was? The two of them were trapped here—trapped all over again and with zero chance of escape this time. And who knew what horrible substance Barbarous had injected Kross with? It was obviously doing something to him, but what she couldn’t tell. The big Kindred looked the same…or did he?

Her heart began to beat faster as she leaned over him. Was his hair changing? Indeed, it seemed to be. His silver hair seemed shaggier somehow and it had acquired a bluish tint.

But wasn’t just her Protector’s hair that was changing color—his body seemed to be getting even bigger and his skin had changed from pearly gray to a deep red. What the Hell was going on?

“Kross?” said softly, patting his cheek. “Are you okay? What’s happening to you?”

“What’s happening is that changes are taking place in his body.” It was Barbarous again, smirking from the screen on the far wall.

Sylvie frowned at him.

“Changes? What changes?”

“Oh, just a few minor tweaks to his DNA. Did you know that one of his ancestors was more beast than humanoid? Quite a savage individual, I imagine. Apparently they were able to change the color of their skin and hair as well as their eyes, as Mr. Kross is able to do. I wanted to bring that trait out in him. I’ve been working with plants for so long—working on a pure animal is a nice change of pace,” Barbarous said.

“You tweaked hisDNA?”Sylvie demanded. “What did you do to him?”

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