Amara mewled and snarled into the bedding as Nick came in hard, jerking thrusts. She was aching with the need to come, so close yet somehow completely locked away from it. Her talons shredded the mattress unthinkingly, and her fangs gnashed together ineffectively. The only satisfaction she had was in accepting the mark of this potent male. Regardless of being locked in with him alone or locked in a whole room of them, this was the male she would have wanted. He was the most powerful; the most potent. He was what she needed. Her match. Her mate.

Amara heard him grunting as the spasms of his orgasm subsided. But she knew, and maybe he did as well, that he hadn’t done what he had needed to do. That was evidenced by how hard he remained inside of her. She was glad he had come, though, because it made her so slick even as the scent of it pervaded her every cell. She didn’t mind the mark at all, because she would do the same in return. He was now hers, and woe to any bitch who thought to approach him.

She could feel him fucking her relentlessly, realizing he had somehow forgotten something so his release had no true satisfaction to it. She had no more of an idea than he did as to what it was they both needed, but neither would stop until they figured it out. Amara suspected, though, it had something to do with the aching, empty feel of her belly. The hollow starvation screaming for fulfillment. Just as her body screamed for fulfillment.

Pushing away from their connection, bearing his resistant, clawing attempt to hold her into his dominant positioning, Amara turned over on the bed and faced the beast who was her lover head on. The moment she saw his descended fangs, the gleam sharp and primitive, her body’s response was just as primal. Nick seemed to feel a similar reaction when he saw her toothy grin, and he fell on her eagerly. Tongues and teeth clashed in biting kisses, both of their lips paying the price in blood. Their tangy flavors combined and they both moaned and moved in restless need.

“Give me your cock again,” she begged him, her sharp nails clawing down his back until he howled in the pleasurable agony of it. He shoved into her in a single, gliding thrust and she immediately felt the difference. Oh, he was as brutish and big as before, despite his having come so recently, but what was different was the way she felt in reaction to his invasion. With the tartness of their blood on her tongue, she suddenly felt like she could burst in just a few strokes. To that effect, she dug her nails into his buttocks in encouragement. The pain made him surge deep, and then retaliation for that pain made him brutal. He banged into her in hard, wicked thrusts, the sound of wet, slapping flesh filling the small room as he drilled deep with grinding surges of his hips.

Amara felt it all, and her body coiled in pleasure. So close! She was coming so close! But it seemed the closer she came to the crest of pleasure, the more cruel her distracting starvation became. Crying out in frustration, she dragged her male down to her breasts in hopes he could do something to help her. The lave of his flat tongue scraping across her sensitive nipples was a damn good start. Then he was biting at them, chewing on the points in voracious little nibbles and she felt her vagina drench him in a flash flood of hot juices in response. Her whole body burned with need and she keened for release. Then, without knowing why, she sank a hand into his hair and jerked him up to her so she could burrow her face into his neck right where it met his shoulder. She sniffed him, could smell the testosterone pumping thickly through him on its adrenaline piggyback ride. She wanted to just taste him. To take a bite. The craving of it was overwhelming.

Amara’s fangs sank deep into his thick neck.

Several things happened all at once. His blood burst onto her palate, and it was by far the most erotically delicious flavor her tongue had ever encountered. He was full of so many male hormones, to match the irresistible reek of his pheromones which had made it impossible to stay away from him despite his requests, earlier. Her mouth filled and she swallowed him down. Finally the agony in her belly eased.

And instantly, her body released.

Amara came, her orgasm hitting her so hard and so fast that her head whipped back in such a violent way that she tore through the flesh of her lover’s neck. Heedless of the blood pouring from his wound, she writhed as wild spasms of pleasure shook and rode through her like an electrical current. She was squeezing the rigid flesh inside her body, her back arching up hard as her bloodstained breasts thrust up at him.

When he suddenly sank his teeth into her breast, his fangs piercing deeply above and below her nipple, she came again. She cried out, her vagina wrenching around him as he, too, began to climax once more. He suckled at her greedily, and she felt her blood pouring into his throat with each hungry draw. He humped hard into her, their pelvises smashing together as he spent himself to the utmost.

They collapsed together on the bed, a panting tangle of sweaty limbs covered in sticky blood and come. Amara sniffed at the aroma of freshly flowing blood and turned to lick and suck at the damage she’d done to his neck. She licked the area clean and slowly continued to do so until the bleeding eased and finally stopped altogether. She realized it soothed him, what she was doing, because he kind of purred in approval, and then thought to imitate her kindness against her bitten breast. Tingles of blissfulness radiated out from the swipes of his rough tongue, and need rekindled when he found himself constantly attracted by the thrust of her nipple. He sucked at her again and again, and she sighed and moaned in encouragement. When she stopped bleeding from where he had fed from her, he switched to the other side.

Amara took note that his fangs had retracted quite a bit, and so had her own. Her famished belly was not so keen any longer, but neither was she fully sated. Certainly not as sated as her male clearly was. All of his desperation and dominance had subsided into lazy contentment. He had, she realized, taken far more from her than she had taken from him.

Taken blood.

Reality suddenly rushed in on Amara with horrifying coldness and she shoved hard against the man lying heavily on top of her, his penis still half hard and deep inside of her. He rose up at her urging, his hands braced by her shoulders, and the minute he saw the look on her face, the chill of knowing rode over him just as fast and hard. His sea-green eyes widened as they raked down over their naked, bloodstained bodies.

Nick surged off of her and the bed in a single violent movement, hurtling himself away until his back hit the opposite wall of the small cell.

“Oh, my God,” he rasped. “What—What have I done? What did they do to us?”

Amara sat up and together they looked at the evidence before them. Her nails had grown long and curved, as sharply pointed as a cat’s with a visible quick under the opaque white. Yet, even as she watched with her heart racing, they began to retract and re-form until they eventually became a set of beautifully long, feminine nails that were armor hard and brightly healthy. She had always had such weak, flimsy nails that the difference made quite an impact on her. Nick was watching the same thing happen for himself. His talons had been thicker, a little bit darker, and visibly stronger than her own. When they fully retracted, though, they were a tiny bit long for a man, but not as hers were.

Almost simultaneously, they both reached to touch their protruding teeth. All the rest were quite normal, just as squared off and blunt as always, perfect for gripping and holding prey while the newer teeth did the job of puncturing. Again, even as they examined themselves, the changed attribute began to withdraw from their ready positions, making Amara’s jaw ache as everything seemed to shift. The fangs, she realized, were not a part of the front row of natural teeth, but were instead extraneous to them, set flush in front of them. They were also at a distance of about an inch apart from one another. Once they were fully retracted, they were no more than white pointed nubs hidden beneath her lips even when she smiled her widest.

Amara watched as Nick looked down at his resting cock, examining himself a little tentatively. She recalled how enormous he had been and realized why he was curious. Even without being erect, he was still of impressive size, but she had no idea if this was normal for him or not. Her slightly sore vaginal walls were ready to guess not.

“Fuck,” Nick hissed. “I never lacked for size, but this is ridiculous.”

Well, Amara thought, that answers that question. What was strange, however, was that she took note of each physical difference almost clinically. She saw the benefits to having stronger nails, teeth that could tear, and a lover with a gorgeously huge cock.

And that made her really realize what they’d done to each other. Not only had they thrown away all inhibitions and had mad, animalistic sex together in spite of being absolute strangers, but they had drunk each other’s blood.

Sick. She was going to be sick. Amara was sure of it. Covering her mouth, she raced to the bathroom sink. Her body heaved, wanting to throw up what her human mind needed to reject as an act of horror, but nothing came. Nick, who had followed her in, was looking gray and distraught beside her.

“What have they done to us?” She echoed his earlier query, her voice strained as her body hunched over the sink and tried again to reject the meal she’d made of him. But even as this happened, another part of her brain warred with her over it, arguing that the warmth and spicy flavor of him had been the best meal of her entire life. She’d never known such satisfaction or such pleasure.

“Amara, I’m so sorry. God, look at what I did to you,” he choked out, reaching to touch her bloodied, wounded hips where he’d clawed into her.

“It doesn’t hurt,” she said quite honestly. “Just stings a little.” She splashed water over her face and drank the coolness from her fingers. She wiped her face against her arm and stood up straight to examine him. “Turn around.”

Nick hesitated, the avoidance of his usually direct eyes confirming what she already knew. She reached for him and, after a look of admonition, turned him gently between her hands. She saw the raw slices of her nails down his back, and even deep into his buttocks, which she didn’t as easily recall doing as she did the other.

“Does it hurt?” she had to ask, her fingertips ghosting over the wounds. Then she reached up to touch his neck, where she could see the savage bite of her very own teeth torn into his flesh. But she could also see he was already healing from the damage. She had ripped him up unthinkingly, but despite the ugly look of the melded wound, it was clearly sewing itself together again. “You’re healing,” she marveled.

Nick turned and reached for the breast he had bitten, gentle fingers cupping her warmly even as he stroked his thumb over the deep punctures and surrounding bruises. “So are you,” he noted. “Amara, I never wanted…” He swallowed loudly, remorse and distress resonating deep into his intense green gaze.

“Neither did I. You aren’t to blame any more than I am. I knew the minute they threw me in here we were in trouble no matter what we did. I’ve seen too many things here.”

She squeezed past him and tapped the water temp panel for the shower. The cube was quite small, but she reached for him regardless and drew him under the spray with her. Amara figured there was no need to be shy anymore, and she wasn’t quite ready to be left alone just yet. She hoped he didn’t balk, and she smiled when he obeyed the silent request to join her. She felt the sting of the hot water in the many pricks and cuts on her body, and when he winced ever so slightly she could imagine it was quite a lot worse for him since she’d tracked up his back pretty fiercely.

“Let’s avoid soap,” she advised as she ran her hands down over his chest and helped the water run red with his blood. “Are you dizzy or anything? You lost a lot of…” Amara frowned. Nick reached up quickly to cradle her cheek against his palm, his thumb rubbing away the lines of distress between her brows.

“No. Not at all. I feel fine. Strangely, better than fine. Don’t worry. I did my share of damage, too.”

“There are no towels,” she noted.

“We’ll have to settle for the heat dryer. I hate the damn things, but there isn’t much of a choice.”

Nick gently rubbed his free hand down over her chest, rinsing away places where blood had dried on her skin. A mixture of his and of hers. Suddenly, Amara wanted more of his gentility. There was something very compelling about his animalistic mastery, and she wouldn’t kid herself about how it had felt despite how it had come about, but she also craved this human kindness from him. It was almost as if she yearned for the balance of it.

He turned off the water and hit the drying switch. Bright heat lights flared on over them and warm air blasted against their bodies. Nick turned her, lifting her hair, her breasts, and skimming down her body again and again until she was mostly dry. He even made her step her feet wide apart to dry her between her legs, his fingers stroking through tight pubic curls and beyond. He turned her and very familiarly cupped her backside, parting her cheeks and very intimately made certain she was dry there as well. Amara flushed as his touch ran over her. There had been a time when she would never have allowed such familiarity. Now, she had no more secret or sanctified places on her body after three months at the whim of medics, doctors, and others who couldn’t care less about her modesty. But at least with Nick it felt welcome. Like a choice. Odd, since it was clear choice had been manipulated in both of them. But at this moment, it was voluntary.

They stepped out of the shower and the instant she was away from the warmth of his body and the dryer, she began to shiver, wrapping herself up in her own arms.

Nick reacted immediately, drawing her against his own warmth and leading her out of the chilled bathroom to find the blanket she’d abandoned earlier. He wrapped them up together and, after flipping over the bloody mattress, drew her down onto the bed. “Seems cuddling is the least I can do after all else I’ve done to you,” he joked a bit grimly. Amara appreciated the humor, black as it was.

“I wonder what will happen now. I’m afraid of what will happen next. I know they are watching us. They know we’re done doing what they wanted us to do.” She had no more caution, no more reason to be shy or withdrawn, so it allowed her a new freedom. She exercised it as she touched him over his chest, rubbing a thumb over a Land Corps tattoo on his biceps. He had served in the military. He was a cop. Everything about him evidenced that he was a man who wanted to do good, but he had to do it in rough and tough ways. The beast he had become under the duress of the experimenters’ drugs had probably already existed in part inside of him. She had easily seen his aggressive tendencies the moment she’d first seen him in the common room. She imagined he would have been a dominant lover even under normal circumstances. But she also sensed he would have been far more attentive, and much more caring of his partner’s needs. His actions in the shower had made that clear to her.

For herself, after having grown up destitute and living half her life on streets far too dangerous for a child, she knew there was an animal inside of her as well. She had repressed it and every other emotional reaction she’d ever had as she had turned herself into a labor machine. Work, eat, sleep. Work, eat, sleep. There had been comfort in that. It kept her isolated and insulated. She didn’t have to fight for food, for her body, or for her life. Until this very moment, she had continued to react numbly to what had happened to her, perhaps having given up even before she had gotten there. But in the end, she had been herself, numb or not. What they had done these past three months had altered all of that. Taken her all away.

Made her into what they had wanted her to be.

Now, Amara felt as though she had just wakened from a long, paralyzing coma. Perhaps it was seeing what had happened to Nick while looking into sea-green eyes turned savage and outrageously wild. Or she was more inclined to believe it had been that moment of reckoning striking with guilt and horror across his face when he’d seen the blood on their bodies. It surprised her to realize that what happened to someone else really did matter to her. She had spent a very long time convincing herself otherwise, figuring it was just easier that way.

But it was different suddenly. She felt energized and revitalized and…

Powerful.

Whole. That was it. She suddenly felt like missing parts of herself had been retrieved and connected to her soul where they belonged. It was such an elemental sensation and so very raw at heart. And she knew, somehow, that it was because fate had thrown her into Nick’s path.

“I don’t want them to take me away,” she blurted out suddenly.

“They can’t take you away,” he said, his voice suddenly low and rough. There was such a deep-seated level of threat and, seeing how his eyes flashed virulent green wildfire, she believed him. He dragged her up closer, rubbing his face against her hair and locking a leg around both of hers as if that would keep them from taking her when the time came. But the truth was they weren’t the ones with the ultimate power in the end.

They were. The experimenters.

Except now, their experiments had suddenly developed very interesting new strengths.

“Do you think what they have done is permanent?” she whispered.

“Feels like,” he said just as softly, not knowing if it helped them speak privately or not. “Drugs don’t grow body parts. I think they fucked with our genetics.”

“Maybe we’re the end result of all the trial and error they’ve been doing. They culled out all the weakest of us. You are the first new person we’ve seen in ages, and like you said, you were chosen deliberately because you were snooping around where they didn’t want you.”

“From what I learned,” Nick replied, his frown hidden in her hair, “the Phoenix Project is supposed to be some kind of anti-aging protocol.”

“Great, so they make vampires out of us?” Amara couldn’t believe she’d had the temerity to say it aloud. It seemed so ridiculous, but at the same time it was the best description. “I wonder what else it does to us. Did. Did to us. Are we immortal? Will we go ‘poof’ in sunlight?”

“I’m sure they are testing those theories on some poor assholes as we speak. But they must have known about the animalistic need to mate and feed, otherwise why pair us up so fast?”

“You think we can eat regular food still?”

“We can drink water. You proved that.”

“Oh, hey. I did, didn’t I?” She sighed. “I have to admit, I am scared to find out the answers to all of this. Worse, it scares me to think of this savagery being let loose inside of some of the nasty weirdos we have around here. They brought in a really large group with us, and we probably weren’t the only ones. Raul, the medic on my floor, said it was a ‘big day today.’ Maybe they culminated this part of the project? Maybe everyone was changed?”

“We won’t know until and if they let us back into the general populace. But here’s the part that freezes my soul, Amara. My investigation, the one that led me here? It was in pursuit of a rash of kidnappings.”

“I know. That’s how they get us.”

“No, honey. I mean kidnappings. As in kids. They’ve got children here, too.”