When Meg awoke, she felt... good.

No. Better than good. The fatigue and nausea and all those skin-crawling sensations she'd been feeling for the past few days were completely gone. Her skin wasn't clammy, she actually felt rested, and her stomach rumbled with obvious hunger.

There was some part of her that had still resisted the idea of being Verkiir's mate. She'd been willing to give herself to him--all of herself--but she hadn't actually believed anything would change. She might be a little less horny, but she fully expected to have to muddle through all of the other symptoms until her implant set itself right.

But every agonizing thing she'd felt was gone, replaced by a sense of calm. Meg was never calm. Even now, as her rational mind processed the fact that her sister was still out there somewhere, she felt at ease. Confident that they would find her and she wouldn't be hurt. She trusted Verkiir to do that, just like she'd trusted him not to hurt her.

That had paid off indescribably just a couple hours before. She stirred on her makeshift bed, looking up to find him there. His back was propped against a wall, but he must have pulled her against him sometime in the night, because she was currently using his muscular thigh as a pillow.

Which... while it was very, very nice, wasn't that great of a pillow.

Verkiir was very much awake, and Meg felt a ridiculous blush rise in her cheeks as she met his gaze. Brilliant gold eyes shone down at her with such intense emotion that her breath caught in her lungs and she forgot what she was embarrassed about.

"Good morning, my mate," he practically purred.

It took her that long to realize he was still very, very naked. His cock stood at attention already, hard and oh so tempting. Her own body responded in kind and a rush of heat traveled southward.

If this were the day after--if they'd already found Ash--she probably would have climbed onto his lap and slid down his thick shaft until he filled her. Because last night, being utterly possessed by him... it was something she didn't even know how to describe.

She'd had sex before. She'd enjoyed it, but it had never been some all-consuming thing. There were other, more important matters to worry about. But when she was with Verkiir, he made her feel she could stop worrying. Like he would take care of her and everything else. And that was... indescribably meaningful to Meg, who'd spent her life taking care of everyone else.

But it wasn't the next day, and Ash was still missing. As optimistic as Meg was, she wasn't willing to leave it to chance. They'd already missed a lot of time just because Meg hadn't been able to find her sister by nightfall.

"We must dress," Verkiir said reluctantly. But a glint in his eyes and a tug at his lips caught her attention. "But do not fear. I am not done with you yet. When we return, I will show you exactly why Karuvar males are renowned for their stamina."

Meg blushed crimson at that. God. Was he... could he read her thoughts now? Was there more to this mating thing than he'd explained?

She decided to ask him. Telepathically. As one did. When there was no answer, Meg realized he didn't need to be a mind reader to know where her mind had gone. She'd been staring at him like a woman starved just moments before.

"How about we find my sister," Meg said, flustered, "and then we can talk about your stamina."

Jesus wept. So much for thinking sleeping with Verkiir once would cure the horniness. Thankfully, she was able to pull away from him and go about the task of gathering her clothes, her mind moving toward something more productive, like where they might find Ashley.

She reached for her panties, coming up with a torn piece of fabric that barely resembled panties any longer. Right. No panties. No bra. She'd all but begged him for that, hadn't she? Her mother would be so proud.

The blush lingered in Meg's cheeks as she pulled on her pants--which didn't close properly now--and her shirt. She had to use a knife to cut off the ties and wrap them around her waist like a makeshift belt, but at least it kept her pants covering her ass.

Verkiir retrieved his own pants and the harness he wore over his chest, dressing methodically, like a soldier. If he was aware of her staring at his ass--and the tail that flicked lazily behind him--he didn't show it.

She kicked dirt into the fire and made sure it was out, her nose wrinkling at the acrid scent of smoke as the lingering flames were quashed. That was weird. It hadn't been a large fire, and smoke didn't usually bother her that much.

"You were right to seek her in a shelter," Verkiir said, strapping his halberd to his back. "Drann would have taken her inside when night began to fall."

So right she'd almost gotten herself killed. Some part of her expected him to say that, but when she looked up at him, he was simply studying her. He reached out a hand, and before she even knew she'd grasped it, she was being pulled into him, her still-sensitive, pleasantly-achy body connecting with his.

Verkiir's lips descended upon hers in a deep and thorough kiss. There wasn't any urgency as his tongue explored her mouth, but there was a promise.

"You are brave. And strong."

And that was all he said before releasing her and walking toward the large hole in the side of the building. Meg stood there, utterly stunned for a moment.

Brave? Strong? It was almost like he'd somehow felt her insecurities and was reassuring her that her heart, at least, had been in the right place.

But much like the "mind-reading," Meg could only assume she'd telegraphed her emotions for the whole world to see. She'd just never expected someone like Verkiir to pick up on them.

With a small shrug, she followed him into the street. The first thing she noticed was that the sun really wasn't that high. In fact, it wasn't even up all the way. There was just a gentle glow of light blanketing the ruins. Only... she could see everything, like it was midday and the sun was shining brightly. That was... weird.

Weirder still was the fact that she could hear things she didn't think she should be hearing. Tiny little rustles that didn't sound close by at all. The flapping of a bird's wings--a bird she couldn't actually see. The drip of water back in the Pit.

"Can you... can you hear that?"

As she tried to make sense of the sounds, she was nearly overwhelmed by them. There were so many, all vying for her attention. Skittering here. Scraping there. The distant rumble of a truck.

What the hell was going on with her?

One of Verkiir's ears flicked, turning toward the direction of the truck. Could he hear it, too? Of course he could. He was a Karuvar. Great hearing and night vision were two things they had in spades.

So why did she suddenly have those things, too?

"Your implant is helping you adapt as I do," Verkiir said, as if this wasn't huge fucking news to her. "It will be overwhelming at first, but in time you will learn what is important and what is not."

"...I'm sorry, what? The implant is helping me... adapt?"

The Verkiir of just a few days ago might have ignored her, but he turned back to her with a patient consideration. "We are bonded. My strengths become your strengths, and yours become mine, so that we may pass them on to our kits."

Was that why he was suddenly more understanding of her plight? Why he seemed to have a better developed sense of empathy?

Wait... kits?

Meg never had the chance to ask. Despite being assaulted by a myriad of sounds she couldn't even guess at, there was one that cut through all the rabble.

Her sister's voice.

It was faint, but it was there. She closed her eyes and strained to hear it clearer.

--need to get going. Meg's gonna totally freak.

"Oh, we're way past that point," she muttered, even as her heart leapt in relief and joy.

Verkiir looked at her questioningly, but a small smile spread across his lips in response to her own.

"I hear her," Meg said.

She took the lead, her mind seeming to pinpoint exactly where that sound had come from. Verkiir followed, apparently trusting in her newfound senses, and Meg had to admit she was finding them really, really handy.

The closer she got, the more her pace increased, until she could hear her sister's voice just one hundred yards away, perhaps, muffled by a building.

"Ash!" she called.

"Meg?"

That sound of relief brought a flood of emotion to the surface, threatening to break the dam she'd carefully built over the years. When she saw Ashley emerge from the ruined building--dirty and with a few scrapes and bruises, but otherwise in one piece--the dam broke, and Meg let that flood wash over her.

She ran to her sister, wrapping her up in her arms, holding her close. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her heart hurt from knowing what might have happened if things had turned out differently.

She couldn't lose Ash. Not now. Not ever.

Pulling back from her sister, Meg took her face in her hands. "I swear to God, if you ever do that to me again, I will murder you myself."

She was laughing through the tears and Ash laughed, too, though she did have the grace to look chagrined.

"Told you so," she said, tossing a glance to Drann.

Meg regarded the younger Karuvar as Verkiir looked him over, evidently checking on his physical wellbeing. Meg was more concerned with the state of his clothing, but everything looked intact. So did Ash's.

Thank God. She would have died of mortification right where she stood if Ashley and Drann had experienced their own version of what she and Verkiir shared.

"Were you attacked?" Verkiir asked.

Meg's heart dropped, her throat momentarily closing. When Drann shook his head, she finally let out the breath she'd been holding.

"It's my fault. Azh'lee didn't plan to go this far, but I wanted to see what was beyond the Pit."

"Ashley shouldn't even have taken you to the Pit," Meg said, some of her ire coming back now that she knew they were both safe.

"I know," Ash said, and she actually did sound contrite. "But look what we found!"

Her sister pulled something small and thin from her pocket. A glass screen stretched across the front, while some kind of plastic made up the bulk of it. It looked like the display screens they used in Everton and Waystation Helios, only much, much smaller.

"I bet I can get it working again," her sister said, the excitement in her voice so clear that Meg had a hard time being angry with her.

But someone had to play the bad guy. She couldn't just let Ash wander the ruins whenever she wanted. It was too dangerous, and--

"After I get done being grounded," Ash supplied with a sheepish smile. "Yeah. I know."

Oh. Had her night with Verkiir given her some influence over teenagers, too?

If so, this day was starting off even better than she thought.