“I have several boxes actually,” he said drolly as he withdrew the needle, then stared down at her with a kindness that brought tears to her eyes. “I know how hard this is on you, Miss Andrews. I promise, I’m trying to hurry.”
She glanced over at Taber where he stood propped against the wall beside the door. He was tense, his expression savage as his gaze watched her with a hungry fury.
“Take your time. I have plenty of blood.” She drew in a deep breath, determined to get through this. “So tell me, have you come up with a cure yet?”
Taber growled. The doctor glanced over at him a bit worriedly, though she caught him smothering his chuckle.
“No cure that we know of.” He finally moved back, giving her a chance to breathe in air that didn’t smell male. “I’ve run every damned test I can think of and we now have over two dozen other scientists working on it. The only answer is conception.”
“As if!” Roni allowed all the pent up anger and fear to power the small exclamation. “I need my birth control pills. I’ve already missed one.” It was the only answer. She had taken them before to keep her cycles timely but now she needed them desperately. “You’re a doctor; get them for me.”
“Doesn’t work.” He shook his head as Taber snarled, a low, dangerous sound that rocked her body, not with fear as it should have, but with excitement.
“Excuse me?” She lifted her brows, fighting back her shock. “What the hell do you mean it doesn’t work? Fine, give me a Depo shot, an IUD. I don’t give a damn, but do something.”
Having a child was out of the question. She had no intention of becoming pregnant, not by Taber, not by anyone, and especially not amid the danger she was beginning to realize lurked outside the estate Taber and his family were working frantically to secure.
“Depo doesn’t work.” The doctor stuck a swab in her mouth, swirling it around quickly as she nearly gagged.
She pushed her hands through her hair as he moved away, fighting back the rising panic welling inside her and the pain blooming through her body. Every bone and muscle felt as though it were on fire, blistering her insides with heat. Perspiration dotted her skin and no matter how she fought it she couldn’t hold back the small wracking trembles that attacked her body.
“I need a vaginal sample.” The doctor’s voice lowered, filling with regret. “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t easy.”
Taber paced closer.
“Get back, Taber!” She was amazed at the fury that echoed in her demand. “If you come near me I’ll shove one of those damned needles into that black heart of yours.”
“Dammit, Roni, you can’t do this alone,” he retorted. “I’m only trying to help you.”
“You’ve helped enough,” she sneered, dragging several deep, strengthening breaths before turning back to the doctor. “Why is this so hard?” she demanded of the other man. “Tell me what the hell’s wrong with me before you do anything. I feel like fire ants are eating away at my insides and I’m getting damned sick of it.”
She could handle it, she assured herself as she watched the doctor, keeping her expression fierce. It seemed neither he, nor Taber, responded to anything other than complete determination and more than one threat of physical violence.
Doc Martin heaved an impatient breath. “Young woman, let’s get these tests completed first…”
“You touch me and you may not be walking straight for days.” She cocked her leg back as he watched it warily. “I want answers before you stick another needle, swab or whatever the latest device of torture is at the moment.” She sure as hell didn’t like the looks of that damned speculum he was holding in his
hand.
“Roni, I told you what was wrong.” Taber stepped closer.
Roni turned her head slowly, watching him with all the pent up violence raging through her system. He stopped again, only feet from the gurney this time.
“A mating does not a relationship make,” she told him with false sweetness before turning back to the doctor. “Answers, if you please. In English would be nice, too,” she ventured, unwilling to try to understand whatever doctor’s jargon he used.
“In a nutshell,” he sighed. “For the time being, your body is addicted to the hormone contained in Taber’s saliva as well as his se**n. The effects are intense, bringing violent illness and pain, which only goes away after, uuhh…relations are attained.” He flushed before her shocked gaze. “The best we’ve been able to figure is that it’s nature’s way of ensuring the species.Normally, the minute amount of normal sperm the Feline Breed males possess makes them virtually impotent. But the hormone infecting you forces your body to ovulate every three days. To further ensure procreation, it strengthens normal arousal to the point that it cannot be denied.”
Roni cursed her own stubbornness. She could feel the blood draining from her face as her stomach pitched and her mind fought to reject the diagnosis.
“It ends with conception?” Her voice was thready as she fought to speak.
“The symptoms left Merinus upon conception,” he agreed. Sympathy filled his voice. “It is something that, so far, seems to occur only with a woman with whom the emotions of the Feline Breed are involved. A natural mate, in Callan and Merinus’ case. It has never occurred before.”
She pressed her hands to her stomach, swallowing tightly, refusing to allow herself to be sick.
“Prevent conception.” Her voice was shaking.
“Roni…” Taber’s protest was ignored.