Painful shivers coursed over my spine as my muscles twitched, spasms running rampant throughout my body. My eyes stayed closed as I laid there in fetal position, unwilling to uncurl and face even more tormenting pain.

My head was pounding to the point where I could see my heartbeat pulse behind my closed eyes, could feel it pound against my temples as fevers wreaked havoc on my system.

Even the pain of my wounds and broken bones was not enough to distract me from the overwhelming pressure that was building in my head. Tears freely flowed down my cheeks, a pained cry slipping past my lips as I had made the mistake to pry my eyes open.

Instantly I heard the slight shuffling of footsteps over rocks and felt several cool noses nuzzle against me, as if checking to make sure I was alright. A deep growl rumbled from deeper within the room and instantly, the nudging stopped.

I tried to pry one eye open, at least so I could look at my surroundings, to have an idea what was going on but I couldn't. It felt like I was staring straight in the brightest light I've ever faced, as if I was dumb enough to look at the solar eclipse without protection.

Groaning, I curled up even tighter, feeling uncomfortably cold. Footsteps approached and fingers hesitantly pressed against my jaw. They were warm, incredibly so, and I sighed and relaxed a tiny bit as the warmth bloomed through my cheek from where they were touching me.

A snort sounded before I was gently moved, though they stopped when the motions jarred my painful muscles and I yelped in pain. My lips parted to pant as I slowly blinked, whining when the light was still painfully sharp for my eyes.

I could barely detect several forms moving along a rock wall, as we seemed to be in... a cave. But why was it so fucking bright down here? I groaned, bringing a shaky hand up to cover my eyes, only to whine as they were even too sensitive to touch.

Somewhere, I knew it was because of the bite, that was pulsing like a heartbeat, its own heat source that burned my skin. The infection had settled in the frontal lobe of my brain and was slowly spreading, taking over. But nothing was as overwhelming as the pulsating pain in my head.

Even a migraine was nothing compared against the pain I was feeling now. It felt as if my brain was growing, pushing against my skull until it was slowly cracking open. Every little sound I heard was one sound too much. I could hear some muffled breathing from the room next over, yet it felt as if they were breathing down my ear.

Now I understood why infected were so volatile. If I had been able to move and a human was nearby to make any kind of noise, it would've set me off, to try and kill the human before it caused even more pain.

My fingers yanked at my hair, hoping to cause enough pain to be momentarily distracted from the splitting migraine. Something in my head seemed to give way under the immense pressure before it snapped.

A loud scream spilled from my lips, echoing from the cave walls and bouncing back, amplifying and building up. I bashed my head against the rocks beneath it, desperately wanting this pain to stop.

Please, make it stop! Make it stop!

Even more footsteps rushed in, only to be stopped by the angry snarl behind me. Arms wrapped around me before I was heaved up and deposited onto something extremely soft. My back arched painfully as lights sparked behind my eyes, whispers and fading echoes rushing at me from every direction.

Yet, when I opened my mouth to scream once more, teeth dug into the barely healed bite mark, stealing my breath until all that left was a muffled whimper.

"Calm."

I blinked, shivering and convulsing in pain as I laid there, unable to move as the big male curled up around me. He pulled me closer to him so I was cradled against his chest, teeth still holding onto my shoulder as my hands laid limp against his chest.

And gods, the heat he produced. My aching muscles quivered and ever so slowly relaxed at the sensation, causing me to whine softly. All I got in response was a low growl, deep and threatening yet somehow, reassuring.

"Calm yourself. You're transmitting the pain to the hive."

I whimpered but the lips around my shoulder squeezed gently, teeth digging in deeper, making me relax before they slowly retreated, a tongue lapping at the mark.

"Hush. It'll be over soon."

A shiver rushed over my body but the voice hushed me once more, arms pulling me impossibly closer. The growls kept on rumbling through my ear, the constant sound somehow soothing. The man kept tending to the wound, nuzzling and grooming it while those deep, vibrating rumbles echoed through the room.

Each time a pained cry escaped me, those rumbles would get deeper, more intense until eventually some of the other infected growled as well. The deep, humming sound was enough to sooth me until I slowly fell in a fitful sleep.

I woke several times, my muscles cramping uncontrollably as pain wrecked through my body. I didn't know if it were my senses that were getting sharper or if my voice was getting a higher pitch. Any screams I let loose were much louder than before, gaining an echo of their own.

And each time any kind of sound slipped from my lips, more if the infected gathered in the room, growling and distressed, only to be chased out by the big male.

When I managed to pry my eyes open again, I could clearly see this time. Yet, my body was completely drained, too exhausted to move a muscle. They were all relaxed, yet twitching from time to time.

A soft blanket was wrapped around my body, preventing any movement as I slowly looked around the room. It was clear as day that we were in a cave, yet it didn't feel primitive at all. I could see several pieces of furniture had been brought in, and even though I wasn't lying on a bed, I was quite certain that the pit had been dug out, a matrass stuffed inside and then soft blankets and pillows piled on top.

Pushing myself up on my lower arms, I glanced around the room, frowning as I saw no real light source, yet everything was bright as daylight. I groaned in pain as my muscles protested, trembling until I was forced to lay back down.

A small scuttling sound made me turn towards the entrance, blinking at the child that stood there. It stared back at me before walking inside, eagerly crawling on the bed.

I smiled hesitantly as it crawled up next to me, cuddled in the blankets and let out a sleepy sigh. The little boy snuggled up closer, yawning and rubbing his eyes before he fell asleep, clutching at my shirt.

Something pulled me to this child, even though I knew it wasn't just a child. Yet even though it obviously was an infected, I couldn't care less. Perhaps it was the innocence and vulnerability that poured off of the child.

Or perhaps it was because the truth was slowly sinking in. It was no longer me versus them. It was us.

I too, was now an infected.

But I didn't feel all that different. Even as I slowly pushed myself up comfortable, making sure that the child was sleeping and covered, I couldn't help but wonder what changed?

My eye sight seemed to be sharper than before, as well as my hearing but, I still felt like...me. I still thought and acted like myself, I didn't feel the need to run out this cave and tear into the closest human being I'd find.

Why?

Why hadn't my mind deteriorated to the point where I no longer had my own will? I've seen it happen, had researched it before with Eric.

Eric... Oh god... I'd never be able to see my old friend again. The second I'd show him my face, I'd be shot on sight.

I swallowed heavily while looking up at the ceiling, memorizing all the small curves and lines before looking back down.

My breath froze in my chest as I stared at the male that filled the doorway. His sharp eyes were gleaming at me, slowly tracing over my entire body before settling on my shoulder. There was some sort of emotion flashing through his eyes, and hell, I could even feel it spark in the back of my mind like a long forgotten memory.

Suddenly he was moving, long legs moving with purpose until he was at the edge of the bed, and still didn't pause. He simply crawled closer as I backed up, the child forgotten until I was pinned in the bedding, a warm nose nuzzling over the mark near my throat.

He chuffed, like a big cat would in greeting, before lapping languidly at the mark he left behind. It almost seemed as if he was proud of himself, nuzzling against my skin and inhaling my scent. And where I normally would've shook in fear, I was slowly relaxing and purring underneath him, whining the second he paused as the child sat up tiredly.

"Jeremy?"

The man chuffed, reaching out to ruffle the kids hair before soothing and calming the boy, urging him to lay back down. "Relax Wyatt. You've done great. Thank you." The voice in my head murmured proudly.

Wyatt grinned, giggling slightly and showing a toothy grin as he shot a glance at me. "Told you I'd find you a Queen."

Queen?

Excuse you? DO I even LOOK like a female?

Anger and annoyance struggled to burst free at the boy's remark before the little brat pinned me with his vibrant eyes. "Don't get me wrong, Jeremy here is our King. But only a King can do so much for the hive. It is the Queen that holds the true power, the reason why we live."

I blinked, glancing at Jeremy and gasping softly as he looked at me with awe, pride and hunger. He growled, the sound deep and soothing as he pulled me in his arms before he stood up and left the room with me.

What the hell was going on here?