Viper's twinkling resplendent green eyes stared into hers for a quiet shared moment. Then Hope found herself too happy and overcome to be silent.
Viper
Hope was winning the battle and Viper couldn't control his joy. He wanted to run into the star lit night and cry out in triumph. He wanted to kiss the earth in praise of Kadru. But most of all Viper wanted Hope. Not even the possibility of this being just a fluke dampened his spirits much. The scientist had been too happy for it to be anything other than a miracle.
Viper gazed at his mate, she was his everything, wrapped into a delicate looking package, but beneath the surface she was strong, brave, beautiful, and so wildly sexy.
"You know why my mother called us girls Faith and Hope?" His female said with a wistful smile.
"Why beautiful?" Viper asked as he stood pressed to the glass.
"She named us after a religious saying that goes, 'Faith, Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is Love.' I once asked mom, if we had another sister would she call her Love. And she would always tell us she already had love as she squeezed us tight." Viper's sweet female had an even sweeter smile as she recalled her mother.
Viper agreed with Hope's mother. He had love, and he had Hope.
"Viper have them turn off this drug that's making me sleepy, and my butt is sore from laying here so long." Hope grimaced.
Viper nearly burst he laughed so hard. The tension from the last day evaporating as his strong little mate groused.
"Yes Hope, let me see what I can do." As Viper walked to the door, he heard her holler.
"And I'm hungry too."
In that moment Viper was sure his Hope would be fine.
Amare wrapped around Viper's hearts and shook him to his very roots. Yet even as it uprooted him, Viper wouldn't have it any other way.
Hope
This was her last day in quarantine and thank god they didn't feel the need to keep her for further observation. The doctors had taken a truckload of blood already, the vampires! The Anguis scientists isolated some kind of cell in her that was literally consuming the Morbo virus. Cool and creepy! They just couldn't recognize or classify it. Either way there wasn't a single trace of the Morbo virus left in her, so Hope wasn't a threat to anyone else.
Hope was also happy to learn that the creature that infected her died afterwards. Apparently that's what they do, reproduce then die.
Was it shameful all she could think of was getting naked, hot and sweaty with a certain tall dark and handsome? Hope had been a ball of hormones from the moment they said she wasn't going to die. She had it bad, really bad.
"Are you ready?" Viper asked nearly shaking in excitement.
He was as ready as Hope was to get out of this place. He hadn't left her side for one moment and looked as pathetic as she did.
"God, I love that man." Hope beamed. "You know I am." She nodded emphatically.
Tara, Faith, JP, and Acris stood happily by the door. Even Hyla was present. The woman cast a genuine smile at her son, but occasionally glanced at the other room where Adder had been, and her face fell. It was a tragic loss. Hope wondered how she had been spared when Adder had not?
Hope watched and held her breath as the scientist typed into the control panel securing the room. Something in the back of Hope's mind nudged at her but was forgotten the instant the seal on the door broke.
It was a race to see who could get in first to hug her and Hope loved it. Tara and Faith reached her first to smother her. Hope's sister and friend twittered all bleary eyed as they gripped her tight.
Hope looked up to see that Viper had frozen just inside the entrance of the room. His nostrils flared as he took long huffing breaths. With eyes closed he rolled his head from one side to the other like he was bathing in the scent of her that undoubtedly filled the room. The rumbling growl that started in his chest only intensified, till it reverberated through the room. When his eyes opened, they were wild in their intensity, the pupils having swallowed up the green irises. The colors of his skin flashed rapidly. When Viper moved towards Hope, it wasn't a carefree gait, it was more like a predator closing in on his prey.
Hope shivered and realized she was instantly wet.
Hyla and Acris exchanged nervous looks.
"Um females, males we need to get out of here for a bit." Hyla said suddenly looking at her son with concern.
"What are you talking about? We're taking Hope home." Faith said with chagrin.
Hyla grabbed Hope's sister and shoved JP back towards the door, while Acris did the same with Tara.
Viper leveled a menacing gaze at the male Anguis doctor, his growl turning feral. The man blanched and backed away slowly as Viper's teeth gnashed at him. Tara, Faith and JP paled looking confused and frightened.
"Viper's not quite himself at the moment." Hyla said to the ladies. "He's a bit overwhelmed."