Cursed: Brides of the Kindred 13 by Evangeline Anderson

embarrassment and then white with rage.
    “You sick son of a bitch! I heard you Kindred had a sense of smell like a bloodhound but I never thought—”
    “Just tell me where you’re wounded,” Stav said steadily. “If you’re unsure how to treat yourself, I may be able to talk you through it. I have had some medical training though most of it has to do with combat injuries. Maybe I can help.”
    She gave a short, barking laugh. “No, you can’t help. Not with this. Nobody can help with this.”
    “You must get help somewhere.” He tried unsuccessfully to keep the worry and irritation out of his voice. “You’re in agony every time one of those pains hits and you’re bleeding.”
    She frowned. “How do you know about my cramps—uh, pains?”
    The fact that her pain hurt him as well was a personal detail Stavros didn’t wish to go into. He didn’t want to have to explain his status as one of the Cursed or what it meant regarding his life expectancy.
    “I told you, I have some medical training,” he said shortly. “Also, my people are very intuitive. But even if we weren’t, I could still smell the blood and see the pain on your face.”
    “Well don’t worry yourself about me—or get your hopes up.” She lifted her chin. “I’m not in any danger. It’s just a…a female thing. That’s all.”
    “A female thing?” Stav was completely at a loss. “What kind of female thing would cause you to bleed and have intense pain?”
    “Are you kidding me?” She stared at him incredulously. “Look, I know your race is like ninety-nine percent male but don’t you have any females at all? And don’t they have, uh…cycles?”
    “You mean a cycle as in the time it takes for a year to elapse?” he asked, frowning.
    “No.” She shook her head in obvious exasperation. “I mean monthly cycles.”
    He shrugged, still mystified.
    “No. Not that I ever heard of. What kind of a monthly cycle is this? Do you mean that you bleed and have pain every one of your Earth months?”
    “Well, yeah—I mean, that’s pretty much the essence of a period. I mean, it’s part of the reproductive system. It—” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m discussing this with you. This is ridiculous.”
    “Nothing that causes you such high levels of agony is ridiculous,” Stav said. “It’s serious and ought to be addressed. Why haven’t you sought treatment for this ‘monthly cycle?’ Even with primitive Earth medicine someone should have been able to do something for you.”
    “My doctor has tried, all right?” she snapped, clearly on the defensive. “But nothing helps except really strong muscle relaxers and they make me so loopy I can’t see straight. And I—”
    Another pain struck, this one even stronger. Though his mental shields were as high as they would go, it still felt like a knife twisting in Stav’s guts. He stiffened against his bonds, wanting to curl in on himself to ease the pain but he couldn’t in this position. All he could do was stay still and try to endure it.
    Through slitted eyes, he watched as Charlotte reacted to the pain. She wasn’t quite able to remain so stoic this time. Though she remained upright—how he didn’t know—her lovely features were twisted into a mask of agony.
    At last, after what seemed like a very long time, the pain began to ease. Stav relaxed back against the headboard, breathing hard. In the chair, Charlotte slumped over for a moment, her silky hair hiding her face.
    “Charlotte?” he asked hoarsely. “Charlotte, are you all right?”
    A soft moan of pure pain was his answer. He was about to surge forward again and attempt to break the wooden posts he was chained to when she finally lifted her head.
    “Fine,” she whispered. “I…I’m fine.”
    “You’re not!” Stavros was more than concerned now—he was angry. Why wouldn’t she do something to help herself? “You said there was medicine you could take,” he said. “Go and take it now