Cara didn't mind the gossip that ensued, and she did nothing to correct the rumors of the great passion that had passed between them. She hadn't been willing to give Cush her body, but she didn't see the harm in allowing others to think she had. There had been harmless banter and crude comments by the men, mostly in good humor and directed at Cush, but it had been Finn's response that had shocked Cara. His reaction had been the opposite of what she had expected. He had turned away from her just for kissing Helfrich, and she had anticipated his scorn when he heard the rumors that she had taken Cush as a lover. But instead of the anger she had prepared for, he had responded with affection, doting on her as he had once done. It was unsettling, and she didn't know what to make of his behavior. For a full week after the festival, Cara couldn't shake the effects that the drugs had induced. There were days when she thought she had finally rid her body of the toxins, but then her hands would start shaking and her skin would break out in a cold sweat.
