"No -- no it isn't...necessary." River forced the words out, struggling to form them into cohesion. "It isn't. You...hurt." Her hands came up, then, to touch the places along his neck, and shoulders where the bite marks should have been.
"Here. And here." The fingers applied a gentle, steady pressure before releasing. "Does it still hurt?" She looked up and saw clear through those bright, blue eyes. River wanted to know if it still hurt on the inside. If it still...if he still remembered the pain of snapping.