It was obvious no one had helped him with it. Nightmare must’ve been on his own when it’d happened.
Her heart tripped, and she couldn’t help but see an image of a wounded Nightmare, sitting against a dirty wall somewhere, holding his hand against his throat as blood ran down his fingers.
He’d been on his own.
Alone.
How he must’ve suffered.
A tear ran down her cheek, but she quickly dried it away.
“Why are you crying?”
Jade winced when she heard Celise’s voice behind her. She wiped away a second tear. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just pressure.”
Her fellow doctor grabbed a chair and sat next to her. There was a pinch of pity in her eyes, but also understanding, and the gentle smile on her lips was, in a way, soothing. “You love him, don’t you?”
She froze.
Time itself stopped for a split-second as her heart went into a frenzy. She held her breath, ready to deny it, ready to tell Celise she was stupid for even thinking such things.
Jade was ready for a fight.
Yet, she didn’t move.
She stared at the tank, letting the question sink in, and after a long moment of silence, she nodded with a sigh. “Is it that obvious?”
Celise nodded. “Yes.”
Jade pursed her lips. “Don’t you dare tell him.”
“I wasn’t planning to, but someone else might.”
“He won’t believe it. It’ll sound too surreal to him.”
Was she trying to convince herself?
“How come you’re so sure?”
“Because I’m Jade Silva, the CEO of MedAct. Besides, he and I have been on each other’s throats since day one. He’s never seen me as anything but someone he can’t wait to kill.”
Her colleague only nodded. “And you?”
She scowled. “Why do you care?”
“Because I want to understand you. I’ve never seen you as the bad guy. Sure, you’ve always been a tad too stern, but as MedAct’s CEO, that’s necessary. And yet, when I learned the truth about the bond, I couldn’t believe you were involved in such a nasty plot.”
Fatigue swept over her. “You’re talking in riddles again.”
Confusion grazed Celise’s doll-like features, then she relaxed. “Tell me about him.” She nodded toward Nightmare.
Apparently, Jade wouldn’t get an answer any time soon. “Do I have a choice?”
“You believe you don’t?”
She shrugged. “Well, from my point of view, I’d say I don’t, since you kidnapped me and are keeping me here against my will.”
Her fellow doctor just watched her, and she didn’t like the pity-filled look in her eyes.
Jade cursed to herself. “Fine. I’ve been fascinated with cyborgs ever since I was young, and it was always my dream to work with them. I watched Nightmare and his Fighters on the news. I grew up with them always being on TV, and I saw their sorrow and fury. They weren’t common back then, and they always seemed so torn, especially Nightmare. He was the reason I applied to MedAct when I was old enough.”
Celise nodded. “You’ve always been intrigued by him.”
“You could say that.” Some part of Jade hated talking about this. She’d never told a soul about her feelings for Nightmare, but for some reason, it also felt good to have it out there. It’d been a long and difficult secret to keep. “I never saw him like the dangerous and deadly cyborg everyone claimed him to be. I looked beyond that and saw a desperate man who needed help. I wanted to help him, and that’s still my goal, but I only seem to push him away.”
“That’s because you don’t understand him.”
Jade shot her another dark look. “I’m one of the few who understands him. I’ve told him many times I’d help him find a new bound one, that he can turn to me, but he just boils over and threatens to kill me.”
The doctor shook her head. “No, Jade. You really don’t understand him. You think you do, but you don’t. If you knew his story, the real story, you’d understand what I’m talking about.”
She took a deep breath to calm her growing anger. “I know his story. I’ve studied it for years in MedAct’s files.”
“Lies. The files are all lies.”
She frowned. “You sound brainwashed.”
Celise remained silent for a long moment. “I’m starting to believe you really don’t know.” Disbelief filled her eyes. “You really don’t know, do you?”
This was starting to get ridiculous. “Know what?”
She shook her head, but it seemed to be more to herself. “No, you can’t be that naïve. You’re MedAct’s CEO. You’re in on it. You have to know what the bond really is and what really happened to Nightmare … unless …”
“Unless what?” she snapped.
“Unless the information was somehow kept from you.”
Celise really was brainwashed.
A pinch of sadness grabbed Jade. “I can’t believe you’ve ruined your whole life because of a few things the Fighters told you. I feel sorry for you. I really do, but I’m not going to help you out of this mess.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You contradict yourself. You say you want to help them, but at the same time, you refuse to hear what they have to say. No wonder Nightmare won’t turn to you. He’ll never trust you if you think the Fighters are lying.”
Jade lowered her gaze. “You’re right, but they’ve never given me a reason to trust them. They only need to see my MedAct badge to turn on me.” She scanned Celise. “But not on you, apparently.”
Blaze approached with a tablet in his hands. “Nightmare trusts Celise with his life. You have a long way to go if you want to achieve that.”
A pinch of jealousy struck her. “How did you achieve that?” she asked Celise.
“He showed me the truth, and I believed him.”
“And what is the truth?” This conversation was starting to grate on her nerves. They weren’t getting anywhere, and asking the same question but in a different way wasn’t going to help.
Blaze and Celise exchanged a glance.
Jade sighed.
They’d never tell her.
“Whatever. I’m tired and need to rest.”
The medic cyborg nodded. “Phoenix will take you back to your room. You’ll be supervised the whole time.”
She snorted. What did they expect her to do? Run away?
She didn’t have the slightest idea where she was, and all the similar hallways were like a labyrinth. Jade was lost without someone showing her the way. She didn’t know where the exit was, but she’d managed to figure out one thing.
There were no windows anywhere.
They were underground.
The doors to the infirmary opened and Phoenix entered. He’d been on guard just outside the door.
Jade left the room without another word. She didn’t say goodbye. Some of her—justified—rebellious attitude refused to abandon her, and that was good.
She wasn’t going to let them break her that easily. Instead, she’d be difficult.
Two could play this game.
“Don’t expect much from anyone,” Phoenix said as they approached her room.
“Don’t take me for a fool.” Jade refused to look at him.
“I don’t. I’m just saying, not even Celise is on your side.”
That was obvious, but her behavior was a huge surprise. The younger doctor was like a completely different person. Where had she hidden all that strength? In the end, it didn’t matter.
“Celise has betrayed me and everyone at MedAct,” she said.
“No. You and MedAct betrayed Celise.”
“What the hell does that mean?” The blood pumped in her veins, the rage reigniting.
“Celise discovered MedAct’s secret, and she didn’t like it.” Phoenix remained calm, even if she was about to explode.
“Secret? What secret?”
The cyborg frowned. “Are you really that stupid, or
are you just playing with me?”
“I have no idea what any of you are talking about!” she roared as her voice echoed against the walls. The fury had finally exploded.
For a long moment, Phoenix didn’t say anything. Suspicion and confusion were written all over his face.
“You owe me,” Jade finally said, and poked him in the chest. “I saved your life—twice! If you don’t tell me, don’t expect a third time.”
He snorted and kept walking. “You can’t threaten me. Do you really think I want MedAct’s hands on me ever again?”
She let out a frustrated breath. “What the heck is wrong with you Fighters? You despise us, as if we were the plague.”
“Not far off.” He slid around a corner and stopped in front of her door.
A sting filled her heart and made it ache. His words were an insult. Did she really deserve all this? After everything she’d done for them?
“We’re only trying to help you.”
Phoenix shook his head. “No, you’re trying to bind us again, and that’s the worst thing you could ever do.” He opened the door, beckoning her to enter.
That didn’t make sense.
“Why?” she asked as she went inside.
He remained in the hallway with his hand on the door handle. “Because the bond is a poison that’s designed to be released into our system the moment our bound one dies.”
Her gasp echoed, and she stared as the disbelief in her chest rose to new levels.
“That’s one.” The cyborg closed the door and locked it, leaving Jade alone with more questions than she had a minute ago.
CHAPTER 7
Jade stared at Nightmare’s medical journal. It was filled with numbers, conclusions, and diagnoses, but her eyes were blind to it all.
Her mind was elsewhere.
She raised her gaze to where he lay on the bed in the infirmary.
He’d been taken out from the tank a few hours ago. The chip was working fine, and all they could do was wait.
Jade had been sitting by his bed ever since.
Celise had allowed it, but she was never left alone with him. Her colleague or Blaze was always present, both keeping an eye on her.
Their trust wouldn’t come easily, and honestly, Jade wouldn’t trust herself if she were in their shoes.
MedAct was the Fighters’ enemy, and as the CEO, she was the main enemy.
Therefore, it was a wonder she was allowed to be by Nightmare’s side, since the surgery was done, and had gone well. She returned to the journal, but still didn’t see it.
Had Phoenix spoken the truth? Was the bond really a poison?
Why did the Fighters think that? The copper-headed cyborg had seemed convinced.
She yawned. Spending almost all night thinking about it had done her no good.
How the hell could something like that be true?
It wasn’t possible to keep a thing like that from her. Sure, to access the private server at MedAct, she needed the Council’s approval, but apart from that, Jade had access to everything.
She knew everything about MedAct.
They had to be lying, but…what if they weren’t? How the hell could she not know about it?
Jade shook her head. She couldn’t recall how many times she’d cried and laughed last night from this surreal situation.
Now, her tears and laughter had dried, but the need for answers hadn’t gone away.
Far from it.
Instead, determination filled every part of her. If the Council had kept this information a secret, heads would roll.
She had the power to put the Council in their place, and she wasn’t afraid to use it.
If the Fighters were convinced of this, maybe there was something to it. She needed to find the answers, and if possible, help Nightmare. That was, after all, what she’d tried to do from day one, but it hadn’t worked.
Because she hadn’t listened to him.
Regret filled her.
That’d never been her intention, and yet, Jade had never even given him the chance to see her as a friend.
Instead, they’d been nagging at each other like some old married couple from the start. How the hell could she turn that around?
She sighed and glanced at him.
Two shining angry eyes stared right at her.
She popped to her feet.
He was awake!
“You,” Nightmare growled. The pure hate in his expression was unmistakable.
Jade opened her mouth to tell Celise and Blaze, but before even a single word came out, the Fighter’s leader flew up from the bed.
His big strong hand wrapped around her throat.
For a split second, she didn’t move, only looked into his fierce eyes, trying to grasp what’d just happened. Jade tried to inhale, but no air reached her lungs. She broke out in a cold sweat. Her heart sped into overdrive and she pounded on his arm, desperately trying to fill her lungs.
His grip was like solid rock. Nightmare stood unaffected by her attempts, snarling with pure fury.
He could break her neck if he wanted.
She’d just saved his life, and this was the price?
“I’ll kill you,” he growled. “I’ve no idea how you got your hands on me, but I won’t allow you to hurt me further.”
Running feet came from behind, and Blaze was there. He grabbed the leader’s arm. “You’re safe! Don’t kill her.”
Nightmare blinked and peered at the medic Fighter. His rage melted into confusion. He looked around, and recognition filled his gaze. He swayed on his feet. “I’m … home?”
Blaze smiled. “Yes. You’ve been out for several days. We’ve been waiting for you to wake up.”
He blinked again, and slowly pulled his hand away from Jade’s throat.
Jade perched her hands on her knees, inhaling deeply. She started coughing and a burning sensation filled her lungs. She moved away as blood rushed to her face, making her dizzy.
That had been close.
Celise was instantly by her side, worry in her eyes. “Are you all right?”
All she could do was nod.
“For a split-second, I thought I was in MedAct’s hands again,” Nightmare said with wide eyes.
The medic shook his head. “No, you’re home. I promise.”
The relief written all over his face was so strong it smacked Jade’s chest.
She could only imagine what’d gone through his mind when he’d seen her. She’d seen the pinch of fear in his eyes, as he’d lunged, but his fury had overshadowed it.
Nightmare sat on his bed and exhaled. Then he focused on her. Those shining eyes went icy. “What’s she doing here?”
“She saved your life,” Celise said. “You were shot in the head by a cyborg soldier when we were at the warehouse. Neither I or Blaze could do anything to help you. Your damage was beyond our expertise. Jade was your only hope.”
His gaze hardened, but he didn’t say anything.
Jade straightened her back. Her lungs were slowly returning to normal. Being able breath felt almost like a Christmas present. “Don’t worry,” she said. Her voice came out hoarse; her throat had needles in it. “I’m not here voluntarily. They kidnapped me.”
He snorted. “Of course. You only saved me because your life depended on it. Don’t expect a thank you. You would’ve left me for dead, if you had the choice.”
Jade didn’t answer. His words hurt like hell, but maybe that was for the best. Things would only be worse if he discovered her true feelings for him.
Had she really believed she’d be able to gain his trust?
She snorted. What a load of crap.
Celise had made her believe she’d be able to do it, but now, she saw the reality.
Nightmare would never trust her.
His hate for her was just as strong as her love for him.
Jade glanced at her colleague.
The younger doctor stared with wide eyes as if she was saying, “I can’t believe you just s
aid that. Why are you pushing him away?”
Jade took a step toward the door. “I guess I’m not needed here anymore. Who’ll take me back to my room?”
“I’ll take you,” Celise said.
“You still need to examine Nightmare to make sure everything’s fine now that he’s awake,” Blaze said.
She froze. The thought of touching him now that he was awake was so tempting it was almost impossible to say no, but it wasn’t a shocker where Nightmare’s thoughts lay when it came to that.
“If she touches me, I’ll kill her,” he hissed, as if he’d read her mind.
Jade sighed. “You heard him.” She moved toward the double doors. “I’m sure he’s fine.”
“You still need to check,” Blaze demanded, obviously ignoring Nightmare’s threat.
She slowly met Nightmare’s shining eyes.
His pissed off look overshadowed the medic’s serious expression.
“Do you expect me to go near him when he’s like that? He’ll rip my head off.”
“No, he won’t.”
“Whose side are you on?” Nightmare glowered at Blaze, looking angrier by the minute.
A pinch of irritation flashed in Blaze’s eyes as he looked at his leader. “Jade’s been with us for several days. She’s been fighting to save your life. She’s been sitting tirelessly by your side ever since she performed brain surgery on you to fix the ruined chip. You’re alive thanks to her.”
Nightmare’s jaw dropped. The aggressive aura he usually radiated was back with a vengeance. “You let her sit by my side? You let her touch me?”
The medic sighed. “She was never on her own.”
“It sounds as if you’re defending her.”
“I’m telling the truth. Let her do a final checkup. Neither I, nor Celise can understand the numbers and the scans on that level. Only someone who creates cyborgs can.”
No one moved.
The air in the room thickened, and Jade expected an explosion any second.
Blaze’s words—almost a defense of her—shot surprise all over her body. A feeling of gratitude had followed, but she hadn’t allowed it to set.
He wasn’t really defending her. He was doing this for his leader, because they all needed Nightmare, and Jade hoped, that deep down, Nightmare understood that as well.
She cleared her throat and approached him with caution.
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