Dark Hysteria: Cyborg Shifters #8

by Lucas, Naomi

  I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I’m sorry you were alone. I’m sorry I…

  She trembled. I’m sorry I fell in love with your murderer.

  Alexa reached up and flattened her palm to her dad’s slot and closed her eyes. May you be with Xanteaus in the halls of rebirth. May your next life be better. May I not be in it.

  She turned away and left.

  * * *

  Later that night, she was dressed in clubwear, wearing a little dress she’d found in one of the local thrift shops, watching the crowds gather outside Dimes. Strangely enough, most of the crowd were made up of androids and sentient robots. She thanked the odds because it would only make it easier for her. Her gun was strapped to her thigh, under the folds of her dress, giving her even more courage. She loaded the mirror on her wristcon and checked her makeup.

  She had stripped the remaining black dye from her hair, and the translucent strands, which were still drying, clung to her shoulders. Humans may openly hate her kind, but in the dark, they fantasized about them. Especially the men. Trentian women were so rare now, if a half-breed or even a human could pass off as one, you’d get noticed.

  People noticed her.

  Her hair had always been a curse, but tonight? It was a blessing.

  She didn’t have to wait in the lines outside the club long. One of the bouncers pulling real women from the lines saw and came directly for her, shuffling her in.

  “Master Raphael awaits you inside,” he said, eyeing her.

  She tensed, waiting for the bouncer to check her for weapons.

  Instead, he flicked his gaze over her several times. Alexa smiled to distract him. He eventually shook his head, and she walked where he indicated for her to go, following several other women who’d been pulled from the lines by other bouncers.

  Alexa held her breath until she was inside.

  She’d never been inside Dimes before. Someone thrust a drink at her, and she offhandedly took it, captivated by the vibrancy of the party raging before her. It was big, bigger than it seemed outside even, with a huge open center and floors upon floors above. People, androids, and guards walked the rails, talking, dancing, and laughing. The guards wore large black wings and carried guns.

  Fallen angels.

  Like Hysterian.

  She shook her head, dropping her eyes from the rails.

  A cold sweat broke out on her skin as pounding music blared and switched. Someone pushed her toward the dance floor. Hands grabbed and groped, and she fought her way out of the moving thrall of people. Someone pinched her ass, and she nearly lost it, dropping her cup and fleeing.

  When she made it out from the crush, she tugged her dress down and caught her breath.

  She couldn’t fail. She couldn’t let her nerves get to her. Not again.

  Alexa swallowed, letting her heart settle, and searched for Raphael. She walked toward the stairs since the glass elevators were thronged with patrons.

  I wish Hysterian were here. She stamped out the wish as soon as she’d thought it.

  She was never going to see him again. It was hard to think about him because all she wanted to do was contact him, or find him on the network, and either action would only hurt her further.

  He wasn’t on the network. And she was certain only two courses of action would result in contacting him: one, he’d either ignore her, or two, he’d trace her comm and come find her.

  She didn’t want to be his captive again, nor be handed over to the authorities, and she couldn’t face him knowing what was between them. She would always want Hysterian and only Hysterian. It’d only ever been Hysterian for her.

  But she was a liar, untrustworthy. She held the blood of his enemy in her veins.

  Her broken soul had never been more complete than when she was with him. Ever since she’d fled Atrexia, buying her way on the nearest transport vessel, she’d been hollow. Empty. Numb.

  She had seen him from the porthole of the ship ascending from Atrexia, watched him running across the tarmac searching for her, shouting her name. She had wanted to scream for him as the locusts swarmed the sky and the dirt drifted up to his boots. It had been easy to leave him up until that point, that moment when her sight of him was about to end. Alexa hadn’t expected to see him again after that morning. She hadn’t been prepared to see him screaming her name.

  She’d cried for him, her heart shattering.

  Since then, she’d been numb, putting all her focus on getting back to Elyria and finishing the job she set out to do fifteen years ago.

  Thinking about Hysterian only hindered her. He was like an alluring whisper in the back of her mind telling her to stop what she was doing and go back to him.

  Alexa was afraid that if she gave in and did, she’d just walk right onto his ship, straight to the brig, and bunker down, a willing captive. Just to be in his presence.

  If he dragged her and tossed her out of his ship, she wouldn’t even have her pride left to keep her company. That’s why she couldn’t let him into her head anymore. She’d already been his captive for far too long.

  If that wasn’t reason enough to keep her away, knowing her dad’s real murderer was walking scot-free, drinking it up, and whoring—killing others while destroying lives. It brought her back to her senses.

  Alexa caught sight of Raphael on the opposite side of the club, surrounded by more men dressed as angels and several scantily clad women. One mostly naked woman was bobbing her head between his legs as he sipped his drink and laughed.

  Raphael wasn’t a hard one to locate once pinned. With his bright spiky hair and his extreme jubilation, he commanded attention. If it wasn’t the jubilation that gave him away, it was the giant tiered birthday cake on the table behind him. The cake was large enough to feed the whole club and then some.

  Disgust crossed her face.

  The fat, meaty fucker was about to meet his end.

  She straightened and headed for Raphael, threading her way through the partygoers. She pushed her hair over her shoulder and licked her lips, stopping at the barrier that kept Raphael and his minions away from the beings partying. Seduction wasn’t her forte, but she hoped…

  Alexa swayed and smiled at one of Raphael’s guards, catching his attention. An attractive man, perhaps a few years younger than her, walked forward, his eyes zeroing in on her hair.

  She twirled a damp strand of it around her finger.

  “You a half-breed?” he asked.

  “I am, unfortunately.”

  His eyes shifted to her face. “Not unfortunate tonight—if you’re willing to put out?”

  Alexa kept her disgust inside this time. Her eyes hooded and she saw Raphael and the woman licking his small dick like it was the best tasting popsicle she’d ever had.

  “I am,” she said a little bluntly, forgetting to purr.

  Thank god the guard didn’t seem to notice. He typed in a code on his wristcon and unbuckled the strap between them. He ushered her inside. She started to head for Raphael when the guard grabbed her arm.

  “Not unless he wants you,” he warned, pointing her toward a private bar where several other women were hanging out. Another angel approached them and led one of them over to Raphael. Raphael pushed the woman licking his dick out from between his legs and told the new one to take her place.

  Bile rose in her throat. The first woman was handed a pill. She jumped for joy, wiping the saliva from her lips, gulping it down. One of the guards threw her over his shoulder, making her laugh and kick her legs. His fake black wings flapped. He slapped her ass and carried her through a door behind the birthday cake.

  “Everyone can have a good time on my birthday!” Raphael bellowed, laughing, pushing the new woman’s head down into his crotch.

  “Go,” the guard next to her said. Alexa jumped and made her way to the other women still waiting by the bar.

  What would Hysterian do if he saw her right now, about to subject herself to his ex-boss so she could get close enough to shoot him? It was a te
rrible plan if she wanted to survive, but she was done waiting.

  It was now or never.

  It could be months before she had Raphael pinned down again.

  Alexa waited for her turn.

  It wasn’t long before Raphael looked up and caught her eye. He smiled, called a guard over, and spoke in his ear. The guard came straight for her shortly after.

  “He wants you,” he said.

  Alexa calmed. She prayed she had the courage to go through with her plan.

  She smiled her brightest smile and followed the guard toward Raphael’s smirking form.

  Twenty-Seven

  After weeks of chasing her, hunting her, and reaching out to Nightheart for help after swallowing his fucking pride, Alexa was finally before him, and all Hysterian wanted to do was throw her over his shoulder and fuck her into loving him.

  With her startlingly beautiful hair, she was an ethereal goddess, a mesmerizing blend of both her species. Hysterian stared in awe. Gone was the cold crew hand who used to work for him, replaced by a sprite.

  He’d had no idea Alexa was so goddamn beautiful. He swore an oath he would personally destroy all the dye in the universe. Alexa in a dress, lips glistening with clear gloss, made his systems frenetic, made him ache in only the way she could.

  He hadn’t been in her presence in nearly six weeks.

  Six weeks of utter hell. Six weeks of nothing. Six weeks of scenting her all over his ship, of being stuck in memories of their time together. It was a curse and a gift to have internal databases that recorded everything.

  He’d been furious, worried, running about and shouting her name as others watched on. Fear had stolen him even when he’d known she was gone. He had battled through the locusts, invaded other people’s ships, and had threatened the controllers, stopping all travel off of Atrexia.

  Alexa was long gone by then, having left hours prior on a ship she’d bought her way onto with all the money she’d made working for him.

  To make matters worse, the Questor had been landlocked for days as the locusts bred, feasted, and then bred again.

  In those first dark hours, he hadn’t been sure if he would have strangled Alexa had he found her, or tied her to his bed and forced everything he’d wanted to hear out of her throat. Hysterian had been out of his mind from her recklessness, her idiocy.

  What being in their right mind thought they could take down one of his kind? It took more than a bullet or a sharp edge. It took planning, the right equipment, and a fuck-ton of luck. It took calculation, precision. A weapon used on one of his brethren might work well on that specific model, but that same weapon might do nothing to another of his kind.

  She had come to kill him anyway, and then she’d left him, having done so much worse in that small act.

  She’d left him.

  She’d left him without saying goodbye—not that he would have let her. She made him feel for her, made him want her more than all others.

  Once he’d gotten through those first dark hours, those first days on Atrexia with no one but Pigeon to listen to him while he had raged, Hysterian eventually calmed.

  It would’ve been far more merciful for Alexa to have killed him. No, she had to take his hope and wring them out. No one did that to him and not pay for the crime. No one fucking dared.

  And then he found the bag of clothes in her old quarters—the lingerie she’d bought—and the whole process started all over again.

  This time with his cock in his hand, trying to jack out the rage and confusion.

  He took to the stars on a mission to get her back.

  Seeing her now, in a little black dress that was still slightly too big for her, swaying absently to bad music, made him forget everything—all the desperate nights he spent worrying. It made him excited.

  I found her.

  Now that he had her, he wasn’t going to let her get away again.

  After Hysterian found out Alexa was on Elyria, her funds verifying it, Hysterian knew what she was going to do. He’d warped through uncharted space to get to her before she risked her life.

  It was then he realized she loved him.

  Because she hadn’t killed him, she hadn’t even tried.

  He rewatched every second of video feed of her and found she’d never even made a single fucking attempt. His ship was dry of resources, having pushed it past its limits so he could get to Elyria sooner. All he could do was watch old footage of her.

  No wonder she fought me. It all made sense.

  But going after Raphael? That was suicide.

  His ex-boss’s laughter filled his audio.

  Hysterian hadn’t been in the presence of Raphael in almost a year. The fat bastard was enjoying his usual power trip—the birthday notwithstanding—having his guards bring him women to worship him orally.

  It was Raphael’s kink. He preferred women’s mouths over their cunts. He got off on beautiful girls kneeling at the altar of his ego. The younger the better.

  And Alexa was in line.

  Hatred washed over him. Raphael was untouchable, even for someone like Hysterian. His ex-boss had way too many powerful contacts, knew far too much information, had more money than God. He also had a very rare and expensive shield around his body. One Hysterian partially designed...

  But if he touched Alexa, none of that would stop Hysterian. If Raphael hurt her, the devil wouldn’t be able to hold Hysterian back. Death would be the last mistress to lick Raphael’s dick as Hysterian blasted his ex-boss’s brains all over his fucking cake.

  Hysterian sensed his pupils brightening and adjusted his illusion to hide them. If Alexa got wind he was here, she might run. He wasn’t going to risk it.

  As he stormed through the throngs of dancers, the bartender slid Alexa a drink. Hysterian pulled out his gun, switching off the safety.

  She shook her head, denying the free offering. Good. He wouldn’t have to kill another tonight. The bartenders drugged all the drinks. One sip and Alexa would be giggling, horny, and high, a pretty little naïve offering, ready for any of the countless men to descend upon. They could have any other woman, just not Hysterian’s.

  One of Raphael’s guards moved toward her.

  Hysterian pushed through another group of dancers.

  The guard led Alexa to Raphael.

  Hysterian’s systems thundered. He shoved the throng of clubbers out of his way.

  Alexa reached under the lip of her dress. Hysterian saw the gun just as she yanked it out and aimed it at Raphael.

  “No!” Hysterian shouted. He sprang the rest of the way across the room just as a shot was fired, his boots cracking the floor upon landing.

  An ear-splitting boom blasted through the club, stunning the dancers out of their revelry. One of the guards slammed into Alexa, forcing her to the ground. Hysterian’s illusion dropped.

  He yanked the guard off her, wrenching his arm. The guard screamed as Hysterian kneeled and picked up Alexa’s shaking form. Others aimed their guns, running to the scene.

  “Stop!” Raphael bellowed, making the entire nightclub pause. “Hysterian, is that you?”

  Hysterian rose and faced him. Raphael shimmered as the invisible forcefield around his body settled back into place. Alexa’s bullet never even got within a foot of the fucker.

  Hysterian scowled. “Raphael.”

  Alexa was stone cold and still in his arms. He didn’t dare look down at her.

  Raphael yanked up his pants and laughed, clapping his hands. “What a surprise!” He spun, looking wildly around. “Who set this up? This was fabulous!” The angels glanced at each other uneasily. “Come on! This couldn’t all be Hysterian’s work.” Raphael turned back to him, cheeks flushed. “What a fine little actress you have,” he said, eyeing Alexa with newfound interest. “She is for me, right?”

  “Hysterian?” Alexa said, so low it was barely audible. “Kill him.” The order was a tickle in his ear.

  Hysterian’s eyes glinted.

  How could he deny her?
He’d hurt her so much, finishing the job was the least he could do.

  But he was going to deny her.

  Raphael wasn’t his to kill.

  “Why don’t we go somewhere quiet to chat?” Hysterian said, smiling at his old boss. “This one is all yours.” He set Alexa on her feet, taking the gun hanging limp in her hand. She looked up at him in shock.

  Hurt crossed her features as he pushed her toward Raphael. She stumbled forward before catching herself. One of the angels came forward and grabbed her arm.

  Raphael beamed. “Yes. Let’s go somewhere we can chat.” He flicked his fingers, and the club resumed as if nothing unusual had just happened. The angels went back to their posts.

  Raphael led them to the private rooms at the back of the club—his special rooms, he liked to call them. The guard followed, dragging Alexa, while Hysterian trailed behind them. She looked back at him. The pounding music of the club vanished as they left it and was replaced with screams. Not all were screams of pleasure.

  Memories rose like weeds in his head. His glands opened, releasing poison to slick under the friction of his suit.

  Hysterian had spent a lot of time in these rooms.

  He’d been evil. Cruel. Uncaring. These rooms, though he’d been away from them for a long while, brought back his time working for Raphael as nothing else had. They were once his home, his haven. His place to be numb, finding camaraderie with others who were like him. Beings who also wanted to be numb.

  Hysterian’s fingers twitched.

  They entered one of Raphael’s favorite lounges, a place with numerous pillows and screens covering all the walls, displaying anything he felt like watching at the time. They were currently streaming what was taking place in the adjoining rooms.

  “Come, sit,” Raphael said. “Have a drink, a whiff, a pill. Hysterian, should I have one of your favorite girls brought in?”

  “Are they equipped with the latest software?” he asked.

  “Yes, yes. All the bots are,” Raphael scoffed. He waved at the guard holding Alexa. “Let her go. Give her to me,” he ordered, already unzipping his pants.