“Aeron, are you well?”
“I’m…uhhh…Brad?”
A Cheshire cat smile slid over his face as he took another step towards her. “Yes. Are you upset?”
She shook her head slightly and backed away from him. His sensors detected her blood pressure had elevated and her breathing was shallow. Fear. She was afraid of him.
“Aeron I…” He took another step and she backed away again. “I would never harm you.”
“Pfffttt,” she huffed. “You were designed to kill, Brad. No offense, but the fact you overrode my command codes and are even standing here talking to me is enough to make me a bit uneasy around you. Knowing you could get across the room before I could blink and snap my neck with one hand doesn’t really help matters any either.”
He had to prove to her he wasn’t just an assassin. He was a man. The man she’d confessed to loving all those years ago. “You’re welcome to restrain me.” Unable to help himself, he smiled. “From the tutorials I downloaded, being tied up looked very appealing. I have to admit to having no real experience there on my own, so I’m open.”
Her blue eyes grew wide. “You are flirting with me!”
“Of course.”
Aeron tossed her hands in the air. “‘Of course,’ he says, as if it’s everyday this kind of dei’geri happens.”
It was rare to hear Aeron curse, but entirely too cute to comment on, so Brad simply allowed her to continue with her mini-rant. The pink shirt she wore hugged her curves as she flailed her arms about, all the while making him painfully hard.
“It’s not normal for a droid to turn himself on, Brad. It’s not normal for one designed for military use to flirt. And it sure in the hell is not normal for one to claim to be my husband.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I gathered as much. Is it normal for a droid,” he hated using that term, “to remember everything about the woman who created him? And I do mean everything, Aeron. Ask me something about our past. After all, you are the one wanting to stand here and play twenty questions.”
She gritted her teeth and grabbed a crystal paperweight off the table nearest her. Aeron pitched it at him with remarkable precision. Extending his arm, he plucked it out of thin air with ease and tipped his head. “You weren’t aiming at me, were you?”
She shook her head, pointing at him. “Dead space. You’re arrogant to boot.”
He’d never seen this side of Aeron and found it difficult to concentrate on much beyond how hard his cock was. She was even more beautiful when worked up. A fire burned in her blue eyes. It was all he could do to remain stationary and not sweep her off her feet. The very thought of burying his cock in her nearly overtook him.
Brad stretched his neck and tried to override his sensory systems to regain control of his lower extremities, particularly the one between his legs. It didn’t work.
Wonderful, she gives me the ability to shut off pain but I can’t get an erection to go down. Some space age warrior I am. A hot blonde can bring me to my knees. He tapped his foot. In her defense, she had no clue my reproductive organs are operational. Hell, she wasn’t even aware I was operational.
The corners of his lips twitched at the irony of it all.
Aeron hurled another object at his head. He caught it and tossed it onto the circular sofa.
“You think this is funny?” she asked. “How do you even have a sense of humor?”
“Two chickens walk into a bar…”
She growled and he laughed. “Not funny, Brad!”
“Probably because I didn’t get to the punch line yet. There was a wealth of humor files in your databases. As with most of the data, it’s from ‘Original Earth Files’, but amazing nonetheless.”
In an instant Aeron was rushing in the opposite direction. Her speed was no match for him and she knew it. She pushed a table over in his path and he leapt, clearing it with ease, catching her around the waist a second before she would have accessed the receiving room doors.
Aeron stiffened in his arms. “Are…you…going to hurt me?”
“No. I’ve said as much.”
“Then let me go,” she whispered, the sound of her soft voice nearly breaking his resolve.
He drew in a deep breath, attempting to harden himself to her wiles. “That I can’t do.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you to understand I would never…”
Something cold and hard pressed against the back of his head. “Let go of her or the Vanos will be picking pieces of your head out of Aeron’s upholstery for lunar cycles to come, asshole.”
Aeron grabbed hold of Brad’s hand as she faced the opposite direction. “Conell?”
“Aeron, you okay?” Conell asked, his eyes holding the anger she remembered seeing flashes of back in school.
Brad let out a low growl. “She’s fine. I would never harm my wife. Ever.”
“There’s the thing, Brad, I’m not buying she even is your wife. I’m not even buying you are Fairbanks. Something is off. I don’t know what, but I do know Aeron isn’t acting like herself.”
“You don’t even know her anymore, Ballou,” Brad said, his teeth clenched.
“Conell, please…go. I’m fine.” Aeron’s attempt at getting Conell to leave was admirable, but Brad knew it’d be ineffective.
He pressed his lips to Aeron’s ear. “Honey, he won’t go because he senses the Vanos blood in me. I’m positive, because I sense it in him as well. It’s something adult male Vanos can do. It’s also why he doesn’t believe I’m the Brad he once knew. What he doesn’t understand is that he only grew into his Vanos abilities since we last met, so he wouldn’t have smelled it in me back then.”
Aeron’s tiny gasp did the trick. Conell pulled the weapon away from Brad’s head for a fraction of a second. It was all the time Brad needed. He thrust Aeron out of the line of fire and spun quickly, sweeping Conell’s legs out from under him and securing the P893-G pulse gun. It was Star Union issue and Brad had little doubt Conell’s brother had armed him. He admired the scientist for having something to protect himself with and for risking his life for Aeron’s, even though hers was not in jeopardy. There was a time in his life that Brad never dreamed Conell would step up to the plate. Seeing him now proved how wrong he’d been about the man. That being said, he wasn’t going to let him back into Aeron’s life as anything more than a friend. He’d meant what he’d said— in his eyes, Aeron was his wife. He leveled the weapon on Conell and smiled. “It was unwise to hold a gun to my head, Doctor.”
Conell narrowed his gaze on him. “Whatever they’re paying you to kill her, I’ll triple it if you just leave.”
What the hell?
Brad’s brow furrowed. “No one is paying me to do a thing. I’m here because my wife is here and no one will harm so much as a hair on her head. You had her once, Ballou, and you lost her. I love her and I’m not going anywhere.”
A tiny choked noise came from Aeron and he knew her well enough to know his proclamation of love startled her.
“Brad, please don’t hurt him,” Aeron said, pushing her tiny frame against his body. “Conell meant well.”
“Is this guy for real, Aeron? Is he really your husband? Is he Fairbanks?”
Aeron slid her hands over his neck and placed a chaste kiss on Brad’s cheek. He was just about to let his guard down and kiss her the way he’d longed to when he felt her going for his cranium chassis. No part of him wanted to believe Aeron would try to shut him down—not that she even could.
Locking gazes with her, he remained still, waiting to see if she would try. Her bottom lip quivered as her eyes glistened. The pain on Aeron’s face was too much for him to bear. He closed his eyes, awaiting her attempt at shutting him down. When it didn’t come, he peeked out at her. A lone tear ran down her cheek.
“Brad wasn’t hurting me, Conell. We had a minor disagreement and I overreacted. He didn’t want me to hurt myself. He knows how nasty my temper is and how I tend to be irrational. That’s all. I’
m sorry you had to witness this.” She drew in a ragged breath. “And yes, he’s part Vanos. I know. He’s never hidden it from me.”
Conell rose to his feet slowly. “You know he’s got Vanos blood in him and you still…”
Brad put his finger on the trigger and waited for Conell to comment further. When he didn’t, Brad nodded. “The two of you share a rather intimate history, and Vanos blood courses through your veins. How am I any different?”
Aeron coughed and shook her head. It was clear she had an ample list of differences, but didn’t share them. “Can we stop this? Please? I don’t care about your lineage. I care about protecting the weak. You two aren’t the ones killing humans. You’re protecting them.”
“Aeron?” Conell asked. “You knew the truth?”
She offered a soft smile as she put her hand on Conell’s. “It’s okay, Conell. I’ve suspected as much about you from the moment we met. I don’t hate the Vanos. They aren’t all to blame. I hate what their military is doing to humans. Now, if we could put the weapons away and get along, I’d be a happy girl.”
Brad eyed Conell cautiously, wondering what the man would do. Killing him would hurt Aeron, but he refused to lose her to him. “Doctor?”
“My apologies. It was a misunderstanding.” Conell extended his hand. “Truce?”
Brad was well versed in the art of etiquette, though he saw little reason for it. Still, he shook Conell’s hand all the same. “Truce.”
“Oh, Fairbanks?”
“Yes.”
“I’m still pissed that you used to steal my lunch chip,” Conell said, laughing softly.
“Not half as pissed as I am that you made it to Aeron’s heart first, but I’m willing to let bygones be bygones, if you are.”
Conell arched a brow. “Do you really love her?”
“The fact you’re still alive because she cares for you should be answer enough,” Brad said, pulling Aeron into his embrace.
Chapter Five
Once Brad was positive Conell had not only left the vessel, but had departed from their area of space, he focused his attentions back on Aeron. He’d expected her fear of him to return once Conell was gone. It didn’t. Much to his surprise, Aeron hadn’t stopped following him around the ship. Granted, she kept a safe distance from him, but still, she trailed behind, observing his every move.
Stopping, he glanced over his shoulder and fought the urge to smile when Aeron pretended to be interested in the latest Interstellar Update instead of him. She bit at her lower lip and it was all he could do to remain in place. Tossing her to the floor and having his way with her, while appealing, was unwise at the moment.
“Aeron?”
She jumped slightly and stared at him from wide eyes. “Yes?”
“You can relax, get cleaned up, do whatever. I’d like to head planet-side and check out Perseus first hand. I’ll be gone the majority of the day, so it’s up to you whether or not you abandon me or wait here until I get back.”
“You want to what?” she asked, not bothering to hide the shock in her voice.
Brad couldn’t help but smile. “You want me to help in the fight against the Vanos. I need to do a threat assessment.”
“But you could be caught, hurt, killed!” The shock on her face warmed him.
“I’ll be fine. You saw to it that I have more than I need in training. Though I had a great deal to start with.” He headed towards one of the many transport shuttles the vessel had and paused when he sensed Aeron following him. “Aeron, honey, I swore to you that I’d never harm you. You don’t have to worry about me sabotaging anything.”
“Sabotage?” She gasped. “Brad, I never thought that! I just don’t want you to go alone.”
Confused, he glanced over his shoulder to find her eyes glistening. “Aeron?”
“What if you don’t come back? What if the Vanos discover you? What if…?”
“Then you won’t have to fear me anymore and you can build a new droid, assuring the next one can’t turn himself on and off.” It was a cold statement and he wasn’t sure what prompted him to even say it.
Aeron took a tiny step back as her brow furrowed. The pain on her face sliced through Brad, but he didn’t apologize. Instead, he continued on his way to a shuttle, being guided by something he couldn’t explain. Every ounce of him wanted to hold Aeron in his arms and sample her sweet lips, yet he put one foot in front of the other, leaving her behind. Each step he took, he thought of the visions he’d had of Aeron welcoming him with open arms. The harsh reality was she’d feared him and stumbled through lies to no doubt protect her precious Conell.
I’m jealous.
The realization hit him just as he entered one of the shuttles. Brad knew he should go back, smooth things over with Aeron, but he didn’t. He’d been aware of her from day one. She’d only just learned he was more than a mere machine—one of her creations. Time apart would do them good. If she was gone when he returned, then he’d track Conell down and find her. Cutting himself from her wouldn’t happen. That much Brad was sure of.
***
Aeron rubbed her arms, unsure why she’d donned an outfit similar to Brad’s before departing for Perseus in another shuttle. She wasn’t a solider. Roaming about Perseus without a paid escort or guide was foolish. Chasing the perfect assassin was ludicrous. She didn’t care. The need to find Brad and know he was safe was too strong for her to give up and turn back.
The chill of Perseus’ pre-dusk air left Aeron shivering as she visually searched the docking station for signs of Brad. She found none. She did, however, find signs of every other kind of life form she could imagine. Some her wildest dreams would have had problems inventing.
She shuddered as she walked past a large blue alien with two heads and six arms. The second she spotted a freakishly long tongue darting out of one of the mouths, she yelped and rushed through the crowd. Fear took hold of her gut, screaming from within at her stupidity for following Brad.
“Dr. Braxton?” a deep voice asked.
She stopped and turned to find an extremely tall male with long, auburn hair. His amber gaze was off-putting at first, but when he smiled, she let her fears lessen. “I’m Dr. Braxton.”
“Since I didn’t see any other stunning blondes in the area, I assumed so.”
She blushed.
He took a step towards her. “Dr. Ballou sent me. He needs to speak with you. It’s urgent.”
Aeron’s heart raced. “Conell? Is he hurt? Did the Vanos…” She eyed the man carefully. She knew Conell had been concerned about the Vanos coming for them both. Her chest tightened. No part of Aeron wanted to believe they truly had come back for them so soon. In her gut she knew better. “Did the enemy find him?”
The man inclined his head. “Yes.”
“Is he hurt?”
“Yes and he needs your help.”
Instantly, Aeron broke down in tears, the stress of her day catching up with her before she could prepare or address the nagging feelings in the back of her mind.
Something was off.
She pulled herself together, the tears stopping though her cheeks wore their marks. She eyed the stranger. “What happened? Exactly.”
The man’s gaze narrowed and the edges of his lips twitched with something akin to anger.
He’s a threat.
Aeron took a small step back, wanting distance between herself and this man who was up to no good. He reached out quickly, yanking her to him, his grip strong and tight.
Pain shot up her arms.
“Let go of me,” she bit out. “I’ll scream.”
His look was almost daring. “Do it.”
She opened her mouth as if to screen.
“Behave, Doctor.” He rubbed her back but there was no mistaking the tension in his body. “I’ll take you to Ballou. If you’re a good girl.”
Aeron thought of the ways she could try to break free. None of them were very brilliant, nor would they work. But she had to at least try. She was abo
ut to stomp on the man’s foot when something pulled on her.
She was suddenly ripped free from the stranger’s grasp. She found herself standing behind a mass of black and watching in horror as Brad picked the auburn-haired man up by his throat. The sheer power Brad exhibited was enough to shock anyone. He made the act appear effortless. Sure, she knew his strength was enhanced, but it was entirely different being witness to the events unfolding.
“You dare to touch her? To think you can lure her away with your lie?” he asked, spit flying as he did. The muscles in his arm flexed and the man he was holding gasped for air, clinging to Brad’s wrist but making no progress at gaining his freedom.
Lure me away? “What? Brad, no!”
Brad glanced at her and it cost him greatly. The man pulled a weapon from behind him and pressed it to Brad’s chest. Brad loosened his hold on the man.
The man drew in a deep breath as his gaze hardened. “Very good. Now you will die along with her. It matters not to me. The contract allows for additional kills.”
Time seemed to slow as Aeron watched history repeat itself. Visions of cradling Brad’s head to her long ago as she tried to put pressure on his wound, flooded her. She couldn’t do it again. She couldn’t watch the man she loved die for her. Once was too much. A second time would do her in. Vaguely she heard someone screaming, only to realize it was her. She snapped back to reality, rooted in place by fear.
Brad’s reaction to the weapon pointed at his chest was so fast Aeron almost missed it. He had the man disarmed and lying dead at his feet in a nanosecond. He spun the weapon around his finger before putting it in the back of his pants. A crowd had gathered, no one seeming surprised by the sight of a dead Vanos. Two men stepped forth, patted Brad on the back and went about removing the dead body.
Brad leveled his chocolate gaze on her. He didn’t look pleased. In fact, he looked deadly. She squeaked as he came at her, sweeping her off her feet and tossing her over his steely shoulder.
“It is time you learn a few things, wife.”
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