He remained still afterward, catching his breath.
Celise gasped. “We never used protection.”
Wind raised his head. “Don’t worry. If you get pregnant, I’ll love the child just as much as I love you and Diane.”
Relief filled her. “You and Diane never wanted children?”
“Diane said she considered herself too old for children when she created me, but she never put into my programming that I wouldn’t want any.”
She smiled. Having a child with him was a dream she’d never dared to imagine, but now when that future was possible, she allowed hope to fill her.
He rolled over to his side. “I’ll go and clean up, and then I’ll check up on Diane. She must’ve gone back to her room while we were sleeping.” Wind gave her one last kiss before he left the bed, walking naked toward the bathroom door.
Celise grinned as she watched him go. A firm behind and smooth skin greeted her sight, making her lick her lips. She’d never grow tired of looking at his amazing body. It made her happy to know he wasn’t ashamed of showing himself to her.
It only took him a few minutes to get ready, and once he left the bedroom, Celise got up and washed as fast as she could. She wanted to spend every possible moment with Wind and Diane.
She was just about to join them when someone knocked on the front door.
Wind and Diane didn’t seem to have heard it, so she approached the door, and opened it. Celise raised an eyebrow when Faye smiled at her. “Faye? What’re you doing here?”
She shrugged and entered the house. “I was bored. Phoebe and Shade have gone on their holiday, and I figured you guys could spend a few hours with me.”
“You know we’re in the middle of transferring Wind’s bond to me, right?”
“Of course, and I doubt a few hours with me will disrupt your scheme.”
Celise sighed. Faye was right. There was no reason for her to leave. It was just that she wanted to spend some time with Wind and Diane, just the three of them, now that the first flash had occurred.
“How are things going, by the way?” Faye asked.
“Fine.” She closed the front door. “The first flash has happened. So the worst should be behind us.”
A wide smile spread on Faye’s face, slowly turning into a wicked grin. “So how was it? The sex? It must’ve been one kind of ride.”
Heat traveled to Celise’s face, but she couldn’t help her smile. “I don’t think I have to spell it for you, do I?”
“That amazing, huh?” She chuckled.
Celise nodded. It sure had been amazing. The best day of her life. All her restrictions had gone through the door. She’d finally been allowed to love Wind the way she’d always wanted to.
Next time she’d wrap her arms around him, he wouldn’t feel pain, and wouldn’t turn away. Instead, he’d pull her to him, kiss her, and make her happy.
A loud thump came from the second floor, as if something had landed hard on the floor.
Celise and Faye tensed, looking at each other.
“What was that?” Faye asked.
“I don’t know.”
A roar of terror and agony filled the air.
A cold chill hit her chest. “Wind.” Without a second thought, she ran up the stairs.
Faye followed her.
A million thoughts traveled through Celise’s mind. Had furniture fallen over Wind? Had he broken something? Or had he just hit his foot against something? No, she doubted that. The thump hadn’t been loud, but his scream had filled her with fear.
What if …?
Celise yanked the door open. The scene that greeted her tore her heart out.
It was worse than she’d dared to imagine.
Wind sat on the floor with Diane in his arms. The armchair had been knocked over. Diane wasn’t moving. Her eyes were closed, her skin pale as snow.
He looked up when they ran into the room. His eyes were filled with tears, and gut-wrenching pain was written all over his face. His chin trembled. “She’s dead.”
“Oh my God,” Faye gasped.
Celise crouched down next to Wind and Diane. She checked for her friend’s pulse, but there was none.
She really was gone.
The beautiful morning had turned into a surreal nightmare. Sorrow surged through her. She was unable to stop her tears.
Wind held her gaze. “Celise … help me.” His voice was barely a whisper, and his body started to tremble even more.
She froze. The light in his shining eyes was fading. “What?”
“The bond … I’m dying …”
“But … your eyes flashed.”
“Not … enough …” He fell to his side, his body going slack as he closed his eyes and exhaled. Then, he suddenly started to shake so violently Celise feared he’d bite his tongue off.
“Shit,” Faye gasped with wide eyes.
It didn’t take long before sweat broke out on his skin. His face and throat turned red as he struggled with clenched fists.
Terror grabbed Celise as she stared at the man she loved, but she couldn’t allow it to set. “Get my bag. It’s in the bedroom.”
Faye took off in an instance, and Celise grabbed Diane’s cold body, moving her away from Wind. There was nothing she could do for her, but she could try to save Wind.
She wasn’t going to lose him.
She was a doctor. She was the only one who could save him.
Celise scooted closer on her knees but knew it wasn’t wise to touch him. He could hurt her with his inhuman strength in this condition, but it didn’t seem like the shaking would stop anytime soon.
There was only one thing she could try until Faye returned.
With one swift move, she grabbed Wind by the neck and pressed one finger against his spine and another one just behind his right ear. Her pinky reached for that sensitive spot she was looking for, and when she found it, she pressed it.
He instantly stilled with closed eyes.
Faye stormed into the room and handed her the bag. “What did you do?”
Celise searched through the bag as fast as she could. “Cyborgs have a unique nerve in their necks. If you know how to activate it, you can make them lose consciousness for a short while.”
Her friend blinked. “I didn’t know that. Why do they have it?”
“They’re stronger, faster, and more intelligent than humans, so MedAct gave them a weak point.” She pulled out the device she was looking for. She threw the bag away, pulled Wind’s shirt up, and pressed it against his chest. Her heart was pounding as she scanned him. Her hands shook, and tears pushed from behind her eyes, but she kept them away. It was difficult to keep her emotions at bay, but she had to.
For Wind.
If she allowed panic and chaos rule her, he would die.
Celise couldn’t stop her chin from trembling when she saw the result from the scan. “His bond to Diane is going amok.” The words came out shaky. “That first flash with me is the only thing keeping him alive, but if his eyes don’t flash two more times, he’ll die anyway within a few hours.”
“Then do something!”
She met Faye’s desperate gaze, hopelessness filling her. “I can’t force it, but I’ll do everything I can. Somehow, I’ll make his eyes flash again.” She reached for Wind’s face.
Without warning, he woke with a scream.
Faye jerked beside her.
The panic that radiated from him was impossible to miss. He scanned frantically around him before he flew to his feet, breathing heavily, and swaying as if he was drunk. He squeezed his eyes hard, trying to focus, but seemed unable to.
Celise climbed to her feet and grabbed his face. Seeing him in this state broke her heart. “Wind. I’m here. Look at me. Please, look at me …”
He tried, but seconds later, his eyes glazed over. He pushed away and let out another agony filled scream. He wrapped his arms around his head, pulled his hair, and scratched his face as he curled up.
The sound dev
astated her from the inside out. It tore her apart, and she could barely imagine the pain he had to be in. She wasn’t going to be able to save him.
Wind darted for the balcony.
Celise gasped. “Wind, no!”
But he didn’t listen; he jumped.
Tears ran down her face as she and Faye ran up to the balcony. “Wind!” She looked down, feared she’d see him lying on the ground with broken limbs, but he was already on his feet, seemingly unhurt.
He darted off.
“Wind!”
CHAPTER 23
Pain burned inside Wind’s chest. It tormented him to the deepest part of his soul. It filled him with a fear he’d never felt before.
He was dying.
His death had just been prolonged, thanks to his weak bond to Celise. It would keep him alive for just a little bit longer, but there was no way for him to escape death.
He ran as fast as he could. It wasn’t important where, as the panic ate at him. It was a desperate attempt to get away from the agony and the shock that devastated his system.
The image of Diane sitting dead on the armchair had been burnt into his mind. An image he’d never be able to get away from.
The moment he’d seen her body, everything had changed.
Wind had been happy just minutes before, after the most amazing night of his life, but when his bond had realized what’d happened, all hell had broken loose inside him.
His bound one was dead, and he had to die too.
He had no idea how far he had run when he reached a wall, the wall that surrounded Glaswell. It was at least two times his height, made from brick, and painted white.
Thankfully there was a tree nearby. Wind climbed it fast and easy. As a cyborg, it was no problem, and it was just as easy to climb over the wall. One swift move and he landed on the other side.
He had to keep running, or at least keep moving. He had great stamina, and it’d keep him on his feet for a while because he didn’t dare to stop. Something told him, if he stopped, if he relaxed, his body would give in.
He would die.
He had to keep his system going.
Diane …
Tears ran down his cheeks. He’d never see her again. He’d never see her smile, her beautiful eyes, or hear her calm voice. The voice he loved so much.
It was over. She was gone.
He’d never imagined it’d feel like his heart was being ripped out of his chest, and all he wanted was to scream, to let the world hear his pain.
Wind ended up in the forest that wasn’t far from Glaswell, despite his inattention to where he’d been going.
His steps slowed, but the pain remained the same. It was as if it was digging a big, black hole inside his chest.
A hole he’d never be able to close.
Celise …
His beautiful Celise.
He’d abandoned her. He’d run away without looking back, even when she’d called his name. He hadn’t been able to stop running. The agony had been too overpowering, blinding him.
It’d all been in vain. Their attempt to save him had brought them nothing. Now Celise would suffer more than she deserved once death took him.
Surrounded by trees, grass, and bushes, he sank to his knees, breathing hard. His heart pounded, but not because of the running.
It was protesting against his bond and trying to keep him alive.
He should’ve stayed by Celise’s side. It would’ve given him a slight chance of survival. Maybe she could’ve done something to help him. Out here, nothing could save him.
Weakness filled him.
His limbs had never felt so heavy before. His arms and legs trembled, unable to keep him up. He lost control of them one by one, and to his surprise, it was because of the bond.
It suddenly spread like wildfire in his body, invading his programming, behaving in a way it had never behaved before. Wind had imagined this moment plenty of times. He’d believed he’d just die, that the bond would collapse, but instead, it was functioning as well as always, but in a different way …
Why was it acting like this? Shouldn’t it just stop functioning, like he’d been taught it would, killing him in the process?
Realization hit him as he fell to the ground, unable to keep himself up anymore.
The bond was transforming.
It was turning into a poison that had been lurking in the dark during all these years, waiting for the right moment.
All his life he’d been taught the bond was there to keep the cyborgs alive, that they couldn’t exist without it, but he knew better now.
He could live without it.
He felt its true nature now.
It was nothing more but a program meant to keep cyborgs in check, to convince them the bond was as necessary as their next breath. And when their bound one died, it was constructed to make sure they died too.
The Fighters survived because it had failed in its job.
How many cyborgs had had the same realization he had now just moments before they’d died? Probably many. Most likely every single one, but it’d been too late. None of them had been able to share their discovery before they’d taken their last breath.
And now, it was too late for him as well as darkness slowly took him.
Maybe Nightmare, the leader of the Fighters, wasn’t such a fool after all.
CHAPTER 24
“Are you sure he’s out here?” Faye looked around the forest with a frown. “All I see is trees.”
Celise studied the small laptop in her hands, but it was difficult to focus. She’d never been this afraid before. The stress made her stomach hurt, and she’d almost dropped the computer a few times because of her constant shudders. “My program says he should be here. We need to look around more.”
Her friend took a deep breath. “He sure managed to get far during such a short time.”
“Cyborgs are faster than humans, and they have better stamina than us.”
Faye raised an eyebrow. “Why did MedAct make them better in almost every aspect?”
“You’ll have to ask MedAct.” The program beeped, indicating a direction Celise followed. She walked by a few trees and bushes, scanning frantically, searching for Wind.
He’d stopped moving. The dot on her screen told her so, and at this moment, she couldn’t have been more thankful to herself for creating the program that could locate any cyborg.
She didn’t care that other cyborgs probably felt that something was going on in their heads like they’d had when she’d searched for Shade. All she cared about was finding Wind. It had helped Shade find Phoebe through Nightmare when he kidnapped her not long ago, and it would work its magic again. She didn’t doubt that.
Frustration filled Celise when she didn’t see a glimpse of him. “Come on, Wind. Where are you?” She bit her lip and turned around, perusing the area.
Nothing.
“Damn it.” She dried away an irritating tear that ran down her cheek.
Trying to remain calm was becoming difficult. In less than an hour, their lives had turned into chaos.
Diane had died way too soon, and with her, the chance of saving Wind.
Part of her fear was that she didn’t know why he’d run away. Was he even still alive? Usually, a cyborg that lost his bound one died within a few minutes, but his eyes had flashed with her.
That kept her hope up.
Celise was grateful for Faye as well. She would’ve probably completely lost it if it hadn’t been for her. Her constant questions had kept her mind on other things as she was trying to find Wind.
“You bonded, right?” Faye asked as she looked around. “Shouldn’t that, you know … like, give him some time or something?”
“It should, but there’s no guarantee. One flash is far from enough.”
“Will you be able to do something for him?”
She stilled. “I … don’t know.” The thought of losing him was unbearable.
Faye laid her hand on her shoulder and
smiled. “Whatever happens, I’ll stay by your side.”
Celise tried to smile back, but it was almost impossible. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”
Her friend glanced over Celise’s shoulder. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened. “Oh, my God. There he is.”
Celise spun around, and the sight of Wind lying on the ground broke her all over again. She ran to him and threw herself on the ground. “Wind!”
His eyes were closed, and his wasn’t responding.
Celise checked his pulse. “He’s still alive.” Relief washed over her, and she could breathe easier.
Faye knelt on the other side of him. “Does that mean he’s going to make it?” She studied him with worry.
Celise tore out her scanner from her bag, pulled up Wind’s shirt, and pressed the device against his chest as she turned it on. This time, at least, he wasn’t going anywhere.
The seconds that followed felt like hours. The results couldn’t come fast enough. She looked through it quickly and cringed.
“What does it say?” Faye asked.
Celise frowned. “There’s something here I don’t understand. The bond still seems to be there, but it’s different.”
Her friend’s eyes widened. “What?”
“It’s like … it has changed character.”
“What does that mean?”
Heavy steps rustled in the underbrush as they neared. “It means you’re beginning to see the truth.”
Celise turned her head when she heard the deep, male voice. Shock went through her as she stared into the shining eyes of Nightmare, the leader of the Fighters.
Faye flew to her feet. “Shit!” She backed two steps, ready to flee.
Celise sat as if paralyzed and stared at the scene taking place in front of her. Three cyborgs had shown up from out of the blue. She hadn’t even heard them approach. Wind had been the only thing on her mind.
Celise had never seen Nightmare in real life, only in media, and the bastard was bigger than she’d imagined. He looked even meaner, with his dark features, wild black hair, and twisted grin. The scar on his throat didn’t ease the impression of him.
Loved Cyborg (Bound by Her Book 2) Page 12