Avril blinked. She couldn't believe her own ears. Jade and Nightmare went on like an old couple. Jade didn't seem afraid to insult Nightmare and it was obvious that they knew each other, but to her, he was as frightening as the unknown things that lurked around in the night.
Nightmare ignored Jade and turned to Hunter. “Are you all right?”
Hunter nodded. “I am fine. They haven't hurt me.”
“Good. They would have regretted it if they had.”
Then his gaze turned to her and Avril froze in place. It felt like he splashed her with ice cold water all over her body with his cold look.
“Who are you?” he asked.
His question made her jump, but she stood still, trying not to show how he affected her. “I am ... um ... Avril.”
His eyes looked her over. “I haven't seen you before. Are you a new doctor?”
She shook her head. “No, I am not a ...” She didn't finish her sentence when he flashed his teeth. Instinctively, she took a step back and felt her heart pound hard inside her chest.
“You are trying to bind Hunter to yourself, aren't you?”
“I ...” She wanted to say that the final decision was Hunter's, but the words didn't come.
Hunter took a step closer. “Don't scare her, Nightmare. Avril is a friend from when I was bound to Sarah. She means well.”
“I don't care what she thinks she means. You know the bond isn't real and the last thing you want is to end up trapped inside a new one.”
“You have nothing to worry about when it comes to that. They are letting me go.”
Surprise filled Nightmare's eyes. “Just like that?” He snorted. “Maybe I should try this method with every Fighter that gets caught.” He gave Jade a wicked grin that promised trouble. It made Jade sigh.
“I will let him go as soon as you can guarantee that the children and the women are safe,” Jade said.
Nightmare remained silent for a while, just studying Jade. “Fine. We will leave as soon as our small talk is over. I will text you the address where the children and the women are so that you can send a group of cyborg soldiers to check up on them.”
Jade nodded. “Agreed.”
Hunter took a deep breath and wrinkled his forehead as he raised his hand. He had a pained expression on his face that worried Avril. He didn't seem all right even if he had said that he was.
“Nightmare ... wait ...” Hunter said.
“Yes?”
“I ...” Hunter took another deep breath as if he was preparing himself. “I want to stay.”
Those words made everyone in the room jump from surprise and Nightmare stared at Hunter with shock written all over his face.
“Have you lost your mind?” Nightmare yelled.
“Please understand. I am tired.”
“You can rest when you get back.”
Hunter shook his head. “I don't mean that kind of tired. I am fed up with it all to the point that it makes me sick. I'm tired of the pain and the nightmares. I'm tired of the sadness and the loneliness. I have no idea how you do it, Nightmare, but these twenty years are enough for me. I can't take it anymore.”
If Nightmare's eyes could have caught fire, they would be burning right now. “The bond isn't real.”
“I know. Believe me, I know, but I still choose it because I also know that once I return, you are going to have to put a bullet through my head in the near future. I'm losing it. I feel it. I'm hanging on a thin thread, Nightmare and you know what happens when that thin thread breaks.”
Silence filled the room.
While Nightmare looked like he would explode any second, Avril felt her hope return. Hunter gave her a gentle smile and she couldn't help but smile back. He had chosen her. To her greatest surprise, he had chosen her.
Nightmare finally nodded and inhaled deeply. “I understand.” He turned to Jade. “He is all yours. We will leave now and I will send you that text.” He turned to Hunter again. “Good luck, Hunter. You know what you have to do.”
Hunter nodded and the line went dead.
“What did he mean by that? What is it that you have to do?” Jade wondered.
“This,” Hunter answered and his gaze slowly glazed over. His arms went slack by his sides and he slumped slightly with his back.
Avril looked at him with confusion. “What is happening?”
Jade stood perplexed at first, but then her eyes went big and she gasped. “Oh, crap. He is deleting information.”
In a hurry, she reached for something in her pocket. It was a small device, no bigger than her palm. It reminded of the tablet that they had watched the video on, but Avril doubted it was a regular tablet. It probably was a medical device of some sort. Jade started frantically pushing on digital buttons, but it was too late.
Hunter's eyes returned to normal and he gave Jade a wry smile. “It is done. All the information about the Fighters that I've gathered over the years is gone. You won't be able to get it out of me with that thing. I don't even recall where they live any longer. They are safe.”
Jade didn't reply. She stood as if frozen and glared at Hunter. Anger radiated from her. Finally, she snorted, put away her device, and turned around. With a few short steps, she was out of the room.
CHAPTER 8
Avril heard the door close behind Jade, but she didn't lock it. Avril didn't doubt that Soul remained standing in the hallway, ready to storm the room if she screamed for help, but she knew she wouldn't. She was safe with Hunter. That, she was sure of. She knew that now.
She felt herself blush when she thought about what was to come. After all, he had chosen her and that meant that he was willing to bind himself to her. Her breathing increased as Hunter came closer to her. He raised his hand and with a feather-light touch, he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.
“How weird,” he said with barely a whisper. “I can finally touch you and I am not afraid to do it. I'm no longer afraid of belonging to you.”
Avril swallowed hard. “Are you sure about this?”
“I have never been surer about anything in my whole life. I saw the pain it caused you when you realized that you had lost me. I know that your love for me is real, and I understand that you are not doing this out of guilt. You really do want me.”
His words made her throat clench. “Nightmare said that the bond is not real.”
“He believes that, but believe me too, once it's in place, it will feel very real.”
She only nodded. She knew how the cyborgs were constructed. Their entire existence was based on the bond. Without it, they couldn't live, didn't matter how real or fake Nightmare thought it was.
Hunter took another step closer, invading her personal space. “Once I kiss you, there will be no turning back. You will be stuck with me until the day you die. And when that day comes, we will die together. I will not survive another broken bond, and I am glad I won't. The pain is too much to handle.” He took a deep breath. “Each bonding is different, but I am so starved for a bond that the bonding process will initiate with one simple kiss.”
Avril couldn't stop herself from giggling. It made Hunter smile. For the first time since her childhood, he seemed happy, and she was happy with him.
He placed his hands on her arms, licking his lips as if he was preparing himself. “Are you ready?”
Avril nodded as she tried to control her erratic breathing. “I am ready.”
Slowly, he leaned toward her lips, stopping just a tiny inch away from them, giving her one last look, and then, he kissed her. Chills were sent through her entire body as she felt his soft and warm lips being pressed against hers. Goosebumps awakened on her skin as Hunter's arms wrapped around her, pressing her closer to his strong and muscular body. She opened up to his kiss as he deepened it. A moan escaped her throat and she reached out her tongue to meet his, but Hunter suddenly froze, not reacting to anything she was doing.
Surprised, Avril took a step back and looked at him. He was looking her in the eye
s, but his gaze was far away. It was as if he was there, but at the same time, he wasn't. Was this part of the bonding process? She couldn't tell for sure since she had never seen one. All she knew was what MedAct had told her, and that was that his eyes had to flash three times before the bonding would be in place. The first flash initiated the bond, the second accepted her, and the third sealed it.
“Hunter?” She waved her hand in front of his eyes. There was no reaction.
Then, without a warning, a short but intense flash came from his eyes, almost blinding her. She jerked with surprise and stared at him. His eyes had flashed! It had worked. She almost couldn't believe it. Joy filled her, making her laugh. She didn't stop the tears from running down her cheeks.
Hunter blinked several times and straightened his back as he came back to her. He wrinkled his forehead as if in confusion before he met her gaze. Then he grinned.
“It has begun,” he said.
“I saw it. I didn't expect it to be that intense.”
“It will be even more intense within a minute, my dear.” He looked at her with a hunger in his shining eyes that made her shiver with anticipation. “I need to have you, and I need to have you now.”
He came at her like a starved man who had only one thing on his mind, and it made her smile. She liked seeing him going from a gentle to a wild, craving cyborg as he ripped his shirt off, revealing his well-shaped and hairless chest. Determination was written all over his face, along with lust and desire. Avril could barely take her eyes off of him. Just the sight of his naked upper body made her warm between her legs. She had imagined this moment so many times in so many different ways, but now, when the moment was finally upon her, she knew it would be better than she had ever dared to imagine.
She reached out her hand to touch him, to finally feel his skin against her hand, but Hunter grabbed her hand and pulled her into his embrace. He kissed her again. This time, the kiss was demanding and without the trace of the gentleness he had shown her just seconds ago, but he didn't hurt her. The dark and masculine moan he let out as her tongue met his made her knees weak.
He started ripping off her clothes. “I'm burning up. It feels like I am going to explode. I am that desperate for you.” He threw her shirt on the floor and went for her bra, squeezing her breasts in the process, making her shiver with pleasure as his fingertips grazed her nipples. “Can you take me without much foreplay? I promise I will make it up to you forever after if you just let me take you as soon as possible now.”
She grinned as she unbuttoned her pants. “I am more than ready for you.”
The relief that filled his eyes almost made her laugh. He looked so sweet in his need and desire.
“Thank God,” he said as he took a deep breath and threw off the rest of his clothes. He barely gave her a chance to look at him before he helped her with the rest of her clothes. Then he grabbed her hand and led her to the bed. He made her sit on the edge.
“Lay down.”
She obeyed without a doubt and parted her legs to let him come closer to her. He went down on his knees and moved into position. Avril jerked from his unexpected touch when he placed his hand against her private part. She closed her eyes and moaned as his fingers, gently but stressfully examined her. Her body jerked when he circled one finger at her most sensitive spot, making her part her legs even more, almost begging him to get on with it. Then he moved his hand a little bit and Avril squeaked when he pressed two fingers into her. He leaned over her and put one nipple into his mouth as he worked her with his fingers. It sent her straight to heaven. It felt so damn good to have him this way.
“I thought you would ...” she breathed out between two moans.
“I am big. I need to make sure that you can take me.”
He pulled out his fingers and straightened his back. His words had made her curious. She wanted to know what he looked like, but since she was lying down and most of him was hidden from her sight, the only thing she could do was reach out her hands and touch him.
Hunter's eyes went big and he opened his mouth as her fingers wrapped around him, slowly working him. He hadn't been lying. He was thicker and bigger than she had expected him to be. It didn't scare her. Instead, she couldn't help but imagine all the fun they would have together.
Hunter cursed. “Damn it, Avril. I will come apart if you keep doing that.”
She grinned. “Sorry.”
He snorted. “You are barely sorry.”
She gave him a wry smile. “No, but I will keep doing this unless you don't take me.”
She saw a shiver go through him before he moved her hand away. She placed her arms behind her head. Hunter moved closer to her and wrapped her legs around his waist. He guided himself into her warm channel and she watched his eyes flash a second time as he entered her.
He had accepted her.
All kinds of emotions filled her. He was hers now. All that remained now was to seal the bond, and she promised herself that she would give him everything he never had with Sarah. She would make him forget all the years of pain and suffering. She would make him the happiest cyborgs alive.
He got a pained facial expression. “Damn, you are tight.”
Avril enjoyed having him inside her. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world, a feeling she had imagined and fantasized about so many times. She felt so filled by him that it for a short moment hurt, but it was a good pain, and he allowed her to adapt to him before he started moving. She closed her eyes as he placed his head against her chest. His arms were tightly wrapped around her hips, keeping her bottom slightly lifted from the bed, making it easier for him to enter her.
It didn't take long for him to lose control. She felt his despair in every thrust, and she heard it in his every moan. He became almost aggressive and definitely wild. The air became filled with the sounds of their lovemaking, and Avril didn't doubt that Soul heard everything. Usually, that would have been embarrassing, but in this moment of passion, she didn't care. She was with the man she loved and he was binding himself to her. He was falling in love with her with each thrust that bound him deeper and deeper to her.
She opened her eyes when she felt him lift his head from her chest. He supported his upper body with his hands by placing them on both sides of her. That change made him thrust into her from a new angle, and it was what she needed. She felt herself tighten around him as her passion and desire took over. Her body jerked beneath him and she curled her toes hard as she came, unable to stop herself from screaming out how good he made her feel.
Hunter followed her just seconds later. She felt him fill her with his release as his screams mingled with hers. She enjoyed every moment of having him this close to her and there was no other place in the entire world she would rather be.
Hunter exhaled heavily as he collapsed on top of her, and for long minutes, all that was heard was their heavy breathing. Avril let her hands caress his back, slowly exploring him.
“Thank you, Avril,” Hunter mumbled against her skin.
“For what?”
“For everything. I haven't felt this good in a long time.”
He raised his head and looked her deep in the eyes. She watched them flash a third time, but the flash wasn't as intense as it had been the first and second time. This time, it was just as gentle as the look in his eyes. There was also something new in his eyes.
Love.
It was as clear as the sun on a shiny day.
“The bond is set,” he said and caressed her cheek. “I am bound to you now. Now and forever.”
His words made her heart jump, both from joy and anticipation but also from nervousness and insecurity. She finally had everything she had ever wanted, but the future was unknown. Would Hunter be safe now that he wasn't one of the Fighters anymore? Would Nightmare change his mind and try to get Hunter back?
They curled up in each other's arms on the bed after Hunter had put the quilt over them.
“You look worried,” he said.
&n
bsp; “I'm thinking about the future.”
“You don't have to. Everything will be all right. I promise.”
Avril wrinkled her forehead. “How can you be sure?”
“Knowing Jade, she will make sure that we stay here until I am up on my feet. She will not let me out into the world before I am stable. And honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she makes sure that we get somewhere to live behind Glaswell's walls. She has done that for other Fighters who have bound themselves again.”
Avril blinked with surprise. “Are you sure?”
He gave her an assuring smile. “I am.”
It made her relax. “Good.” She placed her head against his chest, enjoying his warm and masculine scent. “Thank you.”
He chuckled as he pulled her closer to him. “For what?”
“For wanting me.”
He leaned closer to her ear and whispered: “I didn't need the bond to want you, Avril. You walking back into my life was enough to make me desire you.”
She pulled her head away to be able to look into his eyes as happiness overwhelmed her. “I love you.”
Hunter smiled. “I love you too ... with all my heart and soul.”
THANK YOU
Thank you for reading my story! I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave a review. I would love to hear your opinion. The second book in the series, Loved Cyborg, Wind's and Celise's story, is coming soon.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nellie C. Lind lives in Sweden with her son, but she was born in Poland. Writing has always been one of her greatest interests. Today, she runs the publishing house Sense of Romance for a living. She writes passionate paranormal romance, fantasy, and science fiction books for adult readers. You'll find all sorts of beings in her stories, such as angels, vampires, gods, and elves. You'll also find everything from short stories to novels among her books. Keep an eye open for upcoming releases!
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Tempted Cyborg Page 5