“For Military Models, protection is their default setting. It’s their way of caring. Despite what Reaper just did, I know that he would protect me with his life if necessary. And, I annoy the shit out of him, but he still would do it in a cyborg second. He would have let go of me, eventually. I might have been short a few neural pathways, but he wouldn’t have terminated my life,” Dax stated confidently, patting the hand that held Theo’s.
“Dax, you are an incredible being.” I shook my head, marveling at his ability to believe in Reaper and defend him. “I’m glad you have faith in him. Makes me feel a bit better about what happened. Even though you got the life choked out of you, the rest of the day was great. Theo and I had a wonderful time. Thank you, Dax.”
Dax straightened out atop the exam table. “I would not be opposed to your attention if you give it, Miss. Aria.”
“Did you just ask me out?”
Dax blushed a dark green. I didn’t want to hurt Dax’s feelings, but I couldn’t lead him on. “I like you, Dax, I really do, but I’m not ready to have anyone’s attention right now.” Dax’s shoulders slumped.
“It’s not you, really. It’s me...I’m just not ready, but Theo and I would like to hang out with you again. Right, Theo?”
“Yes, I agree with my human. I would really like to hang out with you again. That, and more pancakes,” Theo declared.
Dax smiled at Theo. “I would like that very much as well.” Dax, despite my protests, walked Theo and me back to our room, Theo chatted happily about how Dax needed to try pancakes and how they would change the green cyborg’s life.
Children were resilient. Theo bounced back after the incident with Reaper far quicker than I.
Reaper and I needed to have a talk. Things had gotten out of hand. The train had derailed.. . I couldn’t keep hiding and pretending he would go away on his own. A certain gray cyborg would not rule my life. The only cyborg I needed was Theo. The sooner Reaper realized that fact, the better.
Chapter Four
Reaper
I royally fucked up. I added Dash and Iris to the list of people who now refused to talk to me. Choking a certain green cyborg was frowned upon. Dr. Shaw, Dax, Aria, Theo, Dash and Iris were all giving me the cold shoulder. I could live with the first two giving me the silent treatment. The others not acknowledging me had twisted my circuits into knots.
That happened when you allowed yourself to care for others. I was not built for this. Killing shit, giving orders, and doing it required whatever to protect those around me. That was what I was good for. I didn’t need people to like me to accomplish those objectives. It worked better when they didn’t. Being the nice cyborg got people killed.
Making a fist, I wanted to put another hole in the wall; the feeling of shredding skin and the presence of bloodied metal would provide relief to my knotted circuits, but a soft knock halted my curled fist a mere inch from the wall.
I stomped to the door and flung it open, intending to tell whoever to leave me the fuck alone, but the sight of blonde hair stopped me in my tracks. Aria was standing outside my door. What was more shocking was that Theo wasn’t attached to her hip. Say something my processors hissed. Nothing happened.
“We need to talk. May I come in?” Aria filled the silence, making up for the vocal malfunction I seemed to be experiencing. My jaw went slack, I stepped aside to allow Aria inside. She didn’t question me. She merely raised an eyebrow and took the offer. Moving past me, she walked close enough I could smell her. Don’t sniff, I ordered my hay-wired circuits. They disobeyed. I leaned in closer, as she brushed past me, and inhaled.
Aria jumped back. “What the hell was that? Did you sniff me?”
I shook my head vigorously. The blonde human had no proof. I refused to admit my momentary loss of processors.
Aria tossed up her hands. “Whatever. I’m not even going there.” Her pale-blue eyes narrowed, “Are you going to say anything or is this some new game you are playing?”
“There is no game. I am confused why you have come to my quarters. Last I knew, you weren’t talking to me.”
Her blue eyes blazed. “Who told you that?”
“Does it matter? There are quite a few not speaking to me, now.” I stepped around her, shutting the door on my way in. Her eyes shot to the door, widening as she realized we were now alone. She lifted her chin, turning her blue gaze back on me.
“It’s your own fault. Maybe if you didn’t go around trying to kill your friends, then people wouldn’t give you the silent treatment.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Who told you Dax was my friend?”
“He did. Not in those words, exactly, but he truly believes you wouldn’t have killed him; that violence is the way your model shows you care. That you somehow reacted because you thought he wanted me. I told him that was ridiculous. You don’t even like me.”
Damn that green cyborg. He never learned how to be quiet. Shrugging, I tried to order my now-racing heart back to a normal rhythm. “I like no one. Don’t take it personally.” Moving my body closer to hers, I peered down at the human who seemed to cause my systems to malfunction. This was the second time our bodies had been this close. The first time, I had threatened to toss her over my knee and spank her. Instead of fear, she had jammed a pale finger into the solid wall of my chest, refusing to back down. The tiny female impressed me. Few did.
This time she sighed, her warm breath caressing my face. I repressed a shudder. A simple breath from her had felt incredible. What would her hands feel like if she caressed my skin?
In our previous interactions, Aria had shoved me away from her. She had struck me to get me to release Dax. I had nothing stored in my memory cells to know what tender touches from her would feel like.
Fucking amazing my circuits hypothesized.
“Look, Reaper, Theo and I will be here for a while. I don’t plan on leaving him, and until that crazy doctor is dead, Theo and I aren’t safe. I don’t want to spend our time here causing problems.” She let out another sigh. “I don’t want any more cyborgs strangled or words screamed in anger.” Her eyes grew haunted. “I’m not the same girl you met at Iris’s house. I’ll never be the same. Everyone needs to stop pushing. If not for me, do it for Theo. He needs you. He needs all of you. He also needs you to not strangle those he considers friends. Like, I don’t know, a certain green cyborg?” She quirked an eyebrow.
My jaw clenched. Aria was right. I would only hurt the small cyborg and the human he had claimed as his if I continued with my behavior. Their bond was beyond my understanding. No one had ever cared enough about me to bond to me, promising they would keep me safe and take care of me. Not that I needed anything like that; Military Models were made to survive. Designed to be the last one standing. You shouldn’t care about the others from your batch. The ones reared in the vats beside yours. On the battlefield, they became nothing more than scrap parts.
Leaning closer, my body towered over hers. My shadow lengthened behind her, cast from the room's false light. “What do you want, Aria?”
Aria’s heartbeat picked up, but she didn’t flee from the closeness of my frame. “A truce.. . I know we didn’t start off that great. My first impression sucked, I know.” She gave a small laugh.
“You poked me in the chest. No one ever dared do that before.” Admiration swelled. “Especially after I threatened to spank you.”
My words caused her to blush. “You only said that to rattle me.”
I leaned even closer. “Are you so sure?” My frame nearly touched hers. I could exhale deeply, draw her scent into my body and brush my chest against her form. Every instinct screamed to make contact. She was pure temptation, one I had no right to touch, yet I didn’t move away. I couldn’t.
She tilted her chin to peer up at me. “Are you flirting with me, Reaper?”
“I don’t flirt.” Military Models did not flirt.
Amusement filled her eyes. “Of course, you don’t.” She took a step back, putting some distance betw
een us. Her amusement died as she grew serious. “Reaper, I want to say thank you. For what you did for us. For coming to rescue us from that place. What happened there...” Aria trailed off, her body swaying. Her eyes filled with liquid as she rapidly blinked trying to staunch the flow. She appeared lost.
I might have saved her that day, but a part of her remained behind. Her laughter. Her light. Subject of unknown horrors had diminished the fierce spirit housed in her frame. My processors rebelled at the thought. I don’t know how it happened, but suddenly my hands gripped her slim shoulders clasping her to my chest. She struggled briefly against my hold but then allowed my touch. She rested her head right where my manufactured heart skipped out of time. Her warm breath slid over the fabric of my dark tee. It seeped into the microscopic gaps in the fabric, skimming over my skin. I sucked in a breath. This felt nothing like the embraces I had received from Iris.
Holding Aria was terrifying. Exhilarating. Circuit-frying. Her scent filled my nostrils. The warmth of her form against my frame felt like nothing I had ever known. Every wire vibrated with the declaration—mine. I committed the embrace to memory. Cycling it through my processors, capturing every detail.
A deep breath sent the cotton of my t-shirt fluttering. “Thanks. I needed that. Didn’t think it would come from you, but then again you always seem to surprise me.” Aria’s lips turned up into a small smile. “Despite what you think, I don’t hate you. I don’t really know you, Reaper. Some days I want to, other days I want to kick you like Theo does.” Her smile widened.
Was she teasing me? I offered a smile in return. My normal scowl disappeared under the warmth of her jest. The fearsome Military Model melted under her attention.
“A kick from you would only injure your foot, I’m afraid. If you want to inflict damage, might I suggest stomping on my toes? My metal frame is much closer to the surface there and even your small feet would hurt if you stomped hard enough. I would caution you to check that my boots are off first.” I winked.
Aria looked down. “Had to check.”
My grin widened. “My boots are never off. Good luck.”
Aria put out her hand. “Truce then?”
I captured Aria’s pale fingers in mine. I didn’t shake her hand; instead, I curled my hand around hers, holding it tight. “Truce, tiny human.”
“I should go. Theo is with Dax and who knows how many pancakes he’s conned Dax to get for him by now. My little cyborg has a serious pancake addiction.” Aria tugged her hand free, side-stepping me to get to the door.
Whatever moment we had together vanished as Aria sought to escape me. I hated the loss of it, but I had no right to demand she stay. One embrace, one moment of humor, had not changed everything between us.
I was not her cyborg.
I would be no one’s cyborg. The sooner I remembered that, the better off I’d be. I had no room for softness or tender moments. I guarded. I fought. I paid those who would harm those I protected in blood.
I wiped any trace of expression from my face, locking my feet a breath apart, my hands clasped behind my back, and assumed my standard military pose. It was the very first thing I learned out of the vats.
Aria flung open the door, giving me one last fleeting glance before darting out into the hallway, closing the door shut behind her. I ordered myself to not follow.
We had a truce. It would have to be enough.
Chapter Five
Aria
I fled Reaper’s room like it had caught fire. My heartbeat pounded in my chest, the feeling of Reaper’s warm hand over mine left my skin tingling. The gentle way he held me didn’t match up with his rough exterior. The same hand that choked Dax had been careful and tender as he offered comfort in my moment of weakness. Never thought Reaper would be the one. After the incident with Dax, a part of me had been terrified of what Reaper could do.
The green cyborg stood no chance against the better-trained and bigger Military Model. Reaper could have destroyed Dax without much effort. A cyborg like that was dangerous, someone I should stay far away from. Then he held me, and I glimpsed the man underneath all the hard edges and unbending metal.
The man who had saved me from my nightmare. My heart did funny things when I thought about him. With him, I felt safe, protected. It didn’t hurt Reaper was sexy as hell. His threat to spank me the first time we met had turned me on. The thought of his big gray hands striking my ass kept me up at night.
Since my girl, Iris, hooked up with Dash, I’d hoped to get the opportunity to spend time with Reaper again; explore the feelings he inspired and see if the feelings were mutual. Then I got taken and life as I knew it changed.
Reliving every second of my exchange with Reaper, I was so lost in thought I didn’t see the huge cyborg barreling down the hall in the opposite direction. My shoulder slammed into his arm, the force of flesh meeting solid metal knocked me backward, my ass hit the floor with a thud.
The cyborg I had crashed into glared down at me from above. His smooth, bald head gleamed under the fluorescent lights, his brows drawn tight together as his lip curled. He was huge. Like a Military Model on steroids. His massive chest strained the fabric of his black t-shirt. Black cargo pants encased a set of tree trunk sized thighs and a pair of black boots covered his, what I could only guess was, giant sized feet.
His boots were definitely curb stompers. I heard that term to describe boots before, now I understood it’s meaning. Black seemed to be his color of choice. The all-black look worked for him. It made him appear even larger. Deadlier.
Terror glued me to the spot. “I’m sorry,” I stammered, my voice came out with an undignified wobble.
“Human,” the massive cyborg hissed.
“Step away from the female, Brone,” a familiar voice ordered. A voice I had just fled from.
Reaper’s fists were curled at his sides. He wore a pair of navy blue sweats that hung dangerously low on his hips. His chest was bare, revealing lines of sculpted muscle. He snarled deep, his defined abs contracting and releasing with the sound.
My mouth went dry at the sight, terror replaced with a rush of want. I wanted to trace those abs with my tongue. Today. Right now.
What the hell? I was about to be crushed by a pissed-off behemoth of a cyborg, and instead of running for my life, I was eye-banging Reaper. Apparently, Reaper flashing a bit of skin trumped my sense of self-preservation.
And his violent streak directed at someone wanting to do me harm only added to the hotness. It was distracting...and did I mention totally hot? Reaper came to my rescue and the look in his eyes told me he wouldn’t back down. The mountain-sized, gray cyborg towering over me was almost twice Reaper’s size, but Reaper didn’t even flinch. He advanced, circling around Brone, creating a barrier between us. My focus drifted to Reaper’s back and shock rolled through me. Pale, gray skin crisscrossed his back in haphazard patterns. It was a road map of scars, more than I could count.
Who had hurt my annoying, badass cyborg? My brain wondered. I said my...nope not going there. We have a truce, that is all. Does that truce involve touching? Not the time, I hissed inside my head. Fine, but we will talk about this later. Shirtless Reaper is by far my favorite kind.
I tore my gaze from Reaper and looked at the mountainous cyborg above me.
I swallowed, urging my frantic heartbeat to calm down. “Brone right? I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you yet.” I held out my hand, willing it to remain steady.
Brone bristled at the gesture. “Why would I want to meet you, human? Or touch you?” he sneered the words at me; his mouth twisting into a cruel smile.
“That human is named Aria and she is the mother of the only cyborg child in existence.” Reaper growled; taking my outstretched hand, he hauled me to my feet. Twisting back around to face Brone he once again put himself between the massive cyborg and myself, this time snaking an arm behind him to wrap around my waist, tugging me against the protection of his solid frame. I ended up pressed against his
back, my lips now resting over a set of scars. The urge to kiss them had me snapping my mouth closed.
“Theo is a miracle. He brings hope to all of us,” Reaper declared, his voice booming in the empty hallway.
“She is that human female?” Brone asked, and I could hear the shock in his voice. “Move, Reaper,” he commanded with a rumble. “I must make amends.”
Reaper didn’t budge. His hold on me tightened and his fingers dug into my hip with a sure grip.
“Move,” Brone roared, making the floor beneath my feet tremble.
“Let me go, Reaper.” He tensed at my words, his frame going rigid beneath my cheek. “It’s okay.” Reaper hesitated then did as I asked, releasing his grip and taking a step forward. Instantly, I missed the protection and warmth of his frame. My hand reached out seeking to snag the waistband of his pants, so I could pull him back, but I caught myself. I couldn’t hide behind Reaper forever, even if it felt wonderful. Better than wonderful. It felt like I belonged there. I could barely handle the lust I was feeling for a certain sexy, gray cyborg let alone feelings of belonging I felt up-close and personal when he protected me.
Moving around Reaper, my mouth fell open when the giant cyborg suddenly dropped to his knees, bowing his head. “I apologize for frightening you. I should have realized who you were. Instead, I let my anger get the better of me. Humans in my past treated me badly. You bumped into me and I reacted.” He pressed a large fist to his chest.. . “As the mother of the small cyborg, you are one of us. I pledge myself to you from this day forward. If you ever need anything, I am at your service.”
I opened my mouth to replay but couldn’t find the words. What do you say when the biggest cyborg you have ever seen pledges himself to you? I was at a loss, so I moved closer until my finger touched his chin and tipped it upwards. His brilliant, blue eyes met mine, shame burning within them.
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