I reached out and put my hand on his large shoulder. He tensed under my touch. I wondered how much physical contact he had in his life. My guess? Not much, and any he had received most likely hadn’t been kind. “Thank you, Brone.” I gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “and don’t feel bad over what happened today. It was a misunderstanding. I get why you didn’t welcome me with open arms. Not all of us are bad, though. Give me a chance and I’ll give you one. Friends?” He didn’t say a thing but simply grabbed me.
You know when a child scoops up their favorite doll and holds it to their chest, rocking it with such enthusiasm you fear for the doll’s safety? Yep. I was the doll.. . One minute I was standing on the floor, the next my face was smooshed against a mountain-sized chest while my feet dangled helplessly off the floor. Panic engulfed me but then I realized his hold on me was surprisingly gentle. Sure, I was in the bear hug of the century, but Brone wasn’t hurting me. I gave a little laugh, the sound muffled by the cliff face that was Brone’s chest. . .
A roar erupted from behind me. “Put her down!” Reaper shouted.
Brone obeyed, setting me gently on my feet and stepping back. “I appreciate your offer of friendship and I accept.” Brone smiled.
“I took it as a yes when you hugged me,” I said with a chuckle. “I’ll be honest; I didn’t take you for a hugger.”
Brone shrugged. “I’m not. Not sure why I did it. Maybe my processors are malfunctioning.”
“You’re not the only one,” Reaper muttered with a growl.
I turned to Reaper, giving him a questioning look. What was up with his processors? I gave him a once-over, inspecting him for any outward sign that something was wrong. I meant it when I told him I didn’t hate him. Based on my reaction to him today, I had to admit he inspired a heavy dose of lust, far stronger than when we first met. Given my first thought was to inspect him, worrying over what could be wrong with his processors; I had to be honest and admit I cared about what happened to him, as well. He had stormed to my rescue, yet again, and my weary and broken brain was quickly turning him into my own personal hero.
All you have is a truce. Reaper is simply doing his job. Don’t go believing in something that isn’t there. You are broken. Damaged. My brain taunted. Then again I had seen his scars. Reaper was also damaged. A seed of hope bloomed. Maybe we could be more than a truce.
“Would you mind if I stopped by sometime to say hi to the boy?”
I blinked, my cheeks heating as I realized I had completely forgotten about Brone while I had gotten lost staring at Reaper.
I spun around to flash Brone a smile. “Why don’t you stop by tomorrow? I’m sure Theo would love to meet you.”
Brone grinned. “Until tomorrow then.” He gave a little bow then headed down the hallway.
I turned back around to see Reaper marching back toward his room without so much as a goodbye. I had at least expected some type of lecture. Instead, I got nothing. Damn Military Model. Getting a girl all worked up then leave her standing in the hallway like a fool. I didn’t have time to chase after Reaper like a teenage girl with a hero complex. I had a cyborg to raise. With every step I took toward my room, I let the seed of hope whither away until it was nothing but bits of ash inside my chest.
*Reaper*
I stormed down the hallway, a burning sensation lodged within my chest. Every instinct was screaming at me to pay a visit to Brone and show him what I thought about him hugging Aria. Words were not going to be my first choice. My fists coiled by my side, desperately needing to punch the happy look off Brone’s face as he held my female.
She’s not yours, my circuits countered.
Maybe not, but I couldn’t help the fierce pounding in my processors declaring her mine. A foolish malfunction that would break me when she finally rejected me.
But what if she didn’t? I caught her staring at my bare chest. She had looked over every inch, appreciation flashing in her eyes. Her fear of Brone had disappeared when she gazed at me, ignoring the tank-sized threat to focus on me. A tiny bit of pride flared in my circuits. She liked the way I was built, admiring my frame without hesitation. Maybe she could grow to admire the man behind the metal, too.
Fuck. I had it bad. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. My anger at Brone fled with the desire to put Aria over my knee, instead. She hadn’t been out of my sight for more than a few minutes and she ran right into trouble. It hadn’t been on purpose, but it didn’t matter. The thought of her harmed or killed sent my processors into chaos. The machine willing to tear through anyone who dared harm a hair on her head. The man bordering on the verge of panic at the mere thought.
Brone was designed to be deadly; created solely to be the battering ram before Military Models like me took to the battlefield. I was shocked when I discovered him frozen in stasis. I didn’t think any of his class had survived. I debated bringing him back online. It felt cruel to leave him, but what would I be waking up? A ruthless killing machine or a cyborg that I could reason with?
Every cyborg I found, I had to make the same choice. In the end, I woke them all. If their mind was too damaged, I ended their torment with a swing of my axe. One strike, delivered hard enough, would crush their core processor and it was over. Every cyborg I had failed was stored in my memory banks. I never forgot. I never found peace. Military Models weren’t bred for peace.
Still, I ached for it. I longed to discover a way to ease my troubled mind; to silence the demons haunting my circuits.
Aria. My programming whispered. It always came back to her. An ache built in my chest. I ached for a little blonde human who smelled like sweetness. Like a fool, I had taken what she offered, agreeing to a truce, when I wanted so much more. I didn’t want to surrender to her smile or give in to her compromise.
I wanted fire. A fight. A war of words and passion. I wanted to conquer my warrior, toss her over my shoulder and chase away the storms in her eyes.
You left her alone in the fucking hallway without saying a word.
Yeah, not my smartest move. Feelings were fucking hard. If I wanted Aria, I had to cyborg up and tell her. See if I stood a chance at becoming the cyborg she admired and claimed for her own. Deep down in my circuits, I was lonely. I had pushed everyone away for so long I didn’t know how to do anything different.
Day after day, I annoyed Aria simply to have a new memory of her to store in my processors. I enjoyed seeing Theo as well. I often wondered if the Beanie Baby shark I had given him brought him joy. Never would I admit to Iris I liked the tiny, nonsensical bit of stuffed toy. It was not logical, but a secret part of me missed the silly thing. Theo had needed it more than me.
I still had the whole box Iris gave me hidden under my bed. Don’t ask me why. I planned to give them back. What use did the leader of the cyborg rebellion have for a box of impractical yet whimsical creatures? I preferred daggers and my trusty battle axe. In a pinch, they would work to stuff down the enemy’s throat, effectively cutting off their air supply, but they didn’t deserve that cruel fate. Besides, Iris would never forgive me for destroying her precious Beanie Babies.
My processors drifted to Iris and Dash. Dash had been willing to die for Iris, follow her into what came after this life, instead of staying behind without her. They were the first example of a human and cyborg finding a happily ever after. If I hadn’t witnessed it, I would have never believed it. Aria had awakened a new line of code in my processors. I wanted a happily ever after for myself. Striding to the door, I took a deep breath. I had faced countless battles, numerous enemies, and defeated immeasurable odds; none of that compared to what I was about to do.
I had to win over a female.
Chapter Six
Aria
Theo was in melt-down mode by the time I made it to my room. Dax was wringing his hands in the corner, a look of worry blanketing his green face. Have you ever seen a child who could break bones, with one punch or kick, throw a temper tantrum? It’s not pretty.
“Theo, swee
ts I think you are scaring Dax.”
Theo turned to me and growled. Oh, I don’t think so. My limit for dealing with growling Military Models was up for today.
I marched over to him and prepared to pull out the big guns. There was one thing Theo wouldn’t want to lose. I had a secret weapon. My voice. “Don’t you growl at me, mister! Do it again and I won’t sing for you. You’ll have to go to bed without it.”
Theo paled to a lighter shade of gray. “Sorry, mom.”
Dax blinked in confusion. “That is all? You threaten to not to sing to him and he follows your orders?”
I shrugged. My life before Theo had been spent pursuing music. Singing was in my blood. Even when I was held captive, I still sang. It was the only thing that kept the darkness from consuming me completely. One day, after yet another horrific round of experiments, I came back to find a tiny form huddled in the corner of my cell. Theo’s small frame had been curled around himself. His little blue eyes had been fixed open, a dark fluid making trails down his gray cheeks. The fluid had a metallic scent, but I recognized the trails for what they were. He had been crying.
Something inside me broke. I crawled to him, reaching to gather him up and into my arms, when he tried to bite me. His little limbs had not been strong enough to fight back so he used the only thing left to him as a weapon. His teeth snapped at my fingers in a desperate attempt to defend himself. I managed to pull back my hand just in time. His cyborg reflexes were slow. Whatever the doctor had been doing to him made him weak. My instincts were screaming to snuggle him close and comfort him, but I knew he didn’t trust me.
So, instead, I sang to him. I sang until my voice went hoarse and my throat burned like someone had poured battery acid down it. It was worth it. His little body started to relax, his tears dried, and when I reached for him a second time, he allowed me to gather him in my arms and hold him. He drifted off to sleep, and when his blue eyes met mine when he awoke, he declared I was his. He took my hand, placing it on his tiny gray chest, and I felt the moment his heartbeat synced to match mine. That was it. My heart had been stolen by a small cyborg. The first time he called me mom was one of the best days of my life.
Theo looked at Dax. “You haven’t heard my mom sing. It’s beautiful.” He turned to me and smiled.
I dropped into a chair and held out my hand. “Come here.” With a yawn, Theo climbed into my lap like he’s not a solid, hundred-pound, advanced child with the capability of denting steel with his kicks. I let out an oomph as I cuddled him close. Every day, he seemed to only get bigger. One day soon, I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold him on my lap any longer. I rubbed his bald head and he giggled.
Dax watched us with an unreadable expression on his face. It vanished when he smiled. “I bet it is, Mr. Theo. I should return to my quarters.” He moved gracefully to the door.
I flash him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Dax. For everything.”
He gave me a little bow and that unreadable expression returned to his face. “You’re welcome, Miss. Aria. I am always happy to help.” He slipped through the door and was gone before I could say anything more.
I turned my attention back to Theo. Placing a kiss on his forehead, I started to sing. He cuddled closer and within moments he was asleep. I had an idea why Theo was in the middle of a meltdown when I got back. Dax was the one watching him. That green cyborg would have indulged Theo’s every request simply to please him. I was willing to bet he had allowed him to eat his fill of pancakes with a healthy dose of syrup. Too much sugar did a number on his system. First a high, then a crash. After I discovered what too much sugar did to Theo, I wondered about what would have happened if the Global Allegiance had discovered the secret. If every cyborg guzzled a gallon of syrup, they would have run around like crazy and then passed out, sound asleep on the floor, dead to the world. It would have been an effective way to incapacitate them. The sweet taste probably would have lured the cyborgs to ingest more and more. Theo was addicted to the stuff. I usually made sure he didn’t ingest too much, but Dax didn’t know any better. I was going to need to talk to him about how even cyborg children need limits. Somehow, I wondered if the talk would even work.
A soft knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. I glanced down at Theo and tried to work out a way to put him down to answer the door. Lifting him was out of the question. He was far too heavy for me to carry alone. Turned out the decision was made for me as the door started opening slowly and familiar gray face peeked into the room.
What the hell? Since when did Reaper think he had the right to let himself into my quarters unannounced? If I didn’t have a sleeping cyborg in my arms, I would be having words. Strong ones. You can’t just let yourself into someone’s personal quarters. Mr. No Manners would be getting an earful.
Why was he here in the first place? He had fled without saying a word after the incident with Brone in the hallway. Now, he appeared in my doorway after I had given up the hope of seeing what could happen between us. I had let it die. I didn’t think I could handle getting rejected by Reaper. My scars were still fresh. The broken parts of me left jagged and raw. The slightest cut could rip me wide open.
Reaper opened his mouth but stopped, whatever he was about to say vanished when he saw Theo asleep in my arms. The hard lines of his face softened, his blue eyes gazed with something close to longing as he slipped into the room without making a sound. I sat transfixed as his arms reached out to lift Theo carefully from my arms and cradled him gently to his chest.
My words disappeared. Reaper had rendered me completely speechless. Anything I had thought to say fled at the sight of the fierce cyborg treating Theo with such tenderness and affection. I followed Reaper down the hall and could only watch while he tucked Theo into bed, his gray fingers patting Theo’s little bald head and placing the shark he had given him next to Theo’s sleeping frame.
My heart lurched. I gripped the doorframe, leaning my body against it as fierce longing swept through me, threatening to take me to my knees. What if Theo was his? What if we had created him together? No labs. No tests. Just a girl getting knocked up by a boy or cyborg—whatever. The thought should have terrified me. It didn’t. I desperately wanted a tiny gray baby to snuggle in my arms. I wanted another little cyborg whose eyes were bright and shiny, not dull and lifeless.
I had saved Theo, but there had been more. A whole room filled with small cyborgs, their processors refusing to come back online no matter how many times I held them or sang to them. That had been the true torture. After seeing how Theo responded to me, Dr. Rosenfield forced me into a room full of little cyborgs just like Theo except for their coloring. Red, blue, purple. Different shades of cyborgs, all of them dying. Tears began to burn behind my eyelids, panic fluttered beneath my breast. I slid to the floor, pulling up my knees to my chest. I hugged them tightly, trying to stop the breakdown that was rising like a tidal wave.
Suddenly, Reaper was there caging me in with the shelter of his arms, his blue eyes narrowing as worry settled over his face. “What is wrong?” Warm fingers met my skin as he gently cradled my face with his large hands. “Did someone hurt or threaten you and Theo?” Reaper whispered with venom in his voice.
I shook my head, the tears finally breaking free to spill down my cheeks as I started hyperventilating.
Reaper scooped me from the ground like I weighed nothing, pressing my form against the solid wall of his chest. Warm, hard muscle met my cheek. I always expected cyborgs to be cold, but being held by Reaper felt like being held by a furnace. His warmth seeped into my skin and sank down to my bones, heating me from the inside out. He carried me into the hall and took off towards his room.
I struggled within his grip. “Wait! I can’t leave Theo.” My words bounced off the solid wall of Reaper’s chest.
He hit a button. “Call Dax.”
“This is Dax.” The green cyborg’s voice echoed through the empty hallway.
Reaper gritted his teeth. “Dax, I need you to watch Theo for
a bit. The child is asleep, but in case he wakes, I need you there.”
Dax growled over the communication line. “Where is Miss. Aria?”
“I have her.” Reaper stated, his hold tightening, keeping me locked against his frame. “Do me this favor Science Model, please.” Reaper choked on the word ‘please’.
Dax gave another growl. “I’ll be right there.”
Reaper paused in the hallway, waiting for Dax to arrive.
I stopped struggling and looked at Reaper. “Put me down.”
Reaper’s arms tightened further. “No.” The one word felt like an impenetrable wall I couldn’t breach.
Dax came barreling down the hall, shooting Reaper a stern look as he approached. “Are you okay, Miss. Aria?” Dax held out his arms. “I can take you if you would like.”
Reaper took a step back out of his reach. “She stays with me,” Reaper snarled. “All I need from you is to watch the boy.”
Dax didn’t seem fazed. “Is that what you want, Miss Aria?” He cocked his head, waiting for my reply. I knew Dax was only trying to protect me. His green eyes blazed with determination and concern.
The frame against my body went rigid. Reaper’s mouth was pressed into a thin line. His cheeks drawn tight, his eyes flashing blue to counter Dax’s green. It was no longer worry on Reaper’s features, but fear. Did he fear I would choose Dax over him? Did I want to choose Dax over him? Dax was by far the safer choice. He wouldn’t demand I talk, wouldn’t ask questions I didn’t know if I was ready to answer. Reaper would push. He would dig in deep, expose my secrets and find the broken parts I wanted to hide. From him. From Theo. From myself.
What if Theo had been awake? My mind countered. I didn’t want him to see me like that. He would have tried to take care of me like he always did, but it was my job to take care of him. I was exhausted. So tired of hiding, of running. I didn’t want safe. I wanted to be pushed. I wanted someone who would stand unwavering against my storms.
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