Kissed Cyborg (Bound by Her Book 3)

by Nellie C. Lind

  The past three days had been amazing.

  He snuggled his face against her throat, inhaling her scent and his arms tightened around her waist. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he whispered in her ear.

  Her lips twitched. In a way, it was cute, this over-protective thing he was doing every day, and hopefully, it wouldn’t get too annoying in the future. “I thought you’d stop me.”

  “That was the idea, but I realized it was a pointless battle.”

  “I would’ve come along anyway, no matter what you said.”

  Silver chucked. “I know. The only way to stop you would be to lock you up.”

  She tensed. “You thought about doing that?”

  “Yes, but my mission is to make you love me, not hate me, remember?”

  Her grin returned. “And how’s that coming for you?”

  He let out a satisfied sound, as if he’d just eaten something tasty and sweet. “You like me, even if you’re not willing to admit it yet, but don’t worry. I’m far from done trying.”

  A tingling sensation awakened in her gut. One part of Faye looked forward to his attempts. She couldn’t wait to find out what else he’d do to win her over. The excitement made her forget how their relationship had started. Besides, getting away was futile. He was bound to her now.

  He was hers.

  Silver would even die for her.

  He’d follow her anywhere she ran, but running was the last thing on her mind.

  She chuckled and shook her head.

  Silver raised his head. “What’s so funny?”

  “You know, I never imagined this,” she whispered, “but I really like where we’re heading. You’re not as annoying as you used to be.”

  He flashed a wide smile filled with pride. “See? You’ll be head over heels in love with me in no time.”

  Faye snorted. “In your dreams, big boy.” Trying to sound serious was difficult. She was unable to hide her enthusiasm and smile.

  Silver chuckled and kissed her cheek. “You’re such a bad liar.”

  Faye had to agree. She couldn’t put words to what she felt for him, but she couldn’t deny the attraction.

  He pulled her in like a flower was pulled to the sun. She’d drown in his amazing shining eyes if it was possible. Her arms felt empty without him.

  This was evolving into something she’d never seen coming, and in a way, she liked it. She didn’t want to fight it, not anymore.

  He’d given in.

  Maybe she should, too.

  “We’re here,” Celise said when the van stopped.

  “Get ready,” Nightmare ordered.

  The back doors opened. Heaven stood there with a huge gun in his hands. He looked frightening, with his black clothes and emotionless eyes.

  Faye spotted the other van from her seat.

  Phoenix, Sense, and the other Fighters exited it, raised their weapons and started spreading around.

  Heaven joined them.

  “Stay here until the warehouse is open,” the leader told Faye, and looked at Celise. “Let’s go.”

  The doctor tensed but left the van with Wind by her side.

  She took a shaky breath and grabbed Silver’s hand. “Are you ready?”

  “As ready as I can be.”

  Their mission was simple. While Celise and the others took care of the tank and other necessary equipment, her and Silver’s task was to gather medicine.

  All they had to do was run through the warehouse and head for the storage. The doctor had drawn them a map that Silver had memorized, and as soon as the door to the warehouse was open, their task was on.

  Faye shook her limbs out. “We can do this.”

  Her cyborg grabbed her face and pressed his lips to hers.

  She winced from the unexpected kiss, but gave in when she felt his passion and despair in every caress with his tongue. She allowed herself to drown in his embrace.

  Who know, maybe it was the last one.

  Silver looked her deep in the eyes. The fear in them was evident. “Don’t ever leave my side.”

  Faye swallowed. Nerves started to get the better of her but seeing his was almost too much. She didn’t want him to be in pain. “I won’t.”

  Maybe coming here hadn’t been one of her brightest ideas. She’d only thought of herself, eager to enter another adventure, but now when they were there, all she felt was the reality of the situation.

  Hopefully, nothing bad would happen, but if Soul and Jade had figured out what they’d done, they were doomed.

  MedAct’s cyborg soldiers would be almost impossible to defeat.

  Silver could get hurt.

  That worried her more than she’d imagined.

  What if she got hurt?

  Silver would die if she died.

  A lump got stuck in her throat, and she wrapped her arms around him and showered him with kisses.

  Silver chuckled. “You’ve never kissed me like this before.” A glint awakened in his eyes. “I like it.”

  Faye didn’t smile back. “Don’t die on me.”

  Surprise filled his expression. “So, you do care.”

  She stilled, his words hitting her like a slap in the face. The truth fell out. “Yeah, I do.”

  They shared a look, an expression that said more than words ever could.

  Faye saw the love he felt for her. There was no doubt, Silver had really given in to the bond.

  Until now, a small part of her had questioned it, even if he’d been completely different these past few days, but now, she knew.

  Now, she was sure.

  Nightmare showed up. His expression hard and stern, filled with determination. “It’s time.”

  CHAPTER 23

  Faye ran through the warehouse, following Silver. It was massive and mazelike, filled with goods stacked on high pallet racks or shelves. Luckily, they knew exactly where they were heading. It’d been enough for Silver to see Celise’s map once. Cyborgs had an amazing memory.

  “We only have five minutes,” she reminded him when he slowed to look around another corner.

  “We won’t have five minutes if we can’t reach the room alive.”

  True, but he was being too cautious. The warehouse seemed empty.

  As soon as they’d entered it, they’d started looking around, searching for an ambush, but nothing.

  “I’m not going to die.” Faye hoped that was enough to get him going.

  “No, you’re not, because I’m going to protect you. I’ll be your armor.”

  She bit her lip. Silver would take a bullet for her, and that was the weirdest feeling ever. She had a hard time getting used to the idea that he’d die for her, but that was the bond’s curse. A cyborg would always choose to sacrifice himself instead of his bound one, and she hated it. She didn’t want him to die because of her, but one day, he would, whether she wanted it or not.

  Silver held a steady grip on her hand. He wasn’t squeezing too hard, but hard enough to not lose her.

  His strong and warm hand was a safety Faye desperately needed. Her heart galloped from all the stress, but her focus was on the mission.

  They had to succeed.

  She had no idea how Celise planned to create the female cyborg, since her friend lacked the education, but with Blaze’s help, they’d be able to figure it out, Faye hoped.

  “We’re here,” Silver said, and they stopped in front of a closed door. On the wall next to it was a digital plate. He entered a code, and there was a click. She entered and scanned the place. The room wasn’t big, but well-lit and filled with cabinets loaded with all types of medicine and medical equipment.

  Faye recalled what Celise had said and located a cabinet with the number 342 written on it. She had no idea what the number stood for, but it didn’t matter. They were supposed to empty it and return to the van.

  “There,” Silver said and approached the huge white cabinet as he unzipped the bag they’d brought with them.

  Faye opened the
cabinet. “Wow. There’s a lot here. Thankfully, nothing is glass. At least, we won’t have to worry about glass splinters in the bag if something breaks.”

  They worked in silence as fast as they could. Faye had no idea what any of them were for, but Celise had explained some were needed to create the female cyborg. The rest was to help the Fighters, to ease their pain.

  She studied her cyborg.

  Silver moved with ease, but the way his muscles worked, and the way his hands tensed around each bottle made her lick her lips.

  Each finger was a piece of art along with the strong veins on the back of his hand, creating a masterpiece. It made her mind go wild.

  Imagine what he can do with those fingers!

  “You’re staring,” he said.

  She winced. “I’m not.” That had to be the biggest lie of the year.

  “I know you want me. All you have to say is ‘I love you,’ and you’ll have me.”

  She cleared her throat. “Well, I’m—”

  “—not ready yet.” He finished.

  Faye had no answer to that. Desire for him was there, something that hadn’t been there before had awakened, but was it more than just lust?

  She couldn’t tell. Sure, he was doing a good job of trying to make her love him, but was the attraction strong enough?

  Would it die once she’d had him a few times?

  “Done.” Silver closed the bag. “Let’s go.” He grabbed her hand and tugged toward the door, only to freeze.

  Faye gasp, staring at the man who blocked the way out.

  Soul.

  The cyborg soldier.

  He pointed the biggest gun she’d ever seen directly at them, and there was no more kindness in his eyes.

  Soul was dressed in a black armor suit that hugged his muscular body. His bright hair was combed back. He was also in defense-mode.

  He’d use the gun, if he had to. Without a doubt.

  “Oh, my God,” She blurted.

  Soul didn’t look the slightest pleased. Anger radiated from his beautiful shining eyes. “I was kind of expecting more from you, Faye, but I guess being bound to a former Fighter makes you do things you never thought you’d do.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  “It didn’t take much to figure out that someone had messed with Jade’s laptop and the codes to this place had been stolen. I suspected it already at Shade and Phoebe’s house.” He looked at Silver, his gaze deadly. “I guess old habits die hard, right, Silver?”

  Silver seemed just as confused as she was, then he smiled. “Well, you know me. Always doing something for an adrenaline kick. Hacking Jade’s laptop was a piece of cake. She should upgrade her defense system.”

  Of course.

  Soul believed it’d been Silver who’d hacked Jade’s laptop.

  Good.

  That meant Hunter and Avril were safe. It also meant Jade believed Silver had done it.

  “If you come with me peacefully, this doesn’t have to end badly,” Soul said.

  Neither Faye or Silver moved.

  Her cyborg’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you here?”

  Soul frowned. “To stop you from doing whatever you’re doing.”

  She winced, then gasped. “You don’t know why we’re here, do you?”

  “I don’t need to. It’s not important. What’s important is to stop you.”

  They exchanged gazes. How brainwashed was Soul? His logic didn’t make sense, but he seemed to believe every word he said.

  Suspicion filled Faye. “What exactly do you know?”

  “I don’t want to hurt you. Come with me quietly, and no one needs to end up with broken bones.” The cyborg soldier ignored the question.

  Faye inhaled and her stubbornness peeked its head.

  Soul wasn’t going to get the chance to ruin this. Too much was at stake.

  “You have to let us go, Soul.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Do you take me for a fool? I’m taking you to MedAct where you’ll both be prosecuted.”

  “No, you won’t.”

  “And why’s that?”

  “Because you’re going to let us go. You’ll move away from the door, lower your gun, and watch us walk away.”

  Soul blinked, stared at them. Then, he laughed.

  The bitter sound sent cold chills down Faye’s spine. She’d liked the gentleness in his eyes when they’d first met, despite the sternness that lay beneath, but this was a side of him she didn’t want anything to do with.

  The anger was real.

  The soldier cyborg’s laughter died just as fast as it had begun, and his face melded into intensity. His grip on the gun tightened. “Start walking or I’ll put a bullet in Silver’s leg.”

  Faye took a shaky breath and raised her free hand. “Wait, please. Listen to what I have to say.”

  “And why should I do that?” he barked.

  She only had a few seconds.

  He would fire the gun any moment.

  She had to go full-out from the start. “Because I saw your pain.”

  Soul stilled. His irritation turned to suspicion. “What’re you talking about?”

  “At Phoebe and Shade’s. I saw your pain when you spoke of your bound one.”

  His expression hardened. “You’ve no right to speak of her!”

  If she’d considered him scary before, it was nothing compared to now. Fury radiated from him. His jaw was tense and his lips thinned.

  Talking about his bound one had apparently triggered something dark.

  A shot went off, hitting the floor next to Silver.

  “Shit!” Faye shouted, and instinctively pulled her cyborg to her, away from the danger, but before she was able to do more, Silver forced her behind him.

  “If you fire that gun one more time, I’ll kill you,” he threatened. “I don’t give a shit about what you’re going through, but I know you’re looking for a way out, and we can offer you one.”

  Soul’s fingers trembled. “There’s no way out.”

  Her body shook. She could die any moment if Soul decided to shoot again, but somehow, she found her strength and courage. She moved next to Silver.

  He tried to pull her behind him again, but she didn’t let him.

  She had to have eye-contact with Soul. “There’s a way, and we can create it, but if you stop us now, it will be shut down. Not just for you, but for all cyborgs.”

  The big soldier didn’t move. The hesitation in his eyes was there, but was he … curious, too?

  “What do you know about the bond?” Faye asked.

  His eyes narrowed. “It’s a curse I can’t live without.”

  She shook her head. “No, you can live without it, and we think we know how, but for it to become reality, you need to let us go.”

  “You need to tell me more if you expect me to believe you,” he hissed between his teeth, gripping the gun harder again.

  She exchanged a gaze with Silver, and he nodded.

  Faye sighed. “All right, I’ll tell you.”

  This conversation only had one exit.

  Either he’d believe them and let them go, or they’d be dead within a few minutes.

  “Carolyn Williams didn’t create the bond because the cyborgs needed it to live. She created it to control them with love. In truth, the bond is a poison, and it’s released into the cyborg’s system the moment his bound one dies. Only the cyborgs who survive know the truth—the Fighters, but the world doesn’t listen.”

  Soul gave her a dark grin. “You expect me to believe you?”

  “No, I don’t, but I can prove it.”

  His eyes widened, a pinch of interest sparkled in them. “How?”

  Faye swallowed and reached inside her shoulder bag, pulling out a small portable hard drive and raised her hand, showing it to Soul. She gave Silver a quick glance to make sure he wasn’t against this, but he only watched her.

  Celise had given her, with Nightmare’s approval, her own copy of Alexander Fleming’s algorithm,
and the female cyborg program.

  Since she was Celise’s student, she needed to study both to be able to help, but she’d never believed she’d be showing it to a cyborg soldier.

  “Can you access it as it is, or do I have to connect it to the computer over there?”

  The big soldier moved closer, his gaze focused on the device. His interest was unmistakable, but so was his suspicion.

  Why was she doing this?

  Soul wasn’t trustworthy. He was the enemy, for heaven’s sake. Yet, part of her wanted to trust him, to show him that he wasn’t alone, and help was within his grasp.

  She was surprised Silver wasn’t stopping her. This was, without a doubt, a very bad idea, but maybe he hoped for the same as she did.

  Soul stilled, and lowered the gun slightly. He tilted his head and his gaze unfocused.

  Another chill went through Faye. He was reading the hard drive.

  He blinked after a few seconds. “There’s a defense system in place. I can’t access the information without the code.”

  “Summer loving five hundred twelve,” Faye said.

  Soul’s gaze shot to hers. “What?”

  “The code.”

  “Seriously?”

  She shrugged. “This code will give you access to some of the information. It should be enough for you to know we’re not lying.”

  He snorted. “Whatever.” Soul’s shining eyes returned to the hard drive. He tilted his head again, refocused. A gentle flash came from them, and Faye knew what that meant.

  He’d accessed the information.

  Meaning, there was no turning back.

  Silence filled the room, but on the inside, she was about to burst. The stress was almost overwhelming, and she couldn’t get away from obsessing that she’d just made a huge mistake.

  Silver should’ve stopped her. He should’ve said something!

  She spared him a glance, but he only stood there, studying Soul in silence.

  He squeezed her hand without looking at her. “It’s the right thing to do.”

  She swallowed. “You think?”

  “His mind is already split. Back at Phoebe and Shade’s house, I saw it clearly. He wants freedom but doesn’t know how to achieve it. Besides, while Hu—” He cleared his throat. “While I hacked into Jade’s laptop, I read his file. He has a history of not wanting to follow his bound one’s orders.”