Dash

by Kelsey Nicole Price

  I reached down to lace my fingers with his motionless ones, refusing to let go.

  “I have missed you.” Dash’s hands gripped the side of my face, pulling me in close. His hot breath caressed my skin, moving over my lips, making me want to beg him to kiss me. I waited for this moment forever. I didn’t know how he was awake. I didn’t care. All I needed was his lips on mine.

  “Kiss me,” I whispered.

  “I plan to do more than kiss you.” Leaning in, his mouth rested a mere centimeter away. This was it. Closing my eyes, I simply waited for the kiss of the century.

  A loud popping sound echoed in the distance.

  Dash suddenly pulled back, all hopes of his kiss vanishing like smoke. “You need to wake up Iris.”

  “No, I don’t! I need you to fucking kiss me. Please, Dash.” I took a step toward him as the popping sound got louder. He moved farther away, and I clenched my fists at my sides in frustration. Whoever, or whatever, had interrupted what would have been a glorious kiss would pay. The popping sound suddenly stopped and I watched as Dash’s handsome face faded away. An unfamiliar voice sounded in the darkness.

  “Well, what do we have here?”

  Chapter Eleven

  *Iris*

  My eyes bolted open; the dream faded away to reveal someone staring at me from the edge of the truck. Both doors thrown open; the locks destroyed and left hanging limply from the handles.

  Scrambling to my feet, I looked for some type of weapon, anything I could use to fight off this unknown threat. I had nothing. The whole truck had remained empty to allow for Dash to stay inside.

  “Isn’t that cute? Are you trying to find something to fight me with little girl?” A big gloved hand reached in, dragging me out into the cold, morning air.

  I twisted my head and tried to get a look at my attacker, but all I saw was a black mask covering his face. A pair of wrap-around sunglasses hid his eyes.

  I couldn’t make out a single feature. “Who, the fuck, are you?” My breath left puffs of white in the air.

  “You don’t ask the questions. I do. Now tell me, why would a girl, in the middle of nowhere, be spooning an illegal service unit cyborg in the back of a truck like it was her favorite stuffed animal?” the person in the mask seethed.

  I kept my lips pressed together. I wouldn’t talk. It currently seemed like my only option.

  “Don’t play games with me little girl. Open that pretty mouth of yours and tell me why you have a fucking cyborg stuffed in the back of your truck like a big blue sausage?” The grip tightened on my hair as the man laughed.

  “Have you been playing with his big blue sausage? You know it’s better to not put clothes on it if that is the case.” Another round of cruel laughter filled the air.

  Something snapped. I started swinging, my fists beating against what felt like steel. My blows as effective as a gust of air. My knuckles felt like they were on fire but I kept punching wildly. “It isn’t an it you piece of shit! He’s a he and his name is Dash! And what I do or don’t do with his sausage is none of your damn business!”

  A feminine laugh sounded from behind me.

  Another figure, also dressed in black, appeared next to the one holding me. “I don’t think she’s scared of you, Reaper.”

  She looked every bit his counterpart, sending a shiver of fear rolling through me and stopping my futile attempt at kicking ass.

  It was now two against one. The odds were getting worse by the second.

  Frantically, I searched my brain trying to figure out who they were and how they learned about Dash. I had been so careful to cover my tracks, making sure the research I was doing wouldn’t cause any suspicion. Someone must have taken notice. I must have fucked up somewhere. Now, because of that fuck-up, Dash and I would die.

  I’m so sorry Dash, I whispered in my head.

  “She should be scared. I’m the one that’s going to kill her for hiding an illegal cyborg. But first, maybe we should destroy her pet. I think this one will be fun to watch die, don’t you Hester?”

  The woman shrugged.

  Tears filled my eyes as I looked at Dash lying helpless on the floor of the truck.

  “Here, catch,” The man tossed me to the side and the woman caught me.

  Watching in horror, the man grabbed Dash by the ankles and dragged him from the truck and dropped him into the dirt. He leaned over Dash’s face and stared into his lifeless blue eyes. “What the fuck did you do to it? Why is it in shutdown mode?” the man scowled through the mask.

  Something cold pressed against the side of my head; the barrel of a plasma rifle rested against my temple.

  Terror gripped me, my body trembled as tears tracked down my cheeks. I sucked in a breath. I couldn’t lose it now. Dash needed me.

  Maybe there was a way to convince them they didn’t need to terminate him. Dash was no threat since he was in shutdown mode. It was a longshot, but I was willing to try anything to save him.

  Swallowing my fear, I ordered my body to stop shaking. “Please don’t hurt him. He’s no threat to you. Take him away. Isn’t he worth more alive than dead?” I silently winced, offering Dash to people who might hurt him caused dread to pool in my belly.

  If given a choice, Dash might prefer termination, but I couldn’t just watch him die. My heart rebelled at the thought. Alive, I had a chance to rescue him. Dead, he was gone forever. Then again, my own odds of surviving this were slim to none.

  Glancing down, I realized I was going to die wearing cat pajamas. Fuck. My. Life—whatever little bit of life I had left.

  The man pushed the barrel a little deeper into my temple. “You ask to spare his life? Why?”

  Despite my terror, my brain caught the use of the word his life, not its life. I wondered who was really behind the black mask.

  I swallowed, my tone uncertain, “You didn’t call him it.”

  Enforcers from The Global Allegiance would never refer to Dash as something other than ‘it’. They didn’t believe cyborgs were more than machines with faulty programming. They refused to recognize the lives they had brought into existence.

  “Don’t fuck with me. What did you do to him?” Buried beneath the cruel tone was a hint of concern.

  I had a choice. I could tell these people what was wrong with Dash, trusting that they weren’t the bad guys, or I could stay quiet and end up with a blast to the head. Whoever they were, they wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

  It was the moment of truth.

  Taking a breath, I decided to put all my eggs in a very unstable basket. “We had a fight. Instead of acting like a normal person, he shut himself off so he didn’t have to hear or see me anymore. I’ve spent the last couple weeks trying to learn how to bring him back online. I mean, who just shuts himself off? He didn’t even give me chance to apologize!” I gave my best glare in Dash’s direction, deciding it was best to play it up a bit. I had never been an actress, but I was going to sell this shit.

  If there was any chance these were people who cared about cyborgs, I needed to prove that I was someone who cared about them too. What better way than to treat him exactly like I would a human.

  I was so going to die.

  The woman’s hold loosened slightly. I wanted to cheer but I kept it to myself. Maybe I wasn’t going to die.

  So, I decided to keep it going. “Look, I don’t know who you are but Dash is my friend. Look around. Do you think I could afford to buy an illegal cyborg and hide him? I collect Beanie Babies, not cyborgs. I found him in an abandoned warehouse when I was looking for things to add to my hoard. He was in a box! Some fuckers shoved him into a motherfucking box! I couldn’t leave him there, so I took him home with me. Well, he bitched and moaned the whole time about the state of my truck. He also isn’t crazy about his nickname. I can’t help calling him Blueberry. I swear it just pops out of my mouth!” I sucked in a breath, needing it after all the irrational word vomit I had expelled.

  Dash would have rolled his eyes at me a
nd laughed. He didn’t mind all my babbling. He told me he had silence for so long it was nice to have someone who talked as much as I did.

  “Beanie Babies?” the man asked lowering the gun.

  My eyebrows rose. “Seriously, after all that, that’s what you ask about? Who are you?” I shook my head in disbelief. “I’ll make you deal. Take care of him, keep him safe, and I’ll not only explain Beanie Babies to you, but I will let you have my full collection.”

  I was willing to fall to my knees and plead if necessary. They could take everything I owned as long as they didn’t hurt my cyborg.

  “Let her go, Hester,” the man ordered. “I think I’ve heard enough.”

  The woman released me and I wasted no time running to Dash, skidding in the dirt until I ended up beside him. Throwing my body over his, I tried my best to cover him. My small form offered little protection, but I didn’t care.

  The man’s large shadow loomed over us. “I never thought I’d live to see the day a human female would trade her life for a cyborg. Would use her small body as a shield instead of turning him over to save herself. I heard stories about humans like you. I never believed them until now,” his voice filled with awe as he reached up, removing his mask and sunglasses to reveal dusky-gray skin and a set of flashing light-blue eyes.

  My jaw went slack as my heart slowed then picked back up to pound inside my chest.

  The man looming over Dash and me? He was a fucking cyborg.

  My mouth slammed shut. There were no words. I had none. Nada. Zip.

  His female counterpart stepped closer. “Seeing your ugly face must have stunned her into silence. I was beginning to think she would never shut up.” Her mask came off next, revealing light-purple skin.

  I gasped. “Holy shit! You’re a female cyborg and you’re fucking beautiful.” I slapped a hand over my mouth. Dear god, did I just say that? My cheeks heated.

  “On second thought human female, don’t shut up. Carry on with the compliments.” The woman gestured gracefully, extending her hand, and sweeping it out in front of her.

  Like a chunk of iron pulled by a magnet, I stood and dusted the dirt off my ass as I crept closer to the female cyborg. The male had called her Hester and she had called him Reaper. These cyborgs had names. Realization dawned. They had to be part of the rebellion. The rebellion supposedly nothing but another myth.

  There had been stories. Stories about cyborgs who had revolted, escaped, and fought back. Staring at Hester and Reaper, I realized those stories were real. I found myself in the presence of not one, but three cyborgs.

  Tilting my head, I took in every detail of the female cyborg before me. Her pale-lavender skin sparkled slightly, an iridescent hue glimmering in the early sunrise. I stared at Dash enough to know he sure as fuck didn’t sparkle. I risked a glance at Reaper. He didn’t sparkle either. I almost wished he did. He would look far less menacing if covered in glitter.

  Maybe the sparkles were for females only? It did nothing to diminish her beauty, enhancing it in a way that made her seem exotic and magical. Suddenly I knew what she reminded me of—a unicorn. A real honest to God live, fucking unicorn. She had no horn, but the gun strapped to her side could qualify in some way. Her eyes caught mine, pale purple trimmed with a darker, royal shade of purple around her irises. As I stared, the outline color expanded to fill her irises with the deeper shade.

  “Reaper, she’s staring at me. Make it stop,” Hester hissed, before stepping away from me.

  “I’m sorry. That was rude, wasn’t it?” I shook my head and continued answering my own question. “Yes, Iris, that was rude. Now stop staring at the beautiful purple woman with sparkly skin.” I couldn’t help it that every fucking one of them was beautiful, tossing any manners out the door as the need to stare at them overrode my brain.

  “Do they always talk to themselves?” Reaper asked and raised an eyebrow in Hester’s direction.

  “How should I know? Why don’t you ask it?” Hester replied pointing a purple finger at me.

  “I am not an it. My name is Iris. I am sorry if I offended you by staring, but you two could take some lessons in politeness yourselves. I didn’t drag you out of a truck and threaten to kill you. Until a few weeks ago, I didn’t even know cyborgs were still alive. Now here I stand with three fucking unicorns! I’m a bit overwhelmed!”

  Tilting her head Hester now stared at me. “Unicorns? The mythical creatures with horns on their heads? Cyborgs look nothing like them. Your comparison is illogical. Did Reaper hit your head on the ground when he pulled you out? Are you currently suffering from a head injury or is mental imbalance simply part of your makeup?”

  My fists clenched at my sides. “I think you just called me crazy. What is with you cyborgs? Do you always insult people when you first meet them?” I took a breath, hoping it would stop me before I launched into a full-fledged rant. It didn’t work. “But in case you need confirmation I am not fucking crazy, I didn’t mean it literally. I know you aren’t real unicorns just like I know he’s not a blueberry!” I shouted as I pointed a finger at Dash.

  They allowed my brief breakdown. Watching Dash these past two weeks, never knowing if he would wake up, had shredded my soul. Then these two come along. I thought they would murder us in the dirt like fucking criminals. The weight of everything slammed home causing uneven breaths to fall heavy as my chest drew tight.

  Whipping out a finger I jammed it into Reapers chest. “I have spent the last two weeks wondering if my friend would ever wake up again. Then you show up and I think I’m going to die! Not only that, first you said you would force me to watch you kill my friend right before my eyes! I get you don’t trust humans and I understand why. But know that I don’t trust you. Not because you are a cyborg but because you threatened to hurt the most important person to me in the entire world. You want me to not become mentally unbalanced? Then I need you to help me bring Dash back. Please...I tried. Don’t leave him like that.” I swayed, every bit of fight gone. Dropping my finger, I walked to Dash. I collapsed next to him and fought the tears threatening to fall.

  Suddenly, a hand landed on my shoulder. When I looked up, Reaper was staring at me.

  Reaper’s expression softened briefly before the kindness vanished. Reaching out his hand he helped me to my feet. “Let’s get him inside. Then we can see about waking up your friend.”

  Hester gasped.

  I guess Reaper didn’t help humans, and yet he was helping me. I didn’t give a shit why. He was giving me back my cyborg. Fuck his reasons. All I wanted was Dash.

  Chapter Twelve

  *Iris*

  Hester and Reaper carried Dash, following me into the house. For once, I was grateful to Dash for cleaning up the place. I didn’t need to hear Reaper and Hester’s opinions of how I lived my life. “Follow me to the bedroom. We can lay him down there.”

  Hitting the light switch on my way, Reaper and Hester carried Dash to the bed and laid him down face-first.

  I frowned. “Umm, shouldn’t he be on his back so that he doesn’t get a face full of sheets?” I was glad Dash wasn’t awake to witness the fact he was face-down on my cat-patterned sheets.

  “The access panel is located on his backside. He needs to be lying face down, although seeing that your sheets match your clothing, I wish he didn’t have to be. No cyborg should wake up to that.” Reaper grinned.

  “Was that a joke? I didn’t know you had it in you. I might not hate you right now even if the joke was at my expense.” I returned his smile as a hum of excitement burned inside me. Dash would soon be back online. I could barely contain my joy.

  Then my heart dropped. What if he woke up still mad and unwilling to listen to me?

  He would see Reaper and Hester. What if he no longer needed me? What could a human offer him?

  Dash was never really mine to begin with. I told myself I should be grateful. Now he would wake up to discover he was truly safe and free. The other cyborgs could protect him in ways I couldn’t.


  The thought of Dash leaving was like the feeling of pouring a bucket of ice water over my head. My heart froze inside my chest as a list of things I’d miss scrolled through my brain. His smile. The way he offered his opinion without worrying about punishment. Having a partner by my side on my treasure hunts. The heated looks he would give me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention.

  I had a list of regrets too. The biggest that I wouldn’t ever get a real kiss. I would only have the memories of my lips pressed against his cheek when he didn’t realize I was there.

  The sound of Reaper pulling Dash’s pants down brought me back to reality.

  I had no time to feel bad when some strange dude had just taken off my cyborgs pants.

  Racing to the side of the bed I grabbed Reapers hands to stop him from stripping Dash any further. “What the fuck are you doing? Put his pants back on, you sicko!”

  Reaper’s eyes went wide at my accusation, staring at me blankly before finding his voice. “I told you his access panel was on his backside. Didn’t you understand what I was referring too?”

  My eyes widened. “You mean his ass?” I stuttered as my grip on his hands went slack, letting him break free from my hold.

  “If you prefer the term ass better then yes, his ass.”

  “Why the hell would the on-switch be there?”

  Reaper shrugged. “It is better than being located on his dick.”

  The sound of laughter shook the room. Hester doubled over; she couldn’t breathe because she was laughing so hard. I swung my eyes back to Reaper and he smirked.

  “I cannot help the fact I am hilarious, nor that I am correct.”

  “I could say something, but I had nothing. Proceed I guess?” I had nothing left to say. Two cyborgs had rendered me speechless.

  Reaper’s fingers grazed over Dash’s blue ass before tapping once, causing a tiny compartment to pop open. There was a set of circuits within hiding a small button. Reaper’s finger pressed down gently once, twice and three times, but still, nothing happened.