Reaper
The Cyborg Chronicles
Book 2
By,
Kelsey Nicole Price
Copyright © 2018 by Kelsey Nicole Price
All rights reserved. The author gives no permission for reproduction of all or any portion of this book. Nor may it be used in any manner without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in review of the book.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Reaper (The Cyborg Chronicles, #2)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Chapter One
Aria
I snuggled close to Theo and inhaled the sweet scent of little cyborg. I reminded myself I wasn’t a prisoner any longer. Theo burrowed closer, needing me as much as I did him. I held him a little tighter. So far, tonight has been free of nightmares—for both of us.
Everyone wants us to talk.
The cyborgs knocked a few times a day asking if we wanted to take a walk or go hang out in the common room. I always politely decline unless it’s the gray one, Reaper. That cyborg drives me to the point of madness. He’s rude, bossy and...sexy.
I did not just think Reaper is sexy.
I cannot think Reaper is sexy.
Fuck me! I think Reaper is sexy.
I need to get out of this room. But first, sleep. Starting tomorrow, the next cyborg who knocks on my door I’ll take up on their offer, unless it’s Reaper. If it is, I’ll wait for the next one.
Luck must have been on my side. The first cyborg at my door the next morning was Dax. Theo took convincing to agree to spend time with Dax outside the room. I put on my brave face, convincing him it would be fun.
We three strolled along the corridors; Dax rambling on about different areas of the compound and who does what. Theo skipped beside me, his small, gray hand tucked into mine.
Being with Dax was rather nice to be honest. He didn’t insist we talk. He really seemed to just enjoy our presence.
“Would you two like to have breakfast with me in the common room?” Dax asked, hope filled his voice.
I turned to Theo. “What do you say, handsome? Are you up for some breakfast?”
Theo’s eyes narrowed. “Will there be other cyborgs?” he asked softly. Theo had refused to spend time with the other cyborgs. A lot of that had to do with me.
I didn’t feel comfortable in a room filled with cyborgs. I didn’t feel comfortable in a room filled with anybody. I longed to hide away, to keep Theo and me in a safe bubble where the world couldn’t harm us. I had once been so outgoing; now I felt like a shell of the girl I had been. Being held captive, experimented on, and tortured would do that to a girl, I guess. My self-imposed isolation wasn’t fair to Theo, though.
He needed to spend time with members of his own kind, to learn to trust the other cyborgs instead of only relying on me. They were his family, too. They could offer things I couldn’t.
What did a human female know about being a cyborg? Nothing, except how tiny mine felt when cradled in my arms, how cold they were when they were still and lifeless. I pushed the dark thoughts away. It was over. I had to let it go. I had saved Theo. That had to be enough.
Kneeling, I rubbed a hand over Theo’s bald head, causing him to giggle. “You know what? I think it might be nice if there were other cyborgs. It gets awfully lonely in our room all by ourselves. You like hanging out with Dax, right? He’s nice.” I smiled at the green cyborg making him blush.
“And green,” Theo supplied. “I like green.” He turned his attention to Dax. “Do you think I could be green like you one day? I hate being gray. That big, mean cyborg is gray. He wants my human all to himself. I kicked him, you know. Hard.” Theo grinned.
Dax laughed. “I’m assuming you're talking about Reaper. Don’t let him bother you. He threatens to punch me all the time, but he never does it.”
“I can kick him for you,” Theo helpfully quipped.
“One day I might take you up on that offer. How about today, you and the lovely Miss Aria join me for breakfast instead?” Dax shuffled on his feet, his green eyes dropping to stare at the floor. “I don’t have many friends. The other cyborgs think I’m weird. I’m the only green one, you know.” He lifted his chin, offering Theo a shy smile.
“If I turn green, then there would be two of us!” Theo could barely contain his excitement.
Dax’s face lit up. Theo’s desire to be green had probably made the cyborg’s day. “I wish you could be green, but you must remain gray, Mr. Theo.” Dax reached out giving Theo’s shoulder a hard pat. “But, don’t worry, just because you are gray doesn’t mean you have to be like Reaper. You are your own cyborg.”
I resisted the urge to shout ‘be careful!’ If Theo had been a normal child, the pat would have knocked him to the floor. Theo was far stronger and sturdier than me, and he only came up to my hip. Dax had no experience with children, human or otherwise. None of the cyborgs did. At least he was trying. Reaper could only handle being nice for a second before he returned to his grumpy-ass self.
Reaper only seemed to get worse around Theo and me. Every time he came to our door, he added one more layer of asshole. Still he came, day after day. I figured, if we pissed him off too much, he would stop coming. Nope. Reaper kept coming. Maybe he liked to torture himself. I didn’t know. Reaper was nearly impossible for me to read.
Not that I wanted to or anything.
Dax led Theo and me to the common room. Theo resumed skipping alongside me, chatting with Dax, and giving him adoring looks. Dax had officially gained an admirer. I couldn’t blame Theo.
Dax was sweet, thoughtful, and downright giddy at the thought of making friends. Dax acted like he had little experience interacting with others. Theo didn’t have much experience,
either. They would be good for each other. Plus, Dax was more brains than muscle. If he were human, he would have been the nerdy boy who was always early to class, carrying a big stack of books, mumbling about the new project he had brewing in his basement.
Theo was more like his larger counterpart, prone to fits of anger and sulking. Kicking Reaper had been a highlight of his life. Dax could hopefully show him there was fun in learning, not just kicking ass. If I had to pick a cyborg for Theo, Dax was at the top of my list. I watched as he guided Theo carefully through the tables filled with cyborgs, finding a place for us to sit at an empty table. He listened to the demand for pancakes before rushing off to fulfill Theo’s request.
Cyborgs didn’t need to eat, but they enjoyed it. Theo had become obsessed with pancakes. I think it’s the syrup he really obsessed over. In a lot of ways, he was like any other normal little boy. His love of all things sugar proved it.
Dax hurried back to the table with a plate of pancakes drenched in syrup, a huge grin of accomplishment spread across his face.
“The pancakes with extra syrup like you requested, Mr. Theo.” His smile faltered. “I forgot to inquire what you wanted, Miss Aria. I’m sorry.” He wrung his hands together.
I reached out and placed my hand on his arm. His hands went still as soon as I made contact. “It’s okay, Dax. I’m not that hungry. I’ll probably just have a few bites of Theo’s.”
Theo pulled his plate closer, glaring at me. I guess I wasn’t getting a bite of Theo’s pancakes.
Dax’s eyes flashed. “No need to share! I’ll be right back with your plate of pancakes!” Dax hurried from the table. Boy, that green cyborg was eager to please.
I let out a small laugh, watching the blur of Dax’s back as he rushed to find me pancakes of my own. Taking a seat across from Theo, I smiled. “Don’t worry about your pancakes, sweets. Dax is bringing me back my own.”
Theo clutched his fork tighter, the metal bending under his grip, his eyes glittering. “These pancakes are mine.”
Note to self. Don’t take away a cyborg’s pancakes. Even a tiny one’s.
Chapter Two
Reaper
I stormed into the common room, and cyborgs shifted nervously in their seats. One by one, they left. Laughter rang out. Female laughter. My female’s laughter. My processors knew it wasn’t true; my stupid heart kept insisting it was so. It didn’t matter either way. Aria would never accept me. I was too hard. Too many battles, too many losses had cut chunks from my heart like bits of synthetic flesh. Caring allowed for failure.
Look at what happened to Iris. I finally had a friend. Someone who gave me a nickname and looked at me like I was more than a gray bastard. I’d failed her. Arriving too late, I pumped her body full of nano-cells and caused unbearable pain. I didn’t even know if it would work.
By some miracle, it had. Iris and Dash were blissfully happy. They made my artificial throat constrict. I think the human term is gag. Still, even if I was to remain a lonely, big, gray bastard, I had given them a lifetime together. I could live with that.
Aria’s laughter rang out again, my eyes zeroed in, finding her at a table with the little cyborg she claimed and...Dax.
That green cyborg would die. Suddenly, it made sense why the rest of the cyborgs fled. Dax, the idiot, was so enthralled with his company he hadn’t looked up. His emerald eyes blazing bright as he gazed at Aria and Theo.
That idiot couldn’t protect a fucking piece of paper! He wasn’t scanning for threats or preparing himself to protect the female and the cyborg child if needed. Inattentiveness outside these walls would get them killed.
I grabbed the stupid green cyborg by his throat and lifted him from the table, his feet dangling frantically as he struggled in my grip. I tightened my hold. Dax had no combat training; he had cyborg strength but no skill to use it effectively. The green Science Model was useless against my Military Model.
Or, it would have been if a set of fragile human hands hadn’t struck me. At the same time, a set of little, booted feet kicked me.
Aria beat her palms against my chest. “Put him down! You big bully! Stop hurting him! Dax wasn’t doing anything wrong, you asshole!”
“I’m not trying to hurt him. I am trying to kill him.” I corrected her matter-of-factly.
The kicks intensified as Aria pounded more frantically against my chest. Her palms were turning red from the assault. Her delicate skin no match for my solid, metallic frame. I couldn’t allow her to damage herself. When I released Dax, the green cyborg landed with a thud by my feet.
“You...asshole.” Dax wheezed, the skin around his neck had darkened to a deeper shade of green, evidence of my superiority. The green cyborg was inferior. He didn’t deserve Aria’s smiles or laughter or her concern.
Aria didn’t seem to feel the same. She dropped to the floor, her hands running over the darker shade of green around Dax’s neck. “Oh, my God! Are you okay?” She fussed over him and Theo stopped kicking me to drop to the ground. He scooted close to the Science Model. His eyes flashed rapidly, worry flickering through them. His little fingers reached out, grabbing Dax’s hand, looking at me with murder in his eyes.
“You ruin everything! I hate looking like you! I hate you! I hate you! I will be like Dax not an asshole! Leave us alone!” His free hand curled into a fist. It shook with rage.
“Theo, language,” Aria chided gently.
Theo shot a look of confusion at Aria. “You called him an asshole. Why can’t I? I know the definition of the word, and Reaper is one! He’s a big one!”
Aria looked at me, distaste dripping from her gaze. “I can’t argue with logic. He really is a big asshole. Come on, Dax,” she gripped Dax’s hand and helped him to his feet. The gesture made the fool smile. “Let’s go get you checked out. Make sure the asshole caused no lasting damage.”
“I’m fine, Aria.” Dax’s words came out with a wheeze. I almost high-fived myself but then three sets of accusing glares had me frowning. The need for violence fled. I was such an asshole.
“Aria...” I started.
“Don’t, Reaper. I don’t want to hear anything from you. For the first time, Theo and I were having fun. We were out of our room, hanging out with other people, and happy. You ruined that. Theo’s right, you ruin everything. Just stay the hell away from us. You’ve done enough.”
Grabbing a hold of Theo’s hand, she marched from the room, taking Dax’s green hand in her free one.
She looked like a warrior. Her back straight, her steps sure. My heart constricted within my frame. I learned long ago there would never be a female who would welcome me to her bed or her heart. I would be no one's cyborg. Still, if I could have a female, I knew I wanted my little warrior.
Chapter Three
Aria
I looked at Dax. “How are you doing?” Dr. Shaw had been in to check Dax over and everything appeared to be in working order. Being a cyborg, Dax could take a lot more abuse. His metal frame, way more indestructible than a mere human. Combine that with advanced hearing, sight, strength, speed, and healing ability; you had a one badass being.
Dax didn’t immediately scream bad-ass to be honest. Reaper, that asshole, had used that to his advantage, dangling the frightened green cyborg by his throat, squeezing the life out of him. Dax’s method of fighting back had been trying to pry Reaper’s gray fingers from his neck.
That image is permanently etched in my brain. The look on Theo’s face said he wouldn’t forget it either, and he didn’t want to. His little frame trembled with rage and worry. Theo had finally connected to another cyborg and Reaper almost killed him. It didn’t take superior processors to understand that would damage a child.
I could practically see Theo’s circuits spinning. I needed to reassure him, but I was having a hard time reassuring myself. If Reaper could do that to one of his own, then what else was he capable of? I shuddered, and Theo grabbed my hand. He was trying to comfort me. He was the sweetest child. I didn’t give a fuck I
hadn’t birthed him or that he was a cyborg. He was mine. I loved everything about him—from his little, bald head to the feet he had, once again, used to kick Reaper.
“Don’t look so upset, Miss Aria and Mr. Theo. I am okay, everything’s fine.” Dax smiled, the line around his neck stretched, it was fainter but still there.
“Everything is not fine. Reaper tried to kill you! I don’t know what his problem is. No, I do. He is a bully. He thinks, because he is the leader around here, he can get away with whatever he wants. It’s ridiculous. He’s not God.” I shook my head, blowing out a breath, Theo gripped my hand tighter.
“I think he suspects I am a rival for your and Theo’s attentions, Miss Aria. That feeling caused him to react with violence. It’s all he knows. Destroying what he considers to be his enemy is in his programming.” Dax shrugged. He was taking this way better than I was.
“Cyborgs are more than their programming. He could have made the choice to not resort to violence. Besides, there is nothing going on between you and me and I don’t think Reaper cares what happens to Theo or myself. He sure hasn’t acted like he does.”
Not true, my mind whispered. He had been the one to carry Theo and me out of the hell we had been trapped in. I had Theo clutched protectively to my chest. He was so heavy, my weak arms could barely hold him, but I refused to let him go. Reaper had scooped both of us up like we weighed nothing, cradling us to his big, gray chest and marching us out of there. He told us he had us. That no-one would hurt us again.
The tender action and fierce declarations had my weak heart skipping a beat. I wanted to believe him, but we got back to headquarters, and things changed. Part of it had to do with how I refused his every attempt to take care of us. I wanted nothing to do with anyone. I wanted to be left alone, me and Theo. We understood the horrors we had seen and been subjected too. It felt like Reaper wanted to smash through the walls I created to keep Theo and me safe, run in, guns-blazing, thinking he could beat my demons into submission. I needed time and patience, not a gray cyborg waving a battle axe. That was why spending time with Dax had been so refreshing, but Reaper had ruined that, too.
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