Aria gave a small chuckle. “I think they like each other.” She trailed a finger down my cheek, tracing my lips, skimming my jawline. My cock gave another twitch.
“I might have created a monster,” Aria stated with an amused sigh.
I rocked my hips under her. Her pussy contracted around my hardening cock as she whimpered. “Your monster wants another round,” I rolled us, pinning her to the bed. “He needs to stake his claim.” I thrust deep, her eyes going wide as she wrapped her legs around my waist.
“I’m all yours,” she declared.
I was the luckiest bastard in the world.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Reaper
Bright lights hummed above me. The scent of antiseptic burned my nostrils. A whimper echoed beside me and I struggled to turn to towards the sound. A hint of blonde hair teased the corners of my visual system.
“Please don’t,” a female’s voice begged. The voice was familiar. I fought through the fog clouding my circuits.
Aria. Her name whispered across my processors. Someone was hurting my female. My fists clenched by my sides as I let out a roar. My hand went for my battle axe, but my back was empty. I guess I would have to deliver my punishment without it. Not that I minded getting my hands dirty. No one hurts my female and lives.
I pushed through the fog, it cleared to reveal Aria strapped naked to a metal table. Her arms and legs were anchored with metal cuffs. She twisted in their hold, her eyes wide with fear. My stomach recoiled at the sight. Her small frame shook when a woman approached the foot of the table. I didn’t hesitate. I charged with a loud roar, raising my fist preparing to swing. My fist met air. My punch sailing right through the woman as if she wasn’t there. I dug my heel into the floor halting my momentum as I twisted my body back around.
The woman smiled cruelly. “You are so pretty when you beg, my dear.” Lifting her fingers, she trailed them up Aria’s spread legs. Her fingertips dug into her thighs and Aria let out a scream. The sound pierced my chest, pain surged through my circuits as a need for vengeance blazed in my processors.
I rounded the table, the woman’s face came into focus stopping my heart. It was the face of evil. Dr. Rosenfield.
The world spun. This wasn’t real. I was in Aria’s nightmare. Horror drenched my circuits as a red cyborg walked over to Aria with a needle in his hand. Tears filled her eyes.
“Don’t do this. Don’t hurt me,” Aria’s blue eyes pleaded with the red cyborg as her body trembled within the restraints.
“I have to,” the red cyborg replied without a hint of emotion as he moved to stand between Aria’s spread thighs. With a quick strike, he jabbed the needle into Aria’s thigh, pushing the plunger, he injected her with whatever horrible thing the evil doctor had concocted.
Aria thrashed on the table, her breath coming in pants as her pale skin broke out in a sweat. She moaned low, tears sliding down her cheeks.
“Monitor her progress. When she’s ready for implantation, come find me. It has to work this time.” Dr. Rosenfield walked out the door leaving the red cyborg alone with Aria.
“Implantation?” Aria whimpered. “With...what?”
The red cyborg blinked, moving to stand by the head of the table. His fingers gently brushed the hair off Aria’s cheeks. She flinched at the touch and the red cyborg pulled back his hand.
“It’s best, little female, you do not know.”
Aria met the red cyborg’s ruby colored eyes. “Please stop this. You don’t have to hurt me. Help me.”
The red cyborg shook his head. “I’m sorry. I cannot.”
Aria released a sob.
I stood helpless. My hands itched to tear the red cyborg apart then move on to the doctor, but I couldn’t fight phantoms.
I threw my head back and howled.
I awoke with a start. My frame jolting upright, the howl dying on my lips. Aria’s body twitched next to mine. Her forehead creased as the whimper from her nightmare chased her into reality, escaping her lips in a murmur of sound. I could end this. Stop her nightmare. I would be the scariest thing in the shadows, pushing her demons back into the dark.
I cradled her head in my hands. Leaning down, I found her ear. “Wake up for me, princess. Come back to me.” I heard her sharp intake of breath, her eyes popped open, desperately seeking mine. “You’re safe. It’s over.” I kissed the tears from her cheeks.
“Reaper?” Her voice shook.
“I’ve got you.” Her hands shot around my neck, burying her face into my shoulder. She did nothing but hold onto me. Then I heard a quick inhale, her nose brushing along my neck. I shivered.
“You always smell like warmed cinnamon,” she whispered. “Reminds me that I’m here with you, not lost in the dark.”
“I don’t think I’ve been referred to as a spice before.” Pulling back, she gave a tiny smile. The tears had stopped. Her blue eyes less haunted, the color returning to her cheeks.
She pressed a kiss to my neck. Her tongue darted out to take a quick lick. “You taste like it, too.”
I sucked in a breath. “Is that a good thing?” I questioned as I fought a battle with my cock and its insatiable need to rise to attention. I used to be in charge, but apparently, it had declared mutiny. One lick from Aria initiated a hostile takeover by my cock. Stand down, I hissed at the mutineer. Aria didn’t need a horny cyborg pawing at her after her nightmare.
“It’s a wonderful thing,” Aria replied. Her fingers ghosted over my bald head, the sensation sent shivers down my fabricated spine.
I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against hers. What if I hadn’t made it in time? What if Aria had become another lifeless body in Dr. Rosenfield’s lab of horrors? My frame trembled. I opened my eyes to stare into hers. Her blue eyes narrowed with confusion.
“Reaper, are you okay, big guy?” she questioned.
I didn’t answer. I lowered my head, nuzzling the bare skin between her neck and shoulder. “You smell like sweetness, like joy warmed by the sun.” I breathed her in. “I no longer think I could be without you.” The confession slipped past my lips without hesitation.
Warm lips dotted kisses on top of my head. “I’m not going anywhere, Reaper. You’re mine.” She bent down, finding my ear. “I’m keeping you,” she whispered.
“No returns. This model is yours.” I meant it. Every bolt, every circuit belonged to her. I captured her lips with a kiss, loving the way she gave me total access. I swept my tongue inside, taking everything she offered.
My mind drifted to the red cyborg and the doctor staring in Aria’s nightmares. They had dared to hurt the incredible female who had laid claim to this bad tempered and scarred Military Model. A Military Model who also happened to have a revenge complex.
If they were smart, they would run. It would not matter in the end. My axe and I enjoyed the chase.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Aria
I moved slowly through the hallway, a small ache twitching between my thighs. I didn’t even try to hide the huge grin currently decorating my face. Sex with Reaper had been fucking spectacular. Mind blowing, earth shattering, no one will ever compare, spectacular.
I refused to lie to myself. It wasn’t only the sex that had been spectacular. Reaper didn’t come close to past boyfriends; he blew fucking past them. Funny, sweet, considerate. You would have thought he had been replaced by a different model. It had been there all along, but he refused to let anyone see it. Caring was a weakness. Softness, sweetness a liability. Only I had gotten to see the Reaper he hid underneath. The one who let me claim him with a smile on his face. The one who claimed me in return.
My heart had been taken by a gray cyborg whose preferred weapon is a battle axe. Taken by a man whose fierce heart is far too big for the space it takes up inside his chest.
You went and fell in love with him, didn’t you?
Maybe.
Maybe? That gray cyborg owns your ass and everything else along with it.
Good thin
g I own his right back. As I recall, you were the one who wanted to get him naked so badly.
I also warned you to not fall in love. I guess this is it then? We are giving our heart away to the big gray bag of bolts?
He’s not so bad. He’s...
Fucking spectacular.
Now you got it. We good?
As long as you make sure to get him naked every chance you get I’m on board this crazy train.
You love the ride. Admit it.
I love riding him.
Hussy.
Fool.
Happy.
About time.
My grin got wider as I knocked on Dash and Iris’s door. The door burst open; my arms were suddenly filled with a certain mini Military Model. The force of Theo’s hug knocked me off balance. A blue arm shot through the doorway and grabbed me, keeping me upright.
“Good catch. Thank you, Dash.” I flashed him a grateful smile.
He released my arm gently and returned my smile. “You’re welcome, Aria. I am afraid Theo underestimates his strength and your lack of.” He blinked at me sweetly. If it were any other cyborg but Dash, I might be insulted at the implication I was weak. Dash was kind to a fault, despite what he had survived. My eyes drifted to the top of the large scar peeking out of his t-shirt. The blue skin fused together in jagged lines. That bitch of a doctor had literally melted him back together.
Iris appeared in the doorway, her arm wrapped around Dash’s waist. His attention immediately went to my best friend tucked against his side, his eyes softening and blazed blue. Love was stamped all over his expression. Iris wore the same look.
Theo shook his head. “See? Goo-goo eyes.”
The three of us burst out laughing. “Theo’s not much of a fan of goo-goo eyes. At least not yet. He might change his mind one day.”
Theo’s jaw dropped. “Never.” Pure outrage filled his voice. “It’s bad enough you now have them for Reaper.” Theo’s accusing gaze fell on me.
Iris raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“I understand Theo’s distaste. Reaper is rather irritating.” Dash chuckled.
I shot the blue cyborg a dirty look.
Theo nodded, then sighed. “I guess it’s not so bad. Reaper did promise me he would teach me how to fight. Even though he ruins movies, I am sure I can teach him how to have fun. I did teach Dax. That green cyborg was a challenge.” He flashed me a grin.
Standing there, staring at Theo, the realization struck. He had grown up more than I wanted to admit to myself. He stood taller. Now he reached past my hip, his frame broader, more defined. His blue eyes flashed with intelligence beyond normal for a child his age. I wanted to stop time. To grab him and hold on hoping in my arms he would stay my little boy. My chest tightened.
The little cyborg who clutched my pant leg was now a confident Military Model in training.
Theo’s brow furrowed. “Mom, are you feeling okay? He grabbed for my hand.
I gave his hand a squeeze. “I’m fine, sweets. Just thinking about how big you’ve gotten and how proud I am that I get to be your mother.”
Theo blushed. “Mom,” he chastised softy before giving me a return squeeze.
Iris let go of Dash and opened her arms. “Before you leave, I need my hug, mister.”
Theo blushed harder but wrapped his arms around Iris’s waist and hugged her.
“I require one, also,” Dash said as his blue arms went wide, scooping Theo up, and spinning him around so fast they became nothing but a blur of blue and gray. Theo’s laughter rang out through the hallway. Dash set him back down on his feet, the blue cyborg wearing a grin.
I took Theo’s hand. “Thank you so much for watching him. He loves coming here.”
“We love having him.” Iris replied. Dash nodded in agreement.
I was about to say goodbye when Theo tugged on my sleeve. “Can we go visit Axios?”
I smiled. “I think he would like that.”
“Would you mind if we come with you? I would like to see the other Service Model.” Dash’s voice grew soft. The grin disappeared as he stole a worried look at Iris, clutching her hand.
Word must have gotten out about the two rescued cyborgs. My heart hurt at the thought of Dash seeing the other Service Model in the condition he was in. Still, it wasn’t up to me to stop him. Maybe if we all went together he would have people who cared about him if it was too much. Iris’s cyborg had a gentle heart.
I agreed, and we all went down the hall together.
The door to the lab opened, Theo ran past us to be the first inside. His eyes scanned the room until he found Axios. The many-colored cyborg smiled.
“Axios catch!” Theo shouted rushing the stunned cyborg, going airborne. Luckily his arms were faster than his shock, catching Theo before he hit the floor. Axios blinked at a grinning Theo. Theo patted a red shoulder.
I ignored the rising panic. My nightmare featuring the red cyborg too close to the surface.
“Now, you’re supposed to spin me. Fast.” Theo directed. Axios spun without hesitation, twisting Theo around in circles as he giggled with glee in his arms.
This was the second cyborg to spin him in a matter of moments. I wasn’t sure cyborgs got dizzy but simply watching it made my stomach turn. Things that spun were not my friend. One bad experience at a fair had made that breakup final. If Reaper spun me I’d probably puke on his shiny, black boots. Axios stopped spinning, setting Theo gently back down.
I walked to the pair, arms crossed over my chest as I shook my head at Theo. “Theo, you can’t go throwing yourself at the cyborgs. It’s not polite.”
Theo looked up at rainbow cyborg, flashing his blue eyes, giving him his best smile “Why not? Axios didn’t mind, right Axios?”
I knew that look. Axios didn’t stand a chance. If he had minded, he wouldn’t now. Theo got away with everything with that look. Dax got him extra syrup with that look. Dash handed over his beloved bowl of popcorn with that look. He came across far too sweet for a Military Model and the cyborgs buckled. It was strategy pure and simple.
Axios shook his head no and Theo smirked.
I shot a glare at Dash and Axios. You do know he’s playing you right?”
The cyborgs shrugged in unison. I sighed. Oh well I tried.
“Dash and Iris, this is Axios.” Theo proclaimed loudly tugging him to the doorway to meet them.
Dash gripped Axios’s forearm. “Welcome home, brother.”
Axios’s eyes widened. “Thank you. It’s good to finally have a home.” His blue eyes were suddenly glossy.
Iris gave him the once over. A finger tapping her chin. “I’m going to need some time for this one. You are a unique cyborg. You deserve a unique nickname.”
Axios looked to me, confusion passing over his features. “Iris gives every cyborg she meets a nickname. It’s how she shows her love. That and Beanie Babies. She’s my best friend. Just go with it.”
Axios gave a shy smile. He wasn’t used to all this attention. At least not positive attention. He had no one to care for him. That changed the moment he woke up. No one here would hurt him or treat him badly for how he was designed.
“I would appreciate a nickname. Thank you very much Iris,” Axios said softly. “What is a Beanie Baby?” His brow furrowed.
Iris chuckled. “Care to take this one blueberry?”
Dash pulled a blue elephant from his back pocket. That he carried it with him practically made me melt on the spot. Guilt welled up at the thought of how bad I had reacted the first time I met him. Dash forgave me instantly. He held no grudge. No animosity for the way I treated him. Shame took the place of guilt as I watched him proudly show off his Beanie Baby.
What if someone treated Theo the way I had treated Dash, Reaper, and Hester the day I met them? What if they turned him in simply for being a cyborg? Theo hadn’t been asked if he wanted to be here. None of them had.
The realization hit that I would fight to keep this. Keep Dash and Iris together. Ke
ep the smile on Dash’s face all because of a stuffed blue elephant. Keep Axios from feeling like he wasn’t worthy. Most importantly, keep Theo safe and loved and Reaper where he belonged—by my side.
The psycho doctor. The Global Allegiance. If they threatened what I loved, I would find my own fucking battle axe and it would be on.
Hmm...To do that, I think I required training with the battle axe not located in Reaper’s pants. Theo wasn’t the only one Reaper was going to train. He just didn’t know it yet.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Reaper
I battled the urge to find Aria. All my instincts screamed I needed to be by her side. Logically, I knew no one would harm her. Like Iris, she had charmed almost every cyborg at headquarters. Loving Theo had gained her the cyborgs’ loyalty. Aria would have an army of cyborgs ready to protect her if she were in danger, but she only needed one. Me.
Her scent circled my processors. Her fingers exploring my frame burned into my wires and circuits. Standing in my quarters surrounded by her, I closed my eyes. I was no longer alone. My chest tightened. Walking to the bathroom, I stared at my face in the mirror. I didn’t look any different. Inside, I felt like a freshly-manufactured cyborg waking from a dream instead of a nightmare.
Did Dash feel this way every time he looked at Iris? He had been willing to die beside her rather than live without her. I thought he had lost his circuits. No human could be worth dying for. I had the feeling I was about to eat my words.
A heavy knock on my door pulled me from my thoughts. The urge to punch whoever was on the other side didn’t seem as strong as usual. Then I saw it was Brone. The urge doubled.
I cracked my knuckles. “What do you want Tank Class? A rematch?”
Brone’s deep laugh echoed through the hallway. “If you’re that desperate for me to kick your ass again, I’m happy to oblige. Then again, I think your female would...how do humans put it? Lose her shit?”
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