It had to be a trick. He hadn’t even heard the gym door open. He spun around anyway, hope overtaking reason for a second. Nyx was standing by the door with Trinity, and holy fraxx, did the cyborg look good.
He’d introduced her to every dish the ship’s food dispenser could create on the trip back, and she’d apparently continued to eat well, because she was almost glowing with health and vitality. The shadows beneath her eyes were gone, and there was a fullness to her face and body that hadn’t been there before. She was dressed in workout gear - a dark blue pair of loose-fitting pants and a tank-top emblazoned with the Nova Force emblem, a silver five-pointed star.
He was halfway across the room before he even noticed his feet were moving. “You’re here.” He winced at his suave statement of the obvious and tried again. “You look good.”
“They agreed to let me out of my gilded cage if I agreed to wear this.” She raised her arm, showing him the simple band of flat, gray metal encircling her wrist. He recognized it – a tracker. He’d worn an identical one all through IAF basic training and his probation period with Nova Force.
“I’m sorry.”
He’d already apologized to her more than once during their secret conversations, but this was the first time he’d gotten to say it to her in person.
“This is not your fault.” She glanced over at Trinity. “Or yours. I appreciate what you and your husband did.”
“This was not how any of us expected things to go.” Trinity looked like she wanted to say a lot more but held her tongue. It was a skill that every officer seemed to learn eventually. Everyone but him.
“You and Rossi shouldn’t have to have done anything at all. This is all kinds of fraxxed up.” He took a breath and fought through his anger. “But I appreciate what you two did. However you managed it. I owe you.”
“I’ll remind Dax about that the next time the Malora’s engines need recalibrating.” Trin turned to Nyx. “I need to speak to the sergeant for a moment. You go ahead and check out the equipment. Magi, give her the tour, will you?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’d be happy to.” And the next time they were out for drinks, he owed his entire team a round. Dante was right, he should have trusted his friends to have his back and make things right.
He looked at Nyx and gave her a small smile. “You look like you came here to work off some frustration. Where would you like to start?” Whatever she wanted to do, he was game. Run. Weights. He’d even spar with her if she wanted, despite the fact she could probably put him in traction without breaking a sweat. In fact, the idea of getting tangled up and sweaty with Nyx was really damned appealing, and now that she was here, he couldn’t remember any of the reasons he was supposed to stay away from her.
When Trinity had suggested she come to the gym to work out, Nyx had agreed without hesitation. She’d learned how to use weight machines and treadmills on the Malora, and she’d missed the opportunity to rebuild her strength and test her limits since she’d been transferred to another ship and confined to quarters. It hadn’t occurred to her that Eric would be here today, and she’d enjoyed watching him work out against Dante before the big Torski had announced her presence.
Eric was fast, powerful, and focused when he fought, and she’d recognized the dark edge to his moves, the frustration roiling beneath the surface, looking for an outlet. She hadn’t seen it at first, but beneath his easy smile and wisecracking was a kindred spirit.
“This place got one of those spar-bots you were telling me about?” she asked.
Eric nodded. “One even Buttercup can use without pulling his punches. Come on, I’ll show you.” He walked beside her, close enough that his hand brushed hers as they crossed the floor, making her skin tingle pleasantly.
Once they were far enough away, he pitched his voice low and murmured. “It’s good to see you again. I wasn’t sure they were going to let that happen.”
“Your commander insisted I be assessed by an expert on cyborg behavioral conditioning. She reviewed my records and test results, talked to me for a few hours, and determined that I am in my right mind and not being influenced by anyone.”
“Was she Pheran? Named Xari or Xori, something like that.”
“That’s her. Xori Virness. I thought Pheran females were meek, gentle beings. She was…not.” The female had been professional, kind, and utterly outraged at the way Nyx had been treated. The dark blue markings on the female’s face had darkened to almost black in outrage. The female had written a report then and there, unwilling to leave Nyx alone. “You’ve been isolated from friends and allies long enough already,” she’d said.
Xori had presented a copy of the report to Nyx before leaving to meet with the officers who had deemed her too dangerous to be allowed out of her quarters. As if a few flimsy walls could contain her if she wanted to leave. She’d stayed because she had chosen to, and now she had seen Eric again, she had to admit he was part of the reason she’d chosen not to break out. But only a small part.
Eric nodded. “She’s treating several other cyborgs who were under corporate control, including the new owner of Astek Corporation. Rossi was smart to bring her in.” They reached a squat, multi-limbed machine that sat in the middle of several mats laid out in a rough circle. “This is Bessy.”
She nudged the object with her foot. “You named your robot?”
“I didn’t. Blink did, the first time Bessy knocked Buttercup on his ass. Her full name is Bessy Beatdown the Badass Battle Bot.”
“If I beat her, do I get a cool name, too?”
“If you decide to hang with us, you’ll get a nickname eventually. We’ve all got them. Even Dante’s girlfriend.” His smile grew wicked and a flash flood of lust rushed through her in a disorienting surge. “I gave her the nickname Daisy.”
“For the record, no flower names for me. I’ve never even seen a flower. Now, how do I turn this thing on? I’ve been cooped up in my rooms for days and I’d really like to beat up something.”
“There is nothing more attractive than a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to say it.” He pointed out a large, red button on the bot’s upper half. “Tap that. After she’s active, you can use basic voice commands. Stop. Defend. Attack. Faster. Slower…harder.” His voice dropped to a low rumble on the last word, and she looked up to find him watching her, his dark eyes full of heat.
She hesitated for a moment, wanting to see what he did next. Would he reach for her? Move in closer? Say something that crossed from innuendo to blatant interest? That’s what usually happened.
“All you have to do is say the words. You’re in control here, Nyx.” He tore his gaze from hers to nod toward the bot. “Start her up whenever you’re ready.”
His words and their multitude of meanings had her head spinning and created an unfamiliar yearning deep in her chest. She’d been alone too much. That was all it was. Even as a prisoner she’d had her connection to her clones to provide her some company, but she hadn’t sensed anything like that since she’d been freed. Had her last clone died without her knowing it? Was she really alone in the universe, now?