Page 13 of Ruled By Their Desires

“They are mine. I love them and they belong with me.”

“They belong to no one. When you grow up that will change. Better now than then.” He sounded so sure and that upset the conviction of the twelve-year-old self. Made her dig in.

“You don’t know me. Not like they do. That will never change. I love them and they love me.”

“How do you know they love you? They are Cyborgs.”

She got angry then. “What is your problem? They are not KC and I know.”

“My problem is you. And is that enough?”

“It’s more than enough. If you ask them to leave, they will not go, and you ….. will lose them. Do you want that? To lose them?” She’d shook her head at him. “Don’t push what you don’t control Marcus. You will lose.”

“Is that right?”

“You won’t let yourself live Marcus. Don’t let yourself love anything. What is the point of breathing if you do not live? I wished you loved me too, but you can’t let yourself, can you?”

“No.”

She’d nodded sadly. “Then you live only half a life. But no matter. I love you enough for both of us.”

“Do you little bit? Love me like an uncle?”

“I never loved you like an uncle Marcus. You know that. You’re not family……. Yet. And my feelings for you are different to them….. But try to take them from me and I will forget that and cut your stem. You will never take them from me.”

Her father had come in then and sensed the tension. “Everything okay here?” his eyes flicked back and forth between them.

She’d just kept looking at Marcus. Willing him to understand not giving an inch. She’d thought him so pretty that she’d wanted to keep him, heal him but like she’d said, he’d never let her.

“I have determined that it is in everyone’s best interest if the quad stays with Moon and the others are to help fight with your people. We will start rotating men in and out. Is that agreeable with you?” he’d asked her father not looking at him but still staring at her.

“It is. I don’t want a war.” Her father answered.

“Nor I.” Marcus told her, not her father.

“Good.” She’d told him. “One day I will rule here, and you, will not want me as an enemy.” She’d turned and left the office.

It was the last time she’d really seen him up close and personal until he’d come to get her at that KC’s prison site and in all honesty, it was seventeen years later, and she’d really not recognised him at all. Or when he’d come to her home but when he’d used her nic name, that set off alarm bells. It was only when his voice changed with it, that everything started to fit together. Even so in the back of her mind, she’d still been unsure he was the same person but there was no doubt about that now. Not really. It was Marcus. He was just a very different Marcus from the one she’d known and remembered. But then again, he’d never given her the chance to know him, had he?

Recognising the land rolling past she knew they were close. Checking the map, she gave directions. The two camouflaged solar Humvee’s moved almost silently across the terrain. Twenty miles out she spotted another Humvee ahead of them and four figures standing and waiting. She grinned. She was home.

“That’s our escort. Pull up.”

Before the car even rolled to a stop, she was out the door and running. Several other SCs came out of hiding standing guard and she waved as she passed, but she only had eyes for her uncles. Screaming calling out to them she threw herself into the air and they caught her easily laughing and hugging her, giving her shit.

God it was good to see them….

It felt like home and she’d badly missed it as she hugged them all being passed around.

“It’s good to see you little bit.” Hawk told her hugging her and kissing her cheek, before handing her over for another hug and squeeze, then another kiss and another. All of them saying the same.

They put her down at last and she grinned like an idiot and patted each of them checking them out. “God it’s good to see you guys too. No injuries I need to know about? No alimony I need to contribute to? No…” She pretended to choke. “Wives… I need to be nice too?” They roared out and she shook her head at them grinning like an idiot.

“No, little bit. We saved all our love for you.” Comet told her.

She fake wiped her eyes. “That’s….. so…. fucking……cute.”

They chuckled. But they all knew they meant it. She breathed in deeply and looked at her family. Waving them in for a joint hug. So happy to see them. They’d been right, it had been too long. She’d gone in part to FHA to find herself, to find that piece that always felt missing and never did find it. She realised it was probably back at the mountain base all along, where it had always been. But she couldn’t dwell on that now. “I was gone too long. I’m sorry.” They each gave her a nod in turn. “So we ready for this?”

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