Page 25 of The Lone Cyborg
He sounded as if he were trying to convince himself but she nodded.
“I’m sure you’re right and they’re both up there waiting for us.” The question was if anyone else was waiting for them. “Do… do you think whoever shot you has left?”
“I don’t know, especially since I don’t know why they were really here, but there’s very little we can do about it now.” He tugged her a little closer. “Why don ‘t you try and get some rest? There isn’t much we can do until I finish healing.”
“You’re the one who needs to rest,” she muttered, but she found herself yawning, worn out by the frantic escape and the effortof helping to support him as they made their way down to the cavern.
At least he was here with her and he was healing. His body was still too warm but it no longer burned with the same heat as it had earlier, and the coppery scent of blood had faded, replaced by his familiar comforting scent. Her eyes started to drift shut. The last thing she remembered was his deep voice promising to keep watch, just before she fell asleep.
CHAPTER TEN
Jeb stared out across the vast cavern as Mattie fell asleep against his side, relieved that she still trusted him enough to do so. Even more relieved—and shocked—that she loved him too, that she really didn’t seem to care that he was no longer entirely human.
He flexed his cybernetic hand, the metal skin gleaming softly in the dim light from the bioluminescent lichen. It moved easily, already recovering from the earlier damage. In fact all of his injuries were healing with unusual speed. The faintest touch feathered against his arm and he looked down to see a tendril of lichen absorbing the last traces of dried blood around the wound.
Had the presence of the lichen helped him heal? It seemed unlikely, but he definitely felt much better, stronger than he had been when they’d entered the cavern. His nanites worked quickly, but not that quickly and even the heat they generated as part of the healing process had settled into a comfortable warmth.
He stroked a cautious finger across a nearby tendril—there seemed little point in keeping his distance now that it had crawled all over him—and it curled briefly around his finger in response before withdrawing. How strange.
He tucked Mattie a little closer against his side, then closed his eyes. Since his transformation he didn’t sleep in the same way as a full human, but he could rest while a small part of him remained alert to any danger. He closed his eyes, and then he began to dream.
He was flying, powerful wings catching the air as he soared above a verdant landscape, the plants grouped around a long canal that sparkled in the sunshine. The air was warm, rich with the scent of flowers and something else, something even more intriguing. He circled the air and immediately spotted her—a small figure with shimmering green scales who darted provocatively around a nearby peak.
A smile stretched his mouth, exposing his fangs, and then he took off after her. She led him a merry chase, her movements quick and graceful, but he caught her at last, holding her against him as they soared together. Her features were unfamiliar but he still felt as if he knew her and when she smiled up at him, the sun glinting off her emerald scales, he felt as if he’d come home.
He awoke with a start to find Mattie still nestled against him and a strange sensation of loss clawing at his chest.
A dream.It had just been a dream. Yet it had all seemed so real. So vivid. He shook his head. It must have been brought on by the trauma of the morning or perhaps simply by being surrounded by this alien environment.
Mattie stirred in his arms, and he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head, before she looked up at him, her eyes heavy with sleep—and something more.
“I had the weirdest dream,” she murmured, and he jerked.
“I did too. About flying.”
“Me too. Someone was chasing me, but I wanted to be caught because I knew what would happen when he did.”
The sweetness of her arousal began to perfume the air and his body responded.
“And what was that?” he growled.
“This,” she whispered, raising her head to meet his mouth.
He kissed her eagerly, groaning as she pressed against him, her hips wriggling deliciously against his erection. Her hands slipped between them, then hesitated just above his cock.
“We shouldn’t do this. You’re still healing.”
“I think it’s more accurate to say I’m already healed.”
Her eyes widened.
“Already? That’s impossible.”
“It’s unusually fast,” he agreed. “Even for me. But look.”
He showed her the same wound he’d shown her earlier. No sign of the injury remained except for a slight redness. She sighed with relief and gave him a tremulous smile.
“Thank goodness. I was so afraid that my foolishness would cause you permanent damage.”
