His arms remained locked around her as she struggled, the fathomless depth of his human eye staring into hers with silent hunger.
“Let me go!” She shoved against his shoulder.
His arms opened as if by command, and she dropped like a stone onto her backside against the cot. She lay there a moment sprawled under his cybernetic gaze before realizing her skirt had hiked up above her waist and her damp panties were exposed to his view. Mortified, she slammed her legs closed and tugged the skirt down over her thighs with trembling hands.
In a raw, husky voice that sent another twinge to her core, he asked, “What were you dreaming?”
Heat crawled up her cheeks. She didn’t want him to know she’d been dreaming of him. Nebulas, she didn’t even want to admit that to herself. She looked past him into the darkened room, still muddled by the fantasy her mind had created, and gave him a half-truth. “I was looking for Marlis.”
“You kiss your sister like that?”
Her gaze shot back to his face. Was he smirking? It was hard to tell in the reflected glow from his eye. But the heat in her cheeks was searing now. “Of course not. It was just a dream.”
He made a soft noise that might have been a chuckle. “Of course.” Extending his human hand down toward her, he said, “We don’t have a lot of time. Follow me.”
Her heartbeat kicked up a notch from its already rapid pace. “Are you going to get me out of here?”
“Not yet.” He pulled her to her feet, his palm hot against hers. “But I don’t want to wake the other Consort.”
Once Attie was upright, he turned and pulled her along behind him. She followed, mind still churning over the dream and the way his kiss had set her on fire. She’d always been the good girl, the daughter who did everything right, the cadet who followed orders, the straight-laced corporal who knew her duty. Now here she was following a hot rebel spy into a dark hallway all alone. It was exhilarating.
What is wrong with me? This was no time to get gooey over a man. Yet she couldn’t stop her eyes from trailing over the dark silhouette of his broad shoulders, remembering how masculine he’d felt pressed against her.
He stopped just inside the hallway where he’d dragged her the first time they’d met. The door closed behind her and the lights came on with blinding force. She pressed her fingers to her lids, taking a few seconds to adjust to the brightness. When she dropped her hand, she found Doug looking at her with a sort of intensity that made her tremble.
She hadn’t appreciated how good-looking he was the last time they’d met. His cybernetics only enhanced his square jaw and broad, muscular frame. He wore the same loose clothing as before, and the thin pants did little to hide his very obvious erection. Were cyborgs perpetually aroused? How much of him was man and how much machine?
Swallowing, she took an involuntary step backward. She wasn’t drugged anymore, but she couldn’t seem to get sex out of her head. Focus on getting out of here. She straightened her spine and looked at the far door. “Why have we stopped?”
His gaze trailed up her body to meet her eyes, and the ravenous fire in his eyes went out as if a power switch had been toggled, giving his face an almost plastic look. “Before I set you free, you must promise you will destroy the AI immediately.”
Attie frowned. “I thought you wanted me to bring it to you.” Not that she should argue—coming back to this place was the last thing she wanted to do.
“The situation has changed. Returning here would be dangerous. I need you to agree that destroying the AI will be your main priority.”
Yesterday, Attie would’ve lied to him to escape and then gone right to the authorities. But finding out her sister had been right about the lab made her uncertain. And lying to him could be just as dangerous—he’d basically kidnapped her once already, tricking her into coming here. Who knew what he might do if she didn’t follow through?
She crossed her arms and glared at him. “I’m not going to kill Twerp. It’s been in our family for more than a decade. Besides, it’s programmed to protect Marlis. No way it would tell bounty hunters how to find her.”
“An AI is single-minded in fulfilling its Prime Directive. It doesn’t know how to be subtle in pursuing its goal. Are you willing to risk your sister’s life for the sake of a machine?”
She bit her lip. He had a point about Twerp’s inability to be subtle. Marlis had often complained about Twerp blurting out things it shouldn’t. “I’ll keep it locked away.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be enough. It must be destroyed.”
“But its wireless is broken. If I never let it leave my cabin, it can’t tell anyone about Marlis.”
He shook his head, lips set in a grim line. “This AI can repair itself. I don’t know how soon its wireless will come back online, but it will, and I can’t stop it.”
“Crap.” She hadn’t realized Twerp could fix itself; most AIs had to go to the shop for repairs. Marlis must’ve upgraded it at some point. Of course she did. She loves Twerp. And Twerp loved Marlis back, even if it was only a side-effect of its Prime Directive. The AI would continue to seek Marlis out, oblivious to the way that put Marlis in danger.
“Do you agree?”
Attie’s heart ached, and her throat felt tight as she whispered, “Yes.” The AI was important, but not more important than her sister. “How do I destroy it? Smash it?”
“Physically damaging the device will not destroy its databanks.”
