Page 160 of Us Defiant Few

But Takeshi saw the abject fear in her face and leaned closer, letting her see the truth buried in his eyes.

“When you pressed the button, you activated Project Helix. Alan’s code was deleted. But it wasn’t just him. All his direct clones in the underground cities perished. And every person he’d controlled with chips became their normal selves again. Any trace of him has vanished.”

She shook her head, too afraid to accept his words. Scared that at any moment, the rug would be ripped out from under her. But even in her own mind, she no longer felt the Governor’s cold presence. The slimy feeling of him watching her was eradicated.

In her own skin, Khalani finally felt free.

“He’s truly gone?” she asked in a higher voice.

“Yes.”

“What about Penny and the rest of Desert Spring? Are they okay?” She dared to let herself pray that they didn’t go down with Alan.

“Derek took the vehicle to check on them. He just returned yesterday.” His lips curled in a gentle smile. “They’re alive and safe.”

The breath she’d been holding escaped. Khalani had been so used to experiencing nightmares, that she didn’t know how to handle living in this dream.

“And you?” She met his burning gaze, afraid to ask the question tearing through her mind. “Do you…remember?”

Takeshi’s body went so still, his muscles coiling tight with tension. She braced herself, fighting not to get her hopes eviscerated.

But then, he spoke.

“I remember everything.”

Khalani’s eyes widened, convinced she’d heard him wrong.

“Say that…again,” she sputtered, her shoulders caving in, feeling so small in the bed compared to his massive frame. Takeshi’s lethal hands, however, were unbelievably gentle as he smoothed them down her arms, like he needed to reassure himself that they were together.

“I have so much to tell you, Khalani. Things I never thought I’d have the chance to say. But I know I don’t have a right to speak any of it without telling you how deeply sorry and ashamed I am.” His voice broke. “If I didn’t know how much it would affect you, I would turn a gun on myself for hurting you. For failing you.”

Takeshi stopped and turned away, the harsh lines in his beautiful face standing out. Khalani noticed the tremor in his hands, his fingers twitching, close to losing control.

“Hey, hey.” She sat up, grabbing his arm, directing his attention back at her. “Don’t you dare say that. I was the one who failed you.”

Her chin quivered, the memory of that horrible night, gutting her worse than the Governor’s knife.

“You saved me from Doctor Strauss…but I wasn’t able to save you. I tried to return for you, Takeshi,” she whispered. “I planned to go back to the camp and look for you. But you were already gone.”

“That wasn’t your fault, Khalani. I’m glad you didn’t go back,” he said fiercely. “If anything else had happened to you, I would’ve gone on a rampage and destroyed the entire city.”

Takeshi’s affection was visceral. The deadly ways in which he safeguarded her were a part of him. And his gentle, caring heart made her want to protect him just as brutally.

They truly were twin souls in the world.

But she still needed to hear the rest, even if it hurt.

“What happened, Takeshi? After Doctor Strauss took you?”

“He tortured me.” Takeshi’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. “The torture took days, and he grew frustrated that I held on as long as I did. But your face was seared into my mind, in my soul. I held on to you for as long as I could, but Strauss got more…creative with his knives. And eventually, I started to lose my memory. But I forgot my own name before I forgot you.”

Tears built behind her eyes. She held on to what was left of her strength to not release them.

“I felt like a slave in my own mind,” he seethed. “When my body attacked you, I screamed and fought to take control. When I placed the blade against your throat, I used all my willpower to try and turn it into my own chest. When I threatened to kill you, I wanted to cut out my own tongue. And when I dislocated your shoulder in Hermes, I thought of all the ways I could climb to the highest building and fling myself off it. Anything to stop from hurting you again. That pain would’ve been easier to bear.” Takeshi choked on his last words, shuddering.

She’d never seen him so shaken up or pale.

“But I watched you weather my storms and keep fighting back time and time again. You didn’t let my cruelty or inability to remember stop you. The hardest part was that half of me screamed for you to run away. But the other half literally begged you not to give up on me. To realize that I was still inside, fighting for you as desperately as you fought for me. For you to know how much I fucking love you.”