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“I didn’t get anything beyond basic training?”
Oh. Okay. Cool.
I hunker down and head back where I came from, dragging him with me and making sure that he keeps his metal limbs on the side facing the enemy. A couple shots glance off his cybernetic limbs, and my heart races when his hand shoots out to block a beam from hitting me right in the shoulder.
“Jesus, Fi, be careful!” he shouts.
I don’t hear him though; a guard comes out of the smoke in front of me, bigger than me and with horns. I bend to slash at the Skoll’s knees, finding a gap between his armor and his boots. He lets out an angry roar and swings for me, but Kye is right there, catching the blade with his cybernetic arm and shoving the man to the ground as he starts to bleed.
Looks like those upgrades were worth it.
We keep sprinting into the smoke, a couple flakes of snow landing in my eyes. Theymove strangely, almost like they’re catching on gravity itself, sometimes moving sideways. It must be the Elixir shortage on the planet; I didn’t really notice it all that much before, but the precipitation makes it clear. I can even feel it dragging on my body, pulling me in different directions.
How does anyone even live here?
“This way!” Kye shouts. “There’s an alleyway up here; I think I see a way onto the rooftop.”
He grabs my hand and I follow him blindly as the snow starts to fall harder. But he’s right—there’s a pile of crates right here where we can climb up. I let out a squeak of surprise when he grabs me around the waist and reaches for the edge of the rooftop, hauling us both up with his cybernetic arm.
We flatten ourselves on the rooftop and listen as the guards run past below us, but we didn’t leave any trace. My heart pounds while I listen to their shouts, a scuffle…and then silence.
Just both of us breathing and the sound of the snow.
Kye’s hand is still on my waist, our bodies pressed side to side. I haven’t been this close to him since…well, since before Orion took me from Triton months ago.
So much has happened since then.
Kye looks at me, his face inches from mine, his lips parted. His hair is too long—it always is, and I can’t help but reach out and brush it back from his face. I had forgotten how pretty his heterochromic eyes are from this close.
He gets to his feet slowly, so tall that he looms over me, and he extends his hand. I take it and let him pull me to my feet, but we’re still so close…still touching as snow collects in our hair, a few flakes caught in his dark eyelashes.
I fling my arms around his neck, holding him close, and he lets out a deep breath.
“I was so,soworried,” I tell him. “Do me a favor and never do that again.”
Now is normally when he would snipe at me—tell me that it’s none of my business, that I don’t control him, that it’s hypocritical of me to ask him not to put himself in danger when I do it all the time. But he doesn’t do any of that. He draws back slightly, his eyes locking with mine, and he brushes some snow from my hair to cup my cheek.
I can’t control my breath, my heartbeat.
“You came to help me,” he says quietly.
“Of course I did,” I say, my voice breaking. “I always will.”
And as I blink snow out of my eyes, warm in Kye’s arms, he kisses me.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
KYE
I’m kissing Fiona.
I’m kissing Fiona even though I promised myself I would never lay a hand on her again. Even though we’ve spent the past few weeks at each other’s throats. Even though I thought I hated her.
Because fuck…she showed up for me today, even when I asked her not to. She showed up formewhenImade a bad decision for the sake of helping people.
And I’ve really, really missed her.
Her lips are soft and warm against me, in contrast with the cool snowflakes collecting in my hair. She doesn’t pull away, doesn’t question what’s happening; instead, she melts into me, her hands on my chest as I grasp her by the elbows. It reminds me of all the times she’s put her hands on me and told me I’m not a monster, even when she’s seen the seams where the man ends and the machine begins…
