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Oz
Holy shit! He had totally kidnapped me!Viper moved so fast the wind whistled through the trees and I had to close my eyes or I might be sick.
Maybe if I threw up down his back, he’d put me down.Somehow, I doubted it. He was on a mission, taking me to where, I had no clue, but he ran like the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels.
All I could do was hang on for dear life and pray I could convince him to return me. I understood his desperation. The same feeling had rattled my bones. My heart cried out to bond with him, my soul missing it’s other half. It longed to do what he asked-to complete the bond and take him with me when I left this life.
But what kind of female would I be if I said yes? I had done some fucked up things in my past, but killing the cyborg I loved? That would be the worst thing I had ever done. It didn’t matter that he asked for it. He feels that way now, but what about tomorrow, or the next day? The bond is irreversible. He had forever to find a new female. I refused to take away his chance at finding love again after I was gone.
He would miss me. But I would be nothing more than a blimp in the grand scheme of his lifespan. Hell, we had only stopped fighting a few days ago. We barely knew each other.
Liar, my brain hissed.You know him as well as you know your own heart. Stop pushing him away to protect yourself. You’re running again, Oz.
Was I? I shook my head. No. That wasn’t what I was doing.
Oh, fuck. That is exactly what I had been doing.I had closed myself off so I hadn’t had to listen to his pleas. I couldn’t bear to hear the truth. If I demanded Viper to respect my wishes, how could I not respect his?
I sagged against his shoulder, my mind spinning. He froze. His feet came to a dead stop. “Oz?” His voice trembled.
I sighed. I had done this. I tapped his upper back. “Could you please put me down? I promise not to run. I just need to see your face.” I traced a finger down his simulated spine, needing to touch him. “Please.”
Carefully, he put me down, his face searching mine. “Are you hurt? In pain?”
I shook my head and swallowed past the lump in my throat. Unable to hold his gaze, I took in my surroundings, seeing the mouth of a cave up ahead of us. I slid my hand into his, trying to tug him towards the opening.
He hesitated, his frame not budging.
“That is where you were taking me, right? Let’s go.” I tried not to think of the things that could be hiding in there. I knew from experience that animals don’t take kindly to you wanting to share their home. Caves and I had been best friends at different times in my life. They provided shelter from the elements and were good places to hide.
Viper brought me here to hide me from the rebellion. I should be furious. No one ever wanted me enough to kidnap me not once, but twice. I was rather impressed.
And I needed a moment to re-evaluate what mattered-a final good deed or the cyborg who had risked the rebellion’s wrath to make me see the truth?
I still wanted to help the new cyborgs, but there had to be a way to do it so this thing in my head doesn’t go pop. Or do whatever the hell it was going to do once it was flipped back on.
I couldn’t let Viper tie himself to me without a way to save him. Even if the odds were slim and all we had was a Hail Mary.
I would greet death on my terms, but with Viper by my side, maybe I could finally kick its ass. I had everything I ever wanted-friends, family, my cyborg.
Why had I been willing to give it up so easily?
Because deep down you still feel like you aren’t worthy of any of it.That voice in my head that used to sound like my father had, over years, morphed into my own. The monster under the bed was me. Lying in wait to slither into my soul, to twist things, and keep me in the dark. I joked that I was my own worst enemy, but I had never realized the truth of my words until this moment.
“I should take you back. I wasn’t thinking, Oz.” The grip on my hand tightened and he attempted to pull me back into the forest.
“No. Not yet, V. We have things to discuss-alone and without interruptions. Everything happened so fast. I feel like we were just snuggling on the couch getting ready to watch a movie. Now look at us.” My legs gave out from under me. I sank to the ground, my hand slipping free from his grasp.
My body curled into itself, and I hugged my knees. “What happened, Viper? Fuck, I’ve made a mess of this.”
Viper sank down next to me, pulling me into his lap. “I’ve helped. Remember when I told you that I wasn’t good at any of this?”
A laugh burst from my throat. “Yep. I happened to recall that I told you the same thing, so here we are.”
He wrapped his arms around me. “Here we are.”
For a few minutes, all you could hear were the sounds of the forest mixed with our breathing. Being in Viper’s arms felt safe. I never wanted to lose this feeling.
I had been smitten with him from the moment I had read his file. It had come out in the form of snark, bravado, sass, and a fair bit of cursing, but underneath it all, Viper had captivated me completely.
