Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55375 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55375 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
She rose from her desk chair…and saw the small metal cup of milky, pale blue DEE sitting by her interface. She had almost forgotten to drink it. Well, crap—she was just going to have to do it. At least none of the ingredients were harmful so she didn’t have to worry about getting poisoned.
No, all you have to worry about is your breasts swelling up with that “nectar” stuff—whatever it is, she thought to herself. But there was no help for it—she was now the Handler to a massive, incredibly deadly, seven-foot-tall Cyborg. She absolutely could not neglect him.
K-lx had already caused massive damage and killed two people—it was her job to keep him in control so nothing like that ever happened again. Corinne knew she would do whatever she had to in order to rein her new K-Unit in.
Even this.
Closing her eyes, she tossed back the milky liquid, expecting it to be bitter and disgusting. Instead, a sweet, slightly fruity flavor filled her mouth. The taste wasn’t bad at all. In fact, if she’d been offered a drink at a party that tasted like the DEE, she would have asked for seconds.
Corinne drained every last drop and then put the cup into the recycling bin, where it was whisked away to be used in further replicator requests.
“Well—that’s that,” she muttered to herself. She waited to see if she felt any different…was there a faint tingling in her nipples? Then she looked at the chronometer on the wall. Damn it—they were going to be late for breakfast if she didn’t hurry!
Going to K-lx, she touched him on the arm to wake him from his internal review.
“Come, K-lx—we need to get going,” she told him.
His pale blue eyes fluttered open and he looked down at her. A flow of deep emotion—mostly caring and devotion—suddenly came through their Link. But Corinne also felt possessiveness, protectiveness, and sheer lust as the huge K-Unit knelt before her.
“Mistress, I am yours,” he growled softly, his eyes half-lidded as he looked at her. “Do what you want with me. Use me in any way you see fit.”
“Oh, um…” Corinne frowned. “Are you all right, K-lx?”
He blinked rapidly and seemed to come back to himself.
“Yes, sorry. My subroutines were rerouting themselves with you as the focus,” he replied. “You are my Handler…my Mistress. I am attuned to you now.”
“That’s good, I guess, but it’s time to go now,” Corinne told him. “Aren’t you hungry? We don’t want to miss breakfast.”
“I am hungry.” He rose to tower over her again. “But do you think the other humans will be happy to have me eat with them after the death and destruction I caused last night?”
Corinne lifted her chin.
“You’re Linked to me now—I’m your Handler and I’ll vouch for you. I don’t feel any fear or anger or any of the other emotions you were having last night coming through our Link, so I’d say you’re safe to go out among the general population of the station.”
In fact what she did feel through the Link was more lust and desire—which was ridiculous. She had on a baggy coverall and no make-up at all—there was nothing about her that would inspire the emotions she felt coming from K-lx.
She tried to ignore his desire for her, even though it made her feel slightly hot and bothered just as his comments had earlier. At least he was obeying her order to keep his hands to himself. She would have to consult the manual and see if it was normal for a Kindred Cyborg to have such strong sexual feelings for his Handler. But for now, they both needed breakfast.
“Come on,” she said and led the way out of her room.
13
K-LX
“That thing is not welcome at this table!” The angry human male from the night before pointed a trembling finger at K-lx as he settled himself at the end of the long table beside his Mistress.
The rest of the seats at the table were also filled with humans who stared uneasily at him. Some of them looked almost ready to run.
K-lx supposed he couldn’t blame them. He had ruined many pieces of equipment and killed two of their personnel the night before. They had a right not to trust him now.
Luckily, Corinne stuck up for him.
“Enough, Silas,” she snapped at the other scientist, who had a narrow face, thin shoulders, and eyes that were set too close together. “K-lx is fine.”
“He’s not fine! He went Rogue last night!” the human male protested.
“He did not go Rogue,” Corinne said firmly. “He was disturbed because you brought him out of Stasis too quickly—he had a Neural Interface Overload which brought on a panicked flight or fight response. Now that I’ve Linked with him, he’s completely regulated—I’d stake my reputation on it.”
“Your reputation is already in shreds, Virelle,” the human male sneered. “After you allowed poor Isla to Link with a Rogue Unit—”