Anger clearly sounded in his tone.
She wiggled back on the mattress until she ended up in the corner of the bed with
her body pressed tightly to both walls. Panic welled inside her. “I’m not hungry,” she
lied.
He looked away from her, stared instead at the floor for long seconds, and then his
gaze lifted. Regret was an easy expression to read on his handsome face.
“Oh God.” Tears welled in her eyes as she stared into his beautiful ones. “I swore I
wouldn’t tell anyone about you. I could have done that months ago but I didn’t. All I
would have had to do was open up a communication with Earth to turn you in. I know
you aren’t sure if you can trust me but if I’d tried to collect a reward for you, they
would have been waiting to attack you the second you docked with Folion or even
before you reached it.”
He watched her silently, holding the tray, his expression carefully cleared of
emotion now.
“Please believe me. I’m no threat to you or your other cyborg people, Ice. I’d never
hurt you in any way.”
“I tend to believe you. I gave you an opportunity to harm me yet you didn’t do it.”
The tray in his hands said otherwise. She could feel it in her gut, and also knew
something had been done to the food. She stared into his shuttered gaze again, seeing
the remote look.
“Is it poisoned?”
His mouth tensed, the only reaction he allowed to show. “No.”
“You’re lying.”
The big cyborg took a deep breath before he expelled it slowly. “It’s not poisoned
but it is drugged with a strong sedative that will put you to sleep.”
“Why?” It hurt that he’d be a part of anything that would harm her. They’d shared
so much in the time they’d spent together. Disbelief and shock tore at her. “Ice? Are you
going to hurt me?” She fought back tears.
He looked away and then met her gaze. “I don’t want to cause you any harm.” His
jaw clenched. “Believe that if nothing else.”
Megan watched as he seemed to struggle with whatever thoughts he had and then
his face cleared of emotion.
53
Laurann Dohner
“You are aware of us. We have a council and they have deemed it too risky to allow
you to return to Earth with the knowledge you possess. We are close to our home world
and your Earth Government may realize that if you were to talk to them. They could
start searching this area, hunting for our planet and they would find it. While we have a
defense system, we don’t want to test it. We enjoy the freedom to travel and do not
want a war with Earth. We left your planet to avoid just that.”
“I’d never tell the government about you. I don’t know much about cyborgs but I
heard every word you said about getting a real raw deal in the past when they made
you and then tried to wipe you out.” She paused. “I’m not a fan of mass murder.”
“The council has determined that you are too much of a risk. They believe you are
either a spy for Earth Government or that you are a bounty hunter searching for a large
group of cyborgs to collect a reward.”
“That’s not true. I’m just a programmer who got offered a lot of money to live out in
deep space on the Folion and my existence was deemed classified so some jackasses
didn’t try to find me to attempt to use me to get control of Clara so they could steal it.”
He studied her. “I tend to believe you, if that matters, but orders have to be
followed. It’s not my call to make.”
“So you’re going to drug me and then what?” Megan feared asking and suspected
the answer already. The idea that he’d do that to her had her fighting tears again. She
had believed she could trust him to never hurt her but she’d been wrong, obviously.
“Are you going to kill me?” Her voice broke.
Ice physically flinched. He took another slow, long breath. “It’s a method Earth
Government trained cyborgs to use to take a life painlessly while the target slept but I
can’t do it.” He
She wiggled back on the mattress until she ended up in the corner of the bed with
her body pressed tightly to both walls. Panic welled inside her. “I’m not hungry,” she
lied.
He looked away from her, stared instead at the floor for long seconds, and then his
gaze lifted. Regret was an easy expression to read on his handsome face.
“Oh God.” Tears welled in her eyes as she stared into his beautiful ones. “I swore I
wouldn’t tell anyone about you. I could have done that months ago but I didn’t. All I
would have had to do was open up a communication with Earth to turn you in. I know
you aren’t sure if you can trust me but if I’d tried to collect a reward for you, they
would have been waiting to attack you the second you docked with Folion or even
before you reached it.”
He watched her silently, holding the tray, his expression carefully cleared of
emotion now.
“Please believe me. I’m no threat to you or your other cyborg people, Ice. I’d never
hurt you in any way.”
“I tend to believe you. I gave you an opportunity to harm me yet you didn’t do it.”
The tray in his hands said otherwise. She could feel it in her gut, and also knew
something had been done to the food. She stared into his shuttered gaze again, seeing
the remote look.
“Is it poisoned?”
His mouth tensed, the only reaction he allowed to show. “No.”
“You’re lying.”
The big cyborg took a deep breath before he expelled it slowly. “It’s not poisoned
but it is drugged with a strong sedative that will put you to sleep.”
“Why?” It hurt that he’d be a part of anything that would harm her. They’d shared
so much in the time they’d spent together. Disbelief and shock tore at her. “Ice? Are you
going to hurt me?” She fought back tears.
He looked away and then met her gaze. “I don’t want to cause you any harm.” His
jaw clenched. “Believe that if nothing else.”
Megan watched as he seemed to struggle with whatever thoughts he had and then
his face cleared of emotion.
53
Laurann Dohner
“You are aware of us. We have a council and they have deemed it too risky to allow
you to return to Earth with the knowledge you possess. We are close to our home world
and your Earth Government may realize that if you were to talk to them. They could
start searching this area, hunting for our planet and they would find it. While we have a
defense system, we don’t want to test it. We enjoy the freedom to travel and do not
want a war with Earth. We left your planet to avoid just that.”
“I’d never tell the government about you. I don’t know much about cyborgs but I
heard every word you said about getting a real raw deal in the past when they made
you and then tried to wipe you out.” She paused. “I’m not a fan of mass murder.”
“The council has determined that you are too much of a risk. They believe you are
either a spy for Earth Government or that you are a bounty hunter searching for a large
group of cyborgs to collect a reward.”
“That’s not true. I’m just a programmer who got offered a lot of money to live out in
deep space on the Folion and my existence was deemed classified so some jackasses
didn’t try to find me to attempt to use me to get control of Clara so they could steal it.”
He studied her. “I tend to believe you, if that matters, but orders have to be
followed. It’s not my call to make.”
“So you’re going to drug me and then what?” Megan feared asking and suspected
the answer already. The idea that he’d do that to her had her fighting tears again. She
had believed she could trust him to never hurt her but she’d been wrong, obviously.
“Are you going to kill me?” Her voice broke.
Ice physically flinched. He took another slow, long breath. “It’s a method Earth
Government trained cyborgs to use to take a life painlessly while the target slept but I
can’t do it.” He
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