CHAPTER 27
Darkness was all around him. He was floating in a big, black nothing, where silence ruled. Peacefulness made him feel safe, filling him with a sense of freedom.
Maybe this was how it felt like to be dead.
Wind had no idea how long he’d been here, but he didn’t care. He liked the sensations and didn’t want to leave. He needed the calmness because he had a feeling something bad had happened just before he’d come here.
Something he didn’t want to remember.
“Is he awake?”
Wind tensed as a male voice penetrated the void. He didn’t recognize the voice, but at the same time, couldn’t get away from the feeling he’d heard it somewhere before.
“He’s awake,” another male voice answered. This one was unfamiliar.
“Good. How’s the signal doing?”
Sounds of movement reached his ears, and he suddenly felt he was lying on something soft. The darkness slowly slipped away. He wasn’t dead after all. He was very much alive, but couldn’t move. His body felt like a sack of bricks, and his muscles ached all over. It made him groan, but no sound would leave his lips.
“The signal is working,” the unknown man said. “Within a few minutes, his old bond will be blocked for good. It won’t be able to hurt him anymore, and he’ll be able to move once the signal is in place.”
What were they talking about? What signal?
He scanned his body, trying to detect if something was off, but he couldn’t feel anything wrong.
“Is he going to be all right?”
Celise!
Joy filled his heart. He wanted to smile, but his body didn’t respond. He wanted so badly to open his eyes and look at her.
“Yes, don’t worry, sweetie,” the familiar male voice said. “He’ll do just fine.”
Sweetie?
Wind wanted to fist his hands, but again, his body wouldn’t obey.
“Is he in pain?” she asked.
“No,” the familiar voice answered. “This signal is completely harmless. He won’t feel it working. He’ll only feel the result.”
The familiar male’s words weren't comforting.
What kind of result was he talking about?
“Good,” Celise said and took an audible deep breath.
There was worry in her voice. Wind wished he could hold her, tell her everything was going to be all right. He felt fine, apart from the muscle ache. It was as if nothing had happened.
He stilled.
Had something happened?
He searched his memory. As a cyborg, he should be able to remember everything, but his mind was blank. What was going on? Where was he, and how had they ended up wherever they were?
Wind focused. He had to put more effort into it. It was important he remembered.
The unknown male had mentioned something about his old bond.
He felt a gentle pressure on his arms.
“I’m right here, Wind.”
Celise.
Her sweet voice filled his starving heart.
She caressed his cheek. The touch made him tingle all over from need. “You’d never believe me if I told you where we are, but when you open your eyes, remember you’re safe. We all are.”
He sensed her walk away, and he missed her touch. He needed it so much!
Wind tried to move, but his muscles didn’t respond. Frustration washed over him.
“You shouldn’t be that close to him, sweetie,” the familiar voice said. “He’ll gain movement back fast. He might accidently hurt you then.”
Wind cringed on the inside.
Why did that man call Celise sweetie again?
“Come here,” the man went on. “I can hold you and protect you. My arms are strong and safe. My body is warm and cozy. I ensure you that.”
What the?!
Wind wanted to scream. Who did he think he was? If the stranger touched his bound one, he’d make sure the man would regret it for the rest of his life.
Bound one ...
He gasped when an image of a blonde beauty, smiling at him, crossed his mind.
Diane.
His bound one.
A new image filled his mind. She lay still in his arms on the floor. Her body was cold, and she wasn’t breathing. The gut-wrenching agony he’d felt then filled him once again, but he was unable to scream.
He’d lost her, but somehow, he was still alive.
His arms moved.
A sigh came from the other man; the voice he didn’t recognize. “Don’t listen to him, Celise. I’m maybe not as big and dark as that bastard, but my embrace is much more loving and caring.” The man chuckled.
“Um ...”
Celise.
There was hesitation in her voice.
Something clicked in Wind’s mind.
Big, dark bastard.
That voice.
Why did all of that sound so familiar?
A female giggled.
Faye.
She was here, too?
“Aren’t you excited, Celise? I wouldn’t mind this much attention myself. Especially not from these two hot Fighters.”
Fighters?
Somehow, Wind managed to tense his body, fist his knuckles, and give a roar of anger.
Fighters!
It meant the males in the room with Faye and Celise were two unbound cyborgs.
He recognized the voice now. It belonged to Nightmare! How could Celise claim they were safe if he was in the room with them?
Nightmare sighed. “Nice going, Faye.”
“What?”
“You just had to tell him we’re Fighters,” the other male said.
Why on earth were they trying to take Celise away from him?
Somehow, they seemed to know his bond to Diane was damaged. It’d changed before he’d passed out in the forest.
They’d brought him somewhere, imprisoned both Faye and Celise, and somehow brainwashed them.
Well, at least brainwashed Faye.
Or maybe not.
Faye was Faye after all.
They’d said something about a signal. They’d done something to him! Had they transferred the same signal into him that had almost killed Shade?
Pure fury filled every pore of his body and exploded.
Wind opened his eyes and sat up at the speed of light. His gaze locked at the four pair of eyes staring back at him. He recognized Nightmare. The Fighter stood by the double doors next to Faye, and a cyborg with red hair he hadn’t seen before.
He scanned the room. They were in a bright, and sterile-looking medical room. Was he at MedAct? No, he couldn’t be. Nightmare would never set his foot in MedAct.
Celise moved closer to his bed.
Wind grabbed her arm, pulling her into his body, but he didn’t look away from the Fighters. Instead, he kept scowling at them, warning them not to come any closer.
“I guess it’s time for us to leave,” the redheaded Fighter said before he turned to the door. “Good luck, Celise.”
The unfamiliar cyborg, Nightmare, and Faye fled the room.
Wind didn’t miss the wide grin on Faye’s lips as the doors locked behind them.
Irritation burned as he glanced at Celise. “What’s going on?” He looked around again. “Where am I?”
She placed her arms on his shoulders, as if to calm him. “How do you feel?”
He frowned. His instinct to defend her didn’t ease, neither did his anger or his desire for her. “Strangely enough, I feel fine. Why aren’t I dead?”
Her smile was tremulous. “Your bond to me gave us enough time to save you, but honestly, I didn’t do a thing. Nightmare and Blaze saved you.”
That didn’t make any sense, but with each passing second, it was becoming more and more difficult to focus on anything else but Celise. She looked so beautiful, even if her clothes were dirty, smudged with grass and mud. Her blonde hair needed a brush, and her eyes told him how tired she was.
What had she been through while he’d been unconscious?
Something had definitely been done to him. His bond to Diane was still there, but its progress had been stopped. Instead, his initiated bond to Celise was taking over.
And it was taking over fast.
At first, it was like a frustrated whimper inside him, but it didn’t take long before the negative emotions melted into a desperate cry.
The bond wanted one thing.
One thing only ...
Celise.
It suddenly became hotter in the room. A thin coat of sweat broke out on his skin, an ache of need awakened in his gut. It made him groan and shift on the bed. His desire grew as his cock strained against his pants. Wind swallowed and clenched his fists. “You can explain everything to me later. My bond to you is all of a sudden going crazy. It feels like I’ll die if I don’t have you within the next minute.”
Celise’s smile turned into a grin.
He snorted as he stood from the bed, shoving his pants off. “It’s not funny. I’m so hard I’m going to burst.”
She looked down, and her cute cheeks shone pink. “I can see that.”
“Don’t toy with me, Celise. I can’t handle it right now.” Impatiently, he tugged her into an embrace. He pressed his lips to hers with a need so great it made his head spin.
What he’d experienced with her during the first flash was nothing compared to now. Her nearness, the warmth of her skin, the tender sounds she made as he kissed her, her raspy breathing as he explored her body with determined caresses, it all sparked a fierce fire inside him.
His bond to her had to be sealed now that his bond to Diane was fading. He had no choice in the matter. It became his one and only mission. They needed two more flashes, and something told him they’d get them, right here, right now.
Wind wouldn’t, couldn’t, stop until it happened.
He showered her with lustful kisses and starving touches as he stripped one piece of clothing after another from her.
It made her giggle, and she covered herself with her arms when her breasts sprung free as he stripped her off of the bra.
He found it cute that she was still shy in front of him, despite all the things they’d already shared.
Wind grinned.
It was time to take her to a completely new level.
He laid her naked on the bed, with her legs still on the floor. He enjoyed the aroused look in her eyes and the flush on her cheeks.
She watched him with curiosity, obviously wondering what he’d do next.
He was about to surprise her.
Wind leaned over her, slowly sliding his hands over her small body. She was tiny compared to him. Celise barely reached his shoulders, and that just made him want to protect her even more.
There were Fighters beyond these walls, but not even they could stop him from bonding with her. He was even unable to stop himself.
She moaned and closed her eyes as he explored her body.
He teased her nipples with his mouth and fingers. It pleased him to see how she reacted to the pleasure he enwrapped her in. Wind hungered for her like never before. The feel of her bare and warm body against his was like an aphrodisiac. He’d wanted to take her to a new level, but it seemed like she was taking him there, as her hands slid through his thick hair.
He traveled lower with his kisses, reaching her navel, and still continuing lower, leaving light brushes with his lips on her pelvis.
Her body tensed and a gasp left her mouth.
He raised his gaze and met her surprised stare.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Wind gave her a wicked grin. “Exactly what I want to do.”
She jerked when he licked her sensitive lips. “I don’t ... think I’m ready for that.”
He chuckled. The anticipation in her eyes was unmistakable. “Oh, I think you are.” He leaned down again, parting her legs to get better access. “Just relax and enjoy.”
Celise trembled. “Wind, I ... Oh!”
Wind didn’t give her time to think too much. Instead, he gave her everything at once. Despite their night together, this was the first time he’d touched her this way. Getting that shyness out of her was a process, and he looked forward to it.
A whimper left her lips as he licked and nipped her aroused clit. One touch was enough, and she was lost in the world of pleasure as he explored her with a starved frenzy.
He couldn’t help it. His body was on fire, his need greater than before. Hearing her moans, feeling her quiver under him as he kept her locked in place only triggered him to keep going. The way Celise moved her hips against his tongue made him almost lose his mind.
Her breathing became harsher, and she hugged the linens desperately.
She was close so Wind increased the pressure. Seconds later, her cry of pleasure filled the room. He didn’t ease up. Instead, he took her through the intense orgasm for as long as she could take it, gripping her firmer in his arms as her limbs shook. Not until she grabbed his head and pushed him away did he stop.
He dried his mouth and grinned, leaning over her.
A satisfied smile decorated her features. She looked so beautiful with her after-sex look.
“That was amazing,” Celise whispered. Her cheeks were flushed.
“We’re not done yet.” He dipped down to kiss her, but a sudden warm feeling in his eyes made him halt. The heat intensified and it took him only a second to understand what was going on. He turned his head away from her just in time as his eyes flashed.
The change inside him was instant.
His bond had accepted her.
All they needed now was the last flash that would seal it.
As he met her gaze again, Wind felt his love for her grow inside his heart. He’d die without her now.
Her eyes were wide as she stared at him, then she relaxed into a smile. “I never actually dared to imagine we’d reach this point.”
“Why?”
“I guess it still feels kind of unreal. You and me, together. Just last week that was a dream that would never come true. And yet, here we are.”
He kissed her cheek, slowly entering her and earning a moan. “You’re stuck with me now.” Wind moved closer to her ear. “Promise me one thing, Celise,” he whispered as she wrapped her legs around him.
Passion returned to her face as he slowly built up a rhythm.
“Anything.”
“Promise, when your time to die comes, you’ll let me die with you.”
She tensed underneath him. “Are you sure you want that?”
Wind nodded. “I won’t be able to handle a third bound one.”
Celise remained silent for a while, but the answer was written in her eyes. She wanted him to live, just like Diane had wanted him to live.
He was here because of her wish. He’d respected it, but deep down, he knew what awaited him if he lost Celise as well.
A heart broken once was difficult to handle.
A heart broken twice would be impossible to handle. A third bound one would never be able to bring him out of the agony he’d fall into.
“Please, Celise. Promise me,” he begged as he kept moving inside her. He couldn’t stop. The bond demanded closure. It screamed inside him, pushed him on.
It fogged his mind, and before Wind knew it, he was lost in a world of pleasure. He thrust hard and fast, his passion taking them higher as her whimpers mixed with his groans, and he wasn’t able to hold back anymore.
He lifted his upper-body and cried out. His body shook, his muscles shuddered as he filled her with his release. Ecstasy was mind blowing, and the heat in his eyes returned; intensifying his orgasm as his eyes flashed for the third and final time.
He was bound the Celise now, and his bond to Diane was forever sealed away.
Warm and exhausted, he collapsed on top of his new bound one, his new heart. His breathing came hard, but slowly, he returned to himself.
Celise smiled at him as she grabbed his face between her hands. “I promise.”
The love he felt for her filled every part of his body when he heard her words.
It was strong, stronger than anything he’d ever felt for Diane.
And it was there to stay.