After spending a long night coming to grips with the knowledge Zephyr would never answer him, Kyle stared at his temporary bedroom wall and plotted his next move. He couldn’t stay here. He couldn’t go home. Kyle wasn’t sure he had a home any longer. He’d set out on his own at sixteen. Kyle could do it again. Maybe he could live on the fringes of Cryo-Zone. If his lungs filtered the poison, he could set up at the edge of the border and travel inside Cryo to get the supplies he needed. Surely he could be of some use to the droid community. Pull his weight. He could be alone. Kyle took a breath, hoping the shattered feeling in his chest would ease someday soon. Someone knocked on his door, distracting him.

“Yeah?”

At his inquiry, Kiston poked her head in the room. “Any luck getting Zephyr to talk?”

Kyle shook his head.

Kiston winced. “Is it okay if I come in and give you the once over?”

Kyle’s eyebrows rose. “I have no idea what that means.”

She pushed the door the rest of the way open and shook a small medical case at him. “When was the last time you saw a proper doctor?”

With a shrug, Kyle waved her inside. “If you count Zephyr, not too long ago. Otherwise, not since I was a kid.”

“That’s what I figured,” Kiston said, closing the door behind her and shutting them inside the room. After setting the case on the bedside table, she popped it open and pulled out a small gun. “This is a huge dose of way too many vaccines to name. Living here, a lot of diseases can’t survive the cold, but I imagine you’ll eventually head south. You’ll need this.”

Kyle didn’t argue nor did he confirm her thoughts. He simply sat still and let her shoot him full of meds before checking all his vitals. “You’re in amazing health for someone who’s been without medical care.”

Kyle couldn’t work up a care. “It’s not as if I’ve had a chance to eat unhealthy or sit still.”

“Zephyr promised my mother he’d never love anyone else,” Kiston said out-of-the-blue, knocking the air from Kyle’s lungs. “Droids take vows very seriously.”

Kyle had nothing. She’d said the one thing he had no response for. He’d already known, considering the fact that Zephyr had dumped him back in Dead-Zone without as much as a goodbye, that Zephyr didn’t love him. This—he couldn’t overcome this.

“The thing is,” Kiston continued as if she wasn’t killing him, “as much as droids feel, they don’t understand they can’t control those feelings. They think everything has a button that can be pushed. We know love doesn’t work that way. You can make all the promises in the world, but—when it comes to the heart—they don’t mean shit. So, how did he do it?”

Kiston’s rapid change in topic threw Kyle. “Do what?”

“Steal your heart,” she asked with a smile.

“He told me a joke,” Kyle said without having to think about it. “My life has been very unfunny. Zephyr made me smile.”

“Sounds about right,” Kiston said, putting her stuff away. “I’ll leave you to—”

“My grand lady, Kiston, once made me sing happy birthday to a gerbil.”

Kyle’s gaze shot to Kiston’s as Zephyr’s voice rang through the room. She covered her mouth. Tears sprang to her eyes. Kyle scrambled for the transponder, scared he’d miss a word. “His name was Jefferson, as I recall.”

Kiston sniffed. “It was.”

“That’s the day I realized I was a slave.”

A sob tore from Kiston’s throat, and she sat down on the foot of Kyle’s bed.

“It wasn’t Kiston’s fault, of course. She was just a little girl, and I was no more than a life-sized doll to her back then. Many years passed before she saw me as family. But that day, as I sang to that gerbil, I’d never felt more ridiculous while knowing I shouldn’t feel any such thing. I didn’t like being different. That was the real problem. I loved Kiston and would’ve sung to Jefferson at her command no matter what, but it would’ve been nice if I could’ve chosen to do it out of love for a child.” Kyle couldn’t look at Kiston. He could feel the pain rolling off her in waves and he couldn’t witness it. Instead, he focused on Zephyr’s voice and searched for any clue of the man’s feelings. “The day before I took you back to Dead-Zone, I realized something. Being with you made me feel the same as I did the day I sang to a gerbil. With all my heart, I believe I would’ve loved you no matter what if only I’d been given the freedom to choose to meet you.”

Kyle couldn’t breathe. He sucked air and swallowed. It was as if there was no oxygen in the room. Zephyr had punched him in the chest with his words and stolen the ability to breathe from Kyle.

Kiston stood and ran her hand over his shoulder. “I’ll leave you alone.”

He didn’t glance her way as she left. Kyle’s gaze refused to budge from the transponder in his hand.

“I didn’t take you back to Dead-Zone because I hoped you’d change minds,” Zephyr continued as if he wasn’t killing Kyle. “I took you back because I don’t think I’ll ever change yours. Not really. You could never stay here with me without a hint of doubt always living in the back of your mind, whispering I’m not real. There’ll always be a part of you that thinks I’m mimicking your feelings while having none of my own.”

It wasn’t true. The more Zephyr said, the less Kyle heard. Kyle had been born with an insatiable sense of curiosity. Once he’d seen the life inside Zephyr, he’d known it was real. All he’d sought was more of Zephyr. A reason for the man’s existence. An excuse to change sides and stand at Zephyr’s. He’d not once believed his questions would lead Zephyr to abandon him.

Kyle shot from the bed. He needed to find Rep. If anyone would understand, it would be him. He searched each room until he came to the gym. Dez was busy fighting against computerized targets. They disappeared and reappeared in different spots after each hit. Rep sat in the corner—watching. Kyle darted past Dez and joined Rep.

He handed him the transponder. “Is there a way to track where the signal is coming from on this?”

Rep’s eyebrows rose at Kyle’s sudden appearance and bombardment. His gaze dropped to the device. He turned it over in his hand. Rep’s eyes glowed as he inspected it. “Yes. Are you looking for an exact address or just a general location?”

“An exact address, if you can, but I’ll take whatever you can offer.”

Rep met his stare once more. “May I ask why? I mean, judging by where the signal is coming from, I can guess who, but why?”

Kyle eyed Rep and wondered how much he should admit. He wasn’t ashamed of his relationship with Zephyr, but he didn’t know if Rep would understand. Before he had time to decide, Dez appeared at Rep’s side. The corner of Rep’s mouth lifted in a wicked smirk as his gaze moved to Dez. His entire demeanor changed, and Kyle knew even before Rep dipped his head and captured Dez’s lips—they were in love.

“What are the two of you plotting?” Dez asked the moment he came up for air.

Rep glanced Kyle’s way, as if leaving it up to Kyle to be honest. Kyle appreciated that more than Rep would ever know.

Kyle answered before Rep could make up any stories on his behalf. “I asked Rep to track a signal for me.”

“Decided to go get your man, huh? Good for you,” Dez said, surprising Kyle. “Droids overthink everything. If you let Zephyr stew for too long, he’ll shut you out.”

The ache in Kyle’s cheeks made him realize how big his smile had gotten. He liked these people. They were accepting. Too few people were. “I need an address or I’ll never find him. Dumbass knocked me out before dumping me back in Dead-Zone.”

Rep’s smile was big enough Kyle felt sure it matched his own. “So you fell in love with a fool? It happens.” Rep slapped him on the shoulder. “Come on. I’ll find you a better drone than the POS you rode in on and get you on your way. Just do me a favor and talk to Kiston before you go. See if she has anything she’d like you to pass on to Zephyr. She loves the idiot too.”

* * *

The drone Miles and his crew supplied Kyle was more high-tech than Kyle had ever encountered. Luckily, it didn’t need his help to do anything. Rep keyed in Zephyr’s coordinates and Kyle was on his way. Kiston had given him an enclosed clear casing with a preserved Zephyr Lily inside, but no message. She’d assured Kyle that when Zephyr was ready to talk to her again, she’d be around. Kiston had also slapped a patch on his chest and informed Kyle she would monitor his vitals during the trip. No one knew how his system would react once he crossed the border. Kyle couldn’t think about it. Some things were worth dying for, and Kyle had no one else.

One mile inside Cryo-Zone, Kyle knew he’d fucked up. They’d been wrong. Whatever Zephyr had done to his lungs wasn’t enough. The air was too thick. It choked all the oxygen from Kyle’s lungs until he sputtered for air. His eyes burned too badly for him to keep them open. Kiston’s voice rang through the air, coming from a speaker he couldn’t see. “You’re almost there, Kyle. Just hang on. I’m calling Zephyr now. He’ll be waiting. Take slow, shallow breaths. You’re almost there.”

It was all pointless sound. Everything burned and itched, but it was all secondary discomfort compared to suffocating to death. That was worse than he ever envisioned. His lungs felt like they were filled with acid. He tried clinging to consciousness even as he prayed for death. As the last wisp of life slipped away, a sense of peace overcame him. Soon, dead or alive, he’d be back home with Zephyr.

* * *

“Zephyr.”

Zephyr startled at the sound of his name coming through the transponder in Kiston’s voice. He rushed to dig it from his pocket. “I’m here.”

“Kyle is heading your way, but the filters you implanted aren’t working. He’s already lost consciousness.”

Fear slammed into Zephyr’s chest, forcing the air from his lungs. “Oh my god. Where is he? How far out?”

“He’s two and a half minutes from arrival. I don’t understand. I thought he’d be fine, but his vitals are terrible. I don’t know if he has two and a half minutes left.” The panic in Kiston’s voice fed Zephyr’s.

“The fool,” Zephyr said, his fear feeding his temper. “Why would he do this? The filtration system doesn’t work on its own. He needs anti-toxins, oxygen supplements, and eye protection as well. What the hell was he thinking?”

“He was thinking he loves you and wants to be with you, you big idiot.”

Kiston’s burst of anger calmed him. “I won’t let him die. He’s not allowed.”

A snort sounded through the communication device. “I love you, my Zephyr Lily. Please keep me posted.”

“We’ll talk soon. I have to go save Kyle.” He started to rush to the door before another thought hit and he pressed the transponder to his lips. “And I love you too, my grand lady.”

The drone landed with a boom feet from the house. Zephyr nearly ripped the door from its hinges in his rush to get to Kyle. He couldn’t sense a heartbeat. He pried open the drone’s door. Kyle was strapped down in the driver’s seat, slumped over and not breathing. If Kyle lived through this, Zephyr would kill him for doing this to him.

He had Kyle stripped and an IV going in seconds. He’d have to get the man’s heart going, his blood filtered, and fresh air flowing if he hoped to save Kyle before any brain damage occurred. Zephyr kept one eye locked on Kyle’s vitals. There was no activity of any kind. Zephyr’s heart slammed against the wall of his chest. He couldn’t lose Kyle. Losing Mira had almost been the end of him. Only the fight for his freedom had given him purpose. Without Kyle, there was nothing. He’d been such an idiot for taking Kyle back to Dead-Zone. Why had he done that?

“I love you, you bastard. You can’t die and leave me alone.” He strapped an automated CPR machine to Kyle’s chest. With the machine doing its best to restart Kyle’s heart, Zephyr pumped anti-toxin into Kyle as fast as he could. The machine paused. Zephyr froze—straining to hear any sign of life. One beat. Faint and barely detectable. It was enough to spur Zephyr into double time.

“That’s it, baby. Fight for me. I can fix this.”

A second beat, stronger than the last filled Zephyr’s head. With a mental swipe, Zephyr started the home’s internal purification process. It took six hours, but Zephyr managed to clean the poison from Kyle’s blood. He sat down to wait. His hands shook. There was a hole where his stomach should be. Kyle might not ever wake up. If he did, he might not be the same. Zephyr would still love him. Without a qualm, Zephyr leaned forward and touched his lips to Kyle’s. Silent promises filled Zephyr’s head. Kyle deserved them.

Zephyr closed his eyes and tilted his head back. He needed a minute. His frame shook from the fear. He’d always thought of himself as a patient man. Not now. Alarms sounded, clanging loudly in his head as Kyle’s vitals crashed. Zephyr shot to his feet. He scanned Kyle’s body. His organs were failing. Not for the first time in Zephyr’s life, he wasn’t strong enough to save the love of his life.