Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Link
Lila’s hand is cool and clammy in mine as she drags me away from the rest of the family.
My heart rate, which I can normally keep steady and constant, starts to race on its own in anticipation of what’s to come.
I feel like things have gone massively sideways for Lila and me since she emerged from the water.
When I heard about her losing her bracelet, shifting, and having sex with that blasted merman, I felt some small amount of hurt but mostly all I felt was panic—panic that her mimic powers were now unbound, and she would be out of control, and something would go horribly wrong, and she would die before we could ever be joined.
My life would be over then. I don’t think I would ever be able to find someone quite like Lila again. I don’t think I would want to.
I admit that maybe I went into panic mode and became a little insistent about her learning the various alien species in the hopes that it would help her get a handle on her abilities.
Maybe I kept putting the tablet in front of her every time she had a free moment, and maybe I got a little pissy when she didn’t put all of her attention on the task.
I guess I kind of lost sight of the fact that unlike me and all cyborgs, who only have to read something once before we assimilate it into our knowledge, Lila takes more than that—not to mention her incredibly short attention span.
I hadn’t thought about the fact that she was also learning to be a mother to three baby krakens she knew nothing about either, so maybe I owe her an apology, but instead of being so abrupt, maybe she could have just said it was too much. Maybe we are both to blame.
The air is loaded with tension as we enter her bedroom and she closes the door behind us. She flops down onto the bed and holds her arms out. “Have at it, Doc,” she says dryly and slightly sarcastically.
We weren’t kidding about the postpartum depression. With all those hormones riding her hard as well as the changes in her own DNA and her body, she must be feeling topsy-turvy. Her emotions really are all over the place. When I look down at her, I feel a rush of sympathy wash over me.
“Lila, enough. Look, I’m sorry, okay?” I drop to my knees at her feet, looking up at her.
We can’t go on like this anymore. It kind of feels like we’ve gone backward instead of forward, and that, combined with my mother’s continuous video calls which I have been ignoring and my uncertainty over our relationship, is kind of causing me to lose my cool.
“I’m sorry I’ve been nagging you, but shit, so much has happened in a short period of time, and I’m worried about your mimic abilities and the changes you’ve already made.
Your body has been through so much stress, and I worry you’re going to be exhausted and mess up.
I guess I let my own emotions rule my actions instead of using logic and reason. Can you forgive me?”
She sighs and lowers her arms, dropping her head onto her chest. When she finally lifts it, tears flow down her face.
“I’m so sorry. It’s been so much. I thought you hated me because of what happened with Nikos, and you wanted me to learn all the species, and it was all I could do to keep my head above water while trying to look after three kraken babies who just don’t fucking stop. ”
I grip her arms and lean my forehead against hers.
“Aww, baby, no. I admit I had a slight moment of jealousy because that damn can of tuna fish got to you first, but I don’t blame you nor am I upset.
I always knew you were attracted to him despite your denials.
It’s literally written on your skin, so I got over that quickly.
I just didn’t want anything to happen to you.
But now that I think about it, you actually haven’t had any problems with holding your form, have you? ”
I watch her think about it, and her eyebrows jump in surprise.
“No, actually. I’ve been fine with you for obvious reasons, since I can’t actually shift into a cyborg, but Saxon and Cas are the same because I already had those traits, and I haven’t felt the need to shift into warlock mist because Xavier hasn’t, nor did I feel the urge to copy his powers when he used them earlier for the kids. ”
She sounds as surprised as I feel, and I sit back on my heels and think about what I’ve learned. “Maybe because you already shifted into a warlock when you first got hit by lightning, you’ve assimilated that form, so to speak.”
“But I haven’t felt the need to shift into the cats either,” she argues.
“Yes, but what if that is because of your whisperer abilities? You are a match for them anyway, whether in this form or if you shifted into lightning cat form,” I suggest, and her eyes widen and she nods.
“Yes, you could be right. Apparently I am supposed to be a perfect match for either of them, so there is no need for me to shift into their form. I’ll be grateful when I meet the old mimic tomorrow and can finally get some real answers.
I can’t believe that the Skarrian databases have hardly any information about mimics. ”
We were all surprised to learn this. According to William and Eric, there should be huge databases on each ability so nothing comes as a shock if a child starts exhibiting certain traits, but to our surprise, both the whisperer and mimic abilities had been redacted.
It’s almost like the Skarrian council, or the people on it, would be happy if those abilities disappeared.
I guess both of them are incredibly powerful and unique gifts.
“Look, how about I do a quick checkup just to make sure everything is sitting well, and then you can feed from me and get a good night’s rest. I know it’s been a while since you’ve really slept well.
I can give you a sedative if you want. The guys will be fine looking after the babies tonight without your help,” I suggest, and her eyes narrow and she leans in.
“Link Tesla, do you still want to bond with me?” she asks point-blank, and I startle a little. I hadn’t been expecting her to ask.
“Of course I do. I’m sorry if I gave you the impression that I didn’t,” I assure her, and a slow grin crosses her lips.
“Well good then. I don’t know about needing a good night’s sleep, but I’ve heard a couple of mind-blowing orgasms can make a person tired.
How about we try that instead of a sedative?
” She reaches for me, but before she can grab me, I scramble to my feet and hold my hands up.
Her shoulders droop, and her smile drops.
“Just let me do the scan first, and I promise I will have you seeing Jesus,” I reassure her, and her smile picks up again.
She scrambles back on the bed and lies down for me.
I climb up next to her and activate the scanner in my hand, carefully watching the screen built into my arm as I run it slowly over her body.
It logs all of her vital information, assimilating and comparing it to previous scans I’ve taken from her.
Everything looks pretty good. All her organs are functioning as they should be, but I can tell her body is flooded with hormones and there is a chemical imbalance in her brain.
That would explain why her emotions are all over the place.
She’s having trouble regulating her moods.
I’m wondering if it’s something we can medicate or if it’s something that will settle on its own.
Seeing the old mimic is hopefully going to answer a lot of questions for all of us.
I drop my hand and turn my attention to the beautiful woman waiting patiently on the bed for my results.
“Physically your body is in amazing condition. You’re healthy and everything is functioning at a hundred percent capacity.”
“But?” she asks, frowning.
“Emotionally you’re a little bit of a mess,” I say frankly, and she shrugs.
“That’s really not news to anyone.”
“No, but what do we do about it? I can medicate you, or we can wait and see what Oshan says about it tomorrow.”
She thinks about it carefully before shaking her head. “Let’s wait and see what Oshan says about it. I don’t want to do something that is going to make it worse.”
“That’s a good idea. I hadn’t thought about the possibility that the medication wouldn’t work.”
A grin crosses her lips, and she pounces.
“Oof.” I find myself on my back with Lila straddling me, leaning over me with twinkling eyes.
“And to be honest, what I feel at the moment is total horniness, and I’m almost certain you can take care of that for me.” She waggles her eyebrows, and I purse my lips. “What, are you changing your mind?” she growls, and I quickly shake my head.
“No, no, of course not.”
“Good, because I don’t want to wait any longer. Link, please bond with me, right here, right now.” She sounds a little nervous despite the lust flashing in her eyes, and I know how she feels. I’ve waited patiently for today.
“Lila, I would love nothing more than to bond with you. Will you take some of my nanobots as a token of my affection and love?” I ask her formally. It’s the way two cyborgs join. It’s kind of like the human tradition of exchanging rings.
“Yes, I would love to have a part of you permanently inside me.” She giggles at the suggestive words. “What do we need to do?”
I lift my hand and extend my pointer finger, then I activate the needle that allows me to inject her with some of my nanobots.
Her eyes widen, and she bites her lip nervously.
“I just need to inject them into you. Where would you like me to do it?” I ask, and she whips her shirt off.
Her luscious breasts are not bound by a bra, and I’m momentarily distracted by her rosy pink nipples.
My mouth waters, and my cock, which has been semi-hard since she leaped on top of me, hardens fully.
“Right here.” She points to the space between her breasts just above her heart. My own heart lurches, and a feeling of warmth rushes over me.