“What is your name?” He asked her calmly.
“Oh. Heraina Tender. I work for Z-Corp. Well, worked. I can’t do my job with this face.”
He nodded. “They announced it on the news, but I wanted to hear it from your own mouth.”
“Sort of.”
They were inside a vehicle and moving rapidly. They had cleared the city and were heading for the countryside. She murmured, “If you are hunting me for sport, you are going to be surprised.”
“Interesting mental image but not until you have recovered. Now, why haven’t you recovered?”
“Ah. The talons he carved me apart with have nanites that keep the wounds open. I got most of the little buggers, but it takes a lot of energy and is really destructive, so I haven’t been able to manage it yet.”
“So, you need open space?”
“Yes, and a large tank of water to fall into.”
“What?”
“If I do it right, I get hot.”
“Ah, you are always hot.” He chuckled.
They were in an area that was familiar to her. Ambassador’s row. “Why are we here?”
“When I am in town, I live here. Why?”
“Uh, it seems familiar.”
“I will tell the neighbourhood watch that you are about to release some heat.”
“Oh, um. Good?”
He chuckled and reached for her and then stopped. “I truly want to hold you.”
She looked at him and saw his silhouette, and she ached. She nodded as well. No words would be enough for how she felt. To keep herself sane while he carved up, she had replayed every delicate touch, every whisper, and every soft laugh that her patron had ever given her. She had focused on that until her body came back to her. After that, the pain blocked out all thought.
At this point, the pain was a constant companion. That bastard had cut next to every fricking nerve along the path.
“So, will a healer work?” Her patron softly spoke as they pulled into a drive with a security gate across their path.
“After I burn out the nanites, which will take a few minutes or hours, depending on how fast they replicate.”
“I don’t understand.”
They drove through the gate, and she continued. “They are a nanite designed to act as a contagion. They replicate at the base of the wound, so I need to burn out the wounds again and again before the little bastards stop replicating. That is why I need his hands and head to offer a treatment to any survivors like myself. Z-Corp can contain the nanites and create an antigen for them. That is for the next person. For me? I have to do it the old-fashioned way.”
“So, if he were here, he could be used as an antigen?”
“No. Not safely. He would infect everyone he touches, and one of my best friends is a cyborg, so I would never endanger her.”
He blinked. “Ah. Her. She is under high security.”
“Oh, yeah, and her mating pod is pretty secure as well.” She chuckled softly.
“Mating pod?”
“I don’t know how to describe it. There is a bunch of them. She seems to deal just fine. It is a hub and spoke pattern.”
He chuckled. “I have heard of a few of those situations. You are trained for that?”
“It is a case-by-case basis. The escorts are run through psych evaluations to determine whether it is something they would enjoy. It is entered into our files.” She smiled, knowing he couldn’t see it.
He nodded. “What does secondary attachment refer to?”
“Oh, threesomes with occasional partners. One primary, the others secondary.”
“Have you engaged in such things?”
“Before I had a dedicated patron? Yeah. Two or three times.” She shrugged.
“What do you think of the situation?”
“It wasn’t bad. I had no emotional attachment to the events, so I was there, and then I went home.”
“Ah. Do you wish to do it again?”
She looked at him and shrugged. “It isn’t a craving. As for myself, I would do a situational analysis, but as Nineteen, it would be agreed on beforehand, so I know what I am walking into. I would have to authorize it. It is a lot easier that way. Less social obligation and emotional blackmail.”
He made a soft huffing sound as they approached a huge home. “I suppose that makes sense. Takes away the spontaneity.”
“Yes, but what is more stimulating, a woman who freezes with two men in the room or one who is ready and enthusiastic? Your choice, but I think the second would have more allure.”
He cocked his head, and she could tell by the flare of heat pooling in familiar areas that the second option had far more appeal. He laughed. “I see your point.”
She smiled. It hurt, but she didn’t deny herself emotion.
The car halted, and the driver came around to open the door. The patron exited first and waited for her. She awkwardly got out without holding his hand. “I don’t want to get blood on you.”
He sighed. “It isn’t the bodily fluid I look forward to, but I am not afraid of it.”
“There are nanites in it, so I don’t want to infect anyone.”
“Are you sure that you can kill them off?”
“Oh, yeah. Definitely. I just need about a sixty-foot diameter I can let loose in.”
He nodded. “I have that.”
He walked with her to a side path that led behind the house. There were bodyguards in the shadows, and she noted their positions.
There was a stone patio, a pool, and an expansive green space. Trees were distant, and the amount of open space was astonishing to someone who had lived in the cities most of her life.
“Take all the space you need, and the gardener needs more work. I am too low maintenance.” He chuckled. “Frankly, I am barely home.”
She frowned. “You are in town with some regularity.”
He chuckled. “Just for you.”
Hera swallowed. “Oh. Well, after this is done, it will just destroy the nanites. I will cauterize the depths of the scars. After that, I will need healing, but I don’t heal easily.”
“I have asked for a physician and healer to attend to you. She’s waiting inside.” He nodded toward the person standing silhouetted behind glass. “She would like to consult before you engage in your treatment.”
“Sensible, as long as she doesn’t touch me.”
“She said she won’t.”
“So, you knew you would find me tonight.”
“I have had someone watching your activities for the last week. This has been planned. Whether you were able to act or not, you were going to be in my home tonight.”
“Is it a smart house?”
“Yes.”
“I will stay here. Doc Torenne can come to me.”
He paused. “You know her?”
She chuckled. “We have met. You may have to hold her back.”
“Why?”
“Around me, she’s a hugger.”
“Ah, so you have definitely met.” His tone said he was amused. “She might knock a zero off her fee.”
“Only if I can purge the invasion. I really want to get my hands on the bastard who did this to me. Jumping me in my car. What a fucking asshole.”
Her patron registered surprise. “I have never heard you curse before.”
“I am definitely not on the clock right now.”
Doc Torenne walked toward her, her hands clenching. “Nineteen. We have been really worried.”
“I didn’t mean to upset anyone. Can you do a sweep from there?”
“Yes, but I need you naked.”
“Doc, I am not on the clock.”
Torenne snorted. “I know he’s your priority patron, but I am willing to go over you from head to toe and back again. Khytten’s worried, which means Salat is pissed. So, you need to get better.”
“It has to be skin?”
“It does.”
“Fine. No touching.”
Torenne put her hands behind her back.
Hera knew that twelve people were watching her, but she had been desensitized to public nudity, and it was now or never.
She bent to remove her gym shoes, pulled off her gloves, and reached for her mask. Torenne looked at her, staggered to the side, and vomited.
“Wow. And that is from a professional.” She sighed and looked at her patron with her own eyes. “Oh.” If she had been whole, she would have started to flick her lashes and act all demure. Damn, he was good-looking.
He smiled weakly. “How do you feel?”
She shrugged and unfastened the pressure suit, peeling it down and off. Most of her body just had the wounds, they weren’t bleeding, but they clearly showed the path of the claws.
When she was naked, she looked at Torenne. “You okay, Doc?”
“No. God, I want to castrate the bastard. Okay, professional time. Hold still. I know I can’t touch.” The healer held her hands an inch from Hera’s skin as she traced the path of the blades. She got down to her breasts and stopped. “Okay, you do your thing, and then I will do mine. There may be some scarring, but working with Khytten, we can take care of the residual damage. But you know how well you will take to that.”
“Yeah, five minutes for anyone else takes five days for me. First, I need to purge these little bastards. You good with your checks?”
“Yeah, your power is rising, but I am going to stay out of your way.”
“Wise.” She nodded to her patron. “I hope this works.”
“As do I.” He smiled. “And once you are whole, we will deal with the assassin.”
She nodded and walked to the centre of the green space with enough clear area to keep the folks around her safe. With that done, there was no time to waste. She let her power loose.
* * * *
Alejandro watched Nineteen crackle with energy and rose off the ground. Small explosions were happening along the wounds, and she lowered her small bare feet to the ground before rising again.
“What is she doing?”
“The nanites replicate, so she catches the little bastards as they surge out.”
“If they did this normally, shouldn’t we have heard about it?”
“Nineteen has a unique physiology. She is an endless energy source. The little buggers feed off her power over and over again, so she has to overload them. Like overloading a lightbulb.”
Nineteen floated, and her energy crackled around her, smoky lightning in the evening light. It was eerie as fuck but gorgeous at the same time.
Alejandro watched as she subsided and brightly glowed as she tried to expel the nanites from her body. The air hummed as she turned up the power, and the hair stood up on every part of him.
Torenne gestured for him to back up, and when he saw what she was doing, Alejandro did it. Across the yard, he gestured, and his men backed up.
Nineteen threw lightning up, and it crashed back into her body, jolting her over and over. She gathered the power in both her hands and fired it upward, freezing and facing it as it crashed down into her. When the dark light faded, Nineteen was on the ground.
He had taken ten strides toward her when she groaned and gripped her head. “Fucking hell!”
He chuckled and approached her. “Heraina, are you all right?”
She flexed her face and wrinkled her nose. “I think I got all of the little bastards.”
He slipped his jacket off his shoulders and wrapped it around her as she sat up. She inhaled, and her expression changed. Alejandro smiled. Seeing her coal-dark eyes light with lust was gratifying.
She blinked. “Uh, sorry, Patron.”
He grinned and helped ease her to her feet. “You are right. Your speech is your own while you are off the clock.”
Doctor Torenne rushed toward her, and she scanned. “You got the nanites. You are clear. Ready for a healing?”
Alejandro winced. He had paid for treatment from the good doctor once or twice. It hurt like hell.
“Step back, Patron. I don’t want you to get any blowback. When I touch Torenne, things get a little weird.”
“Ah, but Nineteen, we know how to get around that.”
Alejandro caught on that the two had been lovers, but then the hands connected, Heraina stiffened, and he waited for the scream. It didn’t come.
The red lines tracing down her body faded to silvery marks from head to ankle. Torenne let go and pulled Heraina in for a soft kiss, whispering apologies.
It felt appropriate when the kiss broke to take Heraina from the healer. She looked up at him, and he brought one of her scarred hands to his lips. She swayed.
Torenne said, “She needs to rest. I will head home to get some vials from Khytten to work on her scarring.”
“I have a guestroom ready.”
She looked up at him with her dark eyes wide, but he could see the fatigue. “Can I get a shower as well?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
She pressed her face to the lapel of his jacket, and he saw her inhale again. She reminded him of that same move where she pursed soft lips against his neck after sex. He thought she was just calming down, but now he knew she was enjoying his scent. That was a humbling observation.
He eased her toward his home and couldn’t believe his luck. She was here, and her injuries appeared under control. His men had gotten a lead on the man who had carved her up, and he looked forward to returning the favour.
* * * *
Hera was tired. She had just hit herself with enough power to light up a small town. Her muscles were twitching, and her body was shaking.
Her patron held her carefully as he led her into his home and up the steps to the second level. He hadn’t exaggerated. There was a guestroom waiting for her. The sheets were even turned down.
She turned to him. “Thank you. I will tuck myself in.”
He paused, and she could see that he wanted to stay with her.
“You might want to check on Torenne before she starts giving physicals to any women on the premises.”
He smiled. “I will see the good doctor out.”
She waited until he was out of the room, closed the door, and headed for the shower. Ten minutes later, a towel wrapped her hair, his jacket was hanging on the door to the bathroom, and she was in bed, letting herself drift off. It would have been easier to sleep curled around his jacket, but that would be silly. He had seen her covered with her own blood and all carved up. That was enough to be a mood killer for anyone.
She settled down and let exhaustion take her away.
A masculine arm dusted with dark hair was wrapped around her waist. The bedding was pushed away, leaving no doubt that she was spooned against her patron.
He was breathing softly against her neck. Hera closed her eyes, and tears formed. She had always wished to wake in his arms, but this was a circumstance she had never imagined.
She held her hand out and stared at the silver scarring on the skin. That would probably fade in the next few days. Khytten dug her heels in when she was determined to do something. She and Salat were completely analog, so the nanites wouldn’t affect them, but their suits would have been in danger.
A hand slid along hers, and fingers threaded with her own. “Good morning, Heraina.” He kissed her shoulder, and her skin rippled with goose bumps.
She swallowed. “Good morning, Patron.”
“Alejandro.”
“Good morning, Alejandro.” She exhaled softly as he pulled her back tight against him.
“I have dreamed of waking up with you. Even the scarring is pretty in this light.”
She kept her head turned away from him.
“Heraina? What’s wrong?”
She tried to pull her hand away from his. “This is not how I imagined waking with you.”
“Why?”
“The scars are not my favourite features at the moment.”
He kissed her shoulder. “I am happy you are not bleeding anymore.”
“Ah. You and me both. Um, when did you get here, Alejandro?”
“Around four. I couldn’t sleep knowing that you were so close. Once I had you against me, I nodded off in seconds.”
She chuckled. “Not a ringing endorsement. I am now a replacement for warm milk.”
He scraped his teeth over her shoulder. “Nothing replaces you.”
She shivered, and her nipples drew tight. She swallowed. “Oh.”
“Nothing has the feel of you, the silk of your skin, the flex of your body when I touch you, or when you touch me. This isn’t hurting you?” He cupped her breasts and massaged them gently.
She shook her head. “It doesn’t hurt.”
“Speaking of hurt, why didn’t you scream when Torenne healed you?”
Hera squirmed against him, “I have been running around for weeks with open wounds next to my nerves. The even burn that she gave me was actually a relief, and from then, I just felt warm.”
“You have met her before?”
“Yes, she was a patron in my early days. Khytten approved as long as I showed the healer my face. Once she and Salat had approved me, the mask went on, and Torenne and I started dating. Mainly, we went shopping.”
He laughed. “That seems like a very female pursuit.”
“Oh, it was.” She chuckled. “She is good at pursuing females, but Khytten is her primary lover.”
“But, she’s different.”
“And now we have reached the part of the conversation when I will no longer discuss the patron. You have no need for information beyond what is public knowledge.”
“Well, I didn’t know that Torenne was dating.”
She chuckled. “If you spent any time at the resort, it would be common knowledge. No secret.”
“I never have enough time to spend a whole weekend doing nothing.” He slid his hand between her thighs.
“Um, it isn’t nothing.” She gasped and arched back, moaning as his fingers found all the spots he had spent dozens of dates memorizing.
She rocked her hips against his hand, grinding into him. His erection against her butt caused her arousal to flare higher. She moaned, she whimpered, and then she came.
He chuckled softly and murmured, “So, that still works.”
She was panting and relaxed in his arms. “Thanks for doing a systems check.”
“All part of the service. Feeling up to breakfast?”
“Don’t say feeling up.”
He laughed. “This is interesting. I am enjoying the you without a mask.”
“It tends to keep things calm. Well, keeps me calm.” She smiled. “It reminds me to keep my mouth in check.”
He stroked her lips. “I am enjoying you not being the idyllic angel I thought I had in my bed. I much prefer the little vixen that I see now.”
She blushed and released his fingertip from between her teeth. He laughed.
“Let’s get something else between those lips.”
She looked at him owlishly. “Like what?”
He ran his palm down her body. “Breakfast.”
“Ah. Sensible.” She sat up and looked down at him. He was reclining on one arm and grinning up at her.
“Uh, Pa—”
“Alejandro.”
“Right. Alejandro.” She saw the way he stretched when she said his name, like a large cat. “Why did you look for me?”
“You asked me to, but I was planning on it as soon as I found out you were gone.” He sat up and touched her jaw.
Hera moved her head against his touch. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she sighed.
His thumb traced her lips, and she flicked her tongue out to taste his skin. She shivered, and he pulled his thumb away before replacing it with his mouth. She moaned as he pulled her down on top of him.
It was awkward to kiss someone who was grinning, but he seemed really happy about something for some reason.
She raised her head, and there was a delight in his expression. “Why are you smug?”
“I have you here, in my home, an—”
“Ali! What are you doing in bed at this hour?” An older woman burst into the room, and a harried guard was visible behind her.
Alejandro frowned. “Mom. What are you doing here?”
“Your brother is beside himself with agitation. He won’t tell me what’s wrong. Who is this?”
Hera acted on instinct. “Aksalla Nineteen.”
The woman walked up and examined the marks. “If you weren’t all scarred up, you would be stunning. Are you a whore?”
“Escort.”
The woman frowned. “What is the difference?”
Hera smiled. “I know how to play chess.”
Alejandro’s mother chuckled. “That is different. Oh, are you one of the ones with the masks? I mean, I can see how you would need one, but are you?”
“Yes. There were some irregularities over the last few weeks, and your son was helping me settle things.”
“Mom. Why are you in the guest bedroom?”
His mother smiled slyly. “I heard voices.”
Hera dismounted from Alejandro and flipped the sheets to cover him. “You can see a therapist for that.”
She headed to the bathroom and heard him sigh happily behind her. “Mom, I really like her.”