“I guess I'm going to follow you...” she mumbled softly to herself after a self-deprecating laugh.
I'd rather follow you.He shook his head trying to stop those thoughts from forming. He focused on the goal at hand but it became increasingly difficult the longer he stayed in Clara's presence. Or when Clara stayed in his.
They were on the other side of the empty facility, but he didn't take her back to her room; instead, he led her to his office. The door opened as he neared, registered to do so whenever he was close. They moved further into his personal space, where, the night before, he had painstakingly ventilated and cleaned so he wouldn't be haunted by her smell.
Reid bumped his head into the chair across his desk and looked at her. Clara graced him with a beautiful smile before sitting down.
“Thank you.” Her eyes darted around, questioning. “I guess I wait here then?”
He barked again and headed toward the door.
“Wait! Please stay with me.”
Reid stopped.
“You make me feel safe, protected. I like you nearby.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. He closed his eyes in consternation, debating. Reid wanted to stay but he needed to shift back and distance himself from her.
He was about to ignore her plea and head for the door when he heard her rise from her seat and walk across the room. His curiosity won out. Reid turned around and sat, watching her as she invaded his privacy... Like he had with hers.
He looked where she looked and registered what she saw... which was very little. His office was the throne room of his territory and having her in it did things to him. Things he didn’t like. First being, he wanted to pin her over his desk and bury himself between her legs. Reid shook himself.
She wouldn't find much, only a few wayward items, as everything about him was embedded in his hardware and coding. And not in reality.
Clara didn’t touch anything but as she moved through his space quietly, she was also marking it with her scent. He let loose a growl before he could stop himself. Her eyes shot to his, violet and deep, and with a sheen of guilt.
“Sorry,” she gasped lightly as her lips twitched up into a quirky smile. “I won’t say anything if you don't.”
He canted his head.
“You let me in here without the doctor, so my snooping is as much your fault as it is mine.” She laughed but went back to her seat anyway. “Thank you for staying.” Her fingers entwined in her lap.
Suddenly, her face softened and her eyes lowered. He measured her, reading every twitch and tremble, every sigh she gave. The weak joy she had experienced before was gone, replaced by something close to melancholy.
Reid padded back to her and laid his head in her lap. It was natural for him. Her hand immediately lifted up to pet the spot between his ears.
“I always wanted a dog, a family. I guess we always want we don't have,” she said wistfully. “I've been alone... a product of the foster care system. The sad thing is, my parents are still out there. They didn't die, they just didn't want me. How is that even possible?” Her voice grew husky and her words seeped into his heart. “If I had a kid, I’d cherish them, give them everything I never had. I damn well would make sure they knew they were loved every day of their life.”
He smelled the tears before she removed her hand to wipe them from her eyes. Her confession made him sad but also hardened his resolve.
He lifted his head and sat back. When he was first created, he was consumed by one of his basic instincts: the need to lead a pack—to have a pack. And because of that, he would grow attached to anyone and everyone around him in a subconscious effort to create one.
There was no pack mentality among Cyborgs. Those he had bonded with during the war broke apart with the ease of shattering glass as the death count rose each passing day.
Back then, he neither needed nor wanted children. To bring children forth during the war was a crime to him. But now, as he watched Clara, having succumbed to her soft beauty and forceful nature, he could see himself with children—many of them. He could see himself again as the alpha male and Clara as his alpha female.
His fabricated heart raced wildly in his chest.
I could have that. I could have that right now.His eyes darkened again and he was lucky that she wasn't looking at him as they roved over her curvy frame.
She sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes as she leaned back in the chair. He knew he should leave her and come back as Dr. Reid but he didn't want the moment to end.
Clara looked at him and smiled, breaking the haze of his thoughts. “You're a good companion, a good dog.”
No, dear, I'm not. You should've heeded the warning.
“I wish Reid would get here,” she mumbled. “I just want to get this process over with. I'm ready,” she said, saying it with determination. “I hope the process is a good one.”
Reid couldn’t take it any longer and moved toward the door before she could say another word, leaving before her next damning confession. If he had it his way, the breeding process would be an entirely different one than what protocol dictated. His process would leave her with bruises on her knees.
