Her heart hurt at the thought.
She petted Bees goodbye and walked through her doorway, checking the hallway both ways before going to the elevator.
The sooner Cypher comes for me, the sooner he’ll leave me be.That’s all she could hope for now.
OMG, get out of my head.
But I’m actively disobeying him.
Vee frowned as the elevator went down.He doesn’t own me.She pursed her lips. When the grungy foyer of her apartment building revealed itself, she let out a relieved sigh.
But a questionable thought invaded her mind. Cypher could own her if he truly wanted, she realized. He was now an obstacle to her dreams. Her stomach clenched.
Pushing the thoughts aside, she scurried for the entrance and stepped outside—only for a huge crowd of people to swarm her, screaming her name. Vee recoiled, stunned, as lights flashed in her face.
“Ms. Miles, are you excited to be going to the championships?”
“What made you team up with a Cyborg?”
“Did you pay your way in?”
She brought her hands up to her face to cover her eyes from the lights.
But right before she did, she sawhim—Cypher—across the street, wearing a dark brown military-grade uniform with his long hair tied back at his nape.
Her skin prickled and her throat closed up. She dropped her hands to get a better look, but several people crowded in front of her. When she shoved them aside, he was gone.
Where’d he go?Her pulse quickened.He’s here.Vee scanned the smoggy rust-metal streets.
“Over here!” Mia yelled, waving from the seat of a black flyer. Two security guards came out and headed for Vee. They pushed the reporters away and escorted her to the hovercraft. She let them lead as she searched for the Cyborg.
Something wet hit her back just as she ducked in.
When the door shut and the hovercraft shot into the air, she twisted to gaze out the window at the scene below. But it quickly became a mass of unrecognizable people.I must have been mistaken.
She rubbed the chill from her arms and turned to face Mia.
She sat across from Vee wearing another tight, black pencil skirt suit. Her perfect blonde hair—no strand out of place—emphasized those icy gray eyes. Corporate princess.
Vee pushed her loose hair back uncomfortably and tugged her shirt to the side to see what had hit her.
“Someone spit on you,” Mia said.
Vee made a face and released her shirt. “Assholes.”
“What did you expect? You’re entering a man’s universe, and with a Cyborg no less.”
“Maybe a little common decency? They don’t even know me.”
Mia smiled stiffly. “They know you’re now famous and have a following. Not to mention, they’re humans—emotional and ignorant. What can you expect?”
“Does that mean you’re not human?” Vee cocked her head, studying Mia a little more thoroughly.Mia could be a high-tech android, or a Cyborg.The woman, though beautiful, was a little too scarily perfect.
Mia crossed her legs. “I spend the majority of my time dealing with Cyborgs. It’s hard not to see the difference between humans and nonhumans with a job like mine.”
Mia must be the envy of millions of women everywhere.Though envy was the last thing Vee felt toward the cold woman. “You must have some amazing stories…”
“Yes.”
