Numbing out, he raised his gun to press it to Diatrix’s brow.
“Do it,” she whispered. “Kill me. Let the universe be reminded of what you truly are. An abomination.”
I should’ve listened to Vee, he thought as his finger twitched.I should’ve stayed away.
He had come to get answers, not kill. And now he was about to leave behind a slaughter the whole universe would know of.
“Do it!”
Cypher dropped his gun. “No.”
Diatrix growled and slammed her fists into his chest. “Do it!” she screamed. “Coward! Kill me!”
It was his turn to stumble back. “No.” He palmed his head and turned away. Fists pummeled him from behind, stinging his gunshot wounds.
“Youarea coward!” she yelled. “Kill me. Kill me like you killed my ancestors!”
Cypher wrenched his eyes shut and fled for the exit. He forced his body forward as several of Diatrix’s women tried to stop him. Pushing through them, he roared, fleeing.
“Coward!” he heard Diatrix bellow as he ran.
26
Vee woke the next morning alone. She reached out for Cypher, already knowing he wasn’t there but hoping otherwise. Instead, she found Bees and curled herself around her cat.
Languishing, her body was relaxed, and her mind was devoid of stress. At least for the moment. A smile tilted her lips as she nuzzled her Bees’s fur, thinking about the night before.
I told him I loved him.A huge weight she hadn’t even realized she was carrying had been lifted. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t said it back. She hadn’t expected it either way. It was just nice to know that whatever happened now, she wouldn’t have any regrets.
She sucked her lower lip into her mouth. Still, she didn’t know what her confession would mean for her and Cypher. It wasn’t in her to beg him to stay, or to take her with him into space, but her heart thudded at the idea.
She pulled out her wristcon and turned it on, shaking her head.I have to find my own way.
Checking her media site, she found it filled with congratulations and encouraging words despite her placement. Some of the trolls still lingered, but with the effort she’d put in over the last month—and Cypher’s—less hate plagued her comments section.
It proved that no one saw what happened to her and Cypher in her simulation.
Now I need to announce I’m dropping out...
Vee sat up, curled her toes, and pulled her legs under her. Wistfulness edged her emotions about giving up, about she and Cypher being a team, but she was okay with it. If anything, she’d come to realize that being in the spotlight wasn’t for her. The championship wasn’t for her. And that from here on out—with the money she’d made—she was going to invest in another means to help those like herself stuck on Earth. The only good thing that came out of it washim.
And I thought I watched him die.A stab of pain churned her gut.
She pulled up the contact information for NeoElite to notify them first when she heard a loud crash. She glanced up toward the door. Bees jumped off the bed.
“Cypher?” she called out.
No answer.
She tugged on a pair of socks and went to investigate. Not finding him on the bridge, she headed for the lounge, the empty laboratory, expecting him to be on the move. He was in neither area. Her chest squeezed as she made her way to his arsenal.
She sighed with relief when she found it empty.
A groan pricked her ears, and she turned toward the sound. “Cypher?” she called again. It was coming from the medical lab. The door zipped open as she neared.
Her face fell. Cypher stood with his naked back turned toward her with a dozen or more bloody, reddened wounds. His whole body strained, and something fell out of one of the holes to hit the floor with a ping.
Her reverie from minutes before faded to dust.
