But he was going to deny her.
Raphael wasn’t his to kill.
“Why don’t we go somewhere quiet to chat?” Hysterian said, smiling at his old boss. “This one is all yours.” He set Alexa on her feet, taking the gun hanging limp in her hand. She looked up at him in shock.
Hurt crossed her features as he pushed her toward Raphael. She stumbled forward before catching herself. One of the angels came forward and grabbed her arm.
Raphael beamed. “Yes. Let’s go somewhere we can chat.” He flicked his fingers, and the club resumed as if nothing unusual had just happened. The angels went back to their posts.
Raphael led them to the private rooms at the back of the club—his special rooms, he liked to call them. The guard followed, dragging Alexa, while Hysterian trailed behind them. She looked back at him. The pounding music of the club vanished as they left it and was replaced with screams. Not all were screams of pleasure.
Memories rose like weeds in his head. His glands opened, releasing poison to slick under the friction of his suit.
Hysterian had spent a lot of time in these rooms.
He’d been evil. Cruel. Uncaring. These rooms, though he’d been away from them for a long while, brought back his time working for Raphael as nothing else had. They were once his home, his haven. His place to be numb, finding camaraderie with others who were like him. Beings who also wanted to be numb.
Hysterian’s fingers twitched.
They entered one of Raphael’s favorite lounges, a place with numerous pillows and screens covering all the walls, displaying anything he felt like watching at the time. They were currently streaming what was taking place in the adjoining rooms.
“Come, sit,” Raphael said. “Have a drink, a whiff, a pill. Hysterian, should I have one of your favorite girls brought in?”
“Are they equipped with the latest software?” he asked.
“Yes, yes. All the bots are,” Raphael scoffed. He waved at the guard holding Alexa. “Let her go. Give her to me,” he ordered, already unzipping his pants.
Hysterian stopped his eyes from bursting. He kept his face clear of emotion as the guard pushed Alexa toward Raphael.
“You were brilliant, dove. Just brilliant.” He grabbed Alexa’s hands like a grandfather would his granddaughter. “For a moment there, I thought you sought to kill me. I’ve never had quite a surprise like that before.”
Alexa stared at Raphael with nothing but disgust and hatred.
Raphael was too secure in his own importance to notice.
She spat in his face. “It wasn’t an act.” She yanked her hands out of Raphael’s as he slowly reached up to wipe the spit from his face.
There it was, clarity. The gummy man who liked to party morphed into the cruel bastard Hysterian once admired.
But he touched Alexa, and even if Hysterian hadn’t already decided to give Alexa what she wanted, Raphael had doomed himself to die.
“Dove,” Raphael’s voice had lost its exuberance, “it would’ve been much easier for you if you’d just played along.”
Hysterian stood, walked to the door, and locked it.
One of the guards grabbed Alexa from behind and threw her onto the couch. She shrieked and struggled as the guard yanked up her dress and tore down her underwear.
“Hysterian,” Raphael said. “You don’t mind if we speak later?” They had been close once, but never this close.
Because deep down inside, Raphael was afraid of Hysterian. Even though Hysterian had once vowed his loyalty to Raphael, and a vow from a Cyborg was eternal. It mattered in many circles. It mattered to Raphael, but Hysterian had vowed other things as well.
Like protecting the one he loved.
He strode forward, pulled down his mask, and tore the guard off of Alexa. Hysterian spun the guard to face him and slammed his mouth to his. Stunned, the guard didn’t fight him as Hysterian filled his mouth with poison.
Raphael recoiled, tripping to the other side of the room, sliding into the corner before Hysterian finished the kiss and flung the guard away. He stalked toward Raphael as pounding fists hit the locked door from the outside.
“Hysterian, what are you doing? Please!” Raphael cried. “It’s my birthday!”
