Prologue
*Dax*
Abranch smacked acrossmy cheek. “Ugh,” I muttered. “Stupid branch!”
I loathed the outdoors. I much preferred the safety and security of my lab. Beakers and scanners didn’t try to hurt you. Experiments never let you down. If you didn’t get it right the first time, you could try again.
And again.
And again.
Real life, on the other hand, held so many disappointments. Three of my disappointments were currently shacked up with cyborgs other than me. To be honest, I couldn’t even hate Dash, Reaper, and Acer for finding their females. They deserved them. They were good cyborgs. Okay, Acer had taken a bit of time to get there, but he was now excelling at being a wonderful mate and father.
Yet, I remained alone.
Me. The most brilliant cyborg ever created. The one and only of his model type. The one whose heart ached to belong to somebody. No, not somebody. A female. A female who would look at me and see my worth. See that I deserved her love.
I did, didn’t I? It had grown hard to tell. I had been passed over time and time again. As I moved further through the dense forest that surrounded the cyborg headquarters, slapping branches out of my way as I went, I tried to figure out just what was so wrong with me.
What was it about me that made me not a desirable choice? I kicked a rock, sending it flying, as I calculated equations in my processors. Making a female fall in love with you couldn’t be that hard. I must be missing something. Some part of the equation I hadn’t gotten right yet. Lost in thought, I didn’t realize how far from headquarters I had traveled. My frame halted as I gazed at the trees around me. I didn’t recognize a single one. Then again, how did one go about recognizing trees anyway? A tree was a tree. End of story.
“Stupid!” I cursed again. I had done this. I wandered too far from where I knew, and now the greatest cyborg in existence had gotten himself lost—in a forest of all places.
No matter, I was a cyborg. A superior one at that. I would find my way back. A twig cracked, causing my spine to stiffen. I spun in the direction of the sound, my eyes scanning the forest. Something glinted in the sunlight pouring through the canopy of trees. I zeroed in, and with my enhanced eyesight, it was easy to see the small, huddled form trying to hide behind a large tree trunk.
“Darn it,” a voice said in a hushed whisper. If they were trying to say it so I wouldn’t hear, they failed.
I straightened to my full height and puffed out my chest like I’d seen Reaper do hundreds of times. Even though my model type had been designed with more brains than brawn, I could still be a force to be reckoned with. My metal frame could withstand far more than mere human bone and tissue. The strength behind any blow from my fists would cause incredible damage.
I was faster.
And definitely smarter.
“There is no point in hiding. I can see you. Come out slowly and make no sudden moves. Any attempt to harm me would result in more harm coming to you, I assure you.”
Go, Science Model! That wasn’t half bad. Maybe Reaper was rubbing off on me. Oh God, Reaper was rubbing off on me.Focus Dax! Appear intimidating, my brain ordered, and I complied, putting on my best scowl and planting my feet like I had seen the Military Models do.
Leaves rustled. “Please don’t hurt me,” a soft voice exclaimed. Fear threaded through every word, and I found I didn’t like the sound of terror.
I watched in shock as a small female stepped from behind the tree, her hands lifted in surrender, a terrified expression plastered on her face.
Then, like some strange form of magic, her expression turned from terror to wonder as she locked her eyes on my still frame. “Oh, wow,” she breathed as she pushed the dark glasses she wore back up her nose. “It’syou.” Her form trembled, and this time, I believed it was in excitement and not terror.
She shook her head. “I didn’t think...I mean, I never expected I’d find you.”
The sound of her voice had me rooted to the spot. I simply stared at the beautiful female whose steps now ate up the forest between us.
She stopped a mere inch away from my frame and craned her neck to see me better. Warm brown eyes peered up at me from behind a set of black-rimmed glasses. Messy locks of chocolate-colored hair fell loosely around a heart-shaped face. Tiny dots skimmed her nose and cheeks. I fought the desire to touch them.
The urge struck hard, almost taking me to my knees. I wanted to reach out and run my hands over every inch of her.
Would she be as soft as she looks?My processors wondered as I forced my arms to remain by my sides.
She didn’t seem to suffer from my affliction. A small hand reached out and cupped my cheek. “Dax.” She whispered my name with a sigh.
Wait! She knew my name. How did she know my name?
The corners of her full, pink lips rose. “What? Do you think I wouldn’t know the only Science Model in existence? The first cyborg ever created by Dr. Shaw?” She flashed me a wide grin, and my heart sputtered to a stop inside my chest before it restarted with a hard thump, beating faster than I ever thought possible.