Obsidian - Miranda Bridges Page 0,26

the window, I jolt into motion and tackle it to the ground, which is no easy feat. These machines are ruthless and powerful; my crew and I have dealt with them in the past. This android stands at least eight feet tall with glowing metal armor that protects its biocomponents. Each of my blows are avoided with expert precision, and any that do make contact achieve little in terms of damaging it.

Clearly physical combat isn’t going to be much use here.

I manipulate the shadows and merge them with the darkness of my own power. Combined, it is a lethal force that seeps into the machine. I wait for the metal to crack or disintegrate, but its synthetic organs remain protected.

Damn! They must be immune to Koraxian powers.

A metal fist slams into my chest, throwing me several feet back until I crash into the wall.

“Castien!”

Jade’s echoing scream inflames my anger. I reach for my largest knife and jump to my feet. Even in the darkness, my vision is crystal clear, but the illuminated veins carved into the machine shine like beacons, each line mapping out its electrical circuit. They gather into the android’s chest, where its external hard drive, a sapphire disk, strobes in a rhythm like that of a beating heart.

Since my power is no use on metal components, removing its hard drive is the only way to shut down the machine.

And so I take aim and throw my knife.

The blade penetrates the hard drive, and the android stumbles. Silver oil oozes from its chest, eyes, and mouth. When it collapses into a metal heap on the floor, Jade scrambles away from the bed.

“What in the fresh hell was that?!”

I scan her for any signs of injury, relieved when I find none. “It was a bounty hunter.” I yank out my knife and wipe its blood on my clothes. “We need to leave here. There will be more behind this one.”

And if my suspicions are correct, there could be a whole pack of them after us. These assassins are known for hunting in groups. They’re the most notorious paid killers in my solar system. Who sent them? The Enforcers? I did not think my killing one male would result in that. The cyborgs are usually hired for the most heinous of crimes. None of this makes sense.

But answers will need to come later. I must protect my mate first and foremost.

“We keep leaving dead bodies everywhere,” she says, fastening her robe with noticeably shaking fingers.

I kick the android onto its back, my lips peeling backward into a snarl. “This isn’t a body. It’s just a machine. And its blood, along with any other who wishes to hurt you, is on my hands. Not yours.”

I do not wish my mate to carry such a burden. I have lost count of the bodies—flesh and otherwise—that lie rotting at my feet. The weight of their pile is never-ending, and while I admire Jade’s darkness, I do not wish her to be tainted with death.

“Come,” I repeat, taking her hand.

“Wait!” She pulls back and frowns at the android.

“Do you wish to kick it before we go?” I ask, recalling how fervently she did so to the madam.

The female lifts her chin. “Of course I would.” She calmly walks over and stomps on the machine with surprising velocity. Perspiration breaks out on her brow and upper lip as she repeatedly hits the android. She definitely has a darkness within her that attracts me more than my true potential. However, I don’t want Jade to hurt herself.

I slide my arm around her waist and lift her before she breaks her foot, saying, “All right, damsel. Let’s get you out of here before you cause an injury.”

Breathing heavily, she grimaces up at me as I carry her to the door. “I can walk, you know.”

“I am perfectly aware.”

“Then let me, damn it!”

“Once you are safe, I certainly will. Now keep quiet while I get us out of here.”

I steady her over my shoulder for a better grip, much to the female’s dismay. She wriggles and hits me on the back. If only she would understand that I’m carrying her to protect her, but the longer I do, the harder she fights (albeit as silently as she can). I have no choice but to release her outside the hotel.

“You have no shoes, and yet you insist on walking,” I growl as I place her on the wet pavement.

The rain drizzling from the sky ripples the puddles that already