have no delusions concerning what he’d do to her to ensure my compliance.
And I’d give it without hesitation because she is my mate.
Of this I’m sure, perhaps more so than I’ve been about anything in my entire life. I don’t know what species Evren cloned me and my brothers from, but it had to have been one that experienced a mating bond. There’s no other explanation for why I act the way I do when I’m around Giselle, or why I was compelled by her without ever having spoken a word to her. It explains the reason I can’t fathom being without her and why the thought of leaving her alone with Yuri sent my protective instincts into overdrive. If I didn’t know that my actions now could keep her safe, I wouldn’t have left Giselle’s side.
The latest diagnostics on my device indicate there are no androids nearby, and I continue my walk while searching for an advantageous place to put the nanobots. I want it to be somewhere that doesn’t allow easy access to get to, or inside of, but unfortunately that leaves me with very few options. This town is desolate, which is emphasized by the dilapidated buildings with cracked foundations, broken windows, and flimsy doors. The market is not much better, but at least there are a lot more people visible.
Shifting tactics, I head deeper into the throng of individuals milling about. It doesn’t take long for me to find an unsuspecting person. A young male with dull gray skin and pointed ears all but hidden by a mop of copper-colored hair. He weaves his way through the vendors, stealing various items directly from the stands with a smile that distracts while his hands are a flutter of motion. It’s a smooth, subtle transition of collateral, and I hope I can execute a transfer just as efficiently.
“How ripe is this?” the thief asks the ocher giant behind the counter.
I step up to the merchant’s stand and select a piece of fruit as well. The owner of the wares eyes the two of us through slitted lids, and I have to applaud his intuition. Neither I nor this young male are up to any good.
“It’s perfect.” The seller holds out his pudgy hand, palm up. “Either give me the credits or the food.”
With a nod I retrieve the few coins I happen to carry on my person and drop them into the male’s expectant fingers. All the while, the thief miraculously slides a different, smaller fruit into his back pocket. The merchant thanks me with a grunt and then turns to the thief on my left, who shrugs and puts down the item.
“None for me, thanks.”
“I’ll pay for his,” I say. When I drop the currency into the seller’s palm, the thief eyes me quizzically. I pat him on the shoulder while using my tail to drop the vial of nanobots into his coat pocket. “Never hurts to do a good deed.”
He shrugs. “Sure. Thanks.”
With that he walks away, tossing me a suspicious glance over his shoulder. I nod once at the merchant and head toward a different stall while making sure to keep the young male within sight. If he discovers the jar too quickly, he may toss it out, and that will not be as effective as I’d like. Being stationary is a great risk to Giselle, but she will always be in danger if we don’t take this chance to free her of the trackers. I wonder how my brother is fairing with his female, since she was injected with them also.
The subtle vibrations and incessant beeping from my device have me grasping the gadget with both hands. The screen reveals there has been a detection of the androids and some are headed in this direction, while the others’ trajectory is in line with the thief’s. I’m not able to tell how many there are, but it doesn’t matter.
My only concern is keeping them away from Giselle.
With as much stealth as I can execute, I make my way to where a group of droids should be. If only it were night and I could utilize the shadows. This will most definitely be more challenging in the day but not impossible.
I turn a corner, and once I find it empty, I teleport to the rooftop above. From that vantage point, I’m able to see the surrounding city and its inhabitants more clearly. I make my trek across the tops of the buildings until the sun glints