Two

Chapter

The beautiful woman before him let out a harsh laugh. She clutched the bracelet to her chest just above her heart. The fear in her eyes made his breath hitch. The man wanted nothing more than to gather her into his arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay. From the wariness in her brilliantly blue eyes, he doubted she would accept his affection. He tried to satisfy himself by drinking in every detail he could about her

Vibrant copper hair framed her heart-shaped face. Her eyes were large, her nose delicate. Plump lips drew his attention and he had difficulty looking away. Her skin was porcelain-white. It had the bloodless appearance of spacefarers who didn’t have a chance to bask in any sort of solar energy. He wondered if she had ever seen a sun from planetside and vowed to himself that he would take her to the most verdant paradise he could find.

He would do anything to ease the look of fear in her eyes. Anything to win her trust. He felt the twin beats of his heart grow closer to a synchronized beat, the rhythm somehow calling him to her with a force stronger than gravity. He didn’t know who he was, where he was from, nor how he had arrived here. All he was certain of was that he belonged at her side. Protecting her. Caring for her.

Loving her.

“Your eyes are glowing,” she said.

He lifted his hand to his face. A violet glow tinged the blue of his skin. Before he could say anything more, the single door to the cramped room slid open. Hayley quickly leapt to her feet, keeping him directly between the door and herself, while blocking whoever was behind him from seeing her. She slipped the bracelet into her pocket, then cast a pleading look at him and shook her head.

Who had caused such fear to haunt her eyes? His spine plates vibrated strongly. He would find the person responsible and tear them into pieces.

A startled gasp sounded behind him. He struck the metal wristbands on his forearms together, but couldn’t remember what he was supposed to do next. There was something else. Something that would make them more useful. Dammit, why couldn’t he remember? He turned, keeping Hayley behind him and shifting his feet to a fighting stance. He curled his hands into fists, ready to fight to defend her.

The man standing outside of the door could hardly be seen as a threat. A gaunt, hollow-cheeked man who was staring at them with wide eyes and a slack jaw.

“Rom?” the man said.

Rom .

Something in his mind clicked. That was his name. He was sure of it. How had this man known? Rom didn’t like the idea of someone else knowing more about himself than he did.

“That sounds right,” Rom returned. “But who the hell are you?”

“You don’t know?” the man questioned. He seemed familiar, but not in a friendly way. That just made his next statement raise Rom’s suspicions even more. “I’m your friend, Norem.”

“Norem.” Rom shook his head. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”

Norem’s lips pulled into a wide smile. “Don’t worry. It’s just a side-effect of your brave journey.”

“What journey?” Rom demanded.

“Why, you volunteered for a very dangerous scientific test.” Norem shook his head gravely. “Not many would have had the courage to be the first to test our transit portal, but you knew you had a better chance of surviving.”

As much as Rom didn’t trust this guy, parts of what Norem was saying felt right. Rom had done something unknown and dangerous. And, he had believed he was protecting others from risk when doing so. The idea that he worked with this guy, though… Rom wasn’t buying it. Still, until he knew more about what was going on, he would play along.

“We weren’t sure you’d make your way back to us.” Norem’s eyes narrowed, as if he was staring through Rom’s chest. At Hayley. His smile dimmed. “Interesting that you should end up here.”

Rom straightened, sucking in a huge breath to expand his chest. He braced his arms at his sides as well, doing his best to block Hayley completely from Norem’s view. Norem smirked, his gaze snapping to Rom’s for a moment. Then his smile deepened.

“I’m so glad that you made it,” Norem said. “And I can’t wait to hear all about your experiences.”

Even if Rom had information to share, he wouldn’t do so with this man. He didn’t want to admit the depths of his ignorance, either. He had a feeling things would go better with Norem if the man thought Rom was useful.

“I’m still a bit blurry on the details,” Rom said. “I need some time to get my thoughts in order.”

“Of course.” Norem nodded thoughtfully. “In the meantime, I can still examine you. Make sure you really are okay.”

“I’m fine,” Rom said.

“It’s always best to be sure,” Norem said.

“I don’t need an exam.” Rom didn’t like how much Norem was pressuring him about it.

“Well, then…” Norem shrugged. “I suppose that’s alright. But I definitely need to examine the subject behind you.”

Rom’s spine plates increased their rate of vibration. He took in another deep breath, his hands clenching back into fists. Throughout this all, Hayley hadn’t said a word. She had scarcely moved. It was as though she was hoping they would forget she existed.

Rom could never forget she existed. Even with his mind scrambled and his memories blank, he knew her. He remembered her.

“Hayley,” Norem said. “If you would be so kind as to accompany me to—”

“She’s not going anywhere,” Rom broke in.

“Now, that could be a problem.” Norem made a clicking sound and shook his head. “Hayley has very specific medical needs. If I can’t examine her, I can’t help her.”

Rom was skeptical about this guy’s idea of ‘help.’ At the same time, he didn’t have enough information about Hayley’s situation to know how to keep her safe. He turned to her, staring down into her wide blue eyes. The anguish and despair he saw there made his hearts stutter. Something else glimmered in their depths. Anger. Betrayal. Rom’s chest ached as he could almost feel her emotions seeping into him. He wasn’t sure how she thought he had wronged her, but he longed to understand and to make it right.

“Do you want to go with him?” Rom kept his voice as gentle as he could.

She didn’t speak, but shook her head in a small, jerky movement. Her eyes widened and she looked past Rom to Norem, her lips tightening until they were bloodless. She was absolutely terrified of that man.

Heat built in Rom’s chest. His spine plates seemed to be trying to fly off his back, they were vibrating so hard. Claws extended from the ends of his fingertips, but he ground them against his palms rather than let them be seen. Hayley’s eyes snapped back to him and she gasped, her lips parting slightly as she stepped back. Her knees hit the edge of her bunk and she started to fall.

Rom instinctively sprang forward. It didn’t matter that she was falling onto a bed—albeit, a very uncomfortable-looking one. There was a hard wall right behind it. And she was falling . He couldn’t not try to help her. The room was so small, he barely had to take a step closer to be right in her space. He wrapped his arms around her, easily catching her slight weight before she could land on the bed and pulling her against his chest.

The heat in his chest bloomed to an inferno. It spread through his limbs, along his back, radiating through his spine plates. He could barely breathe. At the same time, he felt more alive than he thought possible. Every cell in his body responded to her touch, lighting up as if they were being charged with electricity that somehow didn’t hurt. Her eyes widened further as she looked up at him, her cheeks turning pink. The flush spread down her neck as her arms wrapped around his waist.

Was she feeling the same thing? If so, it was a good thing they weren’t alone, or things would be getting really friendly really fast. She licked her lips, and it was all he could do to suppress a groan. He wanted to kiss her, to pull her closer, to worship her body with his.

He needed to get himself under control. She needed his help, and for that to happen, Rom needed more information.

Drawing on every ounce of his self-control, he straightened, setting her on her feet. He couldn’t bring himself to pull away from her completely and left one arm around her shoulder. She kept clinging to him as if her life depended on it.

Rom could feel a tremor passing through her. Was it just fear, or was there really something wrong with her?

“Listen, sweetheart,” he murmured in a low tone. “It sounds like we both need to be checked out.”

She stiffened, trying to pull away. Rom gently hugged her tighter for a moment, but then loosened his grip so she knew he wouldn’t stop her if she truly wanted space.

“We go together,” he said. “I’ll be by your side the entire time. If the good old doc here does anything you don’t like, I’ll snap his neck for you.”

She snickered, then sucked in her breath as if she was trying to pull back the sound. Rom let out a low chuckle. Even without his memory, he felt confident that he could do as he said. He had felt absolutely no fear since he’d arrived, only concern for Hayley. He might not remember particulars, but he knew deep within himself that he could throw down with anyone around and come out on top. He just had to be sure he could keep Hayley safe while he did so.

“How about it?” Rom said. “Let’s stretch our legs and get out of this shoebox.”

She nodded slightly, tucking herself closer into his side. They turned back toward the door, except before they could take a step, Norem shook his head and laughed.

“I see your reputation is well-earned,” Norem said. “You do have a way with the ladies.”

Rom’s hearts beat more quickly, their out of sync pace making him dizzy for a moment. Hayley stiffened beside him. She didn’t move away, but she dropped her arm from around his waist. That wasn’t the worst of it, though. The worst was that yet again what Norem said sounded familiar. Rom somehow knew that it was true.

“I’m only interested in one,” he said firmly. He looked down at Hayley and softened his tone. “I hadn’t met you yet or I swear, I never would have—”

“Let’s just…” Finally, she spoke, her tone as cold as the vacuum of space. “Let’s just get this over with.” She straightened, squaring her shoulders before walking toward Norem and leaving Rom behind.

He had hurt her. Maker, how could he have hurt her so deeply that she would rather walk up to a man who absolutely terrified her than stand at Rom’s side? She belonged there. He knew it with more certainty than anything. Rom rushed forward to walk near her. She had already turned down the corridor and was confidently striding ahead of them.

As Rom passed Norem, he heard the other man murmur, “Redheads are always trouble.”

There was venom in the man’s tone, evident even in the whispered comment. Rom hurried to catch up to Hayley. He didn’t know what to say, but at least he could keep his promise to stay with her. It was a good thing, too, because she suddenly tilted to the side, her legs collapsing beneath her. Rom was right there, sweeping her up in his arms and nestling her against his chest.

“Hayley?” he said. “Hayley, are you alright?”

She shook her head, blinking her eyes blearily. “I’m just dizzy all of a sudden.”

Rom looked to Norem. The other man shook his head and made a tutting sound.

“As I told you, she is unwell,” Norem said. “Let’s get her to the infirmary.” He smiled broadly as he strode in front of Rom, leading the way down the hallway.

“Don’t leave me alone with him,” Hayley whispered so low Rom could barely hear. She clutched at Rom’s chest. “Please, don’t let him hurt me anymore.”

Rage flooded him. He didn’t think his spine plates would ever lower again. What had Norem done to Hayley to make her so afraid? How had he hurt her in the past? Norem pretended to have her best interests in mind, but Rom could tell it was a sinister facade. Every instinct in his body told him not to trust the other man. At the same time, Rom didn’t even know where he was, who he was, or what he might face if he confessed to knowing that Norem was his enemy. Rom couldn’t risk taking a stand until he knew he would be able to keep Hayley safe.

He lifted Hayley so that he could nuzzle her ear and whispered, “Best to play along for now.”

He wasn’t sure if her quick intake of breath was from his words or his breath playing across her skin. His pants were starting to get too tight as his dicks stirred, his skin tingling with the urge to press kisses along her neck, to swing her around in front of him and walk over to the nearest wall and claim her.

Claim?

He shook his head, pushing away the distracting thoughts. Hayley needed help. He wasn’t sure what was wrong with her, and he definitely shouldn’t be thinking anything along those lines. Still, she relaxed more into his arms, her head listing against him and her eyelids fluttering closed.

Rom turned his attention back to Norem. They took several turns through the facility, but it wasn’t long before Norem stopped in front of a large door. He turned to Rom and smiled that creepy smile of his.

“If you’ll give me one moment,” Norem said, “I can tell my staff to prepare for two patients instead of one.”

“You can tell them just as easy in front of me.” Rom glared at the other man. It was one thing to pretend to play along with this guy. It was another to let him prepare an ambush.

Norem’s smile grew brittle, but he nodded. “I suppose so.”

He pressed his palm against a bioscanner next to the door. It slid open, revealing a large laboratory. Not an infirmary. A laboratory.

There were beds along one wall, with scanner readouts above them, but the majority of the space was taken up by tables and cabinets filled with containers of various colored liquids. Some of them could be medicines, but others were clearly components for creating chemicals. There was also a large glass box with gloves within that you could put your arms into from the outside and a whole row of magnification devices on a counter built into the far wall.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Norem said. “This is where we prepped you for your dangerous journey.”

That was an outright lie. Rom had never been in this room in his life. He was sure of it. But Hayley… She peered up from Rom’s arms, shuddering when she saw where they were and quickly tucking herself closer against him. Norem saw the movement and his lips quirked up into a brittle smirk. Rom wanted to punch it off his face.

Norem led the way into the lab. Several men dressed in long, light brown lab coats leapt off their stools when they saw Norem, standing at attention. Their eyes drifted to Rom and Hayley and their mouths dropped open, eyes wide in shock. Norem might act as if they had expected Rom to show up, but he was certain that was yet another lie.

“Settle down, settle down.” Norem waved his hands in a gesture of calm. He turned back to Rom and smiled. “I know it’s exciting, but Rom has returned to us. His brave journey was successful. However, we don’t have time to celebrate.”

The men backed toward their stations, their eyes locked on Rom. One backed into a stool, knocking it over. Every single lab tech jumped as it clattered on the floor.

“Back to work.” Norem’s smile vanished as he looked around the room. “And you.” He pointed at the man who was righting the stool he’d knocked over. The guy froze, his fear obvious on his features. Norem continued as if oblivious to his effect on his subordinates. “Make sure to spread the word that Rom is back with us.” Norem turned back to Rom and smiled. “We don’t want any unfortunate surprises.”

“I appreciate that,” Rom said, forcing his own smile in return.

Norem’s eyes narrowed slightly and he angled his head to the side. After a brief hesitation, he swung his arm in a welcoming gesture, pointing toward the beds.

“Hayley’s condition is very rare,” Norem said. “I’ve been working tirelessly to help her pull herself together.” He let out a low chuff under his breath, as if he’d made some sort of joke.

Rom was not amused. He headed to the beds, keeping Hayley tight against his chest. When he reached them, he didn’t set her down. Instead, he turned and sat down on one, letting her rest on his lap. Norem lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. Neither did Hayley, but her nails scraped against Rom’s chest as she pressed herself closer, as if trying to get as far away from Norem as possible.

“Now,” Norem said, picking up a device from a table near the beds. “Let’s begin.”