Free Captured by the Cyborg by Cara Bristol

he’d approach her. Why should he? She’d only reject him again. She’d made her feelings clear, too.
    Or what she needed him to think.
    Until tonight she’d avoided the observatory. After all that had happened, it seemed like a violation to sneak back here, and she had assumed he had rescinded her access anyway. But as time ticked, with only a week remaining before she departed Deceptio, she wanted to see Naran one last time. The memories captured in the observatory had nothing to do with returning. To her surprise, the transporter had obeyed her command. She could have hacked in, but wouldn’t have. She’d broken too many rules already.
    Illumina rubbed her hands down her arms and shifted her gaze from the orange and purple planet to the bench where the beginning of the end had played out. Perhaps she’d overreacted. How could she expect to engage in sexual intercourse and not have him touch the scars? She hadn’t expected any intimacy, physical or otherwise, so she’d been unprepared for the flood of emotion. Unable to revisit her painful loss or bear his pity, she’d pushed him away. What if she hadn’t run? Would they have had sex again? Would it have become a regular occurrence?
    Whooooosh. The descender whirred. The remnants of her wings twitched with an urge to take flight, but she clung to courage with resolve. The remainder of her predictably short existence would be spent on the run, but tonight she would stand her ground.
    She closed the dome and switched on the lights. There would be no hiding in the dark either.
    No seduction under starlight.
    Yeah, like that would happen.
    The transport doors slid open, and Dale stepped out. Hair endings quivered. Stomach tumbled.
    He stood there silently, but the muscle twitching in his jaw said volumes. So did his clenched fists. Tension stretched like a band that could snap at any second. Say something! She wiped damp palms on her trousers. Any discussion would be pointless and wouldn’t resolve anything. So much for the confrontation. Coward! Head down, s he fled for the transporter. How quickly resolutions crumbled in his presence.
    “You don’t need to leave.” His voice grated.
    She stared at the doors, not at him. “I shouldn’t have come.”
    “I meant Deceptio, not the observatory, but that, too.”
    “It’s for the best.”
    “Where will you go? Do you have another job?”
    “How could I? Your rules prohibit employees from accessing communication channels.” She could have circumvented the block and contacted prospective employers, but the last thing she wanted was to cause a breach in Deceptio’s security. And she didn’t care about another job. “I’ll find something.”
    He barred the escape route. “I spoke to March. I had your duties reinstated.”
    How big of him! The force of her fury spun her around. “You felt rejected so you demoted me. Now, I’m supposed to what—be grateful you developed a conscience and opted not to abuse your authority—or is your magnanimous gesture your attempt at seduction?”
    “No! That’s not it. You’re a damn good programmer.”
    “So you say.”
    “I know so.”
    “So I’m a good programmer, and you weren’t seeking revenge. So why demote me?” The answer wouldn’t change her decision, but it would be nice to know.
    He looked uncomfortable. “Moonbeam’s projects are sensitive. You had falsified your CV, and after what happened between us, I couldn’t risk the possibility of sabotage.”
    She flinched. Her skin heated, and she feared that guilt glowed in her face like the luminosity suppressor had failed. She had tinkered with programs without authorization—had tweaked Deceptio’s software to shore up security—but not out of malice. Would he understand? How could he unless she explained—and that she couldn’t do.
    Even if he believed her, staying posed too much of a risk. It would be only a matter of time before she succumbed to further intimacies, and that would lead to