A Perfect Bond by Lee-Ann Wallace Read Free Book Online Page A

special to me. I didn’t even know she was in a relationship.
    “Who?” I asked, curious as anything, my desperation momentarily forgotten.
    “Xerrax, from medical.”
    “But he’s gay.”
    It was her turn to look shocked. “What?”
    “I saw him with Desgak from lab sixteen. He’d only been here about ten cycles and I can remember thinking he moved really fast.”
    Tears welled in her eyes and she shook her head at me, “No, you’re wrong.”
    “I’m sorry, Prixy.” My heart ached for her, but I couldn’t change the truth.
    Her face crumpled, tears running down her cheeks. She turned and ran from my lab, almost running into the opening door in her haste to get out.
    I wanted to kick Xerrax, the pompous arse, for leading her on. He should have told her he was gay and not let her develop feelings for him. Unless he was bi-sexual and actually wanted them both. In which case, he was a two-timing bastard.
    I turned to Manik. “That didn’t go very well.”
    He strode towards me and cupped my cheek as I looked up at him.
    “It was a truth she needed to hear from a friend who cares about her. It’s better she knows now than wastes any more time on this person.”
    “Yes, but that probably wasn’t the best way to tell her,” I said.
    My comm system interrupted whatever Manik had been about to say. I moved away from him and his warmth towards my view screen.
    “Computer, accept call.”
    Cyakt Ralt appeared on my screen and my heart slammed in my chest. There was only one reason he would be calling me before time was up.
    “Elmertia, I’m calling to inform you that I have found a replacement. He assures me he can have your device up and running within a month. He has already left for the station and will arrive in seven cycles.”
    “But, sir, I think I’ve discovered what controls the nanites. I just need some time to unlock the coding of the implants.”
    He looked at me, his black eyes seeming to burn into mine for a long time before he said, “Too little, too late, Elmertia. Have your device ready to start testing when your replacement arrives, and he can start the testing immediately. I expect you to have all your notes and research findings ready to hand over to him when he arrives.”
    The screen went blank, leaving me staring at it, my heart feeling like it had shrivelled in my chest leaving nothing but a cold hard rock in its place.
     

Chapter Seven
     
     
    Strong hands landed on my shoulders and turned me towards Manik. I looked up at him, my emotions all over the place. I didn’t know what to feel. Anger and disbelief warred with relief and a strange sense of elation.
    He pulled me close without saying anything and wrapped his arms around me. I stood in the circle of his arms, clinging to him and let his comfort soak into me. I needed him to ground me against the emotions surging through me. I needed him to help me keep a clear head.
    One thought kept revolving around in my mind. I was now free to leave with him. I felt no obligation to stay the seven cycles and wait for my replacement to turn up. My research notes were easy to follow and systematic. My device was self-explanatory and I’d even started the rough draft of a user’s manual to explain how to load substances into it and how to change the settings.
    I didn’t believe someone coming in blind would have been able to crack the nanites within a month unless that person already knew how the nanites worked. Someone who knew that the implants controlled the nanites. Someone with the knowledge of the connection I suspected was between the nanites and the implants. A connection that now seemed to be the key to unlocking the technology.
    Now that I had suspicions about how the nanites worked and had more of an idea of what activated them, I wanted to do more research on the man we had in medical, but I couldn’t. My project had been taken from me, and I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do any more research with the nanites I