Aramus by Eve Langlais Read Free Book Online

step back, not out of fear but because of the resignation in the eyes. She expected to die. The gun in his hand lowered. This abused human posed no danger to him.
    “Who are you?” he barked. Not cyborg, that was for sure. Of that he’d have wagered his right hand on. If wrong, he could always replace it with a new mechanical one sporting the latest in clip-on weaponry and projectile fingertips.
    The recoil at his sharp question made him almost regret his tone. But humans, abused or not, didn’t deserve his pity.
    “I’m—I’m—” The dulcet whisper placed her in the female category. The stutter placed her in his trying-my-patience one as well.
    “I don’t have all day. Who are you? ”
    “I’m Riley Carmichael.”
    “What are you doing here? Are you a doctor?”
    “I guess you would call me a doctor.”
    “So you’re a doctor?”
    “ Of sorts.”
    But was she the one the dead gray thing wanted him to find? This tiny slip of a human, this pathetic dirty thing, couldn’t be the cause of the torture he’d seen. But, then again, appearances could be deceiving. Except in his case. He looked like a big, bad motherfucker, and he was. Times ten. “Come with me.”
    “ Are you here to rescue us?” Fear faded in the big blue eyes as hope brightened her gaze.
    “You could say that.”
    Standing, she barely reached his chin, and her wrists felt brittle when he gripped them to lash them behind her back with a zip tie.
    “What are you doing?” She peered up at him, the sharp scent of her fear acrid and displeasing.
    “Securing you.”
    “But I thought you were here to rescue me and the others.”
    “I’m here to rescue victims.”
    “And you don’t consider me a victim?” She sounded astonished.
    “You’re human. Other than a few bruises, and some dirt, you don’t seem abused.”
    “They kept me locked in a cell. Beat me if I didn’t obey. Starved me half to death to keep me weak. How much more abused do you want me to be?”
    “Are you able to speak? Are you chained to a wall? Did they experiment on you?” He bombarded her with questions, each one causing her to recoil as if slapped.
    “ No, but only because they needed me.”
    “Lucky for you, I also need you for the moment , or you would be joining the other humans in death. Now shut up, or I will gag you as I did the other female.”
    The threat clamped her lips shut , and silent, she preceded him from the cell, her step hesitant, her head swinging from left to right as she took in the carnage outside her confinement. He heard her swallow hard as she stepped gingerly over a cooling puddle of blood.
    Before he could contact his crew and get the latest update, a cadre of soldiers, military by their bearing and dress, came jogging around the corner. Aramus braced for the bullets sure to follow but quickly frowned as one of them yelled, “There she is. Shoot her.”
    Her? Shouldn’t he be their target? How rude.
    The female in question didn’t dive back into the cell—which was the smartest move —or freeze in place—which would have guaranteed her death. Nope, instead she showed a modicum of intelligence as she hid behind him with a squeaked, “Don’t just stand there. Kill them before they kill us!”
    With pleasure.
    Aramus let his knife fly, the blade hitting one of the soldiers preparing to fire in the neck. Blood spurted. Not an instant death, but a fatal blow nonetheless. The rest got to experience firsthand the accuracy of a cyborg trained to never miss. While their bullets sprayed all over the place, Aramus picked them off, barely flinching as the occasional lucky shot struck him. As for the guy who’d ordered the doctor’s death?
    He stalked after him when he would have turned tail and run. Tripping over the bodies of his dead squad, the human blubbered for mercy.
    “Don’t kill me. I was just following orders.”
    “Whose orders?”
    It seemed he wouldn’t find out as the soldier suddenly went rigid, his eyes rolling back