“Yes.” Riley beams at me as she begins to remove electrodes from my body. “You did great!”
I stare at her with incredulity, my eyes drawn to her leg, which is perfectly fine. My heart is still pounding as I grasp what has just happened. I’ve been duped. There was no danger to Riley. It was only another simulation.
“I thought you were hurt,” I say. Despite how quickly I’d reacted to the presence of danger, I am having difficultly switching gears now. Adrenaline pumps through my system without an outlet.
“I needed to know how you would react in a more realistic simulation. When you believe there is no actual danger, like in a simulation, you may react differently than in a real crisis. I had to determine if your behavior would remain consistent.”
She taps some numbers into her tablet, still smiling. I’m trembling as I watch her nonchalant actions. I’ve been listening for the sounds of more footsteps, the appearance of another wave of attackers. I’ve feared for her life, and now I don’t know what to do with the aggression that has built up inside of me.
I lose it.
I shove myself out of the seat, grab the tablet from her hands, and fling it across the room. It shatters as it hits the wall.
“What the fuck, Riley? I thought you were hurt! I didn’t know if I’d be able to get you out or not, and I didn’t know where I was going to take you if I did! For all I knew, the entire fucking city had been overrun by Carson!”
She stares at me, mouth open. She moves backward as I step toward her.
“The others,” I ask, “are they really all dead? The other soldiers like me?”
“No.” She shakes her head quickly. “Not all of them have survived, but most have.”
“How many?”
“Seventy-one.”
All lies.
“Are you going to change my name now? Call me Steso or something?”
Her eyes widen and she shakes her head again. She reaches out and tries to touch my arm, but I pull it away from her.
“No! Sten, you need to calm down. Everything is okay. It was only a test.”
My mind and body fight. I want to do as she says, but the anger inside of me continues to grow. I can’t stop my panting breaths, and I can’t slow down the beating of my heart. I can hear it in my ears and feel it in my dick.
“It’s all right, Sten. You passed the test, with flying colors, I might add.”
“What does it fucking matter?” I scream. “I have no idea who I am or what kind of games you’re playing with me!”
“It’s not a game, Sten.” She shakes her head as she reaches for me. Her hand brushes my forearm, but I don’t feel any calmer. In fact, it angers me further.
I want to scream at her. I want to hold her close to me and prove to myself that she’s fine, she’s safe. The muscles in my trembling hands ache to grab the throats of my enemies and throttle the life out of them for threatening her.
There was no threat.
Too much information surges through my head. Whatever battle-mode I was in is still active, and I don’t know how to turn it off. The need for violence is so great, I can’t hold it back.
I need her.
Grabbing her hand, I twist it behind her and push her back to the wall. My dick is uncomfortable in the tight fatigue pants but feels better when I press it against her. I cover her mouth with mine, our teeth clashing together. There’s a hint of citrus on her tongue as I open my mouth to taste her, one that wasn’t there when I had kissed her before. This is nothing like the last time.
I want to devour her. I want to punish her for putting me through such agony. I want to scream and cry and fuck.
I grab the bottom of her lab coat and tear it aside. Searching with my fingers, I find the spot between her legs and cover it, feeling her heat. She gasps into my mouth as my fingers press against her sensitive flesh. I feel her moisture on my fingertips and sense the shift in her scent. She’s trying to speak, but I don’t let her. I press harder against her lips with mine until she shoves at my chest to break us apart.
“Stop!” she cries.
My movements cease, and I squeeze my eyes shut. Pressure behind my lids begins to build. All I can do is stand still, holding her against the wall. If I move, I won’t be able to control myself, command or not.
She’s safe. She’s okay. Everything is all right.
I can’t convince myself. Time is lost as we stand there, Riley pressing her hand to my chest and me with my fingers still cupping her pussy. Her breath is hot on my neck and shoulder. I concentrate on her breathing until I can convince myself to pull my hand from between her legs. I shift slightly so I can look at her face, but she won’t meet my eyes. Her jaw is tensed, her breathing irregular.