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Being separated would make this worse. Even if Michio couldn’t control the grip of his fingers, the linking of our hands might soothe both of us. And maybe, just maybe, I could free him through that connection. I held onto that idea because, dammit, I desperately needed to hold onto something.

When Michio knelt robotically at my side, I grabbed his fingers and laced them with mine, the four-foot chains allowing me to hold our hands against my stomach.

His ever-present hum caressed the underside of my skin, and slowly, my breaths evened out. I focused every thought on Michio as the doctor spread my legs and flicked on a penlight. I soundlessly spoke to Michio as the cold metal of the speculum stretched my entrance. You can fight this, Michio. Break his hold. Dig deep. I clenched the hell out of Michio’s hand as the doctor’s fingers invaded where I was open and vulnerable.

Each pinch and scrape along my inner walls ratcheted my pulse. Every second that passed felt like it would never end. By the time the doctor removed the speculum and leaned back, I’d squeezed Michio’s fingers so hard our knuckles were white.

“Her cervix is blue.” Dr. Jaffer looked over his shoulder at the Drone. “The uterus is swollen, and there’s no IUD.”

Shea said the string could hide during a vaginal exam. But what was wrong with my cervix and uterus? Was this guy even a doctor?

The Drone leapt from the stool and slammed against Michio, wrapping fingers around his throat, choking him.

I grabbed at the Drone’s hands, but they were iron claws around Michio’s neck, and all Michio could do was lay limply beneath the strangulation.

“Shut up!” He shouted at Michio, his sagging face livid red, his lips curling back to expose the razored points of his rage. “If you don’t calm down, I will put you back in Elaine’s bed and leave you there for the rest of your miserable life.”

“You’re choking him.” I pried at the Drone’s fingers as panic flooded me. “Let him go!”

Why the fuck was the Drone attacking him? And these threats about Elaine were tearing my insides apart. The Drone wouldn’t even have to chain him to her bed. The motherfucker could control his body, make him touch her, pleasure her.

The Drone pulled back and rose to his feet, adjusting his cape as he glared at Michio. “That’s my decision, Dr. Nealy. Not yours.” After a pause, his eyes hardened. “Of course, he is. You’ve been thinking of nothing else for the past four months.”

My head swam as I listened to the one-sided conversation. Dr. Jaffer kept his eyes on his lap. The six spiders along the wall stared at jack shit like silent statues, empty men without opinions, because the Drone had reprogrammed their frontal lobes. The same thing he intended to do to my child.

My child.

“What is Michio saying?” I gathered his dead weight into my arms and settled his face on my chest, my fingers stroking through his hair. “Let him talk.”

The Drone ignored me, turning his attention to Dr. Jaffer. “I want an ultrasound.” His eyes flicked to Michio and returned to Dr. Jaffer. “Transvaginal.”

My breathing accelerated. The IUD was there. It would show up on the ultrasound, just like last time. Wouldn’t it?

Uncertainty hardened in a pit in my stomach. What if I was already pregnant?

My thoughts tangled, and my body shook maliciously. I was so fucking scared, but I felt something else, too. Something stronger, buzzing with energy and life and purpose. I couldn’t explain it, but all I could think was, This isn’t the end. It’s the beginning.

As Dr. Jaffer pulled the machine from the bag and plugged it in, the Drone paced beside us, arms crossed, tapping his lips with a long finger.

“It would be more efficient if you asked her those questions directly.” He glared down at Michio’s face, where he lay on my chest. “Just remember, I’m only keeping you alive for your knowledge. I can just as easily pull your thoughts while Elaine is bouncing on your dick.” He bent down and flashed his fangs. “The first whimpering, off-topic comment that leaves your mouth, you’re done.”

My arms banded tighter around Michio, my heart aching for him. How many times had the Drone threatened him with Elaine? How often had she raped him?

Blood overran my vision. I was going to kill her, slowly with my hands while they empurpled her flesh and snapped her bones, then brutally with my blades, bleeding her until her vicious poison drained from her eyes.

Michio’s jaw moved against my chest. “When did you first have sex with Jesse?”

My hackles went up. Not because of the question. I knew it would be the chief thought on his mind. It was his flat voice. The lack of inflection didn’t belong in this delicate conversation. He would be upset, seething with jealousy, and he couldn’t express himself. It wasn’t fair to him.