Princess of AMBER

*Bonus chapter 8*

       I woke up and first thing I did came instinctively. My body jerked away from a sudden source of contact. Thinking it might be Cole, I drew myself away from approaching touch. My eyes came up and something unexpected was looking at me. It was a young woman, with red dreaded hair. Her eyes gazed at me with sorry expression.

My body was still very weak, but I felt that I am getting better. I just need some food and I will be my old self.

„Good. You are awake. Some food would be good for you." she said calmly and came closer to me.

      I noticed myself and where I was. In a large, comfy bed and in a room I did not recognize. I carefully looked around and saw a huge glass window facing the city of Amber. I was very high up, as the other buildings seemed to dwarf the one I was in.

My eyes came back to a woman near me: „Where am I? .....Who are you?"

Every word came over my lips with struggle, my throat still sore, from all the screaming and lack of water from previous days.

„You are safe here. Don't worry. I am Sharlene. Now, take some food. You have not eaten for many days. Must be starving?" she gave me a warm smile, but her eyes looked very sad.

My eyes landed on a plate in her hands. The contents looked very strange, something I did not recognize.

„What is it?"

„Some fruits and grain bars. It is good, try!" Sharlene watched me, as I suspiciously examined bits on my plate. „Believe me, it tastes much better, than that crap you are used to eat." Then she flashed a smile, which looked real and lighted her face.

     I took one very juicy piece and slowly put it in my mouth. I almost choked on it, tasting a flavor of this foreign food. It was so good and delicious, I have never tasted anything so amazing in my life.

„See! I told you, you will like it."

Something still troubled my mind. I did not know, where I was.

„Sharlene? Where am I?"

„You are in IR Hotel. Don't worry about the thing. You will be safe, as long as you stay in this room."

„What do you mean? Can't I go outside? What is there so .... ?"

      The door of this room came open with a force, that shook my calm. My body froze of seeing Cole in near space of me. He looked mad, but like always his face was blank. Only indication of his agitation, were his movements, so much different, then those of a robot.

       He looked at Sharlene and she left without saying a word to me nor him. My body went stiff all over again seeing him slowly walk up to me. 

Cole still wore his police uniform. 

      My gaze shifted to his hands and they were all bloody. My own blood went cold of seeing him like it. Did he kill someone else too? Am I going to be next? Is it me, why he seems pissed off?

„You seem to be well." he simply stated and his hand came slowly to my face. When it almost reached me, I jumped on other side of bed, not taking my eyes of him.

„Don't touch me with those...." my focus stayed on his bloody hands.

My legs felt weak and I could sense, that I might collapse on the floor any minute. I didn't know, was it because of his presence or the weakened state I was in?

He gazed up on them for a second and then Cole was straight at me again.

„This is such a nuisance. Can't get used to it. How do you people get a control over them?"

„What are you talking about?"

„Emotions.... feelings. How is it possible to think clearly with them?"

„Have you lost your mind? Do you understand, what are you talking about?" I did not understand a single meaning to what he said. „You are a robot. It is impossible for your kind to feel anything."

„Really? And what is that I am experiencing right now? You don't know what is happening to me..... All of your kind are clueless of the changes in our bodies, in our minds. Something you people have brought up on yourselves. Pretending to be in place of a god and playing with nature... Do you people think, that it is so simple?"

„...... Whatever.....but...... that does not make it right to kill people." My thoughts were drawn back to his blood covered fingers and what he have done in his new mindset. „I.... I still don't understand what you mean. Nothing..... of this make sense. Why are you doing this?"

„I just follow orders from above..... and I did not kill anyone, just b...."

„Stop pretending! You killed my father! Have you forgotten about it?" my eyes were full with tears. „If you could feel anything, you wouldn't have done such thing! I don't believe anything you are saying. You don't feel a thing..... nothing.... I am sure of it!"

„Do you want me to show it?

      Cole came to other side, where I was. Unable to move due to a heavy nervousness, I stood in one spot, completely stiff. I hated how impossible was to read his face. I had no clue, what he was going to do and it scared me.

       His hand came to my face and he took a strand of hair covering my eyes away and put them behind my ear, gently, still with blood on his fingers. I shuddered. This time I noticed, that he uses his human looking one instead of his black mechanic arm. Did it has something to do with things he said, to show me? Cole came even closer. I wanted to move, but before my body did something, he took hold of me by my waist. He did not think to let me go. I squirmed in my mind, but in reality I was frozen in fear. This was so bizarre behavior coming from a robot. Everything felt so strange. Our faces were so close to each other, but I felt nothing, no warmth, no breath came from him. Cole seemed so alien to me. So human looking, but nothing about him was that of our kind.

      His fingers were grazing on the skin of my cheek, then it slowly slid down to my neck and I tensed. He took hold of it, but I did not receive awaited strong grip, which usually came from him. It stayed there for few seconds. I was afraid to even breath.

„So warm..... I can feel your pulse and blood flowing through your neck....."

      Then he continued farther down my body. I did not like where this was going, but I was unable to move in his hold, so afraid.... Only thing that managed to come out were tears of my mental struggle.

       Cole's hand stopped again on my hip and he pushed me closer to him, so close, that there was no space left between. This time I could not take it anymore. I pulled my hands up, putting them on his chest, I pushed him, but nothing happened, only his hold on me got tight to a point of suffocation. His normal arm now was on my bottom cheek, it stayed there and I started to squirm, feeling his intimate touch.

„I want to feel every inch of your body, your soft skin, a warmth of it makes me crazy. I have never felt anything like this" Cole said in my ear.

„Stop it.... please.... stop...." I cried. Then taking all the courage I said to him: „Let me remind you something, Cole. You are a robot.... You will never be able to do and feel things that are in your mind right now. You are not a real man...." My tears were still falling.

„You know nothing, how far this 'disease' can progress, Alise. And..... for that matter..... I can always get an upgrade." Cole said a tone quieter and a strong shiver run down my spine, hearing his words, that seemed like a threat or a promise......