Glitch in the God Complex (AmpCore #1)

53 - Of Truths and Traitors

She woke to the sound of a gentle knock at her door.

Piper lurched unpleasantly back into consciousness. Her head throbbed and her mouth felt dry. She blinked and felt a shimmer run up and down her implants as they joined her in wakefulness.

She became aware of the warmth of another body pressed against her from behind. Then the memories of last night came trickling back. Piper shifted slightly; felt the solidness of an arm draped across her bare hip. Then she heard a faint, muffled groan. The arm shifted and curled around her waist, pulling her back into a gentle embrace.

Closing her eyes, Piper lowered her head back to the pillow, trying to decide exactly what she was feeling.

She remembered – oh, god how she remembered – the events that had led her here. Odiye's lips on hers, his strong arms hurling her around her little academy bedroom like a wild animal. She remembered the sheer hunger she'd felt, and the ecstasy of having it sated as they finally let the connection of their implants run. Thankfully the AmpCore dorms were sturdily built.

A smirk crossed her lips. She would have plenty of marks to show for last night's encounter. He would too.

But there was something behind that sense of release. A niggle of unease was digging at the back of her mind. Lying here with Odiye wasn't an unpleasant experience, but she couldn't help thinking it should have felt better. More euphoric somehow. After all the time they'd spend avoiding confronting those sensations, and after the lines she'd now crossed, it didn't seem as profound as it should have.

Piper ruffled her hair with a sigh and relaxed against him. The hangover was biting, and right now she just wanted some coffee and something to eat. Her stomach twinged with a pang of longing for one of the greasy dockside food stalls. Maybe not the most hygienic places, but after a heavy night, there was nothing like one of those thick, sauce-slathered breakfast frybreads to fix you up. She remembered going down to the docks with Kirk on those days.

She was a long way from that world now.

Piper rolled Kirk's face around in her mind. There was a sense of regret there, but not about what had happened with Odiye. Just general regret; regret at what could have been, and about how Kirk would never be able to accept or understand what she was now.

She wasn't even sure he was wrong about that.

"Morning," Odiye said, his voice rasping and slightly less alluring than it had been at the height of their exertions last night. His arm shifted, his fingers gently running up her stomach and stopping just below her breasts. Piper bit her lip and gave a faint shudder of pleasure.

"Morning," she replied softly.

Then the knock came again.

Odiye groaned.

Piper groaned too. "What?" she managed, her voice hoarse.

"Piper, I'm sorry, I know it's early. It's just... I need to talk to you."

"Is that Arrow?" Odiye mumbled, rolling to the side and hauling his arm off of her.

"I think so." Piper blinked; rubbed her eyes. Then raised her voice. "This really isn't a great time, Arrow."

"Piper, please, this is important."

"Fucking hell," Piper muttered under her breath, before calling, "okay, just give me a minute. And don't say I didn't warn you."

"Oh, c'mon," Odiye grumbled as she swivelled off the bed, dragging the covers off of him as she stood up. "What could be so important?"

"Shut up and put some clothes on would you?" She gave him a light kick to speed him on his way. Piper let the covers fall away, too tired to care about her modesty as she padded naked over to her wardrobe. Take a couple of seconds to wrestle her hair into a rough ponytail, she flung on a tank-top and loose-fitting trousers, before turning back to Odiye. She found him squirming his way back into last night's clothes, the aura of classy sophistication offset somewhat by the creases in the fabric.