Chapter 2

Ryder’s scorpion tail thrashed wildly, his eyes glazed over, consumed by pure bestial rage. He was in a frenzy.

"Ivy..."

Even then, with me bleeding out, he still whispered *her* name.

I let him bite into my arm.

Only when my blood flowed down his throat did he slowly calm.

"Thank you..."

I didn't whine or complain about the pain like I usually would. Instead, I pushed him away, wiping the remaining blood onto a withered plant.

The dry, shriveled leaves instantly burst back to life.

Another chunk of my life force had drained away.

"I'm moving near the lab. You’re my bodyguard; you have to come with me."

Ryder flinched.

"But..."

"I feed you my blood every month, Ryder. It’s not so you can run off to deal with Ivy’s wild episodes."

His chest was covered in love bites and hickeys. I forced my gaze away, my eyes burning with unshed tears.

The accusation was on the tip of my tongue.

But it twisted, becoming a threat instead.

"Don’t forget your duty. If anything happens to me, the Federation won't let any of you off the hook."

The world had ended. The ecosystem was shattered, and food plants were on the brink of extinction.

I was the Federation’s only botanist.

"Understood."

Ryder lowered his gaze.

"I'll go out first, then."

As he reached the door, I called out to him.

"Ryder, what do you think we are to each other?"

He stopped.

His broad shoulders shrugged. His tanned muscles tensed, and on his waist, the indelible mark of a 'discarded genetic experiment' was still visible.

If I hadn't risked half my life to save him back then, he’d be long dead.

"Employer and bodyguard. You give me blood; I protect you."

It was the answer I expected. No matter how much I gave, his heart wouldn’t hold even an ounce of space for me.

Why force it? He wasn’t Julian. He wouldn’t cherish me, not truly. No matter how much he looked like him, he wasn’t him.

Tears blurred my vision. I tried to wipe them away, but my fingertips were already fading, turning translucent.

"I might not be able to pay your salary anymore."

**I'm fast disappearing.**

Ryder didn’t take it seriously.

"Then I’ll just find another employer."

He took long strides and left, leaving the door ajar and me, quietly sobbing.

I always joked with him.

But this time, it was real.