Page 64 of A Mate For Matrix
K-Nine growled low, his ears flattening.
He’s trying to access my systems, K-Nine said through their private link. Logs, too. He’s fast—but not fast enough. I’ve locked him out.
Matrix didn’t respond, but his shoulders tensed as he gave a slight nod.
Then—there was a movement behind the group of massive warriors.
A petite figure emerged from behind Bran and Kordon.
Matrix’s breath caught.
She was young. Mid-twenties, maybe. Curly blonde hair framed her heart-shaped face, and vivid green eyes scanned the room with an intensity that belied her size.
Her gaze landed on K-Nine.
And everything stilled.
The tension. The rank. The protocols. It all evaporated in that one instant.
Her lips parted in awe and relief and joy.
“It’s true?” she breathed.
K-Nine’s growl stopped mid-throat.
The woman—Gracie—stepped forward, ignoring the sharp warnings from the men behind her.
Rorrak snapped out a low curse. So did Kordon and Bran. But Gracie didn’t pause.
She walked straight to the massive cybernetic wolfhound. Her eyes softened and glistened with emotion.
She knelt in front of him, her hand lifting slowly.
“I remember you. You’re a little too unique to forget,” she murmured.
Matrix’s breath caught in his chest.
K-Nine—nearly three hundred pounds of alloyed titanium, neural sensors, and enhanced musculature—leaned forward and pressed his snout against Gracie’s cheek.
He licked her.
“Hello again, Gracie Jones,” K-Nine greeted.
A soft, reverent sound escaped her lips as she wrapped her arms around his massive neck.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw the report,” she whispered. “I told Krac and Kordon everything Seal and Bulldog sent was true. That you had come through a rift just like me. There was no way there could be two of you.”
K-Nine’s voice sounded unfamiliar when it spoke again—softer, almost proud.
“I knew you’d grow up to be someone special.”
Gracie pulled back, her eyes shining, and turned to look at Matrix.
“Welcome home,” she said to him, her voice thick with emotion.
Matrix—who had faced Hive Queens and centuries lost—felt something strange flicker in his chest.
Hope.
