HauntingBlackie (11 page)

The door chimed, startling them both. Blackie hissed a curse
and jerked his head. “Go inside the cleansing unit.” He yanked up his pants and
closed them. “I’ll get rid of them.”

“Who is it?”

“I’m not linked to the computers to ask before I open the
door.”

She fled, mostly naked, into the small room. The unit
closed, sealing her inside. It was the only place to go for privacy if the door
to the hallway opened. She strained to hear what was going on.

“What do you want?”

“I need to talk. Where is the woman?”

The voice of their visitor was deep, male and unfamiliar.

“She’s here. We’ll take this outside. Step out of the way.”
Blackie’s tone was clearly angry.

“I wish to speak to her as well.”

“Too bad. I refuse to allow you near her.”

“I am your superior.”

“On this trip. I already warned you I wouldn’t take orders
from you. She belongs to me. You don’t have the right to demand access.”

“You don’t own her.”

“She’s my mate. I have the right to protect her.”

“Mate? What does that mean?”

“It’s the canine version of forming a family unit.”

“No one gave you permission to do that.”

“I don’t need it, nor would I ask. It’s done. I refuse to
argue with you. Why are you here? I already stated that I refuse to take orders
from you.”

“I just wish to speak to her.”

“No.” Blackie was really pissed, his voice loud.

“Parlis wished me to ask her some questions.”

“He certainly won’t be allowed access to her.”

“What is your source of aggravation?”

“You refused to discuss this earlier and shut down to avoid
it. You were there the day I was freed. You were a part of mission 895589 and I
know you had to be aware of the canine units.”

“It wasn’t a suitable time. That’s classified information
not to be discussed in front of the crew.”

Eve grabbed a towel out of the compartment on the wall and
wrapped it firmly around her body. She wanted to speak to the other cyborg if
he knew anything about what had transpired on Earth. She hit the door release
and it slid open.

The cyborg stood in the hallway, Blackie blocking him from
entering their quarters. Her mate turned, his expression harsh. “Wait inside
the unit.”

“He was part of mission 895589 and I want to speak to him.”

Blackie’s lips pressed firmly together, his displeasure
apparent. “I will handle this. You’re not properly dressed.”

“Screw that.” She stepped closer, looking past him at the
other cyborg. “What do you know? I’ve never met you. What part of the mission
were you involved in? Did you know we were lied to and that Freedom planned to
abandon my entire line after we helped yours escape?”

“I am Fleet.” He glared at Blackie. “Could we please take
this inside your quarters? This is a private matter.”

Blackie didn’t budge. “You’re not going to be able to
conceal the truth for Parlis. Is that what you wish to discuss with my mate?”

“Step back and allow me to enter.”

Blackie stood firm. “I expected more from you. Do you have
no honor left? You’re here on Parlis’ orders, aren’t you? What exactly are
those? The other council members weren’t told they are onboard, were they?”

Fleet glanced around. “There is a shift change soon. Please
allow me entry into your quarters to talk to the woman.”

“No.” Blackie shook his head. “I don’t care that you don’t
want anyone to overhear what is said. Speak if you are going to or wait until
we reach Garden. I’ve already left messages with all the council members. I
suspected you didn’t inform them that we rescued two canine units when you
requested our immediate return to Garden. I demanded a meeting.”

“I know.” Fleet’s dark eyes narrowed. “Cancel it. Parlis
wishes to speak to both of you first.”

“I am certain he does but give him a message for me.”
Blackie stepped closer to the other cyborg. “Tell him to enjoy his last days as
a council member. I’d also tell him to pack. I highly doubt they will allow him
to keep his status or the benefits that come with it.”

Fleet growled low. “Don’t do this. We’re on the same side,
Blackie. We believe in the council and have done much to uphold their
authority. They do what they must for the protection of our entire race.”

“I believed they were responsible for saving my life and I
swore allegiance when we left Earth. I’ve done a lot of things I regret, things
that I wasn’t certain were correct, but they had my utmost loyalty.” He crowded
the male, chest to chest. “No more. Tell Parlis his secrets are about to become
unclassified.”

“It might cause chaos in our society.” Fleet lowered his
voice. “We both agree that isn’t in the best interest of our race. Think of
what is most important, Blackie.”

“The most important thing in my life is standing behind me.
Parlis left her to die and he’s going to pay for that.” Blackie released the
doorframe and fisted the other cyborg by the front of his uniform. “Tell him my
mission is to see him pay for the deaths of her sisters. I’ll kill him or
anyone else who puts my mate at risk again.” He brutally threw the guy into the
wall across the corridor then backed up and sealed them inside their quarters.

He turned to face her and love welled inside Eve. Any doubt
that he might feel less bonded to her than she did to him fled in that moment.
Anger glinted in his eyes but she knew it wasn’t directed at her. She dropped
the towel. He caught her in his arms when she jumped toward him and wrapped
around his body, her mouth going for his.

Blackie barely caught Eve when she jumped into his arms. Her
legs wrapped around his waist as her hands cupped his face, her mouth hot and
eager as she kissed him. The shift in emotions was startling as all his rage
dissipated under the desire to be inside her.

He reached down and tore at the front of his pants to free
his cock. He spun, pinning her against the door and ran his fingers along her
inner thigh to where they joined. She was wet and ready to take him as his
thumb traced the seam of her sex, found her clit and rubbed. A growl tore from
her and made his dick harder.

She didn’t hide her emotions from him, nor did she show any
restraint. It made him hot inside, made him burn. It also encouraged him not to
think but to just do what pure passion demanded. He shifted his hips, aligned
them and the second the crown of his dick found the right spot he drove up
inside her pussy.

Eve’s lips tore away from his as she moaned, her head tilted
back with her mouth open. He paused, buried inside her as deep as he could get.
She was tight, felt wonderful and he began to move slowly at first. He almost
totally withdrew from her before sinking back in.

“Yes,” she encouraged, opening her eyes to peer deeply into
his.

Blackie couldn’t look away from her as his thumb played with
her clit, his hand trapped between their bodies. He widened his stance a little
to achieve more maneuvering room and drove up inside her again, rolled his hips
a little and watched her reaction. The pure ease of reading every expression,
every look, was the sexiest thing he’d ever experienced.

He was glad she wasn’t anything like cyborg women. None of
them had ever excited him as much or made him feel the unbridled fervor that
consumed him. He wanted to hear her cry out his name as he drew her closer to climax.
His balls tightened and he knew he was dangerously close to losing control but
concentrated on her pleasure. Nothing had ever mattered to him as much as Eve.

Her eyes narrowed, her breathing quickened and her nails bit
into his biceps. He loved how her heels dug into his ass muscles where she was
wrapped around him and her vaginal walls squeezed his dick to the point of
sheer torture as he tried to hold back his release. Eve’s throaty moans were
music to his ears as they grew louder while he fucked her faster. She was close
when her face burrowed against his chest and she cried out his name.

Blackie lost it. To feel her climax around his shaft was too
powerful to battle. The ability to think was lost and all that existed were
white-hot flashes of ecstasy jolting through his body as he shook on his feet,
only vaguely aware of locking his knees to keep them both from crashing to the
floor of their quarters. He felt raw, every nerve exposed and oddly at peace.

“I love you,” she panted.

“I love you too.” He meant every word and knew the
definition of that strong emotion. She made him complete, was his other half
that had been missing since he’d become aware, realized his existence. She
filled that empty space he’d always had inside.

All the things he’d done for the council flashed through his
mind and he had a new awareness of his actions, saw them as crimes he’d
committed. The men who’d bonded with humans had been perceived as threats to
cyborgs’ continuation to thrive. He’d listened to Parlis, believed the dire
warnings and had acted in accordance. The almost worship he’d practiced when it
came to the cyborg once known as Freedom suddenly sickened him.

“Are you all right?” Eve nuzzled his throat, brushing soft
kisses across his skin.

He debated giving her an answer that would shield her from
his inner turmoil but she was his mate. “No.”

“Did you strain a muscle?” She pulled back enough to hold
his gaze.

“I feel shame. It’s not pleasant.”

“There’s nothing wrong with what we just did. Nothing. I
loved it. It’s called a quickie and I hope we have more of them often.”

She amused him and he couldn’t avoid smiling. “That’s not
the source of my shame. I enjoyed that.”

“Talk to me.” Her voice soothed him as her tone lowered,
concern clear in the way she looked at him. “What’s wrong?”

“You are more important to me than anything. I understand
the importance of love. I have that for you.”

Tears filled her eyes. “This is a cyborg thing, right? It’s
okay to feel this way. I’m so glad you do. I was terrified those implants had
damaged you to the point that you’d never be able to feel strong emotions. It’s
totally natural to love someone. Maybe they taught you it was wrong but it’s
not.”

“Why do you cry?”

“I’m happy.”

She confused him. “Tears indicate pain or distress.”

“You really love me. It’s a woman thing to get all choked up
when the man she loves says it.” She shrugged. “I’m really happy. It’s kind of
complicated but trust me, I’m overjoyed.”

“I do trust you.” He inhaled, hating to admit the truth to
her. “I don’t ever want lies between us but you might feel dishonored by my
actions when I confess things I’ve done wrong.”

Her eyes closed and her face lowered to press against the
curve of his chest. “Oh god. You knew they were going to leave us behind on
Earth, didn’t you?”

“No!”

Her arms wrapped around him in a tighter hug. Tears slipped
down her cheeks. “I love you. It hurts really bad but I understand. We just had
a few minutes together. You thought I was an Earther. I’ll forgive you though.”

Seeing her anguish caused physical pain inside his chest. He
pressed her tightly to the wall, lifted a hand to gently grip her chin and
forced her to look at him “I didn’t know. I swear, Eve. I’m trying to confess
to the things I did long after we left Earth.”

Some of her grief seemed to ease but she tensed in his arms.
“I don’t want to hear about the women you’ve touched. This is one of those
things we don’t need to share every detail about. It would hurt.”

He winced inwardly, compassion a new emotion. He wouldn’t
enjoy hearing details of her having intercourse with other men. It also opened
a line of thought he hadn’t traveled yet. He’d want to track down and kill any
male who’d touched Eve. She was his. It did horrible things to his stomach. He
was thankful that she had not been with other men.

“I followed council orders when I shouldn’t have. I didn’t
know they were wrong at the time but I understand now why some cyborgs hate me.
They are justified.” He continued when she said nothing. “I almost killed a
human who had bonded with a fellow cyborg. I didn’t comprehend how he could
trust her. I’ve taken the council’s side every time there was dissension in the
ranks. I believed Parlis always had the future of our race as a priority. I now
see my error. Ice loves Megan. He wasn’t betraying his own kind to choose her
above all else.”

She reached up to gently stroke his cheek. There was no
censure in her gaze. “Did you kill her?”

“No. She lives.”

“You didn’t understand what love was.”

“No. I believed she fooled him into believing she wasn’t a
threat to our race.”

“You feel guilty now?”

“I do.”

“It’s normal.”

“I feel bad.” He wasn’t sure how else to explain it. “I want
to fix it but I doubt that is possible.”

“Is he on this shuttle?”

“No. Fleet is in command of this trip. Everyone is given downtime
on Garden and we change out crews to prevent them from spending too much time
in space.”

“Contact the man if you’re able and apologize. It’s all you
can do.”

“There’s more.”

“All right.”

“I terrorized another woman who belonged to Steel. I
believed she was a threat and would have done anything to make her talk. I—”

She stopped stroking his skin and one finger pressed against
his lips.

“Shush. This is all new to you, isn’t it? Is she alive? Did
you hurt her?”

He turned his head slightly to move her finger. “She’s alive
and well. I frightened her but no serious damage was done.”

“That’s good. Apologize to them too. It will help you feel
better.”

He sincerely doubted that. More of his actions over the
decades haunted him. He’d been completely beholden to the cyborgs who’d freed
him from misery. It was his way of thanking them by giving the council his full
loyalty and commitment to their orders. Some of their commands hadn’t been easy
to implement but he’d done everything they’d asked. It had made him very
unpopular with certain cyborgs. All their resentment seemed appropriate now.

“Blackie?”

He held Eve’s gaze.

“Everyone screws up. All you can do is learn from your
mistakes and try to become a better person. We live a long time. That just
means we’re bound to have more regrets than most. Give yourself a break.”

Cyborgs weren’t created to make errors.
He didn’t
share his thoughts but took her wisdom into account. He debated what emotion he
felt, not sure if it was fear or worry.

“You can try to fix things, Blackie.”

Her words drew his attention and he carefully chose his
response. “I believe it’s possible that some of the enemies I’ve made could use
this opportunity to gain retribution for the things I’ve done in the past.”

“You mean they might use me to hurt you back?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not easy to kill.” Her chin rose in defiance. “They
could try. I haven’t survived this long by being some cream puff.”

Her verbal communication skills bemused him but he
understood the meaning behind the words. “They could make it difficult for us
once we reach Garden. They may argue that you’re more cyborg than human. You
were created in a laboratory the way we were.”

“You’re worried they might separate us?” She shook her head.
“Let them try. You’re my mate and I don’t want another husband.” She shivered
in his arms, her revulsion clear. “I dare them to order me to allow someone
besides you to touch me.” Her hand raised, claws sliding from her fingertips. “I’d
castrate anyone who tried.”

He believed she would and amusement struck. “You’re
incredibly arousing when you threaten to mutilate other cyborgs.”

She smiled at him. “Do you want to know the great thing
about quickies? They can turn into more. We could just call what we did a
warm-up.” She jerked her head toward the bed.

Temptation was strong. “I need to contact a few of the
alliances I’ve made. I don’t want to reach Garden unprepared for any scenario.”

“You want your friends to meet us there so you have backup?”

“Yes.” She really did have entertaining language skills.

“Cool. You do that and I’ll go use the cleansing unit to
give you a little privacy.” She winked. “Then it’s round two.”

His dick stiffened, more than interested. “I’ll hurry.” It
was tough to ease her away from the wall when he didn’t want to release her. He
managed though, his concern for her future paramount. His sexual desires could
wait.

He faced the exterior door panel the moment she stepped into
the unit and placed his hand on the sensor, linking to the onboard computer.
Irritation quickly narrowed his gaze when it blocked him from communications.
Fleet had attempted to prevent him from reaching anyone on Garden. Blackie
hacked the system until he had control. He had a lot of enemies but he also had
high-ranking friends.

“I need to present facts,” he informed Zorus when the
council member answered. “Are you aware of what a canine unit is?”

The silence over the link made Blackie anxious.

“Yes.”

Rage gripped Blackie. “You agreed to leave them behind on
Earth?”

Zorus allowed his displeasure to be known by his terse
attitude when he responded. “Why would we steal four-legged beasts from Earth?
The security teams used those animals to help contain us. They weren’t friendly
or cooperative. It would have been a waste to attempt to retrain them if we’d
stolen some.”

“I’m talking about the women. The ones they created and
designated them ‘canine units’.”

“My only reference for canine units is the animals on
leashes that some of the guards walked the perimeter with. Were they enhanced
in some way? I wasn’t aware of that. Are you informing me that you’ve learned
of cyborg canine units? The human women you rescued had classified information?
I was informed they are possible spies. Do you have proof they are military?”

Blackie relaxed, certain the council member was being
honest. Zorus was known for his bluntness. “The report you received is
incorrect. They aren’t spies. Earth Government mixed human and canine DNA to
create women. Some of the council members were aware. They made a pact with the
canine women. If they helped us escape from Earth they could escape with us but
the cyborg leaders didn’t keep their bargain. Those women were left behind to
die.”

Zorus didn’t respond.

The link was still active when Blackie checked. “Did you
hear me? They appear to be human but they have canine enhancements. Earth
Government killed all but two of them after our escape. They were slaughtered
in retaliation for coming to our aid.”

“Start from the beginning and tell me how you came by this
information. Is it reliable?”

Blackie turned his head and opened his eyes, glancing at the
active cleansing unit. “My source is very reliable and she’s one of the two
survivors. The women we rescued
are
canine units. You’re being lied to
if you were informed they are merely human.” He told the council member
everything he had learned.

Eve wrapped a towel around her body and stepped out of the
cleansing unit. Blackie stood by the door with his hand pressed to the panel.
The stillness of his body assured her that he remained in communication with
whomever he had contacted. She didn’t disturb him, guessing he was aware of her
presence. She sat on the bunk.