HauntingBlackie (9 page)

The blood on her shoulder was visual proof of what he’d
done, along with the taste of her blood in his mouth. He licked his lips,
tasting it there too. He’d been too rough.

“That is definitely going to scar unless your healing
abilities are better than mine.”

The smile she gave him stunned him. “I’m yours.”

It usually would have unsettled him if a woman stated that.
Cyborg women would rather die than hand over any kind of control to another.
Eve wasn’t anything similar to his race, well, other than her ability to heal,
her method of creation and lack of aging. He wanted her and now she wouldn’t
ever leave him. He had a…mate. The tightening in his chest wasn’t caused by the
physical interaction they had just shared but by a strong emotional response.
He evaluated which one it was and decided it had to be satisfaction or possibly
happiness. They were too closely related for him to distinguish.

The concept of a woman joining her life to his for the rest
of their lives was astonishing but he liked it. He adjusted their positions
until they were curled together on their sides with their bodies still joined.
The desire to keep her close was strong. He didn’t want to withdraw his dick
from her warm body or allow any space between them. She fit perfectly in front
of him with his frame curved over hers. His hand explored her hip, then her
thigh. She snuggled tighter against him.

“We’ll legally join according to cyborg customs.” He would
double-check first though to make certain Eve couldn’t be considered a cyborg
with her engineered genetics. He refused to share her with another male.
Murderous thoughts filled his mind just thinking about it. “Or perhaps not.”

Eve glanced back at him and he didn’t enjoy seeing the
suspicion in her gaze, as if she doubted his word that he agreed to be her
mate.

“It’s best that we don’t if you are considered cyborg by the
council. Females are fewer in numbers and they will assign you another male
besides myself, if that is the case.”

Her hand clutched his. “What does that mean?”

“There are always at least two males joined in a family unit
with every female cyborg. The rules recently changed after more of our women
were rescued from a planet where their ship crashed. They used to have at least
three to four men per woman in each family unit. I won’t share you.”

“I’d kill anyone who tried to touch me. I’m yours. It would
destroy me inside if that were to happen. Mates don’t touch others. It would
make me sick to be touched by someone else and I’d hate it. I’d fight to the
death,” she threatened, panic threading her tone.

“It won’t happen. You can stop worrying about it.” He
caressed her from her hip to her waist to soothe her fear. She was so soft and
pale skinned. The contrast between their coloring was striking. “We’re mates. I’ll
tear apart any bastard who even considers putting his hands on you.”

Her gaze lowered to his mouth. “You won’t touch anyone else,
will you?”

He didn’t like the pain in her expression or the slight quaver
he heard in her voice. “No. I accepted your terms of a relationship bond. Mates
are for life, correct?”

“Yes.”

“You are the only woman I’ll want.” He was certain of that
after obsessing over her year after year. It stunned him that she was alive and
sharing his bunk. There wasn’t a chance he’d ever give her up. “I’ll make
arrangements as soon as it’s convenient to assure our future.”

“What does that mean?”

He mentally went over a list then repeated it for her
benefit. “My living arrangements on Garden need to be updated to fit your
needs. I don’t want us housed in a council building any longer.” He still had
questions about their actions when they’d escaped Earth. The council members
responsible would pay for what they’d done to the canine units. “I also will
make it clear that I will refuse to accept missions that don’t allow you to
travel at my side. I assume you want to be with me at all times? Those missions
could take me from you for weeks or months at a time.” He hoped she’d agree as
he watched her features, disliking the idea of being separated from her.

She nodded. “Yes. I always want to be at your side.”

He pondered if she meant that in a literal sense. Some
cyborgs might not accept her in the command center during his work shifts but
he’d deal with their protests. He’d do anything to make certain she was healthy
and happy, including keeping her within a few feet of him at all times if she
required it. “Do you mean that literally?”

Eve grinned. “I can handle you going to work without me but
I want to share your bed every sleep cycle.”

“Agreed.”

“What will happen to Danica? She’s my littermate. I can’t
just abandon her but you’re my mate. You’re my priority.”

He appreciated her candor. She cared about her sibling, a
trait he admired, but he liked it more that she’d pick him above all others. “She
will be safe on Garden. Do you wish her to live in our quarters?”

“We don’t have to live together but I just want to make sure
she’s okay.”

“I believe a cyborg has taken an interest in her. He’s a
good male.” Gene had seemed very protective.

“The one with his arm around her?”

“Gene. Yes. He is a close friend of mine. He’d never harm
her and I suspect he’d enjoy asking her to share his quarters on Garden. I
noticed his protective and possessive gestures toward her while we were in the
hallway.”

“He was cute. Danica will appreciate that and she did want a
man. He looks capable of handling her.”

Jealousy was an emotion he didn’t enjoy as it worked through
his system. The tightness in his chest eased when he realized she held no
personal interest in Gene. It took effort to separate their bodies, something
he regretted, but her shoulder needed to be tended.

“Let me see to your wound.”

“It will heal fast. You don’t really need to do that. My
immune system is rock solid so it won’t get infected or anything.”

“I wish to care for you.”

She watched his every move as he retrieved the med kit from
his cleansing unit. Her smile melted parts of him he hadn’t known existed as
she sat up eagerly when he approached her again. His dick remained hard, the
desire to take her was strong, but he controlled the urge.

“Mated.” Danica looked at her with astonishment and reached
across the table to hold her hands. “That’s wonderful.”

Eve noticed the way her littermate trembled when they
touched. “I know what you’re thinking.”

“You read minds? I’m impressed. When did you get that
ability and do I get it too? ‘Cause it would be totally cool.”

“You’re not going to lose me.”

Danica shrugged. “I had wondered. You’re all I have. We’ve
always been a team but now you have a mate. I know I just became number two on
your list of importance.”

One glance around the small cafeteria assured Eve they were
still alone. Blackie had arranged for them to eat together while he attended a
meeting. She wasn’t invited and knew it probably involved their new
relationship. Her focus returned to her sister.

“You know I love you.”

“I know. I’m a bit jealous but worried about you at the same
time, okay? Tell me about him.”

“He’s wonderful and sweet. I can’t believe Handsome
survived.” She paused. “Blackie. I need to keep correcting myself. Who gave him
that name? Were they blind?”

“He does have black hair.”

“It’s not a suitable name for him. Mine was much better.”

“Perhaps he will change it.” Danica released Eve’s hands,
picked up her fork to stab at her food and took a bite of breakfast. “Of
course, then you’d have to agree to being called Hellfire. That’s the name he
knew you by though it was just a code word to protect your identity. Fair is
fair.”

“True. I’ll adjust. I don’t want him to feel uncomfortable
or that everything about his life has changed just because I’m his mate.”

“A cyborg mated to a canine unit.” Danica chuckled. “Who’d
have thought? And you were all afraid he’d run.”

It was a reminder of the betrayal she felt. “You had no
right to tell him.”

“I’m so sorry. You were wrapped around him as if he were a
life buoy in a sea of acid. It just spilled out of my mouth before I could
think about what I said. I’m really sorry. Chalk it up to being rattled around
in that freighter and the shock of finding out they survived. My mind has been
in a spin.” She paused. “There’s an upside. You’re always looking for those.
You didn’t have to break it to him. It cut right through the bullshit fears.”

“It did.”

“Right.” Danica took another bite of her food. “Gene said
they’ll take us back to Garden. It sounds beautiful.”

“I haven’t really talked much to Blackie about it. What have
you been told about their home world?”

“They built a city on a lush planet similar to Earth. It is
still pristine, unlike Earth. Lots of water and there are aquatic life forms
that were the dominant species.”

“What are they like? Are they intelligent?”

“Yes, from what Gene said. They don’t get along with them
though. Their few interactions weren’t friendly. The natives are aggressive. It’s
why they built walls around the city.”

A sick feeling pitted inside Eve’s stomach. “Have they
enslaved them?”

“No. Cyborgs respect their culture and try to interfere as
little as possible. I was told that’s why they enclosed their city. They wanted
to limit the exposure of the inhabitants to anything that would impede their
natural evolution.”

“Good.”

“We know what it’s like to be under the control of others
and so do cyborgs. Does it really surprise you that they’d leave the planet’s
population alone?”

“I was hopeful we’d have the same views on less evolved life
forms.”

“Cyborgs are really smart. Gene said they like to study them
from a distance but it’s hard since they mostly live underwater.”

“Do these aliens appear humanoid?” Alien cultures always
fascinated Eve. They’d come across a few of them over the years but they were
rare. Most avoided Earthlings, finding them to be too brutal. Of course, most
species’ first interactions had taken place with pirates. It wasn’t a surprise
they avoided humans. “I’d like to see them.”

“Gene said they are humanoid looking but with gills and
webbed digits to help them swim. How cool is that?”

Eve grinned. “Gene is cute and you’re quoting him often.”

“He’s hot and we’ve been spending a lot of time together. I’m
staying in one of the cargo holds with him.”

It didn’t surprise Eve. “How is the sex?”

Danica blushed. “I wouldn’t know. I’m resisting.”

“Why? All you talked about was wanting to go to Titan and
find a man. Now you have one sharing the same space with you.”

“He’s way too intense.” She licked her lips. “Not the type
of guy to nail and walk away from. I can’t see him allowing that.”

“When has that ever stopped you?”

“Have you seen him? He’s huge and a cyborg. Plus we’re
stranded. It’s not as if we’re going to undock our ship and fly off once I
climb out of his bed. We no longer have a ship. It’s space junk now.”

“You think he wants more than a one-night stand?”

Danica shrugged. “I’m not sure, but maybe.”

“Would that be so bad?”

“Yes. I’ve seen what happened to you. No guy could compare
to your cyborg. What if Gene isn’t serious and I get that mate thing going on?
They are dominant enough to trigger our instincts. I’d be hung up on him for
life. No thanks. I won’t risk it no matter how horny I get or how hot he makes
me.”

“What if he wanted to be hung up on you for life too?”

“It’s not happening. It’s too scary to even think about. It’s
the what-if-he-isn’t part that messes with me. No offense but you were never
the same after you walked into that room and saved your cyborg. I’m keeping my
heart safe and no one will ever own me.” She glanced around before lowering her
voice. “They didn’t know about canine units or how we played a big part in
rescuing so many cyborgs. Do you know what that probably means? Their council
can’t be trusted.”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about that myself.”

“We need to find out if Freedom survived. I’d love to spend
five minutes alone in a room with him. Can you remember what he looks like? You’re
the only one he’d meet with in person.”

Eve nodded. “I’d never forget his face.”

“I can’t get over it. He betrayed us. We pledged fidelity to
cyborgs but they didn’t even tell the others about us. They left us to die,
didn’t they? I keep thinking about it and I’m getting a sick feeling in my gut
that they didn’t ever plan to take us with them.”

“Blackie believes you might be right.”

“Son of a bitch.” Danica clenched her teeth. “I’ll never
trust another cyborg. We should steal a life pod if there’s one aboard.”

“I’m mated.”

Misery dominated her littermate’s face. “We could kidnap
him. Take him with us, you know? He’d make a kickass bounty hunter.” Her
expression brightened. “I bet he could repair a lot on our freighter too, if we
can locate it. They are excellent with machinery and hell, he can just download
the operating manuals into that super brain of his to figure it out if he doesn’t
know already. Think of the credits we’d save on mechanics.”

“I can’t do that to him. He seems to like his life, Danica.”
Eve wanted to change the subject. It hurt too much. “We can’t blame all cyborgs
for what happened to our littermates if they weren’t aware of our existence.
Blackie said he wouldn’t have left us behind if he’d known. I believe him.”

“You’re biased.”

“He was really pissed, Danica. I mean, enraged to the max.”

“Yeah. Gene kind of reacted the same way when we briefly
spoke about it. I was getting upset so he let it drop.”

“The responsibility rests squarely with Freedom. He’s the
one I dealt with and he was in charge of mission 895589. It was his plan. He is
the one who promised they’d take us with them in exchange for our help.”

“I’m going to rip off his nuts if he survived.”

“Stand in line.”

“How about you remove the left one and I’ll take the right?”

“Deal.”

They regarded each other for long moments. Danica was the
first to break the silence.

“So we’re going to the cyborg planet. I hope they are more
relaxed than they used to be. I worried about that when we signed up to leave
Earth with them. Those guys were pretty solemn. Of course they looked really
good compared to Cameron and everyone else at the termination center.”

“Blackie told me most cyborgs have shut off the chips that
kill their emotions. They won’t be as reserved as we remember. My mate is very
warm spirited.” She smiled at the memory of the night they’d spent together. “Passionate.”

“That would explain Gene’s odd behavior.” She smiled back. “He’s
kind of a sweetheart when I let him talk.”

“We’ll have a home again.”

“We had one.”

“A planet instead of a freighter. It’s got to be prettier
than staring out into dark space.”

“Yeah. I hope so.” She peered at her. “What if we hate it
there? Can we kidnap your mate and steal a ship then? I’m still thinking about
that bar on Titan. I wanted to go dancing.”

“Maybe cyborgs have bars.”

Danica laughed. “Right. Sure. Chips on or off, I can’t see
them hanging out, getting drunk and stumbling out onto a dance floor in hopes
of grinding against a girl well enough to get them laid.”

Eve grew thoughtful. “Probably not. You have a point.”

* * * * *

Blackie glared at Fleet, their bodies inches apart. “You
knew about canine units,” he accused.

Gene’s hand gripped his upper arm but he refused to back
away from the current commander of the shuttle. “Calm,” his friend urged.

“I won’t.” Blackie jerked out of his hold and came into
physical contact with Fleet due to the swift motion. He regretted it was only
an accidental bump. His hands clenched into fists as he barely refrained from
using them to batter the other male and purposely cause harm. “That’s why you
cut communications when I stated what they were and refused to respond until we
boarded the shuttle.”

“I ordered you to take
both
women to cargo hold two.
I was just informed that you took one of them to crew quarters.”

“My quarters,” Blackie clarified.

Fleet took a step back and lifted his chin, his mouth
firming into a tense line. “State your reason for disobeying a direct command.”

Blackie battled the urge to punch Fleet in the mouth. He had
a lot to say but tried to get a handle on his anger first. He decided he wanted
answers before bloodshed. It also didn’t pass his notice that the male had
ignored his accusation and had brought up his disobedience instead.

Fleet shot a suspicious look at Gene before assessing
Blackie the same way. “You’re both not contracted into a family unit. Is this
an attempt to create one with an unclaimed woman? Any request for a contract
will be denied. You and Gene will immediately escort that woman to cargo hold
two when you return to your shared quarters.”

“They aren’t mine anymore,” Gene muttered. “I highly
recommend that you reevaluate the situation and proceed with caution. Your
current rank holds no authority at the moment.”

“What does that mean?” Fleet demanded.

“Answer my question,” Blackie snapped. “You knew about
canine units on Earth, didn’t you?”

Fleet fisted his hands. “Insubordination will not be
tolerated. What is wrong with you? Do you need a medic to check you out? You’re
acting irrational and out of character. Were you injured on the freighter?
Exposed to high levels of radiation? Did your suit fail to shield you properly?
Were your implants damaged?”

Blackie fisted the male’s uniform and shoved, refusing to
let go until he pinned him against the wall. “Nothing is wrong with my
implants. Answer me!”

“Release me.”

“Stand down,” Gene ordered.

Blackie glanced back and saw Gene pull his weapon and point
it at two other males whose intent was to come to their commander’s aid. They
froze, their expressions stunned.

“Proceed, Blackie,” Gene urged. “I’ve got you covered.”

Blackie whipped his head around and lifted the commander
until his feet left the floor. “Did you know about the canine units?”

Fleet’s gaze slid from his to dart around the room. He
lowered his voice when he spoke. “I won’t discuss it here.”

In front of witnesses
, Blackie surmised. “Answer me.”

“Your assault will not prompt me to share classified
information.”

It infuriated Blackie when he noted the signs that the
cyborg had implemented a shutdown of his emotions by engaging the chips
implanted inside his brain. Fleet’s pupils shrank to pinhole-size dots and his
muscles relaxed despite the tense situation. Even his voice changed slightly
into a more robotic pattern. He guessed he had also activated the one that
muted pain receptors. No verbal or physical stimulus would provide Blackie’s
desired response.

“The woman stays in my quarters. She is under my protection.
Am I clear?” He dropped the male and stepped back. “Gene will guard the second
woman. Any attempt to take or harm them will be met with deadly force.”

“You are being illogical. Report to the medic.”

Blackie wanted to hit him so much it took every ounce of
control to resist. It would only damage his hand. He debated whether it was
worth it, deemed it wasn’t. He wanted the other male to feel it when they
fought.

“I refuse to take orders from you. Have you contacted
Garden?”

“Yes. We are in transit there now.”

“Good.” Blackie spun and stormed out of the room. Gene
followed.

“Have you lost your mind?”

He kept walking. “I’m going to get the women. I expect
trouble.”

“You think they’ll attempt to do something to stop the women
from reaching Garden?”

“It’s possible.”

“I don’t like this.”

Blackie came to an abrupt halt and glanced back. Gene
stopped too as they studied each other. “Can I count on you to protect the
second woman or are you conflicted? I need your absolute candor.”