Taunting Krell (13 page)

He didn’t answer and she tore her gaze from the monitor to check on him. He grimly watched her.

“What?”

“You did it.”

He sounded stunned and it hurt just a tiny bit. “You can trust me. I’m starting to feel like a broken record stating that.” She turned the nose of the shuttle and glanced down. “They are spinning out of control. This is the only chance we may get to hit their belly. I’m going to blast them a few times when it is exposed. I doubt I can blow them apart but the more damage we do, the more time it’s going to buy us to keep them off our asses. Do I have your permission to fire?”

“Do it.”

“Happily.” She targeted the spinning shuttle that seemed dead but she knew it was probably just experiencing malfunctions. Their systems weren’t recovering as fast as the
Bridden
’s had after impact. Dell had been a believer in keeping his shuttle well armed and she smiled when she fired and hit the shuttle. Small pieces of it drifted away as she hit it a few more times. She hoped she could destroy it but she’d settle for damaging the thrusters.

“It’s not blowing apart.”

“I didn’t think it would. It’s too shielded but those thrusters are suffering some pain.”

“Keep firing at it.”

She hesitated and turned her head to watch him again. “It’s like shooting a chunk of rock, Krell. We can chip away at it but we don’t have all day to do it. I’m afraid the three other shuttles they stole are other Genesis Fours. We’d face impossible odds against three of them and so would the
Vontage
. We need to get out of here.”

He gripped the dash scanner and sighed. “I’m contacting them now.”

“The Markus Models?”

“The
Vontage
.”

“Watch what you say.”

“I’m intelligent.”

She closed her mouth. Trust went two ways. Krell knew their communications would be monitored. She glanced at the dash, worried that the Markus Models would try to hack into it, but kept her mouth closed. The cyborgs had survived two encounters with the Markus Models and they had to be doing something to keep the metal heads out of their systems. She was good at hacking but she was a hands-on type, old school, and preferred a monitor-screen link to see what she was doing. She couldn’t just touch and link into a computer easily. It gave her a horrible headache. Of course she wasn’t going to share that information. It left her at a disadvantage.

“I ordered them to follow us. They have recovered some functions. Their hull didn’t breach and they didn’t fire on us because they recognized the
Bridden
. Release the controls, Cyan. The pilot is taking over.”

She hesitated before reaching for her belt. “We need to get out of here, change course once we’re far enough out of range for them not to be able to track us and put distance between us. We need to keep changing course to avoid them finding us while your other ship makes repairs.”

“We’re aware and have a plan.”

She hesitated. “Would you mind sharing it with me?”

His dark blue eyes narrowed. “No.”

She removed the belt, frustrated and angry, and stood. Tears stung her eyes. He didn’t trust her regardless of how many times she’d shown him she was on his side. She avoided touching him as he stood, made a point of jerking away, and stormed back to her original seat. The pilot passed them on his way to the front. She avoided looking at the other cyborgs. Krell sat too close next to her and she scooted away from him to make sure they didn’t touch.

She felt his attention but ignored it as she stared down at her hands resting on her lap. He was always going to question everything she did. She needed to stop hoping for any other outcome. Movement drew her attention as Gene stood with another cyborg.

“We’re going below. Minimum damage was caused by the impact and we can repair it,” Gene announced.

She glanced up at him. “How do you know?”

He met her gaze. “We’re controlling all the systems on the shuttle to avoid being hacked. We have since we came within range of the Markus Models. We’re each in charge of certain functions.”

She wished she’d known that. She almost shot a glare at Krell but that would mean having to look at him. He’d have saved her some worry if he’d told her that bit of information. She wondered if that’s how the
Vontage
crew had kept the Markus Models from taking over control of their ship.
Probably.
Her shoulders sagged and she closed her eyes, leaning back against the seat.

Mavo was probably safe on the other ship but it had suffered damage. She hoped that at some point Krell would inform her of his friend’s health status since she wasn’t about to ask him. He’d just accuse her of something else nasty. It really hurt and that made her mad.

“Are you well? The impact was jarring.”

Oh now he cares how I feel
. “I’m fine,” she muttered.

“You’re being so still. Are you assessing your injuries?”

She nearly glanced at him. Krell sounded worried if his soft tone was any indication. “No. I’m fine. I’m trying to cool my temper down so I don’t bitch slap you if you want the truth.”

“Excuse me?”

Her teeth clenched. “You can be a real asshole, Krell. Leave me alone. Don’t you have paranoid accusations to think up to accuse me of next? That should keep you occupied.”

She was glad for the resulting silence. Her shoulder still tingled from his bite and her body remembered his touch. She was a little sore in the best way from the sex they’d shared.
Sex. Just sex. Remember that and don’t let him get to you.

Regret was an emotion Krell began to hate, something he seemed to feel often in Cyan’s presence. He’d obviously angered her when he’d given the order for her to return control to the pilot. She’d done extremely well, her piloting skills better than the male currently at the helm, but it had been difficult for him to put the lives of his men in her hands.

She’d done exactly what she’d promised to do and had been successful. The plan had seemed crazy yet brilliant. He admired how her mind worked. It also left him slightly unsettled that her extreme plan had been something he would never have come up with. The Markus Models hadn’t considered it either and had been temporarily taken out of commission.

Pride also tightened his chest as he watched her. His female possessed great courage along with her intelligence. She swayed toward violence—ramming another shuttle wasn’t exactly clean or smooth, but effective. He reached for her but hesitated inches from her arm. Her closed eyes and tense body revealed she still remained angry but as time passed, her breathing changed and her body slackened.

He touched her gently, pulling her against his chest, and she didn’t jerk away or protest. Her cheek rubbed against his shirt, her hot breath fanning through the thin material to his skin, and his arm wrapped around her waist to secure her in place. He leaned back slightly, adjusted his body to be more welcoming, to pillow her sitting form, to allow her to sleep. The males returned from below.

“Is everything in order?”

Gene gave a sharp nod. “Minimum damage was done and the repairs were easy.”

The stares of the other males registered as he glanced at them. Gene shook his head.

“She is a paradox.”

Krell kept his voice low, not wanting to disturb her rest. “Expand your definition.”

“She appears totally human yet she is not. She seems harmless but she is dangerous. We may want to trust her after what she just did but we cannot. She is a paradox. Odd, unique, but deceptive in her packaging.”

His jaw clenched. “Understood.”

“You need to remember she’s treacherous.” Gene paused. “Some of the most beautiful things are the most deadly. Do not forget that. You had no authority to risk our lives by entrusting them to her.”

Anger gripped Krell at the rebuke from the other cyborg. “Do not forget she’s my female. I am her primary male and therefore make all decisions concerning her. I head this mission, not you, and I don’t wish to hear any more of your input on the matter.”

Gene leaned closer, studying him. “You’re engaging in physical intercourse with her. She’s from Earth, the females there will use sex, and have for centuries, to convince males to do their bidding. You’re far too intelligent to be easily misled by her attractive body.”

“You’re far too interested in her body and what she does with it,” Krell rasped, his temper cooling. “You can’t have her, Gene. The answer is no.”

“It’s her decision to add males to a family unit.”

“As you pointed out, she’s unique. The council assigned her to me and I am fully in charge of all decisions made on that matter. I’m the one you need to seek permission from and I’d rather kill you than allow you to join into a contract with Cyan after you nearly harmed her.” He closed his eyes, held her a little tighter, and accepted the possessiveness that gripped him. He may not have wanted a female in the beginning but she was his now.

Chapter Ten

A bump woke Cyan, surprising her that she’d drifted to sleep in the first place. She became aware of things. She leaned heavily against a warm, big body, and an arm was firmly secured around her back and waist to keep her in place. She inhaled, identifying Krell’s scent instantly, and jerked her head off his shoulder to stare up at him.

“You drifted to sleep. We’ve just touched down.”

“Down? Where?”

He hesitated.

“Never mind. I forgot that I’m the enemy.” She wiggled out of his hold and stared around the shuttle. Her two cyborg monitors sat in the seats across from her watching her intently, probably still wary that she’d try to send mental signals to create some kind of trouble. “I’m awake now. I didn’t sleep too well last night.”

The engines shut down and the unusual quiet was a little disturbing. She tried to judge how long she’d slept but had no idea. Her body’s sluggishness implied it had been a long, deep sleep, and she felt well rested. Activity from the front drew her attention as the pilot left his seat to walk toward them. He paused, addressing Krell.

“They set down safely. I’m going to help with repairs.”

“We’re coming along.”

The pilot checked his weapons strapped to his thigh. “It’s dangerous out there.”

“Understood.”

Krell rose to his feet and Cyan stared up at him. “What is dangerous? Do you plan to clue me in at all?”

He held out his hand for her to take. “Stay close to my side. We’ve landed on a planet we once considered a possible home but changed our intent quickly. The air is a little heavier than what you’re used to but the oxygen is breathable. The inhabitants are barbaric and warlike. We quickly assessed that we’d have to battle them often and didn’t wish to have to kill them off entirely. They would have left us with no choice.”

Dread clenched her belly. “For real?”

He bent, gripped her hand, and pulled her to her feet. “I would not joke about this. Stay at my side and you’ll be safe.”

“You’re going to protect me, huh?”

He stared into her eyes. “Yes.”

“I don’t suppose I get a weapon?”

“You won’t need one.”

“Great,” she muttered under her breath. “Lead the way, great warrior. I can’t wait to see what heavy air feels like and check out some alien world with warlike inhabitants. It sounds fun.” She wasn’t sure if he noticed her sarcasm.

The six cyborgs converged on the lower deck to open the back docking doors. The second the seal broke, an odd hiss sounded through the room and warm air pushed inside the shuttle interior. Cyan breathed in and nearly choked. Her lungs ached instantly and she staggered but Krell grabbed her around her waist to steady her.

“Easy. Just take shallow breaths.” His features had paled. “You’ll adjust within a few breaths.”

She forced more air into her lungs. They struggled a little and she realized why he called it heavy air. It wasn’t pleasant but she could breathe. Her body adjusted.

“I’m okay now.” Her voice sounded slightly odd to her.

“Are you well?” He gave her a concerned look.

“Is it just me or do I sound kind of weird?”

“Your pitch has deepened. It’s the planet. We’ve visited a few times since our initial discovery. It becomes easier to adjust to. You’ll also notice your body feels a little strange. The gravity isn’t consistent with Earth. It’s slightly off.”

“Great.”

The first view outside stunned her. The sky was a bright lime color and everything around her was shades of orange, brown or deep green. Vegetation surrounded the area in heavy clumps but they’d sat down on a flat, very dry area of shit-brown ground. The feel of it under her boots wasn’t pleasant either. It was a little slippery, almost similar to glass, and she didn’t protest Krell keeping a firm hold around her waist.

They rounded the shuttle and her jaw dropped open. The
Vontage
was huge and had landed on the planet’s surface. The large underbelly doors were slowly opening, creating ramps to the ground, and as they approached she saw dozens of cyborgs wearing black uniforms emerge. They were heavily armed. They took positions around the ramps, their attention focused on the vegetation surrounding the huge, flat, barren area. A second wave of cyborgs came down the ramps carrying large containers.

“Is all that firepower needed?” Cyan hated the worry that suddenly ate at her.

Krell kept advancing. “Yes.”

She shot a nervous glance toward the ugly trees, not seeing much since they were too dense. “What is out there?”

He hesitated. “Large, angry inhabitants who had to have seen us come down. We’re going to quickly work on the
Vontage
to get her fully operational. We could have made the repairs in transit but it would have slowed the work. This is faster. The space suits make us sluggish if we’d had to do the repairs in transit.”

“That big sucker is going to lift off the surface again?” She studied the huge ship, a hotel with thrusters, and doubted it. “You know Earth space-docks them during repairs, right?”

“We don’t have access to one to fix it and we’ve had to land it before. It will handle it.”

She glanced down. “And why is this area barren? It looks like the ground was once baked really good. It’s similar to glass.”

He stopped walking and pointed. She turned her head to follow where his finger indicated behind the shuttle and her mouth dropped open again. “Oh shit. Is that a volcano? It’s smoking.”

“It’s active.”

She stared down at the hard stuff under her feet, it suddenly making sense, and fear hit her. “Are you insane? What if it blows? We’re almost under that big mountain of hell.”

“It’s the only area with significant open ground to land both ships. Most of the inhabitants steer clear of the area and it will take them longer to reach us. We need the time to make repairs.”

“You really are nuts.”

He tugged on her. “That is why we chose this location. It’s not a rational choice and we’re hoping the Markus Models discount the probability of searching this planet for us. We need to fix the
Vontage
’s thrusters. They aren’t able to full burn. We estimate the repairs should take less than an hour with the manpower we’re using.”

She dragged her feet a little, slowing him. “I think we should stay inside the
Bridden
in case we need to lift off fast.” Her gaze darted to the smoking volcano. “That thing could erupt. It looks like it wants to.”

He halted. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Fine.” She swallowed another protest. “Let’s get this over with. What are we doing out here? Cheerleading, or are you going to actually allow me to work with them?”

“What?”

“You know, are we going to stand there verbally encouraging them to work faster while they make the repairs or are we going to help?”

“We’re going to help.”

“Awesome. This is going to be a riot, isn’t it?”

He shot her another frown. “Your use of the English language is disturbing. Did you forget how to speak it?”

“Did you forget that I sometimes want to bitch slap you? Keep it up, Krell.”

“What does that even mean? Abusing an animal is callous and I am not a female canine.”

“Oh hell,” she muttered. “You lived on Earth. A bitch slap is smacking someone who annoys you upside the head.”

His eyes narrowed. “Awesome.”

She had to laugh. He turned his head away and led them toward a group of men with large containers. They opened them and removed tools. One of them seemed to be in charge as he gave orders.

“Work in teams of six.” He pointed. “Start on thrust four.”

Men yanked out tools and moved quickly away. Krell approached the tall black-haired cyborg. “Deviant, how long do you believe this will take?”

Cyan’s eyebrows lifted as she studied the cyborg who turned to face them. He stood six and a half feet tall, a muscular guy with dark skin. His eyes were a startling color—a bright, nearly neon blue, and made his charcoal skin and shoulder-length black hair more drastic in comparison. She wondered if that’s why he’d been tagged with his odd name. He sure didn’t resemble most of the cyborgs she’d ever seen.

“We should be finished within an hour. We’ve assessed exactly what is wrong with them, the speediest way to repair them, and my men are excellent at what they do.” His gaze focused on her and he cocked his head during his close examination. “A human female? Odd.”

“She’s not human.” Krell didn’t explain further. “Is your father well?”

“He’ll be along shortly. He wasn’t harmed during the attacks. We were glad you arrived when you did. Your tactics were surprising but very effective.”

Krell hesitated. “It wasn’t my plan. It was hers. She is familiar with the Markus Models and the shuttle that attacked you.”

Deviant continued to study her. “I am confused. Who is she and how does she know so much about the androids? She appears human.”

“I’m from Earth,” Cyan spoke quickly before Krell could. She held out her hand. “I’m Cyan Eous and I’m kind of human but with extras. My body was built for me. It’s nice to meet you, Deviant.”

He glanced down at her hand and reached for it but Krell growled. “Don’t touch her.”

The other cyborg’s hand froze in midair as his attention shifted to Krell. “She is yours? I had heard ownership of humans had recently been banned.”

“It was and as it’s been established that she’s not human. The council ordered her to be my female,” Krell muttered. “I’m her primary male. Don’t you have work to do?”

“Of course.” His hand dropped to his side but he gave Cyan a sweeping glance. “She’s attractive. Congratulations. My father will be happy to hear it.” He turned and took two steps before he stopped, turned, and stared at Krell. “I’m assuming she’s recently been introduced into our society and if you are accepting applicants, I wish to be considered. Most cyborg females have refused to consider me because of my odd coloring. She obviously doesn’t have an issue with accepting males of our status.”

It was Cyan’s turn to be confused as she watched the guy approach another team to give them orders. She stared up at Krell and couldn’t miss his anger. He glared at her openly, not hiding it.

“You’re trouble.”

“I don’t even know what that was about.”

“He wanted me to consider him as a potential male for you to join into a family unit with. You’re not human, which implies you’ll end up with more than one male.”

She shook her head, baffled. “He doesn’t even know me.”

“You’re female, beautiful, and with me.” He nearly growled the words. “It is an assumption that you would seek other males quickly.” A flash of pain showed in his eyes.

“He insulted you, didn’t he? What is it with cyborgs? There isn’t a thing wrong with you.”

“It wasn’t meant as an insult. He cares for me. We have a close connection through his father. He just believes you might accept him since you don’t mind my scars and undesirable status with cyborg females. It’s also a reasonable assumption that you wouldn’t want to spend much time around me. Females divide their time between the males in their family unit. Some females will spend days, weeks or months with one male before living with another. It depends on how many males are included in it and where their jobs assign them.”

Cyan made a grimace. “Yuk. Ewww.”

“There isn’t anything disgusting about it.” His gaze narrowed. “I’m assuming from your unique descriptive words that you find it unappealing.”

“Damn straight. Where I come from guys would kill each other if they had to share a woman…in most cases.”

“Females are limited. Fewer models were created and survived long enough to escape when we fled Earth. It was deemed more acceptable to share a female than for a larger population of males to fight over gaining the attention of the minority. Fights broke out at first and our competitive natures weren’t beneficial to our survival. We had enough enemies attempting to kill us without battling each other to the death to impress the females with our skill and fighting abilities.”

“I get it.” She remembered too well why more male cyborgs had been created than females. The first batch of female cyborgs had been abused and killed by humans. The assholes had thought they’d make great sex toys, the women attempted to defend themselves from being raped, and they’d been killed by men in supposed self-defense. It was bullshit, it had devastated their creator and his team, and production on the females had been limited to jobs with safe environments where they could be carefully monitored against sexual abuse. “I heard the horror stories.” Tears filled her eyes but she held them back. “When the women tried to defend themselves they were deemed unstable, failed models, and slaughtered.”

Anger tightened his mouth. “Yes. They were. Humans are brutal murderers.”

“I’m not.”

Some of his anger faded. “Human males.”

“Thanks for the amendment. I appreciate it.” She hesitated. “I still don’t agree with your family units. Your civilization has forced those women to continue to take lovers they don’t want. It’s wrong.”

“No female is forced, Cyan. They pick the males they wish to be with. You were the exception because of your unclear status and your unique situation.”

“I’m not marrying anyone and I don’t care what your council decides. I pick who I sleep with and it’s only going to be with one guy. I’m not into group sex or multiple partners. I usually go about five or ten years between lovers and that’s only out of necessity to avoid them finding out what I am. Opening up to someone hurts when you know you just have to leave them in the future.”

His gaze darted away from hers before he glanced at her again. “You wouldn’t be forced to accept more than one male if you were human. You’d be asked to have a child to fulfill his obligation to replace his life in our society’s future if he hadn’t already done so. Some active breeders who have donated for their pacts have been waived from that requirement due to the overuse of their DNA. You’re not human and the council will want you to take at least two males, preferably three, and produce a child for yourself as well as each male. It’s to ensure our future survival.”