Shaylee woke pressed against a hard body. For a moment, she panicked, and then she remembered it was Wrylack who held her. He’d kissed her, but hadn’t pushed for more, even though he’d stripped them both naked. She’d thought for sure he was going to force himself on her. He’d said she was his wife now, but she didn’t quite understand. There hadn’t been a ceremony or anything. Maybe the official thing he’d mentioned when they reached his world was a wedding ceremony? The Meori had given her to him, like passing along a slave. She’d been a slave for so long, Shaylee wasn’t certain she knew how to be anything else. What exactly would he expect of her?

Her cheeks flushed when she felt the hard length of Wrylack’s cock against her belly. It seemed her new mate was aroused, even in sleep. Part of Shaylee wanted to pull away from him, put some much needed distance between them. But he’d been so kind to her, so tender, that she was a little curious. All she’d ever known from men was roughness, but the alien sleeping with her was different. He claimed to be a cyborg, but she didn’t know if that meant he was more machine than man. He’d mentioned mechanical parts other than his eyes. Did he have feelings like other people?

His arms tightened around her, and Shaylee tried to relax in his embrace. He hadn’t done anything to make her worry that he would be cruel to her, but experience told her that men didn’t know how to be any other way. Even on Earth, she had never known the soft touch of a man. She’d spent her life in the foster care system, until she’d been abducted by aliens when she was seventeen. She’d spent the last five years as a slave. Somehow, she’d hung onto her humanity, but there were days she thought she’d break.

She felt lips brush the top of her head, and she looked up to find Wrylack watching her.

“Morning,” he said.

“How can you tell? With all that dark space out the window, it feels like endless night.”

He smiled a little. “My systems tell me it’s day. On my world, the suns would be rising by now. Did you sleep well?”

Shaylee thought about it a moment before nodding. It was odd, but she really had slept well. Even with him holding her, or perhaps because he’d been holding her, she’d had the best night of sleep since her nightmare first began. While she still wasn’t completely certain about him, she felt oddly safe and comforted when his arms were around her.

Wrylack hesitated a moment before lowering his head to hers. His lips were soft as he kissed her slowly. One of his hands fisted her long hair, but it didn’t frighten her. The strong arms wrapped around her made her feel protected and not scared. He didn’t want a sex slave; he wanted a wife. And that made him different from any male she’d ever met. Shaylee was almost afraid to trust that things were changing for her, that perhaps the horror was finally over. There were things she should tell him, if he really was claiming her as his mate.

Wrylack drew away, reluctantly, as if he wanted to kiss her for a while longer. Shaylee didn’t think she would have minded. His kisses were nice, better than anything she’d ever experienced. Her lips tingled where they’d touched his and there was a warmth spreading through her that she didn’t understand. Wrylack’s grip on her hair eased, and his hand smoothed down her back to rest against the curve of her ass.

Shaylee’s heart thundered in her chest, wondering how far he was going to take things. She’d never been with a male without force being involved, but if Wrylack wanted her in that way, she wouldn’t fight him. It was the least she could do to repay the kindness he’d shown her. And if it hurt, like it always did, she would try to hold her tears at bay.

“I can feel your heart beating faster and the quickness of your breathing,” Wrylack said. “But I don’t know what you’re thinking right now. Do I frighten you?”

“No,” she said softly. “If you were going to hurt me, I think you would have by now.” At least, if he were going to intentionally hurt her. She knew that when he claimed her body it would hurt whether he meant for it to or not. It always had.

Wrylack sat up on his knees and pulled the blankets away from her. She lay still, not knowing what was going to happen. His eyes glowed as he scanned her from head to toe, and she remembered he’d said something about his special eyes doing that during an exam. When those glowing eyes came back to her abdomen, he stopped. Wrylack’s hand slowly reached for her, splaying across her lower belly.

“You’ve been pregnant before,” he said. “I noticed during my scan of you in medical. You have scarring on your womb.”

“A few times.”

“Where are your children?”

“I don’t know,” she said softly. “Some didn’t live long enough to be born. Only two had successful deliveries, but I don’t know if they live still. They were taken from me immediately. I never even got to hold them, or find out if I had a boy or girl.”

She’d never admit how much that had hurt. Yes, they were the product of rape, but she’d carried them in her womb, had felt them kick and roll inside her. They were a part of her, and even if their fathers had been monsters, she couldn’t have hated her children. She’d loved them, had wanted to see their little faces when they were born, but they’d been ripped away from her before she ever laid eyes on them. She didn’t know if they had been killed, sold into slavery like her, or if their fathers had kept them.

His gaze was sad as he stared down at her. He reached for her face, his fingers grazing her cheek. “I’m sorry for all that you’ve suffered. I will protect you with my life, Shaylee. As long as there is breath in my body, I won’t allow anyone to harm you again.”

Tears gathered in her eyes at his sweet words, and when he lay beside her again, she willingly went into his arms. “I know you say I’m your mate, but what if I can’t have children anymore? Don’t you want children?”

“As long as I have you, that’s all that matters. But I don’t detect anything wrong with your reproductive organs. Even with the scarring, you should be able to have a successful delivery. Do you know why you miscarried the other babies?”

“No. I was never told anything.”

“The babies who lived long enough to be delivered, do you remember who owned you at the time? Perhaps we could track down your children.”

“You would… you would allow another male’s children into your home?” she asked. “What if their fathers are your enemies?”

“They are first and foremost the children of my mate. Since you are mine, they are mine as well. I will raise them as if they were my flesh and blood.”

Shaylee felt something foreign blooming inside her. It was… hope. She didn’t know if her children could ever be located, if they even still lived, or if they would want anything to do with her. Even though she’d carried them and given birth to them, they’d never seen her. She would be a complete stranger to them. But to see them, even once, to hold them in her arms… a tear slid down her cheek. He was offering her a gift far greater than anything she’d ever dreamed of.

“I want to find my babies,” she said.

“When we get off this ship, I want you to tell me the names of the fathers and anything else you remember. There are cyborgs where I live who specialize in finding lost items or people. They were used on special missions by the Zelranian parliament before the Cy-Con program ended. I will have them find your children and bring them home to you.”

“Thank you, Wrylack.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Shaylee. They’re my family now too.”

“Do you really think the Meori will ever let us go?” she asked. “What if they hold us here forever? Or… what if you get hurt? Will they make me a slave again?”

“I don’t think they’re going to have a choice but to free us. When my fellow cyborgs realize I’m not among those left at Alpha9, they will come for me. And I’m not leaving this ship without you.”

“But there’s so many of them. Aren’t you worried the Meori will wipe out your people if they’re attacked?”

Wrylack rolled to his back and stared at the ceiling. “It’s a concern. They disabled my crew easily enough, as much as I hate to admit it. Granted, they outnumbered my crew, but there are no guarantees the cyborgs coming for me will have high enough numbers to extract us. I’m permitted to move around the ship, so I’ll study the Meori and search for weaknesses. I’ll also try to get a sense of how many are on board and whether the other ship is still nearby.”

“What if there aren’t any?”

“Everyone has a weakness, Shaylee. It’s just a matter of finding it.”

“What’s yours?” she asked.

He rolled back to his side and traced the contours of her face. “You.”

Shaylee’s breath froze in her lungs. No one had ever considered her important before, except for the money they thought they could get for her, or the sexual satisfaction they’d get when they forced themselves on her. But Wrylack was different. When he said that she was his weakness, she knew he meant it. For whatever reason, she was important to the handsome cyborg. Not as a commodity, but as a person.

“I want to know more about you,” Wrylack said. “But I don’t want to bring up painful memories.”

“I’m afraid I don’t really have any happy ones. Even before I was abducted from my world, things never seemed to go my way. My parents gave me up when I was a baby, and I went into the foster care system, bounced from one home to another. Some weren’t so horrible, but others… let’s just say I was thirteen the first time I realized just how rotten men are.”

“How old are you now?” he asked.

“Twenty-one. I think. Maybe twenty-two? It’s hard to keep track of time, but I believe around five years have passed since I was taken from Earth. I was seventeen at the time and on the run from yet another bad foster family.”

“So young,” he murmured.

“What about you? You don’t look very old.”

“The Cy-Con program changed us in many ways. Our aging process was slowed down, and our lives were extended. I was twenty-five when I entered the program. I’m thirty-five now. Does our age difference bother you? I’m fourteen years older than you.”

“No. You’ve treated me kindly, something no one has ever done before. That’s far more important to me than how old you are. Besides, thirty-five isn’t all that old.”

“And my eyes. They don’t bother you?” he asked.

“They’re different, but not in an unpleasant way. They’re a pretty color, and they’re beautiful when they glow. It’s a little unsettling that you can see my internal organs whenever you wish, but as a medic I can understand why you were given that ability.” She paused. “It is just my organs, right? You can’t like look through my clothes and see me naked?”

Wrylack chuckled softly. “No, I can’t do anything like that. In order for me to see you naked, you’d have to not only be undressed but couldn’t be covering up with the bedding either. When my eyes glow, I’m accessing a type of x-ray vision that allows me to scan your bones and organs. The rest of the time, I just see like anyone else does.”

“You asked if it bothers me about your age and your eyes, but does my past bother you? Knowing that I’ve been owned by so many. I lost count of how many owners I’ve had. I’ve been pregnant five times, by five different men, and have been with many more than that. Some owners liked to pass me around to their friends, and they didn’t always take turns. I’m tainted, Wrylack. Dirty. For all I know, I’m diseased. Why would you ever want to claim someone like me as something as sacred as your mate?”

Wrylack swallowed audibly and smoothed her hair back from her face. “If I could take away everything that was done to you, I would. You were a victim, Shaylee. Nothing that happened to you is in any way your fault. Those males hurt you, abused you, and I would gladly tear them apart with my bare hands if I could. Your past doesn’t define who you are. From the moment the Meori gave you to me, you were no longer a slave. You became mine, my mate. And you are far more precious to me than anything else in all the galaxies. If it would make you feel better, I could draw some blood and run some tests, but if you were diseased, it would have affected your organs, and everything is working perfectly. I don’t see a taint in your bloodstream.”

“I don’t want you to get sick from being with me. You probably shouldn’t have even kissed me.”

“I’ll get dressed, and we’ll go to medical. I don’t want you to worry for another moment. Afterward, I’ll find something for us to eat.”

“Will you still like me when I’m fat?” she asked.

He gave her a startled look. “Why would you think you’re going to get fat?”

“I haven’t had regular meals, pretty much ever. What if eating all the time makes me fat?”

“Shaylee, I don’t care if you’re skinny or fat. You’re mine, and I will cherish you regardless. If you gain weight, there will just be more of you to hold. That doesn’t sound like a bad thing to me.”

The ship vibrated, and Shaylee tensed. Wrylack rolled out of bed and strolled over to the windows. Her cheeks flushed as she took in his naked body, noticing that even though his cock wasn’t hard anymore, it was no less impressive. While his chest was hairless, the area around his cock and his balls contained a light dusting of short, white hair. He turned and found her blatantly staring at him. His lips curved in a smile as he returned to the bed, caging her between his arms.

“If you keep looking at me like that, we’ll never make it out of this room.”

Shaylee bit her lip and cast her eyes downward, but he tipped up her chin.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re welcome to look at me anytime you wish. You can touch me if you want. When I said you were mine, I also meant that I’m yours.”

“Mine?” she asked.

“Yes.” He kissed her softly. “Yours. You belong to me, and I belong to you.”

She lifted a hand, pausing a few inches from his chest. Her gaze held steady with his, uncertain if he meant what he said. When he didn’t stop her, Shaylee pressed her hand to his hot lavender skin. His muscles were firm under her fingertips, and she traced his pectorals and down his abdomen. She gasped when his cock stirred with interest.

“Perhaps if you’re going to touch me, we should get those tests out of the way first, since you seem concerned you’ll give me a disease if we’re intimate.”

Shaylee withdrew her hand and nodded.

“We’re at Alpha9,” Wrylack said. “I’m sure most of the crew will disembark. There are slaves for sale here, among other things, and they’ll need to leave my crew with someone. As quiet as it’s been, I’m going to assume they’ve kept them sedated.”

“You could escape now,” she said. “If there aren’t many on board, you could slip away.”

“I’m not leaving you, and I won’t risk your life in an attempt to run from the Meori.”

“Then… what if we fought back? With so few on board, could you overtake them?”

“If I’m caught, they will do horrible things to you before ending your life,” Wrylack said.

“Some things are worth the risk,” she said. “I’ve never known true freedom. First I was a captive of the foster care system, and later a slave to aliens. You said you wanted to take me to your world. I would have freedom there, wouldn’t I?”

“Yes, Shaylee. You would be free there.”

“Then I want to fight. I don’t want to live in fear anymore of what tomorrow will bring. And if they catch us, if I die, at least I will have known kindness once in my life. Whatever they do to me won’t be anything I haven’t been through before. I know if they try to mate with me, it will kill me, but sometimes I think death is preferable to the life I’ve led.”

“Shaylee, you’re breaking my heart.”

“Please, Wrylack. I don’t want to be the reason you lose more of your people. If your cyborgs come for us like you claim they will, they could die trying to save us. I would rather you lose me than lose so many more. There will be other mates.”

“No,” he said harshly.

“Wrylack, I… “

He silenced her with a kiss. It was deep, and rough, and Shaylee’s toes curled. A warmth suffused her and an ache built between her legs, something she’d never felt before. She didn’t understand what was happening to her, why she was growing damp between her legs, but the longer he kissed her, the more she wanted to feel his hands on her body. Whatever this feeling was, she somehow knew that only Wrylack could make the ache go away. No one’s touch had ever caused this desire to build inside her before.

“I need you, Shaylee. I don’t care about the damn tests. I need to feel you wrapped around me.”

She understood. He wanted to claim her, and she gave him a cautious nod, even though she knew pain was soon coming. If he wanted her, she wasn’t going to deny him.

Wrylack groaned, and his hand trembled as he reached for her breast, cupping the mound with a gentle touch. It felt… strange. Her body seemed to yearn for something. Wrylack stroked her nipple and pleasure shot through her. Shaylee gasped and pressed her breast tighter against his hand. Whatever that was, she wanted more of it.

“You’re so damn responsive,” he said, his voice a near growl.

Wrylack lowered his head and took her nipple into his mouth. His teeth lightly grazed it as his tongue flicked against the tip. Shaylee whimpered and fisted her hands at her sides, not knowing what to do.

“You can touch me,” he said, before taking her nipple between his lips again.

Shaylee sifted her fingers through his hair, holding him closer to her. Wrylack’s other hand skimmed down her side to the curve of her hip, before sliding across her belly and down between her legs. She tensed a moment, but the stroke of his fingers against her wet lips was pleasant. As his fingers teased her bare skin, she found herself wanting to get closer to him, to feel even more of the incredible sensations. No one had ever given her pleasure before, and she wanted the moment to last forever.

Wrylack plunged a finger inside her, thrusting it in and out. He switched from one breast to the other, giving the second nipple just as much attention as the first. His fingers stroked deeper, and his thumb pressed against her clit. Sparks shot through her as Shaylee cried out. She could feel herself getting wetter, and her thighs trembled. Without conscious thought, she began riding his fingers, wanting more. Wrylack kissed her again, deep and hungry, as an intense wave of pleasure rolled over her. She clung to his shoulders as her hips thrust against his hand. Stars burst behind her eyelids as her legs gave out, and she collapsed against the bed.

Through heavy-lidded eyes, she watched as Wrylack sucked the juices from his fingers. If anything, it just made her ache even more.

“What just happened to me?” she asked softly.

“Have you never had an orgasm before?” he asked.

She shook her head, her gaze fastened on him.

“My poor, sweet mate. I promise there is much more where that came from.”

“Will you claim me now?” she asked.

Wrylack growled and lowered himself over her body, lying hip to hip. She could feel his hard cock pressing against her slick pussy.

“Yes, I’m going to claim you now,” he said. “And I promise you’re going to like it just as much as you loved having my fingers inside you. Maybe even more.”

Shaylee doubted that, but she didn’t say as much. As beautiful as Wrylack’s cock was, she knew they caused pain. He would hurt her, even if he didn’t mean to. She widened her legs to accept him into her body, giving herself to him completely.

Wrylack kissed her hungrily as his cock slowly eased inside her. Shaylee tensed, waiting for the pain, but as he stretched her wide and filled her deep, the ache he’d just quelled began to build inside her again. Wrylack stroked in and out of her. He took his time, his thrusts slow as he filled her completely again and again. When he drew back, his gaze steady on hers, he took her harder, faster. With every plunge of his cock, he’d grind against her before retreating and filling her once more. The ache intensified until her hips were lifting to meet his.

There was no pain, only intense pleasure that left her gasping and wanting more. While she felt impossibly full with his cock buried inside her, it only seemed to make her wetter. Her body had never reacted this way with anyone before, and while it frightened her a little, she trusted Wrylack. If something were wrong, he’d have said so. Was this what it was supposed to be like when a man and woman were intimate?

Wrylack reached for her hand and slid it between their bodies until her fingers met her wet pussy. “Stroke yourself. Make yourself come.”

Shaylee had never touched herself before, had never once been curious after experiencing the pain of sex, but she did as he commanded. Her fingers pressed and rubbed against her clit until the sensations rolling through her became so intense she didn’t think she could take another moment of it. Wrylack pounded into her, driving her hips into the mattress. Her body tensed, and her climax nearly took her breath away as she came long and hard, his cock never slowing as he took her fiercely.

As the world came back into focus, she stared up at Wrylack. His jaw clenched, and he growled out his release, pumping his hips several more times until he stilled inside her. She felt the warmth of his cum and wondered if they’d made a baby together.

“Mine,” he said fiercely before kissing her hard and deep. “Whatever thoughts you have of escaping, of risking your life, I will fuck them out of you if I have to. We will remain in this bed, my cock buried in your sweet pussy, until I’m called upon. And then when I return, I will crawl right back between your thighs. Do you understand, Shaylee? You’re too precious for me to do anything that would risk your life.”

“I understand,” she said. “But what if the Meori don’t keep their word?”

“What do you mean?”

“They gave me to you. What if they take me away?”

“Then I will kill every last fucking being on this ship until you’re in my arms again.”

She felt his cock harden inside her. With his gaze fastened on hers, Wrylack began stroking in and out of her again. This time he didn’t hold back even a little. It wasn’t slow, it wasn’t sweet. It was a thorough claiming as he took her as fiercely as a warrior returning from battle, and when he was finished, she knew that she would never be the same again. Wrylack had touched a part of her she hadn’t even known existed. He kept his word and remained in bed with her for hours, taking her again and again, her pleasure going higher every time until she was breathless. And as she fell asleep in his arms, she realized that she had finally found home.