Nine
Moments later, Vengeance watched his female as they stood thigh-deep in the river, washing the blood and dirt from their skin. Her movements were sharp and jerky.
“You’re angry with me.” He couldn’t process why. She’d been damaged during the hunt, but that was because she had jumped on the predator like a wild thing. He had shielded her from the initial attack, rolling the creature far away from her.
“Why would I be angry with you?” She slapped the water. “And if I was angry with you, why would you care? I’m your enemy.”
“Then you’re not angry with me?” He frowned. Human females were confusing.
“I didn’t say that.” She glared at him.
His female was angry with him. He was certain of that now.
“Don’t concern yourself about my feelings.” She stomped closer to him, each step punctuated with a loud splash. “When you leave here, you’ll find a female of your own kind to fuck, and I’ll wait for the next cyborg to arrive. That one I will kill after fucking.”
“You are not fucking another male.” He yelled, losing his temper. “And I’m not fucking another female. We’re leaving the planet together. I’m capturing you.”
“You plan to torture me.” She crossed her arms under her heaving breasts.
“I wouldn’t ever damage you in any way.” He would die before he harmed her. “I’ll protect you.” No one else would touch her…even when they were parted.
A brief separation was necessary. After he had proven his point to the council, they had to temporarily go their individual ways. He couldn’t expel the other human females from the Homeland and exclude her. His brethren wouldn’t tolerate that.
But he would process a way to return his strong warrior female to his side. His moments with Astrid had been the most enjoyable of his lifespan. He wouldn’t give up that joy, that companionship, that caring, not even for the beings he represented.
She was his.
“You and I aren’t enemies.” It was important to him that she realize that truth.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you starting to care for me, Vengeance?”
“Yes.” He allowed his admiration, lust, adoration to show.
The hard set of her jaw softened. “I don’t hate you.”
“I know.” He lifted his chin, finally understanding the situation. She cared for him as he cared for her. That was the cause of her emotional damage.
Being an extremely intelligent being, she must have realized their relationship had high barriers to overcome. She worried, as he did, that other factors, other beings would tear them apart.
The future was filled with challenges. This planet rotation, they were together.
“We’ll concentrate on this moment, on this battle, my female.” That was the warrior way.
Her shoulders slumped. “I’m tired of living like that, of being alone, always fighting, never knowing if I’ll have another planet rotation.”
His little human was exhausted. She’d suffered great damage, had exerted herself beyond her capabilities. “Come here.” He opened his arms.
She hesitated for a heartbeat and then rushed forward, pressing her curves against his muscles, resting her cheek against his chest. Conscious of the wounds on her back, he carefully held her to him, propping his chin on the top of her head.
Tenderness surged over Vengeance, an emotion a C Model such as himself rarely experienced. She, a fiercely independent, strong warrior female, trusted him to tend to her emotional damage. He was honored by that gift.
She leaned against him, the stiffness in her form easing. He stroked her wet hair, separating the tendrils with his fingers. Her wounds had pulled closed, but remained vividly pink against her light-brown skin.
“You shouldn’t have attacked the predator.” He had that situation handled and she had put herself at great risk.
When she had been wounded, had screamed with pain, it felt as though a hand had burst through his chest and yanked at his heart. He’d howled with fury, unable to shield her from the beast’s barbed tail.
“I had to save you.” She mumbled against his chest. “The predator could have ripped your skull off.”
She had put her lifespan in jeopardy to protect him, a cyborg, a being manufactured to fight, to die on the battlefield. Warmth spread over him. “My skull is reinforced with metal, my foolish female.” His voice was husky. “The predator was starving, didn’t have the strength to remove it.”
“It was hurting you.”
That bothered her—him being in pain. His world spun merrily around him. “Put your arms around my neck.”
She complied, not fighting his command. Her docility communicated to him how very weary she was.
He hooked his right arm under her legs, scooped her out of the river. Water dripped from her form, streaming along her body to his.
“Put me down.” She offered a weak protest. “I’m too heavy and you’re injured.”
“I’ve carried missile launchers heavier than you.” He walked with her, exiting the river, moving toward the domicile.
“My clothes.” She looked over his shoulder.
“I’ll retrieve them later.” He suspected his warrior female was more concerned about her weapons. “Sleep.”
“I can walk.” Her bottom lip curled. “You don’t have to carry me.”
“I like carrying you.” He lifted her higher against his body. She filled his arms perfectly, all lean muscle and soft skin.
“Then I’ll allow it…for now.” She slumped against him. “But you haven’t captured me.”
“Not yet,” he agreed, spotting the domicile. Their home.
He entered the structure with her, walked to their private chamber. The air still smelled of fucking, of them. He set her facedown on the sleeping support.
“It’s too early in the planet rotation for resting.” She yawned. “The sun is shining.”
The sun’s rays shone through the portal, lighting the chamber.
“It isn’t too early in the planet rotation for repairing.” The sleeping support dipped under his weight as he sat beside her. He brushed her hair to the side, exposing all of her wounds.
Two deep teeth-sized holes pierced the fragile skin over her right shoulder blade. Two more marks decorated the small of her back. Strips of bright pink trailed down her legs.
She’d endured that damage to save him. He bent over her, laved the raised flesh with his tongue, tasting salt and a distinctive flavor that was his female.
“Hmmm…” she murmured, shifting on the sleeping support. Her eyelids were partially closed, her gaze on him.
“Sleep, my female.” He licked her wounds. “I’ll watch over you.”
“You care for me.” Her eyes closed completely.
“I care too much for you.” He covered her with his nanocybotics again and again. Her breathing deepened, her lips parting.
His warrior female slept.
He stayed with her, tending to her back. Strands of hair interfered with his ministering. He braided the wild tendrils to keep them in place, having observed her in the past as she completed that task.
The softness of her hair enthralled him. The repetitive motion of braiding soothed his battle-torn soul. The sight of her gave him pleasure, reassurance.
His female was safe, by his side. He would craft a plan to ensure they’d spend their long lifespans together.
They would hunt, fuck, train. She would push him, challenge him, care for him. When she deemed him worthy, she would say the human love words to him.
His lips curled upward. She’d make him work for that honor.
He liked that, adored her.
The sun sank below the horizon, casting the chamber into shadow. His vision system adjusted to the reduced illumination.
He lay next to her. She shifted closer to him, his female seeking his body even in slumber. When she woke, they would fuck and then—
Vengeance. Death transmitted on their private connection. What is your location?
Vengeance bit back a curse. I remain on Second Buoir. He didn’t want to be disturbed.
Power has been making inquiries about where you are. The other cyborg relayed that news. He’s asking some of the C Models.
Some of those C Models had human females. Vengeance’s gaze settled on Astrid’s beautiful face. They might take advantage of his absence to further the case for equal rights for the humans…or worse. They might seek to replace him on the council.
He had hoped to spend several more planet rotations with his female, tightening their bond, storing memories in their databases for the lonely planet rotations ahead of them, planning, plotting their future.
That wasn’t possible. They had to return to the Homeland immediately.
I require a ship. He sent Death his coordinates.
You require…a ship. Disbelief coiled around the cyborg’s transmission. Our intel wasn’t correct? There were more beings on the planet?
Your intel was correct. Vengeance gritted his teeth as he communicated that information, bracing himself for judgment. The human female is a skilled warrior.
The human female downed your ship? Without assistance?
She blew the ship up. He, a C Model cyborg, the best of the best, had been outmaneuvered by a human. Not by any human, by his human. Pride offset his irritation. She was a force, a female any warrior would be proud to claim, and she was his. Her vessel was also destroyed in the explosion.
There was a stretch of silence. Even the static on the line had disappeared.
The warrior must have muted himself.
There was only one reason for that—Death was laughing at him.
He was a member of the council, a figure worthy of respect. Vengeance curled his fingers into fists. No cyborg should laugh at him.
The female was prepared for an attack. It was an unusual situation, his female an unusual opponent. She is extremely skilled.
Yes, you mentioned that. Death’s transmission vibrated with mirth. How many warriors do you require to apprehend the human female? Should I send a warship or a battle station to your location?
The warrior was mocking him. Vengeance jutted his jaw. I have apprehended the human female. All I require is a small transport ship.
Understood. The warrior’s tone implied otherwise. A small transport ship will be sent to your location immediately.
Vengeance ended the transmission. It would take almost a planet rotation for a ship to travel from the Homeland to Second Buoir. He could fuck his female, several times, explain the situation, prepare her for the ship’s arrival.
But not now.
Now, she required rest to repair herself. His female slept heavily, her body still, so very still. He perused her naked form, savoring her curves, her compact muscle.
She was exposed, vulnerable. No body armor covered her. Her alarm systems hadn’t been set. She was expecting him to protect her.
He wouldn’t fail in that task.
While he monitored their surroundings, using all of his senses, he tended to her back once more. He wanted her to be fully repaired when she arrived on the Homeland.
Death, when he saw Astrid, would recognize her as being formidable, a female capable of besting even a top warrior like himself.
And she would be emotionally strong, capable of handling the scrutiny of the cyborg council. She would conquer them as she conquered him. They would realize she was the exception, an honorable human, and admire her as he did.
There wouldn’t be any touching. He scowled. No warrior other than himself would have that privilege.
She was his. Only his.
The sun lit the sky once more. His female continued to sleep.
He had promised to retrieve her garments. She might want those when she woke. He set her alarms, inadequate though they were.
During his previous patrols of the area, he’d noted the predators didn’t venture close to the domicile. There were no other beings on the planet, and he’d hear a ship if it arrived.
She’d be safe. He slipped out the doors.
The air smelled fresh. Moisture glistened on the vegetation. Insects hummed. Second Buoir was very different from the crowded, fully developed Homeland.
Its wildness, its purity, appealed to him, and it was close to cyborg-controlled space. They could expand their territory, include Second Buoir in their monitoring, claim it as theirs, as they had done with Earth Minor, another inhabitable planet.
If he rearranged his duties, he could live on Secod Buoir with his female, travel to the Homeland for meetings.
That might be possible.
He trekked to the site of the previous planet rotation’s hunt, moving silently, stealthily through the forest. Predators shrieked around him, stalking their own kind.
His brethren had caused that imbalance. They’d killed his female’s clan. Without those hunters to cull the predators, the beasts had devoured all of their prey and were now starving.
They could rectify that. Several times a solar cycle, they could organize hunts, hosting warriors on the planet. His brethren would enjoy that.
That might please his female also. She spoke of not wanting to be alone, might welcome the competition.
He wanted to make her happy.
High-pitched yips reached his auditory system. Vengeance lowered, creeping toward the area. He stopped a safe distance away from the savage creatures.
The female predator gnawed on a bone, the fur around her mouth stained crimson, her fully sunken stomach now rounded. The cubs fought over a scrap of hide, pulling it back and forth.
They were well-fed, and there should be sufficient nourishment for the predator family for planet rotations. That report would please his female. She cared for the creatures.
He cared for her.
Vengeance turned and ran toward the river, the location of several fucks and many playful encounters. His female’s garments, weapons, boots remained on the banks.
He kneeled by them, drew her ass covering to his nose, breathed in. The leather smelled of her…and of his nanocybotics. They were part of her now, a transient part.
When they stopped fucking, his theory was his nanocybotics would dissipate. Their connection would weaken. He’d no longer have an overpowering need to breed with her, to remain by her side.
Parting with his female…temporarily…would then be possible.
Dreading that planet rotation, he folded her garments, retrieved her daggers. His fingers curled around the predator tooth. It was his, she told him. She was keeping it for now.
He wanted her to have the tooth while they were apart. She would think of him every time she touched it.
He would never stop thinking of her.
Fraggin’ hole. Their separation, although brief, would damage him. His heart already ached.
He gathered his female’s things, stood, took one last look at the river, half expecting to see her skimming along the surface, water flowing over her curves, her hair slicked back, her eyes huge, dark with passion.
She wasn’t there. His female remained in the domicile, her body repairing, her active mind oblivious to the incoming ship and the challenges ahead of them.
He took a detour on the way back, stopping at the rock facing. “No children or babies.” He touched Siv’s name, wishing he could have met the sister his female loved so deeply. “Fight well in the Great Battle, little warrior.”
He read every name carved into the stone. Being a cyborg, those names were now permanently saved in his databases. He would never forget the members of his female’s clan, the beings she had memorialized.
“I will take care of her for you.” He vowed. “She won’t be joining you in the Great Battle for many solar cycles to come.”
He’d protect his female, would restore his nanocybotics once his theory that they dissipated had been proven. They’d heal her, extend her lifespan forever. She—
Is it safe to enter the atmosphere? Truth, a never-serious cyborg, transmitted. Or will your tiny human female blow my ship out of the sky?
The warrior would soon enter the atmosphere? Vengeance stiffened. His ship was that close to Second Buoir? The Homeland is almost a planet rotation’s journey away. How did you arrive here so quickly?
He thought he’d have more time with his female.
The Reckless, our warship, is positioned close to the planet. Truth explained. Death contacted the captain. The captain sent me to rescue you.
I require a ship, not a rescue. Blast Death and cyborg efficiency. Vengeance ground his teeth. Land out of sight of the domicile. I’ll meet with you at your ship.
You didn’t tell your female I was coming, did you? The warrior laughed.
I’m ending this transmission. Vengeance deemed not to answer that question.
Because he hadn’t told Astrid a ship was arriving for them. He ran at cyborg speed toward the domicile, intent on explaining the situation to his female before he met with Truth. The trees blurred past him. Rocks cut into the soles of his feet.
He endured the pain, focused on minimizing hers.
The doors slid open and he skidded to a stop, dropping her garments, boots, and daggers on the floor. Every viewscreen in the structure flashed a red warning. He peered at one of them. A ship was approaching, the message screamed.
He tapped his fingers against the viewscreen, searched the system’s history. A lifeform scan had been performed. She knew the incoming ship was operated by a cyborg, his brethren, her enemy.
His wary female would suspect the worse—invasion. Having studied his kind, she would realize they could communicate silently, at long ranges. She would correctly assume he was aware of his brethren’s impending actions.
His female would believe he had betrayed her.
His heart twisted, his anguish acute. “Astrid.”
He dashed to their private chambers, knowing it would be empty, hoping he was wrong. The sleeping support was unoccupied. There was no sign of his female.
There was also no sign of her guns. The weapons she kept on her horizontal support were gone. He walked through the structure. The long gun normally leaning against the wall by the door was missing.
Fraggin’ hole. Vengeance raked his fingers through his hair. This time, she wouldn’t hesitate to press the trigger.
He was one dead cyborg. His female was going to kill him.