Avion regained his senses in time to hear Aramus losing his mind. Which really wasn’t that uncommon of an occurrence—Who’s the mentally defective idiot who didn’t close the hatch? Who ate the last bowl of Fruit Loops?—Who wanted to die because Aramus wasn’t in a good mood?

Most of the time, Avion tuned him out, or egged him on, depending on his mood. But this time was different because this time Aramus focused his ire on Lilith—and Avion didn’t like it at all.

“What do you mean you knew this would happen? You said we’d slingshot out and that our momentum would carry us out of this star system at twice the speed. Which, in retrospect, was ridiculously naïve of me to believe.”

“It’s possible to do. However, that wasn’t the plan in this instance. I lied.” Starkly announced.

“Lied? Why the fuck would you do that?”

“Because there was a high probability that, if I told you the actual plan, you would have never agreed to it.”

“Fucking right I wouldn’t. People don’t voluntarily enter black holes.”

“Why?”

“You just don’t. It’s a fact. A given.”

Lilith cocked her head. “But you haven’t explained why.”

“Because they’re destructive.”

“Says who?” She sounded genuinely curious, and yet Aramus seemed to think she mocked him.

Avion almost laughed as Aramus turned a shade of red he’d never seen before.

Neither had Seth. “Ah, man. I am so jealous. How come I can never get him to turn redder than a tomato? Lilith, you’re going to have to give me lessons on driving my best friend nuts. You seem to have a talent.”

Aramus rounded on Seth and flung his arms out dramatically. “Am I the only one perturbed that she lied? We could have all died.”

Avion pointed out the obvious. “And yet we didn’t.”

“Unlike our enemy, who tried to follow us and ended up as galactic debris,” Kentry observed, drawing their attention to the screen. For a moment they observed, in solemn silence, the drifting particles that trailed in their galactic wake.

“Yeah!” Seth fist pumped the air. “Win. Cyborgs two. Aliens still nothing.”

“By accident.”

“Still a win,” Seth replied.

“How come it worked for us but not for them?” Anastasia asked.

Lilith, still seated in Avion’s lap—where she belonged as far as he was concerned—shrugged. “They miscalculated. I didn’t. Wormholes, or black holes as you call them, can be used as a form of space travel that, if calculated correctly, will eject a vessel into a new galaxy with little to no damage.”

“And you knew this calculation.”

“My nanos are programmed to know all the coordinates of the known wormholes in the universe.” How nonchalantly she stated it.

“Exactly how much knowledge are you hiding in that little head of yours?”

“More than you can currently handle.”

“Not conceited, are we?”

“It is not conceit to state a fact.”  Smugly said, and was that the hint of smile at the corner of her lips?

That was definitely a scowl on Aramus’ face. “Are you related to Seth by any chance?”

“In a sense since he bears some of my duplicated nanos.”

“Freakier and freakier,” Laura murmured.

“We’re getting off subject,” Avion said. “The enemy, the one that fucked up and are now feeding space, do they also have the knowledge of wormholes?”

“I’m fairly sure they do, but like I said, a proper jump requires precision or a much more heavily armored vehicle. My prediction is, in their haste to catch us, they didn’t pay enough attention when calculating their coordinates to maneuver the black hole.”

“I’m still pissed you had us sucked into one,” Aramus complained. “Not cool. Anything else you’ve lied about?”

“Not currently.”

“Anything we need to know right now that is pertinent to our safety?” Avion asked, knowing Lilith wouldn’t omit telling them something out of maliciousness but out of a general lack of understanding about how sharing went.

“I don’t project any current threats to the ship or crew.” Unless you count me.

The giggled thought, so unlike her staid replies, took him aback. His lady had a diverse personality, almost as if she possessed two sides. The prim and proper clueless one. And then the wildly inappropriate one that saw everything as a joke. Her inner personality war, one he and so many others had struggled with, more than anything, made her a cyborg, even if she lacked spare metal parts.

“Freaky girl, we are going to have to seriously have a talk about what other secrets are inside that head of yours. But, first, status report. Kentry. Any idea where the fuck we are?”

For once, cool Kentry didn’t have a ready answer, and judging by the ruffled hair, it wasn’t sitting well. “How the hell would I know where we are? We just went through a goddamn whirlpool and got spat out who knows where. I’ve been trying, but I can’t match any of the stars or planets in this system to any of our maps.”

Lilith shifted on Avion’s lap. It proved distracting. “You can’t match this area to your maps because humanity has yet to travel this far. Actually, you’ve barely begun to tap the vastness that is the universe. Your ships are not equipped with the right engines for proper galactic travel.”

Just what kind of advancements had Lilith seen? She implied she knew of ships that could cross space in moments what took them years.

“You know this area?” Aramus asked, fixing Lilith with a stare.

“I do, and, at the same time, I don’t. I can access the star charts for this sector, but I haven’t been to this area before physically.”

“So you have no idea what to expect?”

“Not really. All I have are maps, which I will upload to your main frame for general access by the crew and ship.”

While Lilith did that, her stormy eyes staring blankly, Avion peered at Adam who’d deposited Laura in his seat. He knelt before her, his expression a touch anxious as he peered into the doctor’s face. Aramus’ mate, Riley, joined him.

Laura waved her hands at them, shooing them away. “I’m fine, you guys. Nothing a good night’s sleep and some food won’t fix.”

“Like hell you’re fine. You’re whiter than snow and shaking like a bloody leaf in a storm. What the hell did Lilith do to you?”

Even Avion couldn’t deny Lilith had done something to Laura. Used her like a battery to power their defense.

Laura confirmed his theory. “From what I can tell, she borrowed me, or my ability to tap kinetic energy, and used it to erect those last sets of shields.”

“You mean Lilith can body snatch?” Seth exclaimed. “Cool. Can you teach me?”

With a blink, Lilith rejoined the conversation in time to reply. “No.”

Crestfallen, Seth asked, “Why not?”

“Only those without the neural inhibitor, such as Laura and myself, can fully access the nanobot abilities. Everyone else is restricted.”

“But why?”

“Because—”

Before Lilith could launch into an explanation, Avion interrupted. “If we start all the hows and whys, we’ll be here all day. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could use a bit of a break before the next crisis. And I know Lilith needs to regenerate, or we could end up with problems if those D’zpi dudes find us again.”

“Will they find us?” Aramus asked.

“We’ve escaped for now,” Lilith confirmed. “But the battle is far from over. They will send more ships. The kind of determination we saw will not so easily let us escape.”

“Since we’re not familiar with this star system, any suggestions on where we should go?”

“If you want answers, then we need to find T’xa.”

“Which is who?”

“Not who, but where,” she corrected. “It is the planet where I was taken to and chosen by my mentor to become a bearer of the nanotech.”

“Chosen? What’s that mean?”

“Exactly what I implied. The nanos usually choose their hosts.”

“So some little robots had to decide if we were good enough for them?” Seth asked.

“Not in the case of the Earth cyborgs. You are what the T’xanians call abominations. Through the use of a neural interface, you enslave the nanotechs of another to work within your bodies. You are not considered a true choosing.”

“Hold on, freaky girl. You mean our bots were slaves. We threw off the chains of slavery. We don’t answer to anybody now but ourselves,” Aramus said.

“You might not, but the nanos are still bound by the BCI you all have.”

“You mean, the nanotech works without the brain chip.”

“For those chosen, yes. As for you…” She shrugged. “My knowledge about your creation is incomplete. If you truly wish to understand, then you must speak to those inhabiting the T’xanian world.”

“Judging by the look on my woman’s face, she is dying to find out more. I don’t know about you guys, but I, for one, would also like to some answers. Kentry, set a course for this T‘xa place. Lilith, feed him the coordinates.”

Answers to their origin? Avion couldn’t deny excitement at the thought. While all indications pointed to Lilith as having donated their nanobots, it still left the question of who gave them to her. It certainly wasn’t the military, as they’d once suspected. And what was this about a choosing?

“Course is set, sir. Arrival time in four days, fifteen hours.”

Plenty of time to grill Lilith and get to know her.

“Okay, folks and idiot”—Aramus pointedly stared at Seth, who grinned—“while we’ve got a lull, let’s all catch up on some R & R. I want it going on the record right now that anyone who disturbs me or my woman will get an iron knuckle sandwich.”

“Does it come with mustard?” Seth asked.

“Anastasia?” Aramus said with just a raised brow.

“Don’t worry, commander. I’ll keep him busy and out of trouble.”

“I’d prefer in trouble,” Seth whispered, as if all the cyborg ears couldn’t hear him perfectly.

“Kentry, you’ve got first watch. I’ll be back to relieve you at seventeen hundred hours.”

“Color me surprised,” he said.

“Rosalind,” he said aloud for the benefit of the microphones that would relay his word to the engine room. “I also need you to stay on duty and do a thorough check of our engines and other support systems. I want a full report by the time I come back on shift. Anastasia, you’ll relieve her and oversee the duty roster she establishes. Seth and Adam will provide the labor.”

Seth coughed into a hand. “Task master.”

“What about me?” Riley asked, hands on her hips. “And don’t pull any fragile human crap with me.”

Avion loved how the little human doctor never feared standing up to Aramus.

“You will stick by my side and prevent me from killing Seth.”

Ever the doctor and curious, Riley didn’t agree with his plan. “Sorry, but you’ll have to restrain yourself. I’d prefer to talk to Laura and Lilith about their conditions. That is, if they don’t mind. I’m sure Laura especially is wondering about what’s happening with her body.”

Indeed she would, considering Laura had been one hundred percent human a few days ago until she accidentally came in contact with some of Lilith’s nanotech. Now, Laura was one of them, a cyborg. Kind of.

Unlike the cyborgs created by the military, Laura didn’t have a BCI—a brain computer interface—embedded in the mushy parts of her mind. Nor did she have any metal organs or parts. Nothing extra, as a matter of fact, other than some nanobots, nanobots currently working without the benefit of a brain chip or anything.

Which led to the question, if Laura didn’t have any hardware or software to control them, then who, or what, did?

Lilith was similar to Laura in the sense that she also didn’t have the upgrades. But she also had powers a hell of a lot more powerful than anything other cyborgs had managed thus far.

Then again, no one truly knew what they were capable of. Avion had come to know dozens of cyborgs since their liberation—more like bloody escape. Their skills varied and were always changing. Adapting.

Enhancing them from the frail homo sapiens they’d begun life as to what they were now: cyborgs.

But we are more than machines.

They were also flesh, and flesh had feelings. “Lilith, would you mind if Riley asked you some questions?”

“I am agreeable to the suggestion. We could have a tea party.” The last part said on a giggle barely had anyone batting an eye or blinking. They had their cyborg emotions in check.

To draw attention away from Lilith, who had bitten her lower lip, as if to prevent herself from talking, Avion asked, “What about me, commander?”

“You stick close to your girlfriend. You seem to understand her better than us and, given her newness to our environment, can help guide her until everyone and everything is familiar to her.” Compassion and understanding from Aramus? “And, keep in mind, if she breaks anything while under your care, I’ll ram your head into the nearest wall.”

Ah, that was better.

With their tasks assigned, they were dismissed. Avion waited until the others left before nudging at Lilith. She stood and turned to face him.

“Where am I to go until I meet with Riley and Laura?”

“You need to rest. Come with me. I’ll give you a room and find you some food.”

While the SSBiteMe was a large vessel, it did have limited guest quarters, which were all currently taken. Aramus shared the captain’s cabin with Riley. Seth and Anastasia occupied another. Kentry had a room, but he’d relinquished it to Adam and Laura and opted to move into the barracks. The last private room was currently occupied by Avion. Rosalind, their newest crewmember, had taken over Einstein’s old lab, which had a bed and a bathroom, leaving only the barracks for Lilith. Somehow sticking her in that lonely place with the bunk beds—and Kentry, an unattached male—didn’t seem right.

“This will be your room,” he announced as he led her to his quarters.

The door slid open to reveal not much. Lilith wandered around the room, which, while not lavish, was comfortably appointed with a double bed covered in clean gray sheets, a table bolted to the floor with club chairs on either side, and a bookcase which, instead of literary works, held models of vintage planes, their bases glued to the shelf.

She wandered close to them and peered. “They are so small.”

“I know and a damned pain to assemble.”

She trailed a slender finger down the wing of one. He found it oddly distracting—and arousing.

Imagine those fingers running along my body, my skin…

She asked him something. “You built these?”

“I did.”

“Why? They serve no purpose.”

“You’re right. They don’t, but I enjoyed the creation of them. I also like the history they represent.”

“I don’t own anything.”

“That will change.”

“Why would I want to own objects?”

“Because the right object will bring you pleasure.” As does the right person.

“You have brought me to your room,” she stated. “Am I to stay here?”

“Yes, you are staying here, but don’t worry. You won’t have to share it with me. This will give you some privacy. I just need to grab a few changes of clothes, and it’s all yours.”

“You are leaving?”

“I’ll be just down the hall in the barracks with Kentry.”

“And Rosalind?”

The way she said the name raised the hairs on his arms. Did she just growl? Jealousy? Was it possible?

“She’ll be there too. But on an opposite shift.”

The crease on Lilith’s brow didn’t ease.

“If you leave, I will be alone.”

Avion wondered if she knew how lost she appeared in that moment, hugging herself in a gesture so unlike her usual confident speech and actions.

“You’re not alone. I’ll be just down the hall. Adam and Laura are right across from here too.”

“Adam and Laura are busy,” Lilith said. “In a manner that I don’t think they’d appreciate interruption.”

Avion thought it best to not ask how she knew that. “There’s other people around in case you get lonely. Remember, you’re not getting locked in. You can go anywhere you like on this ship. If you need me, come grab me, or if you get lost or don’t want to wander, then just use the intercom.” Or send me a mental nudge.

“I don’t wish to be alone. Can you not stay?” So innocently asked, and the storm clouds in her eyes stilled for a moment as she stared at him.

Wouldn’t he love to stay with her? He’d love to lie with her in that bed and hold her as she slept. Remain in this intimate room, where they could indulge in some of the more carnal ideas that he’d been entertaining since her sudden striptease in the control center. Staying was such a good, and yet utterly bad, idea.

“I don’t think I should.”

“Why?”

Because if he stayed, he might not be able to keep his hands—which seemed possessed of a more carnal mind—from roaming. “How about you tell me why you don’t want to stay here alone?” What has you frightened?

Haunted eyes met his. “I’ve been alone. Alone for a long time. I don’t want to be alone anymore. Stay with me.”

No one with a heart, even a mechanized one, could resist that plea. “You never have to be alone again. Not while I’m around.” He opened his arms, only belatedly wondering if she’d even recognize the comforting gesture.

Even given her lack of social blending and skills, she understood the offer of a hug when she saw it. She stepped into the circle of his arms, stiff at first. He folded his limbs around her, bringing her gently into the folds of his body until her head rested upon his chest. Tentatively, her hands crept around his waist until she returned the embrace.

This close to her, he couldn’t stop his body from reacting.

She noticed. “You are aroused.”

And embarrassed. “I am. I told you, Lilith, you are attractive. Enough that I cannot seem to control myself around you. A lingering result of my recent defectiveness.”

“You think there is something wrong with your attraction to me?”

Any other woman and he might have assumed she fished for a compliment, but this was Lilith. Innocent Lilith locked away, shunned, and unused to interactions with the opposite sex.

“Nothing wrong. A man would have to be dying to not notice your beauty.” Actually, even dying and blind, he’d found himself drawn to her.

“Then why do you wish to control your arousal?”

“So I don’t frighten you.”

She laughed, a delighted sound of surprise. “Scare me? Your desire is not dangerous.”

“No, but you might find it overwhelming were I to act on it.”

“Kiss me.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve been analyzing my own bodily reactions to you, and I think that I perhaps also suffer the same lack of control. The same desire. I wish to test this theory. Kiss me.”

Her demand lacked romance. Her wish was perhaps a little too scientifically curious in nature. It didn’t stop Avion from giving her what she asked for.

Why wouldn’t he? It aligned perfectly with what he’d wanted to do since they’d met.

He loosened his hug so he could raise his hands to her face, cupping the perfect and clear skin and angling her face to align with his.

Eyes, brimming with curiosity, met his gaze. They stayed opened, even as he lowered his face to press his mouth against hers. A soft, almost platonic kiss to test her reaction.

He didn’t count on the spark that jumped between them. He wondered if his eyes widened as much as hers did. He drew back.

“Again.”

With pleasure. He dipped his head and, this time, did more than just quickly press. He slid his mouth along hers, the sensual slide of flesh. He caught her lower lip between his, a gentle tug, and noted how her heart rate increased, her breath emerged in a warm rush, and her lids dropped, suddenly heavy with awakening passion.

His hand slid from her cheek to cup her head, drawing her close while his tongue traced the line of her lips.

The slightest of tremors went through her. He slipped his tongue into her mouth. She inhaled suddenly. He touched her. Let his tongue glide along hers, a sensual dance that drew a low moan from her.

He sat upon his bed and dragged her onto his lap, not once letting his lips stray from hers. He could have kissed her for hours, but Lilith seemed intent on taking things further.

She stripped off the shirt he gave her and tossed it to the floor.

“What are you doing, vixen?”

“The fabric was irritating me.”

“I’m sure it was, but that doesn’t explain why you’re rubbing yourself on me.”

Indeed she was. Since he was already bare-chested, it meant their upper bodies now touched skin to skin. The erect nubs topping her pert breasts poked at him. His mouth actually watered at the thought of tasting them.

“I want to touch you.”

Her stark request slowed him worse than a cold shower. “This isn’t right.” He placed her upon the mattress and stood.

Bending down, he grabbed the shirt, determined to place it back upon her, but before he could turn around, she’d wrapped her arms around him from behind and pressed her nude body against him.

Why do you reject me?

Her soft touch on his mind let him see her hurt.

He clasped her hands and held them as he turned in her arms. He brought her palms up and placed them on his chest. “I am not rejecting you. Trust me when I say it is taking every ounce of willpower right now not to toss you on that bed and make love to your body.”

“Why stop yourself? I am amenable to that idea.”

“You’re curious. You’ve also just been released from a prison. To do this now…” He blew out a noisy sigh. “It just seems wrong. Like I’d be taking advantage of you.”

“You are worried I will regret having sex with you. I won’t. I am fully cognizant of what I want. I’ve weighed the pros and cons.”

“And what are the cons?”

“That you will become emotionally attached to me.”

“Too late, I already am.” And he didn’t care if it was his BCI or heart making the assertion. Avion just knew it was true. His remark seemed to fluster her. “Any other cons?”

“What if I become emotionally attached to you?” Followed by a whispered, What if I begin to care and you reject or leave me?

Then she’d be all alone. Like she’d been alone for most of her life.

Hadn’t Avion recently learned just how fleeting life could be? Everything could vanish in an instance. They could die, today, tomorrow, next week. By denying Lilith the closeness she craved now, was he, in fact, doing more harm than good? Didn’t she deserve to feel close to someone?

And if she later on decides she doesn’t want me, that she wants to change her rapid choice? Then he’d go on a murderous alien killing rampage.

His version of physical therapy.

“So what are the pros?”

She slapped hands to cheeks, which pinkened. Again he couldn’t help but feel flattered by the reactions she couldn’t control. The more she hung around Avion and the others, the more she lost her placid demeanor. A fiery personality, with an adorable, shy side hid within.

“Come on, vixen. You spilled the cons, now for the pros. Why should I make love to your luscious body?” He trailed a finger down the valley between her breasts, noting her shudder.

“Because.”

“Because? That’s not an answer.”

“Because I don’t have one. I am aroused but don’t know why. I ache between my thighs and only know that you are the cure. I want to touch your skin and have you touch mine. I need.” I need you.

Yup, there went the last of his defenses. The right thing be damned. He wasn’t leaving this room. He wasn’t leaving her.

Why bother to say it when he’d much prefer to show her? As he angled them toward the bed, he cupped her face and kissed her soft lips. He guided them to the mattress, their lips remaining latched as he shed his pants and toed off his boots.

When her back hit the mattress, he kept himself to the side, his engorged shaft pressing against her hip.

He let his hand roam, skimming her silky skin and exploring her slender shape. He cupped a small breast, his thumb brushing over the tip, and she sucked in a deep breath.

He stopped kissing to peek at her and was so glad he did. She presented a stunning image. Lids partially hid the swirling colors of her eyes, passion flushed her skin pink, and as for her lips? Swollen and parted in invitation.

“You are staring,” she observed.

“Admiring. You truly are beautiful, vixen.”

“You do not think my eyes too strange? Most people cannot look into them for long.”

“I love your eyes. They reflect your moods.”

“And what is my mood right now?”

“Hungry.”

Hungry for passion.

Avion could practically taste her rousing excitement. Her aroused musk perfumed the air and left him throbbing.

The temptation of her body drew him, and his lips coasted the velvety smoothness of her breasts. Oh, how she trembled.

Erect nipples teased, and he sucked those taut buds, tugged them with his lips and teeth until she emitted the most wondrous moan. He angled himself over her, using his forearms to brace himself as he continued to please her begging breasts.

He nudged at her legs until she parted them enough for him to insert a thigh between them. He let himself press against her moist core. And she was wet. Wet and hot.

She was also not a placid lover. She cupped his face as he paused in his licks and nibbles of her breasts. She drew him to her and kissed him. Kissed with a fervency that had him groaning.

“You make me feel so alive,” she murmured against his lips. “I want more.” Show me.

An invitation he could not refuse. He lifted himself over her, the head of his cock nudging at the damp entrance to her sex. Lips locked as he thrust into her, right through a thin membrane.

He gasped. She gasped. They both stilled.

Did I hurt you?

A little. It is nothing.

But she was wrong. It was everything. Lilith had given him a precious gift. One he didn’t want her to regret.

He kept his mouth slanted over hers, nibbling at them, letting her adjust to his size. Propped on one arm, he let his free hand toy with her flesh. He pinched and rolled her nipple until she shivered, tightening the muscles of her channel around him.

Sweet torture.

Roaming a little lower, he withdrew himself just enough to insert his hand between them. He found her clitoris. Found it, took advantage of it, and reaped the reward.

Her hips undulated as he rubbed her nub. Her sex pulsed around him. She emitted small sounds of pleasure. He began to thrust, small strokes as he continued to tease her pleasure button.

She was small. Tight. Perfect.

And she was also begging.

“Please. Give me. Give me. Make me.” She couldn’t quite articulate what she wanted. A good thing he knew what she needed.

He withdrew his hand to better penetrate her. Deeper. Harder.

Oh yes, he’d hit the right spot. He could tell by the low moan.

“Yes. Yes.”

He didn’t know if she even realized she chanted aloud or that her legs wrapped around his waist, drawing him deep, locking him in place, able to only grind and feel the tight moistness of her sex. His turn to make a noise.

Had there ever been a more perfectly pleasurable moment in his life? Buried, balls deep, within Lilith’s body. Joined to her. Body and mind.

What about soul?

Deep questions had no place in the maelstrom brewing between them. She met him thrust for thrust, the strong suction of her sex gripping and stroking him, the muscles milking him as he pushed in and out.

He couldn’t help but pant against her lips, but she panted too. In that moment, they weren’t perfectly controlled. They were flesh. And blood. And passion.

In rhythm, they found bliss, bodies rocking to a tune only their bodies knew. Shudders swept her and brought him to orgasm. Together, they came, their heartbeats pounding in sync for that splendid moment in time.

It stole his breath. It stole his thoughts. It stole his strength.

He collapsed on her. His energy spent. His vision dimming. His body not cooperating.

It seemed the transfusion hadn’t entirely worked.

Once again, his nanos died.