Her words had infuriated him, made him angry enough to put his fist through a wall. Wrylack had given her no reason to doubt him, had killed to protect her. He’d claimed her as his mate. And yet she thought he would toss her away like some unwanted thing? He tried to remain calm, not to do anything rash, but he wanted to lash out.

The way she’d curled in on herself, the sobs wracking her small body, made him realize that she was hurting far worse than he was. Her words had hurt, but her tears said her pain was greater than his. He didn’t understand what had happened to her to make her feel so unworthy of him. She’d told him about the men, sometimes more than one, had told him about the pregnancies. He knew she’d been a sex slave, had been with countless males before him. And he’d accepted her, even knowing those things. While he was sorry for all she’d been through, none of that mattered to him. She was sweet and beautiful, and she was his. But she’d said if he knew… knew what? Did she think there was anything she could tell him that would make him walk away from her?

Did she not understand that being his mate made her the most precious thing in his life? Her tears soaked his skin, but they began to slow, and she took a shuddering breath. He thought he’d explained about mates, thought she knew what she meant to him. But the way she’d fallen apart, the doubts that had clouded her mind, proved otherwise. He knew from the things Lathim’s mate had said that humans didn’t mate in the way cyborgs did, it didn’t always mean forever with humans. He wanted to be angry with her, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t her fault. She’d been used and ill-treated for so long, had confessed she’d never known kindness until him, not even from her own people. It would take time for her to learn that he wasn’t going anywhere, that her new life wouldn’t vanish before her eyes. And he’d need to be patient with her.

Wrylack tipped her face up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She stared up at him, uncertain and scared. The fear in her eyes made his gut clench. He’d put that fear there, his harsh words had caused this. In that respect, he was no better than the others she’d known, and it made him sick. He’d never harmed a female before, not even verbally, and to have done it now… and to his mate. He was so ashamed.

“Forgive me,” he said softly.

“F-forgive you?” she stammered. “For what?”

“My words hurt you, and I never wish to cause you pain.”

“I hurt you first.”

“It doesn’t excuse my behavior. I should have controlled my emotions better, have been more careful with my words. It was obvious you were hurting, and I made it worse.” He smoothed her hair back from her face. “I never want to cause you pain, of any kind.”

“Are we okay?” she asked. “Are you mad at me? Do you… do you want me to leave?”

His arms tightened around her. “I don’t want you to leave.”

“There will be other women coming to your world. Some who might not be as damaged as me.”

“You’re my mate, Shaylee. I don’t want anyone else. I’m sorry for the things you suffered. I wish I could take those memories away from you, but I’m not sorry I found you on the Meori ship. I’m not sorry they gave you to me. You’re mine, and I’m never giving you up.”

“What if my children are horrible, and you don’t like them?” she asked.

He smiled a little. “They’re yours and could never be bad. They may be traumatized depending on what they’ve been through, but we’ll deal with it. I have no doubt that Norkov will find them and bring them home. And I will welcome them with open arms.”

“What if they’re gone?” she asked, her voice a near whisper. “What if something horrific happened to them? What if… what if Norkov is too late?”

“Then you will mourn them, and when you’re ready, we’ll start a new family.”

“When I’m ready?”

He nodded. “There is a shot I can take on my world that will inhibit my sperm for short periods of time. I don’t have any left in my system now, so if you don’t want another baby, then I can’t touch you until we reach Xpashta.”

“You’re sure I’m not pregnant already?”

Wrylack shook his head. “I’ve scanned you every morning. Your womb is empty.”

Her eyes clouded, and he hesitated a moment.

“This makes you sad?” he asked.

“I want to give you a son or daughter, someone who is blood to you, and at the same time I’m worried I’ll miscarry again.”

“Shaylee, I won’t lie. I want children with you, as many as you’re willing to have. But if something happens, if you can’t give me a child, it won’t lessen your worth in my eyes. I will be content having my mate safe in my arms every night.”

“I want to try. I want to try having a baby with you. And not just for you… Even if my children are found, I’ve missed so much of their lives. I want to experience everything, from the first moment my baby draws breath. And I want to experience that with you.”

“It doesn’t have to be now, Shaylee. We can wait. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. We have more than enough time to start a family.”

She slowly nodded and snuggled closer again.

Wrylack smoothed his hand down her hair and breathed in her scent. He would have to remember that she wasn’t like Lathim’s Maggie. She hadn’t escaped the males who took her, had not been spared the horrors of being a slave. And while she was strong, in many ways she was still very fragile. He’d have to be careful with her, and remind her often that she was important to him.

There was a chime at the door, and Wrylack reluctantly pulled himself away from his mate. He pulled on a pair of leather pants and made sure Shaylee was covered before opening the door. Norkov nodded for him to step into the hall. Wrylack glanced at Shaylee before leaving the room and letting the door shut behind him. Whatever the cyborg had to say, it must not be meant for his mate’s ears.

“I used the ship’s main computer to contact a few people and begin my search for your mate’s children.” Norkov’s expression was grim.

“Are they dead?” Wrylack asked.

“I haven’t found anything that leads me to believe they’re dead, but… did she say anything else about the first child’s father? Any suspicion who it might have been? Maybe someone who… resembled us?” Norkov asked.

“No. She said the male who owned her passed her around.”

“There is talk of a half-human female, the age Shaylee’s child would be today. The male who owned her sold the child, but getting her back won’t be easy.”

“Why? Who would buy a baby?” Wrylack asked.

“Wrylack… her daughter is half-Zelranian. Mishka is her name, and she was sold to the father’s family,” Norkov said softly. “It’s Bekvir.”

Wrylack felt like his knees were going to buckle. The general over the Cy-Con project? There was no one crueler that Wrylack had ever met. The male was ice-cold and laid death and destruction everywhere he went.

“He raped her?” Wrylack asked, his voice a near whisper. He was horrified that one of his people would do something so horrible. “He harmed my mate? She said no one had ever been kind to her before, that she’d only known pain. He made her suffer, and now he has her child?”

Wrylack leaned against the wall, no longer certain he could remain upright. It sickened him that a male he had once followed into battle could do something so cruel to anyone, especially a delicate female like Shaylee. He closed his eyes as pain pierced his heart. If Mishka was on Zelran, there was no hope for retrieving her. The moment any of his kind set foot on their old world, they would be destroyed and the peace they’d maintained would be gone.

“I’m sorry,” Norkov said. “Truly.”

“Is she well? The child… do you know if she’s taken care of?” Wrylack asked.

“I don’t know, but I don’t think they would have bought her if they didn’t intend to keep her. Perhaps they are raising her as Bekvir’s daughter. It’s possible she’s treated well and will integrate into the society there with little trouble.”

“I can’t leave her there. Not with him.” Wrylack opened his eyes and stared at Norkov. “I want her. I want Mishka, whatever it takes.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“And the other baby? The half-Vrotu?” Wrylack asked.

“Nothing yet.”

“I can’t tell her about Mishka. If I tell her I know where her child is and that I cannot retrieve her, then Shaylee will not understand. She will be angry and perhaps distrust me more than she already does. I don’t wish to keep things from her, but perhaps this one time it would be better,” Wrylack said.

“I haven’t mentioned the child to anyone else, and I won’t unless I think it’s necessary. I still have some contacts from some of our Cy-Con missions. I make no promises, but maybe one of them can help. There are a few I would trust to bring the child to her mother, without trying to sell her elsewhere.”

“Thank you.” Wrylack looked at his friend. “How do I go back in there knowing that one of our people abused her so horribly? You know Bekvir. He’s always been cruel and a monster. He wouldn’t have just used her for sexual release and let her go, even if she hadn’t belonged to him. He would have inflicted as much pain as possible on her small body, and probably laughed the entire time. Even pain wouldn’t have been enough for him. He probably degraded her in every way possible.”

“Your mate has been through a lot, Wrylack. She may not have told you everything, and I’m sure she has her reasons, but she told you enough. Knowing Bekvir got his hands on her, maybe that’s something you struggle to accept. It’s understandable. But she needs you. And you need her.”

“You saw what Bekvir did during the Cy-Con missions. He’s a large part of why we refused to fight anymore. The things he would do to the females he captured… “ Wrylack’s stomach nearly revolted. “Every time I close my eyes, I’ll see him doing those things to Shaylee.”

“She was a slave,” Norkov said softly. “Even if we were to lodge a complaint with the Zelranian parliament, she had no rights at the time those things were done to her. She’s your mate now, but back then she was just property. If her owner gave her to Bekvir for his entertainment, then there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Wrylack closed his eyes, and a tear slipped down his cheek. He hated to look weak in front of anyone, especially his fellow cyborgs, but now he partially understood what Shaylee meant when she said if only you knew. And he wished he didn’t know. How she could still smile, could still be so sweet… how she wasn’t completely broken in both body and mind, he would never know. But he was thankful that she was with him, that he could hold her every night, and that he could give her a better life than she’d had before.

“I want vengeance,” he told Norkov. His eyes opened, and he stared at the cyborg. “Bekvir must pay for what he’s done. I don’t know when, or how, but he will suffer for the harm he caused my mate and for taking her child.”

Norkov’s jaw tightened. “I’ll make it happen.”

“Good.” Wrylack pushed away from the wall. “My mate needs me. If you find out anything else, let me know.”

He re-entered the quarters he shared with Shaylee, letting the door close behind him. She slept, her chest rising and falling evenly. He watched her a moment, thankful she was part of his life. Wrylack removed his pants and slid into the bed next to her, gathering her against his chest. He’d never know how she survived all these years, and he’d never ask her about her past, but he vowed that she would be safe for the rest of her life. And she would be avenged. He tightened his arms around her.

And she would be loved.

He’d never experienced love before, but the intensity of his feelings for her suggested that he more than just cared about Shaylee. She was his entire world, and if anything happened to her, he would be devastated. Now that he’d held her in his arms, had tasted her sweet kiss, he couldn’t imagine a world without her in it.

Shaylee murmured in her sleep and cuddled closer, her fingers tangling in the strands of his hair. Wrylack pressed a kiss to her brow and hoped her dreams were sweet. He linked to Lathim.

Can you ask the commanders to have my things moved to a house? The small quarters I have now aren’t fit for a mate.

He felt Lathim’s agreement. There were plenty of empty homes on the base they’d claimed. Most cyborgs preferred the close quarters of the smaller units in the large buildings. But with a mate, Wrylack knew he would want more space, especially when her children were brought home. Only a handful of cyborgs had taken a house prior to having a mate. If everyone had a mate one day, they would have to expand the walls and build more homes. But for now, there were sadly only three mates on their world, or there would be three once Shaylee was safe inside his home. Three mates and hundreds of cyborgs. It hardly seemed fair.

“You’re thinking too hard,” his mate said softly, her eyes still closed.

“I’m happier than I’ve ever been,” Wrylack confessed. “But it seems wrong when so many others are still without mates. I’m one of the cyborgs who had been considered undesirable and the least likely to find someone.”

“Why?” she asked, her eyes opening.

“Because of my eyes,” he said. “Cyborgs who don’t have mechanical parts showing already scare people, mostly because of our reputation, but with my eyes… “ He shrugged.

“They’re beautiful,” she said.

“There are others on Xpashta who are like me, with cybernetic parts on the outside. It’s been a concern that perhaps a mate will have to be purchased for them. We’ve recently learned of a program that provides brides or mates, at a cost of course. But I don’t know that it’s any better than purchasing a slave at auction.”

“Wrylack, have you learned nothing?”

His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“There are some out there who might be afraid of them, but if those cyborgs are half as sweet as you, half as kind, then they have nothing to worry about. That’s what most human women want… to be treated right, especially if they’ve been abused in some way. Maybe instead of focusing on purchasing mates, you should try rescuing some.”

“Like the slaves Norkov plans to bring with him from your old master?” Wrylack asked.

“Yes,” she said softly. “Either send those cyborgs with him, or make sure they’re the ones who help the women when they get to Xpashta. A gentle touch will go a long way with a woman who’s been a slave. Every owner I had took what he wanted. I was never asked if I wanted something, my physical comfort or well-being was never considered. And I would imagine most slaves you rescue would be the same way.”

“Lathim’s mate suggested that we have a meeting with some race called Terrans. It seems they have a program in place on Earth to provide brides to their people. So far, we haven’t been able to discover any world where a race called Terrans exist, although it does seem to be a common way to refer to humans. But that doesn’t make any sense. If the bride program was for humans to mate with humans, why would they be sent off-world?”

Shaylee frowned. “I remember seeing some of them on the news when I lived on Earth. They actually look a bit like you. Their skin is a darker hue of purple, and their hair is pitch-black. But their general build and features are the same.”

Wrylack stared at her. “Dark purple eyes?”

She nodded.

“They aren’t Terrans. They’re Zelthranites and are related to my people. Some Zelthranites landed on my old world a long time ago and mated with the people who already claimed the planet as their home. My people, the Zelranians, are descended from a mix of the two races.”

“Why don’t you live there anymore?” she asked.

“The Zelranian parliament designed a program for… I guess you would call us super soldiers. Cyborgs. The program, Cy-Con, took active and retired military and altered us. In some cases, males were selected who had never joined the military but had skills our government thought would be useful. When we revolted, we were exiled.”

“What did they do to you when you joined the program?” she asked.

“Our bones were replaced with a dense metal, some of our organs were replaced with cybernetic ones. In my case, they gave me cybernetic eyes with X-ray vision, thinking to enhance my medical abilities. As I told you before, they also replaced my lungs and heart. I was one of the top medics in the military when I joined the program. I guess they were trying to improve me.”

“And no one else has eyes like yours?”

“No. The doctor presiding over the procedure told them it was too traumatic to try it again. I apparently died twice while they were enhancing my body. Once when they replaced my heart, and again when they removed my eyes.”

“And the others who have cybernetic parts on the outside… what are they like?” she asked.

“One has a cybernetic arm from shoulder to fingertips. It looks well enough like a regular arm, but it’s made of special metal. Indestructible. Another has legs made of the same material.”

“Are there others like the three of you?” she asked.

He hesitated. There had been others, but not anymore. Those memories were best left in the past, though, and he didn’t need to burden Shaylee with them.

“No. It was decided that it was better to keep our cybernetic parts hidden, so all other cyborgs look… normal I guess is a good-enough word.” Not an entire lie. Out of the current living cyborgs it was true anyway. Some of the Cy-Con experiments had ended up more machine, and the results had been disastrous.

“What’s going to happen when we reach your planet?” she asked.

“My current quarters were not suitable for a mate, so I’ve requested a house for us. My things are being moved.” He frowned. “I’ll have to arrange for more clothing for you. I didn’t think to grab the ones the Meori gave you.”

“I’d just as soon not have anything they’ve touched,” she said.

“There are store rooms on the base where we live that may have clothing that fits you. We can look through the crates and see what we find. If there’s nothing that will work, the next ship leaving Xpashta can pick up some things for you at Alpha9 or another trading post,” Wrylack said.

“What if the other mates don’t like me?” Shaylee said softly.

“They’re going to love you,” Wrylack assured her. “How can they not? My mate is sweet, and her smile lights up the darkest room.”

Shaylee’s cheeks flushed.

“Rest,” Wrylack said.

Shaylee didn’t argue and closed her eyes, curling against him. With his arms around her, Wrylack kept watch. Even though they were safe for now, the Meori had proven that cyborgs were not invincible. Until they reached Xpashta, he would stay vigilant. No one would take his mate from him, not as long as he drew breath.