The woman gave a slight shudder. “Quilby was a horrible man. He overstepped his bounds.”
Hattie suspected that her disgust was genuine. No, Quilby would never have fit in amongst the wealthy elites he longed to join.
Serena looked speculatively at Morgan. “I understand we have you to thank for returning his body?”
He shrugged. “I made the arrangements.”
He had? When? Perhaps that was what his calls had been about last night.
“We seem to be at somewhat of an impasse.” The coldness in her eyes intensified. “But I assure you, I always get my way.”
The bodyguards made a half-step forward and Morgan’s hand dropped to his gun. Hattie followed suit, praying her hand wouldn’t shake.
“I will make one last attempt to settle this peacefully,” Serena said calmly. “I want this land.”
“You can’t have it,” Hattie said, her voice firm.
The woman flicked a finger and there was a faint whirring sound. The back of the wagon was being lowered. Hattie had a sudden horrible conviction that she didn’t want to know what was back there. Instinctively, she moved closer to Morgan.
“I don’t think you want to be doing that, missy.” A gravelly voice interrupted the tension.
Hattie barely managed not to jump. S-756 appeared from around the side of the habitat, mounted on a dark metallic horse, and looking like the embodiment of judgment day.
“And who might you be?” Serena asked.
Hattie had to give the woman credit. She hadn’t flinched at the Judge’s sudden appearance and her voice was as cool and unperturbed as ever.
“I am the Judge. I am the one who can bring hell on Mars to GenCon.”
“Oh, really?” Serena’s perfectly painted lips quirked up at the corners. “You seem to be rather… solitary to wreak such havoc.”
“Oh, I’m not alone.”
The Judge whistled and more cyborgs appeared. Clint came riding around the other side of the habitat while at least a dozen more surrounded the GenCon vehicles. Serena lost her smile.
“But that’s not actually what I was referring to. Based on the actions of your Mr. Quilby, I can bring enough lawsuits to keep GenCon tied up in court for years.”
For the first time, Serena’s polite veneer cracked. Rage flashed behind those cold blue eyes before she smoothed her face. “I see.”
“I’m glad you do. Mrs. Lewis and this claim are under my protection—under all of our protection. You will leave it alone.” It was an order.
Serena inclined her head slightly, but the rage still flickered in her eyes. She wasn’t going to let it drop. Impulsively, Hattie stepped forward.
“You want access to the escarpment, right? For its… scientific value?”
“Yes.”
“I—” she flicked a quick glance at Morgan “—we are willing to sell you a ten-foot-wide strip along the far boundary of the claim. You can use that to access the site.”
“Fifteen feet. We will want to build a wall.”
Hattie glanced over her shoulder at Morgan again. He nodded.
“All right,” she said.
“That is acceptable,” Serena agreed, and some of the tension seeped out of the air. “I will send over the paperwork.”
“I think I would prefer to meet you in town. At my lawyer’s office.”
Another brief quirk of her lips and Serena inclined her head. She headed back to the rover, turning back before she climbed in. “I consider us to have a verbal agreement. Please do not try and back out.”
“I keep my word,” Hattie said quietly.
A sharp nod, then Serena let one of the bodyguards assist her into the rover. The GenCon vehicles departed without another word and Hattie sagged in relief.
“Can’t say much for your choice in neighbors.” The Judge dismounted and Clint joined him. The rest of the cyborgs tipped their hats to her and rode away.
“Where are they going? I wanted to thank them.”
“Got work to do. Can’t spend all day babysitting you,” S-756 said gruffly.
Clint winked at her from behind the Judge’s back. “The settlement ship landed early this morning.”
“Oh, yes, of course.” She shook her head. “This little visit threw me off completely. How did you know they were coming?”
“Didn’t know,” the Judge said shortly. “M-231 suspected when he saw GenCon representatives on the passenger roster.”
She frowned at Morgan. “You didn’t say anything to me.”
“It was just a guess. I hoped that I was being overly cautious.”
“I’m glad you were.” She smiled up at him, then turned to find the Judge watching them. “Thank you again for coming to help.”
“It’s my job,” he said gruffly. “Should have known a bunch of fucking humans would be up to no good.”
“I apologize for all the trouble we have caused you.”
“You ain’t too bad,” he admitted.
“Would you like to come inside and have some coffee? Or some breakfast?”
An expression that looked like longing crossed his face, but he shook his head. “Got work to do. Take today off, M-231, but I want you in town tomorrow. These new settlers are worse than the last ones.” He tipped his hat to Hattie and rode off without another word.
She sighed. “I wish he would’ve stayed. I think he’s lonely.”
Both males stared at her but she ignored the disbelieving looks. No matter how much S-756 might rage against humans, he was still one of them.
“Do you want some breakfast, Clint?”
“No, thanks. I have a shift in town to finish before I can head home.”
“Thank you so much for coming. And tell everyone else how grateful we are.”
“I will.” He, too, tipped his hat and left.
She sagged against Morgan. “Well, that was a hell of a way to begin the day.”
“I suspect I can think of a better one,” he said, sweeping her up in his arms.
“I don’t know.” She shook her head in mock doubt. “You’re going to have to work pretty hard to top last night.”
“Challenge accepted,” he growled.
Hattie laughed up at him and then he saw her breath catch as she studied his face. Adrenaline flooded his system, despite the efforts of his nanites to control it. The encounter with Serena Gatling had disturbed him more than he wanted to admit. He knew a killer when he saw one and he had no doubt that she would have disposed of both of them quickly, ruthlessly, and without the slightest hint of regret. Even though he would rather have her on the far side of the planet, he was glad Hattie had made the deal. He didn’t want another war.
“I need you,” he said urgently as he carried her inside.
“You have me.”
“I want more.”
As soon as they were through the airlock, he set her down and started stripping off her clothes. Her eyes widened at his haste, but she didn’t protest as he revealed her naked body, pale and glowing in the morning light. She started to lead him to the bedroom but he stopped her.
“No. Here. Overlooking our land.”
He picked her up again and carried her over to the windows. Her legs circled his waist and he could already feel the damp heat of her cunt against his stomach, but he wanted her hotter, wetter. He pulled her tighter against him and dove into her mouth, demanding her response. She moaned and gave him what he wanted. The taut peaks of her nipples rubbed against his chest and he dragged his mouth away from the sweetness of her lips, lifting her higher against the glass so he could feast on the stiff little peaks. She tried to arch closer, seeking more, but he held her motionless, relishing her need, her response, as his own arousal increased to a throbbing, demanding ache. His cock jerked in a constant rhythm but she wasn’t ready yet.
He lifted her higher still, bringing her sweet cunt against his mouth, his control almost gone as he licked and sucked, feasting on her delectable flesh as he drove her into two quick, h
ard climaxes. There. Now she was ready. He lowered her to the ground, turning her to face the window and positioning her hands on the glass.
“Don’t move,” he warned as he spread her legs apart, then drove up into her in one long shuddering stroke. He didn’t pause, didn’t wait for her to adjust, just kept moving, thrusting in and out with a ruthless rhythm as she cried out another climax, her cunt fluttering wildly around his cock. Bent over in front of him like this, her lush ass turning pink from the urgency of his thrusts, framed against their land, their home, she was everything he had ever wanted. Her hair tumbled down her back in wild chaos as she shuddered and tried to push back against him, but he was holding her too tightly.
He adjusted his hands, the human one sliding down in front to press against her clit with each plunge while his cybernetic hand traced the place where they joined, where his cock stretched her open, gathering their wetness before moving higher to circle the pretty little star of her anus. She shivered as he probed the small entrance, gradually pushing inside, the increased tightness around his cock almost too much to take. He went deeper and she pushed frantically back against him, her clit a hot, swollen nub, and he began to vibrate, sending ripples of ecstasy from back to front, until she cried out and climaxed again, her channel an impossibly tight fist as he thrust himself in to the root and came, his seed leaving him in great pulsing jets as he called out her name.
When he recovered the ability to think, he carefully withdrew and helped her to stand on trembling legs, then carried her to the couch and collapsed with her in his arms.
“You win,” she said between panted breaths. “That was even better than last night.”
“I wasn’t too rough?”
“Only in the very best way. You ought to insure that very talented hand of yours. I never thought…”
“We’ve only begun to explore the possibilities.”
She gave a delighted shiver and smiled up at him.
“Not that I’m complaining, but why in here?”
“Because I could see it all at once—the beautiful woman I love, the home we are building together, the land we are transforming. I know it’s not always going to be an easy life, but you have made me happier than I ever thought I deserved to be.”
“I never thought I would be this happy either.” Her face turned serious as she lifted a hand to his cheek. “But Morgan, I would give up the home and the land in a minute as long as it meant I could still have you. Everything else can be replaced. You can’t.” A shadow crossed her face. “I told Quilby he could have the claim if he let you go. He just laughed.”
“You were going to give up the claim for me?” He stared at her, his chest aching. “But this is your dream.”
“No. You are my dream. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Overcome with emotion, all he could do was pull her close as they watched the sun rising higher above their land, their future. Together.
Epilogue
One month later
“I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” Hattie muttered to Jo as she adjusted her dress for the tenth time.
“Maybe because it’s your wedding day?”
“I was nervous for all of mine,” Cherry volunteered and they both stared at her. She was reclining on Hattie’s bed wearing a simple blue dress with only minimal makeup, but she still looked ridiculously glamourous.
“How many times were you married?” Jo asked.
“Three times. Once for love, once for money, and once because I am a fool.” A shadow crossed her face but then she laughed and the sorrow disappeared. “But this is your day, not mine.”
“Well, this is the last time I’m getting married,” Hattie declared. “How do I look?”
“Beautiful,” Jo said, looking up at her with tears in her eyes.
“You do look lovely, my dear.” Cherry rose gracefully, then came over to arrange the small wreath of real flowers in Hattie’s hair. They had been one of her gifts to the bride and Hattie couldn’t even imagine how expensive they must have been. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” She smiled at her friends. “I can’t wait.”
“Sit down, boy, and balance your system. You’re making me dizzy,” S-756 growled. He had very reluctantly agreed to administer the marriage ceremony, even though there was nothing legally binding about the procedure. Cyborgs were not allowed to marry, any more than they could own property, but he and Hattie had both liked the symbolism of sealing their union with a wedding.
He tried to follow the Judge’s orders but as quickly as his nanites would regulate his breathing, his pulse would speed up.
“You can’t tell me you’re nervous,” Clint said quietly. “I know how much you want this.”
“Of course I do, but what if she changes her mind?”
“She is not going to change her mind. It’s obvious how much she loves you.”
He still found it almost impossible to believe. With her help he had finally accepted that he was both man and machine and neither part was better or worse than the other—and she loved all of him.
The bedroom door opened to reveal Hattie and all of his fears disappeared. She was wearing a long, slim dress that suited her slender frame while the pale green color she had chosen accentuated her beautiful eyes. Her hair was gathered up on her head, baring her graceful neck, and a small wreath of real flowers wound through the soft strands. Unable to stay away from her, he went to her side, taking her hands in his.
“You look beautiful, sweetheart.”
Her cheeks turned pink, but she gave him an admiring glance in return. “So do you.”
For once, he wasn’t wearing black but had chosen to wear white as a symbol of putting away the shadows of the past.
“You were supposed to wait and let her come to you,” Cherry said dryly.
“Why would I make her come to me? I will follow her wherever she goes.”
“Very romantic, if not perhaps traditional.”
“Let’s get started,” S-756 said impatiently.
He exchanged a grin with Hattie before they turned to face him.
“Yes, Judge.”
As they walked back across the room, Jo went to stand hand-in-hand with Clint, with Cherry next to her. There were no other guests.
“Are you sure you want this traditional crap?” S-756 asked.
“Yes, sir.”
He shook his head. “Very well. Dearly beloved…”
When they came to the part where the Judge would ask Hattie to make her vows, Morgan tensed. They’d had a long debate about the wording. The Judge had wanted to say “this cyborg” instead of “this man” but he and Hattie had persuaded him to use the traditional wording.
“Do you, Hattie, take this… man to be your wedded husband?”
She smiled up at him. “I do.”
A sense of peace settled over him. He had managed to reconcile the two parts of himself and he had found a woman who accepted all of him.
When S-756 said he could kiss the bride, he swept Hattie into his arms, kissing her with every ounce of love and devotion in his soul. The room broke out in cheers.
After the ceremony, all of them sat down to a feast prepared from their own homestead. Hattie had even agreed to sacrifice a chicken for the occasion, although he had been the one to actually do the deed. As the meal wound to a close, he rose to his feet.
“I would like to propose a toast to my beautiful bride. To Hattie!”
“To Hattie!”
Even the Judge raised his glass.
“Mars has not always been kind to us,” he said, looking at Clint and the Judge, “but it was worth every minute to be where I am now. And I suspect that it is changing us as much as we are changing it. To Mars!”
“To Mars!”
The guests departed after the wedding lunch, all of them smiling and happy for them. Even the Judge’s face seemed to relax when Hattie reached up and kissed his cheek.
“Thank you. This means so much
to us.”
“Yes, well.” He cleared his throat. “Don’t be expecting me to do this again.”
She laughed. “I don’t. I’ve found the love of my life.”
As soon as the door closed, he swept her into his arms. “I thought they’d never leave, Mrs. Gentry.” Pronouncing her new name filled him with satisfaction.
“You did not. You enjoyed it every bit as much as I did.”
“Perhaps. But I enjoy being alone with my beautiful bride even more.”
“What are you going to do with her, now that you have her alone?” she asked innocently.
“I am going to worship every inch of her as the goddess she is.”
“Hold that thought,” she said and wiggled out of his arms.
“Where are you going?”
“Cherry gave me another wedding present.” Her eyes were alight with mischief. “A little something for our wedding night. Or wedding afternoon, in this case.”
“I don’t need anything except you, naked in my arms.”
“Maybe not, but I think you’ll like it. Wait here.” She whisked out of the room.
Fighting the impulse to follow her, he impatiently removed his shirt, then caught a glimpse of his reflection in the window. His cybernetic arm gleamed, drawing his eye, but it no longer bothered him. It wasn’t just a symbol of his past; it was part of his future.
“What do you think?” Hattie asked, her voice low and seductive.
She stood poised in the doorway and with one look, all the blood in his body rushed to his cock. She was still wearing pale green, but this was nothing like her wedding dress. A sheer lace robe tied loosely at her waist. Beneath it she wore nothing but what looked like a series of green silk straps that cupped her breasts, crisscrossed her stomach, and disappeared between her legs.
“You don’t like it,” she said, her smile fading, and he realized he was still staring.
“I’m afraid that if I move, I will fall upon you like a ravening beast.”
Her smile returned, both playful and seductive. “So I have two options—to be worshipped like a goddess or attacked by a ravening beast?”
The Good, the Bad, and the Cyborg Page 16