The Edull had gotten tired of Quinn’s repeated escape attempts and had finally sold her to Sleeja.
She thought of Mina and the others, and her heart ached.
I won’t let you down again. I’m coming for you.
* * *
Jaxer Rone slammed through the doors of the House of Rone, sending the familiar, dark-blue wall hangings swinging.
He stood for a moment, watching the fabric sway, before continuing on through the corridor. The House of Rone had been his home for a long time. Forged from blood, sweat, and tears, this gladiatorial house in the city of Kor Magna had become his haven.
But today, he didn’t feel any sense of comfort or peace. Frustration was eating at him with sharp fangs. He was hot, dusty, and he had nothing to show for his trip to the desert.
Not a single drakking thing.
A slender figure came out of one doorway, holding a tiny baby in her arms.
“Anything?” Ever’s pretty face was hopeful.
Jax looked at the human woman and shook his head regretfully. “Nothing. The lead about the other human abductees was false.”
Ever’s face dropped. In her arms, baby Asha fussed, and Ever jiggled her. The woman was the mate of the man who Jax considered a brother, a father, and a best friend all rolled into one. And Asha was Magnus’ and Ever’s child. This woman and baby had brought the cold, emotionless cyborg Magnus had once been to life. They loved him completely, just as Jax did.
Jax would give his life for Magnus. He’d give everything to protect the House of Rone. And he’d die to protect Ever and Asha. He owed that to Magnus.
“We won’t give up,” Ever said.
He gave a firm nod. “We won’t give up.” He lifted a hand and stroked Asha’s nose with a fingertip. The baby’s lips puckered, and he felt a rush of warmth in his chest. “I need to clean up.”
“Jax, you need to stop pushing yourself so hard.”
He met Ever’s eyes. “There are other human women out there. Trapped, enslaved, hurting.”
Like he’d once been. Different circumstances, but the same ugly results.
Ever went up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Fine, then Magnus and I will have to make sure you take care of yourself.”
She had it wrong. Magnus had already taken care of Jax when he’d rescued him from termination. Now, it was Jax’s turn to return the favor.
In his rooms, Jax stripped off his cloak and harness. His fingers brushed the metal enhancements embedded into the skin of his left shoulder. He had plenty of cybernetic enhancements—all thanks to the cyborg military program that created both him and Magnus. His fingers curled. Once, they’d been little more than slaves to the military, weapons to be used. Disposable and replaceable.
Not anymore.
He shucked his trousers, then naked, he crossed his room, looking out the wide, arched windows into the training arena below. He saw gladiators and cyborgs training side-by-side on the sand.
The House of Rone was known as a house of cyborgs. It was a refuge for the damaged, defective, and malfunctioning. Since cyborgs were banned from fighting in Kor Magna’s famous arena, they also housed plenty of unenhanced gladiators.
Magnus had started the House of Rone to protect Jax. Like it was yesterday, he remembered the way Magnus had broken them out of the Orionix Military base. Jax looked at his high-tech, black, cybernetic leg. He’d been injured on the mission and slated for termination.
But the most dangerous cyborg in the program had objected. Magnus had grabbed Jax, stolen a ship, and they’d escaped.
That had been almost fifteen years ago. They’d come to Carthago to hide, and arrived here with nothing. Less than nothing. Jax had been injured, with a clunky temporary prosthetic that his body had been rejecting.
Since cyborgs were banned from the Kor Magna Arena, Magnus had found other illegal fights. They’d been very lucrative.
Jax’s best friend had fought and saved, and purchased Jax a better leg. Then together, they’d both fought until Magnus had enough resources to form the House of Rone and start recruiting gladiators.
Magnus had built the House of Rone, stone by stone, and he’d done all of it for Jax. Jax’s hands touched the cool glass. He owed the man so much. Everything.
He was going to find these lost human women.
It had all started when Magnus had collided with Ever Haynes. The strong, smart Earth woman had enthralled Magnus, brought out his emotions. She loved him as much as Jax did.
Ever had survived the drakking Thraxians. Jax looked down, but he no longer saw the fighting cyborgs and gladiators. The Thraxians were the worst of the worst. The slavers had tried to grind the humans to dust beneath their heels, and instead, these plucky humans from Fortuna Station had fought back.
Now, they were thriving.
After the first few had been rescued by the House of Galen, Imperator Galen had thrown all his resources and gladiators into saving every single human they could find that had been abducted. And then, they’d ended the Thraxians.
The survivors from Earth were now all happily paired up and mated with gladiators and other Kor Magna residents. Some, like Magnus and Ever, now had children.
But they’d recently learned that there were more stolen humans. The Thraxians had imprisoned more humans aboard one of their scout ships.
One of the women had been found. Despite having her memories tampered with, Mina had survived, and was now living at the Dark Nebula Casino in Kor Magna’s busy entertainment hub called the District. She was happily in love with the casino’s head of security.
But now, they knew that there were more women out there.
Jax looked over the training arena, past the larger stone walls of the Kor Magna Arena, past the sprawl of city. In the distance, his enhanced cyborg vision caught a glimpse of Carthago’s wild deserts.
The glass under his palms cracked in a web of fractures.
Drak. He sucked in a breath and strengthened his emotional dampeners to weaken the rush of rage.
But his dampeners had never worked as well as the other cyborgs’. Jax had always felt, even when he’d had to hide those emotions.
I will find you. He was leading the search for the other women from Earth. He’d vowed to do it for Magnus and Ever. A way to pay back the man who had given Jax a life.
Once, Jax had been trapped, a slave to the cyborg program that had used him. He knew exactly what that felt like, and he wouldn’t let these other women stay in their prisons.
“I’ll find you. I swear it.”
Chapter Two
Stepping inside the Dark Nebula Casino was always an experience.
Jax strode across the dark, elegant lobby. A huge chandelier glittered with all the colors of a nebula overhead. There were plenty of customers waiting to check in, tourists gawking, and staff working swiftly and efficiently.
His fellow cyborgs didn’t care much for the casinos, or anything on offer in the District. It was too busy, with too much stimulation, and too many security risks.
But a part of Jax liked it. The vibrancy, the life, the chaos. He’d spent the first half of his life in a steel-and-concrete base, forced to kill. On the rare occasions that he had time off from helping to run the House of Rone, he liked to sit at the gaming tables and experience the flow of life and emotion around him.
He didn’t always understand it, but he liked it.
He headed toward the reception desk to check in. He had a meeting with the head of security, Tannon Gi, and his woman, Mina.
The woman at the desk nodded, her gaze sliding over his mostly bare chest, the metallic implants on his shoulder, and the intricate tattoo on his other arm.
“You’ve been cleared to the security level,” she said. “Take the far elevator.”
“Thank you.” As he strode toward the elevator, another woman stepped in front of him. Jax paused. She wore a deep-green dress that glistened under the lights, her soot-black hair piled up in a complicated de
sign on her head.
“Jaxer.”
He frowned, taking in her red-painted lips and smoky eyes, then realized she was a former bed partner. Jax had indulged in sex before. Thanks to his less-effective emotional dampeners, he felt desire and enjoyed the feel of a woman.
Although lately, he’d had less time for it. And after seeing Magnus and Ever’s relationship, along with the House of Galen gladiators and their mates, Jax realized something was missing in most of his interactions with women. He wanted…something more, he just wasn’t sure what exactly.
He nodded. “Hello…?”
“Anarlia.” She shot him a sexy smile and touched his arm. “You never contacted me. We could have some more fun together.”
Despite a very sharp, enhanced mind, Jax’s memories of the woman were faint. He moved her hand off his arm. “I’m sorry, I’m working.”
She pouted, and he gave her a brisk nod. Once he stepped into the elevator, his mind was back on his mission. As the lift whizzed upward, the glass walls gave him a stunning view of the casino floor below. Even though it was daytime, the gaming tables were packed with people.
Finally, the doors opened, and he stepped into the high-tech security area. This room couldn’t be more different from the glitzy casino floors below. Tannon’s security team was busy. Uniformed members sat at comp screens and leaned over light tables. He nodded at several guards as he made his way to Tannon’s office.
In the doorway, Jax paused.
Mina Dixon was a small woman, with blonde hair cut in a blunt style at her jawline. She was perched on the edge of Tannon’s desk, while the head of security sat in the chair behind it.
They were kissing.
Jax didn’t look away. Instead, he analyzed, taking in the minute details. This kiss wasn’t about lust or desire, but intimacy. Love.
Despite indulging in sex, Jax had never kissed a woman. He’d had no interest in kissing.
Suddenly, Tannon looked up. The man had faint color along his cheekbones, and his usually neat hair was mussed.
Jax gave a mental shake of his head. He’d never imagined that this hard, taciturn man would ever fall for a woman. Few knew the details, but Tannon Gi was a former alien hunter—part bounty hunter, part assassin. His species was known for its control, determination, and lethal abilities. From Jax’s previous dealings with Tannon, Jax had always thought the man would have made a good cyborg.
But apparently, one small woman from Earth had changed that.
Mina turned. Blue eyes rimmed with brown met Jax’s gaze, and the woman stood and smiled. “Hey there, Jax.”
“Mina.” He walked in with a sweep of his red cloak and sat on one of the chairs in front of Tannon’s desk. “How are you?”
The woman’s smile widened. “Good. Really good. Thanks for asking.” She glanced at a thin timepiece. “I’m on shift soon.”
“Actually, your shift started a minute ago,” Tannon said dryly.
Mina winked at her man. “This time, I’m blaming you for being late.”
Tannon snorted. “You’re always late.”
Mina sighed. “True.”
“Do you have time to speak for a moment?” Jax asked.
She nodded. “Sure.”
“You’re still working in the casino?” Jax knew that she’d worked as a cocktail waitress when she’d first come to the Dark Nebula.
“Security team.” She shot Tannon an indulgent look. “The boss vouched for me. And thankfully, I don’t have to wear those torturous high heels anymore.”
“And your memories? Is there anything new?”
Mina’s smile faded, and Tannon grabbed her hand.
“Still fragmented.” She shifted to sit on a chair beside Tannon. “I do remember that there was a group of us from the Helios. Our captors kept us separated, so we didn’t see each other. I’m not sure how many there were.” Her lips firmed, frustration throbbing off her. “The only one I was allowed any contact with was my security chief.” She smiled. “I remember her now. Quinn Bennett.”
Jax straightened. Quinn Bennett. It was good to know the name of who he was looking for. “That’s good. What does she look like?”
“Tall, in good shape, athletic. The woman can fight. She’s got long, blonde hair, kind of a dirty-blonde color.” Mina blew out a breath. “But if they changed my hair color, they could have changed hers, as well. God, I hope she and the others are okay.”
Tannon slid his arm around Mina.
“Anything else?” Jax asked.
Mina nodded. “I remember now. When we came to Carthago, the Thraxians sold us to the Edull.”
Jax leaned forward, his gaze flicking to Tannon’s. There was a turbulent look in the man’s diamond-like eyes.
“The Edull,” Jax repeated.
“They keep to themselves, deep in the deserts of Carthago,” Tannon said. “My team tells me that they aren’t native to the planet.”
Jax nodded, accessing his memory files. “They can’t breathe the air here and wear masks.”
Mina’s face screwed up. “I remember the masks. They’re scavengers and love metal.”
“I haven’t ever seen any Edull in Kor Magna,” Jax said.
Tannon shook his head. “From my reports, the odd one comes occasionally to trade metal, but that’s it.”
“I’ve been having dreams of a city in the desert.” Mina tapped her fingers on the desk. “Towers and buildings made of scrap metal. I wish like hell I could remember more, but I don’t know what’s real, and what’s a figment of my imagination.”
“It’s a start,” Jax told her.
“I remember that Quinn and I tried to escape a few times. That’s when they decided to get rid of us.” Mina dragged in a breath. “They sold Quinn to somebody. I don’t know who.”
Drak. That meant this Quinn Bennett could be anywhere.
If she was still alive.
“And clearly they couldn’t sell me,” Mina said. “So they wiped my memory and dumped me in Kor Magna.”
Jax looked at Tannon. “Any ideas where this Edull scrap city might be?”
Tannon gave one shake of his head. “All we know is that the Edull stick to the far side of Carthago. Deep in the desert.”
Mina shrugged a shoulder. “The city might not even exist. Only in my mixed-up nightmares.”
“We’ll check it out.” Jax knew the far side of Carthago was largely uncharted and dangerous.
“I got a glimpse of another human once,” Mina said. “When they were dragging me back to my cell.”
Tannon growled and Mina squeezed the man’s hand.
“I don’t know her name. She must have been new on the Helios. She had Asian features. Asia is a continent on Earth. Her eyes are shaped a little differently than mine. They’re slightly up-tilted. And she has long, black hair. She might have been a scientist, or an engineer.”
“Okay.” Jax stood. “You’ve given us something to go on, Mina. The Edull and a scavenger city. They’re good leads.”
Mina looked sad, her voice quiet. “What if those women are suffering? Or being hurt? Jeez, every time I think about Quinn, I wonder if she’s even alive.”
Tannon stood and wrapped his arms around Mina. “My team has some data on a trading outpost some Edull use, not too far from Kor Magna. I’ll send it through to you.”
“Thank you. Would Rillian loan me one of his ships to use?”
Carthago’s desert sands contained a mineral that wreaked havoc on most engines. It was why the desert travelers stuck to simple tech, and very few ships flew over Carthago’s surface. Rillian, the owner of the Dark Nebula Casino, had spent a considerable number of credits, developing and testing ships that could withstand the desert.
Tannon nodded. “The range is still somewhat limited, but the engineers are extending the capabilities every day.”
“Excellent.” Jax looked at Mina. “We’ll find them. Every one of them.”
She leaned into Tannon. “Thank you.”
&
nbsp; As Jax exited the casino, he accessed his internal communicator.
“Yes.” A cool, deep voice resonated in Jax’s ear.
“Magnus, I have a lead on the missing humans.”
“Good,” Magnus replied. “Whatever you need, Jaxer, you have it. Ever couldn’t sleep last night. She’s upset about these women.”
And whatever upset Ever, Magnus would eliminate, slay, or destroy.
“I’m going to find them,” Jax said. It was a promise.
“I’ll call in the elite cyborgs. We’ll meet in my office.”
“I’m on my way.”
It didn’t take Jax long to return to the House of Rone. When he entered Magnus’ spacious office, situated right beside his own, the rest of Magnus’ best cyborgs were already there.
Magnus, cool and impassive, sat behind his large desk. One of the imperator’s arms was cybernetic, made of silver-grey metal and a metal implant curled around one of his eyes. He radiated control and authority.
Three other men took up space in the room, all with big, muscled, and modified bodies. They were three men whom Jax trusted implicitly. They were all loyal to the House of Rone. While cyborgs might not feel emotions or feelings like others, they understood loyalty.
Mace, the biggest of all, stood with his brawny arms crossed, leaning against the wall. All his enhancements were internal, so he was the only one who didn’t look cyborg. The man lifted his chin at Jax.
Blonde-haired Toren was the leanest of them, but that didn’t mean the sniper wasn’t as lethal as the rest of them. He had several metal enhancements across his torso and arm. He nodded at Jax.
The final cyborg just shot Jax a cool, unreadable look. Half of Acton’s face was metal, as were both of his arms, and he was the most cyborg of them all. He claimed he didn’t feel any emotions, but Jax wasn’t entirely convinced. He kept trying to get Acton to be a little less of a machine.
The men were the best fighters Jax had ever fought alongside.
Magnus glanced at Mace. “Report.”
Mace grunted. “I hate doing Jax’s job. Dealing with drakking clients is torture.”
Mace felt emotions just fine, but mostly anger and annoyance. While Jax spearheaded the search for the humans, the big cyborg was dealing with some of Jax’s day-to-day tasks.
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