Quinn sailed straight up into the air, her cloak flapping behind her. Her hands slipped into her pockets, her fingers curling around the magnets she’d shoved in there. She rose until she was level with the robot’s head.
The robot’s face swiveled to face her. Quinn tossed the magnets.
They clamped onto its face, covering its blinking “eye”.
Then she dropped back down, landing in a crouch. She hissed out a sharp breath at the wave of pain.
Unable to see, the robot stumbled and roared.
Her gaze went to Jax. They weren’t safe yet, but they still had a chance.
Chapter Eighteen
Jax had to use all his dampeners to block the savage pain running through his body. His cybernetic leg was mangled under the rock. The shock of it had reverberated through his nerve endings, but his systems were busy shutting down the pain receptors.
He watched Quinn fight. She was drakking amazing. She was even smiling as she sliced her sword into the disoriented machine.
When she ran under its bulk, Jax’s chest tightened. She rammed her sword into the robot’s thigh, pulling on the blade and working it through the damaged metal.
She must have severed something vital, because suddenly, the robot lurched, its leg collapsing. The robot beast tilted to the side.
Quinn spun, jumped onto one of its arms and ran up it. When she was level with the robot’s chest, she jammed her sword into a patch of leathery skin.
There was a wild flash of sparks. A clunk echoed off the rock walls, and the magnets holding the robot together released.
The creature fell apart, the scrap metal crashing to the ground.
Quinn jumped, somersaulting in the air, and landed not far from Jax.
Concern on her face, she hurried over and knelt beside him. “You okay?”
“I’ll be fine.” He cupped her cheek. Her clothes and skin were streaked with blood and dirt. “You are drakking magnificent, Quinn Bennett.”
A smile flashed on her face, but when she looked at his leg, her smile faded. “Does it hurt?”
“It’s my cybernetic leg.”
“That wasn’t an answer.”
“My systems are dampening the pain.”
She nodded and then a noise made them both tense. Quinn rose, holding her sword up.
Mace appeared. The big man’s metal skin had retracted from his face, but from the neck down, his body was still covered in the metallic shield.
“Thank God,” Quinn said. “Help me move this rock.”
Jayna hovered nearby, shooting worried glances at the downed robot.
Mace frowned at the rock. “That wasn’t a good idea.”
Jax raised his brows. “I’ll ensure not to let a rock fall on me next time.”
Mace grunted. “Good idea.”
Together, he and Quinn gripped the rock.
Quinn blew out a breath. “Okay, three, two—”
Mace jerked the rock off of Jax and tossed it aside. Quinn was still in position, her hands now holding nothing.
“Just how strong are you?” she asked.
“Are you sure you want the answer?” Mace countered.
“Maybe not.” She dropped back beside Jax and wrapped her arms around him. Then she kissed him like she needed him to breathe. Emotions swamped him.
“You give me a lot to live for, Jaxer Rone.”
“Good.” He brushed his nose against hers. “I plan to spend a very long time learning all the things you love and enjoy, and ensuring you have everything you need.”
She smiled. “You. I just need you.”
“And a way out of here,” Mace said, his tone dry.
Quinn grinned. “I’m going to have you cyborgs joking around like pros before you know it.”
Mace gripped one of Jax’s arms and helped him up. His cybernetic leg was a mangled mess, but he wasn’t going to be drakking carried out of this sandcursed mine.
Mace slid an arm around one side of Jax and Quinn wedged her shoulder under his other side.
“The workshop?” Jax asked.
The big cyborg shook his head. “If there is a way out through there, I couldn’t find it.”
“We’ll damn well find a way out,” Quinn said. “Gaarl must have had one.”
They’d barely taken a couple of steps, when the parts of the robot started vibrating.
Jax’s stomach dropped. Drak.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Quinn muttered.
Before their eyes, the robot parts started to reform.
Mace tensed and Jayna whimpered. Quinn—Jax’s warrior woman—lifted her sword.
But Jax knew they were in no shape to fight the robot again. He could already see that it was reforming into a different configuration, using the broken and torn bits of metal to form a deadly armor.
Suddenly, a body dropped down from above.
The figure landed with a loud thud, one palm to the ground.
Then he rose, neon eye glowing. Magnus.
The imperator pulled a large sword off his back. Then he whirled into action, his blade and cybernetic arm glinting in the low light. He moved so fast he was a blur.
“Holy hell.” Quinn’s eyes were wide.
Magnus tore into the robot. Ricochet bolts fired, arrowing into weak spots on the robot. Its roar echoed off the walls. Jax knew that Toren was firing from above. Another form dropped down and landed on the back of the robot—Acton.
The cyborg pressed his arms against the robot’s metal surface. Energy filled the air, and parts started to tear off the beast.
Magnus leaped, and sliced one of its arms off.
But seconds later, the parts rattled and zoomed back to the robot, reforming.
“We need to help them,” Jax said.
Mace nodded, and taking most of Jax’s weight, he and Quinn helped Jax move closer. Jax lit up his tattoo, energy rushing through his arm. Quinn stepped back, staring at his arm with a smile.
Mace jumped, taking both of them right to the foot of the robot. Mace rammed a metal-coated fist into the robot’s knee, crumpling it.
There was a blur of movement, and Jax saw Quinn at the other leg, slicing with her sword.
Jax spotted a weak point, where the metal was cracked. He thrust his arm in, and pumped electricity into the robot.
Systematically, the cyborgs worked together, slicing and denting the creature.
“We need to destroy the control system,” Magnus said.
“Where?” Quinn called out.
“I’m detecting an energy surge in its gut.”
Quinn winked at Jax then turned to the imperator. “Can I get a boost?”
Magnus inclined his head. He bent on one knee and cupped his hands. Quinn pressed her boot to his palms and he propelled her into the air.
Quinn rammed her sword into the beast’s gut. A crackle of green energy sparked out.
“Acton and Jax,” Magnus yelled.
As soon as Quinn was free, Jax pressed his palm to the robot. He directed all his energy into it. Acton jumped down and thrust his arms out. His energy crumpled the robot’s middle, the metal folding inward.
Seconds later, the robot parts collapsed. Standing in the center, Acton raised his arms, and all the metal parts floated upward.
“Oh, wow,” Quinn said.
Then Acton clapped his hands together and the parts flew in, colliding in front of him. They’d twisted into a tight ball. Jax limped closer and touched his arm to the ball.
Heat generated, the metal turning hot. It melted together.
All that was left was a twisted mass of molten scrap.
Magnus turned. “Everyone okay?”
Jax eyed his mangled leg, and then looked at Quinn who was splattered with blood. She strode to him and wrapped her arms around him.
From nearby, Jayna made a choked sound. Frowning, Mace moved closer to her.
Jax pressed his face to Quinn’s hair. “We’re fine.”
Magnus nodded. “Then let�
��s get the drak out of here.”
* * *
Quinn sat in front of Jax on the tarnid, her hands on the reins. Jax was slumped against her back, one arm tucked around her waist. She’d been carefully monitoring him to make sure he didn’t lose consciousness or fall off.
She knew he was at his limit. Her gaze dropped down to his cybernetic leg resting against the tarnid’s side. God, it was a mess.
“I’ll be fine,” he murmured in her ear. “And I’m not going to fall off.”
She sniffed. “I know.”
He made a scoffing sound.
Quinn looked ahead to where Duna was leading their battered little group home, then she glanced over her shoulder. Jayna had panicked when they’d brought her out of the mine. Quinn had tried to calm her down, but strangely, it had been Mace who’d managed to get her on a tarnid. The big cyborg had spoken sternly to Jayna—Quinn had been about to deck him—but Jayna had steeled herself, shot a quick glare at him, and let him lift her onto one of the beasts.
The woman sat quietly now in the circle of Mace’s massive arms, staring ahead.
Magnus and the others rode quietly at the rear of the group.
Duna’s sharp whistle cut through the air. Quinn turned back and saw the lights glittering on the horizon.
Finally.
Home. She felt the echo of that thought deep inside her chest. Here she was, flanked by cyborg gladiators, on a distant, desert world far from Earth, but she felt like she was coming home.
She looked at Jax. Her cyborg smiled at her, and she smiled back.
They rode right through the city to the arena. Varus was waiting with some stable hands, and Avarn stood by with a stretcher held by some House of Rone gladiators. Quinn slid off, and instantly Avarn was there, waving at the gladiators to help Jax down. He was laid out on the stretcher, and once the tarnids were handed off, they headed inside the arena.
When they stepped inside the House of Rone, Jayna ducked her head, clearly upset.
“Come with me,” Avarn said softly. “We need to check you over.”
Jayna shook her head.
Mace made an annoyed noise, stepped forward, scooped her into his arms, and strode off towards Medical.
Avarn shrugged, then waved at the gladiators holding the stretcher. Quinn and Magnus strode alongside it.
Jax grimaced. “I hate being carried around.”
“And you hate Medical,” Magnus said.
“Reminds me of the military base.”
Where he’d been injured so many times until they’d wanted to throw him away like trash. Quinn grabbed his hand. “On Earth, if you’re good at the doctor’s, you get a lollipop.”
“A what?”
“A sweet treat. You lick it.”
A slow smile curled Jax’s lips. “You going to give me a sweet treat I can lick?”
She leaned closer. “If you’re a very good boy.”
Magnus made a choked sound. She glanced at the imperator’s impassive face and grinned.
The doors to Medical opened, revealing a room bustling with energy. Healers were moving rapidly around the room. Quinn couldn’t see a tangled head of hair.
“Where’s Jayna?” Quinn asked.
“I have one of my female healers with her in a quiet room. We’ve sedated her for now.”
“Mace?” Magnus said.
“Appears to have appointed himself the woman’s defender. He’s propping up the wall beside her bed.”
“Thanks, Avarn,” Quinn said.
The healer inclined his head. “My job, Quinn. And my honor to help people who’ve been hurt so badly.” He turned to where Jax was now resting on a bunk. “That appears to include you, Jaxer.”
“I know you like a challenge.”
Quinn’s belly sank. His amazing cybernetic leg was completely ruined. The healer pulled a tray of tools closer, selected one, and started disconnecting the metal melded to Jax’s thigh.
When Avarn pulled the damaged prosthetic away, Quinn studied the wires running into the stump of his thigh.
She gripped his hand. “You got hurt rescuing me.”
“I’d swim through molten metal to come for you.”
Her heart melted. “I knew you’d come. I never doubted it.” For the first time ever, there was someone she could depend on. Someone who would never let her down.
Jax cupped her cheek. “Quinn, I know next to nothing about love, but when I look at you, my world stops.”
God, he slayed her. She leaned over him and pressed her forehead to his.
“I want to wake up with you, feed you, pleasure you, protect you.”
“That sounds like love to me,” she whispered.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Avarn was smiling, and didn’t look sorry at all. “Jax, can you wiggle your toes so I can check the connections?”
Quinn straightened and blinked. A brand-new cybernetic leg was already attached to Jax. It looked identical to the damaged one. He moved his mechanical toes.
“Perfect, Avarn,” Jax said.
Quinn shook her head. “And here I was, agonizing all the way back about your leg.”
Jax smiled. “The House of Rone is renowned for its prosthetics and enhancements.” He sat up. “Now, you promised me something sweet.”
Laughing, she threw her arms around her man and kissed him.
When they finally broke apart, a door nearby opened. Quinn spotted several healers moving around Jayna. The woman was lying still on a bed.
“She needs time,” Avarn said. “She’s gone away mentally to protect herself from whatever she was subjected to. She’ll need time to heal.”
“And her hand?” Quinn asked.
Avarn nodded. “As Jax said, we’re the best at cybernetic replacements. We’ll give her a new hand. Most of all, she needs to know she’s safe.”
Quinn’s gaze moved back to the room, and this time, she took in Mace standing over Jayna’s bed, his big arms crossed over his chest. He was scowling at the healers.
Hmm. Quinn wasn’t sure Mace would be her first choice for helping Jayna, but when she saw Jayna reach out weakly with her good hand in her sleep—and Mace grasp her slim fingers with his larger ones—Quinn changed her mind.
It looked like Jayna had ended up with her own personal cyborg defender.
Jax rose and walked a few steps on his new leg. “You do good work, Avarn.”
“Of course,” the healer said.
“So modest as well,” Quinn said with a grin.
The older man smiled back.
Jax spun, and then before she knew what he had planned, he snatched Quinn off her feet, lifting her up against his chest.
“Hey,” she cried. “Don’t you need to adjust to that new leg?”
“No, I’m a cyborg. I don’t need to adjust to anything.”
She snorted. “You’re so modest, too.” Unable to stop herself, she nipped his jaw. “Do you need to adjust to the fact that I am crazy in love with you?”
His next step faltered. “Oh?”
She smiled. She loved disconcerting her cyborg. She peppered kisses over his face. “I adore you, Jaxer Rone. I love everything about you. Your strength, your goodness, your sexy body, your stamina—”
Jax picked up speed, taking the quickest path to his room, Quinn laughed, happiness welling inside her.
He slammed into his room and marched straight into the bathroom. He set her down, turned on the shower and then pushed her inside the glass enclosure, clothes and all. He stepped in behind her.
Under the warm spray, they took their time, pulling off their clothes.
“I want to be the one to give you everything you need, Quinn Bennett. Anything you want, I won’t stop until I get it for you.”
“Jax.” She’d never been in love before, but she liked it.
His mouth touched her neck. She moaned, pressing into his naked body. He took his time, licking and kissing her skin. She’d never been worshiped before, and that was what it felt like every tim
e Jax touched her.
“I’m no expert on emotions—” his fingers brushed her lips “—but every time I look at you, I can’t breathe. I can’t think of how to explain all these feelings inside me.”
“I love you, Jax.” She nipped his bottom lip. “You don’t need to find the words, you just have to show me how you feel.”
With a growl, he lifted her off her feet and pinned her to the tiles. He nudged her thighs apart with his hip, and she wrapped her legs around him.
“That will be my pleasure,” he said.
But as her cyborg slid his cock inside her, the pleasure belonged to both of them. Quinn held him tight as he rocked them both to a soul-shattering release.
Chapter Nineteen
“You’ll be safe here.”
Quinn led Jayna into the lovely bedroom. Quinn and Ever had spent time making sure it was decorated in soft colors of soothing blues and greens.
Jayna walked into the room, her moves still jerky and unsure. She’d finally been discharged from Medical. Avarn had pumped her full of nutrients and treated her wounds. She cradled her new cybernetic hand to her chest, as though she didn’t know what to do with it.
She walked to a large armchair and curled up into it. Her hair was clean now, but still tangled. She wouldn’t let anyone brush it. She turned her head and looked out the window.
Quinn released a breath. Jayna still showed no sign of recognition, wasn’t talking.
Ever appeared, her gaze on the woman. “No progress?”
Quinn shook her head, frustration riding her.
“We just have to have some patience,” Ever said.
“I’m not that great with patience.”
Ever laughed. “You’re going to need it living with cyborgs, trust me.”
Smiling, Quinn slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out the small wire creation she’d made for Jayna. She walked over and set it down on the table in front of the woman. It was a woman running, her hair flying out behind her.
Jayna looked up, eyeing the item through her snarled hair. Then her hand darted out and she snatched it up. She smoothed the wire between her fingers.
“We’re here for you, Jayna.” Quinn was conscious that there were others from the Helios still out there. They needed any clues that Jayna might have locked in her head. “And we’re going to find the others who need our help.”
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