by Bianca D’Arc
“But what do we have to pay for it?” one of the women asked. “Last time I checked, people on colony worlds usually want hard currency for their goods.”
“The ice chunk had a metallic core,” Roxy told the other women. “Heavy metals, mostly. We’re still setting up the ore analyzer to smelt it and separate it out into component materials, but I know there was a bit of platinum, some gold and even some iridium in there. If the colony is the least bit advanced, they’ll take that in trade. Otherwise, we have some other things that came out of the ice—the fuel components Chiron mentioned, and some raw materials we could make synthetic oils from, if that’s what they’re interested in. I’ve set up a small chemical workshop in the compartment forward of the water reclamation area.”
The captain nodded. He’d given Roxy permission to pursue the minor components of the ice harvest, and Chiron knew his friend was as surprised as the others at the results. Roxy was an amazingly resourceful woman, who might’ve just saved their asses…again.
“All right, then,” Medeus pronounced. “It sounds like we have barter goods. However, I suspect we’ll need to tread lightly if we go to this colony. Most people still don’t like cyborgs. Some of you ladies will have to speak for all of us until we find out what they think of us.”
The captain looked grim, as did a few of the other cyborgs. The last thing they wanted was to go back to the way things were—being thought of as mindless machines. Medeus then opened the floor to discussion and debate. The ladies seemed to enjoy this part of their meetings the most, so the cyborgs just sat back and watched, for the most part, until some sort of consensus was reached. Today, they seemed to come to a decision rather quickly. They wanted to head for the colony world and see what they could learn.
“All right, we’ll check out the colony,” Medeus told them graciously. “And if any of you want to stay there, you’re welcome to do so. I don’t think the cyborg crew will be welcomed, but you civilians might be able to find a safe harbor there.”
Silence greeted his words, and more than one of the ladies looked like they were seriously considering getting off at the first stop. Just as well, Chiron decided. Free will was hugely important to him, and if these women didn’t want to be here, among the cyborgs, then they shouldn’t be compelled to stay. If the human colony would take them, so much the better for all concerned.
“I’d like you to elect a civilian spokesperson, plus a few others that can interface with the colonists,” Medeus reminded them. “We’ll leave you to your deliberations and will abide with whatever choices you make for your leadership.”
At that point, Medeus and the rest of the cyborgs, with the exception of Chiron, withdrew. The women would decide among themselves who would speak for them all. Chiron stayed only because Roxy did, but he kept out of the conversation for the most part, unless asked a direct question. Through him, the rest of the cyborgs were kept informed of the decisions the women were making.
When they chose Cordelia and a few of the other more outspoken ladies to represent them, Chiron wasn’t surprised. That Roxy was drafted into a leadership role felt like a natural fit to him, but she seemed really surprised and flattered. He was happy for her.
She’d told him about how she’d come to be on Eagle Nest Station in the quiet time after they’d made love. He’d wanted to crush Captain Jeffers into little tiny pieces, but at the same time, his heart warmed toward the woman who had faced such adversities and never lost her ability to trust…to love.
She was a special soul, and he was still getting used to the idea that she was really in love with him. He felt undeserving, but at the same time, he wouldn’t trust any other being in this universe to see to her safety. That was his job—his honor—for the rest of their lives.
The rest of the galaxy might not realize it yet, but the two of them as a couple were here to stay. They were something new. Something that had already been tested by no less than the wild tail of a raging comet. If they could come through that, they would prevail through any challenge. Roxy had restored his faith, not only in himself and in his fellow human beings, but also in love itself.
Together, they would be unstoppable. Chiron and his Roxy. The star ship mechanic and the guy next door.
EPILOGUE
Billie went back to the bridge shortly after the cyborgs left. Now that they had decided on a course, it was up to her to plot it so it could be implemented. She’d left once they’d decided to make her the liaison with the cyborg leadership. Since she was on the bridge all the time, that made sense, but it also made her uneasy.
She found herself attracted to the captain. Thinking inappropriate thoughts about him at the oddest of times. Sometimes, she’d just watch him out of the corner of her eye as he went about his duties on the bridge. She lived in fear of being caught by one of the observant cyborgs. Her crush was nobody’s business but her own.
Still, being assigned to talk to Medeus on a regular basis was no hardship. So, why was she tingling with anticipation? He was a cyborg. Newly awakened, from everything she’d heard him say to the others. She’d seen him struggle to access his lost humanity. She’d seen him doubt.
She saw him as human already, but she knew that was far from the truth. Medeus still had a long way to go, and any woman who pinned her hopes on him was probably setting herself up for a great big fall. Billie knew it in her head, but her heart had other ideas.
Knowing they were in for a wild ride, no matter what they found at the human colony, Billie laid in the course after clearing it with the cyborg next to her who was checking her work with the computer that had been built into his brain. He wasn’t a qualified navigator, but he was good with numbers and spatial geometry. He was also more computer than man and able to check her work well enough to keep the cyborg contingent happy that she wasn’t plotting a course that would pop them out in the middle of a supernova.
She almost resented it, but she was only a fledgling navigator. If she’d been on her first assignment, a senior navigator would be checking her work, too. She tried hard not to let her feelings show, but she was fast coming to dislike the young cyborg they’d partnered her with. He was just a little too smugly machine-like for her taste.
“Course laid in,” she reported as she completed the input.
“Helmsman, implement new course,” Medeus instructed the cyborg at the helm. Sometimes, Billie thought they spoke out loud just for her benefit. Not that she wasn’t grateful.
As she watched her course start to take hold of the old ship, she crossed her fingers for luck, but it was the captain who surprised her with his quiet words.
“For better or worse, there’s no turning back now.”
*
Thank you for reading The Cyborg Next Door. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review. A complete list of all of my books, separated by series, follows. You can also check out my website at WWW.BIANCADARC.COM. Or you can sign up for my new release list to be alerted when new books are released.
EXCERPT FROM STORM BEAR
© 2019 Bianca D’Arc. All Rights Reserved.
Prologue
“No! Get back here!” Sabrina ran down the slight hill she’d been standing on to cast her spell. How had it all gone so wrong so fast?
She’d intended to just nudge the heavy rain that was headed in the direction of the town’s weekend carnival away toward the other side of the valley. Instead, she’d somehow spawned a whirlwind and it was heading right for the Ferris wheel!
Sabrina ran down the hill after it, waving her arms and trying to cast a counter spell. She almost didn’t care who saw her. It was more important to stop the whirlwind right now than to protect her dubious anonymity. Besides, most of the residents of the tiny town tucked into the Canadian Rockies were shifters anyway. No real reason to hide from them. They could probably sniff out her magic anyway.
Thankfully, she’d been cautious this morning, only casting something small because lately her bigger magics had gone t
erribly awry. Thank the Goddess Sabrina had decided to start out small this morning, otherwise she could have been looking at a full blown tornado, rather than just a small scale dust devil. Still, the thing could do some damage if it traveled through the wrong place.
She cast like a crazy woman—probably looked it too—as she followed the whirlwind down into the grassy meadow just outside of town, where the carnival had set up shop. Only a few early risers saw her, shaking their heads or scratching them as they watched her headlong flight after the small whirlwind she’d created. Nobody stopped to offer advice or help, but that was okay. They were shifters, not mages.
It probably would have taken a full blown mage of master level to suppress her whirlwind, now that it had got going. Hells bells! She was a weather witch. She should be able to control any sort of weather out there—especially something that she had whipped up herself.
But it wasn’t working that way lately. Sabrina did know what was wrong. She didn’t know what to do. She just kept fumbling around, trying to fix whatever had happened to her innate magic. It had never been this difficult before. She’d grown up with her power. She’d grown into it, strengthening it and she got older and more skilled.
Unfortunately, it felt like suddenly, everything was different. Her power was spiraling out of control, just like that whirlwind she was chasing. Nothing makes sense to her anymore.
She needed help, but she had no idea where to get it. Weather witches weren’t recognized as mages by almost all of the reputable mage schools. She couldn’t just call up one of the ancient families that trained wizards and witches and ask for an appointment. Not with just a measly weather power to her name. They’d laugh at her and hang up. They weren’t interested in one trick ponies. They only dealt with those who had real power. The full package.
Weather witches didn’t really even count as magical folk to real mages. They were tolerated because they were useful, but if one malfunctioned—like Sabrina was doing lately—there was no recourse. They’d probably tell her to just stop using a little magic she had. It would be like cutting off a limb, Sabrina knew. She’d tried it when things had first started going awry, but she just couldn’t do it. The magical build up demanded release and things were much worse.
Better, she had decided, to let off the steam, so to speak, a little at a time. Use her talent in small increments to make the town a better place. Bring rains to the crops. Keep things like downpours away from town celebrations. That should be simple enough, right?
Apparently not.
One of the early morning observers shook his head as Sabrina passed by, chasing her whirlwind.
“Well, that does it,” he said to himself. Still shaking his head, he pulled out a cell phone from his pocket. He punched in a number and waited for someone to pick up on the other end. “Rafe? Yeah, hi. It’s Tobias. Can you spare Rocky or someone like him to come up here? Our weather witch is broken and needs fixed.”
“Isn’t that more a job for a mage?” the man on the other end of the line asked.
“Nah. A bear ought to be able to handle it. Someone with more magic sense than me and my wolves, at any rate. She’s only got the one talent and it’s not very big. From what I hear, mages want nothing to do with her kind,” Tobias explained. “She’s nice enough and I’d like to help her. She’s done a few good turns for our town, and my Pack, in the past. If you could send someone who could straighten her out, I’d be much obliged.”
“Well, I doubt if Rocky can do it, but I’ll ask him if he’s got a friend that we can send up your way,” the man promised. “What exactly is the problem?”
“After we hang up I’m going to send you a video file. It’ll be self explanatory,” Tobias assured the other man.
They hung up not long after and Tobias used his smartphone to capture some images of poor little Sabrina chasing her whirlwind, cussing at it like it was a misbehaving pet. Tobias’s head was pretty much constantly shaking as he sent the file to Rafe.
Sabrina was messed up. He only hoped the Lords would be able to send someone to help her.
*
Near Sturgis, South Dakota, the three bear brothers said their farewells. Each was headed in a different direction, looking for adventure in parts unknown. It was time. Time to test their mettle and do a little solo roaming.
Ace loved his brothers, but they’d had a bit too much together time lately. Bear shifters liked to be on their own a lot more than other types of shifters. Ace knew it would be good for both him, and his two younger brothers, to get out there and do some things without constant sibling supervision. So, they’d decided to go their separate ways once they finished helping a friend out in Sturgis.
Ace was going to take I-90 and head up into Montana. He had some contacts up there that he intended to look up, then figure out where to go from there. He’d finished with commitments and schedules and just wanted to see where the wind took him for a little while.
He had been feeling increasingly restless over the past year or so. He’d been feeling an urge to claim a territory of his own and settle down, but there was no female bear shifter on the horizon. Heck, there hadn’t been any sort of serious female in his life for a while now.
He hoped by giving in to the urge to roam, he’d allow fate to take a hand in his life. Maybe he’d find his true mate. Maybe not. But either way, he was looking forward to an adventure.
Ace revved his Harley and headed West. The wind buffeted him, welcoming him as he got up to highway speed. Ah. There was nothing like it. The open road, his hog under him, and no timetable in sight.
It was time to answer the call of the wild…
To read more, get your copy of Storm Bear by Bianca D’Arc.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bianca D’Arc has run a laboratory, climbed the corporate ladder in the shark-infested streets of lower Manhattan, studied and taught martial arts, and earned the right to put a whole bunch of letters after her name, but she’s always enjoyed writing more than any of her other pursuits. She grew up and still lives on Long Island, where she keeps busy with an extensive garden, several aquariums full of very demanding fish, and writing her favorite genres of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi romance.
Bianca loves to hear from readers and can be reached through Twitter (@BiancaDArc), Facebook (BiancaDArcAuthor) or through the various links on her website.
OTHER BOOKS BY BIANCA D’ARC
Paranormal Romance
Brotherhood of Blood
One & Only
Rare Vintage
Phantom Desires
Sweeter Than Wine
Forever Valentine
Wolf Hills*
Wolf Quest
Tales of the Were
Lords of the Were
Inferno
Tales of the Were ~ The Others
Rocky
Slade
Tales of the Were ~ Redstone Clan
The Purrfect Stranger
Grif
Red
Magnus
Bobcat
Matt
Tales of the Were ~ String of Fate
Cat’s Cradle
King’s Throne
Jacob’s Ladder
Her Warriors
Tales of the Were ~ Grizzly Cove
All About the Bear
Mating Dance
Night Shift
Alpha Bear
Saving Grace
Bearliest Catch
The Bear’s Healing Touch
The Luck of the Shifters
Badass Bear
Crossroads: Bounty Hunter Bear
Crossroads: Storm Bear
Tales of the Were ~ Were-Fey Trilogy
Lone Wolf
Snow Magic
Midnight Kiss
Tales of the Were ~ Lick of Fire Trilogy
Phoenix Rising
Phoenix and the Wolf
Phoenix and the Dragon
Tales of the Were ~ Jaguar Island (Howls Romance)
&
nbsp; The Jaguar Tycoon
The Jaguar Bodyguard
The Jaguar’s Secret Baby
Gemini Project
Tag Team
Doubling Down
Guardians of the Dark
Simon Says
Once Bitten
Smoke on the Water
Night Shade
Shadow Play
Gifts of the Ancients
Warrior’s Heart
Epic Fantasy Erotic Romance
Dragon Knights ~ Daughters of the Dragon
Maiden Flight*
Border Lair
The Ice Dragon**
Prince of Spies***
Dragon Knights ~ The Novellas
The Dragon Healer
Master at Arms
Wings of Change
Dragon Knights ~ Sons of Draconia
FireDrake
Dragon Storm
Keeper of the Flame
Hidden Dragons
The Sea Captain’s Daughter Trilogy
Sea Dragon
Dragon Fire
Dragon Mates
Science Fiction Romance
StarLords
Hidden Talent
Talent For Trouble
Shy Talent
Jit’Suku Chronicles ~ In the Stars
The Cyborg Next Door
Heart of the Machine (coming soon)
Jit’Suku Chronicles ~ Arcana
King of Swords
King of Cups
King of Clubs
King of Stars
End of the Line
Diva
Jit’Suku Chronicles ~ Sons of Amber
Angel in the Badlands