A little thrill went through Suki. The big, powerful cyborg had the ability to crush her, to kill her with one blow, but he was the gentlest male she’d ever met. Nurturing. Caring. Suki had never known anyone like him before, not even on Earth, and while he was still a stranger, there was no disguising the goodness inside of him. It shone through his eyes.
“Why do you look different?” Tark asked. “I mean, different from other human females? The others on my world don’t look like you.”
“Like me?” she asked.
“Yes. Your eyes are different, your size. I’ve heard Earth is full of many different types of humans.”
“I’m from a place called Japan. Perhaps the other humans you’ve met were from other places.”
Tark nodded. The look on his face was one of fascination. She wondered how different his home was from her world. She’d seen many planets since being captured though she never had a chance to explore any of them. As a slave, a whore, she’d had one purpose and it had only involved spreading her legs or giving aliens access to whatever part of her they wished.
Suki ate slowly, even though she wanted to stuff her face as fast as possible. It had been so long since she’d eaten real food she knew she’d throw up if she didn’t take it slow. Everything tasted so damn good! The master had fed her this nasty paste she’d been told was full of nutrients but had tasted like chalk. The food on her plate… it was heavenly. So many flavors and textures. It would be so easy to eat until she burst, but Suki was careful not to overdo it.
When she was finished, she pushed her plate away. Tark had been done for a while, nearly inhaling his food. He put their plates into the cleansing unit, then took her hand and led her back the way they’d come. Tark opened the door to their room and pulled her inside. As the door shut, he turned to face her, his chest heaving as if he’d run a marathon, and his eyes were dark with passion. There was no doubt he wanted her, but Suki didn’t think he would act on it. Not unless she prodded him.
“You need to rest,” Tark said. “You can have the bed.”
“And where will you sleep?” she asked.
He shrugged. “The floor is fine.”
Suki crawled onto the bed and pushed the covers aside. She inched over as far as she could, pressing her back to the wall, then motioned for Tark to come closer. He stopped at the edge of the bed and looked down at her.
“There’s plenty of room, Tark.”
“I shouldn’t,” he said, looking away, a muscle in his jaw tensing.
“Please,” she said softly. “What if I have a nightmare? What if I need you?”
He glanced her way again, just staring for a moment. Then he removed his boots and got into bed, pulling the covers over both of them. Suki smiled softly as she curled against his body, her hand on his chest and her head on his non-metal shoulder. It was a small victory, but she’d take it. His body was tense, and his chest barely moved, as if he were afraid to even breathe. Did he even have to breathe? He’d said his lungs weren’t organic. She wasn’t entirely sure what it meant for some of his organs to be mechanical. She’d never met a cyborg before, not that she knew of anyway. She found him rather fascinating, in more ways than one. After everything she’d been through, Suki never would have guessed she might be attracted to an alien, but then she’d never met one like Tark before.
“Will we travel to your world tomorrow?” she asked, curious about what would happen to her next.
“Once the crew finds out there’s a female on board, they will want to return to Xpashta as soon as possible. Suki, I didn’t see other humans in that tent, but you said you were kept in cages when you weren’t…”
“Servicing customers?” she asked.
“Yes. Were there other humans, maybe held somewhere else?” Tark asked.
“Yoko and I were the only humans from our country, but there were two other humans there. We didn’t get to speak to them much, but one said she was from India. I never found out anything about the other woman.”
Tark tensed. The look on his face was one of panic, and something else. Something she couldn’t quite determine.
“There are more humans? Where did the slaver keep you when you weren’t in that tent?” he asked. There was a bite to his tone, and she realized he was worried for the other women. She hadn’t given them another thought, and it made her stomach ache that she’d failed them.
“The cages are on his ship. It looks much older than this one, and isn’t as well maintained from what I could see. The outside had dents and the metal was tarnished.”
“Suki, can you tell me exactly where that ship is located? Maybe my cyborg brothers can locate it and free those humans.”
She shifted so she could look into his eyes. “Really? You could find them and bring them here? Take them to your world with us?”
He nodded. “They would be free too. All of you could find mates and have families. If they’ve been sterilized like you, they will be given the option of having it reversed.”
She pressed a hand to her belly. “I can really have children now?”
Tark nodded. “Maybe not right away. Your body is healing. Even if you find your mate, it would be wise to refrain from…”
His cheeks flushed and she smiled a little. It was rather adorable that such a big guy could be embarrassed over something like being intimate.
“Refrain from sex?” she asked.
He nodded. “Any male would understand and wouldn’t push you. At least, any cyborg male would be understanding.”
Well, that put a kink in her plans. She’d have to find out exactly how long she needed to avoid sex, because as soon as she was able, she was getting the sexy cyborg lying beside her naked. And then she would show him exactly what he’d been missing all this time. On Earth, she’d never found someone she trusted to take her virginity, had never truly desired anyone, and since… She’d never looked forward to sex, had dreaded it, but with Tark… she was going to enjoy every minute of it.
“The ship, Suki. Where was the ship?” Tark asked.
“I can’t read alien languages so I have no idea what the docking area said. It wasn’t near here though. Close to the trading post, I think. I remember passing a lot of ships, and there were still about a half dozen more on the other side of it.”
He nodded and closed his eyes. She wondered what he was doing, but he seemed to be concentrating and she didn’t want to bother him. When he opened his eyes again, there was determination in their depths.
“What were you doing?” she asked.
“There are a few cyborgs close enough I could communicate with them. I told them about your sister and you, and that there were two other human females. They’re going to search for them and take them by force if necessary.”
“Are you going with them?” she asked.
“No. My duty is to protect you. I won’t leave you alone on the ship with no way to keep yourself safe. What if the slaver came here? You’d be vulnerable.”
“Is there any way to free all of them?” Suki asked.
“Two females won’t be a problem for the crew, but all of them? That would be a bit more difficult. I know that slavery is horrible, but even if we freed those females the slaver would just get more. It’s a never-ending cycle that won’t stop until slavery is outlawed in the galaxies. Even then, the slavers would just operate off the grid, and then the slaves would be treated even worse.”
Suki shivered. She couldn’t imagine being treated worse than she’d been treated already. Or poor Yoko. Her eyes clouded with tears as she thought of her sister and all she’d suffered. The aliens had literally killed her with sex. Her sister had been so brave and fearless. Yoko had done anything asked of her, in order to make things better for Suki. And while Suki hated what she’d been through, it was nothing compared to Yoko. The slaves being whored out to anyone were treated far worse, and the slaver didn’t seem to care if they contracted any diseases or died.
If Suki hadn’t been a virgin when she’d been captured,
she likely wouldn’t have been singled out. Other than that, she couldn’t imagine what was special about her. Yoko had that second sense, but Suki was ordinary. She was smaller than Yoko, and younger by five years, but there wasn’t anything remarkable about her. It had never made any sense that she’d been chosen to service such important alien males, and she’d been too afraid to ask.
Tark gently cupped her cheek. “No one will ever hurt you again.”
“If the other cyborgs can get the two slaves, what will happen next?” Suki asked.
“The females will be taken to the med clinic and then brought here. We’ll likely leave immediately. It won’t be safe to remain here, and the sooner we reach Xpashta, the safer the three of you will be.”
“You should warn the others. The women they’re going after will be filthy, scared, and might fight unless they’re still drugged,” Suki said.
Tark closed his eyes again. While he communicated with the other cyborgs, which she thought was incredibly cool, Suki laid back down and snuggled against him once more. Now that she was safe and fed, she was getting extremely tired. She hadn’t slept well since she’d been captured. Every day, she’d been filled with fear, not knowing what would happen next. It was possible that Tark was lying, that he wasn’t what he seemed, but deep inside she believed that he was a good male. When males had acted decent before, the kindness hadn’t shone in their eyes the way it did with Tark. The evil inside of them had peeked out, regardless of how charming they tried to appear.
“They’ve been warned,” Tark said. “They will treat the females with care and do their best not to scare them. Many fear us though, simply because we’re cyborgs. While our enemies have every right to be afraid, we would never harm a female.”
“They may be damaged. If not physically, then emotionally and mentally,” Suki said. “I hope your friends won’t take it personally if the women are afraid of them. I don’t know what they’ve been through, but I can imagine. In some ways, I’ve been lucky. The women back in the tent, the master doesn’t care what happens to them. Some have been severely abused, and not just sexually. The females your friends are going after are part of that group. Their minds may have fractured from all they’ve endured.”
“Suki, you act like you haven’t been through anything horrible, but I know better. I saw the bruises on your skin, before the med bay healed you. And being with those males…” He visibly swallowed. “Just because someone is in a position of power doesn’t mean they aren’t evil. I have no doubt that you’ve suffered greatly. But those days are over.”
“You saved me,” she said softly. “I’d thought I would die in that place, that I would never know freedom again. No one has touched me with kindness since I was captured on Earth. Yoko and I were kept separate from the time of our abduction, even though we were sold together. They kept us chained or caged where we couldn’t reach one another.”
“I’m only sorry I didn’t get there in time to save Yoko. I would give her back to you if I could.”
“You’re a good male, Tark. Don’t ever let anyone tell you differently. The females you’ve known, the ones who were scared of you, don’t have any idea what they’ve passed up. And it may sound horrible, but I’m glad. If you’d been mated, you likely wouldn’t have been anywhere near the brothel, and I’d still be there, waiting to face another day of spreading my legs for whoever paid enough.”
His arms tightened around her. “I’m glad I was there too. Try to get some sleep, Suki. We’ll begin traveling to Xpashta tomorrow. If the others are able to free those two females, you may be needed. Perhaps if they see you, if you can talk to them, they won’t be as afraid.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to help,” Suki said.
“Sleep. I’ll wake you if you’re needed.”
She curled tighter against him and closed her eyes. And for the first time since she’d been snatched from Earth, Suki fell into a deep sleep, feeling completely safe.
Chapter Three
Tark eased out from under Suki, who had sprawled across his chest in her sleep, and answered the call from Haftyr.
Tark, we’ve found the other females. They were under guard and we had to kill a few of the males, but the females are safe now.
He listened to Haftyr as he pulled on his boots. The human females had been treated at the clinic and were now onboard -- but no one seemed to know what to do with them. They didn’t have an extra room onboard at the moment, and no one knew where to put them. It would take days to reach Xpashta, and they would need a place to rest, somewhere they would feel safe.
Tark, you’re needed on the bridge. Immediately.
He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, wondering if he could just blow off Haftyr. The cyborg had a tendency to get on his nerves. Then again, Haftyr annoyed most people.
Tark considered giving up his quarters and placing two more cots in there, so all three females could share the space. But the way Suki had curled up next to him, the way she’d kissed him… He wasn’t ready to let go of that just yet. She would probably pick another male for her mate once she’d met the others, but for now it was nice to be accepted by a female.
Tark slipped quietly from his quarters and made his way to the bridge. Haftyr stood in the command center, his arms folded over his chest, as he glowered at Vroxtin and Crisnar, who each held a human female in their arms. The females had their eyes closed and appeared to be sleeping, but Meriko, the medic for the Wayfarer, seemed concerned as he gazed at them.
“Why was I summoned?” Tark asked.
“You discovered the human females,” Haftyr said. “You should be the one who decides where they’ll sleep. These two seem to think they’ll hang onto them. Hardly seems fair to everyone else.”
Tark blinked then looked at his captain, Vroxtin, and had to admit the male did look a bit possessive over the female in his arms. The muscles in his arms bulged and he bared his teeth at Haftyr, making Tark question whether or not he should have gotten out of bed to deal with this mess. It wasn’t like he had any say over what the captain did. If Vroxtin wanted to hold onto the female, Tark couldn’t exactly tell him not to.
“You didn’t see the fear in their eyes,” Crisnar said. “You don’t know what they’ve been through. We just want to protect them. Besides, there are no open quarters onboard. Are you volunteering to double up with someone so they can have your room?”
Haftyr’s scowl deepened. That seemed like answer enough. The male was troublesome, and had he not caused problems on board the Mystic7 when Lathim had found Maggie, then he probably wouldn’t be here now. If Vroxtin had thought for one moment human females would be on board, Tark knew he would have asked to have Haftyr replaced. Everyone knew the male hadn’t acted sane when Maggie had been found. Tark wondered if they were about to face something similar now.
“This is Navya,” Vroxtin said, nodding at the darker-skinned female in his arms. “She was scared of me, but I was able to get her name before she passed out. The med clinic healed her, but she’s going to need care. I asked why she looked different from the other human and she said she was from some place called Mumbai. It seems that humans look different depending on where they live. It’s rather fascinating, and a bit odd.”
If travel to Earth was ever possible without scaring the little planet, Tark would love to visit sometime. It was so far away none of his people had ever been there, and they knew little about it. Other alien races had obviously found the place, since there were human slaves to be found throughout the galaxies, but it didn’t mean the cyborgs would be welcomed with open arms. With more human females coming to live on Xpashta, he knew they would need to find as much information as possible about the planet that created such alluring females.
“This is Fenella,” Crisnar said, nodding toward the redhead in his arms. She was curvier than any human female Tark had seen before, and so pale he feared she was dying. But the way Crisnar cradled her against his chest, Tark knew the male wanted to claim her. Perhaps
she’d been awake long enough to agree.
“You’re both keeping them in your quarters, aren’t you?” Tark asked. “What if they bond with someone else?”
Vroxtin glared at him and Tark lifted his hands and took a step back.
“If Fenella wishes to be with another male, I won’t stop her,” Crisnar said. “But until then, I’d like to be the one to take care of her. She was badly damaged and needed a lot of healing. She passed out in the med bay.”
“I will be happy to assist with either female if they need additional medical care,” Meriko said. “I’ve been studying humans since Maggie, Jillian, and Shaylee arrived on our world, and I’m confident I could help if they need medical assistance.”
Haftyr growled and stomped out of the room. Tark shared a look with the remaining males, and they all knew something would have to be done with the surly cyborg. Everyone on Xpashta wanted a mate, except for the few who already had one. For some reason, Haftyr seemed to think he deserved one more than anyone else, and it was turning him into a male no one wanted to deal with.
Tark wasn’t sure if the females on board would be safe around Haftyr, but they couldn’t exactly demand the cyborg remain behind. He’d keep a close eye on Suki, unless she wanted to be with the surly Haftyr. If that was the case, he would step back, even though he wished more than anything that he could keep her for himself. Suki was the only female to not shrink away from him in fear, or at least give him a wary look. She accepted him, trusted him, and it was a feeling he would cherish always. Even if she didn’t want to stay, the feel of her pressed against him in his bunk would be with him for the rest of his life.
“If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my quarters,” he said. “It seems the two of you have everything under control.”
“I’m sorry that Haftyr pulled you away from your female,” Vroxtin said. “I think it would be best if he didn’t go on future missions for a little while, not until he’s mated.”
“If anyone will mate him,” Crisnar said.
Saved by the Cyborg Page 3