Saved by the Cyborg

by Jessica Coulter Smith

Tark refrained from commenting. Even though Haftyr wasn’t the most pleasant cyborg, at least his changes weren’t on the outside of his body -- other than his stark white hair, which all Zelranian cyborgs had. He didn’t have metal extremities that everyone could see, unlike Tark. Even though his mechanical arm gave him an edge in battle, there were times he wished he wasn’t as different on the outside. When Wrylack had found a mate, he’d thought maybe there was hope, yet all females had still given Tark a wide berth. Until Suki. Was it wrong that he wanted to hold onto her? To make her his?

  When he got back to his quarters, Suki was awake and looked fearful as she pressed against the wall, her knees bent and the covers wrapped tightly around her. The relief in her gaze as she saw him made him feel bad about leaving her without a word. He hadn’t thought he would be gone long, and she’d been sleeping so peacefully. Next time, he’d know to wake her before he left.

  “I didn’t know where you were or if you were coming back,” she said.

  “I’m sorry if I scared you. It wasn’t my intention. There was an issue that needed my attention.”

  “I thought… I thought maybe you didn’t want to share your room with me.”

  “Suki.” He moved closer and eased onto the bed. She immediately threw herself into his arms, and he cradled her close. “I’m sorry. Next time, I’ll let you know when I’m leaving. You can stay with me as long as you wish.”

  “Forever?” she asked.

  “You may not want forever when you meet the others.”

  She reached up and cupped his cheek. “Tark, I know you think that there’s something wrong with you, that you’re defective or something, but you’re not. You’re the kindest man I’ve ever met. Do you know that by now most men would have expected me to thank them for saving me? On my back? You haven’t asked me for anything.”

  “Those males have no honor,” he said.

  “No, they don’t,” she said. “But you do. I don’t need to meet the others to know that I want to stay with you, but if you don’t want me as your mate then I’ll understand. I’m tainted, dirty from my time in service, and you could do so much better.”

  “Suki, you’re not dirty. I think…” He stopped and looked away a moment. “I think you’re perfect. I’m the one who isn’t worthy of you.”

  “Tark,” she said softly.

  He looked down at her.

  “Tark, I want to be yours. In all ways. You are more than worthy, and I would be honored to belong to you.”

  “Suki, I…”

  She shushed him by placing her lips against his. He groaned as her tongue flicked out. Opening, he kissed her the way he’d often seen Lathim kiss his mate. Suki tasted sweet, and feeling her mouth against his, her tongue stroking his, made his cock harden almost painfully. Despite her words, he knew he couldn’t claim her right now. She had been damaged and needed time to heal. But this… kissing her was better than he could have ever imagined.

  “Please,” she said. “Don’t make me pick someone else.”

  “Suki, being with you, being your mate, would be the greatest honor. If you’re certain I’m the one you want, then I will gladly claim you.”

  She smiled and kissed him again, slower this time, and Tark savored the moment. He had a mate! A female had actually chosen him above all others. His heart felt as if it had grown three sizes, and he vowed that he would be the best mate Suki could ever want or need. She had given him a gift he’d thought he’d never have, and he would treasure her always.

  She reached for his shirt, trying to pull it off him, and he grasped her hands in one of his and leaned away from her. Hurt flashed in her eyes, and he hated that he’d made her feel pain of any kind.

  “Suki, we can’t. Not yet. I want the medics on Xpashta to look at you once more, make sure you’re completely healed, before we go further than kissing. While we have a medic on board, Wrylack has the ability to do an in-depth scan with his cybernetic eyes. I trust him. I won’t take a chance on damaging you.”

  Her gaze softened and she leaned against him again. Tark held her close, and for the first time as far back as he could remember, he felt content. No, more than that. He felt… happy. Truly happy.

  Suki kissed his cheek and then yawned widely. He released her and settled her back on the side of the bed along the wall, then stretched out beside her. She snuggled against him like she’d done before and it wasn’t long before her breathing evened out and she was asleep again.

  It took Tark a while to sleep, mostly because he was worried he’d wake up and discover it wasn’t real, that Suki wasn’t really his. He’d lived through a lot in his lifetime, but he didn’t know that he would survive losing her. Tark would honestly prefer to go through the pain of the Cy-Con program again rather than watch Suki walk away.

  Eventually, he fell asleep, his new mate curled against his side. It was the most peaceful sleep he’d had in a long time.

  Chapter Four

  Suki hated being trapped on the ship while they traveled to Xpashta. Not that the Wayfarer was a terrible place to be, but floating around in space reminded her too much of the life she’d been living since aliens had captured her on Earth. It would be nice to have solid ground beneath her feet, and to see her new home.

  Excitement bubbled inside her when she thought about getting to live with Tark. Even though he’d claimed her, and let his friends know that she belonged to him, she felt like her newfound happiness could come crashing down at any moment. His crewmates seemed happy that Tark had claimed her, except for the angry-looking one he’d called Haftyr. What if the cyborgs on his world weren’t happy with his choice of mate? He’d assured Suki that her past meant nothing to him, but would the leaders of his planet feel the same?

  “We’ll be landing any moment,” Tark said, a broad smile on his face. “My home is rather plain, but there are rooms filled with items from your planet. You can add whatever you’d like to the house. Some of the human mates have chosen things like pictures and vases.”

  “You have things from my world, but you don’t know how to return us to Earth?” Suki asked.

  His expression fell. “I’m sorry you can’t return to your home. We obtained those items through trading, or from taking over pirated vessels. If you truly wish to return, perhaps I can find a way to make it happen.”

  Suki reached for him, her hand curled around his bicep. “No, Tark. I don’t want to go back to Earth. I was thinking of the others. Did you know that Navya is related to one of the royal families of her country?”

  “Navya said that her family would not welcome her after what she’s been through,” Tark said. “While she misses her home, she said she was willing to travel to Xpashta. The same is true for Fenella.”

  “What if…” She swallowed hard. “What if the leaders of your world don’t think I’m good enough for you? What if they say we can’t be together?”

  “Suki, no one will take you from me,” he said. “The Commanders will be glad that I’ve found a mate. And the fact we’re bringing home three females will be a blessing. It will also prove that perhaps Maggie and Shaylee were correct.”

  “What do you mean?” Suki asked.

  “They are the human mates to two cyborgs, and they suggested that we could purchase human slaves and free them on Xpashta, give them another chance at life and at having a family. I never thought…” He looked away. “I never thought about the females at brothels being unwilling until it was brought to our attention by the other humans on our world. We’d always believed those females were willing. Perhaps instead of just searching the slave markets, we should also search the brothels for more human females.”

  “Why can’t you get them through the Bride program?” she asked.

  “What’s a Bride program?”

  Her mouth opened and shut as she stared at him in shock. “I just thought, since you look so much like the Terrans, that maybe you were related somehow. They’re a race of aliens who have opened stations across Earth. They offer
monetary compensation for females to go to their world and mate with their males.”

  He frowned. “Maggie mentioned something about that. I’m not familiar with a race called Terrans, though. We’ve tried to search for information on them, and only get led back to archived information on your planet.”

  “Maybe they were called something else before,” she mused. “If you don’t know how to get to Earth, then maybe you’re right to search the trading posts for females. Not all of them would be happy to go to your world though. Some will want to go home, and since you can’t offer that to them…”

  He nodded. “It could be a potential issue. We want the females on our world to be happy. We already have one human who wants to return home. I’m not sure how well it would be received to have several more as angry as Jillian is.”

  “Why is she angry?”

  “She was unconscious when we found her, and badly damaged. One of the medics healed her, but a cyborg claimed her before she woke. She’s been very angry and bitter.”

  “She was given no choice?” Suki asked.

  “No.” Tark grimaced. “I’ve suggested that perhaps Jillian would prefer a different cyborg, but Rorwick is adamant that she belongs to him.”

  “That’s rather sad. Maybe if you bring more females to your world, he’ll bond with one of them. Then Jillian will be free to choose someone else.”

  “Perhaps,” he said.

  The ship shuddered and pitched, making Suki gasp. Tark reached out to steady her, smiling once more.

  “We’re home,” he said.

  Her stomach clenched and she gripped his hand tight as he led her from the room they’d shared the past few days. Suki didn’t know what to expect as they disembarked from the shuttle. There was a large wall that seemed to stretch for miles. There was grass and trees, a pretty sky, but none of it looked even a little bit like Earth. The colors and textures were all wrong, and yet they worked well together. It was beautiful.

  “Welcome to your new home,” Tark said as large gates opened.

  A gathering of cyborgs greeted them, and Suki pressed closer to Tark. She didn’t think they would cause her any harm, but they were an unknown. Until Tark, she hadn’t had good experiences with aliens. They’d used and abused her, and hadn’t shown her even the slightest bit of kindness. Maybe these cyborgs were like her sweet Tark, but with the way Haftyr acted, she doubted even on this world there were many males like her new mate.

  Three imposing cyborgs came toward them. They weren’t as tall or as broad as Tark, but they had a commanding air about them. Their gazes scanned over her and Suki shivered, feeling as if icy fingers had raked down her spine. The middle one smiled, but it didn’t set her at ease even a little bit.

  “Commanders, this is my mate, Suki,” Tark said.

  “Welcome to Xpashta, Suki. My name is Sorus. The two males next to me are Warver and Kiril. We make sure things run smoothly here. If you ever need anything and can’t find Tark, seek out any of us. We’ll be happy to assist you.”

  “You are aware that you could have mated anyone on Xpashta, correct?” Warver asked. “There are many unmated males here. Some who are…”

  Kiril pushed Warver out of the way. “Ignore him, Suki. You chose wisely by accepting Tark as your mate. He’s a fierce warrior, but I have no doubt he’ll treat you very well. Warver tends to forget that not everyone makes their judgments based on looks.”

  Suki felt heat swirl in her belly and she stepped away from Tark, her hands clenched into fists. Her lips pressed tightly together as she stepped closer to the Commanders.

  “There is nothing, and I mean nothing wrong with Tark, physically or otherwise. He’s the handsomest man I’ve ever seen, and the kindest I’ve ever met on any world. I’m lucky that he claimed me, honored to be called his. And I won’t let you stand there and disparage his looks or anything else about him, no matter who you are,” Suki said.

  Sorus grinned and looked from Warver and Kiril back to her.

  “Very well said, Suki. I believe Tark found the perfect mate when he claimed you,” Sorus said.

  “My apologies, Suki,” Warver said. “It was not my intention to upset you, or to make it sound like I found your mate to be less desirable than others. I just know that females have always feared him, and I wanted to assure you that you had other options if you were uncertain in your choice.”

  “No, I’m not uncertain,” Suki said. “I want to be with Tark.”

  “Very well. Is there anything you need, Suki?” Warver asked.

  “She’ll need more clothes,” Tark said. “And I’d like for her to access the storage rooms in case there are things she’d like for her new home.”

  “Of course,” said Sorus. “Anything else?”

  “She had a medical procedure before coming here,” Tark said. “I want to take her to the med clinic.”

  “I believe Wrylack is on duty right now,” Kiril said. “Suki, Wrylack is different from the rest of his. His cybernetics are…”

  “His eyes glow,” Tark said. “They’re mechanical. I didn’t think it would bother you since my arm doesn’t.”

  “He’s mated to a human,” Kiril said. “He’s learned a lot about your species and will be able to treat you. Did Tark explain to you about the injections we use to halt reproduction?”

  Her eyes went wide and she shook her head. “No, he didn’t say anything.”

  “Since he was just on a mission, he’ll have taken --”

  “I didn’t take the shot,” Tark said. “Once I learned that all females, even the ones at the brothels, were scared of me, it didn’t matter if I took one or not. I’m fully capable of having children, but if Suki would like to wait longer, then I will be glad to ask for the injection.”

  “Why don’t we leave it in Fate’s hands?” Suki asked.

  “Excuse us, Commanders. The sooner I take her to the clinic, the faster I can get her home. Do we still have human clothing stocked?”

  “Of course,” Kiril said. “Lathim picked up another load not too long ago. He still hasn’t figured out the different sizes so I’m not sure what’s available. Hopefully, something will fit your Suki. If not, we have plenty of material so some garments could be made for her.”

  Tark led her through what seemed to be a city. They passed so many cyborgs, and not one single female. When he’d said there were only a few humans, she hadn’t realized he meant that no one else was mated, not even to another species. Now she could understand why they wanted females so badly they would accept those who had even worked at brothels. Suki knew if she’d gone home, no one would have wanted her. Not for a wife. They’d have used her the same way the aliens had, and she’d never have had a chance at a family of her own.

  When they entered the medical clinic, a cyborg with glowing blue eyes smiled. “Tark, I see you didn’t come back from your travels empty-handed.”

  “Wrylack, this is Suki. My mate. She had a procedure done at the space station and I need to know if she’s completely healed.”

  Wrylack lost his smile as he came closer. His eyes lit up even brighter as he scanned her head to toe, his gaze coming back to lock on her lower abdomen. He made a humming noise and stepped across the room, coming back with two syringes filled with brightly colored liquid.

  “Wh-what’s that for?” Suki asked.

  “One is a vitamin injection for you, and the other…” His gaze locked with Tark’s before settling on hers again. “The other will give you a longer lifespan and keep you healthier than a typical human. I’m not sure what Tark has told you, but we’ve discovered that our species lives longer than yours. This will allow the two of you stay together longer.”

  Suki nodded and held out her arm. “Then go ahead. I want as much time with him as I can get.”

  Wrylack smiled once more, then injected both liquids into her arm. He nodded his head at Tark, but her cyborg seemed reluctant to move.

  “I don’t wish to keep secrets from Suki,” Tark said.
<
br />   “She’s healed. I can see where a sterilization was reversed. From what I can tell, there’s no reason she can’t have children.”

  “What about…” Tark’s cheeks flushed.

  “Can we be intimate?” Suki asked. “Tark wanted to wait. He was worried it would hurt me.”

  “It should be fine. If you feel any discomfort or pain, let Tark know immediately.”

  “Perhaps you can come by for dinner later and bring Shaylee?” Tark asked. “I’d like for Suki to make a friend. Since Shaylee was once a slave, I thought she might be more sensitive to Suki’s circumstances.”

  “You know Maggie welcomes everyone, and Jillian always has a smile for the human females. It’s just Rorwick she can’t seem to stand. I wish the Commanders would step in and remove her from his home. Everyone can tell that she’s miserable with him and won’t accept his mate claim. It’s been a year!”

  Tark nodded.

  “Could I…” Suki paused. “Could I meet Jillian? Maybe she’d confide in a stranger what it is that she wants. I mean, I’m impartial and don’t have anything vested in whether or not she stays with Rorwick.”

  Wrylack’s eyebrow rose. “Not a bad idea.”

  “We’re stopping for clothes, then I’m taking you home,” Tark said. “You can meet with Jillian tomorrow if you feel up to it.”

  “Tark.” She placed her hand on his arm. “What if she’s miserable? Don’t you want her to be happy, the way you make me happy?”

  Wrylack coughed but looked amused. Tark sighed, giving me a lopsided smile then nodded.

  “Very well. Let’s stop and check for clothing, and then I’ll take you to meet Jillian.”

  They left the clinic and took a few different walkways. Suki didn’t understand any of the writing on the doors. Tark stopped in front of one and pushed it open. A light came on as they stepped inside and her eyes went wide at all the crates stacked inside. One was already open and clothing spilled out. Suki picked up several brightly colored silk dresses. They were on the plain side as far as style, but they felt so decadent in her hands. Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked into the crate and saw more dresses in different materials. She selected three in her size and looked up at Tark to let him know she was ready, but he was frowning at her.