Korjh's Bride

by Clarissa Lake

  Zara laughed as she got up and headed toward her room to change into jeans and riding boots. “That sounds nice. I don’t often ride, so I usually get sore.”

  “I think you’ll like this then.” Korjh went to his own room and emerged about the same time Zara did. He had dressed in khaki green cargo pants, a short-sleeved shirt, and riding boots.

  He was pleased to see that Zara was dressed and had brushed her shoulder-length hair out when he was ready. He thought she even applied a little makeup ---eyeliner and a little shadow. She was just as lovely without it.

  Korjh wanted to hold her and kiss her some more, but he restrained the urge. He knew if he started, they would never get out of the house.

  “Let’s go up to the barn, and I’ll saddle the horses. They don’t seem to like the bots, but I have a winch to raise the saddle and lower it to their backs so I can cinch it.”

  They walked together to the exit and out the door. The opening of the home’s inner door triggered the opening of the surface door which prevented the rare rainstorms from filling the entryway with water.

  The barn was immaculate, self-cleaning and climate controlled. The horses were the biggest Zara had ever seen. While they were as tall as draft horses and looked like king-sized Friesians. Both were black, but Korjh rode a stallion and Zara rode the mare. Before they mounted up, he gave her a wide-brimmed hat with a chin strap to protect her from the sun and donned one of his own.

  Since Zara wasn’t accustomed to riding, Korjh gave her the short tour around the farm showing her some of the crops, the tikas’ pens, and the hen house. Zara was amazed at how smoothly Dema rode, almost like the walking horses of Earth but without the cruel soring of their hocks to make them walk that way. Her canter was even smoother.

  Korjh had told her he was not wealthy, but it seemed he was to Zara. He said he had saved most of his pay while in the Alliance Defense Force and he received additional compensation for the loss of his legs. The land on Modonne came cheap in the semi-arid plain where he built his farm.

  With two artesian wells deep under the rock layer, Korjh had turned his property into a verdant oasis and prosperous farm. As they rode back toward the barn, they stopped at the greenhouse and looked at the food plants grown inside year around. In addition to the coffee plants, there were also other earth vegetables like carrots, green beans, and broccoli in addition to some traditional Narovian fruits and vegetables.

  “Korjh, this place is wonderful, almost completely self-sufficient. It’s going to be a great place to raise our kids,” she praised him. That got her a hug and a long slow kiss that she felt all the way to her toes. Being in his arms felt so right, and she loved the feel of his hard body pressed against hers. She could tell by his erection against her belly that he wanted her and she felt an answering response between her thighs. They were both breathing fast when he lifted his lips from hers, Zara wanted more.

  But Korjh stopped, however reluctantly and took her hand to lead her from the greenhouse.

  Since the barn was so close to the greenhouse, they walked the horses back there, and Korjh unsaddled them and rubbed them down with Zara’s help. By the time they finished, it was past time for second meal, so they went inside to have some food and relax in the pool afterward. It was a lovely first day for Zara in her new home with her new mate. She very much appreciated the exquisite home they shared, but mostly she enjoyed the closeness she felt with Korjh.

  Zara was sure it was only a matter of time before they were ready to consummate their marriage. That kiss made her feel confident he wanted her. She hoped her response let him know that she wanted him as well.

  Three days later they took his aircar into Sezrop to get Zara’s language implant, see the sights, do some shopping, and dine at a nice restaurant. It was the first time that Zara got to see the small city of about a hundred thousand people.

  Their first stop was the clinic on the outskirts for Zara’s appointment. It was an impressive building, round and white, about five stories with black framed round windows on the upper stories and a sparkling glass front in the shape of a half-moon at ground level.

  They were greeted at the front desk inside by a security android. It was humanoid shaped but was unmistakably an artificial being. Zara gave her name, and the droid directed her to enter the doorway that opened to the right of the desk. Korjh went with her to satisfy himself that his mate was appropriately treated.

  A human female Med Tech who introduced herself as Ryelle led Zara to what looked to her like a dental recliner and invited her to lay back in it. The Tech asked Zara to open her mouth then used a small plastic scraper to lightly scrape some cells from her cheek. Korjh translated the instruction for her.

  The Tech took the tool to the counter with her and spread the scraping on a round slide and used special tongs to insert it into a machine. She pressed a button and waited. A tiny vial was ejected a moment later, and Ryelle retrieved the vial and inserted it into a syringe with a small needle in it. Picking up an aerosol bottle from her instrument tray, she sprayed some of it on Zara’s neck right behind her right ear.

  Ryelle waited about ten seconds then injected the contents of the syringe into Zara’s neck. That was all there was to it.

  “Does she know that her DNA is being altered by your nanites?” Ryelle asked with a judgmental expression.

  “Not that it’s your business, Zara knows all about the nanites,” Korjh told her with a dangerously calm expression, his hands balled into fists at his side. The woman was acting like he has somehow contaminated Zara. All they had done was swap a little saliva kissing.

  “What?” Zara asked with a slight frown. Korjh seemed upset, and she didn’t like that people were talking about her when she couldn’t understand a word.

  “It’s about the nanites, remember I told you about them,” he said.

  “Yes.” Zara nodded.

  “The ones that were transferred to you have multiplied and altered your DNA,” he said.

  “Because you are a cyborg, but in a good way,” she replied. “They’re not going to hurt me, right?”

  “No, just make you more like me, but your DNA already complements mine. That’s how the matchmaking service picked you as my mate,” he reminded her. “The tech wanted to know if you were aware of it.”

  “Of course, the matchmaking service made that clear, if I were mated to a cyborg,” she said. “How long for the language to be assimilated?”

  Korjh asked her, and she told him. “A few days,” he repeated in English. “Then I will take you to meet our closest neighbors, the Yaesecs. They all speak Gal-common.”

  “Mr. Benjegt. You may take your wife and leave now. There should be no side effects,” Ryelle told him.

  He thanked her and relayed the information to Zara who looked up at Ryelle. Zara nodded her head and said, “Thank you.”

  Korjh gave the Tech a polite smile and repeated Zara’s thanks to her then helped Zara out of the chair and they walked out together.

  “That was very simple, and it didn’t hurt a bit,” Zara said, smiling up at him. “What friends? I thought they didn’t like you because you’re a cyborg.”

  “Oh, they are friendly enough as neighbors, but no women would even consider me as an escort let alone a mate,” he explained. “I can’t say I have any close friends, but most of them have mates, and females need female friends.”

  “You need friends, too,” she asserted.

  “I have warrior friends, mostly other cyborgs, I just haven’t seen them in a while. A couple had visited when I first came here and built the farm and our home,” he said. The neighbors are at least civil, and they don’t live too close. I’m fine with that as long as I have you, sweetheart.”

  “Me, too, Korjh.”

  “They will probably think you don’t know any better than to marry a cyborg because you come from a primitive planet called ‘Dirt,’” he teased.

  “That’s only one meaning. That’s the thing about language. W
ords have more than one meaning depending on how they’re used,” she said. “Earth can mean dirt. But it also meant the planet Earth. Which has land made of dirt… or earth.”

  “The planet is Earth and has dirt as part of it. Dirt is sometimes referred to as earth, but not the planet. But even though the planet is Earth, we are not supposed to call it dirt,” Korjh said, shaking his head as they walked.

  “It’s also been called Terra which is the ancient Latin word for Earth, land, and yes, dirt,” Zara said with a chuckle. “Is your language like that?”

  “No, I think it’s much less ambiguous,” he said as they stopped at a moving sidewalk. “We can take this into the heart of the city were the clothing boutiques are.” He took her hand and led her on to the belt as it took a little getting used to stepping on and off as it moved.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Sezrop was a clean, elegant city with a business district laden with small specialty shops and boutiques. The clothing styles were eclectic. Some of them looked more like costumes than ordinary clothing. There were also basic styles that compared to those found on Earth, from what Zara could tell.

  Korjh surprised her by encouraging her to go into a boutique and try on an elegant gown she admired displayed in the window. Zara was reluctant as she was afraid they wouldn’t have one in the size to fit her curvy figure. She was delighted to find they did. Not all female humanoids were built like fashion models of Earth. Many had bodies like Zara with ample breasts and curved feminine hips.

  Zara went into the changing room and put on the dress then looked at herself in the mirror. The elegant fabric draped over her feminine curves making her appear thinner and showing just enough cleavage to enhance her bustline. Although Zara didn’t know why she would need such a gown, the hungry look in her husband’s eyes when she modeled it for him was reason enough.

  It made her look sexy and feel beautiful. The way Korjh looked at her as she turned to show him from all sides made her suspect he was thinking about how he would take it off of her. Zara sucked in her breath sharply as she pictured him doing that in her mind. She had to mentally shake herself as her body started reacting to her vivid mental pictures of what he would do after he took it off her.

  Korjh told the female clerk to package it because he liked it on Zara. After Zara put on her own tunic top and jeans, the clerk carefully folded the multicolored gown and put it into a zippered cloth shopping bag with handles.

  Fashion designing on Modonne seemed like it might be far less elitist than back on Earth. It appeared to Zara that some of her own original designs might be marketable. If nothing else, she could design her own clothes.

  “What kinds of things will you need to do your designing?” Korjh asked as they left the boutique with their purchases.

  “Nothing to start,” she told him. “The one trunk I brought with me has everything I need so far. I brought my portable machine as we discussed. It just needs a power source, and I already had a collection of fabrics, threads, and notions, as well as drawing pads and colored pencils.”

  “What kind of drawing pad?” Korjh asked.

  “Paper?”

  “Then, we should get you a drawing screen,” he suggested. “We don’t use much paper here.”

  “Aren’t they expensive? They were starting to make them on Earth, but they were costly,” she said.

  “It’s well within my means,” he said, “if you would find it useful. There is a Tech outlet up ahead. We can go in there and look at some. You don’t have to decide today.”

  By then they had reached the pedestrian beltway. Stepping on it while it moved was much like stepping on to an escalator except that it ran horizontally and not upward.

  There were also roads with automated cars and buses for public transport. Privately owned vehicles and aircars were not allowed within the business districts at the center of the city. Residential neighborhoods were located around the radius of the business district. Most consumer goods could be ordered through the Modonne equivalent of the internet and delivered by auto-tram even in the rural areas.

  About ten minutes later, Korjh took Zara’s hand, and they stepped off the belt by a large warehouse type store. They sold a wide variety of electronics including the drawing screens that Korjh mentioned. They came in sizes from handheld to big screen TV size.

  Zara thought a desktop model with an adjustable virtual screen would be the most useful. Then, of course, Korjh bought it for her. He had tricked her into picking one she liked because he had intended getting one all along.

  “Korjh, you don’t have to buy me things to make me happy,” she told him. “Being your mate makes me happy.”

  He smiled down at her and put his arm around her shoulders as the beltway carried them toward the restaurant he’d chosen for Second meal. “Me too, Zara.” He gave her a little squeeze. “Things aren’t busy at the farm right now, but planting and harvest take a little more of my time to make sure everything is working properly. You need to have things to do that you enjoy.”

  “True, but I can help you with some of your work if you show me what to do. I can learn whatever you need me to learn to help you,” she told him. “Once my language implant kicks in.”

  “Well, I thought it would be a good time to get to know the people who live around us a little better,” he said, “and celebrate our marriage. It might improve my social standing around here once they meet my beautiful wife.”

  Zara laughed. “You don’t give a crap what they think. You told me you didn’t care on more than one occasion.”

  “I never did. They just mistrust me because I am a cyborg warrior, but you don’t,” he said. “However, it’s different now that you’re here with me. I know they will like you. It’s good to have friends.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “I am,” he affirmed. “We will hold off until your implant is assimilated so you can understand them.”

  “How many people are we talking about?” she asked.

  “Twelve families,” he said. “Some have children.”

  “If they are leery of you, do you think they will even come?”

  “They’ll come to see you,” he assured you. “They will want to see what kind of crazy female would take a cyborg mate.”

  “One who knows a good man when she sees one,” Zara told him and gave him a one-armed hug around his waist.

  Moments later, Korjh drew her off the beltway at an outdoor café that cooked food over a gas-fired grill. As they walked up to find a table for two, Zara could see they were preparing a meat and vegetable medley that reminded her of stir-fry. It smelled wonderful.

  “I want that,” she said, and Korjh grinned down at her.

  “I thought you would. That’s why I brought you here,” he said. “After we eat, we will head back to the farm, unless there is something else you would like to see.”

  “I’m fine with that. Looking at those boutiques has given me a clue about the clothing trends. They are all over the place.”

  They found a table that gave them a good view of a small greenway by the restaurant. Korjh ordered when the wait-bot came to their table because the menu was in Gal-common. The food was delivered to their table by the wait-bot and took Korjh’s credit information directly from his cybernetic memory.

  “I am so surprised that there is a restaurant like this here where food processors are the norm.” Zara took a bite off the eating utensil that looked like a spoon with three prongs. “This is delicious!”

  “You are delicious,” Korjh murmured so only she could hear.

  “That sounds promising,” she said.

  He just gave her a sexy half smile and went on eating.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Three hours later, they returned home. Zara didn’t drift off to sleep this time and got to see the lay of the land. Scrub vegetation and some tall, bulbous green things that looked like a kind of cactus were nearly all that grew between the irrigated farms. Zara remembered reading that those plant
s had deep roots than pushed through faults in the granite layer to reach the underground water below.

  After what Korjh had whispered in her ear at the café, Zara had hoped for more than a peck on her cheek when she went to put her new things in her room. He had been so sweet and attentive, she had hoped at least for another toe curling kiss. Instead, he seemed in a hurry to get away from her.

  What the hell? Was he waiting for a written invitation?

  She decided she needed to tell him what she wanted. Zara left her things on the bed and went to Korjh’s door and knocked softly. It seemed like a long time before he came to the door.

  His facial expression was ominous, even angry as he stared down at her with his arms across his bare chest. The fly of his trousers was partly open and bulging from a visible erection.

  “Zara, I only have so much control, and it’s wearing pretty thin right now,” he growled, his eyes darkly glittering. “If you don’t leave me alone right now, I might do something you won’t like.”

  She tore her eyes from the bulge in his pants and looked up at his face. This was the warrior alpha male that she hadn’t seen before. She could see where he could be quite fearsome, but she wasn’t feeling scared.

  “Maybe I would,” Zara lifted her chin and stared up into his eyes, willing him to make his move. She wasn’t afraid, she was excited.

  He gripped her upper arms a little too tightly, pulled her into the room, and the door slid closed behind her. Korjh grabbed her wrists and held them high over her head against the door, lifting her up like she weighed nothing until she was at his eye level.

  “If you want me to stop, you’d better say it now,” he warned his mouth very close to hers.

  “Don’t stop,” she murmured breathing a little faster.

  His mouth crushed hers in a hard, demanding kiss. There was nothing gentle about the way he forced her mouth open to stake his claim to the inside of it. His hard chest pressing against her sensitized breasts and his erection pressing against her core felt exquisite. Zara moaned in pleasure and kissed him back almost as fiercely.