by Alyse Anders
Pushing their hands aside, Beth swung her feet to the side and gingerly stood up. Her muscles protested after too many years of disuse, and she had to hold onto the edge of the tube. Lena grabbed an injector from the medical tray. “This will help your muscles recover from any atrophy they might have been subjected to.” She pressed it to the side of Beth’s neck. “There’s something else. The Grus obviously don’t speak Earth basic and their language is complex.”
“I was trying to learn it, but circumstances got in the way of letting me continue.” Carys pulled another injector from her pocket, though the design was nothing Beth had seen before. “This contains nanobots that can basically rewrite your brain so you can understand what people are saying. It’s like a built-in translator, but driven by your mind.”
“It also hurts like a fucker when they go in, so you need to be prepared.” Lena took the injector from Carys, holding it up for Beth to see. “You don’t need to, but it does make life easier.”
“Especially when you have a nearly wild cyborg in your face.” Carys shrugged. “The language is interesting to learn, but a short amount of pain makes life a whole lot easier.”
Beth wasn’t one to enjoy pain, but she hated being unable to know what was going on even more. Being kept in the dark was what had nearly gotten her into trouble back on Earth. She turned her head to expose her neck once more. “Do it.”
The pain was as horrible as the women had indicated, hitting her nearly the moment the nanobots slipped into her bloodstream. Beth’s head throbbed so hard she gagged and would have vomited if not for the lack of food in her stomach. Her vision whited out, causing her to blink rapidly to try and bring it back. Her world started spinning and if it wasn’t for the two sets of hands on her body to keep her steady, Beth had no doubt she’d have ended up on the floor in a heap.
After a while, her head settled down and her body seemed to come back to normal. Her mouth was dry and all she wanted was a drink, some food and strangely to have a nap. “You’d think I’d be over wanting to sleep after having been unconscious for fifty years.”
“If things weren’t so crazy since waking up, I would have crawled into the nearest bed and stayed there.” Lena grabbed a clean set of clothing. “Unfortunately, none of us have that luxury. There’s a cleaning station at the back of the docking bay. You’ll want to get washed and changed while you have the chance.”
“What haven’t you told me?” Beth took the clothing and held the bundle tight to her chest.
The smile that was so often on Lena’s face dropped. “It seems that there’s something on the ship that has alerted the mortal enemy of the Grus and brought a few of their scout ships here. Rykal and Eagan are trying to find the source of the signal in engineering. But there’s a chance they won’t find it and we might have to move the ship.”
Eagan.
Beth wasn’t sure why, but there was something about hearing that name that sent a shiver through her. “Who’s Eagan?”
Lena cocked her head to the side. “He’s the cyborg who identified you as his mate. That’s why we had to wake you. As soon as he stepped on the ship, he was drawn to you, but we needed him to find the signal. There was no way he’d be able to do that before he’d connected with you, so here we are.”
There was a noise behind them drawing their attention. Two large men stood in the doorway, their frames wide and muscular. The shorter of the two stepped forward, his gaze locked onto Beth. His long light brown hair was swept back behind his ears, giving her a clear view of his eyes that looked as though they were glowing. He took another step forward, but even that proximity was too much for her to handle. She turned to Lena. “I’m going to change.”
Without waiting for anyone to speak, she ran for the cleaning station and shut the door. God, this wasn’t what she’d thought would be waiting for her when she came onto the Kraken. Not that she’d had a clear understanding of what they were hoping to find when they were woken, but basically going from an arranged marriage to someone who thought she was his mate wasn’t it.
With shaking hands, she stripped out of the uniform she’d put on for the cryogenic sleep, and washed her body as best she could in the shower with none of the fancy soaps she’d grown used to on Earth. She dried carefully and dressed into the rough cotton shirt and pants, pausing long enough to run her hands through her damp curls, trying as best as she could to bring them back to life.
Beth hadn’t considered herself privileged, but clearly she’d lived in a protective bubble up to this point. Standing here looking at herself in the mirror dressed in standard Earth clothing, she realized her life would never be the same again.
She hadn’t understood why it had been so important for her to secure passage on the Kraken. When she’d heard about her impending engagement to Marcus on Earth, she’d panicked, knowing he wasn’t the man she was meant to be with. When she’d inquired about passage off Earth, she’d originally hoped to buy a flight to Mars where she’d be able to start a new life. It wasn’t until she’d learned about the Kraken’s journey to an unknown sector of space that Beth knew that was where she’d needed to be.
Maybe there really was something to this mate thing.
Strengthening her resolve, she put on her boots and stepped back out into the loading bay. Everyone else was gone except for the man she’d seen before. Licking her lips, she crossed her arms and stepped closer. “Eagan?”
He nodded but made no other move.
Beth continued closer, trying not to let her fear overwhelm her. “I…I honestly don’t know what’s going on right now. Lena told me that we don’t have a lot of time to discuss things. That there’s an enemy close by who might want to hurt us?”
He nodded again.
Now that she was only a few feet away from him, she was able to see that his eyes not only truly glowed but were also brown. The light made them appear warm and inviting. Other than that, she couldn’t see any indication that he was an enhanced person. His olive skin could have almost passed for a human skin tone. His jaw line and strong nose would have made him stand out, but every one of her friends would have swooned and cooed over how handsome he was.
Beth could tell though, that there was a darkness to him, an edge that kept others at arm’s length. “Were you able to find the signal in engineering?”
For a moment, she didn’t think he was going to say anything to her. But he lowered his chin when she took one final step closer to better look her in the eyes. “I did not.” His voice was low and raspy, as though it wasn’t something he used all the time.
She swallowed hard, trying to keep her rising nerves down. “What’s the next thing you need to do then?”
“Inspect the loading bay.” His body swayed ever so slightly toward her, before he stiffened once more. “It’s possible that the collection of stasis tubes is generating an energy signature that the Sholle are homing in on.”
Beth turned to look at the remaining tubes and all the people inside waiting to be released. “What happens if the tubes are the source of the signal?”
“I don’t know.”
Eagan stepped up behind her, close enough she could feel the heat of his body through her clothing. His proximity had her body respond, and a tingle ran through her that seemed to follow a path from the back of her neck straight down to her pussy. It became difficult to breathe evenly, as her now hardening nipples brushed against the fabric of her undergarments.
“D-do you need to look at something?” God, she sounded like a teenager with her first crush.
He was so much bigger than she was, Beth couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to have her body pressed against his; how gentle or rough he’d be when having sex. There’s an enemy out in space waiting to maybe kill them all. Not the time to be thinking about sex.
Eagan stepped against her, and there was no mistaking the press of his erection against the small of her back. “I need to connect with the computer that controls the tubes. Stay with me
.”
She wasn’t sure if that was a request or an order, but regardless, she knew she wouldn’t say no. “Where are the others?”
“Rykal went to inform Commander Aidric of what we’ve discovered. Lena is still on the ship.”
Oh good. “I’m not an engineer or even a computer specialist, but I can help you if you’d like?”
He sucked in a small breath that wouldn’t have been noticeable to her if she wasn’t standing there with him pressed against her back. “Yes.”
The loss of his touch against her was a shock to her body when he stepped away and marched directly over to the computer. She was so aroused from that short conversation, Beth didn’t understand how that was even possible. She knew she had to fight against whatever this attraction was between them, so they could deal with the crisis at hand. The fact that he didn’t banish her somewhere else so he could concentrate spoke volumes about his self control.
Well, if he was able to hold back, then she’d damn well do that too. “What can I help with?”
He didn’t say anything at first, but finally waved her closer. “I find I can concentrate better when I know where you are.”
She shouldn’t be flattered by the possessive undertones of his statement, but she was. “Okay.”
Coming to stand by his side, she was amazed to watch as his fingers flew across the computer interface and reams of data appeared. Eagan was following logic paths that she couldn’t, tracking pathways and algorithms. As quickly as he’d started the search, he abruptly stopped. “That’s unfortunate.”
“What is?” She moved closer to him, trying to see what he was on the screen. “I should have paid more attention in school.”
“The way the stasis tubes have been setup, they’re generating a signal, very low level and basic, but one that’s present nonetheless.”
“Does that mean we have to wake everyone up?”
“We can’t risk the chaos that twenty-five cyborgs suddenly aware of their mates would create.”
“You’re doing okay?” Beth looked down at his hand and realizing how long his fingers were.
“I’m not.” He turned his head slightly to look her way. “If it weren’t for the Sholle presence I would have grabbed you and taken you far away from here the moment I laid eyes on you.”
“Oh.” Another spike of arousal shot through her. “What are we going to do? Hide the ship?”
Eagan gripped the edge of the console. “That’s not a bad idea.”
Chapter Four
Eagan was in hell and for the first time in his life he wasn’t sure what to do. Now that he’d experienced the overwhelming rush of possessiveness when it came to his mate, he understood Rykal and Darrick’s reactions to him. Even now, it was almost impossible to think rationally beyond his impulses to grab Beth throw, her on the nearest surface, and thrust his hard cock into her. If he couldn’t claim her as his own soon, he was worried he wouldn’t be able to save the rest of the humans and prevent the Sholle attack.
He needed space to think.
But now that he’d spent time with her, had her by his side, Eagan knew he wouldn’t be able to walk away. He had to come up with a plan that they could implement quickly, and that wouldn’t involve waking the humans.
The Grus wouldn’t be prepared for the chaos that would follow.
Beth’s curls were damp from her cleansing, and they hung low around her cheeks. Eagan wasn’t the type of man even before his re-birth to notice something as simple as a woman’s hair, which was more proof that this connection was far stronger than should be possible. She looked up at him with her large brown eyes and pouted. “Where could you hide the ship? Is there shielding here on the station? Lena mentioned a planet somewhere. Can we move it there?”
It had been a long time since he’d worked with anyone closely. Even back during the war, he’d been the one working out strategies for others to implement. He was a soldier who took commands and provided support where necessary. But he kept himself at a distance whenever he could.
Beth might not be a soldier, but she was clearly used to working with others, being a partner of sorts. She easily slid into the role and that strangely offered him comfort.
Her ideas were solid as well.
“The Grus won’t put the station at risk. Once they learn that the signal is coming from this ship, they’ll want it removed. We’ll need to find a spot down on Zarlan that will be able to protect the people in stasis while blocking the signal from reaching the Sholle.”
“What happens if they try to attack the planet?” She asked her question with the gravitas of someone who’d experienced the fallout of war.
“They lost to our cyborg army once before. I have no doubts we’d be successful once again.”
If Rykal and Darrick feel even a fraction of the way toward their mates that Eagan did, he knew there would be nothing that would stop them from destroying the Sholle to keep them safe. But that didn’t solve the problem of the humans being close to the cyborgs. Even with the women still in stasis, Eagan knew the impact of them being on the planet close to the cyborg city wouldn’t end well. It would be an unnecessary distraction if the Sholle attacked that could potentially divide and distract those who had mates waiting.
The Kraken’s scanners were primitive and wouldn’t give him the information he needed to find a safe spot for the ship to hide on the planet. Closing his eyes, he reached out to the station’s AI, hoping it would be able to help.
Warning. Unauthorized cyborg contact. Please disengage or be slated for decommission.
Commander Aidric has tasked me to find a solution to prevent the Sholle from attacking. I need your help.
It was strange to feel the AI’s hesitation. Proceed.
The advantage of connecting directly to a computer system was its ability to accept bulk information without needing to communicate with words. Eagan opened his mind and allowed the AI to access his thoughts on what had happened over the past few hours, including their current dilemma. The AI then disconnected, no doubt so it could go in search of a solution.
Eagan felt Beth place her hand on his forearm, forcing him to open his eyes and look at her. Her frown pulled at her lips and wrinkled her forehead. “Are you okay?”
“I’ve been communicating with the station’s AI to help find a location on the planet’s surface where we can move the Kraken.”
“Oh.” She looked away and her face flushed. “I forgot.”
“Forgot what?”
“That you’re enhanced.” She shrugged as her hand fell away from his arm. “You don’t look like the other two men. I can see their cybernetics, but with you it’s not as obvious.”
Eagan hadn’t considered his enhancements for a long time. His wounds in the war hadn’t been as catastrophic regarding his physical appearance, but had taken his life, nonetheless. They had only spent a short time together, not even an hour, and Eagan could appreciate her curiosity about a man who claimed she was his mate. Taking a step away from the console, he pulled up the bottom of his pantleg to reveal his cybernetic limb.
“I’d anticipated a weakness in our defenses and was attempting to setup a defence perimeter to keep our base camp safe. The first laser blast took my leg. The second hit me in the back. I don’t remember anything after that until my re-birth.”
“Re-birth?”
He was about to answer her when the AI reconnected with him. Cyborg, move the Kraken to the following location.
Turning back to the ship’s computer, Eagan typed in the coordinates as the AI sent them. The map revealed a small landing in a valley far enough away from the city that any affected cyborgs should be able to be prevented from reaching the humans, but close enough that if they needed to evacuate the ship, they would have the necessary resources available to do so. The rock formations in the valley naturally produced low-grade radiation that should be sufficient to block the signal emanating from the stasis tubes without needing to wake the sleepers.
; Eagan nodded. Well done. This is ideal.
If the AI was capable of emotions, Eagan would have been convinced it was arrogant. Naturally. And then it was gone.
“I need to find Rykal and relieve Darrick from his post. We’ll need to move the ship to these coordinates.” Eagan turned and without thinking he pulled Beth hard against him. His cock was stiff and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep himself from stripping her naked to fuck her. Instead of giving in to the impulse, he pressed his nose into her hair and took a long, deep breath. “Soon.”
He felt her shiver in his arms, though from anticipation or fear, he wasn’t certain. Eagan let her go and looked at her hard, trying to see if he could determine the nature of her reactions. “Do you not wish to mate with me?”
Beth’s mouth fell open for a moment before she snapped it shut. “I’ve been awake for an hour. Not only did I just learn that you think I’m your mate, but that we’re the cause of a potential alien invasion. I don’t know where I am or what I’m doing, let alone if I want to mate with you.”
Eagan’s gaze was locked onto her, making it easy to see the changes in her body. Perhaps attraction worked differently with her race? He reached out to the AI once more through his cybernetic link. Do you have a record of the other human’s physical state when they wished to mate with the Fallen?
The AI was suddenly back in his head, and he could feel its interest in his question. Her pupils are dilated. Heartrate elevated. Engorged sex glands. Scans of other human women indicate these are signs of species arousal.
She wishes to mate with me. That was a positive.
You will need to win her trust to proceed.
Coming up with a plan to win Beth over was something Eagan was more than capable of doing. I’ll strategize and win her as my mate.
Affirmative. And the AI was gone again.
That wasn’t something Eagan would have anticipated happening. Clearly, the AI had advanced in the time he’d been away from Grus Prime. He’d have to mention this to Rykal and Darrick later to see if they’ve had a similar experience. For now, they needed to move the Kraken to Zarlan before the Sholle attacked.
