by Anna Hackett
“Perfectionist,” Jax said.
Mace grunted again. “You mean temperamental sandsucker.” The volatile weapons master regularly made Mace want to beat him to a pulp.
“The clients will wait,” Magnus said.
Yeah, they would. Maxon made the best weapons on Carthago.
“Next item is to discuss any updates on the search for the Edull and Bari Batu,” Magnus said. “We’ll meet in my office shortly.”
Jax nodded. “Toren and Acton will meet us there.”
“I need to check with the cyborgs taking the Gardill weapons out to the spaceport,” Mace said. “Then I’ll come.”
It only took him a few minutes to ascertain the cyborgs were following his orders and were prepping the completed weapons order for transport. As he headed for Magnus’ office, his thoughts turned to the Edull.
The Edull’s scrap city was hidden somewhere in the desert. They were working hard to find it, but there was very little intel available. From what they could tell, it was located on the far side of Carthago, deep in uncharted parts of the desert.
As he headed down the hall, Mace heard soft, female laughter.
The sound hit him in the gut like a punch. He couldn’t stop himself from walking closer.
He peered into Ever’s sitting room, and saw Ever and Quinn. Quinn was holding baby Asha and smiling.
And a gorgeous woman he didn’t recognize at first, with a mass of brown, silky curls, was laughing.
Jayna?
Mace stared at her, then dragged in a breath. Emotions rose in him, and this time, he struggled to subdue them.
He gritted his teeth. He knew anger, that was it. When he’d been trapped in the fight rings, he’d fucked women on occasion. Hard, rough tumbles against walls between bouts to burn off the adrenaline. But the stark truth was that he didn’t like someone else’s skin against his.
Jayna laughed again. It was still a little subdued, but there was a glow on her face.
Desire was like a burning flare in his gut. He swiveled, turning away from the doorway, his hands clenching into fists.
Mace didn’t want a woman. He didn’t want to be drawn to Jayna. He’d watched Magnus and Jax both fall in love… No, thanks. He just wasn’t capable of it.
He was well aware of how small and fragile these women from Earth were. Not in spirit. Their toughness continued to surprise him. But their bodies were tiny, and far less strong than most alien species. He looked down at his big, scarred fists. He could so easily break a small woman.
Shaking his head again, Mace continued to Magnus’ office.
All the elite cyborgs were waiting there. Jax stood with a hip against the edge of the desk. Acton leaned against the wall, and the final member of their group, Toren, sat in one of the chairs. The cyborg was eating a piece of fruit. He caught Mace’s gaze and nodded.
Toren’s blond hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck. He had metal enhancements embedded in his shoulders.
“Thanks for getting that family free of Gosht for me,” Toren said. “I’ve been busy with the starship-crash victims.”
Toren took the lead on helping people who needed cybernetic replacements. Mace’s job was focused on the other part of the House of Rone’s main business—weapons. They had the best weapons master in all of Kor Magna. Maxon was a genius at what he did, but had a temperament that made Mace look like sunshine.
“Update on the Edull,” Magnus said.
Jax blew out a frustrated breath. “Nothing. Zhim and Ryan have found nothing. Corsair is tracking down some very vague rumors, but I don’t expect them to pan out. Galen has nothing new to report.”
Zhim and Ryan were the city’s premier information merchants. If they couldn’t find anything… Corsair was a caravan master who knew the desert like the back of his hand. He was contacting all his desert informants to see if anyone knew where Bari Batu was. Galen was imperator of the House of Galen. They’d already rescued all the Fortuna Space Station humans, and were helping the House of Rone in the search for the Helios humans.
Nothing. They had nothing.
Drak. Mace wanted to pummel something.
“We won’t find intel here in the city,” Mace said. “The Edull stay well clear of Kor Magna.”
Magnus nodded. “The Thraxians sold the Helios survivors to the Edull on purpose. The House of Galen was already tracking down the human survivors from Fortuna, so the Thraxians got rid of the rest of them where we’d have trouble finding them.”
Mace stuck a hand on his hip. “So where does that leave us?”
Magnus met his gaze. “We need to know what Jayna can remember.”
Mace stiffened. “She’s been through enough.”
“There are others out there, Mace,” Jax said. “Others fighting for their lives.”
And Mace knew exactly what that felt like—to keep fighting, never knowing if you would ever escape. Always wondering if the next day might bring your death.
Drak. He wanted to protect Jayna, but they needed her to delve into her darkest nightmares.
Chapter Four
Jayna felt a stab of envy over Ever’s lab. Memories of her own astrophysics lab on the Helios hit her, and her throat tightened. It was gone now.
“It’s so nice in here.” Sunlight poured through the windows. She closed her eyes. Sweet, sweet sunlight.
“Magnus put the lab together for me when I first came to the House of Rone. He wanted me to have a place of my own.” The other woman smiled. “I was suffering with morning sickness, which made him a little panicky.”
Jayna could not imagine Magnus Rone panicking about anything, but there was absolutely no doubt about how the cyborg imperator felt about Ever. Jayna wandered the benches, touching various items. Her insides tingled a little bit. It was the need to explore, understand, find the patterns. She’d always been curious and loved solving problems.
“Jayna?”
Mace’s deep voice made her swivel. He stood in the doorway, his shoulders almost touching the sides of it. Every time she saw him, she was struck by his size. He was so big.
Ever looked over, a faint smile on her face. “I think I’ll pop out and make some ocla for us to drink. Be back in a bit.”
Ever slipped past Mace and out of the room.
Jayna lifted her chin.
He stepped closer. “Your hair—”
“I brushed it.”
“Good.”
She lifted her chin higher. “You were right. It’s time I started healing.”
“You needed to feel safe.”
She blew out a breath. “I do.” For some reason, being near you makes me feel safe.
She took in the rough-hewn lines of his face. He wasn’t handsome like Jax, but there was such a strength to him. It radiated off his big body.
Jayna couldn’t see any obvious enhancements on him like the other cyborgs. Curiosity curled inside. She wondered what exactly had been altered and enhanced on his body. The only metal she could see was a fascinating piercing he had in one nipple.
“All our leads on the Edull and Bari Batu have dried up,” Mace stated bluntly.
Her stomach dropped. Just the name of the Edull and the city made her feel sick. Stay calm. She gave a tight nod.
“We need to see if you remember anything. Anything that might help us.”
They wanted her to crack open her head and delve into her nightmares. She wrapped her arms around herself. The Edull had tortured her and she’d tried to block that out. The pain. The screams—hers, and the cries of others.
She strode across the lab, her steps jerky.
“Take your time—”
She spun to face him. “I can’t though, can I? We both know that. There are other humans out there—” A throbbing pain burst through her head and she staggered.
“Jayna.” He strode forward.
She stumbled, her hip slamming into one of Ever’s benches. Panic rose up, strangling her. She couldn’t breathe—
Bi
g hands curled around her arms. “Take a breath.”
She tried, but it burned.
“Look at me.”
She looked up into dark eyes ringed with electric green.
“You’re safe,” he said.
Finally, she managed to get some air into her lungs. “I’m okay.”
“You’re not, but you will be.”
The throb in her head lowered to a dull ache. Images flickered, memories. “Wait. I remember something. I talked with another member of the crew from the Helios.”
Mace frowned. “Quinn. We know that you two talked through the cell walls.”
Jayna shook her head. “Someone else.” She touched her temple. Dammit, why couldn’t she remember?
“Here.”
She heard the crinkle of a wrapper, and looked up to see Mace holding out some sort of energy bar to her.
“I’m not hungry—”
“Eat,” he growled. “You need the nutrients.”
With a huff, she snatched the bar from him and took two quick bites. The damn thing was delicious, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
He led her over to some chairs near the windows. “What else do you remember?”
She tucked her legs under her, trying not to let the panic rise again. “I remember that it was hot. I guess that’s no surprise, since we were in the desert.” She worried her bottom lip. “There was a low-level hum of energy to the place. And I remember the stone walls, screams echoing off the stone.”
Jayna couldn’t sit still any longer. She leaped up, taking a few steps away.
“So many screams.”
“Jayna—”
A sudden pain streaked through her head and down her neck. It felt like lightning. With a cry, her legs collapsed.
She bumped a bench and as she went down, she heard glass shatter.
She hit the ground, her body shaking. She couldn’t talk, couldn’t move.
“Jayna!”
As her body kept jerking, her muscles no longer under her control, her gaze locked onto Mace’s dark, dark eyes rimmed with green.
Then there was nothing.
Jayna was having some sort of seizure. Mace held her head so she wouldn’t bump it on the floor.
Fear, such an unfamiliar feeling, was racing through him.
He held her body as she convulsed, and for the first time in a very long time, Mace felt helpless.
“I’m here, Jayna. You’re safe.”
He needed to call for help, but unlike most of the other cyborgs, he didn’t have a built-in communication system. Drak, he couldn’t leave her.
It felt like an eternity, but finally she stopped shaking and her body went limp.
Figuring it was safe to move her now, he scooped her up off the floor, carefully holding her to his chest. He strode out of Ever’s lab, moving swiftly toward Medical.
He burst through the doors and spotted a female healer near some medical equipment. “Help her.”
The woman frowned and hurried over. “What happened?”
“She had some sort of seizure.”
The healer waved to a bunk and reluctantly, Mace set Jayna down.
“She was trying to recall her time in captivity,” he added.
With gentle hands, the healer checked Jayna over. She lifted a small scanner and ran it over Jayna’s still form. The healer made some unhappy noises.
Unable to withstand the lack of contact, Mace pressed his hand to Jayna’s arm. Her skin was warm.
The healer stepped back. “I need to call Avarn.”
Mace’s gut clenched. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know yet—”
“Help her. You need to—”
The female healer tapped on a screen, then turned to him. “Calm yourself or I’ll have you removed.”
Mace growled. “Oh? How the drak do you suppose you’ll do that?”
The healer’s eyes narrowed, just as the doors opened and Avarn bustled in. The older man’s long hair was pulled back at the base of his neck.
“Mace, sit down and stay out of the way. Murmil, tell me what we’ve got.”
Mace dropped into a chair, staying close to the head of Jayna’s bed. The healers pressed sensors to her skin and Avarn moved a scanner over her head.
Swallowing, Mace realized his mouth was dry.
“How the drak did we miss that?” Avarn muttered.
“What?” Mace demanded.
A frown on his face, the healer turned, pulling a tray of instruments closer to the bed. “There appears to be something metallic buried in her head, near her left temple.”
Mace sucked in a breath.
“It’s small, partly embedded in the bone. That’s why it was missed.”
“You can get it out?”
Avarn nodded. “I need you to go.”
Mace’s hand tightened on Jayna’s skin. “I’m staying.”
“Mace.”
Magnus’ cool, deep voice echoed through Medical. Mace’s head jerked up. Magnus was flanked by Jax and Acton, all of them watching him intently. Mace flexed his fingers.
“It’s a delicate procedure,” Avarn said, voice calm. “I’ll let you know as soon as we’ve removed the object.”
“She’ll be okay?”
Avarn’s mouth tightened. “It’s in a difficult location—”
“I’m staying.” Mace’s cybernetic heart thudded hard in his chest. What the healer wasn’t saying is that there was a risk to Jayna in doing this.
Magnus stepped closer.
“I’m not leaving,” Mace growled.
Magnus sighed. He didn’t say anything aloud, but obviously gave Jax and Acton an order. The three cyborgs jumped Mace.
There was an ugly, intense struggle. Mace fought, and they tipped over an empty bunk. Magnus, Jax, and Acton dragged Mace out into the hall, and kept him pinned against the wall.
“I told her I wouldn’t leave her,” he said between gritted teeth.
“You aren’t.” Magnus had Mace in a headlock. “We’ll stay here until Avarn finishes. Let him do what he needs to do.”
Drak. Mace tried to get a handle on the volatile rage choking him. “She’s so fragile. How the drak do you handle it with Ever and Quinn? Knowing someone could hurt them so easily.”
Magnus loosened his hold. “They aren’t easy prey, Mace. You know better than anyone that physical strength only takes you so far.”
Mace nodded and pulled away. This time, his friends released him. He stared at the door to Medical, trying not to picture what was happening inside.
It felt like endless hours, but finally, the doors opened and Avarn stepped out. The healer eyed them all, his gaze settling on Mace.
Mace heard the thud of his pulse in his ears.
“She’s fine. Still unconscious, but I believe she’ll wake up shortly.”
Sagging against the wall, Mace sucked in a deep breath. Magnus patted his shoulder.
“It was a small implant. Smaller than anything I’ve seen before.”
“What was it designed to do?” Mace demanded.
“From what I can tell, distort her brainwaves. Leave her confused, her memories clouded, her thought patterns uneven.”
Mace sucked in a sharp breath. “That’s why she’s had trouble healing? Why she couldn’t remember things?”
Avarn nodded. “She, of course, has some emotional trauma as well, but the implant would have been making it very difficult for her to think clearly.”
Mace let himself imagine being in a fight ring with the Edull who’d implanted it in her. Pummeling the crudspawn into bloody pieces. “So she’ll be okay?”
The healer nodded. “Her vitals are in normal ranges, and there doesn’t appear to be any adverse effects. I can’t guarantee her memories will come back all at once, but they should come back.”
Mace pulled in a shuddering breath.
Magnus shifted. “This doesn’t sound like typical tech for the Edull.”
Acton nodded. “T
hey are known for fashioning scrap metal into highly useful and productive robotic creations, not small implants in organic lifeforms.”
“Branching out?” Jax mused.
“We’ll take a closer look once we’ve tracked them down,” Magnus said.
Mace stepped forward. “I want to see her.”
Avarn raised a hand. “She’s still unconscious—”
“Now.”
Magnus shot the healer a look and Avarn sighed. “Fine. You can sit with her until she wakes up.”
“Hey!” A female voice echoed down the corridor.
They all turned and saw Ever and Quinn marching toward them. Mace didn’t need to be an expert on women to know they were angry.
Magnus stiffened and Jax muttered under his breath.
“You didn’t tell them what happened to Jayna?” Mace said.
Acton watched the incoming women. “I believe that might have been the incorrect choice.”
“Yeah, thanks, Acton,” Jax said.
“I just heard—” Ever shoved her hands on her hips and glared at Magnus “—that not only did Jayna have a seizure, she required dangerous surgery.”
“We heard from a house worker,” Quinn clipped out.
“I wanted to know the outcome of the procedure before I told you,” Magnus said.
Ever pulled in a breath. “She’s our friend. You should have told us straight away.”
“I didn’t want you to worry,” Magnus added.
Looking to the floor, Ever rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Magnus, caring for someone, it comes with the ups and the downs. I know you want to protect me, but you can’t shield me from everything. Especially from the things I need to be a part of.”
Magnus nodded.
“Don’t do it again.” Ever walked into the imperator’s arms and he closed them around her.
Quinn pointed a finger at Jax. “What’s your excuse?”
Jax’s face was purposely blank. “I was following my imperator’s orders.”
“You’re throwing him under the bus.” Quinn shook her head. “Coward.”
Jax grinned. “Did it get me out of trouble?”
“No.” Quinn went up on her toes and nipped his ear. “How is she?”
“She’ll be fine,” Mace said.
Quinn’s direct gaze met his, assessing. Then she nodded.
