by Alyse Anders
“You did?” A tremor of excited trepidation ran through her.
“Yes, and it changed them all. I’m responsible for that and everything that followed. If there’s an opportunity for them to find some peace, to fill in the flaw in their programming, to ease the rage that simmers below the surface, who am I to stand in the way.”
Lena swallowed hard, knowing she had to ask the obvious question and not sure she wanted to. “How many of the initial cyborgs were there before you made the change?”
“Twenty-eight.” He held her gaze a moment longer, turned and left.
Lena’s heart was pounding so hard that she could hear the echo in her ears as she felt it throb in her throat. What did he mean by that? Was she going to be free to go? Would Rykal be okay despite all of the laws that he’d broken?
God, she hoped so.
She didn’t know why she’d flown across the galaxy, but now that she was here and she’d met Rykal, Lena knew this was where she was meant to be.
More time passed and she was about to give up hope, when the door finally slid open. Rykal stood there, dressed in a clean uniform, his black hair washed and brushed, his piercing blue eyes wide and locked onto her. He came fully into the room, crossing the distance in three steps, before wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her hard against him.
“Rykal?” That was all she was able to get out before he crushed her mouth in a kiss. His lips were warm, as his tongue flicked across her teeth as it went in search of hers. He continued to devour her, until her lungs screamed from lack of oxygen and she had to shove him back enough to breathe. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know what you said to Aidric, but he somehow convinced the Grus leadership not to decommission me.”
Relief raced through her, more addictive than any drug. “Oh, thank God.”
“More than that, he’s said that we will be free to go soon. He needs to first finalize a few details, but then we’ll be given a shuttle and be allowed to return to Cimacha.”
Lena closed her eyes and let her forehead tip forward to press against his chest. “What about the rest of my passengers?”
“He didn’t say, but knowing him the way I do, that is the matter he’s dealing with currently.” He put his hand beneath her chin and lifted it up until she was looking him in the eyes once more. “For now, he’s assigned us quarters to wait, rest and get nourishment.”
There was a glint in his eyes that told Lena that there was something else Rykal wanted that went beyond food and rest. It had only been half a day since they’d had sex, but Lena’s body was already craving him once more.
“Is there a bed in these quarters?” Her voice was low, husky in a way that was so unlike her. Seductive and teasing; two things she wasn’t normally.
“There is.” He ran his thumb down across her lip and she couldn’t help but tease the tip of it with her tongue.
“We better go then.” She smiled up at him, pleased by the feel of his cock against her stomach. “We can talk later.”
He grabbed her by the hand and yanked her out of the room.
Chapter Ten
Rykal was barely able to contain his raging lust for Lena as he led her through the corridors of the station toward the quarters Aidric had assigned to them. He didn’t know if he’d ever get used to the feelings of lust and fascination he had for Lena, and there was a large part of him that hoped he didn’t. For the first time since the war, since becoming a cyborg, Rykal felt alive and part of something much larger than himself. He had Lena to thank for that.
He also owed her thanks for somehow rekindling the relationship he had with his brother; something he’d never thought would happen again. Their conversation had been brief, but poignant; Aidric was convinced that the twenty-eight women on the Kraken were connected to the twenty-eight cyborgs who’d taken up leadership roles for the Fallen. He’d promised Rykal that he’d conduct some research on the possibility and would be in touch. Aidric even slipped again and used Rykal’s childhood nickname once more. That simple word was more than enough to give Rykal hope that there would be more for their future.
But Aidric wasn’t who he wanted to focus on just then. He tightened his hold on Lena, anticipating what was to come.
The moment they were alone, that they were tucked safely behind the door of their quarters, he was going to strip Lena naked and lick her body until she screamed with pleasure. His arousal was so high, he knew there was no hiding it from the Grus they passed on their way. It was oddly amusing to witness their double takes when they realized not only who he was, but that there was an alien woman being dragged alone behind him.
Speaking of whom…
He turned and scooped Lena up into his arms in one quick, smooth motion, continuing on their path before she realized he was now carrying her.
“You know I’m more than capable of walking on my own.” There was only mild annoyance in her voice.
“Your human legs are too short. You’re slow.”
“We have an expression back on Earth. Good things come to those who wait.”
“That’s a stupid expression.”
Thankfully, neither of them would have to wait any longer. He knew their quarters were just ahead and he wanted nothing to slow them down. He reached out to the station’s AI, sending the security clearance codes.
Security code…analyzing…received…analyzing…
Emotional control check…analyzing…reviewed…testing…analyzing…
Rykal growled. Open the fracking door!
Analyzing…cyborg impatient…
I’ll show you impatient.
There was a ruffle of something in his brain as they got to the room and the door slid opened. He couldn’t be sure, but he swore the AI found him amusing. But that was another question for another day.
Right now, the only thing he cared about was getting Lena naked.
The door closed behind him, and he continued over to the bed where he placed her down on the mattress. “Strip.”
She cocked her eyebrow at him and let out a soft chuckle. “Aren’t you going to say please first?”
He said nothing whatsoever, instead pulling his newly acquired uniform shirt off and tossing it to the floor somewhere behind him. Her gaze snapped to his chest, and she shifted toward the edge of the bed and sat up. “I’ve wanted to do this again, only this time I want to take my time and give you a ride.”
“We have all the time in the world.” But he wasn’t certain what she was planning to do to him.
Rykal’s sexual experience before his change had been varied, and he’d always enjoyed the time he’d spent with his partners. Human women clearly had different desires than Grus, and he was surprised when she pulled his pants down to expose his cock, and then leaned in to lick the head of his cock. He couldn’t help but shiver from the intensity of the touch, thankful that she continued, rather than leave him to suffer and beg for more.
Lena sucked the head of his cock deep into her mouth, swallowing as she used her hand to stroke his shaft. Unlike back on the planet, she used her free hand to massage the membrane along his inner thigh. He groaned as his knees buckled from the contact.
She pulled back and looked up at him with a frown. He could feel her confusion come off her in waves. “Did I hurt you?”
“Just the opposite.” He widened his stance, exposing the membrane for her to see. “Grus men have this rondella, on our bodies.”
“That word didn’t translate for me.”
The concept was different enough with humans that she had no frame of reference that the nanobots could use to assist. “An area of our body that produces sperm for fertilization. It also gives us great pleasure when we’re mating if it’s touched.”
“I didn’t notice that before.” She lowered her head to look at him, her breath washing across the too-sensitive skin. “It’s dark green. Way darker than your skin.”
“It fills as I’m aroused.”
“What happen
s if I do this?” She pressed her mouth to his thigh and licked a long swipe across it with her tongue.
Rykal’s world nearly blacked out on him as pleasure roared through him, making his cock twitch and his body shake. Every inch of his body tingled as he became hyper aware of his skin, his nerves, even the way the air touched him. It was an all-encompassing feeling that fired his blood and made him want to fuck her hard and fast. He hadn’t had a pre-orgasm since he was a young man, the stacking of pleasure as his seed was produced in preparation for release. He wasn’t going to last long if she continued to do that. He reached down and grabbed her hair, pulling her mouth away from his thigh and stretching her neck back so she was fully exposed to him.
Lena gasped as she licked her lips. “What did I just do to you? Did you just have an orgasm, or was that reaction something else?”
“Something else.” Stepping free of his pants, he was now naked and able to focus his attention on her. “Something that I’m going to get glorious revenge for.”
Human bodies seemed to lack some elements that Grus women had but made up for it with others. Her breasts were larger than a Grus woman, and she responded with a moan when he shoved his hand beneath her suit to capture her nipple between his fingers. She seemed to respond to tiny bits of pain, and he could feel it mix with pleasure inside her until she wasn’t sure where one response started and the other ended.
Lowering his mouth to her throat, he went in search for the mark he’d left upon her previously. The dark bruise stood in stark contrast against her pale skin, which gave him a pleasurable possessive shiver. He kept his gaze locked on it as he began to strip her with one hand, refusing to release her hair and the glorious tension that was building inside her. It took effort and required a bit of help from Lena, but they eventually got her stripped, so she was as naked as he.
And now the fun can begin.
Her nipples were hard and dark pink, beaded up and practically begging him to suck on them. There was no way he’d be able to resist them and lowered his mouth. He sucked hard, using his teeth and tongue to tease and torment the sensitive flesh, enjoying the sounds that came from Lena as she bucked and thrashed beneath him. He could smell her arousal, could feel the wetness between her legs as she moved against his thigh.
He made a point of rubbing his rondella against her, letting the pleasure build again, knowing the end result would bind the two of them together forever. He wanted this, needed this mating to happen so they’d both be forever happy. She was his and he was hers. She’d crossed space just to be here with him; she given up her home, her life, in search of him. Rykal couldn’t have guessed that another creature would do anything like that for him before.
Rykal shifted his body so his cock slid inside her pussy, and her clit pressed against him. He lifted his mouth from her nipple and instead moved to suck the bruise on her shoulder. “You’re mine.”
“Yes.” She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. “Yours.”
It was in that moment, as his orgasm grew to the point of tipping that Rykal realized she might not fully understand what he meant. This wasn’t some passing fancy or claim of his affections; no, he was about to bond with her in the Grus mating ritual, claiming her so no other man could. He desperately tried to hold his body back, knowing they wouldn’t have much time.
“I’ve marked you as mine.” He nipped at her shoulder but looked up again to stare into her eyes. “My rondella produces a chemical that will mark you as my mate. If I come this time, no other Grus or cyborg man will dare touch you. My scent will be on you forever.”
She reached up and cupped his cheeks. “As long as no other woman in this universe lays a hand on you. My scent better be all over you forever, because I’ll kill anyone else who tries to take you from me.”
That was all he needed to hear. She not only understood what was about to happen, but she wanted him the same way. Reaching between their bodies, he pressed his finger against the top of her swollen clit and rubbed it in circles as he thrust into her. Her juices eased his cock and he fucked into her body as hard and as fast as he’d dreamed he could.
He wanted to wait, to feel Lena’s muscles contract around him before he finally claimed her, but it was difficult to hold the wave of pleasure at bay. Rykal shifted so his weight rested on his elbows and knees, giving him the ability to use his hands better. He did his best to focus his attention on her; he alternated teasing her nipples and her clit with his fingers and shifted his mouth from her throat to her mouth. He kissed her hard, swallowing up the noises of pleasure as the slipped from her; drinking them down like a sweet nectar.
Lena’s eyes were squeezed shut and her body shook beneath him. “So close.”
It was as though she was trying to hard to find her pleasure. He shifted his mouth to her ear and flicked his tongue against her lobe. “I’m yours and you’re mine. Forever. I will bring you pleasure and love. And right now, I want you to come.”
Her body bowed beneath him as her pussy clamped down hard on his cock, and a scream ripped from her chest. That magnificent sound was all he needed to hear. Rykal closed his eyes and let the dam he’d built up, break. Pleasure roared from his body as he cried out; waves of his orgasm washed over him as he pumped his seed inside her.
His marking scent came with it as well, claiming her so no other could, so no other would dare. His pleasure overwhelmed his cybernetics, and for the briefest of moments he was Grus again; a man who would give his life for the woman whom he loved.
He felt alive.
And then he fell in a heap upon her body.
They stayed that way, a mess of arms and legs tangled together as their bodies cooled in the recycled station air. Unlike down on the planet, Rykal didn’t have the urge to run, to hide the darker side of his being from her, to keep her safe from a thing he couldn’t control. Lena didn’t care, and wanted him for who he was, expecting nothing more. He shifted so her head rested on the side of his chest that was still flesh, giving her the freedom to reach up and run her fingers along the seam of his cybernetics.
She placed a kiss to his chest. “That was…unbelievable.”
He’d been told that when a Grus finally mated, they felt different. He’d always assumed that the difference would be subtle, small but in a fundamental way. He hadn’t anticipated this all-encompassing shift in his outlook on the world. “I’m now yours until the end of our days. We’ve formed a bond that cannot be broken.”
Lena lifted her head just high enough so she could place her chin on his chest and look at his face. “I don’t understand why, but I knew. Before you said anything, shit before I even arrived on this station. I knew that you were the man I was destined to be with. You’re the reason I gave up everything back on Earth and came here on blind faith.”
“Cyborgs aren’t supposed to be able to mate. We died and our rondella was supposed to have died as well. Dried up so we couldn’t have a family of our own. You’ve proven that it’s possible for us to have lives, to have love.”
“The universe has worked a miracle that pulled our two people together.” She paused, her brow furrowed. “I…I think Darrick’s mate is in there. Its probably why he was able to sense her.”
“Darrick? How did you know?”
“He told Aidric that he felt someone, but I don’t know much more beyond that. Aidric left and then you showed up after that.” She ran her finger across his chest. “If there is another woman and she does turn out to be Darrick’s mate, then that means all of the women on board the Kraken are probably cyborg mates. Maybe.”
A whole ship full of people looking for happiness; a group of cyborgs down on the planet who didn’t know their lives were about to change. “Aidric will want to test that theory before he allows the rest of your passengers to be woken from their sleep.”
“And if it turns out that we’re right, that all those women are meant to be with a cyborg down on the planet, do you think he’ll let them go down there to look? Will w
e be able to form lives, have homes and families?”
The Grus leadership might take issue with the cyborgs having mates, might be fearful of what would happen if the Sholle ever returned and they were needed to go back and fight another war. “If they know what’s good for them and for my people, then they will give us all the resources we need to relocate your people planet side.”
Rykal sat up and brought Lena with him. Cupping her face, he kissed her gently on the nose. “I love you. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, to give you the life that you deserve. And all I ask for is to know that you’ll love me in return.”
She smiled and something deep inside him softened. “I loved you before I even knew you. But now that I’m here with you, I love you even more. I can’t wait to live the rest of my life with you.”
Rykal wrapped his arms around her and knew that he’d finally been rewarded for everything that he’d ever sacrificed. He’d been given the gift of true love.
Acknowledgments
Thank you everyone for reading, Consumed by the Cyborg! I hope you enjoyed spending time with Rykal and Lena and being introduced to their world. This is book 1 of my new and completed Cyborg Protector series, with new novellas following every month.
Book 2 – Saved by the Cyborg – will tell Darrick and Carys’ story, and will be out in February 2020. Please check for more books to come this year.
Cyborg Protector Series
Book 1 – Consumed by the Cyborg
Book 2 – Mated to the Cyborg
Book 3 – Saved by the Cyborg
Book 4 – Healed by the Cyborg
