Dayen remembered the first moment he’d recognized her as his. He’d been spying above ground with Aunt Cass, gathering information for the upcoming summit. Sage had grabbed his attention the minute he’d seen her working in the small garden. He’d felt her first, her thoughts calm and tranquil, so different from her current scattered upheaval. Her hands were dirty, and her dark hair shone under the artificial lights that nourished the Born’s meager crops. A decade before, Bred minions would’ve toiled to provide for the Born, but their emancipation meant the Born had to work for themselves. The labor was hard, but she didn’t mind, enjoyed the solitude.
She’d stood from her work and placed hands at the small of her back, stretching sore muscles and inadvertently displaying her lush figure.
Mine. It had been the first time the beast had spoken. The first moment Dayen recognized something primal lived within him. Before, he’d always blamed his temper on his telepathy. The constant deluge of other people’s thoughts that invaded his skull would have anyone on edge. But looking at Sage, he’d recognized her for what she was—the beast’s mate.
He would have gone to her then, but Cass had grabbed his arm and whispered, “Bide your time. She will be yours soon enough.”
“I want her,” he growled low.
“And how will you bind her to you if you can’t touch her?” Cass asked. “You must learn some control over your abilities first. For both your sakes.”
Shame made him hold his ground. “What if she chooses another?”
Cass had held his gaze. “If she is yours, she will always come to you. If not, you have no way to keep her.”
Regret ate at him as he pulled his awareness back to the present. Damn Cass’s interference! If he’d taken Sage then she wouldn’t have been hurt, wouldn’t be so afraid that she locked herself in a tunneler to postpone their union.
He heard movement inside the tunneler, heard her coming closer. His patience was paying off because her wariness abated. He sensed her reach her hand to the door, placed it against the cool, smooth metal directly opposite his.
“What do you want?” She asked softly.
Only you, luscious.
But she didn’t want him, didn’t want any man. All she wanted was her freedom. He could relate, the mantle of destiny lay heavy on his shoulders. He’d been born and bred and raised as a cyborg to be humanity’s savior. But he was a freak who couldn’t bear touch, not even hers.
Would knowing that he couldn’t consummate their mating soothe her? Whether it would or not, it wasn’t a secret he was ready to share. His mother and Cass had fought to hide his disability from the cyborgs and he didn’t know if he could trust Sage yet.
A cornered animal was a dangerous one.
So instead, he lied. “I need the tunneler.”
Panic flared in her thoughts but not in her reluctant voice. “Oh. I suppose I need to let you in then, if you have something to do.”
“You could come with me,” he offered. Maybe getting away from the crowd, the pressure of their destinies and the weight of expectations that others heaped on them would ease them both.
“I can’t. I mean I’m supposed to get married…er…mated today. My uncle will be furious if I leave.”
“I’ll handle him.” Dayen couldn’t keep the snarl from his voice.
“My fiancée—” she stopped. “This is stupid, I can’t hide in here forever.”
He heard the thought she didn’t voice. No matter how much I want to.
“I promise you, you will meet all your obligations. Just a quick trip and we’ll return here in time for your mating.” Hopefully, with a less reluctant bride.
He sensed her decision a second before the door slid open. Dayen’s eyes went wide as he beheld her closer than he ever had.
Long, dark hair fell nearly to her waist in a river of night. Big blue eyes full of caution and curiosity. Pale skin with a light dusting of freckles across her upturned nose and sweet full pink lips he longed to taste. The fluffy gown she loathed clung to her generous curves and Dayen longed to tear it from her body so he could see every bit of her.
Utterly lovely. Completely terrified.
Mine.
Her scent was fresh and clean, unlike anything he’d ever known. It reminded him of green and growing things, like in her hothouse garden. Her little dog circled around her ankles staring at him with the same wariness exhibited by her mistress.
Belatedly, he realized he held a hand out to him. “My name is Sage.”
He knew, oh how he knew. And yet, he couldn’t reveal his identity now, nor could he touch her. He only hoped she’d eventually forgive him for his lies.
“Mine’s Berrick. Pleased to meet you.”
****
Sage stepped back into the tunneler so Berrick wouldn’t crowd her. His massive form filled the small space until she could barely breathe. She wasn’t exactly petite but he was too tall to stand upright in the tunneler without bashing his head. Broad shoulders filled the small space but it was his domineering presence that really spread out so no place was safe.
His face was too rugged to be truly handsome and his dark hair was longish but jagged on the ends, cut haphazardly, like he’d done it himself with a switchblade when it had grown too long to be ignored. His eyes were his most electric feature, a deep green like healthy plant leaves. She could glean nothing from his reserved expression, not intent or emotion of any kind. She saw no sign of technology about his person, so he must be another former Bred slave. He didn’t take her proffered hand and after an awkward moment, she let it drop.
Which was more foolish, locking herself in the tunneler or agreeing to accompany such a large man to wherever he was going? Danger clung to him along with innate sensuality. She didn’t think she’d ever noticed the play of a man’s muscles before, but even the slightest shift made her keenly aware that he was male. He was bigger than any man she’d seen before, bigger than her uncle or the Bred escort, even bigger than the ones who’d…
She derailed that thought before it dragged her down.
“I won’t hurt you.” Berrick’s green eyes had a ring of gold around them that seemed to expand as he spoke. Without the door between them, his deep, husky voice stroked over her like a caress.
She figured he was reading her wimpy body language, just like her Bred escort had. Sick of cowering, Sage forced her shoulders back and lifted her chin. “I never thought you would.”
“Fibber,” he offered a quicksilver smile to take the sting out of his words before turning his back on her and heading for the control panel.
Sage let out a relieved breath. Being ignored was better than his scrutiny. There was something about the way he looked at her, like he was drinking her in and would continue to do so until there was nothing left. She sank down on the nearest seat and tried to calm her galloping heart.
“Buckle up,” he called.
She did. Cleared her throat and asked, “So, where are we going?”
His big hands flew over the controls, more adept than any Bred she’d ever seen. Their race was strong but not usually so technologically savvy. Berrick must have been practicing since his emancipation to become so proficient.
The door shut and the tunneler angled down against the bedrock. “To the thermal beacons.”
Sage braced her hands on either side of herself as the tunneler rocked. “What are those?”
“Relay devices that detect changes around the globe.”
Sage wasn’t sure what good that would do, but the Born tended only to worry about themselves. “Are you looking for anything in particular?”
Berrick didn’t respond right away. Maybe he hadn’t heard her question. Or maybe she was being nosy and his silence was his way of letting her know it without being rude. She picked up Lily, who was remarkably calm considering the little dog didn’t like strange men any more than her mistress.
Since the tunneler only had one window right above the helix nose, there was nothing to see other tha
n crushed rock. This trail had no illumination, so the only light came from inside the tight cabin. Her companion was a dark massive shape in front of her. All bulging muscles and coiled power.
“I’m looking for signs that our planet is dying,” He murmured, startling her.
“Dying?” All the air left her lungs. Here she’d been panicking over her mating—and whatever it entailed—and the planet could be dying?
“I was told by a soothsayer that she’s almost out of time. The readings will confirm it, one way or another.”
“What—?” she cleared her throat and tried again. “What if the earth really is dying? Is there anything we can do to fix it?”
She wanted him to say yes, of course, where there was a will there’d be a way. But he held his piece again and her heart sank.
“Why didn’t this come up at the summit?” The fact that all the factions would perish if the planet died seemed like something they should have been made aware of. Was there any point to calling a truce of they were all doomed anyway?
“It’s a relatively new worry and nothing’s been proven yet. That’s what I intend to find out. I’m sure the accord will grant all factions full disclosure. If she is dying, the only way any of us will survive is if we all work together.”
Sage thought about her uncle’s prejudice against the Bred and the Borg. She thought about the people in the hallway that had seen her off, uncaring as to her fate. About the men who’d hurt her. Banding together wasn’t something the Born did. She hugged Lily to her and the little creature yelped in protest.
“God help us all,” Sage breathed.
Chapter Three
Dayen mentally swore as he took the third beacon reading. All of them relayed the same information. The rocks of the crust were cooler than they had been a year ago, and almost half the temperature of what they’d been two years ago.
“This doesn’t mean anything, not really.” he told Sage, who stared wide eyed at his data. “We’ve only tested rock on the dark half of the planet so far.”
“What other information do you need?” Beautiful blue eyes fixed on his face.
He could lose himself so easily in those eyes. Dayen forced himself to refocus on the tunneler controls and on inputting the new code. She was still nervous about him, both Dayen her cyborg fiancé and Berrick, the big man piloting the tunneler. Staring at her would only compound her fear.
Her thoughts were less frantic than they’d been when he first told her about his mission. As he picked up her unique frequency, he was also practicing blocking them out, making his mind immune to her innermost thoughts. It was an exercise Aunt Cass had taught him, slowly erecting a barrier that would eventually be impervious to her projections. He’d never gotten the hang of it but then again, he’d never been so motivated to get it right.
“A sample from the mantle perhaps.”
“What’s that?”
“Another layer of the Earth. The one directly below the crust.”
“How many layers are there?”
Dayen enjoyed her curiosity. She was sharp and attentive, inquisitive like a child but not overly pushy, allowing him to consider the data before he responded. The perfect student, she possessed a genuine thirst for knowledge. For every question he answered Sage had two more ready to go. Her eagerness to learn overrode her fretting because she’d moved to the seat beside him to observe his testing.
Dayen held up his hand and ticked off the layers. “The crust, the mantel and the core.”
“The crust is where the Born colonies are?”
“It’s where we all live. In some places the crust is over forty miles thick. The cyborg colony is just closer to the mantle because the mantle is warmer.”
She absorbed that for a minute. “Why is it warmer?”
“It’s superheated rock, liquid in form. It’s also the thickest layer of the planet. Have you ever seen a volcano erupt?”
She shook her head. “What’s a volcano?”
Dayen drummed his fingers on the console as the tunneler rumbled along. The Born did their children no favors by keeping them ignorant to the world around them. Sage’s keen mind could be an asset to him, but first he had to educate her to the way things worked.
Another reading from a thermal beacon wouldn’t give him much more to work with than he’d already obtained. Decided, he input the new coordinates. “I’ll show you. You’ll want to take off that dress though.”
Blue eyes went wide and a spike of terror pierced his shield. He winced in pain and cursed himself. “I didn’t mean it like that. Your clothes aren’t warm enough for where we’re going. There’s a set of thermal coveralls in the back. Go get changed.”
Her stomach rumbled and he felt her hunger clawing at her. That need he could fulfill right away. “There are nutrient bars in the drawer beneath your seat. Help yourself.”
“Thank you.” She sent him a smile tinged with relief and left, the dog following hot on her heels. Dayen focused on the readings and tried to ignore the sound of rustling clothes. His cock throbbed as his enhanced senses carried her fresh feminine fragrance to him. The tang of fear did little to dilute her womanly aroma. Fresh and clean with just a touch of lustful spices. Despite her fear and reluctance, Sage’s body responded to his nearness. Without intending to she beckoned him closer almost choked him with her pheromones. The beast prowled restlessly, hungry for more of her, for all of her. Getting out of the vehicle would help him retain control.
He hoped.
Dayen knew he must master his shielding soon. It was necessary to close his mind off from her thoughts because he needed to touch her. To give her pleasure where she’d only known pain as well as claim her for his own.
“Ready,” Sage moved to stand beside him once more. The silly confection of the gown was gone but the thermal suit was almost worse. Though more of her delectable skin was covered the tight material hugged her every dip and swell of her generous body. He could trace every curve with his eyes, and was reaching for her before he knew it. Her surprise barely registered as he skimmed his hands down over the flare of her generous hips.
Sage stood frozen, her jumbled emotions pinging against his shield. He could feel her surprise, her anxiety and even the spike of fear, but he was able to tune it all out. Everything except the well of desire that expanded inside her as his hands skimmed across her topography, learning the terrain.
“Berrick,” she whispered.
His grip on her tightened. It should be our name on her lips. The beast snarled, not approving of the deceit. Animals didn’t lie.
Dayen was more philosophical about it. What was one more identity in his ever changing mash-up of them? In this instant, he didn’t want to be the heir to the factions, a reincarnated soul, a beast’s human host or the tormented hybrid telepath that was mankind’s only hope. Berrick may be an invention, but he had a simple life and he could do his job and make love to the woman before him without considering what anyone else needed.
And what about what she needs? Another voice said. Isaac’s voice.
Dayen looked up into her guileless blue eyes. They were wide, the emotion behind them a fathomless mixture of hope and dread. Feelings he saw but didn’t experience.
The fabric showcasing her shape also prevented skin to skin contact but with a start he realized her hand rested on his bare arm. She was touching him and her thoughts and emotions were cloaked. The wall had come up effortlessly, giving him his first taste of normal.
The beast was hungry for more of the warmth that radiated from her palm but the man was lost in the first pleasurable human contact he’d ever experienced. Both craved more of her.
He stared up in her with absolute wonder at the same time she licked her lush lips and whispered, “We can’t do this.”
She was his. She wanted him. He needed her.
“The hell we can’t,” he snarled and pulled her down onto his lap.
****
Sage gasped as Berrick pulled her body flush a
gainst his. He was hard everywhere, she discovered as his pulsing shaft rubbed against her scantily clad backside. Good Gods, he was immense!
She should be afraid, being alone with a large aroused male that had hauled her down to him like she weighed no more than Lily. Part of her was scared witless, of course she was. That was the only reason she hadn’t jumped up or struggled at all.
Liar.
No, it wasn’t fear that was keeping her immobile on what had to be the hardest chair in the history of sitting. It was something in the way Berrick’s leafy green eyes bore into her, how his hands roved over her, touched her neck, the side of her face, loose strands of her hair.
If he’d tried to unzip her newly donned thermal coveralls, she would have fought him. If he’d groped her breasts or ass or between her legs, she would protest. But no, his touch was focused on her hands and face almost as though he’d never held a woman this way before.
And how ridiculous was that?
“You were meant for me.” His voice had changed, grown deeper, darker almost like a growl. Such a contrast to the way his hands shook as they tunneled through her hair the way the vehicle tunneled through the earth’s crust. He cupped her head and urged her down until her forehead rested against his. “Mine.”
A shiver shook her even as his heat seeped into her, not of fear, but of desire. She wanted to curl into him and absorb all that warmth that flowed from his being. He licked his lips and her gaze fell to the sensual line of his mouth, wondering how they would feel.
The thought had barely registered before her hand lifted to trace the bow there. Soft, such a contrast to the rest of him.
His eyelids grew heavy as she explored his mouth with her fingertips. A deep rumbling echoed in his chest, a sound that conveyed contentment, satisfaction and hunger all at once.
A hand enfolded her own extracting her hand from his mouth. “I’m going to kiss you now,” he murmured a second before his lips were on her own.
Sage jolted at the sensation of his mouth on hers. Against her will her eyes slid shut. His fingers laced through her own and one arm snaked around her back, pulling her tighter to him until her breasts flattened into his chest. His tongue invaded her mouth and she opened for him, eager to give him whatever access he craved as long as he kept touching her. He groaned at her easy acquiescence and she had the bizarre sense that nothing was ever easy for Berrick, that he had had to fight for everything he needed. But he wouldn’t fight her, no matter how much he wanted her. She knew that, instinctively from the careful way he held her, not pinning her. He let her know he craved her even as he was careful not to trap her.
B Cubed #3 Borg Page 3
