Wired For Love
Page 14
To her dawning horror, Bogan remained reclined on the hoverboard and didn’t react to her presence by so much as a twitch. Hunter came over to exchange a glance with Ezra. “What happened?”
“Your pal Godav had K9-15 upgraded. New adjustments because he’d blown the ones in his brain. Unfortunate for them considering how much credits went into saving him for future use, Bogan hasn’t responded. Won’t sync which was a problem before hand. Won’t follow commands. Shit, according to Godav he won’t move at all and all their tests show he’s fully restored.”
Narelle gasped. “They sent him here?”
She found it hard to imagine. The government certainly weren’t doing it out of the kindness of their hearts.
“Godav said he was to be decommissioned, but remembered you seem to have a soft spot for the war mongrel.” Ezra flicked a glance in Narelle’s direction. “He also mentioned your girlfriend might want to say goodbye.”
“Bastard,” Hunter snarled, coming closer. “Is he going to show up with a pack of white coats and take Bogan back?”
Ezra raised his hands. “Said he’s yours free and clear if you want him. Sent a data chip confirming ownership.”
Ezra tossed the silver disc at Hunter who caught it, gaze never leaving Bogan’s prone form. “Thank you, Ezra. I owe you.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” The man’s eyes darkened in a way Narelle couldn’t define. Then he turned and left, the door closing behind him.
Narelle licked her lips and continued to glide her hands over Bogan. “Do you think...do you think you can help him?”
She hated to ask. Hunter had been as devastated as her at the loss of Bogan. Perhaps he thought he hid the hurt but she’d caught the pain in his eyes when he thought she wasn’t looking.
“I can try. I’m not sure what they did or what they changed.”
“It doesn’t matter. Do it for Bogan. He saved our lives, Hunter.”
He gave a succinct nod and released the jack output. Hunter palmed the war mongrel’s head and lowered his own but not before Narelle caught a glimpse of his eyes going completely black.
***
Hunter refused to disappoint Narelle. He saw the tripwire designed to notify the government the moment Bogan came online. Fucking Godav. It was nothing to deactivate it along with the standard failsafe regarding attacks on soldiers. Hunter didn’t want to risk losing the war mongrel again if placed in a similar circumstance. Bogan would be free to defend against anyone who posed a threat, soldier or not.
As to the reason Bogan remained catatonic, Hunter identified the problem and corrected it. A simple thought and Bogan’s biotronics clicked over, operating at optimum efficiency. He dropped his hand to his side and Bogan lurched up. He licked Hunter’s face, whining as his tail wagged then shifted as he tried to crawl into Narelle’s arms. She staggered back on a laugh and Hunter caught her from behind. “Whoa.”
He helped lower Bogan to the floor and went to one knee. The new wireless additions negated a live probe for the next step. “Trijl, Bogan.”
The connection snapped into place with ease. Joy burst through Hunter’s chest. “Gott, biet rel.”
Narelle placed a hand on his shoulder. “Looks like you have your partner back.”
He did. He did indeed.
Perfect fucking sync.
Epilogue
“Are you finally going to tell me where we’re at and why?”
Narelle much to Hunter’s amusement didn’t deal well with surprises. Learning this about her meant he had to battle the urge to laugh at her disgruntled expression as he led her around the back of the small home with its overflowing planters about the front walk.
“I want to introduce you to some people close to me.”
She frowned at his roundabout answer and Hunter almost let loose a chuckle. She caught his stare and huffed. “Are these more friends from the military?”
She liked Ezra well enough, but had confessed to being leery of his former teammate. Hunter didn’t blame her. His friend could be pretty scary when he chose to be.
“Hunter!”
The feminine scream accompanied a sudden hug which rocked Hunter back on his heels and caused him to lose his grip on Narelle’s hand. A deep throat cleared along with a half-laugh. “My dear, he brought a friend, do let him breathe.”
An older man joined them at a slower pace. The older woman let Hunter go only to run a hand over his face. “It’s been too long.”
Both had dark hair and blue eyes. Narelle stood by his side, brows crinkled as she looked at both. He knew she realized who they were when she slanted him a dark glare.
“Son, is this her?”
Narelle’s back shot straight, but Hunter grinned and hooked an arm about her waist before she could turn and leave. “Mother, father, this is Narelle.”
Bogan bumped his leg. “And Bogan.”
His mother faced Narelle and brushed Hunter aside to pull her into one of her tight hugs. Narelle’s face flushed and she awkwardly patted his mother’s back.
His father was much more circumspect and shook Narelle’s hand. “Hunter’s talked about you for a while. We’re so glad to meet you at last.”
Narelle’s smile was all teeth and Hunter had the feeling he’d be paying for this particular surprise for a long while. He didn’t care. He had love at last and a K9 partner at his side.
Life didn’t get any better than this.
Author’s Note
I wrote this originally for the Pets in Space anthology. There was so much to tell in the story so I expanded it and added scenes to fully develop the plot and the characters. I’ve also taken notes to create a sequel for Hunter’s friend and former Wired soldier Ezra.
Thank you so much and hopefully you enjoyed the story of how Bogan found his new home with Hunter and Narelle.
Michelle
Books by Michelle
Warlords
* Honor Bound
* The Overlord’s Heir
* A King’s Revenge
* Rise of the Shadow Warriors
* A Warlord’s Heart
* Unexpected Bride
* Unleashing a Warrior (Books 1-3 Warlord Series boxset)
Alpha Squad
* Project Genesis
Harmony
* No Reason to Run
Sci-Fi Romance
* Mating Urge (Love in the Stars 1)
* Love Like No Other (Love in the Stars 2)
* Wired For Love (Wired #1)
A World Beyond
* Torkel’s Chosen
* Arak’s Love
* Lindsey’s Rescue
* Kyele’s Passion
* Rydak’s Fall
* Jaron’s Promise
Paranormal
* Taste of Wicked (1)
* Rylin’s Fire (A Novel of the Dracol 1)
* Relentless Fire (A Novel of the Dracol 2)
About the Author
USA Best Selling Author, Michelle Howard dreamed of writing since reading her first romance novel many years ago but never thought it was possible. Now, she couldn’t be happier. She loves paranormal and contemporary romances and is a fan of the classic romances by Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood and a host of others.
I love to hear from readers so feel free to reach out to me. I’d also appreciate reviews on any of the platforms you like.
Email: michellehowardwrites@gmail.com
Twitter: @mhowardwrites
Instagram: mhowardwrites
Website: www.michellehowardwrites.com
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