Taking Vengeance (Cyborg Sizzle Book 12)

by Cynthia Sax

  The explosion flung them forward. He landed on Astrid, covering his fragile human as best he could. For the second time that planet rotation, heat blazed over his ass and back, stripping the little skin and flesh he had remaining. Stones pinged against his metal frame. A larger rock thudded against his skull.

  He lay on top of his beautiful foe, his chest heaving, his anger warring with reluctant admiration and unabashed relief. To defeat him, her perceived enemy, and avenge her brethren, she had been willing to end her lifespan.

  That truth was undeniable. She’d been a heartbeat away from death. Only his strength and his speed had saved her.

  Which meant he was wrong, completely wrong about her and her intentions. His female had no desire to infiltrate the cyborg forces, wasn’t trying to seduce him into betraying the cyborgs. Astrid hated her yearning for him as much as he hated his for her.

  She wasn’t part of any scheme crafted by the humans. Her honor rivalled his.

  “Cyborgs hate all…almost all humans.” He told the back of her head. “Humans manufactured us, forced us to follow their orders, tortured and killed us when we failed our missions or became obsolete. I witnessed the death of every single warrior produced in my manufacturing vat. I am the last of thousands of my brethren.”

  “I am the last also.” Her voice would have been inaudible to human ears.

  They were the same in that way and others. “You’re human. The beings giving my brethren orders to attack your clan were human.”

  “We’re not all alike.” She shifted under him. “They were our enemies also.”

  He rolled her on her back and then lowered his body, pinning her hips in place. Her face was dirty. Her eyes were tinged with red.

  But she was alive, as he was. “You see all cyborgs as alike.” He pointed the truth out to her. “I didn’t kill your clan, yet you want to kill me, punish me for that crime.”

  Her gaze lowered to his chin.

  “If I had been assigned to your planet, I would have killed your loved ones.” Vengeance was brutally honest with her. “Killing offspring, even enemy offspring, is dishonorable, but I would have done anything to protect my brethren.”

  “You would have done anything to protect your clan.”

  “I would have done anything to protect my clan.” He used her words.

  “I need to hate you.” She lifted her chin.

  “I need to hate you also.” His gaze lowered to her mouth.

  Awareness, need, and desire energized the air between them. They were enemies, hated each other. His yearning to kiss her was wrong. He had to fight it.

  Her eyes darkened.

  The scent of her arousal teased his nostrils. Wanting swept over him, intense, undeniable. He could resist her. He could—

  Her lips parted and his restraint snapped. He mashed his lips against hers, punishing both Astrid and himself for his weakness. Teeth clinked against teeth. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

  She moaned, opening wider to him. He claimed that offered terrain, surging into her mouth with his tongue, pushing her head back with the force of his embrace. His reward was his female’s surprising sweetness. He sucked on her flesh, pulling on her, seeking more of her unique flavor. Their tongues tangled, twined, each of them striving to dominate the other, to take control.

  She arched, pressing her breasts against his chest. Vengeance rumbled his approval, rubbing his body along hers, needing to feel her. He searched for bare skin, for closer connection. She smelled divine and he breathed her in, lightheaded with lust.

  His female reached upward, grasped his battered shoulders. Pain coursed through him, cutting through the haze of arousal.

  She turned her head to the side, breaking their kiss. “No.” Her chest heaved against his. “We have to stop.”

  What the frag was he doing? He stared down at her. His mission was to capture his female and prove to his brethren he could resist breeding with her. He had been one layer of garments away from taking her.

  The nanocybotics in her mouth should fade by the time they returned to the Homeland. He shouldn’t kiss her again, definitely couldn’t do more.

  Irked by his lack of control, he levered himself upward.

  His female wiggled out from underneath him. Without looking back, she pushed herself to her booted feet and rushed away from him, leaving Vengeance yet again.

  He wanted to follow her, his body urging him to chase her across the universe if that was needed. But he required distance to regain his restraint, and he had to ensure she didn’t try to blow herself up again.

  That meant detonating every explosive he spotted.

  Vengeance jumped upright, that abrupt movement stripping what was left of his boots off his feet, leaving them bare.

  He glanced once more at his female’s retreating form and ran in the opposite direction.

  Chapter Four

  Astrid had been prepared to die. She ran toward her domicile, following the pathway. That damn cyborg hadn’t allowed her to perish.

  And now she owed him, her enemy.

  She entered the structure, grabbed the medic pack, swung it over her right shoulder, and sprinted back to where she had left him, her muscles burning with the effort.

  He wasn’t there. An outline of rubble surrounded the spot where he’d landed after the explosion, his body covering hers. He’d endured that barrage of natural shrapnel for her, had experienced extreme agony to save her lifespan.

  That made it even more difficult to hate him, and as she told him, she needed to do that. His kind had killed her clan.

  Although the Humanoid Alliance had given the orders, they hadn’t been the beings her kinfolk had fought. If humans had been their opponents, the outcome would have been very different.

  Her kinfolk were trained warriors, had lived and breathed battle. They would have defeated the humans easily.

  They couldn’t defeat cyborgs.

  Astrid understood now why his brethren had fought her clan. It had been a choice between the survival of his kinfolk and the survival of hers. The cyborgs had chosen to save the lifespans of their loved ones.

  If their roles had been reversed, she might have done the same thing. And that truth made killing him almost impossible.

  Almost.

  “I brought you pain inhibitors.” She yelled that offer into the woods. “That makes us even.”

  That was a lie. She had tried to kill him, multiple times, and he had spared her lifespan. They weren’t close to being even.

  A boom sounded, coming from the other side of her domicile. The ground shook. What was he doing? Another boom pained her ears. That originated a little more east.

  The damn cyborg was setting off her tripwires. It had taken her half a solar cycle to erect her defenses. He was dismantling them in one planet rotation.

  She removed an injector gun and three tubes of pain inhibitors from the medic pack and set those supplies on a rock. That should be enough for the big male.

  She was tempted to hunt him down and administer the pain inhibitors herself, shooting him in the ass with the injector gun, but that might result in touching him, which might lead to kissing him and more.

  Her fingertips drifted over her lips. They were bruised and battered from his previous embrace, her flesh bubbling.

  Fuck. That kiss had been hot. She rubbed her thighs together, her arousal not having abated. It was best that she avoid him, allow them both to cool down.

  A swim would help with that. She headed toward the river, hefting the medic pack with her. The sun was low on the horizon, painting the sky red and orange. Soon, darkness would fall.

  She wasn’t concerned. Second Buoir had two large moons. They reflected sufficient light to guide her way home, and she knew the terrain.

  The predators on the planet, although starving, hadn’t yet become brazen enough to attack a human, their sole enemy.

  The only being who scared her was Vengeance.

  And her reaction to h
im.

  Her continuing need disturbed her. Astrid set down the medic pack, stripped off her garments, and removed her boots, her movements jerky.

  She’d been alone for too long. Battle had excited her. Cyborgs were designed to be every female’s wet dream.

  The excuses flowed, but they were merely that—excuses. She’d been alone for longer periods. She’d fought in hundreds of battles. She’d faced numerous cyborgs.

  Astrid had never desired a male as she desired Vengeance.

  She strapped a dagger to each arm and to each upper thigh, left her garments and the rest of the weapons on the bank, and entered the slow-moving river. The water was cold compared to the air, causing her nipples to tighten.

  She waded up to her hips, dove under the water, came up spluttering and shivering. Her fingers trembled as she loosened her braids and shook out her hair.

  Had Vengeance found the pain inhibitors she’d left for him?

  She shouldn’t care. He was a grown male. He could take care of himself.

  The cyborg didn’t need her, and she didn’t need him.

  She hated him. She had to feel that way.

  Reclining in the water, she floated on her back, closed her eyes, and listened to the explosions detonating around her. Being a warrior, she found the sounds of battle comforting.

  ***

  She knew the moment he reached the riverbank. Her skin prickled with awareness. Her pussy warmed. She found her footing in the water, turned toward him.

  He stood tall and broad and proudly naked, his bare feet braced apart. His face, once flawlessly handsome, had been ravaged by the multiple explosions. Flesh hung from his shoulders. The moonbeams reflected off hints of silver frame, illuminating him.

  His cock was massive and erect, standing straight out from a hairless base. Astrid’s mouth dried. That hadn’t been damaged during their battle.

  Fuck. She wanted him.

  But she couldn’t have him. That would be a betrayal of her clan.

  “Cyborg.” She acknowledged his presence.

  “Human.” He stared at her.

  She gazed back at him. Silence stretched, filled with intention and meaning, the connection between them impossible to ignore.

  “I couldn’t stay away.” Guilt edged his voice.

  “You should have.”

  He dipped his head. Both of them knew this was wrong, their need for each other burning out of control, jeopardizing lifespans built upon bases of honor.

  “Do cyborgs swim?” She scooped handfuls of water, wetting her breasts, a visible taunt she couldn’t resist extending to him. “That can’t be good for your machine side.”

  “I wouldn’t be much of a warrior if a little water damaged me.” He was as soundless in the river as he was on land, barely breaking the surface as he strode toward her.

  She yearned to reach for him, but that would be admitting she wanted him and she couldn’t do that. Instead she extracted her daggers from the arm sheaths, tilted the blades to catch the light.

  “You move too slow, female.” His tone was mocking. “You’ll never stab me.”

  “Never is a long time.” She skimmed the daggers over the surface of the water, watching the light dance on the weapons. It was almost hypnotic.

  She peeked through her lowered eyelashes at Vengeance. He gazed at her face, not at the blades, the yearning in his brilliant blue eyes hitching her breath.

  The cyborg desired her as she desired him.

  Acting on that passion couldn’t happen. They couldn’t happen.

  She lunged toward him, striking quickly with her daggers.

  He grasped her wrists, held the weapons away from his big body. “You’re too slow.” He chuckled.

  She tugged. He restrained her easily, not allowing any movement. Heat radiated from his form. Energy crackled in the air between them.

  He plucked the weapons from her fingers, threw them into the darkness, the splash far away.

  “Those were my best daggers, you brute.” She reached for the weapons strapped to her thighs. Those sheaths were empty.

  “You’re much too slow.” Humor lightened his voice, his eyes shining. “It’s a wonder you remain alive.”

  “A projectile to my head knocked me unconscious, and your brethren thought I was dead.” Battling the urge to touch him, she placed her hands on her hips, a defiant and safe stance. “That’s the only reason I’m alive now.”

  “Cyborgs can sense lifeforms.” He stepped closer to her. “My brethren knew you were alive.”

  They were aware she had survived. She blinked. “Then why didn’t they finish me off?”

  He shrugged. “The humans wouldn’t have known you were alive.”

  The cyborgs had merely been following orders. She gazed down at the dark water. If her sister had been the being knocked unconscious, she would have lived.

  Vengeance bracketed her face with his big hands. She jerked, but he didn’t release her. “Let me repair your damage.”

  He bent his head, licked the cut on her forehead.

  Her skin fizzed and bubbled. “You’re covering me with your nanocybotics.” She’d studied her enemy, knew about that unique feature.

  “Yes.” He laved her with the flat of his tongue.

  Nanocybotics helped cyborgs heal quickly. A layer of pale-gray skin already covered his frame, dulling the silver. They also reversed any damage caused by aging, allowing the warriors to live forever.

  That he was using them to heal her confused her. His tenderness threatened to strip the tough shell wrapped protectively around her heart.

  She couldn’t allow that. “No.” She slapped his chest.

  “No?” Vengeance pulled away from her.

  She tilted her head back. “No healing.” She stood on her tiptoes and bit his chin, hard, leaving a mark on his gray skin.

  Energy brightened his eyes.

  “We’re enemies.” She reminded him. “Enemies don’t heal each other. Enemies don’t care for each other.”

  “I said nothing about caring for you.” He scowled.

  “You shouldn’t care for me.” She shouldn’t care for him. Astrid raked her fingernails over his pecs and he hissed. “The battle lust is confusing us.” His hard cock pressed against her stomach. “You should go.” She hadn’t the willpower to walk away from him.

  “Leaving you didn’t dispel the battle lust.” He hooked his arms around her, drew her tighter to him. She wiggled, fighting, but not too hard. He felt too good against her. “You’re the only female on the planet. I’m the only male.”

  They could ease the battle lust with their own fingers but she didn’t mention that, such a solution not appealing to her. “Then get it over with.” She nipped his collarbone with her teeth.

  “We’re not breeding.” He growled, lifting her higher against him.

  Her feet no longer touched the river floor. She was at her enemy’s mercy.

  “We’re not breeding.” She agreed. “We’re not mating. We’re not making love.” Her top lip curled. “There will be no tenderness, no caring, no soft feelings. We’ll be fucking. Hard. This will be a purely physical release, one we both need. Then we can return to killing each other.”

  She could avenge her clan. He could seek justice for his brethren.

  “We’ll fuck.” He nodded. “And then I’ll capture you.”

  “You’ll never capture me.” Astrid didn’t know why that was his goal, whether he was planning a public death for her or some other equally horrible fate. She didn’t want to know, fearing the fellow warrior would evoke more sympathy and understanding in her battle-hardened soul, making it even more difficult for her to end his lifespan.

  “I’ll capture you, my female.” He raised her until her gaze was level with his. “You’re slow.” He captured her lips, grinding against them, an act of sexual aggression, of dominance.

  She pushed back. They battled, each of them trying to force the other’s mouth open. Her lips split, her flesh stin
ging.

  He slapped her ass. Hard. She gasped. The brute gained entrance, triumph reflecting in his eyes.

  Since he had abandoned all rules, she would do the same. Astrid wrapped her legs around him, pressing her heels against his wounded ass.

  He sucked in a breath. She surged into his mouth, claiming that space. They fought, stabbing with their tongues, nipping with their teeth.

  She squirmed, rubbing her breasts against his chest, her pussy lips over his stomach, branding those sections of him as hers. Vengeance’s abs rippled. He cupped her ass, squeezing and releasing, squeezing and releasing.

  He was a cyborg. There was no denying that. His metal frame had no give in it, his hard muscle the only softness. He held her, a female renowned for her large size, as though she weighed nothing.

  She would be fucking the enemy.

  But she’d fucked other males, and those encounters had meant nothing. This would be the same. She bit his bottom lip, pulling on that flesh.

  He rumbled, positioning himself at her entrance, pushing his tip between her pussy lips. Fuck. She wiggled. He was large, the largest she’d ever taken.

  He drove her down on him, and she shrieked, the cyborg giving her no additional warning. One moment, she was empty. The next moment, she was stretched to capacity, full of hard cock.

  “Fuck.” She clung to his battle-torn shoulders.

  “Yes, this is fucking.” He lifted her. “Not breeding.” He impaled her upon his cock again, not allowing her any time to adjust to his huge size. Pain edged her pleasure.

  Vengeance lifted her, drove her down on him, lifted her, drove her down on him, his pace breathtakingly fast, thrillingly savage. Her enemy was inside her, using her like a fuck hole, not caring about her bliss, her release. He was taking her, finding his own satisfaction in her body, whether she joined him or not.

  The cyborg was reshaping her, his cock touching virgin flesh, his tip surging along her inner walls. She loosened around him, not much, but enough to ease that sensual slide. Skin smacked against skin. Water splashed. She panted, her breasts hitting the unrelenting wall of his chest again and again. Beads of sweat elongated, slid down her spine.