Her Cyborg Warriors

by Grace Goodwin

  Now, with my collar around her neck, I was fucked, because Mikki’s feelings couldn’t be hidden. While I could not see her face tucked into Trax’s body, I didn’t need to read her emotions. I felt them.

  She was overwhelmed. Thrilled. Eager. Nervous. Aroused.

  Thank fuck for the last because I would get inside her. Soon.

  Very soon.

  The emotions I did not sense were disgust. Disdain. Judgment. She appeared to have taken one look at both of us and accepted us as we were.

  I failed to sense possessiveness. Longing. Love. The lack caused my chest to ache, and I wasn’t sure when I’d become so weak as to need those things from a small human female.

  The moment I’d seen her, that was when the dagger had landed in my heart. Her banter had twisted the blade, her desire shoving it deeper within me. We must win her over. To lose her now would break me in a way I could not have imagined.

  “This is where you live?” she asked, looking around my sparse quarters once Trax put her down.

  “This is where we live,” I corrected.

  “I will forfeit my quarters today and move my things here, to be with you, mate,” Trax said.

  I paused and took in the space as she might. Plain walls the color of warm desert sand. Simple furnishings of a table and chairs for dining. In the corner, a comfortable seat where I read in the evenings. Another long seating area for guests, which had not once been used. Until now. Now it was needed, although I would not mind if Mikki sat upon my lap.

  Or at my feet.

  The view from the window was of the arid, barren section of the planet. Base 3, our home, was not in the most welcoming of environments. Red and brown rock scattered in aggressive formations as far as the eye could see. Small, spindly plants fought for purchase in the nearly nonexistent soil, clinging to the rocks with hooklike barbs that burrowed into the hard surface beneath. There was no water, no kindness in the landscape. The window was not in place so I could admire the austere beauty of the planet, but to keep my small living space from feeling claustrophobic. But it did nothing to improve the lack of comfort in my personal space.

  Attached was a room with an S-Gen station and a huge bed. When The Colony began accepting brides, the governor had ordered all quarters to be ready for mates. For Prillons, that meant a bed for three. There was also a bathing room. Nothing else. Did Earth women require more? I knew not. I would see to her every need myself and would provide anything tangible she required from the S-Gen machine.

  Everything else, Trax and I would see to ourselves.

  Like her pleasure.

  “We are as unaccustomed to the match as you,” Trax said, sliding a hand over her hair. “We are given only a few minutes notice prior to your transport that we are mated.”

  Her unease increased as she looked around.

  “You are worried, Mikki. Upset. I do not understand this reaction. Everything you see belongs to you now, and what you do not have, we will provide,” I told her.

  “These collars might be a little… intense, but you can’t control my emotions.” A little V formed in her brow at his words. “If you came fourteen light-years to become a mate to two strange aliens, leaving everything you knew behind, wouldn’t you be a little worried?”

  Her ability to defy me was astounding. No one contradicted me. This defiance was frustrating and bothersome, but now that I could sense her emotions, I recognized it as a defense mechanism. An emotional response she used to protect herself. She wasn’t being difficult simply to irritate me. She wanted this mating to work. However, she wouldn’t comply when she didn’t understand. Her worries were legitimate and not wholly unfounded. Neither Trax nor I were used to bending to accommodate others.

  “It is our job to remove these worries. One at a time until they no longer exist,” I told her, moving to stand directly at her side. I stroked her hair now, felt the silky strands glide through my fingers with an obsessiveness I’d never felt before. Once I sensed her satisfaction at the touch, I realized I could do this, and this alone, for hours.

  I needed control, but I also needed to soothe. To ease her burdens. In this moment there was nothing I wanted more.

  “Why did you volunteer to be a bride?” Trax asked.

  I heard her intake of breath, felt her defensiveness return in a blockade of wild emotions, and she closed her mouth so tightly her jaw muscles clenched and her lips formed a small line.

  “Mate,” I said. “You will answer the question.”

  The walls she’d erected grew even stronger, and Trax looked to me, his eyes narrowed. Somehow that was the wrong thing to say to our female.

  Mikki stepped back, away from my touch, and paced the room. I dropped my hand to my side, oddly hurt by the small rejection. As soon as the thought passed through me, Mikki’s gaze darted to my face, her expression surprised, and her emotion one of reluctance and confusion. Was she surprised to know that I desired to touch her? That I needed her to accept the contact? My protection? My life? I was hers now. I understood that completely in this moment. How could I make her realize what that truly meant? What she meant to both Trax and myself?

  “Perhaps instead of giving us your reasons, you will tell us why you do not wish to share them,” Trax said, his voice calm. Slow. Low.

  She paused, looked his way.

  “I can feel your disappointment,” she replied, tugging at the collar. “I’m not sure I like these things.”

  “There shall be no secrets between us,” I countered.

  Trax sighed when Mikki’s eyes flared and a burst of anger came through my collar. I knew Trax had felt it as well. Everything I said was wrong with this female.

  Moving to the long couch, Trax sat down, patted his knee. “I have seen the other human females sit upon their mates’ laps, and it has brought them joy. Contentment, perhaps. Come.”

  She eyed him. He gazed upon her but said nothing more. I watched, sensing that this was a scientific experiment of its own. It was an interaction between species, human and Prillon. It was also the newfound connection between mates.

  “Please, Mikki. You have nothing to fear from me.” Trax’s voice was far more soothing than I could have managed at the moment, and I was relieved when she complied.

  Slowly Mikki went over to him and stood between his parted thighs, wrapped in the blanket. His large hands curved around her hip and he pulled her forward to sit sideways upon his knee, then held her close.

  Her back went ramrod straight, but she allowed him to hold her.

  Interesting. Her hesitation was strong, but then his sense of satisfaction hit both Mikki and me through the collar. She relaxed and leaned into him, settling her head on his shoulder. Her relief was palpable as well, and I resisted the urge to pace with my frustration. She was a difficult female, unlike any other I had encountered, and I was having no luck figuring out how to make her obey.

  And more, how to make her want me. Accept me. Accept my claim as her mate. While we’d just met, it was hard to be patient. Didn’t she understand how long I’d waited for her?

  If she were a Prillon female, I would be balls-deep already, my cock making her writhe and scream with pleasure. A Prillon female would expect it, but these human females were… difficult.

  “I am proud of you, mate,” Trax said. “I like the feel of you in my arms.”

  “I’m just skin and bones,” she muttered, but her pleasure at his praise came through the collars clearly. Perhaps that was the key to winning her over? I was not an idiot. I could think of many ways to praise this female.

  “You are perfect,” I said, coming over to join them. I dropped to my knees before her.

  When she remained still, accepting of our presence, Trax slowly lowered the blanket from about her shoulders so it pooled in the crooks of her elbows. Her breasts were still covered, but barely. Only the soft top swells were visible.

  She sucked in a breath but didn’t resist. I felt her arousal, her nervousness. Neither were disappoint
ing.

  “You have not answered our questions,” I said, mimicking the same easy tone that Trax had used. I raised my hand and placed my palm over the bare skin on her shoulder. She groaned and closed her eyes as I caressed her.

  So soft. Softer than anything I’d imagined. “Why did you decide to be a bride?”

  She opened her eyes and looked at me, her gaze locking with mine for the first time since her arrival, and I felt flayed to the bone. Bare. More naked than I’d ever been in my existence.

  “I was tired of fighting.”

  “Fighting what or whom? Name them and I will destroy them for you.” The offer was not made in jest, and she shook her head.

  I was damaged, mentally rigid. I’d survived by becoming harsh, by locking emotion away until I felt nothing. I’d had an innocent heart, had loved the wildness in my mother and imagined that my mate would be exactly like her when I grew into a warrior. Her death, the deaths of my fathers had taken me from a perfect world to one of constant fear and struggle. I’d been an orphan in the training program. No visitors. No care packages from home. No holiday celebrations or words of encouragement when I’d needed them. I had learned to rely on myself and closed off all feelings. I’d vowed never to be so vulnerable again, never to allow sentiment to overcome sense. I adopted the life of a warrior and a doctor and embraced the steady, reliable structure and protocols to make me strong. The Fleet, practicing medicine, created boundaries, gave me something to live by when I couldn’t even think. The Fleet had saved me, and I’d learned to crave order and stability. Duty. Schedules and protocols. That rigid structure had protected my sanity, and I would ensure it kept Mikki safe.

  “Myself.” One look in her eyes and she sliced me open like a blade, my heart and soul bloody and scarred and barely beating. Fuck, I could feel. I could hope again. To have something, a connection, a bond. Love. A mate who brought me back from… nothing.

  The collars were designed to help Prillon males please their mates, keep them happy. But in that moment they were giving her everything she needed to conquer me. I’d kept my past buried so deeply I tried not to think of my parents at all. But I’d never had the collars, never felt so exposed.

  “Why would you be fighting yourself?” Trax asked, his voice quiet.

  Instead of answering the question, she changed the subject. “I don’t want to talk about it now.”

  “All right, mate, we will save that conversation for later. After you have been well pleasured.”

  A spike of lust hit both Trax and me, and I saw his eyes darken in response. Our mate’s body was making demands, and I would see to her now.

  While I was on my knees, I was still taller. Her dark eyes held so many things, but her emotions shifted too rapidly for me to understand what I should do next. Kiss her? Fuck her? Talk to her? She was a puzzle I had no idea how to solve.

  I dropped the cloak again, baring myself to her once more. “You saw the integrations. You know I am not a perfect warrior.”

  Her gaze searched my imperfections, traced the long lines of silver that were embedded in my skin.

  “You got those from being a prisoner?”

  I nodded.

  She looked to Trax, but he made no attempt to remove his uniform shirt so she could see what the Hive had done to him. His integrations were completely different from mine, but no less shocking to look upon. As a doctor, I’d seen more of everyone’s integrations than most.

  “I was a prisoner, too,” she offered. She’d chosen to share after all. “But not because I was a soldier. I broke the law. I went to jail. It was either spend ten years locked up in a prison cell or take a chance and come here.”

  “You broke the laws of your planet,” I said, stiffening. This small female defied the laws of her world? I could not believe her capable of it. How the hell was I matched to someone who could do such a thing?

  “See? You’re not happy. I knew this would happen if I told you the truth.” She tried to wriggle off Trax’s lap, but he wouldn’t allow it, his arms tightening to hold her in place.

  It was my emotions she responded to. I had to tame them. “Mate, I live for rules. I don’t abide by breaking them. In the Coalition Fleet, it could lead to death, and not just your own. Tell us what you did.”

  I had to know.

  She sighed and rolled her head around on top of her neck, as if stretching the tight muscles I had felt beneath my palm would make speaking easier. “I blew holes in a couple of whaling ships.”

  “What is this type of ship? We do not have them in the Coalition Fleet.” Trax pulled her back against his chest, and I rubbed her soft shoulder with my thumb. Gently. It appeared she had forgotten I was touching her. I had no intention of reminding her and risking rejection.

  “It’s an Earth ship, made to sail on water, not a spaceship. They use the ships to hunt and kill whales. They are peaceful animals that have been hunted to the brink of extinction. I could not allow that to happen. There was no one on board the ship. My intention was to damage the ship, not to hurt anyone.”

  Her words came out in a rush, as if she’d held them in for so long that they all fell out at once.

  “You were defending the weak from those who would harm them?” Trax asked.

  She shrugged. “In a way, yes. The whales can’t fight back. They don’t have weapons. It’s not a fair fight. I had to try to save them.”

  “I do not know these whales.”

  “They are animals that live in water. Beneath it. They do not have arms or legs, only fins. They are large, larger than your quarters. They are gentle, beautiful creatures.”

  “Are they intelligent creatures?” I asked.

  “Yes. Very. They just can’t speak for themselves.”

  “What you did was honorable,” I said.

  “I agree,” Trax added.

  She shook her head. “I destroyed property. I was in jail for it and chose the Brides Program instead of a ten-year sentence.”

  “Ten years’ punishment for protecting the weak and defenseless?” That sounded ridiculous. What kind of planet was Earth?

  “Yes.”

  The collars were a powerful thing. I sensed so much and knew what was required.

  I stood, moved to a hidden compartment near the bedchamber. I had not planned to ever claim a mate, but I was a doctor. I was prepared. Always.

  I removed the box and caught Trax’s eye, felt his excitement as he recognized what I held. “What you did was honorable,” I repeated. “Defending the weak, the vulnerable. Both are excellent traits. Traits we want in a mate. I am proud of you.”

  I felt her surprise and… pleasure at the praise. Not physical pleasure, but a sense of reassurance. I wasn’t done.

  “You please me, mate.”

  “Us,” Trax said.

  I looked to him. Nodded. “Now it is time for us to show you how two Prillon warriors pleasure their mate.”

  7

  Mikki

  * * *

  I nodded. I’d bared my secrets just as Surnen had bared his body, and they hadn’t found me lacking. In fact, they were happy with me. So much so that I sensed their increased arousal. I practically melted under their praise but got wet from the desire I felt through the collars.

  Trax loosened his hold on me, and I stood, let the blanket drop to my feet.

  Surnen took in my body, his eyes going wide. “What… female… I do not understand what I am seeing. Why does it appear as if you are wearing clothing when you are not?”

  I glanced down at myself. I looked the same. Same arms, legs, boobs. Oh. “You mean the tan lines?”

  “Tan lines,” Surnen repeated, pointing his finger at my torso.

  I stifled a smile. “Being exposed to Earth’s sun changes the pigment of my skin.” I explained how my bathing suit had covered certain areas.

  Surnen continued to eye me as he processed the concept. Then he took a deep breath as if he were trying to scent my need in the air. “Are you wet for me, Mikki?”<
br />
  I could tell him the truth of this. He’d find out soon enough. He could feel how aroused I was through the dang collars. “Yes.”

  Not just wet; my body’s need was sliding down my inner thighs.

  At my back, Trax shuddered and a wave of lust—his lust—blasted through my mind. I whimpered. Surnen held still. Steady. Unmoving, even though I could sense his own need.

  “How were the two Prillon males pleasuring the female in your testing dream?” Trax asked.

  Surnen set his hand at the nape of my neck and led me into the bedroom. Once there he released his hold and sat on the side of the huge bed. It was larger than any I’d seen on Earth, large enough to fit three people. Hell, bigger because Trax and Surnen weren’t human. They were seven feet plus of hot alien.

  “One put his mouth on her pussy,” I said, meeting Surnen’s eyes. “Then he stopped, and the second male fucked her. She sucked off the first at the same time.”

  “What about her ass?” Trax asked. It seemed he liked dirty talk. His hand slid up and down my bare spine until it settled on my bottom. I gasped, wondering what he’d do.

  He did nothing except caress one cheek, cupping it.

  “They put a plug in her.” I couldn’t miss the breathy sound of my voice.

  “You want that,” Surnen said. “Something in your ass.”

  I nodded.

  “We know.” From behind, Trax’s hand dipped between my thighs, his fingers slipping over my pussy. I spread my legs for him, realized how bold the action was and tried to close them. He stopped me with a little spank to my ass as he laughed. “We know because we are your mates. Surnen was your perfect match. He knows your desires because they are his, too. Mine, as well.”

  I was having a hard time following with the way his hand played. I was so wet it coated his palm, made his passage slick and sensitive. He did nothing but stroke me, learning my pussy… on the outside. Trax’s other arm came around me and cupped a breast, his fingers tugging and playing with my nipple. My head fell back and rested against his chest.

  Surnen held up the plug as he watched what Trax was doing to me. “This is a Prillon training plug that prepares new mates for the official claiming. When she takes both her mates at the same time.”