“Oh, Bego, you’re a tease! This man was struck down in the channel. I must get him inside,” she huffed with effort. When her neighbor moved to help she held up her hand. “He's too heavy for you. I can manage.”
Under her neighbor's close supervision, Destiny managed to get Jevlen inside and onto the sleeping pallet. “Get the nullo harness for me, will you, Bego?” Her neighbor gave her a perplexed look but hurried to get the bindings they used on the pack cattle. Destiny hoped it would be strong enough to hold Jevlen. He would eventually break the binding but she needed enough time to repair the damage done to his circuits by the lightning storm.
Once Jevlen was bound as securely as she could make him, she gently dismissed her neighbor. She didn't need an audience for what she was about to do. Her neighbor protested. Destiny knew Bego was curious about her visitor and felt protective of her. She would miss him when she moved on. “I’ll be fine,” she assured him as he gave her a long look from the doorway. She hoped she was right as she watched her neighbor leave for the last time.
Finally she was alone with Jevlen. She took a moment to absorb the sight of him in her own home. Her mate. It was a bittersweet moment and not the reunion she always dreamed of. He was too large for her narrow sleeping pallet and his legs and arms hung off. He wore the Dark Marauder's uniform of black with the white angelic patch on his shoulder. Beneath the uniform she knew she would find warm flesh covering muscle and machine. It was a heady combination for her.
“Stop wasting time, Destiny. He might have newly upgraded processors and can repair himself.” She needed to determine his damage then get off Ressing Four before he awoke. She had to be long gone when his processors kicked in – and then the hunt will begin again, she realized with a sigh. She didn't want to go back into hiding. It wasn't easy to move around Confederation planets as a fugitive without a citizen chip. She couldn't pay with credits and everything revolved around credits and the personal chip. Her life was one of shadows and favors and payment under the table. All because of this man. She shook her head. No, it was because of the Colonel. The only crime Jevlen was guilty of was loving her.
She slowly approached the pallet. His muscles were enormous and perfectly formed. She knew much of it was because of the mechanical enhancements. Most of his natural body had disintegrated in the explosion. They could have reproduced natural replacements but the Confederation wanted to build a super-soldier. And that’s what Destiny gave them.
His feet were encased in heavy boots so she started with his legs below the knee. She wanted to check each portion to make sure it all functioned properly. It was foolish for her own safety, but she'd loved this man and couldn't leave him incapacitated. Who knew when the Colonel’s team of technicians would get another chance to run a maintenance check on Jevlen’s systems? She used to run these diagnostics daily but that was before his mind was wiped and he was released into service. Gently she pressed her hands to his legs and slowly ran them up over his lower body. She could feel where muscle gave way to machine. He was an intricate being, carefully re-designed and manufactured in a lab. She was proud of the major contribution she'd made in keeping him alive – turning him into a domineering weapon. His enhancements made him a remarkable lover, with being both man and machine. He was gentle yet intimidatingly powerful. She blocked the memories of their bodies entwined as she checked all of his circuitry. She allowed her hands to pass over his lean hips, then his washboard abs. She paused for several seconds above his abdominals. Intricate work had gone into restoring some organs while integrating other non-organic organs. She then slid her hands up to his massive chest. His heart, both natural and mechanical beat with powerful rhythm. It was fainter than it should have been and there was a small skip in the pattern. She closed her eyes and tuned her mind to his cardiovascular mechanism. Her fingertips tingled with sensation. She didn’t know how her ability worked. She just pictured the device within him and what she wanted it to do. Then it responded to her silent command. Soon Jevlen’s heartbeat balanced and functioned with perfect rhythm. She had done this for him several times during his healing and rebuilding process. She wondered if her touch was familiar to him on a mechanical level, but she shook her head at the silly thought. A mind wipe was complete. His processes had been totally dumped of all memory during his time in the lab. She was nothing but a criminal and Confederation traitor to him.
Destiny had to admit she was enjoying the process of restoring him more than she ought to. It was more than just touching her mate again – which was wonderful in itself. It had been a long time since she allowed herself to interface with anything technical for fear of the Confederation zeroing in on her bio signature and tracking her through the devices she touched. Because of her fear of discovery, she'd chosen Ressing Four, a lesser advanced world. The work on this world was always hard, but the people of Ressing Four were wholesome and good-natured. She would miss them.
She slowly slid her palm to Jevlen’s shoulders, down his massive biceps, over his sinewy forearms. She tried to circle his wrists but they were too wide for her smaller hands. She could feel the steel beneath the skin. Then she uncurled his fingers, matching her palm to his. She lingered over the contact, enjoying the warmth and smoothness of his hands. It was a sensation she didn't think she'd ever feel again. Memories of how he touched her with fire in his eyes flooded back. “Oh, Jevlen, this never should have happened,” she whispered. How she had missed him!
As she pressed her fingers to his, she could feel where some of his circuitry wasn't functioning properly. She allowed a corrective flow of power to seep from her hand into his to mend the problem. She sensed that it was an old issue and not related to being shocked in the stormy channel. After spending time making sure his hands functioned properly, she smoothed her palms over Jevlen's neck, up the back of his head, and over his face. She placed both palms on the top of his head and closed her eyes again. There were many layers of processes functioning within his brain, interacting with organic tissue. She could do nothing for his natural body and hoped he hadn't been injured in the soft tissues of his brain. She suspected his primary processor had gone into safety mode when he was blasted with several bolts of current at once. This safety mode should have protected him. She delved deeper. She picked through the layers of circuitry, and gently repaired every abnormality she came across.
Suddenly his green eyes snapped open, startling her. They were unusually bright and she was again reminded that his eyes were both natural and mechanical. He quickly gazed around him, processing his location. Then his gaze zeroed in on her like a weapon locking on a target. She saw his pupils dilate. She knew he was accessing the identity recognition in his primary processor. He probably scanned her personnel file and any other info the Confederation gave him to hunt her. She saw the moment he made the match. His eyes narrowed and his muscles flexed. He tried to break the cattle binding she'd used to restrain him.
Her heart rate tripled with fear but she forced herself to sound calm. She knew he could monitor her vital signs. “You should allow yourself a moment to rest. Your natural body may be damaged. I know your processors need time to resynchronize properly.”
He ignored her gentle warning. When the restraints began to snap, she scooted away from the pallet. He rolled on his side and quickly sat. A frown pulled down his full lips when he wavered. “What happened? I don’t feel normal.” He shook his head as if he was trying to get water out of his ears. Destiny suspected his middle ear processor was ringing from the surge of current it received.
“You walked into an electrical field and your processors were greatly damaged. You should allow me to finish. There may be more issues I've not yet located.”
Jevlen's gaze narrowed on her. “Why would you help me, Destiny Kagar?” he asked suspiciously. “I am here to apprehend you.”
It was on the tip of Destiny's tongue to tell him how much he once meant to her and how special the love was that they shared. But what was the point? He wouldn't remem
ber any of it and probably wouldn't believe her. He might even think it was a ploy to distract him from his mission.
“I know why you’ve come after me,” she whispered with a sad smile and a shrug. She didn’t say any more as she watched him warily. This was a precarious situation. She wasn’t finished restoring his processes. Yet he was functional enough to break his bonds and apprehend her. In the tiny apartment she would have nowhere to escape.
She was surprised when he remained immobile on the edge of the pallet. Instead of moving quickly to capture her, he studied her intently. “How do you know how to repair me? I see no equipment, no diagnostic devices or repair tools. How did you know that I'm a cyborg?”
Destiny stiffened at the old buzzword she hated. “I've never called you that! And I never allowed anyone to treat you as a machine rather than a man,” she retorted with sudden temper. She'd taken up the cause of defending her mechanically enhanced patient at every turn during the three years she worked with him and loved him. Many ignorant people tried to challenge her, including the Colonel, but she wouldn't back down. Jevlen never sacrificed his soul or his mind during the explosion. He was more of a real man than most fools she had met who didn't understand mechanical enhancements.
He beckoned her forward but she didn’t obey. “I will allow you to continue repairs. Do not fear me. I will not harm you.”
“Is this a trick?” Destiny didn’t trust him but she didn’t believe he would lie. She visually checked his restraints. While he’d snapped through part of them, he wasn’t completely free. There was still a chance she could get away after fully repairing him.
“I have questions that I believe you can answer. I will not deceive you. While you finish repairs I will not apprehend you.”
She knew she was crazy for doing this. She was putting herself in jeopardy to help a man who would turn her over to the enemy without a second thought. Yet this was Jevlen. She reached for his head again. His hair was real but grew only when damaged so he wouldn’t require regular grooming. Under his scalp whirred a first rate computer with processors that controlled the most powerful man in the planetary system. He'd been a prototype. As far as she knew, the program hadn't continued after she disappeared.
She closed her eyes as she felt the familiar tingle in her fingertips. She could picture every electronic system in her mind. One by one she realigned and repaired everything that had been damaged by the electrocution.
As she picked through his circuitry, he suddenly grabbed her wrist in his steel fist. Her eyes flew open with surprise and quickly turned from silver back to hazel. “Why do you seem familiar to me? How do I know you, Lieutenant Destiny Kagar?” he growled.
She couldn’t suppress her gasp of fear as his fingers tightened on her wrist. He glared at her but she could see the confusion in his eyes as he tried to process an answer without enough data. “You’ve seen my Confederation record,” she responded blandly as she tried to control her trepidation. His hand was like warm steel and it wouldn’t take much for him to crush her bones. Yet it wasn’t fear that held her still but the familiar touch of his hand. How she missed him! She wanted to melt against him like before, let him join their bodies as their hearts melded as one. She blinked away the memories and sudden longings. Those days were over and she couldn’t make the mistake of forgetting.
He shook his head in frustration. “It's more than being familiar with your file. I know you. Don’t I?” he demanded. When she didn’t respond, his voice dropped to a frustrated growl. “I react to you in a non-mechanical way. Why is this? Ever since I saw your file two months ago I’ve wondered -” he stopped and shook his head.
“You’ve wondered what?” Destiny asked softly.
“I’ve wondered what it would be like to take you in my arms, to roll you beneath me and bury myself within you.” With another frustrated growl, he fought against the coarse cattle restraints but thankfully they didn’t break.
“You already know; you just can’t recall,” Destiny murmured as she wriggled her arm out of his grasp. He allowed her to be free.
“You and I have had sexual relations? I don’t remember.” He shifted and fought against his restraints with renewed effort as his steady gaze met and held hers. Why was he suddenly fighting so hard? Would he force her to join with him or did he plan to skip those urgings and simply arrest her? He gave another growl of frustration low in his throat. The primal sound sent a shock of excitement and trepidation through her. She couldn’t stand here and find out what he would do. As the bindings snapped and fell away she quickly touched the side of his face. She had less than a second and he would be free to capture her.
As she concentrated, his eyes grew dim and his processors went into a temporary stasis. “I’m sorry, my love, but we must part ways,” she whispered. “I’d love to see you again, but I hope I never do.”
TWO
Jevlen’s eyes snapped open and he was instantly alert. The first thing he noticed was Lieutenant Kagar’s absence. Her unique scent lingered in the room but it wasn’t as strong as when she was present. He wondered if he picked up on her scent because he was Ronoshian or because his cyborg senses had been enhanced. Ronoshian men were known to have amplified senses when it came to the woman they wanted, and he definitely wanted Destiny Kagar. His processors indicated he had heightened testosterone, and quickened pulse rate. He could feel the hormones coursing through his system and he knew the only way he would find balance and answers was when he found Destiny Kagar.
How had she slipped away again?
He knew the answer. It was because she distracted him. There was nothing within his mechanical makeup that could fight the instinctive reaction she produced. He thought the Ronoshian side of him was submitted to the artificial processors, but he’d gravely underestimated his natural responses. Perhaps he hadn’t been properly calibrated to handle this situation. Yet he’d been around plenty of women since his enhancing transformation and none of them had an effect like Destiny did.
Maybe he’d spent too much time studying her personnel file in the past two months. If he closed his eyes now he could easily picture her and it had nothing to do with the identity and recognition capabilities. He knew her, deep down within him. It was like she was a part of him, which didn’t make any sense because as far as he knew they had never crossed paths. Colonel Bronsten assured him she hadn’t worked on the mechanical enhancement program. Yet the Colonel showed many telltale signs of lying whenever he mention Lieutenant Destiny Kagar. Had she been enhanced through the Confederation program as well? There was nothing in her file indicating she was a test subject, but she shouldn’t have been able to interact with his processors without the proper equipment. And her eyes – they’d gone from hazel to silver when she concentrated on his repairs – just like he remembered.
Wait. He didn’t remember. He didn’t know her. Yet he did, deep within him. She obviously knew him and had indicated they’d been intimate. Why couldn’t he remember that? He shook his head in frustration. This was all very confusing.
Yet it was comforting in a way. For the past two years he’d felt isolated and alone. No one understood him after all the changes he experienced. He used to be more charismatic. The alterations created a more introspective, aloof man. He knew his comrades within the Dark Marauders were afraid of him, though they never said. They didn’t understand his strength because the enhancements were classified. They felt he was humorless, exacting, and an unyielding commander. Only recently, with the acceptance of this mission, had he allowed his natural man to show. He knew his behavior confused his comrades. He wished he had someone to confide in. He had many concerns, but he couldn’t unburden himself with anyone. Finding Destiny Kagar was a sensitive and classified matter. He had to take leave of his duties temporarily and without explanation. His comrades gave him confused looks when he abruptly left ship. No one understood what was going on, not even him, he realized.
Yet maybe there was one who did know him. And she held the an
swers he needed.
With a quick thrust of his arms, he easily broke the harness that held him immobile. He could have been free at any moment, but he hadn’t wanted to alarm Destiny. Again, it went against protocol in apprehending criminals; he felt this was a special case. He tossed the restraints aside and went in search of clues. He needed to know where Destiny would go next. And maybe he would find answers to his other questions as well.
He picked his way slowly through her apartment, sifting through her meager belongings. Her scent was everywhere, driving him crazy with longings. He let his fingers linger on her clothing, the delicate rjacca silk underthings. He could picture her wearing them. When he closed his eyes he had a flash of memory – she was in the lab where he received his diagnostics. She was grinning as she pushed tools aside and climbed atop the table. As he watched, she slowly peeled off her ugly gray lab uniform. She always did like colorful underthings. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on her but she put out her hand, holding him away as she teased him. But he wouldn’t let her tease him for long. He leaned her back across the table and took her with force and passion.
Jevlen’s eyes snapped open as he gasped for air to fill his suddenly tight lungs. What was that? A memory? A fantasy? Truth or fiction? He didn’t know and it was the most frustrating experience.
As he continued to poke around Destiny’s apartment he sensed a message coming in and being received by his processor from Confederation Base Bravo Two. The Colonel wanted an update. He quickly submitted a response.
Fugitive located on Ressing Four but evaded capture. I will continue tracking her but her citizen chip was removed as suspected. I will report any further developments.
He thought about how he’d grabbed her arm. The sensors within his fingertips had not located the citizen chip and he’d felt a small skin abrasion where she must have had the chip removed, just as the Colonel suspected. Though she could interact with any device, and could have deactivated the chip, she must have wanted it completely removed to avoid detection. Why? Why go to such great lengths to evade capture? The Colonel said she was a deserter and a traitor. He hinted at greater crimes but did not divulge this information, stating it was classified. The Colonel’s condescending attitude didn’t go without notice. Jevlen had equal rank, with more credibility due to being assigned to the Marauders. He had unrestricted access to classified information yet the Colonel refused to divulge any additional information on Lieutenant Kagar. He’d gone so far as to limit Jevlen’s interaction with those who knew her – denying him the option to question these people. Why the big cover up?
Captured by the Cyborg: The Dark Marauder's Mate (The Dark Marauder's Mate Scifi Series Book 5) Page 2
