Healed By The Cyborg

Alyse Anders

Alyse Anders

Healed by the Cyborg

Copyright 2020 Alyse Anders

ISBN: 978-1-7770382-2-9

All Rights Are Reserved.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this story are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

First edition: April 2020

Cover Art by Amanda @ Razzle Dazzle Designs

Contents

The War

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

About the Author

The War

The Sholle came without warning.

Their planet long ago stripped of resources, they search the universe for resource-rich worlds to strip bare, leaving a wake of destruction behind them. Their ships attacked in waves – first small, then ever increasing, until their victims are worn down, unable to resist the inevitable.

Zarlan was the next planet in line, marked for attack.

The Grus sent an army forward to protect their people, evacuating their civilians up to Grus Prime, the space station that orbited Zarlan. The battle was hard-fought, but despite their will to win, the odds were stacked against them.

Until a lone scientist discovered a new weapon, their last hope to save their world.

A cybernetic matrix was implanted into the brain of the dead Grus soldiers – The Fallen – bringing them back to life. Their bodies were cybernetically enhanced, their emotions stripped, leaving them as the perfect killing machines.

The Sholle quickly became the hunted.

The Fallen destroyed the remnants of the Sholle, capturing who they could, killing those who wouldn’t surrender, and driving the rest from their solar system. The Grus were the first race to lead such a defeat over the Sholle, their survival legendary. Joy reigned across Zarlan and Grus Prime, even as their world was left damaged. The deeper fracture came between the now split people – Grus and Fallen.

The Grus high council refused to let these walking weapons reintegrate back with the Grus, terrified of their abilities and enhancements. They were instead given Zarlan to live upon while the Grus would remain orbiting on Grus Prime. Regions were divided, leaders appointed, and the new state of the world was created.

And there they stayed; a people divided for fifty years. The Grus and the Fallen. The living and the re-born.

That was until a ship appeared far away in the night sky…

Chapter One

Hallam stood in the middle of the old complex that had once served as a medical facility for the Grus people, his assessing gaze traveling over his patients who’d been brought to him for help. While the Grus no longer lived on the surface of Zarlan, the planet was still populated with a scattering of cyborgs, bounty hunters, and outcasts from other sectors. The prison wasn’t far from here, and occasionally he’d be brought a patient to care for. The fights below the surface in the prison facility were brutal and more often than he cared to admit, by the time they were transported to the facility there was little he could do to save them.

Before his rebirth as a cyborg, that fact would have upset him.

Currently, he had three patients resting comfortably in beds. One was a cyborg who’d become trapped by a rockslide during the last storm. His biological leg was pinned and the subsequent damage required the limb to be amputated and replaced with cybernetics. The second was a female bounty hunter who’d captured her quarry hiding on a small settlement away from the city, only to get surprised when her target’s gang arrived to free him. She’d gotten caught in the ensuing firefight, sustaining injuries to her chest. Her recovery had been initially questionable, but Hallam was able to use a technique he’d pioneered after the war to help save her life.

The last patient – a Grus technician who’d come down to Cimacha, Zarlan’s capital city – had gotten into a fight with a cyborg. While the cyborg hadn’t started the altercation, he was now held in the prison and threatened with decommissioning if this Grus died. Like everything that had happened to the Fallen – from their initial rebirth, to the rules that were forced upon them – this wasn’t something the cyborg had asked for, but he would be the one to suffer the consequences.

Unfortunately, the wounds the Grus suffered were severe enough that there was little Hallam could do to save the man’s life. His only regret was that it would also cost the life of the cyborg as well. Walking over to where the man lay, he checked the readings on the display.

“Computer, run a scan on patient three. Compare against previous scans and predict patient outcome.”

The computer’s pause was far shorter than he would have liked. “Scan complete. Patient’s life signs are fading. Life termination imminent. Projected death, one hour.”

When that occurred, Hallam would notify the prison and the cyborg in custody would be decommissioned. No trial, no justice, only swift punishment. Another one of his duties he hated but necessary to keep the peace between their people. If the Grus thought for a moment that the Fallen couldn’t be controlled, then the potential that they would turn on the race who created them was too much for the Grus high council. Hallam had no idea what they’d do if they were placed into that position to chose between the safety of the Grus people and the lives of the cyborgs on the planet. He didn’t want to ever be put in the position to find out.

Pressing a few buttons on the console, he gave the Grus one final scan. “Computer, notify me before death occurs.”

“Affirmative.”

With his rounds completed, Hallam made his way to the small office he’d commandeered as his own when he’d taken up the role of lead doctor after the war with the Sholle was won. Before his rebirth, he’d been little more than a medical technician, but after Hallam had taken charge of the medical needs of the Fallen. Initially, he’d worked with Commander Aidric to help the dead be implanted with the cybernetic matrix that initiated their rebirths. But as the war continued, and the consequences of what they’d done registered with him, he stopped.

Aidric hadn’t.

Taking his seat, Hallam opened his matrix link with the computer network, letting the blast of information wash through him. There’d been some action up on Grus Prime, but the details were thin at best. No doubt he’d be informed of what was happening the moment someone got hurt and they needed him to bail them out. That was the way of things when you were a doctor for cyborgs.

He broke the link, and immediately reached up to scratch the back of his head. The itch was deep, as though it was originating somewhere in his brain, rather than on his scalp. Thankfully, it faded away after a few moments, leaving him able to concentrate on his report. With his patient’s life hanging by a nanometer, there was little point in putting off writing the words he’d inevitably need to send. Connecting to the system once more, he set about mentally constructing the report. He was nearly complete, when the itching in the back of his brain started once more.

Then the facilities communicator sounded. Ignoring the itch, he opened the feed. “Hallam here.”

Rykal, the leader of the Fallen, appeared on the screen. “Doctor, how full is your facility?”

“Three patients, soon to be two.”

Rykal frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that. Please pass on my thoughts to the family.”

That was odd. In all the years that Hallam had informed Rykal of a death, not once had he shown any trace of concern or sympathy for any of the patients here. “His foolish actions will also cost the life of cyborg. The moment the Grus dies, he will be decommissioned.”

Hallam should have a handle on the anger that simmered beneath the surface by now, but each time a cyborg’s life was impacted by the actions of a Grus, no matter who they were, it ate away at him.

Rykal nodded, his lips pursed and the muscle in his jaw jumping. “Send me the cyborg’s designation. I’ll see if there’s something I can do.”

He knew it was a nearly pointless action, but Hallam appreciated the attempt. “Done. What can I do for you?”

Rykal hesitated, his gaze slipping to someone off screen for a moment. “We have a number of patients of alien physiology who will require assistance. They’re currently in stasis on a ship, but we need to move them to a more permanent location until we can process them.”

“You’re unable to wake them?” Hallam reached up and scratched his head once more. “Have they been processed through quarantine protocols?”

“Partially.” Rykal reached up and placed the call on hold for a moment, temporarily blocking communication. When he came back, he stared at Hallam with something akin to determination. “I’m coming to you to discuss the details.”

Hallam cocked an eyebrow. “This is a secure channel.”

“You’ll understand once I give you the details. We’ll be there within the hour.”

The screen went black, leaving him with more questions and unease than he’d had moments before. The itching continued, but he was able to ignore it the longer it went on. If it continued after Rykal left, he’d connect his matrix to the computer and run a diagnostic to see if there was a problem he’d missed with his internal scans.

Hallam was in the process of calibrating the new cybernetic leg on his patient when the doors to the medical facility opened and Rykal strode in, a small female trailing behind him. Instinctively, he ran a scan of her physiology – heat signature, oxygen co2 exchange rate, pheromones – and was mildly surprised at the results. “She’s not Grus.”

Rykal reached his hand and taking the woman’s as they got close. “Hallam, it’s been too long since I’ve visited you in person.”

“There’s been little need.” While he made his base of operations the medical facility, Hallam had taken charge of all major medical decisions when it came to the Fallen as a people. “My reports have been adequate for our needs.”

“They have. But things have changed for some of our people that will impact those needs.” Rykal encouraged the woman to step closer. “Hallam, this is Lena. She’s a human from a planet called Earth. Her ship and its passengers have been traveling at faster than light speed for fifty years to arrive here.”

Hallam might not have the emotional connection to others that he’d had before his rebirth, but even he could see that there was something between these two that went far beyond friendship. “How long have you been here?”

“Not long.” Her hair was a shade of red that Hallam had never seen before, and her skin was pale in contrast to Rykal’s. “My passengers have all survived the trip. Currently, we only have three of us who’ve been woken from stasis.”

Hallam couldn’t look away from their joined hands or help but notice the way Rykal’s heart rate increased whenever she’d rub her thumb across the top of his. “There’s something different about you, Rykal. The readings I’m getting off you are not the same as the last time we met.”

“That’s because there’s been a change to my code. Something that will impact twenty-eight of us in total.” Rykal dropped her hand and stepped closer, so Hallam had no choice but to look him in the eyes. “If Aidric’s assumption is correct, it will impact you as well.”

Hallam was one of the first cyborgs to be reborn during the war. As a medical technician, the thought of being able to prolong life after death had been fascinating to him. The reality of what that entailed had proven to be far less appealing. “Why only twenty-eight?”

“When Aidric created the first wave of cyborgs, he hadn’t realized that there was a problem with the code. Have you ever wondered why that initial group of reborn have all gone on to become leaders of a sort in our community, and none of the others have?”

It wasn’t something Hallam had considered before now, but Rykal was correct. “What does that have to do with the humans?”

Lena stepped beside Rykal once again. “The passengers on my ship? We’re all women. Back on my planet, we were all drawn to this sector of space. When I put a call out that I was bringing a ship here, a one-way journey to see what was out here, they all came. Twenty-eight of us in total.”

“That doesn’t make sense. How would your people even be aware of ours at such a distance? The number is little more than a coincidence.” That had to be it; the idea that two alien races were somehow aware of one another across the vastness of space was beyond illogical.

Hallam would have continued to believe so, if Rykal hadn’t cocked his head to the side and narrowed his gaze. “When the did itching in the back of your head start?”

It was impossible for Rykal to have known about that. Hallam lowered his chin and stared hard at Rykal. “Over an hour ago. How did you know?”

“It’s how it started with the others, myself included. It’s like a sudden awareness that there’s a wound that’s starting to heal. One that you hadn’t noticed previously but now that you’re aware, you can’t seem to pull your attention away from it.”

The longer Rykal spoke, the greater the itching in Hallam’s mind became. “What’s the cause and what do I need to do to fix this?”

“The cause is a woman on my ship, the Kraken. She’s not aware of what’s happening herself, nor will she be able to understand you at first.” Lena lowered her chin and narrowed her gaze on him. “Every person on board is my responsibility. I need to ensure that they’re all protected and can be woken from stasis safely.”

Rykal nodded. “Which brings us to the crux of our problem. The stasis pods are on the ship, which is currently in the valley to the north west of the city. They’re there because the collection of the stasis tubes is generating a low-grade signal that somehow reached the Sholle. They sent two scout ships to investigate.”

The myriad of thoughts that had been racing in his mind, came to an immediate halt. “Are we in danger? Are the Grus?” Despite everything, his core programming to protect was firmly intact.

“We pulled Eagan in and came up with a plan. The scout ships were destroyed, and the Kraken has been masked for the time being, but there’s no way we can leave them there. We need to find a place to move the stasis tubes so we can wake the women one at a time.”

“I assume there’s a reason we’re not waking them all at once?” It would have been the logical course of action.

Rykal and Lena shared a look, before Rykal cleared his throat. “Our reactions to our mates have been unpredictable at best. I kidnapped Lena, and Darrick nearly self-decommissioned. Eagan was able to keep control better, but it helped that we were able to prepare him for what was to come.”

“Mates? We’re no longer capable.” Hallam fought the urge to scratch at his head again.

“That’s what we all believed. But Aidric has confirmed the connections between us and the human women. It’s not just any of them that causes this reaction. A specific female is intended for a specific cyborg. That connection is undeniable.”

The thought of having someone of his own, a mate wasn’t something Hallam had ever wanted, even before his rebirth. He couldn’t imagine losing control of his actions over a woman who he’d never met. He tried to say as much, but a completely different question came out of him. “You want me to find a location where you can mask the stasis tube’s signals, while you wake the women one at a time?”

“Yes. It will need to be far away from the city so that we don’t inadvertently trigger the awakening of one of the twenty-eight of us before they’re informed. Do you have someplace that might work?”

Several possibilities flashed to mind. “The basement of this facility would be the best. We can erect a shield that would prevent any signals from being detected, and the medical facilities are here in case any of the women require care. That way, we can also ensure that all quarantine procedures are followed.”

“You understand that you’ll be impacted as well. You were the third of us to be reborn.” Rykal reached out and squeezed Hallam’s shoulder. “You’ll need to find your mate before you can do this.”

Panic raced through him so strongly, it felt as though he’d been punched. That was something he hadn’t experienced since his last few moments before the Sholle blasters destroyed the medical facility he’d been working at, trying to save the life of another Grus. “There’s no need. I’ll do my duty without waking anyone.”

Rykal reached out to him through the cyborg neural network. My friend, that’s something you might not be able to do. The pull becomes overwhelming the closer they are.

Hallam ignored him, and instead held out a data pad to Lena. “Bring the ship here and we’ll work to move the stasis tubes into the facility.”

Hallam? You need to understand –

“If you’ll excuse me, I have patients I need to prepare for.” Without another word, he turned his back on them and went to prepare the long dormant facility, ignoring the increased itching in his mind.

Chapter Two

It took longer than Hallam would have liked to get the underground facility ready to accept the stasis tubes. He’d become uncharacteristically distracted, which made the planning and coordination with Rykal slower and more frustrating than he’d expected. The itching, while an annoyance before, was now a prominent force that he couldn’t help but fixate on. There had to be another explanation for what was happening, another cause for the physical manifestation of this itch that he could discover and cure.

The explanation that a woman from another race who’d come across the galaxy to be with him wasn’t something his logical brain could accept.

“Hallam?” Aerin, one of his cyborg technicians strode across the facility, her face filled with concern. “There are twenty-five stasis tubes, but we don’t have enough power to run all of them. Not without risking degradation of their life support systems.”

While their facility had been once the best that the Grus had built, the subsequent years of lack of use had led to some of the systems falling into disrepair. “How many units will we need to have offline in order for the systems to hold.”

Aerin pressed several buttons on her data pad. “Two should be sufficient.” She looked up at him, frowning. “I don’t understand why we don’t wake them all. If this is their intended destination, then there should be no harm in bringing them to the final step in their journey.”

Rykal had insisted that none of the other Fallen be told of the significance of these women, especially as the others wouldn’t have a mate of their own. They couldn’t be sure of the impact that would have on their society and it was best to understand what they could about the women and the impact on the Fallen first. Still, that didn’t mean Hallam enjoyed misleading his staff.

Straightening as much as he could, he leveled his gaze at Aerin. “Rykal has given us a directive, and I don’t intend to question his reasons. Upload your calculations to my systems. We’ll need to confirm everything and decide which ones will need to be woken.”

“Yes, sir.” Aerin blinked, the only indication that she’d been caught off guard by his tone. She connected to his matrix and within a nanosecond, the data had been pushed to him. “Please let me know if there’s anything else you need.”

“Thank you.” He watched her leave, wishing there was some way he could tell her what was going on.

Rykal might be frustrating, but in this instance, he was correct. Hallam hadn’t accepted what he was being told, despite the evidence before him. He knew that others would also have concerns and doubts as well. The smaller the circle of people who knew the truth until they were able to work out the details, the better.

Now they had to sort through the issue of needing to wake two occupants from their slumber.

The next hour passed quickly as Aerin and the other technicians finished the preparations for the stasis tubes. Hallam tried to keep his focus on the data and scans that flowed into his matrix, but the itching continued to be a distraction.

“Krak…to…allam.” Rykal’s voice crackled through the communication system, interference making it difficult to decipher the words. “…ak off…five min…”

The valley where the Kraken was currently stationed emitted natural radiation that dampened all signals that came in and out, making coordination challenging. But Hallam didn’t need to be told when the ship took off, making its approach to the medical building. No, it was easy enough for him to know because the itching in the back of his brain instantly grew stronger.

She was getting closer to him.

It became next to impossible to focus on anything as the maddening sensation increased. A tremor in his hands began, forcing him to set down the data pad he’d been holding, for fear someone would notice. He took a deep breath, then another, but nothing seemed to help calm the rising tension inside him.

“Sir?” Aerin called out, waiting for him to look her way before continuing. “The ship is on approach. It will arrive shortly.”

She was on board and Hallam wanted nothing more than to pull her free from the stasis tube and into his arms. “Everyone out.”

Aerin frowned as she turned toward him. “Sir?”

“I want the entire docking bay to be empty. Out!” The technicians scurried away as Hallam’s voice echoed throughout the space. He reached out as Aerin passed, gently holding her back. “Except you.”

While he wanted to keep the human women far away from the other cyborgs, the increased itching and his growing irritation was so much that he doubted he’d be able to do this on his own. She frowned at him once more but made no additional move to leave. Hallam waited until the rest had left before letting out a shaky breath. “You know about the alien women in this ship, but there’s something else you need to be aware of.”

“Clearly, it’s proximity is having some sort of effect on you.”

“Not the ship, but one of the occupants.” He couldn’t stop from reaching up and pressing his hand to the back of his head. “I…might not be myself for a bit. Take directions from Rykal. Do exactly what he says, and things should be fine.”

“I don’t understand – ”

“Just do it!” Hallam’s body shook as Aerin scurried away. He knew he’d need to apologize to her later, but sympathy wasn’t an emotion he felt much of these days, let alone in this moment.

The itching had morphed into something else, a painful desire to move. He began to pace, unable to look away from the docking bay door where he knew the ship would be entering at any moment. There was a tiny part of his mind that was still lucid, logical and questioning why this was happening. He was more cybernetics than flesh, having died when the building was destroyed and fell on top of him. Both his arms and one of his legs were enhanced, as was a portion of his spine. Aidric had once commented that he was the closest thing they had to a walking AI; a concept Hallam hated.

The air in the docking bay changed the moment the energy barrier was lowered, and the ship dropped in from the sky. Hallam’s gaze locked onto the ship and he tried to get his internal systems under control. The code that regulated his remaining biological elements was working overtime to keep everything in check. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought he was excited, anticipating meeting a woman whose existence he’d been unaware of mere hours earlier.

Aerin marched over to the shuttle when the ship’s door opened and Rykal jumped out. He didn’t need to hear what she was saying to know she was informing Rykal of Hallam’s lack of control. Rykal looked his way and nodded, saying something to someone inside the ship, before heading his way.

The moment Rykal got into range, Hallam felt him reach out through the cyborg neuro net. Brother, you’re feeling the effects of her presence.

Mine. He gave his head a shake and tried to shove down the possessive feeling. We need to bring two stasis tubes offline. We don’t have enough power in the facility to maintain all twenty-five units.

Rykal stopped close enough to him that Hallam knew if he tried anything, Rykal would physically restrain him. Aerin mentioned that. It would seem we need to wake up your mate.

Gods, the idea of having a mate felt perfectly right and horribly wrong at the same time. I’m not worthy of a mate. I’m not capable of anything she might need.

Rykal reached out and gave his shoulder a squeeze. You don’t know that. Let’s find her and then you’ll understand. She’ll be able to help you in ways you can’t anticipate.

Hallam let Rykal guide him over to the ship. Each step closer he got, the stronger the need to take and possess grew. His heart pounded, despite his matrix’s attempts to regulate the muscle, and he couldn’t relax his hands. I don’t want to hurt anyone.

You won’t. “Lena?”

The small red-headed woman stepped into the opening of the ship. “Yup?”

“We need to wake two of the women. The facility doesn’t have the power to operate all the stasis tubes. I’m going to go with Hallam to find his mate. We’ll make a determination of the other one after he’s finished.”

Lena cocked her head to the side, a slight frown on her lips. “No problem. Is he okay?”

“He appears to be responding stronger than the rest of us did.” Rykal didn’t release his hold on Hallam’s shoulder. “I’m going to stay with him to ensure everything is okay.”

He was vaguely aware of the look the couple shared before Lena moved away from the ship to stand beside Aerin. It became difficult to focus on anything beyond needing to get inside the ship and find her.

Even if the very idea of it terrified him.

Fear wasn’t an emotion he’d felt since his rebirth; most of his emotions had disappeared since the matrix had been introduced into his body. Feeling something, anything, now was nearly as overwhelming as the thought of having a mate. It didn’t stop him from stepping into the ship and making his way down the narrow corridor toward where he knew the stasis tubes were. Rykal trailed closely behind him; his presence was a combination of annoyance and reassurance to Hallam.

With each step he took deeper into the ship, the clawing painful itching grew in intensity. Strangely, the pain helped guide him into the ship’s loading bay, the location of the stasis tubes. The small part of his mind that was still able to think logically was appalled at the disrepaired nature of the medical setup. How had they survived travel from the valley to the medical building, let alone having spent any time in space? The computers were old and not of a sufficiently advanced technology to ensure the safety of all the occupants.

“This place is horrendous.” He ignored Rykal’s chuckle and moved close to the tubes.

“They traveled a great distance with nothing to protect them. By rights, they shouldn’t have survived.”

Ignoring the drive to keep moving, Hallam paused next to the closest tube to examine the person inside. “These humans are foolish.”

“No. I’d say they’re more determined. Though a certain degree of foolishness would be required to undertake a journey such as this.”

Hallam ignored the woman inside the tube, knowing it wasn’t his mate. He could feel her sleeping, knew that she was off to the left near the back close to the wall. She’d picked that chamber out specifically because of the wall – though he didn’t know how he knew that – and that she was resting comfortably.

“You can feel her now.” Rykal moved down the small passageway between the rows of tubes. “Is the itching unbearable?”

“Yes.” He wanted to hold himself back, try to show some of the restraint and calm that he’d become known for.

It was impossible.

Hallam turned sharply and marched over to the stasis tube he knew she was in. His heart raced and the anger and itching rose to a level he couldn’t handle. Placing his hand on the tube, he pulled in a sharp, shaky breath. “This is her.”

Rykal moved quickly and was by his side before Hallam could do anything else. “Lena will have to wake her. They don’t understand our language and we’ll need to inject her with the nanobots. The process is painful for them and we’ve learned its better for Lena to walk them through where they’ve landed and what’s happening before we introduce ourselves.”

Yes, that all made complete sense to him.

Instead of moving away, Hallam looked down at the computer for the stasis tube and was able to understand the basics of the controls. It only took him a moment to press in a sequence that brought the stasis tube to live.

“Hallam, stop!”

He ignored Rykal and waited as the systems churned to life. There was no way he’d let another person do anything to her, not even one of her own kind. He was the greatest medical mind that the Fallen had on this planet and he’d do what he needed to do to wake her up.

Gods, he hadn’t even seen her face properly yet.

“Hallam, step away from the tube. You’ve woken her up. You did what you needed to. Now let Lena and her people do the rest.”

He moved forward, hesitating for a moment before looking down into the window revealing his mate.

Her face was round, surrounded by a mass of black curly hair. She had full lips and a thin nose that gave her delicate look. But anyone who’d undergo this type of journey had to be strong to survive. Hallam wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating her abilities.

“Hallam?”

The stasis tube hissed and churned as it came to life. He had no idea how long it would take for it to wake her up, but Hallam would wait until that eventuality. The pain in his brain was still increasing, and as her mind rose up from the depths of her unconsciousness, he could feel it sharpening.

“Lena! I need you in here!”

Hallam couldn’t look away from her, even as he knew Rykal was moving around him. Don’t touch me. Leave us alone. She’s mine and you can’t have her.

“I don’t want her. But we must make sure that she’s okay, that there haven’t been any problems.” Rykal hesitated. “Lena is here. You need to move so she can look after her passenger. Then we’ll give you time to get to know one another.”

The redhead was beside him, looking down at the stasis tube. “I don’t know how, but he appears to have triggered everything properly. Ina should be waking up shortly.”

Hallam didn’t know what happened, but in a blink, he had his hand around Lena’s throat and pressed her small body up against the wall. “Leave her alone!”

Rykal was on him in a flash, yanking him hard as he slammed his cybernetic arm down on Hallam’s. “Let go of my mate or I’ll rip every cybernetic implant from your steaming corpse.”

Rage flowed through Hallam, but he didn’t know if it was from him or Rykal; maybe both. It took several beats before he was able to get a handle on the surge of anger, the mix of possessive desire and fear that he hadn’t felt ever in his life or rebirth. With effort, he released his grip on Lena and stumbled backward away from them all. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you hurt?” Rykal swiftly pulled Lena into his arms before checking her over. “Do you need a medic?”

“I’m fine.” She let out a strangled cough before waving Rykal away. “I still need to make sure Ina is okay once she wakes. You’re going to have to get him out of here so I can do my job.”

All he wanted to do was stay and ensure that his mate was healthy and breathing, but Hallam knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from surging at Lena again if he was here. “The system still needs…another one of the passengers to be revived. I…can look at the records in my office.” He chanced a glance over at Lena, hating to see bruises already forming on her neck. “There’s a medkit close. I’ll have Aerin bring it to you.”

With another possessive surge threatening to spill over and wipe away what little control he had left, Hallam turned and fled.

Chapter Three

One moment, Ina was dreaming about fields of green grass, fresh air and clear blue skies, and the next she was flooded with a rush of cool liquid in her veins and flashes of bright lights. She’d been under cryo sleep enough times to recognize the signs of waking up far sooner than most of the other passengers would have. The part of her mind that knew what was happening, helped her body relax into the sensations, knowing that it would speed the process.

The moment she was able to blink, Ina did so. Her vision was still blurred, but that had more to do with her degenerative vision problems and less with her waking up. She swallowed several times, trying to bring the moisture back into her mouth so she could say something to whoever was waking her up – most likely Lena.

“I slept in, didn’t I?” She smiled up, blinking a few times more. “Sorry mom.”

“Lazing about, being all drugged and stuff.” Lena’s voice. “I bet you’re now pretending like you can’t see or something stupid.”

“Never.” Ina let Lena help her sit up, bracing herself for the inevitable headrush that would happen. “So, we didn’t blow up in an asteroid belt somewhere. That’s awesome.”

“We did not. In fact, we made it to our destination mostly in one piece.” There was an odd note in Lena’s voice that Ina hadn’t picked up on initially, her brain still sluggish from the cryo sleep. “We’ve found ourselves a new home and a whole lot more.”

“That sounds like a story you have to tell me. But I think I could use a drink before we get into it if that’s okay?”

“Sure. Ah, one moment.” Lena gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before stepping away from the stasis tube.

Shit, they’d actually made it. When Ina first heard about Lena’s plan to take a ship out to the middle of the unknown, she’s initially laughed at the insanity of it all. A group of humans on a ship with little to no shields or weapons heading out on a one-way trip into the unknown? The thought of success was distant at best. But the longer she considered it, the more Ina realized that she needed to go. Despite her misgivings, despite the foolish nature of what they were setting out to accomplish, she knew in her heart that if she didn’t get on the ship and willingly put herself into stasis, she’d regret it for the rest of her life.

This wasn’t about her losing her position with Earth’s engineering corps, or even her diminishing eyesight; though both of those factors had certainly help her make the final decision. She wasn’t able to afford the laser surgery needed to correct her retina deterioration – God, only the richest families on Earth could afford such luxuries – and she couldn’t work or else risk her retina detaching completely and losing her vision going for good. The chances that she’d end up someplace where her impairment wouldn’t be a liability was slim. Ina had even told Lena as much when she’d finally approached the captain about booking passage. Thankfully for her, Lena was up for the challenge.

Hopefully, she was as well.

“Ina? I have that water for you. I’m also here with someone who has a medkit.” Lena’s face was clearer now as the remnants of the cryo sleep agents were working through her body. But the flashes and floaters still made it difficult for Ina to see. Lena handed her a bottle of water and nodded toward a woman who most obviously wasn’t human. She was taller than Lena by several inches and her short blonde hair was slicked back to reveal a cybernetic implant on the side of her face, and glowing brown eyes. “This is Aerin. She’s a medic and is going to look you over.”

“Clearly, we’re not alone in the universe. Hello Aerin.”

“They don’t speak Earth standard, so I’ll have to act as an interpreter until we inject you with some nanobots.” The way Lena dropped that startling revelation sounded as though she’d said it more than once already.

The woman nodded and smiled softly. “La tu.” She reached out and Ina immediately saw her hand was also cybernetic. She said something to Lena, who nodded along before turning back to Ina.

“She said hello. Also, that she’s going to conduct a quick scan to ensure you don’t have any pathogens that they need to address before she lets you out of containment.”

“Fair enough.” There were enhanced people back on Earth, but their cybernetics were normally only enough to give people an edge in their jobs or bragging rights. The little she was able to see of Aerin was enough to tell her that these enhancements were far more extensive and advanced than anything they had on Earth.

The engineer part of her desperately wanted to ask far too many inappropriate questions. The rest of her knew better and made herself wait until a better time.

The scan only took a few moments and before Ina would have expected, Aerin was analyzing the results. Frowning, she said something quickly to Lena who nodded. “Yeah, we knew that. Will it be a problem if we inject her with the nanobots?”

“What’s going on?”

“Aerin found the problem with your eyes. It’s exactly what you were told it was back on Earth. I just want to make sure that the nanobots we need to inject you with so you can understand what everyone is saying won’t cause you problems. The last thing I want is for your sight to be taken from you just so you can carry on a conversation.”

Aerin shook her head and said something else. Lena cocked her head to the side and snorted. “Really? That’s actually perfect.”

“What is?” Ina hated not knowing what was being said. “And if you were waiting for my permission or something for these nanobots, consider it given.”

“Sorry, I still suck at this whole waking people up routine.” She turned fully to Ina and smiled. “Apparently, she can reprogram the nanobots to also do the repairs on your eyes at the same time it reprograms your brain so you can understand everyone. It will hurt like a bastard, but you won’t have to worry about losing your vision.”

Ina had to admit that there’d been a part of her that had hoped wherever they’d end up, someone on the other side would have a means to help her. Now with the real possibility of a cure nearly in her grasp, Ina didn’t want to risk hoping that everything would be okay. The thought of losing her sight had terrified her in a way nothing else on Earth ever had. Not the environmental catastrophe they skirted around daily, nor the thought of being unemployed in a city where the weak and poor tended to end up dead.

No, the thought of being alone in the dark, completely dependant on the goodwill of others, of not knowing where she was, what was around her, who was around her was too much to comprehend.

Relief and fear mixed inside her equally. “That’s…amazing.”

Lena gave her hand another squeeze. “Okay. Aerin is going to do what she needs to do then and I’m going to hang out here with you. Is it okay to let her out of the stasis tube?”

Aerin nodded before heading over to a station to work.

“I guess that’s a yes.” Lena clapped her hands together. “Well alrighty. Let’s get you up and moving.”

“And you can fill me in on where we ended up and how you came to be such buddies with cyborgs.” As Lena helped her out of the stasis tube, Ina noticed bruises on her throat. “Are you okay? What the hell happened to you?”

Lena chuckled. “Honestly, both of those answers are linked. And it’s more than a short explanation.”

“I think we have time.” Pain and stiffness traveled up her legs as Ina put her full weight on them. “I hate this part of cryo sleep.”

“Yeah, waking up sucks hard.” Lena let go but stayed close enough in case Ina needed her. “As you’ve been able to see, the destination point we reached was inhabited. There are two peoples here. The Grus live on a space station that orbits this planet. The Fallen are cyborgs. They were born Grus, but died in a war and brought back to life. We think that they’re the reason we came out here. The twenty-eight of us on the ship are each linked to a cyborg here. At least, we have been to this point.”

Ina stopped moving and could only stare at Lena as she spoke. The flashes and floaters were annoying, but even they couldn’t distract her from what she was being told. “We’re linked to people of another race?”

“Yeah. Well, linked is a bit of a gentle way to put it. It turns out that we are each destined to be with a specific cyborg. Rykal is the leader of the Fallen here on the planet. He was aware of my presence the moment the Kraken floated into their sector of space.” Something in her expression changed, softened as she spoke of him. “He’s determined to keep his people safe, but he risked everything to find me, to make sure that I was okay.”

“That sounds intense.” Ina had been in a few relationships over the course of her life but none of them had sparked the passion of feelings that Lena clearly had for this Rykal. “Is he the reason you have bruises on your neck?”

“God no. He’d sooner cut off his own arm than do anything to hurt me.” She smiled softly for a moment before it morphed into a grimace. “Umm, actually it was your mate who did this.”

Ina froze. “I’m not going to be mated to anyone who would hurt another person. You can tell him to fuck right off.”

“No no no no no, it’s not like that at all.” Lena sighed, letting her head fall backward. “I swear to God, I’m going to appoint someone else to do this orientation stuff. I fucking suck at it.”

Ina didn’t know Lena well, but she’d never come across as someone who exaggerated, or who wasn’t totally honest with the people around her. She deserved the opportunity to tell the entirety of the story before Ina jumped to conclusions or panicked. “If he’s not abusive, then what happened to your neck?”

“One of the reasons we haven’t brought everyone out of stasis immediately has to do with the reactions of the linked cyborgs. You’re only the fourth person, and each time the cyborgs have reacted possessively. Rykal told me it was as though all the programming in his matrix got overloaded and he was left with only the most basic of desires. When they were brought back to life, most of their emotions didn’t come along with them, making things challenging. When someone gets too close to the woman they see as their mate, then that aggressiveness spikes. Apparently, Hallam is normally a calm dude. He’s the doctor in charge of all the cyborgs here on the planet.”

A doctor? God, her mother would be thrilled. “Where is he now?”

“I think he went to his office or something. Rykal went to make sure he stayed there until we had a chance to wake you up and fill you in. The whole concept takes some getting used to.”

“That’s the understatement of the century.”

Ina had wanted to come out here on the Kraken, wanted to see what her life could be like far away from the constraints and problems of Earth. Until she’d developed issues with her eyes, her entire life had been about work, fixing things, and saving the planet as much as they possibly could. But there’d always been a hole in her life. Something had been missing and no matter how hard she’d tried to fill it, nothing seemed to help.

Maybe she was destined to be with this Hallam person, or maybe it was yet another thing that would turn out to be little more than a temporary fix for a problem Ina wouldn’t be able to solve.

Aerin came back over with an injector and held it up for her to see. Lena let out a breath. “Okay, this is going to hurt like a bastard. I’m serious. Pain like you haven’t felt before is going to slam into your brain and make you want to pass out. You won’t and it should be over quickly. Just try and relax into it as much as you can manage.”

Well, at least she couldn’t claim that Lena hadn’t warned her. Reaching out for the side of the stasis tube, she got a solid grip on it before shooting both women a smile. “Now what?”

Aerin moved closer and pressed the injector to the space behind Ina’s ear, letting the nanobots flood her body. Ina was half expecting there to be a delay in the pain Lena had mentioned, but no, within a few seconds her brain felt as though it was going to explode out of her skull.

She cried out and doubled over as her vision swam and sick rose up her throat. She was either going to pass out or throw up, neither option appealing. But as quickly as the pain in her head started, the waves began to recede, making it easier for her to think. Her vision didn’t clear though, if anything she was seeing less than she had before the nanobots had been injected into her.

“What’s happening?” Ina squeezed the side of the stasis tube, needing to stay grounded as the blackness overtook her sight. “I can’t see!”

“Shit. Aerin, what’s going on?”

“Ye cha to calm. Troca Hallam will be able to mag. I’ll contact him.”

“I can understand her. The words sound like Earth standard.” If she wasn’t so freaked out about suddenly being blind, Ina knew she’d want to learn all she could about the technology.

“Well, that’s something at least.” Lena reached out for her. “Let me get you over to a chair where you can sit. I suspect Rykal won’t be able to keep Hallam from you much longer. Especially where you’re hurt.”

“What do you – ”

“What have you done to my mate?”

The deep male voice sent a shiver through Ina’s body, and somehow knew she would have recognized Hallam no matter the circumstances. And yet, she couldn’t help but be more than a little annoyed at being treated as though she wasn’t her own person with the ability to defend herself.

“Mate?” There was no mistaking the confusion in Aerin’s voice. “How’s that possible?”

Lena sighed. “It’s a long story.”

“No one has done anything to me.” She felt the tension rise in the air as he moved closer to her. There was a presence to him that didn’t require her vision for her notice. Unwilling to be intimidated by him, Ina sat straighter and looked toward the direction she knew he stood.

“Aerin, move back.” Lena’s whispered warning didn’t help put Ina at ease.

Her mate had come for her, and Ina couldn’t do a thing to stop him.

Chapter Four

Hallam was ready to kill every person in the room. His body shook from his barely contained rage, making it difficult for him to walk toward her without wanting to break into a run. “I’m going to ask again. What have you done to my mate?”

The logic and reason that he prided himself on had fled from his brain. All that remained was the singular impulse to go to her and make everything better. Rykal was standing behind him, but Hallam knew his commander would be on him in an instant if Hallam made any move toward Lena. While they’d been sequestered in his office, Rykal had said little, as though he knew Hallam was unable to hear him or take to heart any wisdom he had to offer.

The people standing close to his mate – Ina – retreated as he grew closer. He was aware of Lena and her importance to Rykal and tried to keep his distance from her. One injury to Rykal’s mate would be forgiven, a second would not. She did have the information he required, and he chanced a look in her direction.

Lena was not fragile and did not look away from the glare he shot her way. “We injected the nanobots into her after Aerin adjusted them to also correct an eye problem that Ina had.”

Ina snorted. “They were supposed to fix my eyes, but they’ve somehow made me blind.”

With difficulty, Hallam forced his logical side to the surface. “You’re not blind. The nanobots are correcting your vision. This takes time.”

Ina appeared to consider this, nodding. “When they’re done correcting the damage then I should be able to see again.”

“Better than before.” He walked a circle around her, unable to focus on anything else. “Are you in any pain?”

“It’s…disconcerting. The headache from the nanobots seems to have receded, but the backs of my eyeballs are itchy.”

That was something that they had in common. The itching in the back of his brain that had started the closer she’d gotten to him was still there. He could feel the connection between them, especially now that she was standing in front of him. She was the source of his pain, his potential pleasure, the fixed point in the universe that was his and his alone.

Hallam stepped closer to her as Ina stiffened. “I won’t hurt you.”

“I…I’m sure that’s true. But I can’t see. I’ve only been awake for a short time after having flown across the galaxy to come here, and I’m more than a little freaked out knowing that you think that I’m your mate.”

“You are my mate.” Never had he been so certain of something in his entire life.

Ina was taller than Lena, her long black, curly hair fell across her shoulders like a wavy blanket. Her brown eyes might be blind, but he could see her emotions reflected in them: fear, confusion, determination. She was a formidable woman, someone who would attack her problems head-on. Exactly the type of female he’d been attracted to before his death and rebirth.

Hallam stepped closer to her, and this time she didn’t flinch. Instead, she turned toward him and looked up as though she was able to see him. He couldn’t stop himself from cupping her face in his hands, needing to touch her, feel her skin beneath his. His cybernetic matrix flared as the onslaught of new code slammed into it, doing its best to regulate the sudden changes.

“No one will hurt you again. Intentional or otherwise.” He leaned in and claimed a kiss, enjoying her soft gasp before he swallowed it up.

Hands pressed against his chest, pushing him away, gently at first, then harder. It was only when someone pulled him away from behind that Hallam realized Ina was trying to get away from him. “Let me go!”

“Brother, calm down.” Rykal’s grip unrelenting on his shoulder. “I know it’s difficult, but you need to give her space. She’s injured and scared.”

“She’s mine. Let me go – ”

Rykal leaned in, his mouth close to Hallam’s ear. “No one will take her. She’ll be yours. But you need to be her doctor first. You need to treat her wounds. Heal her first. Let her get to know you and trust you before you give in to that pull. This will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but it will be the most rewarding.”

Hallam pulled in a shaky breath as the tension inside him flowed away. Yes, of course he needed to help her. Needed to heal her vision and anything else that might be wrong with her. He was a doctor, genetically engineered to save lives and help others. And right now, she was the most important person in the galaxy.

“Yes.” He swallowed and gave his matrix a moment to finalize the regulation of the adrenaline rush that had hit him. “I’m a doctor.”

“That’s right.” Rykal stepped away, but Hallam wasn’t worried. He knew he was back in control of his actions, even if it was tenuous.

“I’m sorry.” This time when he moved closer to Ina, Hallam was able to keep a respectable distance. “This connection between us is overpowering my logic centers.”

Ina licked her lips before nodding. “That’s okay. Lena told me that this link between our two peoples was unexpected on both sides. It stands to reason that we’ll all make some mistakes.”

Gods, she was beautiful and forgiving. “I’m concerned that the nanobots haven’t completed their repairs to your eyes. I’d like to take you upstairs to the medical bay, while the others determine the second human who will need to be woken.”

“I know we don’t necessarily have the power,” Lena took a single step toward him before stopping short, “but is there a way we can do this without waking another? Having two out of control cyborgs really doesn’t feel like the best idea to go with.”

“I’ve tried to find another way, but there simply isn’t one. If we want to move them off your ship, at least one other must be woken.” Given how powerful the urges to claim and possess were for him to keep under control, he had to agree with Lena’s concerns. “Perhaps we can find a place to move the other woman that might shield the connection.”

Rykal shook his head. “I felt Lena from across our sector of space. I doubt there’s a room here on Zarlan that would stop a Fallen from feeling his mate.”

This was a problem for the others to find a solution to. The only thing Hallam cared about was Ina and ensuring that she was healed. “I’ll leave that to you. Ina,” he reached out his hand and brushed his fingers softly against her arm, “would you come with me?”

He had to consider the possibility that she wouldn’t. It was something his brain knew could happen, even if his baser desires wouldn’t accept the possibility. These warring parts of his mind were maddening, especially as he felt his grasp on his control was slipping from him the longer he went without touching Ina.

Thankfully, she straightened and faced him. Holding out her hand, she lifted her chin. “I’ll need you to guide me. And I’d like Aerin to come with us.”

No! Mine! Alone and no one else! He took a breath and momentarily closed his eyes before he took her hand in his. “Yes. Aerin is my assistant and will need to understand what’s happening as well in case we need to perform similar repairs on the other passengers.”

Ina visibly relaxed. “Thank you.”

Rykal moved next to his mate. “Lena and I will try and determine the best option of who to wake up next. But we need to start unloading the stasis tubes now. The sooner we can get the Kraken out of here and ensure that the signal that was being broadcast out to the Sholle has been stopped, the better.”

“Once we’re done with Ina, I’ll send Aerin back to assist you.” Once Ina was comfortable with him, there would be no need for additional people with them. “For now, I’ll send every available person I have to start the transfer.”

“Thank you.” Rykal looked as though he wanted to say something else, but instead turned to look at Lena. “We better get started.”

Hallam didn’t wait for anyone else, and instead guided Ina close to his side before leading her toward the hallway and the transportation tube. “Let me take you somewhere more comfortable.”

She nodded, but he saw the muscles in her jaw and shoulders tighten. Of course, she’d be nervous being separated from the other humans and not being able to see where she was going. Ina was far braver that many of the Grus who orbited the planet, safe and secure in their space station. She was walking into the unknown with her chin held high. Not many could say they’d be capable of doing the same.

“The building you are in is old.” The words left him unexpectedly, but the moment he said them Hallam knew it was the right thing. “I’ve been here for most of the time since the war between the Sholle and the Grus ended. My patients are primarily the Fallen. I believe Lena referred to us as cyborgs.”

“She did.” Ina’s body relaxed slightly. “We have enhanced people on our planet, but not the same as what’s been done to you. Humans like to try and be more than what we’ve born as, so we can’t help but tinker with our bodies.”

“The only tinkering that was done to us happened without our permission.” Hallam still hated what Aidric had done to them all, even if it had been born out of desperation and the need to win a war or else be faced with total annihilation. “I was dead and had no voice.”

Ina stopped moving, her horror at the revelation clear. “I’m so sorry.”

“You did nothing to me.” The bitterness was still there, an old festering wound that refused to close. Despite having helped Aidric in those early days, Hallam still blamed him.

“No, but I’m sorry that the decision was taken from you. No one should be forced to live a life they don’t want.” She then reached up and cupped his cheek.

The unexpected contact sent a jolt through his body that brought parts of him long dead roaring back to life. His cock grew hard and his rondello filled with blood, sending arousal coursing through him with surprising speed. He couldn’t hold back a little gasp and reached for the wall to help keep him steady.

Ina pulled away. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

“Hallam, are you well?” Aerin stepped close but kept more than an arm’s length from him.

He’d somehow forgotten that she was with them. A flush of embarrassment chased his arousal away and made the moment even more unbearable. “I’m fine.”

Aerin’s eyes widened enough to tell him that she realized what had happened. She took a step back and nodded. “I’m going to go ahead and call the transportation tube. Ina, I’m still close.”

“Okay.” If Ina was worried about being left alone with him, she didn’t show it. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

Gods, if it was only that simple. “Our connection is having some unexpected results. We best continue.”

Ina cocked her head to the side slightly before nodding. “Tell me more about this building.”

The distraction helped give his matrix time to ease his arousal. “The walls had been damaged from the war and I’ve never bothered to restore much of the facility. The Fallen are rarely injured as our cybernetic matrixes can regulate and repair damage to our bodies. But there are instances where I need to repair cybernetic limbs, or even heal the occasional Grus who has become hurt, so there is a wing that we’ve identified as our primary base of operations.”

“What color are the walls?”

It was a curious question to ask. “What does that matter?”

“I’m blind. It was the first thing that I wanted to know.” She shrugged. “We tend to miss the things that we take for granted.”

Hallam had missed many things after his rebirth; the feeling of peace he had whenever he’d wake up after a good sleep, the joy of discovering the perfect thing to say and put another person at ease, the excitement that would race through him whenever he’d make a discovery. His life had become a steady state of anger or empty, shifting between those states with little reason.

He took her gently by the arm and guided her toward the transportation tube. “The walls are gray. In this section, they are also marked with carbon scoring from blaster fire that happened during an attack. I should probably have them removed, covered or cleaned, but they serve as a testament to those who’d lost their lives.”

The lucky ones who stayed dead.

“It feels colder here than it did in the other room. Is the air coming from outside or do you like the cold?” Ina’s hold on his arm was light, but he was able to feel the heat bleeding from her body. “I might have to wear a thicker layer of clothing if I’m going to be spending any amount of time here.”

“My cybernetic matrix regulates my internal temperature to optimal. But if you’re cold, we can address that.” He didn’t want her to be uncomfortable, not if there was a simple solution to what ailed her. “The transportation tube is here.”

“And so am I.” Aerin stepped aside letting Hallam guide Ina inside. “Have the nanobots repaired your vision yet? Are you able to see anything at all?”

Ina shook her head, and her bottom lip stuck out slightly. “Not yet. The itching is still there though. They must still be working on the damage.”

“We’ll be better able to see what’s going on once we get you to the medical room.” Hallam gave her hand a gentle pat, even as another surge of possessive lust washed over him.

He had a tenuous grasp on his control, and he knew it wouldn’t last for long. They needed to find out what was happening with her vision and why the nanobots weren’t doing what Aerin had programmed them to do. Because it was only a matter of time before he’d no longer be able to hold himself back from claiming Ina as his own.

He wanted her in his bed and under his body. He wanted to hear what her voice would sound like when her orgasm claimed her. Wanted to feel her legs wrapped around his waist as he pushed deep inside.

Logic be damned.

Chapter Five

Ina hated being out of control – being blind was terrifying enough. But losing her sight and having to rely on people who she’d never met before, while staying in a building where she’d never been, on a new fucking planet, made the entire situation nearly unbearable.

If it wasn’t for Hallam’s constant presence, she would have broken down long ago. There might have even been some tears, though she rarely cried. Since his initial feral moments around her, he’d somehow managed to get control of his actions. Even without her vision, she could tell that he was struggling to maintain that emotional distance between them, and yet he hadn’t regressed.

He did keep in constant physical contact with her. He kept his hands on her arm as he’d move around the examination table that he’d helped her sit on. Occasionally he’d reach up and move her hair from her face, or tuck some of the thick strands behind her ear. She should have told him that was a losing battle, but there was something sweet about the way he continuously tried to tame the curls.

Instead of fearing his touch, in a short period of time Ina had grown comfortable with it. She wished she could see his face, know what color his eyes or hair were, or even what his cybernetics looked like. She still couldn’t quite wrap her head around the fact that he wasn’t simply an enhanced human, but that he’d died and had been brought back to life. Who would do that to another person against their will? What had it felt like to die? To be reborn? Had it hurt? Had he found peace only for it to be ripped from his grasp?

The idea of dying had always terrified her. While she understood that it was a natural part of life, the entirety of the unknown element of what happened to the spirt after a body took its last breath was something that weighed on her. Usually, in the oddest moments.

It had been one of the factors that had driven her to space in the first place. She didn’t want to live her entire life stuck in a rut, caught in the daily grind of necessary routine without taking a chance at something. Life was supposed to be exciting, at least in small bursts, and up until the moment she’d stepped foot onto the Kraken, Ina’s life had been anything but.

Now, she had more than enough excitement to last a lifetime.

“I’m going to need you to stay still so we can run a scan of your head.” Hallam moved to stand in front of her, and she couldn’t help but turn her face to follow the sound of his voice. “The nanobots should have finished the repairs by now. I need to see if there’s something stopping them from completing their task.”

“Do you think there’s more damage there than we initially thought? I knew I had a detaching retina, but maybe there was something else going on?”

If nanobots couldn’t fix what was going on with her eyes, then there was a good chance that her new world of darkness would be a permanent state of being. She couldn’t stop a shiver from passing through her.

“They’ve been programmed to heal, and they won’t stop until they’ve completed their task.” Hallam put his hand on her thigh, and a different type of shiver passed through her body. The longer she spent in his presence, the more in tune she was becoming with him. He leaned closer, sliding his hand to her hip. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

God, she wanted to believe that, even though she had no reason to trust him. “Thank you.”

Maybe there really was a bond between them that ensured they would care for one another? It wasn’t the weirdest thing she’d ever heard about happening in the universe, despite it not really making much sense. How the hell could two alien races have a connection across the vastness of space? The odds of them making the trip here in one piece and being connected with the group of people living here were astronomical.

“You’re a thinker, aren’t you?” There was a change in Hallam’s voice, the barest hint of amusement. “I can practically see the thoughts race across your expression as they filter through your brain.”

Ina felt her face flush. “Well, not all of us have a cybernetic matrix in our heads to regulate those types of things. I have to manage everything the hard way.” He didn’t say anything in response, which instantly made her wish she could see his face. “I’m sorry. That was thoughtless of me.”

“No, you’re correct. While I might not have wanted to be reborn or have my matrix, there have been benefits. I’ve had the luxury of my logic being at the forefront of my actions, driving everything that I do and say.” His grip on her tightened, sending another shiver through her body. “Until you came, I never had to worry about control.”

His voice was low, gravelly, seductive in a way that hit Ina deep inside her core. Her nipples hardened and her pussy grew wet as flashes of what that voice would sound like if he was naked against her, fucking into her body. Maybe there was a benefit to being blind? His touch against her skin felt far stronger than she’d ever experienced like this before. She could smell his scent, could hear a soft noise coming from him that she assumed had something to do with his cybernetics. “I wish I could see you.”

Hallam hummed low. “Soon you’ll get to explore as much of me as you’d like. Don’t move.”

The humming sound intensified as Hallam moved something around her head – no doubt, the aforementioned scanner. The itching in her eyes intensified and she had to fight not to scratch the itch. Hallam immediately turned the scanner off and she felt him moving around in front of her. “What’s going on?”

He let out another low growl. “I had to stop the scan. I could feel your discomfort.”

“That can’t be possible. Can it?”

“I don’t know.” He paused, unmoving for a moment. “Rykal said that appears to be a common occurrence between Fallen and their mates. We’re able to sense what you are feeling.”

“Wait, is Rykal here?” Her head now ached, but she couldn’t be sure if that was from the nanobots or simple exhaustion at having to figure too much out too quickly after coming out of cryo sleep.

“Our matrixes are able to connect with other Fallen when they are in proximity and we can communicate. It was designed for speed when we were on the battlefield.”

Everything about them was designed for war. Ina couldn’t help but feel for them. “At least its useful when you’re not fighting.”

“I might not have wanted this rebirth, but Aidric had chosen our skills wisely.”

If Ina ever met this Aidric fellow, she was probably going to punch him. “Did your scan see anything off about the nanobots?”

Hallam paused and she could hear him pressing something. “Your retina is repaired, but they are working on healing an additional problem.”

“What? I’d had a doctor check me over before I boarded the Kraken to come out here. Nothing turned up on their scans.”

She didn’t need to see him to sense his hesitation. “You have tumors in both of your optic nerves. Is this a common occurrence for your people?”

“Tumor? But…no, that’s not common. Not in the eyes at least.” She’d known plenty of people who’d worked engineering on the environmental systems who’d gotten sick over the years – cancer, tumor, lung issues – but Ina never had any signs of problems. If it hadn’t been for her retina issues, she probably would still be working on the scrubbers trying to wring every bit of fresh oxygen she could out of them. “Is that something you can fix?”

“Yes. It’s why the nanobots haven’t finished their work. Based on these scans your vision should start to return within a few hours. Don’t be surprised if your sight is blurry for a period after you’re once again able to see.” He moved closer to her again, once more placing his hand on her thigh. “I will look after you until then.”

Oh, the promise those words held.

What would it be like to give herself over to a man without knowing who he was, what he looked like, what her surroundings were? The element of danger was there, though she didn’t believe he would do anything to harm her, not after the care he’d taken up to this point. Her arousal had begun to grow, which was unusual for her. Her sex drive had been healthy over the years, but she’d never been one to take a bunch of risks with her body or her heart. Maybe there was some truth to this connection between them.

Hallam let out a soft growl. “I can feel your arousal. Your curiosity.”

Shit. That was going to take some getting used to. “It’s been a confusing few hours. I don’t know what I’m thinking or feeling.”

“Yes, you do. But I understand your desire to hold yourself back.” His hand moved back and forth along the top of her thigh, the weight of his hand reassuring as it was arousing. “You’re safe with me here. Nothing will happen to you as long as there is breath in my lungs.”

“God,” she sucked in a breath. “You certainly know how to talk to a woman.”

“I’ve never met a woman such as yourself. I haven’t had feelings of anything but rage for so long I’ve forgotten how to exist in any other state of being.” He cupped her cheek with his large hand. “I want to feel everything. You can help me live again.”

Ina was many things – self-sufficient, cool under pressure, forward thinking – but a saint certainly wasn’t one of them. It didn’t matter to her what he looked like, his actions said more about who he was as a person than the color of his eyes. She sucked in a small, shuddering breath as she turned her face against his hand. “Will my recovery be disrupted if I were to engage in any physical activity?”

“Aerin, please go back to the loading bay and assist Rykal with the unloading of the stasis tubes.”

Ina had temporarily forgotten about the other woman. She felt her face heat again but did her best to push her embarrassment away. “I’m okay, Aerin. I’m sure Rykal and Lena would appreciate the help.”

“If you’re certain.” She could tell from Aerin’s tone that she understood what was about to happen between them. “I’ll wait to hear from you.”

There was a shuffling of feet, the whoosh of the door opening and finally silence.

They were alone.

Ina hadn’t been alone with a man with the intention of having sex for months before she’d left Earth for space. It wasn’t as though she were avoiding being intimate, but no one had appealed to her in any particular way. She’d had more than a few fantasies though, and that had kept her occupied as she’d bring herself to orgasm alone in her bed.

But now with Hallam here, the very real feel of his body close to hers, knowing that in the next few moments they’d strip naked and she’d finally be able to feel the press of his body against hers was all she could think about. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth for a moment before smiling up at him. “Is this where you lose control and throw me on a bed?”

She’d been going for humor, so she was a little surprised when he let out a growl that was less than playful. “I’m scared that I’ll hurt you if I lose control.”

There was so much concern, fear in his voice she could feel it come off him in waves. This time, Ina reached up and placed her hand over his that still cupped her cheek. “You won’t hurt me. And if you do, I know you’ll be able to make everything better.”

“Ina.” His body shook.

“On Earth, that’s the name of my planet, we have a thing we do called a one-night stand. That’s when people mutually agree to have sex without any commitments for any type of relationship beyond the night. I know you think I’m your mate, and I’m honestly not sure how I feel about that. But in this moment, I’m overwhelmed by everything that’s happened. I’m temporarily blind and could really use some physical comfort. I want you to be with me. It’s my choice. Everything else we can figure out later.”

Hallam’s response was to scoop her in his arms and march her toward what she seriously hoped was a bed. She might not know the future, but at least for the next few moments, she had control of what was happening.

Chapter Six

The last grasp of Hallam’s control snapped the moment Ina stopped talking. Her wisdom and reason for why she wanted to be with him was pushed aside by the simple feel of her longing to be touched that had hit him. She hadn’t seen the extent of his cybernetic implants, but in a few moments, she’d feel them against her warm skin. He couldn’t guess how she’d respond, but if the Gods were on his side, then she wouldn’t care.

His quarters weren’t far away from the examination room. He’d chosen them specifically so he could be available to anyone who needed him with little delay. Now, he was grateful for a completely different reason. Ina’s body was light in his arms. She’d turned against his chest as she’d looped one arm around his neck, while the other gripped his arm. He could feel the puffs of her breath across his neck, teasing his skin with the promise of the intimacy to come.

He wanted her. Wanted to consume as much of her as she would allow. Long ago before the war, Hallam’s passions had run deep and he’d savored the intimacies he’d shared with others. That part of him had died – or so he’d thought – with his rebirth. But holding Ina in his arms, it surged back to life, clawed its way to the surface of his psyche and leaving nothing in its wake.

Gods, he didn’t want to hurt her.

The door to his quarters slid open as the itching in the back of his brain intensified. This was what he’d wanted from the moment he’d became aware of her existence. Lust surged through him, his cock and rondella surged in time with his desires. The bed was small, something he never used, but remained present as a throwback to a time when the Grus lived and worked here. Now, Hallam eyed it and hoped it would be enough for both their weights.

He set her down so she could stand, not wanting to let her go but knowing the brief separation was necessary. “I need to adjust the bed.”

“That sounds ominous.”

He couldn’t detect any feelings of concern from her, so he let the statement go. “It’s not large enough to accommodate both of us.” He moved around to the control panel to press a few buttons to enlarge it. “This still won’t be ideal, but better than nothing.”

The moment the bed finished expanding to the largest size the small room would allow, Hallam turned his attention back to Ina.

Gods, she was beautiful.

The mass of black curls were floating around her face as though the strands of hair had come to life and were yelling look at this woman here waiting for you. He did look, let his gaze roam across her body, taking in the swell of her breasts hidden by her clothing. He lingered on her lips and how she’d bite down or suck on her bottom lip whenever she began to grow nervous. Her brown unseeing eyes would flit around whenever she’d hear a sound, chasing the noise while she clearly tried to determine its origin.

“Hallam?” She pouted as she laced then unlaced her hands in front of her. “Is everything okay? I thought you were about to throw me on your now larger bed and have your way with me?” Again with the teasing, something he wasn’t used to experiencing.

Another surge of possessive want slammed into him. His body shook from the potency of the emotions, as his will to hold back crumbled. “If I hurt you – ”

“You won’t.”

“I might. I…my control is slipping from me.”

“Who said you always need to be in control?” She shrugged and smiled. “Sometimes the best things in life happen when we stop trying to make things happen. Letting go can be freeing.”

Hallam took two giant steps to close the distance between them pulling Ina into his arms and swallowed down her surprised gasp with a searing kiss. The contact of her mouth on his had his cock pulse, forcing him to grind it against her stomach as he teased her tongue with his. The itching in his head receded to the point where he was able to focus his attention on the sounds that slipped from Ina, paying attention to the ones that came when he cupped her breast in his hand and squeezed.

She tipped her head back and let out a gasp when he captured her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Having cybernetic limbs had proven ideal as a doctor, providing him with a precision of touch that wasn’t possible to achieve as a Grus. He hadn’t considered the advantage it would also offer him as a lover. The ability to apply the exact amount of pressure through her clothing and against her nipple that would pull a moan from her was perfect.

What would be even better was to see what sounds he could elicit from her naked.

He pulled back long enough to strip his shirt off and remove his boots. Ina clearly knew what he was doing and began to strip off her clothing. Thank the universe and evolution for having their two peoples develop in such a way that they were clearly sexually compatible. Hallam watched enthralled as bit by bit of her skin was revealed to him. Her long black curls slipped forward to cover the tops of her full breasts, highlighting the hard, pink nipples that rose up from them. He didn’t wait to remove his pants before lunging at her, forcing them both into a tumble down onto the bed.

She was small beneath him, but she didn’t seem to mind the press of his weight down on her, nor the way he sucked her nipple hard into his mouth to nip and tease the tip with his teeth.

“Fuck.” She thrashed her head from side to side, before she reached up with her hands to slide them across his back. “Yes.”

When her fingers reached the seam of where his cybernetic arms were connected to his torso, he felt her body stiffen. He wanted to stop, to explain to her what had happened to him, tell her about the extent of the damage his body had sustained in the war, and what had been done to him to bring him back to life. All those explanations would have to wait.

The only thing he could focus on was the silent beat mine and now ringing through his head.

“Hallam?”

“Mine.” He leaned his head forward and nipped at the junction of her shoulder and neck, knowing he’d soon place his mark on her. “Now.”

“Hallam, I – ” She gasped as he pinched her nipple again before sliding his hand down and between her legs to explore the most intimate part of her. “God.”

She was wet and had hair between her legs, a physical trait that Grus women did not have. He pulled back so he could see her better, while giving him the opportunity to remove his pants, leaving him fully naked. “You’re different from the women of my race.”

“Too different?” She blinked rapidly, as though she was trying to clear her vision. “Is this going to work? I hadn’t even considered that we’d be too different.”

Instead of answering, he pushed her thighs further apart – noting that she didn’t have a rondollo, the female sex gland that resided on the upper thigh – before pushing a finger deep into her wet and waiting body. Ina gasped and bucked her hips up against his hand, which brought a smile to his lips. “We’re compatible.”

“Oh, thank fuck.”

The hair was a fascination that he’d explore later; now he needed to feel her body around his cock, to enjoy the press of his expanding rondella against her leg. This was what it felt like to be alive again, something he’d hadn’t realized how much he’d missed until now. Bracing his hands on either side of her body, he lined up his cock and with a single motion, he thrust into her fully.

Ina gasped as her body stilled and she adjusted to his size. He could feel her tangle of emotions tumble inside her; desire, fear, embarrassment. He couldn’t imagine what she had to be embarrassed about – everything about her was perfect. It was his responsibility as her mate to show her that perfection with the reverence she was due.

“You’re mine.” He said the words again, but this time he leaned close and sucked her earlobe into his mouth. “I’m yours.”

She shivered again. “Show me.”

Hallam pressed his face against her throat and began to fuck her in earnest. The squeeze of her inner muscles around his cock pulled a moan from him and sent his matrix into overload trying to compensate for the onslaught of sensations bombarding him. Everything about Ina’s body was soft, warm and inviting. He didn’t want those sensations to be dulled, to be regulated away until they were nothing more than a series of cold inputs. For the first time since his rebirth, Hallam wanted to feel, wanted to drown himself in sensations until he no longer felt dead inside.

Ina continued to meet his thrusts with her own. Her breasts rubbed against his chest and he felt the slide of her hard nipples against his skin. The itching in his head grew frenzied, driving him forward toward something he didn’t completely understand. The silent chant of mine, mine, mine, grew louder, more incessant until he could think of nothing else.

His kisses grew harder, his touch stronger. He licked the juncture of her neck and shoulder before opening his mouth and slowly biting down. Ina gasped, but she didn’t pull away, even as he increased the pressure.

Gods, what was he doing? He didn’t want to hurt her, but he also couldn’t stop himself from leaving his mark on her. His rondella tingled and he could feel the approach of his pre-orgasm, something that hadn’t happened to him in so long his couldn’t retrieve the memory from his matrix.

Ina pushed her fingers into his hair and tugged at his head. “Suck my nipples. Please, I’m so close.”

He should do as she requested, give her the pleasure that she desired. He even tried to move his mouth away, but he couldn’t release his bite. Instead, he shifted so he could capture her nipple once more between his fingers and pulled. Ina groaned, her muscles flexing around his cock as he felt her orgasm slide closer.

She’s mine and no one elses. Mine to take and fuck and love and hold.

The rush of pleasure washed through his body as his pre-orgasm fired his nerves and woke up the long dead part of his soul. He growled against her body and fucked into her harder than before.

“Shit, Hallam.” Ina moaned as she gripped his hair and pulled her body hard against him. “Yes.”

Gods, he wanted to wait, wanted to ensure her pleasure came before he succumbed to his, but his release was getting dangerously close. Thankfully, she arched her back off the bed and with a stifled cry, he felt her orgasm wash through her. The dual sensations of her body squeezing around him and the slam of her emotional euphoria, pushed past the last of his resolve.

Hallam bit down hard on her shoulder as pleasure stronger than he’d ever experienced in his life or rebirth hit him like a powerful blast. He was only vaguely aware of Ina’s physical discomfort from his actions as he spilled his seed deep inside her body. Pleasure blasted through his matrix, overloading it to the point where it was no longer able to regulate his code. He finally was able to open his mouth, lift his head and let out a roar as the final waves of pleasure rolled through him.

Then everything went black.

When he became aware of his surroundings once more, it wasn’t the feel of the bed beneath him, or the warmth of the other presence beside him that caught his attention. He had to wait for his matrix to come back up to full capacity before he understood what it was that he was hearing.

Ina was crying.

Hallam pushed himself up onto his arm and looked down at her, frantic concern surging inside him. “What’s wrong?” He immediately began to scan her body and cringed at the sight of the purple bruise on the side of her neck and top of her shoulder. “I harmed you.”

Her face was turned away from him. “You did, but that’s not why I’m crying.”

“Why then?”

She opened her mouth, but instead of words another sob popped from her lips. Hallam pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried, at a loss for what to do for her. Even before his rebirth he’d never been with a female long enough to share some of the gentler emotions that the Grus engaged in. They’d fall into bed, enjoy their time together, kiss and be on their way. They were arrangements that suited Hallam’s nature.

But hearing Ina cry stirred something inside him he hadn’t known existed before. Something so foreign he couldn’t put a label on what it might be. Instead, he held her against him and puzzled over how he could fix this problem.

Time passed and her sniffles lessened. Hallam discovered that she enjoyed having her hair stroked, that she’d nestled closer to him when he ran his fingers down her back, and that the feel of tears against his skin was oddly soothing. Eventually, Ina reached up and began to touch his chest in a similar exploratory manner. Her fingers drifted once more across the seams of where his cybernetic arms were joined to his torso. She then paused and he felt her pull back slightly.

“Do these bother you?” He hoped not because there wasn’t anything he could do about his limbs. The Sholle had taken them from him in the explosion, and Aidric had given him these in return.

She shook her head and pulled back some more. “No.”

“What then?”

Ina looked up at him, a small smile on her face. “I think my sight is coming back. I can see again.”

Chapter Seven

Ina blinked several times trying to clear the gray fuzz from her eyes, but it wouldn’t quite leave. She was able to make out Hallam’s shape, though his body was lacking any sort of depth. “I…it’s not fully back, but definitely better than before.”

“Good. The nanobots will repair most of the damage and if there is anything left behind I’ll be able to fix the rest.”

The fear she’d previously felt fell away and for the first time since Aerin pressed the injector to the side of her neck, Ina was able to relax. “Thank God.”

While she knew she would have learned to adapt to her blindness if that had been her fate, she was relieved to know that she wouldn’t have to stumble her way through life on an alien world and forced to rely on others for everything. It wasn’t that she couldn’t accept help when it was offered, but that she didn’t trust the person doing the offering didn’t have an ulterior motive for the gesture.

Life back on Earth wasn’t pleasant with everyone doing what they needed to in order to survive. Even in her position as an engineer on the environmental units, a position of some recognition and prestige, she’d constantly had to watch her back in case one of her colleagues tried to take her down to claim her position as their own. After years of looking over her shoulder, she hoped her new life would allow her to stop constantly worrying about what might happen next. Brighter days were finally here for her.

Still, her vision wasn’t back yet and hopefully it wouldn’t take longer than a few hours at the rate the nanobots were working. That meant she’d have to push past her fears a bit longer and hope Hallam wasn’t going to suddenly change on her. She really hoped not, because for the first time in her life she felt as though she might be able to have a relationship of sorts. Of all the things that had happened to her since deciding to board the Kraken, that revelation was the one that surprised her the most.

Pain on her shoulder and neck reminded her that Hallam was far from the normal human male she was used to. “Do all cyborgs bite when you’re having sex? That really hurt, but I was a bit too busy coming to stop you.”

He shifted away from her to sit up. “Cyborgs don’t normally have sex. You’re the only woman I’ve been with since my rebirth.”

Another revelation that caught Ina off guard. “Really? Did your sex drives just not come back with you?” She cringed the moment the question left her lips. “Sorry, that was awful of me to ask.”

“They did not. Most of us had more pressing concerns after our rebirth. Adjusting to our new realities was harder than anyone expected. Plus, we were immediately thrust back into a war with significant changes to our bodies.” The anger in his voice was painfully clear, and she could only imagine how difficult things must have been for him.

Hallam pushed away from her and climbed out of the bed, only to pace around the small room. She couldn’t see any of his features, but her vision had improved enough that she could make out a difference in the tone and color of his arms, and one of his legs from the rest of his body. The cybernetics were far more advanced than anything they had on Earth, and the engineering side of her was more than a little curious about the science and technology behind them. That curiosity was swallowed up by guilt. How was she any better than the people who’d thrust these enhancements on him if all she saw was his cybernetics, and not the man behind them who was still hurting?

Ina wanted to go to him but didn’t fully trust herself with her visual limitations. Instead, she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, grabbing the think blanket to wrap around her body when she shivered from the cold. “What did you do in the war? Were you a doctor then as well?”

“I was a medical technician.” He stopped moving, and she was able to see a soft light from his cybernetics start to pulse. “My matrix allowed me to gather and retain knowledge that I wouldn’t have previously been able to process. My abilities allowed me to be efficient on the battlefield and save many lives that would have otherwise been lost.”

“So, you’re a hero.” She wasn’t surprised by that revelation. There’d been something about him, an aura of competence that radiated with his every action. “What have you done since the war ended?”

A computer in the room beeped several times, an indicator or message of some sort. Hallam crossed the room, moving out of her limited field of view. She heard him press something before speaking once again.

“Report.”

“All life signs from patient three have ceased.” The sterilized voice of the computer echoed in the small room. “Notification of end of life protocol initiated and awaiting approval.”

Hallam didn’t say anything initially. Ina strained to hear what he might be doing, of any indication about how he may be feeling. Every so often, she’d get a sense of…something from him, but it was difficult. He kept himself so tightly wrapped emotionally, it was difficult for her to know. Finally, there was the sound of movement before his voice – now firmer – reached her.

“Protocol approved. Also send notifications to Rykal and Commander Aidric.”

“Acknowledged and completed.”

Ina heard the computer sign off and Hallam move once more. He stopped in front of her and she could tell the death was hitting him on an emotional level. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was the first time he was experiencing the death of a patient in this way, and if her connection to him was the cause. Ina took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

He didn’t return the gesture and let her hand fall. “You’re my mate.”

Ina’s head hurt at the sudden change in topic. “That’s what everyone keeps telling me. I’m not exactly sure how I feel about the revelation yet.”

“I did not ask for a mate. This is yet another thing that’s been forced upon me.”

His words felt as though someone had hit her in the face. “I’m not forcing anything on you. And I believe it was you and your crazy possessiveness like an hour ago who was forcing the whole you’re my mate and let’s fuck thing.” She might not have been completely on board initially, but Ina had enjoyed herself. What she wasn’t prepared to do was take responsibility for something that she’d had no part in initiating, or even understood the underpinnings of why it had happened in the first place.

Standing up was difficult, especially since the gray blur was still present. Still, she wasn’t going to sit here with a man she didn’t know, and be on the receiving end of anger that had resulted from a situation she hadn’t been involved with. She’d go sit in the hallway and wait for Aerin before she’d do that. “I can’t see where my clothing fell. Please hand it to me.”

“No.” Hallam’s voice had somehow deepened, and the predatory sound sent a chill through her.

“You don’t want me here as your mate. You’re clearly angry about the loss of your patient and there isn’t anything I can do about either of those factors. I’m going to get dressed and find my way back to Lena and the Kraken. I might be blind, but I still have a brain in my head and can help with the stasis tubes and the ship.” Straightening as much as she could, Ina hopped she looked more confident that she felt. “My clothing please. Now.”

Hallam didn’t hesitate this time, reaching for and handing her the few articles of clothing she’d been wearing upon her arrival. There was something strangely intimate getting dressed in front of him, even when she knew he wasn’t staring directly at her as she did. This was the sort of thing lovers or couples did, not two strangers who’d only known each other for a few hours. Ina felt warmer if not more secure once she had dressed and slipped her boots back on. She might not be able to see where she was going, but at least now if she had to run, she wouldn’t be naked. “I’m leaving.”

“You still can’t see.”

“Then I’ll wait until someone else can help me.”

“I’ll take you back to Lena and the Kraken.” This time he let out a growl and she could see him shake his head. “But I need to see to my patients first. The stasis tubes will put a strain on my resources, and I need to ensure no one else dies.”

He might not have wanted his rebirth and the responsibilities that had come with them, but Hallam took them seriously. That was something she couldn’t help but respect. “Fine. Ask Aerin to come get me and then you’ll be free to do what you need to do.”

She felt him sway closer to her, but he somehow held back from touching her. “You’re staying with me.”

Interesting. He might not want her as his mate, but there were forces at work that were pulling them together. Maybe she was better off with him for the time being. At least for now he had a certain degree of control over his actions. If they separated, he might revert into the mad animalistic being he’d been when she’d first met him.

Plus, she couldn’t help but think she might be acting a bit selfish in her fear. He had a job to do, one that was important and her presence only complicated. She’d never forgive herself if one of his patients died because he wasn’t able to focus on them. “Fine. But as soon as you’re done, I’d like to go back to the ship.”

“As you wish.” He wrapped his hand around her arm and guided her forcefully toward the door.

It was easier to relax and let him tug her along beside him as they moved down the halls toward their destination. Spending time with Hallam wasn’t unpleasant, even if he was more than a little irritable. She couldn’t imagine what his life had been like in the years since the war; hell, she couldn’t imagine what his life had been like during the war. Humans had long ago stopped trying to kill one another on a political level when the planet nearly became inhabitable. People were too busy trying to survive rather than get upset about someone else’s personal business or beliefs.

Hallam’s pace was a bit faster than Ina was ready for when they turned a corner, and she didn’t quite make it around. Her shoulder bumped into the wall and she stumbled. “Shit.”

She gasped when he puller her into his arms for a moment before checking her over. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. I just didn’t see the corner.”

It was strange not being able to see his face clearly, and yet know that he was upset with himself for his carelessness. “I did not take that into account.”

“It’s fine. I just bumped the corner. You don’t need to be upset.”

“I’m not upset.” He flexed his grip on her shoulder, the tension in his body radiating from him. “I will be more cautious.”

True to his word, Hallam slowed his pace and kept her close to his side for the rest of the journey. That helped Ina relax and let her take in more of her surroundings. The air in this part of the building was warmer and smelled slightly of antiseptic. There were more computer monitoring sounds as well. Beeps and clicks echoed from various parts of the room Hallam led her into, and she could make out the vaguest impression of what she assumed were beds along the wall as they passed.

Hallam stopped and moved her hand so she could feel the edge of a chair. “Sit here and rest while I tend to my patients.”

“Sure.” There really wasn’t much else she could say or do, and the last thing she wanted was to get in the way of someone’s medical care. But after a few minutes of sitting in silence, Ina’s nerves kicked in, making her chest tighten as an unexpected wave of anxiety hit her. God, things were moving too fast for even her to keep up and adjust to, and having long stretches of quiet weren’t currently the best for her brain.

“The Grus male had injuries that were accidently caused by a cyborg.” Hallam’s voice wasn’t too far away from her, and hearing his even tone helped her relax. “I’m preparing his body to be sent back to Grus Prime for his family to mourn.”

“What’s Grus Prime?”

“The station that orbits Zarlan, the planet you’re currently on.” There were some noises, something that sounded like a vacuum and a bag being sealed. “May he find the peace I didn’t.”

It shouldn’t break her heart to hear him sound so dejected, but it did. “I hope you someday find the same.”

Hallam let out a soft grunt. “The next patient I have is cyborg. I’ll be communicating with him via our cybernetic link. After that, we can return to the others.”

“Okay.” And after that, she’d have to figure out what her next steps would be here on the planet.

Rather than sit there and do nothing, Ina stared at a shape in the room and did her best to focus her vision on it in the hope of improving her sight. She was starting to be able to see outlines, but even after several minutes of intense concentration, she didn’t feel as though she’d made any progress. Yes, things would get better for her, but she hated having to wait.

A loud beep filled the room and she jumped from the suddenness of the noise. “God, what was that?”

“Communication from Grus Prime.” From the sound of Hallam’s voice, he wasn’t pleased. “Yes, Commander Aidric. What can I do for you?”

“I received your notification about the death of our technician.” Ina shivered at the cold tone from the man speaking. No wonder Hallam didn’t like the Grus who lived in the station if this was how they were treated. “We’ll be sending a shuttle down to retrieve him.”

“Did you consider my request?” There was an odd note in Hallam’s voice that Ina couldn’t quite figure out. “The cyborg in question is currently waiting judgement in the prison.”

“You know it’s impossible for me to grant him clemency. Other Fallen will see it as an excuse to do whatever they want to the Grus with expectation of retaliation.”

“This man’s death was his fault. He used my Fallen brother as a means to an end. It was a purely selfish act.” Even Ina who barely knew him and couldn’t see, wasn’t blind to Hallam’s anger and frustration as it bubbled over.

Ina got to her feet and carefully made her way toward where she believed Hallam stood. Ignoring her fear and uncertainty, she reached for him and smiled when she felt the solid warmth of his back against her hand. “You did everything you could to help him.”

“Ah.” Aidric’s voice was now coming from directly in front of her. “I should have realized your mate was there.”

She felt Hallam tense under her hand. “My name is Ina.”

“A pleasure to meet you.” Aidric sighed. “How is Rykal making out with the Kraken? Have they been successful unloading the stasis tubes?”

“We will be checking in on them after I’ve seen to my patients.” Hallam leaned back against Ina’s hand, as though he were drawing strength from her touch.

“Have Rykal send me an update as soon as he can. I’ve been keeping the High Council at bay, but they grow more demanding by the hour.”

“Maybe you could distract them by asking to grant a cyborg lenience?” She made sure to smile and cock her eyebrow, hoping she’d get her point across to the alien commander. “Just a thought.”

She heard Aidric snort. “I’ll take it under advisement.”

“Thank you.” She grinned.

“Thank you, Commander. We’ll check on them now.” She felt Hallam reach forward and the call was disconnected. “That was unnecessary.”

“Or it might have worked. They won’t learn to see you differently if you don’t encourage them to try. Worst case, nothing changes, and the cyborg is killed. But if you’re successful, then it means you’ve helped save another life.”

She could tell he wanted to argue with her, but they were interrupted by another notification from the computer.

“Hallam?” Rykal’s voice. “We need you and Ina back in the loading bay. Now.”

“What’s wrong?” Hallam turned and wrapped his hand around her arm, pulling her against him.

“We’ve removed ten of the stasis tubes from the ship. They’re starting to shut down. The women are dying.”

Chapter Eight

It had been a long time since Hallam had felt anything other than anger; and yet in the past few hours his emotions had flown from possessive desire, to annoyance and pride. Now, it was fear that drove him quickly down the hallway back to the transportation tube and the docking bay full of dying patients of alien physiology.

To make matters worse, Ina had gone silent.

He knew she was scared for her fellow humans, knowing how much they’d all given up coming out into the vastness of space. It could very easily have been her in one of those tubes, still sleeping while her body was being shut down. The thought of Ina being in there turned Hallam’s stomach and drove him forward faster.

The moment the door to the loading bay opened, he was hit by the chaos of the situation. Aerin was directing their technicians to computer terminals, while Rykal and Lena were working on a tube that was shouting alarm claxons.

Rykal looked up the second Hallam entered. It looks like we’re not going to have a choice when it comes to which tube is opened next.

“What’s happening?” Ina ran out of his grasp and immediately into a medical tool tray that was off to the side. “Fuck!”

“Let me guide you to a chair.” He could feel her frustration as if it were his own. “I’ll keep you informed of what’s happening.”

Bring her over to Lena. She might be able to help. Rykal grabbed a chair and moved it beside his mate, who he whispered something to. Lena looked up and nodded at him. “Ina, I need your help over here!”

“Thank God.” Ina’s mutter was barely audible, even to his cybernetic hearing.

Hallam helped her over to her friend, but the moment he tried to walk away from her the possessive rage threatened to well up again. With each step from her side, he had to fight back the desire to go back to her, to push all others away, keeping her all to himself. It took effort for him to march to the closest terminal and type in his confirmation code to see what was happening. The details flicked past him, but he was having difficulty focusing.

It becomes easier once you’ve marked her, Rykal said through the cybernetic link. The pain lessens, the urge to destroy everything in your path so you can get back to her. Your connection strengthens, deepens.

Hallam couldn’t imagine anything more powerful that what he currently felt toward her. That will destroy me.

It will make you better. Each of us becomes more than we were with our mates by our side. You’ll see.

We need to determine what’s happening with these stasis tubes. Taking a moment to collect himself, Hallam pushed past his primal side and looked once again at the readings coming from the stasis tube. “The female inside is showing reduced, but stable life signs. If we don’t regulate the power surges coming into the tube, we’ll have to bring her fully out of stasis or risk her dying.”

Lena let out a frustrated shout. “I’ve got two more tubes surging.”

Ina was up, out of her seat and standing by Lena’s side. “Just because I can’t see doesn’t mean I can’t be helpful. What are the readings?”

“It’s bouncing between six thousand and fifteen thousand watts. The units aren’t designed to handle that kind of surge.” Lena stepped around Ina to get to the stasis tube. Her face pinched in a frown as she pressed a sequence of buttons. “This one’s going to overload.”

Hallam saw the life signs of the tube’s occupant flicker and drop briefly before they came back to normal. “She needs to be removed before that happens.”

“We can’t pull all the women from stasis.” Rykal looked over at him and narrowed his gaze. We need to strictly control those of us who are mated to these women until they’ve adjusted.

We might not have a choice in the matter.

Figure something out. If all the Fallen’s leaders become violent because of an outside factor, the Grus high council will see this as an opportunity to clamp down on all of our people, saying we’re not in control. Or worse. They’ll decommission us all.

Hallam knew Rykal was right. “We need to find a way to stabilize the tubes.”

Ina slammed her hands on the computer console. “It’s got to be incompatibility with the power inputs. Our physiologies might be similar, but our technologies clearly aren’t.”

“Okay, we can do this.” Lena looked over at Rykal. “You and Ina can try and figure out how to make the power work between our systems and I’ll work with Hallam and Aerin to stabilize Tara’s life signs.”

Hallam thought he had everything under control, until Rykal took a single step toward Ina. The roar that came from him felt otherworldly as he flew at Rykal. His fist connected with Rykal’s jaw, which caught him off guard and sent them both tumbling to the floor. Hallam was instantly aware of shouting and hands grabbing at his body to pull him from Rykal, who hadn’t done anything to defend himself. But when there was a tiny bit of separation between them, Rykal lunged forward and pressed Hallam to the floor.

It was then that Hallam began to calm, Rykal scowling in his face. I’ve given you space and forgiveness to this point. I understand your struggle. But if you don’t get yourself under control, I will put you down myself.

Hallam closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, trying to quell the rage. “It’s too strong.”

“No, it’s not. You faced worse on the battleground with the Sholle. I won’t touch her. I won’t do anything to her that I wouldn’t want another do to my mate. She’s yours and you’re hers, but now is not the time to assert your dominance. You have a life to save, so fracking save it!”

Ina squatted down beside him placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hallam?”

The concern in her voice was painful for him to hear. “I’m sorry.”

“Help me back to the terminal.”

Rykal let him go and Hallam was able to slowly get back to his feet. He ignored the confused looks from his staff, and the concerned look from Aerin. All he could focus on was Ina and doing what needed to be done to save the human woman inside the failing tube. Her touch immediately calmed him, making it easier to concentrate on what needed to be done. “The terminal is here. I need to check the tube itself.”

“Good.” Ina smiled at him. She wrapped her fingers around the edge of the terminal. “If we can’t figure out our power issue, we might have to wake her up in a hurry. You’ll need to be ready to help her if that’s the case.”

Hallam gave himself to the count of three to get himself under control. He took a deep breath and straightened, forcing his mind to the place of calm where he’d gone in the past during war time. Ina was here and no one would touch her. She needed him to be strong, to be in control of his actions so everyone would come out the other side of this alive. Locking his attention on the stasis tube, he looked for any fluctuations in the patient’s vitals and kept an eye on the stasis tube power signals.

“There’s an odd reading coming off this unit.” He ran a scan, trying to pinpoint what might be causing it. “It’s acting like a beacon.”

“That’s what the Sholle picked up through subspace.” Rykal joined him, their altercation already forgotten. “Show me.”

Hallam brought the signal up on the screen. “The stasis tubes aren’t sophisticated technology. They shouldn’t have the capability of sending a signal at all, let alone one that’s penetrating into deep space.”

Rykal leaned in closer to examine it “It’s as though the signal from the units are harmonizing with something else that’s boosting their natural state.”

“That’s possible.” Ina shook her head. “I mean we only have the elements found on Earth and Mars. It’s possible that something exists out here that acts as a natural amplifier. Stranger things have happened.”

“I thought the whole point of bringing the Kraken here was because this building is dampening the signal, preventing it from getting out.” Lena slapped the side of the stasis tube. “I need to know if my passengers are going to be okay, or if we’re about to unleash the horny cyborg apocalypse when we have to wake everyone up at the same time.”

Ina cocked her head, and Hallam could feel her working through the problem. “What if the signal and our power issue are actually two sides of the same problem?”

That got everyone’s attention. Lena came beside her. “What do you mean?”

“The stasis tubes were fine until we got here, right? We’ve been traveling through deep space for decades without any hint of a problem, or any attraction from other lifeforms.

“That’s right. We flew past everyone unnoticed. We didn’t have a single malfunction, which is surprising as hell.”

Ina nodded. “There’s something here that’s amplifying the signal. It might be the same reason why Rykal became aware of you when the ship entered this sector. It could also be the reason why now that the signal is basically trapped in this facility the stasis tubes are starting to short. They’re being bombarded in some sort of weird feedback loop.”

Hallam wasn’t an engineer, but he didn’t need to be one in order to understand what Ina was implying. “We need to find the source of the feedback and block it before all the stasis tubes shut down.”

“I need Ina’s help to do this.” Rykal turned to Hallam. Brother, I need to be near your mate. She’s the best chance we have at finding the source of this problem, but she’s still blind. I’ll need to guide her.

He knew what Rykal was saying, even understood how important this was. Still, Hallam didn’t know if he was strong enough to keep his emotions in check, to give up control and put Ina in someone else’s hands so she could make this better. He looked over at where she stood and was surprised to see her looking back at him.

There was something in her expression that said trust me, I can do this. But more than that, there was the realization that he needed to let her do this. That he needed to relinquish the control he’d so desperately tried to cling to since his rebirth had been forced upon him. This was Ina’s problem to solve, hers and Rykal’s. Hallam only needed to do his part, to help his patient if she needed it, and let the others do their jobs.

He nodded to Ina, hoping she could see him and turned his attention back to the stasis tube. Do what you need to do. I won’t get in the way.

Rykal didn’t wait a second longer and moved to stand beside Ina. “What do you think might be causing the feedback?”

“It has to be a substance that we don’t have on Earth. Something that has some sort of reflective properties that are dense enough to bounce back our signals. A reflective substance, like a polished mirror, or glass. I can’t fucking see well enough yet to be able to figure that part out.”

Hallam didn’t need to be connected to Ina’s emotions to know how frustrated she was. But unlike himself, she was able to push past her frustrations and refocus. “Let’s try it this way. Lena, can you link the base computer to the one on the Kraken?”

“Yup, just give me a minute.”

“Rykal, if you can run a scan on the loading bay and compare the metals and minerals that are present here that are not listed on the Kraken’s database, then we might be able to narrow down who our culprit might be.”

Hallam would have listened more to her plan, but the alarm on yet another stasis tube sounded off. Aerin raced over to him and they shared a look. They were going to lose this tube in the next few minutes if they didn’t act now. Not bothering to ask for permission, Hallam looked over the controls for the tube and initiated what he hoped was the activation sequence.

“What the hell are you doing?” Lena shouted at him from the ship.

“We need to wake her up now, or she’s going to die.” He reached out to Rykal, knowing he’d fill Lena in. This tube is shutting down. If we don’t pull her out of stasis right now, she won’t make it.

Do what you need to do to save her. We’ll worry about the consequences later.

Hallam looked up at Aerin. “She might go into distress if we have to cut short the wake cycle. Do you have readings on the human physiology?”

“Yes. I took scans of Ina and Lena the moment they landed. I also saw the full cycle when they woke Ina up. Based on these readings we’re not going to have time.” Aerin looked over her shoulder where the others stood. “I can reprogram some nanobots to help jumpstart the patient’s systems. It might help.”

“Do it.” Hallam turned his attention to the tube. “I’m going to open this now and pull her out.”

The lock on the stasis tube was still engaged and wouldn’t open until the cycle was complete. There appeared to be no way for him to initiate an emergency open, which meant he was going to have to physically force the lock apart. Using his enhanced eyes, he scanned the unit for any points of failure to exploit, finding one near the seam off to the right of the locking mechanism. Forcing it open would cause a blowback of gasses and fluids that wouldn’t have drained; the noise would be powerful.

“I’m opening the stasis tube. This will be loud.”

Hallam pulled his fist back and slammed it into the side of the tube, denting the metal and causing a small break in the seam. He punched it again and again until there was enough of a buckle that he was able to grasp the edge of the lid with both hands. Using the entirety of the strength held in his cybernetic arms, he pulled up. His arms shook from the strain and for a moment he didn’t think he had the power to pull the metal apart. The loud groan of the lock straining to hold itself together increased, encouraging Hallam to keep going.

“You’ve almost got it!” Aerin was beside him, a nanobot injector in her hands. “That’s it!”

The boom of the gasses exploding from the stasis tube slammed into Hallam the second the metal gave way. The force sent the cover flying, to slam into one of the computer terminals behind it. Hallam was prepared for the blast and only stumbled back a few steps.

He recovered and bolted back to his patient’s side. “Help me get these tubes off her. They won’t be able to retract normally.”

They worked quickly to free the still sleeping woman as her vital signs began to fluctuate and drop. The computer alarm was joined by the sound of a second stasis tube going into a warning cycle. He looked over to Ina surprised to see her leaned over the terminal typing. “What’s the status of blocking the feedback?”

“I’ve almost got it!” She pushed Rykal out of the way and moved over to another terminal. “Five minutes.”

A third stasis tube warning alarm sounded as Hallam pressed the injector to the side of the woman’s neck. “I’m not sure we have that long.”

He pulled her free from the stasis tube and carried her over to the emergency bed in the back of the loading bay. Aerin, bring a stimulant. The nanobots won’t be fast enough to save her.

Coming. She grabbed another injector and raced over. This should work.

I hope so. He pressed the second injector against the woman’s neck, tossing it onto the medical tray. “Come on. Wake up.”

Her skin looked sickly and lacked the warmth that both Ina and Lena shared. Her breathing was shallow, and her body trembled continuously from shock. Hallam ignored the rest of the alarms, knowing if he couldn’t save this woman the chances of the others dying increased exponentially.

Aerin let out a frustrated groan. “She’s not going to make it.”

“Give me another stimulant shot.”

“That might kill her.”

“Then we’re no worse off then we are right now.” He held out his hand. “Quick.”

Aerin prepared the injector and tossed it to him. Hallam didn’t hesitate to press the injector to her neck. It took another five seconds before the woman gasped and her eyes flew open. She immediately began to thrash on the table, and it took them both to hold her down.

“Calm down. It will be okay.”

The woman’s eyes widened, and she screamed. “Help me! Someone help!”

Aerin made comforting noises, but it didn’t seem to help. She wouldn’t be able to understand us yet. “Lena!”

Lena joined them, quickly and gently placing her hands on the woman’s shoulder. “Tara, Tara, it’s okay. You’re going to be okay. You’re safe here. We’re all safe.”

Hallam backed away when the woman’s vital signs stabilized and let Lena and Aerin do what they needed to help her. The rush from saving her life, from the intensity of the last few minutes had blocked everything else from him. It was only then that he realized the other alarms on the remaining stasis tubes had stopped and Ina and Rykal were leaning back against the wall.

Ina.

In those few moments, he’d also forgotten about his mate, about the overwhelming urge to possess and be with her. The urge was still there, but it was smaller now, tucked away in the back of his brain where the itching once resided. He started to come over to her, when she looked up and jolted.

“What’s wrong?” He took another few steps closer, uncertain of what the emotions were that he felt coming from her. “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head, as she bit down on her bottom lip.

“Then what’s happening?”

Rykal moved away when Hallam got close, giving them some privacy. Hallam cupped her face and looked into her eyes. It was then all the pieces fell into place. “You can see again. You can see me clearly.”

She nodded, smiled and stepped into his arms.

Chapter Nine

Ina didn’t have time to process the emotions churning inside her when she realized that she could see again. She’d been trying to tell Rykal how to run a comparison scan using the Kraken’s systems when she pushed him away and did it herself. She was halfway through the scan when she realized what was happening, but then more alarms sounded, and any chance she had to think about the implications fled.

When they discovered the element that was causing the interference – something Rykal called Netium – she was able to adjust for it and stabilize the systems. There was nothing more she could fix, which left her with a few tense moments to stare at Hallam and his frantic attempts to save the woman in the stasis tube.

“She’s not going to make it.” Lena’s breath caught in her throat, adding a quiver to her words. “Shit.”

“Have faith. Hallam is one of the best doctors we have on the planet.” Rykal squeezed his mate’s shoulder. “If anyone can save her, he can.”

Ina could feel Hallam’s determination from halfway across the room. She might as well have been plugged directly into his brain, she was so tuned in to his emotional state. There was no lack of confidence, no concerns that he didn’t have the skills to save her. But what she did feel was a trickle of fear that despite all his abilities, they’d still fail, and someone would be without their mate.

Ina gasped when something surged inside Hallam, so powerful it could have been a physical blast against her chest. Aerin tossed something over to him which Hallam pressed against the woman’s neck. In one moment, there’d been little signs of life, and in the next she was gasping and calling out for help.

Lena moved quickly to the woman’s side, no doubt to offer the same reassurance that she’d given Ina when she’d been pulled out of stasis. But Ina was no longer interested in Lena, the woman, or even the Kraken’s systems that had threatened to expose them all. The only thing she could see, could feel, was Hallam.

He looked up at her and as their eyes met, she felt his shock and pleasure when he knew she was finally able to see him. Ina moved around the side of the computer console and slowly walked over to where he stood. She took the time to memorize all the features about him that she’d been unable to see only a short time before. He stood only a little shorter than Rykal, but his hair was far longer, nearly down to his shoulders. It was black but had a bit of a blue tinge to it that seemed to accent his olive skin. But it was his eyes that took Ina’s breath away. They were green and they glowed bright enough that she was able to see them from a distance. The closer she got, the more intense she found them, especially with his gaze locked fully onto her.

She stopped only a few feet away from him and smiled. “Hello.” Her voice sounded breathy and she hated that it made her sound as though she were ready to fall into bed with him.

Even though that was not far from the truth.

“You’ve regained your vision.” He didn’t return her smile, but she could feel his relief. “It took longer than it should have with the nanobots.”

“They had a lot of damage to repair.” Now that the emergency had passed and she was healed, Ina didn’t know what to say. “Is your patient going to be okay?”

Hallam nodded. “She’ll need to adjust to her new world, but Lena seems capable of helping.”

“That’s good.” Ina clasped her hands in front of her. “I think as more of us wake, it will be easier to wrap our heads around what’s happening. Around what our new lives are going to be like.”

“There will no doubt be an adjustment period for you all.”

Something that Ina would have to deal with herself.

“Hallam?” Lena called over from where she stood with the woman. “Aerin is going to inject Tara with the nanobots unless you have any concerns.”

He looked back at them, before nodding. “I want to make sure everything is okay with her, then you and I can pick up where we left off.”

There was heat behind his words, a sexual promise of what would come next. Ina was somehow both thrilled and terrified at the prospect of spending the rest of her life with a man this intense. “Yeah, sure. You do what you need to. I’m not going anywhere.”

She watched as he tended to his patient, which gave her time to think. This really was going to be for the rest of her life. There was no going back to Earth and the life she’d walked away from. Not that staying here would be a hardship, nor being with Hallam a problem, but everything suddenly felt big. She’d regained her vision, they had a new home with new people to get to know. She had a mate who despite all logic and reason she cared for after only knowing him for a few hours.

That shouldn’t be possible. In Ina’s experience, there was no such thing as love at first sight, or destiny. Shit, she hadn’t even seen Hallam until a few moments ago, and yet she was standing here staring at him as though he was the most precious thing to her in the universe. Her life had always been about plans and paths, logic and reason. It’s what made her a good engineer.

The thought of her surrendering to a force that she didn’t believe in felt like a betrayal to her ideals.

Rykal came to stand beside her, no doubt watching Lena the same way she was watching Hallam. “You’re a talented engineer. I’m sure we’ll be able to use your skills once you’ve had time to learn our systems.”

“Thank you.” Ina breathed through the surge of adrenaline that still lingered through her. “I’ll have a lot to learn.”

Rykal looked down at her. She felt as though his glowing crystal blue eyes could see right into her soul. “You’re handling this situation incredibly well. While I don’t know your race well, if a Grus woman was in your situation, I can’t imagine many of them would handle matters with the same level of grace that you’ve showed.”

“That’s because I’m silently freaking out on the inside.” She let out a strained chuckled. “I know in my heart that Hallam and I are meant to be together, but my brain is pushing back against it. I’ve been awake for hours. Not days, or weeks. Nowhere long enough to even have a serious conversation with him about who he is, what his life is like, what kind of future he’d want to share. How is it possible that I feel as though he is the most precious thing in the world to me?”

“I don’t know.” Rykal shook his head. “I knew before I laid eyes on Lena that she was meant for me. That something in the universe had facilitated her arrival, a gift meant just for me. We haven’t been together long, but I know it’s exactly right. That we will both be happy for the rest of our days. Knowing that there are mates for my brothers, that the same connections and feelings that I share with Lena are waiting for them, makes all of the torment that we’ve collectively endured to this point worth it.”

“But how – ”

Rykal turned toward her. “The how and the why doesn’t matter as long as you’re happy. Life has given us a gift. One that we best not squander.”

He left Ina standing there and went to Lena, who was now smiling down at Tara. Hallam stood close by, and she knew he wanted to be there as a support for the others, but that he wanted even more to be with her. That was at least something she could help him with. “Hallam?”

His gaze snapped immediately to her. “Do you need help?”

“I think I might need to lie down. My head isn’t quite right.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. She had so many thoughts and feelings swirling around inside her just then, Ina was certain she’d get washed away by it all. “Unless you’re needed, could you show me where the room is?” She almost said our room but couldn’t quite get the words to come out.

Rykal shrugged. “Aerin is here if we have a problem. You two should have some time alone.”

Relief washed through Ina as Hallam walked away from the others and held out his hand for her to take. “I’d like to examine your eyes as well. I want to make sure the nanobots have done their job properly.”

Not that they needed the excuse, but it felt good to have a logical reason to spend time together. He’s your mate. You don’t need to pretend any longer.

Ina fell into an easy walk beside Hallam, marveling at how large his cybernetic hand was wrapped around her fingers. “Now that I can see you, I’m finding it hard to reconcile the image I had of you in my head with the reality.”

“Is that a problem? What I look like?”

“No, not at all. It’s just…” She held up their joined hands and looked at them. “You felt warm and real. I knew you were a cyborg because I was told that, but I guess it hadn’t fully registered in my head. Seeing your cybernetics drives that reality home. I can’t imagine the pain you must have been in to have warranted this amount of cybernetic replacement.”

Hallam kept his gaze forward as they continued to walk. “I was inexperienced when it came to war.”

Ina’s chest tightened when the weight of his words descended on her. “I don’t think anyone is truly ready for war.”

“The Grus certainly weren’t. Our high council had wanted to negotiate with the Sholle, the creatures who’d attacked our planet to strip it of our resources. Little did they know that they would have been better off trying to talk to a star. The Sholle did not care for us, our lives. Only for what resources they could pull from the soil and the air. We were little more than fodder thrown in front of the full force of their army. A vain attempt to slow them down long enough for someone to come up with a plan to stop them.”

“And that was the man who used the dead and turned them into cyborgs?”

“Aidric.” Hallam stiffened for a moment. “I’d been angry at him since the moment I’d opened my eyes after my rebirth. I’d never asked to be a part of war, of killing. I was a medic who wanted to become a doctor. I wanted to save lives, not take them. That choice was ripped from me, much as my arms and leg had been when I was caught in the explosion.”

Her heart ached for him. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

“At the time, I believed it to be the end of my life. But now that I’m here with you, I can’t help but wonder if there was something larger at work. That the only way I could get to you was to go through that pain.”

“No. Don’t say that.” God, the thought of his suffering even slightly being connected to her, turned her stomach.

Hallam slowed his pace as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I say this now with a clear head. If that was the price I had to pay, I would pay it ten times over.”

Ina swallowed past the sudden tightness of her throat, unable to say anything in response.

The twists and turns of the path they took through the corridors felt familiar, even if she’d never seen the gray crumbling walls with her own eyes before now. She knew that the door they had stopped in front of led to the room she’d previously been in, the bed that they’d shared a short time before. This was little more than four walls, but Ina knew she could make it a safe spot for them both. A place where they wouldn’t need to fear the outside world, to worry about war and the repercussions of what might come from the Kraken’s arrival in the sector.

This place was just for her and Hallam. A place where they could figure out what it meant for them to be mates, to see what path they were now on together. Ina pressed the button to open the door and stepped inside. There was little of Hallam’s personality housed here, but perhaps that’s because he too didn’t know who he was.

Life had an odd way of throwing you for a loop, smashing your expectations, before making it difficult to put the pieces back together. Sometimes life even changed the puzzle on you, so you didn’t know what the picture was supposed to be. But once you found the edges, made a line that you could work from, then things could slowly fall back into place.

Ina was that edge for Hallam. She knew that he’d been struggling silently with the weight of his war wounds far longer than he should have. The Grus used their dead to save their race but gave little thought of how to care for them afterward. While their relationship defied all logic and reason, Ina knew it was the right thing to do. She could help him find himself, discover who he was now beyond a cyborg.

He’d been waiting for her to come to him.

And perhaps, she’d found a new purpose for her life.

Ina turned back to him and held out her hand. “I don’t understand how or why I was drawn here to you, but I’m happy I was. Let’s learn what comes next together.”

He smiled – a small barely there one, but a smile nonetheless – stepped forward and took her hand.

Chapter Ten

A shiver of desire raced through Ina’s body as Hallam stepped past the threshold of the room and the door slid closed behind him. There was something wonderful about being away from the constraints of Earth’s cultures. The expectations that surrounded sex, family and what relationships were supposed to be like, didn’t apply here. The cyborgs accepted that the women from the Kraken were mated to them, that it didn’t matter how short a time period they’d been together; they belonged to one another and fuck anyone who tried to get in their way.

While Ina’s brain still might be rebelling at the thought of it, her body was completely on board. Her nipples were hard, and her pussy was wet knowing that in a few moments they would be stripped naked and holding one another on the bed behind her. She didn’t have to justify her desires, didn’t even need to make sense of them; Ina only needed for them to be and to accept Hallam’s love and desire for what it was.

The soft glow from his cybernetics cast soft beams of light through the fabric of his uniform, and now that Ina was able to see it, she found it gave him a truly otherworld look. “Take your shirt off. Please?”

He cocked an eyebrow before doing as she’d asked. The damage to his body must have been extensive given how much of his torso had been replaced with enhancements. Both arms and part of his chest had been replaced, and she could even see the top of where his cybernetic leg was fused with his hip. Ina couldn’t stop herself from coming close to him to reach out and run her fingers along the warm surface.

“When I couldn’t see, I wasn’t able to really tell which parts of you were real and which were machine.”

“Aidric continued to make modifications to our systems over the initial few years after the war. I’d always assumed he was trying to find a way to make us more efficient killers. But there were aspects of his changes that were more…impractical. Like making our limbs warm.”

“He was trying to give you a little bit of your life back.”

“He was trying to assuage his guilt.” Hallam reached up and ran a hand through her hair, his fingers getting caught in her curls. “I don’t want to talk about him any longer.”

Ina shivered. “Okay.”

He fisted his fingers in her hair, and the strength of his touch pulled a soft gasp from her. He’d been so gentle with her that first time, and she couldn’t help but wonder if that had been because she’d lacked sight, lacked the ability to defend herself. Now that she was able to see again, would sex with Hallam be different, be rawer than before?

God, she hoped so.

He tugged her head back exposing her neck to him. Ina didn’t try to fight against it, instead letting her body melt against his hold. Hallam lowered his mouth to the junction of her shoulder and neck, the spot he’d bitten before and licked along the skin and fabric. “You’re mine.”

She moaned. “Yes.”

“I’m going to mark you again so no other man will touch you.” He moved his free hand to cup her breast, squeezing it hard. “I want to hear you scream with pleasure.”

Shit, Ina knew there was going to be a whole lot of that if he kept doing what he was doing. Her legs began to quiver, and she had to fight against the urge to rip her clothing off so she could feel her skin pressed against his. Thankfully, whatever connection they had, Hallam was aware of her desires and started removing her clothing. It didn’t take long for her to kick off her boots and push herself free of the offending material, to leave her blissfully naked.

Hallam’s gaze traveled down her body, lingering on her breasts, her neck, the swell of her hips. His fingers followed the path as he touched random parts of her, flicking her nipples, teasing her sides, cupping her pussy so the pressure from his hand was firmly against her clit. Ina moaned and had to lean forward against him for fear of her legs giving out on her. Hallam didn’t hesitate and scooped her into his arms, carrying her over to the bed.

As he laid her down, Ina stretched out wide, putting herself on display for him. She was growing addicted to the way his eyes would flare when he stared at her, the glow of his cybernetic eyes flashing visibly brighter as his arousal pulsed. He didn’t look away from her body as he removed his remaining clothing, leaving them both finally naked. It was then that she was able to see not only all his cybernetic limbs, but the inside of his biological leg. There was a dark green patch that appeared swollen and flared out.

“What’s that?” She sat up to get a better look.

“That’s my rondella. It one of our sex organs.” He put his hands back into her hair and tugged her face closer to his cock. “I had thought it dead after my rebirth, but your presence has brought it back to life. Brought me back to life.”

“So, if I touch it, you’re going to get aroused?” Oh, that was something she liked the sound of. “Lucky me that I’m able to see it now.”

“I believe that I’m the lucky one.” There was that small, wry smile of his. Ina couldn’t help but wonder if Hallam had depths to his sense of humor that he hid from everyone, or if her presence woke that part of him as well.

That was a question to be answered on another day.

Right then, the only thing Ina cared about was Hallam’s erect cock bobbing tantalizingly close to her mouth. She looked up and held Hallam’s gaze as she moved forward and sucked the tip of his cock into her mouth. His nostrils flared, the only indication of his approval of the way she swirled her tongue around his tip. It was hard to hold back her grin, suddenly overwhelmed with joy and arousal, knowing that she was able to make him happy.

Ina wrapped her hand around his shaft and began to slide her fingers up and down the length of him as she sucked and licked his cock. Her eyes eventually drifted closed as she continued to work him over, loving the way she could feel his body tremble as she continued to arouse him. She shifted again, this time moving so she had access to his rondella, curious as to what would happen if she stroked it as well.

The first brush of her fingers along the obviously sensitive skin ripped a groan from Hallam. The hand in her hair tightened but didn’t move to pull her away from any of his erogenous spots. Okay then, that was permission enough to keep going. Ina scraped her nails along his rondella, making swirls along the skin with one hand as she continued to fist his cock with the other. She took more and more of him into her mouth, until she was scared that she’d get dizzy from lack of oxygen. But she didn’t want to stop, not when Hallam was moaning and moving in rhythm with her ministrations. His body vibrated and she could feel his arousal growing as her movements grew more frantic and purposeful.

His cock somehow hardened even more in her mouth, and for a moment she thought he was going to come. Hallam even groaned and she felt his rondella pulse beneath her fingertips, but there was no other sign of his orgasm. He did step away from her, gasping. “I don’t know how you’re able to do that. It shouldn’t be possible.”

“What?”

“My pre-orgasm. It’s the sort of thing that only Grus can experience. A necessary physical function of being able to procreate.”

Ina sat back, giving her head a little shake. “You mean you’re able to have children?”

“No, it shouldn’t be possible.” But based on the look on his face, he didn’t appear to believe that.

Ina hadn’t considered the possibility of children before now. It was never something she’d necessarily wanted for herself, especially given the condition of life for most people on Earth. It wasn’t that she had any concerns about being a mom – she thought she’d be a pretty good one – but until this moment it hadn’t seemed a likely scenario. “Is there anything we need to do to prevent conception?”

“I’m still not even sure if our two races are biologically compatible in that way. Your nanobots can be activated to prevent a pregnancy if we discover that’s something you don’t want.”

“I haven’t thought about it. Not really.”

Hallam dropped to his knees and placed his hands on her legs. “Would it be something you might want. Someday?”

“Yes.” The answer came from her quickly, but it was honest. “I’d never wanted to bring a child into life back on Earth. It had felt cruel. But here with you, yes. I think I’d love that if it were to happen.”

Hallam’s eyes slipped closed for a moment as he nodded. “Then we’ll let the universe decide our fate.”

“It hasn’t led us astray so far.” She smiled. “Come here.”

Hallam didn’t hesitate to climb on top of her, covering her fully with his body. His cock pressed hard against her pussy, and it only took a slight adjustment to allow him to push fully inside her. It felt amazing to be so full, to have his shaft stretch her pussy and hit all the hidden parts of her that she loved to feel touched. Her clit was hard, swollen from her arousal and Ina knew it would take very little to pull her orgasm out of her.

One moment Hallam was on top, and then the next he rolled them so she was riding him. Her breasts hung low and with him below her his hands were freed up to be able to touch and pinch her nipples. He leaned up and sucked one pink tip into his mouth, teasing the nub with his tongue.

“Yes,” she said, little more than a sigh as she ground down hard on his cock. “More.”

Her pussy clenched around him as she continued to ride him, now more than ever focused on chasing her pleasure. Hallam knew exactly where, when and how she needed to be touched, making her orgasm a foregone conclusion. She relaxed into the sensations and let the pleasure rise, crest to a point where she’d be overcome.

The first wave of her orgasm started off small, a ripple of delight that heated her nerves and blasted away any lingering darkness. The second wave was far stronger and pulled a shout from her before stealing what remained of her breath. Her pussy squeezed around his cock and Hallam’s fingers dug into her hip and side as she rode out her orgasm. The second she was done, he flipped them once again, regaining the dominant position. He looked down into her eyes, forcing her to focus through the haze of pleasure on him.

“Mine.” His smile wasn’t subtle, nor was his happiness.

Hallam thrust into her hard and fast as he lowered his face to her neck. She felt his mouth on her skin, nipping and licking at the spot he’d bit earlier. He would do it again, this time so everyone would know that this mark was his, that she was his. Ina didn’t care, even took a perverse pleasure in knowing that she’d wear his mark. If she’d ever had any doubt that she belonged to Hallam and him to her, it was gone now.

It only took a few hours of being blind to see exactly what she needed from life.

When Hallam’s body shivered and she felt his mouth clamp down on her neck, rather than tense and fight it, she relaxed into the pain. The surprise came when that pain morphed into a pleasure so bright and strong that a second equally powerful orgasm slammed into her. She cried, riding the sensations until she was no longer able to think. The only thing that existed was Hallam and the feelings he elicited inside her. He thrust harder and she was suddenly aware of him coming, a scent filled the air as his come filled her body. She was bathing in everything about him, knowing him on a level that she’d never experienced with another being.

Finally, blessedly, they both stopped at the same time.

Hallam’s breathing came out in short, sharp gasps and he wrapped his body around her, pulling her into a deep embrace. She’d never felt so protected or loved in her entire life. Resting her ear against his heart, she listened to the steady beat and let it lull her to sleep. When she woke some time later, she was surprised to find that they hadn’t moved, but a blanket now covered her body.

“Did I snore?” She placed a kiss to his chest, firmly on the cybernetic plate.

“If snoring is the loud noise that came from your mouth, then yes. I was growing worried that I’d broken you.”

She chuckled. “Not broken. Just bad genetics.”

“It was endearing.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “I have developed a tremendous affection for you. Something that I wouldn’t have imagined possible given how briefly we have known one another.”

Ina smiled against his chest. “I think I might love you too.”

“It’s…strange to have such emotions this quickly.” He hummed low in his chest. “It’s strange for me to have any emotions beyond anger. They had been removed from my rebirth.”

“This is good, right?”

“Most definitely.” He reached down and tipped her chin up so she had to look him in the eyes. “I love you, Ina. I’m so happy the universe brought you into my life. For the first time since my rebirth I feel whole.”

Yes, that was it exactly. She’d had a part of her missing for so long, she’s assumed that there was something wrong with her. All along, she’d been missing her mate. “I love you too.”

Time didn’t count when it came to matters of the heart. Ina knew that this was exactly where she wanted to be, and that Hallam was who she wanted to be with. Everything else, they’d figure out as they went along.

Epilogue

Hallam stepped into the security area of the prison and waited for the scan to be completed. He’d been surprised when he’d received Aidric’s communication to join him here, but the brief yet urgent wording made it such that he couldn’t say no. Ina had only smiled and pushed him out of bed when he’d begun to grumble about leaving her.

“Just because I’m around doesn’t mean you’re allowed to shirk your responsibilities.”

They’d only been together a few days now and so much had happened in that short period of time it was difficult for him to process the implications of it all. Everything felt right with Ina in his life, calmer in a way he was certain he’d never felt even before his rebirth. The fact that he’d held so much anger deeply inside him for so long and was now free of it felt as though a weight had been forever lifted from him.

The prison security scan finished, and the all clear signal was given. The blast doors opened, revealing Aidric standing in the middle of the smaller antechamber. The Grus commander looked every bit as neat and collected as he ever did, but there was something off about him. Perhaps Hallam wasn’t used to seeing the man in person and not over a communication screen. Or perhaps there was something going on that he was unaware of.

“Commander.” He nodded respectively at Aidric. “I was surprised to receive your request.”

Aidric’s soft blue gaze raked over Hallam’s face. “I see you’ve finalized your bond with your mate. That’s good.”

Hallam was only slightly surprised at the acknowledgment. “Ina has brought light to my life. I didn’t know you’d come down to the planet. Is Rykal aware?”

Aidric looked away. “I’m not obligated to tell my brother of my movements.”

Interesting. “But you are obligated to inform the leader of the Fallen that a dignitary is here.”

Aidric snorted. “I’m no dignitary.”

If he was on the planet and Rykal wasn’t aware, that meant he was trying to do something off the record. “What can I do to help?”

“I came to meet with Zee regarding your cyborg patient and his decommissioning.”

Hallam felt his eyes go wide. “I wasn’t expecting you to put yourself out that way.”

“I couldn’t exactly make these sorts of arrangements over the coms.” Aidric lifted his chin slightly. “Word of this couldn’t get back to the high council. It wouldn’t benefit anyone.”

“No, it wouldn’t.” No, if it became public knowledge that a cyborg who’d taken the life of a Grus – accidently or not – could live, chaos would ensue. “Why do you need me here?”

Aidric’s entire demeanor changed. His body stiffened and the muscle in his jaw jumped. “Come with me.”

Hallam followed Aidric through the corridors, past the security monitors and hidden weapons ports. He knew that in the event of a breakout, this hallway would become a death trap to any creature who dared step food inside. They didn’t speak as Hallam became more tense the longer the silence stretched on. Turning a corner, they entered a small office where Zee, the warden of the Zarlan maximum security prison stood. His dark olive skin nearly shone in the low light of the room. His bald head highlighted the cybernetic plate that comprised a part of his skull.

Zee had died in battle, not from a wound given to him by the Sholle, but from a blaster shot from a Grus soldier who’d betrayed him. Hallam nodded at him in greeting. “I can tell from the look on your face that we have a problem.”

“We do.” Zee’s deep voice held unmistakable contempt.

“After we’d come to an arrangement regarding your patient,” Aidric said as he sat at the chair by the door, “we were notified of a disturbance in solitary confinement.”

Hallam narrowed his gaze. “Who?”

“Rennick.” Zee spat the name as though it was a poison on his tongue.

Hallam couldn’t imagine what it was like for Zee needing to keep the man who’d ended his life alive and cared for in his rebirth. He wasn’t certain it was a task he’d be able to complete. “What’s wrong with him?”

Aidric thumped his head against the wall behind him. “He has an itching in the back of his brain.”

Shit. “The human we just woke from stasis.”

Aidric nodded. “She’s the mate of a murderer.”

Acknowledgments

Thank you everyone for reading, Healed by the Cyborg! I hope you enjoyed spending time with Hallam and Ina’s story. I’m excited to take the series into a slightly darker chapter with book five to tell Mags and Zee’s story. It will be the beginning of several stories connected to the prison on Zarlan and the men who work within. Chained To the Cyborg will release May 2020.

Cyborg Protector Series

Book 1 – Consumed by the Cyborg

Book 2 – Mated to the Cyborg

Book 3 – Saved by the Cyborg

Book 4 – Healed by the Cyborg

Book 5 – Chained to the Cyborg (May 2020)

About the Author

Alyse Anders is the author of the Cyborg Protector series of erotic sci-fi novellas. When she’s not sitting in front of her computer with her imagination stuck in a far away nebula, she’s at home with her husband and two dogs, usually eating far too much chocolate for her own good. Check out more of Alyse’s books on Amazon, KU or her website www.alyseanders.com.