Her knees were nonexistent at that moment from the astonishment rolling through her but Ice held her up when they buckled. She remained silent for long seconds, her mind trying to wrap around what he’d said. Words finally came to her.
“I’m not the marrying kind,” she admitted, finally finding her voice. “And then there’s that whole you’re not the marrying kind either.”
He winced, literally, and looked away. “I realize the concept is not ideal.”
“Not ideal?” She gasped. “Shit, Ice. We can’t get married because they twisted your arm.” He’s going to hate me, she thought, regret filling her. If only he wanted me that way for the right reasons, I’d jump for joy. Pain lanced through her chest.
“They will send cyborgs to my ship to take you from me otherwise and kill you.” His hold on her tightened as his full attention fixed on her. “The Markus Models may be dangerous but your life is already in peril. Going to this meeting and forming a family unit with me would be preferable to death, wouldn’t it?”
She hesitated, terror gripping her over her memories of the hours she’d spent with those horrible things and watched as anger hardened Ice’s features. He released her and stepped back.
“So be it. You’d obviously rather die than form a family unit with me.” He snarled the words.
“Now wait a minute.” Megan reached out, grabbed the waist of his pants, and kept him from turning away. “I’m in shock and this isn’t about us. I’m terrified of those things. That’s what has me in knots.”
His body relaxed. “I won’t allow them to hurt you, Megan. I’d defend you against my own people so do you believe for a second that I’d just allow one of them to harm you?”
“Who’s going to protect you?” She frowned at him.
That question obviously stunned him. “You doubt my fighting skills and strength? I’m cyborg, Megan. I’m stronger and faster than your human males.”
She hesitated, biting her lower lip, and then released it. “Don’t take this the wrong way,” she warned softly. “But you’re…” She shut up, not able to say it aloud.
“I’m what?” He stepped forward, his hands gripped her hips as he pulled her against him, their bodies flush against each other. “What am I?”
Megan had to clear her throat of the lump that formed there. “They appear human but they aren’t. You’re…” She hesitated.
“I’m what?” His voice deepened.
“Oh hell,” she sighed, holding onto his arms. “You’re outdated technology, Ice. You’re sexy, hot, muscular, and kick ass but these Markus Models, they are advanced technology, cutting edge, and in a fight I think you’d lose. I don’t doubt how strong you are or how good of a fighter but these things are…really bad news.”
Ice’s eyebrows shot up.
“They heal really fast,” she said quickly. “Within minutes. It’s that new rejuvenating artificial skin they have. They don’t have bones, they have lightweight metals, and they are shielded. You shoot one of them in the head, which would normally take anything out, and they are going to get up. I saw some of the tests run on them to show how tough they were to investors. One of them walked through fire. It burned off his skin and he just kept going.”
His hands rubbed her hips. “You’re worried about me?”
“Yes. I’m worried about all of us. You, me, everyone on this ship and the Star you keep mentioning. I can’t stress enough how unstable the Markus Models are or how hard they would be to kill. You’re mostly flesh and blood. These things are androids with cloned flesh. They may appear more human than you do with your gray skin tone but trust me, they are machines.”
“Maybe they didn’t fix their electrical flaw so they will have a weakness in their design.”
“The company wouldn’t have unleashed them without fixing that.”
Ice sighed. “The council has spoken and I made the deal with them that you’d help evaluate these things. It’s going to happen. Perhaps they fixed the instability problems with them before they were put out by your company.”
“I doubt it since they are refusing to return the bots and are looking to hook up with cyborgs instead. That sure wasn’t in their programming so what else is wrong with them?”
“Earth Government thought we were flawed and wanted us exterminated. They were wrong, Megan. Perhaps you’re wrong.”
“I really hope I am but I don’t think so, Ice.” She leaned in and let her forehead rest against his chest. “I’m worried and scared.”
His hands slid around her, hugging her tightly to his body. “I will protect you.”
But who is going to protect you? She thought it but didn’t say it aloud. He thought he could handle anything but she doubted he’d ever gone against anything as scary as defense androids. Cyborgs had left Earth a long time ago and things had changed. Warning him wasn’t going to change anything though.
“I came to change my uniform. I have a vid conference with the council.” He eased his hold. “I’ll return to you afterward. We’ll talk more then.”
Megan nodded against his chest and looked up at him. “Okay.” She didn’t want to let him go but she released him as she stepped back.
Ice quickly changed his pants, then donned a shirt, and put on his boots again. He gave her a lingering look before he left his quarters. He didn’t touch the pad and she realized he must be keeping his link to the ship active so he could remote control the doors.
Turning, she sank onto the bed, worried. A shiver ran down her spine. Ice had no idea what they were about to deal with but she had a pretty good idea this meeting wasn’t going to go well.
She started to think, trying to remember everything about the Markus Models that she’d been told or heard rumors about while she’d worked at the testing facility.
* * * * *
“What is wrong?” Onyx stopped at the table and sat. “I’ve been watching you for five minutes and you didn’t even notice when I entered the room.”
Ice locked gazes with his friend. “The council ordered me to either hand Megan over since I refuse to kill her myself or I can form a family unit with her.”
“So you’re joining a family unit? I understand your grimness. We’re of the same mind on that issue but she is human. There are advantages to taking one as your female. She will be ordered to stay at your side since she won’t be trusted by other cyborgs. You’ll have constant access to her and you do not have to share her body with other males. I am surprised they offered to allow that, considering our status. We’ve both overbred so our DNA is no longer required.”
“I also informed them she is an expert on the Markus Models to make her valuable to them. We will be meeting their shuttle when the Star does, to bring Megan to that meeting.”
Shock widened Onyx’s eyes. “You did what? Why would you do that? Even I saw her terror when she spoke of them. She is convinced they are dangerous. I thought you wanted to protect her. If they are as unstable as she suggested then you are putting her at high risk.”
“She is definitely at risk with the council. They reversed the order to have her killed since they have a use for her now. It wasn’t a hardship to agree to form a family unit with her so they believe she’s got loyalty to me.”
“You have emotions for her.”
“I do.” Ice took a sip of his drink and ignored his food tray. “It angered me when I saw her distress after I informed her of the conditions for the reversal of their order. I believed she was upset at joining a family unit with me but instead her fear stems from meeting that enemy shuttle.”
“So she agreed to the family unit arrangement?”
Ice hesitated. “I didn’t ask her. I said I informed her. As a human I do not need her permission since on Garden they are considered property.”
“Did you inform her of this?”
“No. I am not without intelligence.”
Onyx grinned. “Your limbs are intact and I don’t see any visible damage. Human women must be very different
from our females. If you’d informed one of them of that fact they would have attacked you.”
“Megan is nothing similar to our females in that regard.”
“However she is, it obviously instills great faith in you since you’re willing to put so much trust in her. You know she could use these defense models to attack us.”
“She wouldn’t do that.” Ice glared at his friend. “I…trust her.” It amazed him as that truth struck him but saying it aloud made him come to terms with it. “I really do trust her, Onyx. She’s honest with me and she is worried about my safety over her own.”
“I’m willing to rely on your judgment even if I do think you’ve been compromised by her influence. I’d trust you over anyone else I’ve ever known in my life. I’ll inform the men and we’ll ready for that meeting. I assume you want me to secure all information so they can’t hack into our systems.”
“Yes. You know what to do.”
“Of course.” Onyx nodded. “Go spend time with your female and I’ll take care of everything.”
Ice stood. “Thank you.”
“I believe some things are worth keeping. I personally wouldn’t hook up with a human but she’s not in my bed so I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose her.”
“She really matters to me.”
“Then do what you must to keep her. If that means we’re facing danger when we go to that meeting then at least it will be an interesting day. It was getting a little boring around here now that we no longer have use of the sex bots. Some of the males are feeling a little sexual frustration after adjusting to regular pleasure. If it comes to a fight, it may be to our advantage. There is nothing worse than a testy male.”
Ice disposed of his untouched food and walked through the ship. He had a lot to consider. He finally returned to his room and to Megan. He’d come to a decision.
* * * * *
Ice appeared tired and grim when he walked into his quarters. Megan stopped pacing and stared at him. She took a deep breath.
“I thought about this family unit thing while you were gone. This council of yours needs me and I’m willing to face my deepest fears to interact with the Markus Models for them but I won’t allow you to be forced into marrying me against your will. Have them touch me so they know I’m not lying and I’ll tell them I’m on your side. It’s the truth and I’d never want any of your people hurt. They’ll believe me then, right? Do they have that lie detector ability the way you do?”
Ice paused inside the door and then walked slowly toward her. “They could do that.”
“I don’t want you forced into something you don’t want to do just to save me, Ice. I don’t want you unhappy or miserable. I really don’t want you to grow to hate and resent me.”
He paused, studying her. “You’ve been thinking of ways to circumvent a family unit with me out of a belief that I object to joining into a contract with you?”
“I know you don’t want to get attached. You kept me in your quarters on the condition that didn’t happen and now they are forcing you to be locked to me, right? I don’t want to hurt you in any way.”
Something in his eyes softened. “What about your emotions on the matter? What are your thoughts of forming a family unit with me?”
She hesitated, surprised that he’d asked her what she felt and thought. “Um…I wouldn’t be opposed but not at the price it would cost you.”
“It wouldn’t cost me, Megan. We already share quarters and it’s an arrangement that is working for both of us. I agreed to the council’s terms and refuse to negotiate with them again for you. I made an ideal bargain with them.”
“But”
He cut her off. “That’s it, Megan. It’s done. I filed the paperwork and transmitted it. I’m just waiting for the official filing on Garden. We’re contracted in a family unit.”
“But you don’t want to be tied down. You don’t want”
Ice closed the distance and grabbed Megan, jerking her against him to stare into her stunned gaze. “I want you.”
She stared up into those beautiful silvery-blue eyes and saw raw emotion shining there. It hit her like a brick as she identified the look he gave her. Her heart raced and her hands reached up to grip his shoulders as she inched up on tiptoe to get closer to his face, to make sure she was seeing right.
The truth hit her then. “You love me, don’t you?”
Ice’s gaze drifted from hers, darting around the room, focusing anywhere but on her. Megan leaned closer into him, her hands sliding up his neck until she cupped his face. She had to blink back tears. He didn’t deny it.
“Ice?” she whispered. “Look at me, please?”
He sighed and glanced down. “Yes.”
“Yes, you’re looking at me or yes, you love me?”
He attempted to turn his face away but Megan’s hold on him tightened. He didn’t struggle or shove her away. He just refused to look at her again, staring at the cleaning unit across the room instead. She took a deep breath, seeing a darker-gray color spread across his cheekbones as she studied his handsome face. He was embarrassed and then she understood.
“I love you, Ice.” She whispered the words to him. “I think I’ve loved you since the moment you showed up on my screen when you walked aboard the Folion.”
That got him to look at her, their gazes meeting and holding. She nodded at him. “Really. I love you and if you feel that way about me, I’d be thrilled.”
He blew out air from his lungs and frowned. “I am not thrilled.”
“But you love me, don’t you?” She tried to hide her smile but failed when the grin wouldn’t be denied.
“I do but you don’t need to appear so gleeful over my weakness.”
That killed her smile. “It’s not a weakness. It’s wonderful and the most precious gift you can share with someone.”
His expression and gaze softened, along with his tone of voice. “A gift?”
“Oh yeah.” She nodded vigorously. “Definitely a gift, Ice.” She grinned again. “We need to celebrate.”
“Why?”
“It’s not the why you should be curious about but the how.”
His eyebrow arched. “I don’t understand.”
Her grin widened. “We’re going to get naked and have lots of sex.” He finally smiled back at her. “A human custom?” “Oh yeah. There are some great things about humans.” His hands gripped her ass. “I have to agree.”
Chapter Eleven
Fear had a taste and Megan didn’t enjoying it one bit as she swallowed it down. The uniform Ice had put her in was black leather, similar to his own, only this one fit her smaller frame. It had been specially made for her. She stood still, attempting to ignore the heavy, uncomfortable weight of the shirt as they docked with the Star.
Ice’s hand brushed her hip and she looked up at him. “You appear frightened. Hide your expressions.”
“I’m not you. I don’t have your control but I’ll try.”
He nodded. “Just stay at my side and if trouble breaks out get behind me and return to the Rally. I’ll cover your exit.”
That’s what she feared most. Ice would end up fighting the Markus Models if something went wrong. The bump when they connected to the other ship was slight and it took everything inside Megan to move forward when the docking doors opened. Nervousness over boarding a large A-class ship full of cyborgs made her heart pound but Ice tugged her forward.
Cyborgs weren’t a threat to her any longer, according to Ice, and she believed him. As they walked into a large cargo bay she nearly stumbled as dozens of cyborgs waited, all shades of gray skin tones, wearing black leather uniforms matching Ice’s. A darkhaired one moved forward, smiling, and held out his hand to Ice.
Ice didn’t just shake the other cyborg’s hand but instead embraced the man. “Flint, it’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you as well. I miss your daily humor.” They released each other and the cyborg, Flint, turned his attention on Meg
an. He ran his gaze down her and then back up to her face, a dark eyebrow arching before he grinned at Ice. “What happened to you swearing you’d never trust a human woman sleeping in your bed?”
Ice backed up. “I hadn’t met the right one yet. I thought you’d lost your senses when I took yours from that shuttle we boarded.”
Flint chuckled. “She’s our expert?”
Ice turned and, with a jerk of his head, motioned Megan forward. “Megan, this is my good friend, Flint. You’ll get to know him when we do more joint missions in the future. The Star and the Rally usually travel together. I had taken the Rally crew for a short vacation when Folion was destroyed. Once that happened we were forbidden to return until you were assessed.”
She took a step closer and thrust out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Flint.” She met his gaze as he took her hand, giving it a gentle shake, before releasing her quickly.
“You as well. I read everything Ice wrote in his report about what information you shared about these defense hybrids. Have you come up with a reason for why they would contact us? How much danger is my ship in?”
“They are dangerous, unstable, and I’ll say it again. This is a mistake. You can’t trust them. They are more advanced than anything you’ve ever come into contact with. It’s been a long time since you were created and technology has changed drastically on Earth.” She paused, glancing at Ice to see his frown, but turned her attention back on the cyborg who obviously commanded the bigger ship. “They are organic on the outside but under their cloned skin they are a classified metal that is damn near impossible to destroy. They can hack your computer systems, take whatever information they want, and probably even take control of your ship. They appear human but don’t let that fool you. They are androids. Machines. They aren’t similar to you in any way except they were created in part in a cloning lab.”