“Aren’t you going to put yourself between us to save him?”
“He tried to kill me and I’m not willing to die for a man who wanted to slice me up with his blazer. I think he’s a little old to be useful but I don’t know anything about what you need or could use.”
The cyborg shocked Mira and the three bound men by throwing his head back and laughing. She turned to see the other three cyborgs smiling, all obviously amused. Ice moved closer, stopping feet short of her to give her a once-over before turning his attention to Flint.
“Just when we think that humanity is at a complete loss. She is cute.”
Flint nodded at Mira. “She is unique. We don’t really use humans for spare parts. We take DNA samples because our gene pool is limited and they come in handy to our scientists when they need fresh ones to work with. We do not kill indiscriminately.”
Relief hit Mira as she smiled, believing him.
He watched her carefully, his gaze studying her expression very closely, then sighed. He turned to one of the other cyborgs. “Have you salvaged everything we can use?”
“Yes, Flint. We left it so they could make it back to Earth safely. Their excess fuel has been removed.” The cyborg turned to the pilot and said, “Use a short burst. The trip will take longer but you will get there. We monitored for leaks and cracks from our boarding and the integrity of your shuttle is sound. We did no damage that will cause your vessel to fail.”
The other cyborg nodded. “One short burst. You could have an issue with it if you full burn. Do you understand? It could cause the tank to ignite.”
The pilot nodded. “I got it.”
“What does that mean?” It was the general.
The second pilot cleared his throat. “It means we’re going to have to just give ourselves a little jerk to coast home. Instead of it taking a few days we’re facing a good week of travel unless someone comes to refuel us when we get closer to Earth.”
“But you took our supplies,” the general sputtered. “You might as well kill us.”
Flint shook his head. “We didn’t take it all so ration what you have left. It won’t be a pleasant trip but you’ll survive.”
The two dark-haired cyborgs lifted the crates they had filled from the shuttle. Mira saw all their travel bags wedged in with the food supplies they were taking but she didn’t say a word, thinking everything she owned could be replaced. They had also removed some of the entertainment equipment. That just left Flint and Ice in the shuttle. Mira watched them then her eyes locked with Flint’s. He gazed back at her and extended his hand to her as if he wanted to shake hands.
She only hesitated a second before putting her palm against his. “Thank you for not hurting anyone.”
He gripped her smaller hand. “We’re not killers unless we’re left with no other options.”
“Should I untie the men or let her do it when we’re gone?” Ice waited by the door that docked their ship to the shuttle.
The large hand gripping Mira’s didn’t let go. Flint actually rubbed his thumb over her skin lightly, caressing her, tilting his head to stare deeply into her eyes. “I am wondering something. Will you satisfy my curiosity?”
She couldn’t look away from his beautiful eyes. “Sure. What do you want to know?”
He released her hand and pulled off his glove then offered his bare hand. Mira took it, surprised at how warm his skin was. His palm was slightly roughened with calluses. She thought it was odd that he wanted to shake her hand flesh to flesh but she was more than happy to oblige. His fingers squeezed her hand. A gasp tore from her lips as he jerked her forward, right into his muscular body.
Mira stared up at the foot taller cyborg who still gripped her hand. Her free hand had ended up against the hard-shelled chest plate of his black uniform. Her body was flush against his since he’d pulled her there. His arm wrapped around her waist, locking her against him as he stared down at her.
Flint just held her like that for long seconds, watching her. She wondered what he was doing, if maybe he wanted her closer to detect if she was lying or not. She’d read once that cyborgs were good at tracking a human’s heart rate by touch. Was he holding her so tightly so he could evaluate her honesty? It was her best guess.
“Um…what do you want to know?” She was proud that her voice didn’t shake in fear. Cyborgs were super strong. He could hurt her easily if he wanted to with that massively built body.
He lowered his head so he could gaze into her eyes. He had mesmerizing blue eyes that she couldn’t look away from. Cyborgs looked completely human except for their skin tone. He was a damn good-looking man. His hot breath fanned across her face. He smelled of some kind of sweet fruit.
“Flint?”
Flint didn’t even glance at the other cyborg when he spoke to him, instead keeping his eyes locked with Mira’s.
“What?”
“What are you doing?” Ice sounded amused.
Flint ignored the question to rub Mira’s hand again. “Do you have any children?”
She’d never expected that question in a million years. She shook her head. “No.”
He took a deep breath. “Good. Then you will forgive me in time.”
She frowned. “Forgive you for what?”
He took a step back and then another as he completely released her. “I do not care if you have a man in your life or if you have family you will miss. The one thing I could not take you from would be a child. That would be deplorable. You do not have any, therefore what I do is forgivable.”
Mira’s mind tried to make sense of his words. She gasped as he grabbed her arm above the elbow in a viselike grip. His gaze tore from hers to the other cyborg.
“Free the pilot so he can release the other two men when we are away. Let’s go, Ice. I have the only thing I want from the shuttle. I have her.”
Flint’s words sank in as he jerked her toward the door that attached the ship to her shuttle. She stumbled behind the man who gave her no choice but to follow. He kept walking, dragging a stunned Mira behind him.
Chapter Two
Mira was in shock as she was pulled by the cyborg as he entered a larger ship. She glanced frantically at metal flooring that he walked on, hearing his boots clank as they moved down a corridor. Her attention flew to the walls as they passed, but the lighting was dim in the corridor as he led her from one into another. The sound of the engines starting couldn’t be missed. Flint suddenly stopped to brace against a wall, tugging her none too gently against his side, tightening his hold. The ship moved, making them both sway a little on their feet, before he started walking again.
“What are you doing?” Her voice shook now. “Please take me back.”
“We have already released the shuttle and are leaving it behind. In a few minutes, when we are clear, we will do a long burn and head for our planet. It is already done and you will not be returning to your shuttle, Mirasia Carver.”
He walked her inside a shaft and stopped. Doors slid shut and then Mira moaned a little as a queasy feeling hit her stomach at the fast movement upward, making her realize it wasn’t a shaft after all but a lift. The hand gripping hers tightened.
“No harm will come to you, so relax.” Flint’s voice was husky.
“Why did you take me? What are you going to do with me?”
He hesitated. “Right now I am needed in Control so we’ll discuss that later. You will be quiet until I tell you it is a good time to talk. Are my instructions clear?”
Her heart pounded with fear and adrenaline. “You’re not going to sell me to a pleasure house somewhere, are you?”
He chuckled. “Would you like me to?”
“No! It’s just that the general tried to kill me because he said if I were taken that’s where I’d end up.”
“I promise you that other men will not be having sex with you.”
She blew out a breath of relief. “Thank you. I have a good job that will pay for my safe return since I’m a valued employee. Y
ou could ransom me for a lot of money.”
He ignored her suggestion. The lift stopped. “Be quiet until I tell you otherwise. Are my instructions clear? You do not speak or move in Control.”
“I understand.”
“Good.”
He walked out of the lift to turn down another corridor that ended in double doors that automatically slid open in front of them. Flint tugged her into a room behind him, stopping so suddenly just inside the doors that Mira slammed hard into his back. She hit hard enough to bounce off him. His tight hold on her kept her from falling on her ass. She steadied her balance on her feet.
When Flint released her hand she shoved at her blonde hair, pushing the long, curly strands out of her face. Mira stared up at Flint as he turned to face her, giving her an amused look. He studied her for a second before he pointed to the floor.
“Sit.”
She looked at the metal floor, clenching her teeth over being treated like a dog in training, but sat where he pointed. Flint was a large man with wide shoulders and muscular arms that revealed his strength. She knew that in a physical struggle she would be no match. She sat cross-legged and was thankful she wore pants. When Flint stepped away, she took in her surroundings and that’s when more surprise hit her. Flint’s big body had blocked her view when they’d been standing but now she could see everything.
She was in a large control room that was twice the size of her shuttle’s interior. More than the four cyborgs she’d seen lived on the ship. She counted seven of them here, besides Flint. The three from the shuttle were not amongst them. So far, she’d seen eleven cyborgs.
She sensed their attention on her so she openly stared back at them, curious. All of them were massively built and tall, with an array of different eye and hair colors. Some kept their hair long to their shoulders, as Flint wore his, while one had no hair at all. One of them even had a thick braid of flaming red hair that hung down his back almost to the ass of his black pants. They all had skin tones in shades of metallic gray.
“Have they burst yet?” Flint asked.
The one with the long red braid shook his head. “No, Flint. They are just sitting there. Should we wait for them to leave to see if they need assistance?”
Flint hesitated. “They are far enough away from Earth that transmissions are unstable. We’ll wait to make sure they take off before we blast away.”
A gray-haired cyborg who looked no older than thirty nodded. “They have started their engines.”
“Bring it up,” Flint ordered.
The screen filled with a view of space showing, to Mira’s surprise, that they’d already put a lot of distance between the ship and the shuttle. She wondered how big the cyborg vessel was, wondering if it was larger than the space station she’d just spent two weeks visiting, since the lift Flint had tugged her into had gone up quite a few levels.
“Shit,” the gray-haired cyborg hissed. “They are fully powering up. Didn’t you tell them to only do a short burst?”
“Yes,” Flint said softly.
Mira stared at the screen, watching as the shuttle’s thrusters burned brightly, flaring from the back, and a second later the shuttle exploded. She was horrified as she witnessed it blow apart. Pieces flew in all directions.
“Blast away,” Flint roared.
Mira had the air knocked from her lungs as the large cyborg suddenly turned, throwing his body at her, taking her flat to the floor under him when he tackled her. Her back hit the metal surface as his weight crushed down. The ship vibrated roughly as the engines revved around them. Her body slid a few feet even with the massive man on top of her, pinning her down. Long seconds passed where she couldn’t breathe under Flint’s weight. He pushed up to get off her when the shaking under them ceased. Flint climbed to his feet, not even sparing her a glance, as he glared at the viewing screen.
“Did we escape the debris?” He sounded pissed.
“We did,” the redheaded cyborg cursed. “The idiot humans full blasted, making their tank explode.”
“Damn fools,” the gray-haired cyborg spat. “If we knew they wanted to die we could have salvaged the entire vessel.”
Mira lifted her chin to observe Flint as she pushed up to a sitting position. She knew he’d saved her from really getting hurt when they’d suddenly had to blast out of range of the exploding shuttle. Without his weight she would have been thrown across the room. Her back hurt a little but she was relieved that he’d done it. Flint looked furious as he shook his head.
“What a waste. Head home. I’ll be in my quarters.”
The redheaded cyborg eyed Mira. “Should I even ask why you brought her off the shuttle?”
Flint leaned over to hold out his hand to Mira. She didn’t hesitate, letting him pull her to her feet. She noticed Flint’s irritated expression as he shot a dirty look at the man who’d questioned him.
“It’s none of your business. You have Control, Iron.”
The cyborg chuckled. “I’ll change the shift assignments so you won’t be needed until we reach home, Flint.”
Flint sighed. “Understood. Come along, Mirasia Carver. We are going to go talk.”
He kept hold of her hand as he led her away from the control room. They were walking back to the lift. Their bodies were almost touching as the doors shut. Mira hated the sensation of the floor under their feet falling so she grabbed the wall for support and clutched Flint’s hand harder. He turned his head to frown down at her.
“You do not like fast movement?”
She shook her head. “It makes me feel sick.”
“You will adjust.”
The doors opened when the lift stopped. Flint gripped her hand tighter, leading her into a dim hallway. He walked three doors down before he stopped in front of an electronic pad installed by the door. He reached up to press his palm on the device. It beeped once before the door slid open. Flint released her hand, motioning with his head.
“Go inside.”
Mira walked through the doorway and automated lights flared on. She stopped a few feet into the room, swallowing hard, eyeing the small sleeping compartment. It was similar to the one she’d just spent two weeks living in on the space station. The room was a box with built-in storage along one wall and a bed in the corner. Another corner held an open bathroom unit. She wondered why no walls separated bedroom from bathroom. Her former quarters hadn’t been quite like this after all. She turned, giving her full attention to Flint, as the doors slid shut behind him.
“This is mine,” he said as he glanced around the room. “They are built for one person. I apologize for the close living arrangements but we’ll be at my planet soon.” His gaze finally met Mira’s. “Remove your clothing.”
“What?” She’d never expected that to come from his lips in a million years. She was absolutely stunned, her heart pounding as she took a step back only to bump the bed, with nowhere else to go. “What did you say?”
He arched an eyebrow. “I said, remove your clothing.”
“Why?”
He calmly watched her. “I want to see you without them. If you won’t do it then I’ll do it for you.”
She stared up at him, too bewildered to move. She finally swallowed when her brain started to work. “You’re a cyborg.”
He arched an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “I am a cyborg, you are a human, and we have already established that. Now take everything off.”
“But…” She was at a total loss for words.
He just stared down at her, a frown on his face. “You do it or I will. You are small so I do not wish to harm you and I’d hate to bruise you if you fight me.”
She kicked off her shoes. Her hands shook as she reached for the front of her pants, unfastened them and shoved them down her legs. With shaking hands, she slowly removed her shirt next and shivered from the coolness of his room. Her gaze flew up to the large man silently watching her with narrowed eyes but he wasn’t showing any distinguishable emotions. Her hands p
aused when she’d stripped down to her panties and bra.
“Could you please tell me why you want to see me naked?”
“Do not make me repeat myself. Are your ears damaged from your ordeal?”
“I’m just trying to figure out your motive, damn it. If you were human I’d be damn worried right now about rape but if you were a doctor then I’d think you were examining me.”
His features softened and something in his eyes did too. “I’m curious.”
“I don’t know much about cyborgs except what I read and most of the public records were destroyed when they said all the cyborgs were gone. Do you have girl cyborgs? Is that why you’re interested in seeing me nude? I haven’t seen any women on this ship.” She knew she was rambling.
Dark blue eyes fixed on her. “Are you in need of assistance to remove the rest of your clothing? I do not have hours to waste waiting.”
“Great,” she muttered as frustration hit her, realizing he wasn’t going to change his mind no matter how long she tried to stall him and make sense of what he wanted. He was set on seeing every bare inch of her and he’d already stated he would make her if she didn’t do it herself. “Fine.”
She knew her face was flushed from embarrassment since she wasn’t in the habit of stripping naked in front of strangers. It made her self-conscious about her body and uncomfortable. The man was scary large too, which wasn’t helping her any. Did cyborgs have sex?
Mira glanced at his large frame and shivered at the thought, hoping not. The guy was a good foot taller and at least a hundred pounds heavier than she. She wasn’t some blushing virgin, she’d shared sex plenty of times in her thirty-two years, but the man in front of her wasn’t completely human. He had a rough edge to him that she was a little afraid of since he didn’t look like a man who knew much about being gentle or tender. She was in a bad situation that was getting worse.
“Shit.”
He smirked. “Do you need to use the facilities?”
“It was a figure of speech.”
“Proceed please.”
Taking a deep breath, she unhooked her bra, dropping it at her feet, feeling her nipples instantly harden, thanks to the chilly temperature of the ship. She gripped the thin material of her panties and pushed them down her hips, letting them slide down her legs to pool at her ankles. She lifted both feet, taking a tiny step from them, watching the man studying her body. She didn’t see lust in his expression but then again she didn’t see any emotion in his face as his gaze slowly scanned her. His eyes paused for long seconds at the center of her body before his gaze lifted to meet hers.