HauntingBlackie (7 page)

Danica shot him a dirty look. “No. Get your mind out of the
gutter. We’re sisters. It’s just that she doesn’t like men. Plenty of them have
hit on her but she always refuses. She was the first in our production line and
made us aware of a flaw when something happened to her.”

“There is nothing wrong with her.” He snarled now. “She’s
perfect.”

Eve snapped her head in his direction and he stared into her
blue eyes. They were the most mesmerizing things ever.

“You two don’t resemble each other.” Gene sounded baffled. “You
are siblings?”

“The human genetic material they used to create us isn’t from
the same source but our canine DNA is. We’re related. All the canine units
were. Cameron designed us to feel a sense of family so there was no need to
become territorial with each other. Eve was the first of our line, I was the
second, and we were strongly bonded before they produced more of us.” Danica
paused. “Eve?” Her voice deepened noticeably. “Look at me.”

Eve turned her head, breaking the intense stare with
Blackie.

“Talk to me, damn it. You’re freaking me the hell out. I
love you and I’m really concerned.”

Eve licked her lips. “It’s him. Handsome.”

“Oh,” Danica said, her voice soft. “Shit. No wonder you’re
acting this way. Carry on. I won’t get in the way.”

“What does that mean?” Gene met Blackie’s gaze. “I guess she
thinks you’re attractive.”

Danica shook her head. “He’s the one.”

“What one?” Blackie wanted to know what was going on too.

Danica met his curious stare. “We are mostly human I guess
but we have bonus features added.” She released Gene to lift one hand. Her
fingernails began to grow. “Our claws and fangs are triggered by fear or anger
when we feel threatened or protective. Over the years we learned how to force
the change the way I’m doing now. It helped us survive but it takes a lot of
practice.” She retracted the claws. “Our larynges are different from yours,
adapted to speak both normally or in canine mode. It gives us the ability to
growl, snarl, and our voices deepen as you heard. Our canine DNA embedded
certain behaviors as well. They messed up though and Eve found the flaw.”

“What was that?” Varion decided to speak and get involved in
the conversation.

Danica hesitated. “As I told them,” she nodded toward
Blackie and Gene, “no male canine units were made because Cameron feared we
wouldn’t take orders from him or his people if there were males in our line. A
bonded mate would become our natural leader and someone we’d blindly follow. He
thought we’d be loyal as, well, puppy dogs to him since he made us. We were
designed to defer to those we love, instinctually doing anything to please
them, needing that sense of…” She paused. “Shit. It’s hard to explain but the
bottom line is that she was hacking into the mainframe computer, searching for
cyborgs to free, and located that one.” She pointed at Blackie. “They forgot to
sever his link to the computer when they brought him to the center. His pain
was transmitted through that connection when he was beaten and Eve picked it
up. She rescued him but something happened when they actually met.”

“What?” Blackie wanted to shake Danica and make her just
tell him. She was dragging out giving him the information he wanted then she
stopped talking.

Danica dropped her hand. “She bonded to you. Like
obsessively. You became her total alpha and someone she’d do anything for.”

Varion gasped. “Why him? He’s an asshole, not an alpha.”

Blackie wanted to punch the son of a bitch but that would
mean releasing Eve, something he wasn’t willing to do.

Danica shrugged. “I don’t know. She could feel his pain when
he hurt. It was stupid to rescue him because he’d be missed. We told her to
sever the link so she wouldn’t touch his mind and that it was too dangerous to
go after him. It didn’t matter to her. We felt a kinship to cyborgs and helped
them because all of us were created to be used by Earth Government. We were
smart about it though and protected ourselves in the process. Cameron screwed
up when he designed us to be so loyal.”

Danica bit her lip and then sighed, staring at Blackie. “She
was willing to die for you. She thinks of you as a mate. At least, that’s what
I believe. She lost you and could never muster any interest in other men. You
were it for her.
The one.
”

“A mate?” Blackie reeled from the implications.

“For life, I’m guessing.” Danica glared at him. “It’s the
flaw in our design. Eve found it when she bonded to you. It scared the shit out
of me and I’ve never allowed any man to get too close for that reason. You
ruined her life. I hoped she’d get over it but she never did. All these years,
decades, she snubbed all men. They weren’t you.” The other woman raked him with
her gaze. “Now she’s interested. You hurt her and I’ll gut you, cyborg.”

The threat didn’t bother him. He was still trying to make
sense of the term “mate”. Some animals did that for life when they chose one
partner to breed with and stayed with each other until death. He stared at Eve
as she locked gazes with him.

Emotions were easy to read in her eyes. Fear. Concern. Hope.
Then her gaze dropped to his chest and her hold loosened. She seemed to crumple
in his arms.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Eve learned a new kind of pain. It was clear that her cyborg
was stunned but beyond that, his emotions were hard to read. She was pretty
sure he had to be horrified. Danica had just told him her secret, something she
had hoped she could explain to him over time. Any chance she had of making him
fall in love with her before she confessed to the bond she felt toward him had
been blown to hell.

She feared he’d reject her. Cyborgs had been designed
differently than canine units. Their feelings weren’t always boiling close to
the surface. They kept them highly guarded, partly because they had chips
implanted inside their brains that allowed them to suppress their emotions and
partly because they were so tough. It went beyond their physical superiority.

She’d had her heart broken once when she’d watched those
shuttles fly out of sight and had known he’d left without her. It had been
tough to survive when all she’d wanted to do was die. Her sisters had forced
her to go on until Cameron had deemed the canine unit project a failure and
made the decision to execute the entire line. He wasn’t willing to allow Eve to
die with them though, intent on punishing her for betraying him. Her suffering
became his sick form of revenge after it came to light that they’d helped the
cyborgs gain freedom.

She glanced at Danica, the only sister she’d been able to
save. Humiliation still burned when she remembered dropping to her knees at
Cameron’s side to clutch his thigh. She’d begged him not to kill her sisters,
sworn to do anything to prevent their deaths. She’d even told him she’d die if
she were left alone, the truth because they were all that kept her going. He’d
looked at her with hatred and had said she could save only one. The bastard had
smiled, thrilled that she’d given him a way to hurt her more.

The murders of her sisters had destroyed her but she’d
always been the closest to Danica. They had trained together, shared a room,
and bonded the tightest. She’d chosen one name out of hundreds. She’d never
regretted it but the guilt of every other death rested squarely on her
shoulders.

Now Danica had betrayed her by telling Handsome—no, Blackie
was his name now—the truth. It burned a painful hole in her heart. She’d
confessed everything to her sister over the years, including knowing how, if
she’d been given the chance, she would have shown him how happy she could make
him before telling him of the bond she formed. Danica had listened many times
as Eve expressed her fear of his instant rejection.

The big hands gripping her hips slid around to her spine and
she held back a whimper, guessing he would set her down, put distance between
them. Cyborgs were solitary beings. The idea of a woman attached so intensely
would naturally be distasteful. She didn’t cling to him despite wanting to.

He lifted her higher instead of shoving her away and her
head snapped up to stare at his face. He wasn’t looking at her but instead
glowered at another cyborg—the medic.

“We’ll be in my quarters.” He shot a marginally friendlier
look at the cyborg with his arm around Danica. “Gene, find somewhere else to
bunk. I’ll pack your belongings and put them outside the door.”

Her heartbeat stuttered when he stared into her eyes. She
didn’t want to hope but it was hard not to do.

“Hold on to me, Eve. We’re going to our quarters. You can
walk on your own or I can carry you. Your choice.”

The tingling sensation at the end of her spine was
embarrassing. If she’d had a tail, it would have wagged.

“Where am I supposed to sleep?” Gene sounded outraged.

Blackie broke eye contact to glance at him. “We have space
in the cargo hold. I’ll disassemble your upper bunk and leave it in the
hallway. I won’t be needing two.”

Her arms wrapped firmly around him as she buried his face
against his neck. He hugged her tighter and walked away. She inhaled his scent
and excitement made her aware of how every step he took rubbed their bodies
together.
He’s not rejecting me!

“You hurt her and you’re dead, cyborg.”

She snarled at Danica’s threat. It came out muffled against
Blackie’s skin. He didn’t wince, seeming to know he wasn’t the one who stirred
her anger.

“Ignore them,” he rasped close to her ear. “We’re almost
there.”

He let go with one arm to open the door to his quarters. It
made a slight sound and he paused inside until it closed. She wanted to look at
him but fear kept her still in his arms. He might have wanted privacy to reject
her without witnesses. She had once saved his life and he could feel a sense of
honor and wish to spare her that humiliation.

Big, strong hands slid to cup the curve of each ass cheek.
He grasped her firmly enough to dig into her flesh. It didn’t hurt but he had
her full attention. Her body responded instantly to having his fingers so close
to her sex.

“Eve?”

It was time to face him.
Don’t reject me. Please.
She
didn’t say it but she wanted to. It took courage to lift her head and peer into
his handsome features, which completely masked all emotion. His gaze seemed a
little distant.

“Is that true?”

“What?” She knew though. He wanted her to admit to feeling a
strong bond to him.

Muscles tightened along his jawline in irritation. “Do you
think of me as your…” He paused and cleared his throat before finishing. “Mate?”

“The human side of me knows that’s not reasonable.” That was
a safe answer.

“What about the canine side?”

“It’s a flaw in my design.”

Anger sparked in his eyes. “Is that how you see it? Do you
resent being so drawn to me because genetic coding made it possible?”

“No.” She wouldn’t lie. “It scared me at first. I knew what
was happening when I met you, could guess, but you’re a cyborg. Emotional bonds
aren’t part of your makeup.”

“I just want the truth. Do you see me as your mate?”

“Yes,” she rushed on. “But I won’t stalk you or anything. I
get it that you probably are put off by it. I’ve survived all these decades
without you. I will handle it well.”
What a liar.
“It’s okay if you don’t
want me. You probably already have someone in your life.”
Ouch. God, that’s
going to hurt if he tells me he hooked up with another cyborg.

“I am not contracted to a family unit. My career is
paramount and few understood that. No one has interested me enough to join in a
long-term contract with them.”

It sounded so cold. “You have family units that are based on
contracts?”

“Yes.”

They were night-and-day different. She wanted to curl into a
ball and cry. Whenever she’d daydreamed about the kind of life they would have
shared, it had involved lots of touching and laughter. She’d imagined him more
friendly and loving in nature. It was tough to face reality. It hurt.

Blackie studied her gaze. “What do you require?”

“Require?”

“What details are involved with being a mate?”

She decided to look on the bright side. He wasn’t seriously
involved with anyone. That was one huge hurdle down and he wanted to know what
she wanted from him in a relationship. His curiosity indicated that he held
interest in her needs.

What would make me happy?
She debated the answer
while those intense eyes of his regarded her. “I just want…”
You to love me.
“Someone who cares about me and who I matter to. I need lots of physical
contact.”
Hugs and you putting your hands on me all the time.
The
prospect of him claiming her body heightened her senses and reminded her that
she was wrapped around him.

“I could give you that.”

His husky voice did things to her. Her nipples hardened and
her belly muscles tightened. She was pretty sure her shorts were getting wet
from her long-dormant libido coming to life. She desperately wanted him.

“I’m going to put you down and get cleaned up.”

He still had blood smeared on his face but she didn’t care.
He could be caked in mud and she’d still want to rub all over him. He gently
lowered her until she sat on the edge of a bunk. The upper one annoyed her
since it blocked her total view of him when he straightened. A quick study of
his torso reminded her of the damage she’d caused to his side when she saw the
small bandage. The memory of attacking him made her wince. The one on his upper
chest was her fault as well.

He seemed to read her mind when one arm slid under the top
bunk and he hoisted it away from the wall and popping noises filled the room as
he disconnected it. He left his quarters but returned minus the bed. She
watched him open drawers, pack men’s clothing and belongings into bags then
take them into the hallway too. He sealed the door after he had removed all of
his roommate’s belongings.

“I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”

He spun away and stepped inside the cleansing unit. She
gripped her thighs and looked down, remembering that she’d torn off her
coveralls, back on the freighter. Her skin was really pale from years of space
travel. Visits to sunny planets were few and far between. It was a stark
contrast to the darker hue of his beautiful gray skin.

Did he find her appealing? She studied her breasts. They
weren’t overly large but she had some. Cameron had been a bit of a pervert and
had wanted something good to look at when he’d created the canine units. She’d
known some of her line had allowed him to touch their bodies. She never had.
Gratitude for their existence had only gone so far and she had gotten to know
him too well. He’d been an asshole with dreams of a harem at his beck and call.

Apparently the cleansing unit wasn’t fully operational. It
seemed Blackie was only going to remove the blood but it gave her time to worry
about her lack of sexual skills. He was a C-46 and she wondered what her cyborg’s
sexual knowledge entailed. A lot of years had passed since she’d seen him. He
probably had gained plenty of experience in that time.

She had no idea if he’d been newly created before she’d
rescued him or if he’d committed some infraction and been transferred there for
termination. He hadn’t been aware of many of his natural abilities and
functions but the abuse he’d suffered had left him dazed, which could account
for his sluggish reactions that night. The sudden silence drew her attention to
Blackie as he stepped out of the unit wearing just pants. His dark gaze locked
with hers before he slowly sank to his knees in front of where she sat. He
inched closer.

“I never thought I’d see you again. I believed you were
human.”

“I should have told you what I was but there wasn’t much
time on that roof before the alarms went off.”

“I tried to access the lift. I wanted to go after you.”

“You couldn’t have and they had fail-safe programs in place
to prevent your escape. Your linking abilities wouldn’t have broken the codes.
I was Eve so I had access to the entire facility. It was my job to keep track
of all in my line.” She swallowed. “I mean, I was the first and assigned to
care for all of the canine units. It gave me greater access than any of the
others. I was able to hack into more of the systems but not all. Roof access
was deemed low priority since we couldn’t survive a fall from that height. We
were never trained to fly shuttles or given access to that information.”

He gripped the edges of the bunk next to her thighs and
leaned in close. “You never met up with me.”

“I tried. I was ten minutes early to the designated pick-up
spot but the shuttles were already leaving orbit.” She hated that tears flooded
her eyes, hoping he didn’t detest seeing her weakness. He’d probably view
emotions as a negative aspect of her personality. “I planned to meet you
earlier but received last-minute orders. We were asked to draw the guards away
from the detention centers. The cyborgs needed that advantage.”

“You were at the detention centers? You’d left the place you
helped me escape from?”

“The termination center was located about a half mile from
the holding cells. We staged a rebellion of our own by locking down the
building to keep them occupied. They were trying to break in while we slipped
out through emergency escape tunnels. Not all of us made it.” She remembered
the deaths of some of her unit who had remained to draw fire and hold the
advancing guards at bay while they fled underground. “Two hundred twenty-seven
of us made it to the pick-up locations.”

“How many were there before that?”

“Three hundred. Fifty-six of them died, while seventeen were
severely injured getting us there. They sacrificed themselves for the rest of
the unit.”

Rage darkened his features. “You were early but we had
already gone?”

“Yes.” The memory of coming out of the tunnels and the shock
of finding the shuttles gone flashed through her mind. She’d watched them fade
into the sky as they left Earth. “No shuttles remained.”

“They abandoned you. I didn’t know.”

Tears seeped down her cheeks. “Maybe it was some kind of
mix-up.”

“They left you to die,” he raged.

Over the years she’d considered the possibility of betrayal
but she’d never wanted to believe it. “My links to the building computers were
cut after we staged the rebellion. Something could have happened to move the
takeoff timetable up or they might have been under heavy enough fire and had to
lift off before we reached them.”

“It went according to plan.” Blackie fisted the mattress. “I
have access to our records and it’s legendary how smoothly our escape from
Earth went.” He took a few slow, deep breaths. “No mention was made anywhere of
canine units. We were told some sympathetic humans helped us, one in particular
who was a computer hacker. The council lied to us.”

He appeared deeply angry by the realization. She just felt
the heart-wrenching sadness of betrayal.