The Cyber Chronicles V - Overlord (36 page)

"Let's ask
Fairen to ma -"

His hand
clamped over her mouth, surprising her, and a faint frown tugged at
his brows. "How about you wait until you're asked?"

She pulled his
hand away, smiling. "All right, no need to get violent."

"Violent?" He
snorted, then chuckled.

She propped her
elbows on his chest and rested her chin on her hands. "Speaking of
violence, do you still think of umpteen ways to break my neck when
we're close like this?"

"There are only
three ways, and no, I don't."

"When did that
stop?"

"A while ago,"
he said.

"That's good.
What about that flashing light?”

“
That’s always going to be there, but I’ve learnt to ignore
it.”

“
So when are you going to ask me?"

He smiled.
"When I'm ready."

"Can I give you
my answer now?"

"No."

"But you know
what it is, anyway."

"No surprises
there, I suppose."

Tassin giggled,
and gasped as her ribs protested. Sabre pulled her close again and
rolled onto his side so she could lie in front of him, enfolded in
his arms.

"Get some
rest."

Tassin sighed,
her heart filled with intense happiness. She sensed that he still
had much to learn about being human, and the fact that he had not
even kissed her when he had admitted his feelings spoke volumes
about his inability to express himself as a normal man would. Then
again, he had all these warning lights about proximity and probably
prudery, further inhibiting any natural inclinations. Once more
they had overcome the obstacles in their path and would soon be on
their way home again, this time in their own ship, albeit an old
one. Fate seemed to be smiling, and the future looked rosy at last.
She let her hopes invade her dreams as she slipped away into the
soft dark arms of sleep.

****

The
Cyber Chronicles
saga continues in Book VI,
Warrior Breed
, Book VII,
Sabre,
Book VIII,
Scorpion Lord,
Book
IX,
Precipice
, and
many more as yet unwritten.

About the
author

T. C. Southwell
was born in Sri Lanka and her family moved to the Seychelles when
she was a baby. She spent her formative years exploring the islands
– mostly alone. Naturally, her imagination flourished and she
developed a keen love of other worlds. The family travelled through
Europe and Africa and, after the death of her father, settled in
South Africa. T. C. Southwell has written over forty novels and
five screenplays. Her hobbies include motorcycling, horse riding
and art, and she earns a living in the IT industry.

All
illustrations and cover designs by the author.

Contact the
author at [email protected]

Acknowledgements

Mike Baum and
Janet Longman, former employers, for their support, encouragement,
and help. My mother, without whose financial support I could not
have dedicated myself to writing for ten years. Isabel Cooke,
former agent, whose encouragement and enthusiasm led to many more
books being written, including this one. Suzanne Stephan, former
agent, who has helped me so much over the past six years, and
Vanessa Finaughty, good friend and business partner, for her
support, encouragement and editing skills.