Malice leaned against a wall in the chamber two shifts later. Illona was curled up on his lap, sleeping.
His little human, unlike him and his cyborg brethren, required rest.
He required energy inputs. Wires were inserted into his wrist sockets. But he was conscious during that process, was aware of his surroundings.
His female wasn’t cognizant of anything. She relied on him to safeguard her.
And he would do that—protecting her from the hostile cyborgs, her needy patients, and herself. She was determined to damage her fragile form, had tended to the others until she had struggled to remain upright. He had then taken action, forcing her to drink beverage, eat nourishment bars, utilize the cleansing chamber, settle against him for a much-needed replenishment of her energy levels.
Valor sat beside him, chattering about the two humanoid females who were snuggled up close to him, also sleeping. “They like my damaged arms and legs.” He said those words at levels only a cyborg could detect. “The littlest one, Darcek, told me it reminds them I’m not like the other males, the males who damaged them.”
The E Model had already relayed that information—three times—but Malice said nothing because relaying it again made his friend happy and they both deserved some fraggin’ joy.
He kissed the top of his female’s head.
“Neither of them is my female.” Valor had taken that disappointment well. “We are friends.” The E Model’s voice lilted with pride. Their kind didn’t have many female friends. “They’re being transported to a planet where cyborgs, humanoids, and humans live in peace. Darcek is destined to be one of our brethren’s females. Zachranu hopes to help tend an agri-lot. They’ll be safe and no one will damage them. Grudge says the newly freed cyborgs, if they’re hostile to beings, have their own terrain far from the others.”
The E Model had left the chamber, talked with the crew, gathered information. He had also been grumbled at by Cadet. Valor hadn’t yet uncovered why she disliked his model type.
“If we accompanied the females, we could ensure they aren’t damaged.” Valor glanced down at them. His expression softened. “We can’t utilize outgoing transmissions on that planet.” That shouldn’t be a hardship for either of them. They had spent solar cycles without communications. “And there is conflict between these cyborgs and the cyborgs on the Homeland.”
Malice huffed. The cyborgs on the Homeland didn’t attempt to assist them. They owed those warriors no loyalty.
“This planet, Mercury Minor, could be a place for us to stay while we craft our plans.” Hope was wrapped around Valor’s suggestion. His friend wanted to stay with the females, with the other cyborgs.
Malice grunted. He might have to part paths with Valor. His gaze lowered to his human’s black hair. She didn’t appear to be enthused about spending more time with his brethren, had talked about them never accepting her.
He projected she was right. Some of his brethren wouldn’t embrace her.
They were fools. His lips twisted. She was a worthy female, was honorable and brave and clever.
But he would never be able to beat that logic into all of them.
It might be fun to pummel it into some of them, however.
“Are you hurt?” His female gazed up at him with sleep-blurred eyes. “Did something happen?” She touched his face with her slender fingers, the contact as light as a breeze upon his skin.
His cock, in contrast, was as hard as a dagger, that part of him pressing against the confines of his body armor. “Valor located a storage chamber.”
The space was small and contained supplies. It wouldn’t be comfortable, but it would satisfy his female’s need for privacy during breeding.
“Oh.” She stared at him.
“We need to utilize it. Now.” He pushed his garment-clad cock against her ass.
Her eyes widened. “Ohhh…” The scent of her arousal thickened in the air. “I have to check on the human female before we…we do other things.” She scrambled off his lap.
“Check on her quickly.” He rumbled the command, not happy about the delay.
But he endured it because his female was a medic, and performing medic tasks brought a shine to her big brown eyes.
She hurried to the repairing female, her hips swaying enticingly. Every step cooled her expression, giving her a serenity he now processed was only façade deep.
Underneath that small smile was a passion for him, for them, that burned as brightly as any sun, the heat of it capable of scorching him to his frame.
The females beside Valor stirred also. The E Model assured them they were safe. Nothing bad had happened. His friend relished his new role as protector.
Malice’s gaze returned to his female.
She scanned her patient with her handheld, nodded, appeared pleased.
That pleased him. There would be no emergency repairs to postpone their breeding.
“Female.” He removed the wires from his wrist sockets and jumped to his booted feet. “It is—”
The door to the chamber opened. Patch rushed into the space. The J Model’s gaze fell on Illona. His expression was too warm, too appreciative.
Malice rumbled a warning. Fellow medic or not, he would smack the male into the floor tiles if he dared to touch her.
The J Model glanced at him and straightened. “Cadet is waiting in the hallway. She wants to talk to you.” His gaze swept over them, lingering too long on Illona. “All three of you.”
Malice had seen enough. He grunted, stalked toward his female.
“Our patient appears to have stabilized.” She darted a glance at him. Her gaze returned to Patch. “Her gauze requires changing.” She talked faster. “Clean her while you—” She squeaked as Malice hefted her into the air.
He strapped his arms around his female, securing her high against his chest. “He will tend to the patient. You’re no longer her medic, my female.” He carried her out the door.
Valor assured the humanoid females they were safe. His friend then followed them.
Cadet wasn’t alone in the hallway. Grudge, the C Model with the bared-to-the-mechanics arm, waited there with her. They both scowled at Malice when he emerged from the chamber with his female.
He glowered back at them and folded his form protectively around his little human.
“We won’t damage her, C Model.” Cadet sighed. “We will transport you wherever you want to go.” Her gaze shifted to Illona. “Wherever ANY of you want to go.”
Malice rumbled, not liking that implication. The cyborg wouldn’t separate them.
“But before you answer that question, consider these inputs.” Cadet held up her hand. “There are cyborg- and human-friendly settlements on Mercury Minor, our home planet. And there are cyborg-human couples, a few triads. No one would damage you.” Her gaze once again fixed on Malice’s female. “Any of you. The newly freed cyborgs have their own area and only mix unsupervised with humans and humanoids once they’ve grown accustomed to their presence, when they won’t damage any beings.”
Malice would never rely on another being’s assurances regarding the safety of his female. His chin lifted. He would never leave her side, would protect her his fraggin’ self.
“Patch relayed you saved the human female’s lifespan, Medic Illona.” Cadet addressed his female. “On behalf of our community and her not-yet-identified warrior, I thank you.”