HauntingBlackie (18 page)

He blindly reached out, grabbing the post of the bed for
support. Every muscle in his body seemed to grow rigid as he drew closer to
ejaculation. He didn’t want to come too fast but his body refused to listen to
his commands.

“Eve,” he warned. “I can’t take any more.”

She sucked harder, moved faster, and he totally lost the
ability to speak. He’d expected her to stop but instead she pushed him beyond
his limit. A loud groan filled the room—it came from him—as hot pleasure seized
him. Wood snapped about the same time as his sanity when she swallowed his
seed, her mouth milking him until his legs gave way.

Blackie fell back, hitting the bed instead of landing on top
of his mate. His dick was pulled from her sexy grasp as he fought to open his
eyes. He trembled a little as he attempted to recover, not sure how to react
since he’d never experienced such a powerful reaction before.

Eve rose and climbed on top of him until she straddled his
lap. “I love the way you taste.”

She lowered her head and brushed a kiss on his chest,
inching upward until she nuzzled her face against his throat. “I hope you have
a fast recovery time. That turned me on, Handsome. You make me so hot.”

“Take off your clothes.”

She rolled off him without further urging. He sat up and
lifted one foot, tearing at his boot. He threw both across the room, not caring
if they caused damage. The pants were already tugged midway down his thighs so
it was just a matter of lying flat and lifting his legs to shove them the rest
of the way off. He turned on his side to watch Eve finish stripping.

Her pale skin invoked desires to stroke his hands across
every inch of it until he knew how all of her body felt. She removed her
clothing and he lunged, surprising her with the quick, aggressive action,
pinning her under him. He took care not to bruise her skin as he yanked her
arms above her head and his knee pressed against the center of her legs. She
parted them for him and he wiggled into the space between.

Her beautiful eyes sparkled with amusement as her eyebrows
lifted. “You’re as hard as a rock already? I’m impressed.”

It was just a matter of adjusting his hips before he aligned
the crown of his dick at the soaked seam of her sex. He rubbed up and down,
using it to tease her clit. The soft moans she made only increased his desire
to be buried inside her.

“Say you love me.” He needed the words.

“I love you.”

He maneuvered his pelvis until his dick pressed against the
small opening of her pussy and he pushed forward. Eve moaned louder as he
thrust deep, making her take all of him in one firm motion. He paused there.

“You are home to me.”

She held his gaze.

“You are everything that is right in my world, Eve. I will
never let you go or leave you. We’re one together and that makes us complete. I
won’t allow anything to come between us.”

“Let go of my wrists.”

He released her and was pleased when she slid her fingers
into his hair, holding it back from his face.

“I won’t either, Handsome. You’re my entire life and reason
for living. You’re my mate, the other half of my soul. I will hunt you down if
you try to leave me because I’d die without you.”

“We have a very long life ahead of us and we’re going to
live it together. You’re my mate and I wish you to be my wife, the woman of my
family unit.” He braced his spread knees and moved, the sheer pleasure of the
friction was paradise. “I’ll keep you too tired to ever consider leaving me.”

She moaned. “I’ll give you blowjobs until your knees give
way if you try to take off.”

The memory of what she’d done to him with her mouth was
enough to drive him into a frenzied need to come again. He pounded against her,
taking her more roughly than he’d intended but she didn’t mind as she locked
her legs around his hips, using that leverage to grind against him until she
cried out his name, her vaginal muscles locking so tightly around his dick that
he exploded seconds after she did.

He remembered to roll over, taking her with him in a tangle
of arms and legs. His weight might have left her unable to catch her breath.
Eve lying sprawled over him felt right, as if she belonged there, always had
and always would. He grinned.

“I will be a good mate.”

“You already are.”

“I worried I might fail,” he confessed. “You need things I
wasn’t sure I could give you.”

“I worried you’d freak out when you found out how I bonded
to you.”

“I’m relieved.”

“Me too. You want me.”

“Always.” He held her tighter. “I have since we met. I
grieved your loss.”

“Me too.”

“Your memory haunted my dreams and I never forgot you.”

“You haunted my dreams too.”

“No more,” he whispered and brushed a kiss on her forehead. “We’ll
dream about our future together while we’re sleeping side by side.”

She giggled. “Or on top of each other. I don’t know about
you but I could use a nap and I’m really comfortable where I am.”

“Always tell me what you need, Eve. I realize I may seem
cold or distant at times. That isn’t how I feel. You inspire so many emotions
but they are difficult to express until I learn how.”

“You’re doing a great job and I’m not going anywhere. We
have time to work out everything.”

“Good.”

Time passed in silence and Blackie nearly drifted to sleep.

“Handsome?”

He liked her endearment. “Yes?”

“I don’t expect you to totally change, okay? I mean, besides
expressing yourself more. I love you for who you are.”

“I love you as you are too, Eve.”

“Are you freaked out still about me probably having more
than one baby at a time if we ever have kids?”

“It came as a surprise but I will welcome having many
children with you.”

“So it’s not a deal breaker?”

“No. It’s a bonus feature to you being my woman. I will warn
you that I’ll worry about your health during a pregnancy and probably keep you
within my sight at all times.”

“I can live with that. I just want to wait a while, enjoy
some adult time before we have to learn how to change diapers.”

“I do as well.”

“Okay. ‘Night. Sweet dreams.”

“Sweet dreams to you as well.” He had just started to drift
when the com buzzed. He ignored it. It buzzed again.

“What is that?” Eve lifted her head, glancing around the
room.

“Someone is attempting to contact me but whoever it is can
wait.”

Her eyes widened. “Shit! Danica. She probably woke up and is
giving Gene hell. We better answer it before he needs medical attention.”

“She’s small. He can manage her until after our sleep cycle
ends.”

“She’s my sister.” She showed him her hand as her sharp
claws slid out. “Remember these? Gene is your friend, right? Do you really want
him carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey?”

“I’m not sure what that means but I’ll assume it’s
unpleasant.” He released her. “Put on something while I find my pants. I’ll
activate a visual.”

Eve grinned. “You’re the best mate ever.”

Eve was grateful to leave the council meeting. The cyborgs
had been nice but she had tired of their questions. She’d pretty much had to
give them a rundown of every meeting she’d ever had with Freedom about their
plans to escape Earth together, the immediate aftereffects of discovering they’d
been left behind and the years she and Danica had survived afterward.

Assurances that Parlis, Fleet, and Jazel would pay for their
crimes had been issued. All three had been stripped of their ranks and
privileges and were currently locked in cells, awaiting word from the council
on their fates. One of the members had hinted it would be death. It wouldn’t
change the past or bring her sisters back but the remaining council’s outrage
had gone a long way to appease some of her pain.

“We offer our sincere apologies,” a dark-haired cyborg
finally stated in the end. “We were unaware of the canine units when we fled
Earth or we never would have left them behind. We’re prepared to do everything
in our power to make your transition to our society a smooth one.”

“Thank you, Coval.” Blackie cleared his throat. “I would
like to speak on behalf of Danica. She has refused to return to the surface
until she’s given a few formal clarifications.”

“She doesn’t trust cyborgs after what happened to us so she wants
a few things in writing.” Eve decided to be blunt. “I don’t mean to be rude but
I can’t blame her for being wary.”

Rais, another male council member, smiled. “Nor do we. What
does she ask for?”

“She’s terrified you are going to force her into one of those
marriage contracts with multiple cyborgs.” Eve frowned. “She wants to pick her
own mate when she feels ready to take one. She doesn’t know about breeding
pacts but that won’t fly either.”

Blackie cleared his throat. “What Eve means is—”

“We understood,” Coval chuckled. “Tell your sister we’ll
allow her to pick the male of her choice and we don’t consider her to be a
cyborg. You were very clear yesterday that your line is opposed to polygamy. We
were watching, remember?”

“I’ll personally write it as an official decree,” Rais
offered.

“Thank you.” Eve relaxed.

“Gene is willing to host her so no living arrangements need
to be made for her,” Blackie added.

Coval studied Eve. “She agreed to live with Gene?”

She nodded, not willing to outright lie by saying she had.
The opposite was true. Blackie had explained Danica would be safer living with
Gene than on her own. “That’s the plan.”

“That will be acceptable,” another male at the end of the
table agreed. “Gene will be able to teach her our laws and help her adjust to
this lifestyle. Are they testing their compatibility?”

“Yes.” Blackie tapped her leg under the table with the back
of his hand.

She had no idea what “testing compatibility” meant, but
acknowledged his signal and just nodded again, taking her cue from him.

“There’s one more topic to discuss.” A blonde female cyborg
leaned forward. “We’re short two council members. Our numbers need to be
twelve. Blackie, we held a meeting last evening and are offering you one of
those positions. Will you accept?”

Eve turned her head to gauge his reaction. Surprise was
evident in the way his eyes widened and his lips parted.

“I don’t know how to respond,” he rasped.

Zorus chuckled. “You have earned a higher status and you
could represent the canine units. I know you were expecting to become a mission
commander but I doubt you’ll wish to take Eve into space for weeks or months at
a time now that she’s finally reached Garden. You’ve always been loyal to the
council and we are certain you would make an excellent addition.”

Blackie glanced at Eve. “I need to consider it and discuss
this matter with my mate before I accept or decline.”

Zorus stood. “That is reasonable. We’ll adjourn until later
this afternoon. Please give us an answer at that time.”

The room cleared and Eve followed Blackie into the hallway.
Zorus excused himself to speak privately to a few members, giving them a chance
to be alone.

“Being asked to be a council member is huge, isn’t it?”

Blackie assumed a blank expression. “It is a high honor.”

“Do you want the job?”

He reached out and took her hand. “I do but it means we’d
live fulltime on Garden. Council members rarely leave the surface.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

He hesitated. “I wouldn’t mind but would you?”

“We get to be together, right? Sleep in the same bed every
night?”

“Yes.”

“It doesn’t matter where we are then. On a planet or another
shuttle.”

“I’d enjoy being a council member.” His voice lowered. “I
never hoped to be offered a position. Only a few have opened since it was
established.”

“You don’t hold elections every few years for positions the
way Earth Government does?”

“No. A member is good at what they do or they are replaced
by someone the remaining members ask to join. Our system works well.”

“Take the job then,” she urged. “I hope it pays well too
because I have no idea how I’m going to help support us. I meant to ask you
about that. I don’t suppose you guys need a few bounty hunters to chase down
criminals here, do you?”

“We don’t have a monetary system the way Earth does and
crime is rare on Garden. Everyone is given housing, clothing and food. Your
service status does earn you better living spaces in the buildings with
superior views and larger quarters.”

Eve let that settle in. “Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“What if you’re on the bottom floor? Is it bad? Do they make
those cyborgs live in a closet-sized room and wear secondhand clothing?”

He chuckled. “No. They are all comfortable living spaces but
we value the views. That’s deemed important. Everyone has access to clothing
and food in the same amounts. We only ask for what we need. It is how our award
system works. It is merit based, but no one suffers or does without.”

“That’s so weird but cool if the system really works.”

He reached out and fingered a lock of her hair. “Don’t
compare cyborgs to humans. Our population never starves or needs to endure bad
living conditions.”

“I think I might like this place.”

“It’s your home now.”

Zorus interrupted them when he entered the hallway. “Let’s
go to my office.”

Eve took Blackie’s hand and they followed the council
member. They didn’t speak until they reached his office and the door closed.

“You could have warned me.” Blackie sighed.

Zorus shrugged. “I thought it would mean more if you heard
it from them. You deserve to be on the council. Your dedication has always been
noted.” He shifted his focus to Eve. “I hope your encounter with Parlis and
Jazel hasn’t prejudiced you against the other members. You have just joined a
family unit with Blackie and you should know that it is customary that a male
joined in a family unit asks the woman for permission to change his status. You
should really consider the good he could do as a council member before you
order him to decline.”

“We’re mated but I’m not a control freak. It’s Blackie’s
decision to make.”

Zorus chuckled. “You chose well, Blackie. Forming a family
unit with a human was the best thing to ever happen to me when I met Charlie.
They are so unlike our women.”

“Thank you.” She’d take that as a compliment after everything
she’d been told about cyborg women. “Blackie said you could arrange for us to
formally get married. I told him we’re already mated so it doesn’t really
matter but he likes things all legal like.”

“We want to have a small joining ceremony with just a few
guests.”

Zorus rounded his desk and picked up an electronic device. “I
can arrange that. How soon?”

“Tonight.” Blackie didn’t hesitate.

“Done.” Zorus glanced between them. “Do you have a list of
who you’d like to attend?”

Blackie started to speak but the door suddenly flew open and
slammed into the wall from the force. Eve spun, expecting an attack. The woman
cyborg who stomped in wasn’t holding a weapon but her hands were fisted at her
sides. She was tall, muscular, and wore a dark uniform.

Zorus placed the pad down on his desk with a loud thump. “What
are you doing here, Fusion? You dare enter my office without an appointment?”

The woman halted, glared at him then gave Eve a concentrated
examination from head to foot. She finally centered her anger on Blackie. “I
just read the report. You brought her to Garden and plan to form a family unit?
Is that correct?”

Eve instantly disliked the other woman. “Who are you?”

The cyborg ignored her. “We have a prior agreement, Blackie.
I came to protest your application.”

Blackie’s anger was clear. “You have no right to file a
protest.”

Eve’s heart did a number in her chest as the implications
became clear. She peered up at her mate. “Who is she?” Eve whispered as
jealousy tore through her. She imagined any woman who had come to protest their
marriage must be an ex-lover of his. Blackie’s gaze snapped toward her but
before he could answer the woman continued.

“I do have that right,” the woman spoke before he could. “He
once stated that he’d consider joining my family unit before all others.”

“She’s someone I’ve served with aboard several vessels.” He
took a threatening step closer to the cyborg. “I only said that to avoid an
argument. The words were not a contract of obligation. It was a polite refusal.”

Fusion shrugged. “The words were still stated. You will join
my family unit.”

“I refuse!” Blackie spun on Zorus. “I did not obligate
myself to anything.”

Eve studied the other woman and hated how much it hurt,
picturing Blackie touching and kissing her. His taste in women wasn’t that
great, she decided. The woman was attractive enough but she was Eve’s opposite
in coloring and size.

“Fusion,” Zorus cleared his throat, “this is unacceptable.
Leave my office. You are causing a scene.”

“I don’t care.” She actually stomped her foot. “I want him.
Refuse his request and add him to my family unit. We’ll finally be even for
what you owe me.”

“What is going on?” Eve hadn’t expected anyone to show up
and try to steal her mate. “Blackie?” She latched on to his arm, demanding his
attention.

He clasped his hand over hers, trapping it in place as he
met her gaze. “I don’t know.”

“Is she your ex-lover?”

He appeared horrified. “No. I never tested our
compatibility.”

“What the hell does that mean? The council asked that about
Danica and Gene but I couldn’t exactly say anything at the time.”

“It is when a male and female have sex and share living
quarters to see if they are an acceptable match.”

“You never fucked her?”

“No.”

Eve believed him. Anger surged as she returned her attention
to the equally livid cyborg woman. “I don’t know what your problem is but we’re
already mated. It’s a done deal. You can’t have him.”

“You have no say in this.”

“Don’t speak to my mate that way,” Blackie warned. “You’re
the one who has no say in this, Fusion.”

That comment motivated Fusion to shoot him a dirty look. “She’s
human and canine. She is beneath you.”

“Enough!” Zorus roared the word. It took him a second to get
his temper under control, judging by his expression. “Leave, Fusion. Do not
insult that woman again. She deserves our respect.”

“I know what she is. I read the report from the council. She’s
a dog! Pat her on the head and then tell her to fetch another male.”

It was a deliberate insult and Eve felt her claws slide out
of her fingertips. She wanted to smack Fusion. She tugged out of Blackie’s hold
as a soft, warning growl emanated from the back of her throat. “At least I’m
wanted by him. You’re sounding kind of pathetic by trying to force a man to be
with you. Grab a clue, supposedly superior. I might be a canine unit but you’re
the bitch in this room.”

Blackie wrapped his arm around her waist, his hold firm
enough to keep her in place if she lunged to attack. It upset her that he felt
protective of the cyborg woman. She tore her attention from the woman, pissed
off that he would see her hurt expression.

“I won’t allow you to fight.”

“You dare insult me?” Fusion sounded closer. “Let’s fight
for him, dog. I’ll put you in your place.”

Eve turned her head, glared at the woman. She struggled in
her mate’s hold, more than ready to draw blood. Blackie wrapped his other arm
around her, his hold comparable to thick bands of steel. He lifted her in front
of him until her feet left the floor and pressed his lips against her ear.

“Eve,” he crooned, “calm down. She’s attempting to provoke
you.”

“And she’s succeeding. Let me at her.”

Zorus stepped between her and her target, his back to Eve as
he faced Fusion.

“Leave the council chambers now, Fusion. That is an order.
You came here to start trouble but I won’t allow it. Blackie refused your
offer. Go.”

“No,” the woman spat. “You are going to add him to my family
unit. I need his status.”

What the hell is going on?
Eve wiggled to see around
the tall cyborg in her path but her mate refused to let her down. She could
have used her claws to tear into his arms to force him to release her but it
wasn’t an option. She could never injure him.

“I see.” Zorus’ tone changed to a softer one. “I completely
understand.”

“I knew you would.” A smug smile curved the cyborg woman’s
lips. “I expect the upgrade immediately and for you to give that little dog to
someone else to care for. I don’t want her anywhere near Blackie. I don’t allow
my men to touch anyone else.”

Panic set in. “NO! She can’t have my mate.” Eve renewed her
struggles. “I’ll kill her first.”