Loving Deviant (Cyborg Seduction Book 9) (13 page)

He released her leg and placed kisses on her throat when she turned her head to the side, panting. He licked at the fine sheen of sweat glistening on her skin. The slightly salty taste was pleasant. Everything about Venice intrigued him. He just couldn’t get enough.

She eased her hold on his arms and caressed him. Her touch made him shiver in the best way. She bumped him with her chin as she turned her head again and he lifted up, finding her peering at him with a smile curving her lips. She licked them and he wanted to kiss her again.

“Mmmm.”

“What does that mean?”

Her smile spread wider. “You. Us.”

He understood. “We’re exceptional together.”

“We are.”

He carefully rolled them over, making certain he didn’t hurt her, until she lay sprawled over his body. It was his turn to run his hands down her back. Her skin was soft, smooth, and he cupped her ass, pulling her tighter against him. She felt perfect in every way. Even her weight resting on top of him seemed right.

Venice drifted to sleep as he continued to stroke her skin, lightly massaging her from shoulders to ass. He knew she hadn’t slept well the evening before, after Stag had discovered her aboard the
Varnish
. He had tried to assure her that things would be fine but everything about cyborg life held uncertainty to her. Not that he could blame her for the worry.

Her life wouldn’t be easy at first, living with him. The planet, the rules of their society, everything would be foreign to her. He would need to take time off from his duties to help her adjust. That wouldn’t be a problem. Every cyborg who spent a lot of time off the surface on space missions was required to stay grounded for at least a month or two a year.

“You’re my priority,” he whispered, tucking his cheek against the top of her head. “I’ll make this an easy transition for you. I don’t want you to regret asking me to take you off that station and giving yourself to me.”

He’d need to speak to all the vessel commanders he usually worked with. It wasn’t conceivable to accept a mission unless Venice could travel with him. He refused to leave her on Garden, unprotected. Other cyborgs might approach her to test compatibility. Jealousy rose but he pushed it back. Venice had been clear she didn’t want other males. He guessed Flint, Iron, and Steel wouldn’t have issue with him bringing her when he reported for duty. They were with Earthers as well, and took their females with them on missions often.

He glanced around the room, silently promising to make his home appear more Earthlike. It stood to reason that she’d feel more comfortable calling it her own with items more familiar to the living quarters she’d once occupied. There was a warehouse of stored items they’d retrieved off Earth vessels. He’d get permission to take her there and chose whatever she desired.

He made mental lists of items she’d need. He enjoyed her wearing his clothing but she would need to be measured and fitted for her own wardrobe. He’d also have to discover what kinds of foods she enjoyed, so he could stock his home with them. Shoes would be needed. The one pair she’d worn when they met wouldn’t last long.

He carefully shifted her off him, laying her on her side. She didn’t wake. He climbed out of bed and put on pants, striding to his living room. He had a lot of calls to place. The first was to the cyborg he contacted when he needed new outfits. The tailor promised to come to his home in the evening. Venice would have clothing made and delivered to her within twenty-four hours.

He reached out to his father next, using the coms to do a visual connection. His father appeared on screen in seconds, concern on his features.

“Is something wrong? Has your mother contacted you already?”

“No. Everything is fine. I need your advice.”

“What is it?”

“What does Cyan enjoy eating? Are you aware of her preferences? She lived on Earth.”

Mavo smiled. “You could contact your sister and ask her.”

“Krell still doesn’t welcome my contacting her. He hasn’t forgiven me for helping you attempt to take her from him. He forgives
you
because of your fatherly feelings, but he suspected I had other interests in her.”

“He does show a high rate of possessiveness with Cyan.”

“I understand why he feels that way.”

“Take Venice to the food center and allow her to choose what appeals to her.”

“I don’t want to subject her to open scrutiny just yet.”

Mavo nodded. “Ah. Yes. Many will stare because she’ll be a curiosity.”

“Exactly. I want her to feel welcome on Garden. I don’t believe she realizes just how few Earthers live here. It might make her uncomfortable. I also wanted to ask you if you believe it would be a good idea to introduce her to other Earthers who are joined in family units with cyborgs.”

“This is her first day here. Don’t rush things. She will appreciate meeting those females in time, but give it a few days. I’ll com Cyan, make a list, and go to the food center for you on her recommendations. I’ll be there in about an hour.”

“Thank you.”

“You shouldn’t leave her alone. And upgrade your security.”

“You think other males will hear of Venice and try to make contact?”

Mavo leaned closer to the screen. “It’s possible. She’s an attractive female and not all will care that she’s from Earth. They won’t consider your claim of ownership since it’s technically against our laws. Some might even view it as a rescue attempt to take her from you.”

That angered Deviant. “It’s not that way.”

“We know that, and so does she, but look what we did with Cyan. We attempted to take her from Krell. We didn’t understand that they had bonded. Others might make the same mistake. Upgrade your security.”

“I’m on it.”

“And Deviant?”

He peered at his father. “Yes?”

“I know I’m approved to enter your home…but is your mother?”

He nodded.

“Change that.” Mavo cut the coms.

Deviant stared at the blank screen and sighed. His father had a point. His mother could be unpleasant, and he didn’t want Venice exposed to her. He walked over to his door, pressed his palm to the sensor, and worked in more safety protocols, stripping the permission to bypass the locks from everyone except his father.

He finished and turned away, wanting to return to his bed and Venice. His father wouldn’t disturb them when he dropped off the food he picked up.

He’d made it only halfway across the room when the com beeped. He spun, walked to it, and activated the screen.

Maze stared back at him. “I am sorry to disturb you.”

“What do you want?”

“I wished to discuss Venice with you.”

“What about her?”

“I’d like to do those scans on her limbs and take a skin sample.”

“Not today. She’s exhausted.”

“Stag has ordered me back to duty tomorrow at noon. The
Varnish
is leaving the surface again.”

“Let me know when you return. We’ll set up a time.”

“It’s not necessary that I personally run the advanced scans. Will you take her to our medical facility soon? I shared what I had with our scientists and they are eager to reproduce the technology.”

“I’ll contact them tomorrow, after I talk to Venice to make certain she doesn’t wish for more time.”

“Thank you.”

“Good luck on your mission.”

Maze grimly nodded. “It may be my last. The Markus Models have been sighted. We have to get close enough to deploy the trackers in hopes of attaching to their shuttles. But they could attack us if we get too close.”

“Why not send the
Bridden
? It has the ability to shield.”

“They are on another mission and too far out to be of use. We are going to visit a station in their projected path and set out the trackers, in hopes they will attach to their hulls. We should be out of range before they arrive.”

It was a dangerous mission’ one Deviant normally would have volunteered for. It was paramount that they found a way to monitor the Markus Models’ movements and figure out an effective place to strike, removing the threat forever.

“Be careful.”

“Always.” Maze ended the com.

Deviant turned but another message came in. He faced the coms and read the text. He’d been formally ordered before the council first thing in the morning.

It wasn’t a surprise since they’d already agreed to a meeting. But the tone of it, the fact that they’d changed the hour to an earlier one, and the demand that he not bring Venice with him implied trouble.

“Damn.”

He responded, agreeing to the new time and terms. He reentered the bedroom and watched Venice sleep. He hadn’t planned to take her out anywhere today but things had changed. He climbed on the bed, lay on his side, and faced her.

“Venice?”

She opened her eyes and glanced down his body. “You have on pants. Why?”

“The council might be upset after all.”

“Are you in trouble?”

“It’s uncertain. Stag may have had words with them.” He brushed her hair off her face. “I would like your help.”

“Anything. Just name it.”

“We need to visit our medical facility.”

All traces of sleep vanished from her alert gaze and she surprised him by smiling. “Those scans of my prosthetics are worth a lot, aren’t they?”

His Venice was intelligent. It was one of the things he admired about her and found endearing. “Not in monetary value, but the medical knowledge you could provide might make your staying here be seen as a necessary risk. I broke the rules by smuggling you onboard Stag’s shuttle, but you could help our people. I’m hoping it will offset any anger they may feel toward my actions.”

She sat up and scooted down the bed. “Let’s go.”

He smiled. His Venice was amazing.

Venice liked the two cyborgs who had taken charge of her once they’d entered a building a few down from where Deviant lived. She’d been intimidated by the large table they had her lay flat on, especially when another section of flat screen lowered from the ceiling, hovering just inches over her. They’d promised her it wouldn’t hurt, nor take long. They’d seemed happy to see her and voiced their gratitude that she’d agreed to come.

A hand stroked her hair and she turned her head, finding Deviant crouched down next to her. “I’m right here. Are you feeling claustrophobic?”

“I’m okay.”

Frax bent down, too, peering at her from next to Deviant. “We’re about to begin the scans. You’ll hear a faint hum. I apologize that smaller scanners won’t give us as much detailed information. This might take five or six minutes in total to map all three of your limbs.”

“I understand.”

“We’ll be able to copy your prosthetics to exact specifications. Please let us know by saying my name if you become uncomfortable. We can take a break if you need to sit up.” Frax lifted out of her view and moved away. “Hold as still as possible.”

Deviant played with her hair. It helped knowing he stayed close. She felt safe and protected. They’d had her strip out of her clothes and put on a pair of panties and a half shirt. It would have made her feel uncomfortable being almost naked without Deviant there.

“We’ll eat as soon as we’re done here. Are you hungry?”

“A little,” she admitted. “You’re trying to distract me, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Is it working?”

“It is. I wish I were wearing more but I know they need to do it to see the connections from my limbs to my torso.”

“Are you cold? I could have them raise the room temperature.”

“It’s more of a matter of wearing so little around two strange men.”

“Both of them are in a family unit. They won’t look at you with sexual interest.”

She smiled, amused by the way Deviant sometimes worded things. “Ah. That makes it all better.”

“Sarcasm?”

“It’s just kind of funny that you believe married men don’t look at other women.”

“Cyborgs don’t. Not in that regard. It would be highly disrespectful to their females to show sexual interest in another one.”

It was yet another reminder that they weren’t quite human, if that were true.

The hum began and she held still, taking slow, deep breaths to minimize her movements. Deviant kept stroking her hair.

“Thank you for doing this for me, Venice. It will sway the council into being more forgiving.”

She smiled. It wasn’t as if they wanted to remove the limbs or open them up to take a peek inside. That would be asking a lot. She kept silent though, afraid her speaking might mess up their scanning techniques.

The time passed fast and they took her off the table, leading her into another room. Deviant hovered close and when she sat, he crouched next to her, holding her biological hand as Quiz opened a kit, explaining the next procedure. They were going to numb her skin on her upper arm and remove a small tissue sample. She turned her head to stare into Deviant’s beautiful eyes.

“I hate that you’re having to go through this.” Deviant frowned.

She opened her mouth to tell him it was fine but didn’t get the chance to speak.

“We won’t harm her, and we’re taking a small sample,” Frax stated. “From the questions we asked when your female arrived, we know she should heal quickly. We’ll watch the process carefully to make certain of that.”

An injector pressed against her skin and it was just a cold bump, then she didn’t feel anything. She glanced once, saw Quiz lift a scalpel, preparing to cut. She faced Deviant again, locking gazes with him.

“Talk to me.”

He used his other hand to reach up and brush her hair away from her cheek. “You’re being very brave.”

“I admit I hate anything to do with medical procedures ever since I woke in that automated clinic, but at least your doctors are real people. They aren’t androids that refuse to answer my questions and just dope me out again.”

“Was it painful when all this work was done on you?” Frax moved into her line of sight.

“They kept me awake when they attached the limbs. They said they needed me to move them when they were testing the nerve connections. I wasn’t in any pain though.”

“That would have taken hours.” Frax frowned.

“It did but they allowed my sister to be in the operating room with me. She updated me on her life while I’d been away and kept me distracted during most of it. They put me to sleep for the internal work they did, and the work on my face.”

“The medical technology has advanced on Earth since we left,” Quiz added. “We sometimes hack into medical information on ships we find abandoned in space but most of them are more than twenty years out of date. We appreciate you being so generous by giving us access to what was done to you.”

“No problem.” She smiled. They really were polite.

She glanced at her arm, seeing a section of skin gone. They hadn’t taken much but the sight still sickened her. She stared at Deviant again as Quiz cleaned the fresh wound, then poured water over it the way she’d instructed them to do.

Frax moved closer, watching. “Fascinating! Look at how fast it’s sealing from the sides. It’s fusing the skin in the same fashion that stitches would. Keep flushing it out with water. It works just the way she stated.”

“The elasticity of the skin is impressive,” Quiz muttered. “This is much better than the skin patches we currently create to seal wounds.”

“You’re pale.” Deviant leaned in close. “Are you alright?”

“Yes. I’m just a bit squeamish when it comes to this stuff.”

He shot a look at the medical staff. “Stop with vocal assessments. You’re making her uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay.” She forced a smile.

Deviant’s mouth pressed into a grim line, and he clutched her hand a little tighter.

* * * * *

“How is she?”

Deviant took a seat on his couch, motioning for his father to do the same. “Brave; and she swears she’s fine. I brought her home from the medical center and she just wanted to go to bed. She’s tired. Thank you for bringing the food and for helping me put it away.”

“I apologize that I was delayed.”

“Is everything well?”

“Krell wished to speak to me in person when I contacted Cyan. I went to their home and then the food center.”

“Did he have questions about Venice? I know it’s his duty to assess threats. I hope you told him she doesn’t pose one.”

“No. We spoke of the Markus Models.”

“I spoke to Maze. He said the
Varnish
is leaving Garden tomorrow on a mission regarding them. Are you going?”

“I would, but Stag has made it clear you and I are no longer welcome to join his crew.”

It made Deviant feel guilt. “I apologize.”

“Stop. Krell is going over options of what to do if the trackers we’ve created work and we’re able to trail the androids’ movements. He’d invited other cyborgs to join our discussion, to create a plan on how to destroy the models. It’s highly probable that they’ve created some kind of home base they are using. We just need to find it before they discover the location of Garden.”

“I hate that we’re under threat.”

“We all do, but we will resolve this issue. It’s just a matter of time. Why did you take Venice to the medical center so soon?”

Deviant hadn’t spoken to his father in hours. “The council has ordered me before them in the morning.”

“We already knew that.”

“They updated the time and ordered me to leave Venice in my home. I fear Stag
did
file a report against me, and might have made them a little wary of Venice.”

“Shit. Everyone knows Stag, though. But I understand why you’d take her so quickly now to be scanned. You can present that information to them and explain her medical value to offset his complaints.” Mavo grinned. “My smart son. I’m proud.”

“She allowed them to take three skin samples instead of one. We had a disagreement about that.”

“Why three?”

“She healed so well and so fast that they felt it wouldn’t scar or injure her to take a couple more. The more tissue they have, the more it increases their odds of being able to replicate it faster. She agreed. I didn’t.”

“Was it painful for her? Did she lose a lot of blood?”

“No. They used local anesthetic. She doesn’t bleed from her artificial limbs; instead, a pinkish fluid comes from the wounds. They wanted to test that as well. I hated seeing them studying her. She’s special to me, not a medical test subject. It made me angry that she had to do this at all. She shouldn’t have to prove her value to our community.”

“I understand, but she wouldn’t have agreed if she wasn’t fine with it.”

“I’m not certain that’s true. She feels very obliged to me for rescuing her off that station. She knew it would help me get out of trouble. I worry that she might take that thankfulness too far and end up resenting me.”

“Deviant, don’t take this the wrong way, but you have a tendency to overthink everything. You always have. They didn’t harm her, did they?”

“No.”

“She’s healed now?”

“Yes.”

“Let it go.”

“But—”

“Let it go,” Mavo repeated. “Trust me when I say, women will tell you if they are upset or if something really bothers them. They will also show you in their actions, too.”

“Venice isn’t like any other females I’ve ever met. She’s selfless.”

“That’s an excellent trait but she’s also a survivor. We both know what she’s gone through. She wouldn’t agree to something unless she felt willing to do so. Have trust in her ability to make decisions, or you will insult her. That will start an argument. You don’t want that.”

“No, I don’t.”

His father stood. “I’ll leave you. I bought all the foods Cyan suggested are close to Earth ones, that she believes Venice will find familiar enough. What time is the council convening? I’ll be there.”

“You weren’t notified of the change of time?”

Mavo shook his head. “No, but I’ll be there.”

“Nine.”

“I’ll see you then.”

“Thank you.”

He watched his father leave, then rose, entering the bedroom. Venice lay curled on her side, sleeping. He stripped out of his clothing, curling up along her back. She snuggled against him and he studied her arm, checking for any sign of where she’d been cut. There were no marks to show what had been done to her, the synthetic flesh unmarred.

He closed his eyes, holding her.

He wasn’t too concerned about the council. They wouldn’t dare take Venice away from him. The scans she’d provided to medical would more than justify his taking her off the Colton Station. She was invaluable, not only to him, but for gaining medical tech they didn’t have.