Cyborg Celebration (Interstellar Brides: The Colony #11)

Chapter 4

4

M arz, The Colony

With Vance’s agreement, I exhaled a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. I was a warrior, a fucking captain, head of security. I’d fought the Hive for years. How was the arrival of one female completely destroying my composure?

“Let’s go.”

We hurried to the transport room, the storm’s constant rumble echoing in the corridors as we made our way through the base. The nanobots inside my body responded to my tension, heightened my senses. The nanotech sent excess energy through my muscles and nerves, made everything sharper and more vivid. The hiss of the transport chamber door opening cut through the noise in my head, and there she was—my bride.

She materialized in a swirl of shimmering light, standing at the center of the transport pad, naked and vulnerable. As I’d expected, she was small, but curved with generous hips and a round ass I couldn’t wait to tease. Her breasts were full globes I wanted to taste. Her skin seemed to glow in the dim light of the room. Pale pink nipples and full, pink lips called to me with the power of a goddess. She would own me. I would have no power to resist. Her long, golden hair fell over her shoulders in waves, and light blue eyes blinked open as she became aware of her surroundings, her gaze wide with a mix of shock and trepidation.

Fuck, she was beautiful—more lovely than I’d dared imagine.

My heart thudded in my chest as I strode forward, locking my gaze on hers. I reached for a blanket kept in the transport room’s storage compartments for just such occasions and wrapped it around her bare shoulders. “Rowan. I am Marz. Your mate.”

Her gaze met mine, those blue eyes searching my face as if seeking some kind of reassurance. “Marz…” she whispered, her voice soft and breathless, like a prayer. Or panic.

I lifted her in my arms, holding her close as if shielding her from the entire world. Her warmth seeped through the blanket, reminding me that she was real, not some illusion. As I cradled her, Vance stepped forward, his presence a solid, reassuring anchor at my side.

“I’m Vance,” he said with a small smile. “I am your second, Rowan. I apologize for being so ugly.” His voice carried a hint of humor, lightening the weight of the moment.

“You’re gorgeous. You both are.” Rowan’s gaze flicked to him, then back to me, as if trying to make sense of everything at once. “I can’t believe I have two mates.”

I tried not to scowl at my new bride. I failed. “You are mine. I would not claim you without a second. I would never dishonor you in such a manner.” All Prillon warriors chose a second. Prillons died in battle. We accepted this fact. Two warriors always shared a bride, two strong and worthy males, either of whom would protect our mate and children if the other perished in battle. To claim a female alone was to leave her vulnerable. Unprotected. The fact that she would question my ability to protect her made it difficult to keep my voice steady even as her beauty made my pulse race. My cock strained against my uniform, eager to be inside her wet heat. The gods had truly blessed me.

“I know. I’m sorry. It’s just, I didn’t really want to be a bride. And then, the testing dream. I always figured I’d just have one guy. You know? Like an Atlan or one of those Hunters.” Her soft admission was like a punch to my gut. Would she be unable to accept two mates? Two males filling her? Bringing her pleasure?

“You do not wish to be a bride?” Fuck. Why was she here? Had she been coerced? Forced?

Was I going to have to send her back? Ten minutes ago, before her arrival, I would have been strong enough to let her go, if she’d asked it of me. I’d tried to send her away. Now? Fuck. She was mine. I couldn’t go back to the barren, tedious existence I’d lived before holding her in my arms. I couldn’t let her go.

The constant battle to control my emotions exploded into a nearly deafening crescendo of possessive rage. I would kill anyone who tried to take her from me. Anyone.

“No. I can’t go back. Anything’s better than twenty years in prison, right? I can take care of myself. I won’t be a burden, I promise. I mean, I don’t expect you guys to fall madly in love with me or anything. My expectations aren’t that high.”

What the fuck was this female rambling about?

She did not expect us to love her?

Adore her? Care for her? Protect her? Pleasure her?

As the storm continued to howl outside, shaking the walls of our fragile sanctuary, I held my bride in my arms and vowed to show her exactly how wrong she was. “You are mine. Do you think so little of me that you do not believe me capable of caring for you properly? Do you wish to reject my claim and travel to Prillon Prime? To be matched to an uncontaminated male?”

She flinched slightly at the harshness of my voice, her body stiffening against me. “No. That’s not… no.” Her wide eyes flicked up to meet mine, and I could see the struggle there—her mind grappling with the suddenness of her arrival, with the fact that she had been transported across the galaxy to a planet of dust and rock, to an unworthy male that she did not want. Her only reason for being here was to avoid prison?

She did not wish to be a bride? Did not expect us to love her? Truly believed we would allow her to be alone, caring for herself, without protection?

Was her mind intact?

I would summon Doctor Surnen immediately and have him examine her. The look on her face, a mix of raw confusion and disbelief, enforced the idea. She stiffened, nibbling at her bottom lip as if she wasn’t sure whether to flee from me or relax in my arms.

Perhaps she simply did not want to be mated to a male from The Colony and was not sure how to tell me this truth. Did the fact that I’d been captured and integrated offend? Did she find us dishonorable? Weak? I would not be surprised. Many of the females from our home world would not accept an integrated warrior. We were deemed too dangerous. Damaged. Broken.

Our females were not wrong to judge us so harshly. We had failed. We were no longer what we once were. No longer proud, powerful warriors. With the Hive tech imbedded throughout our bodies we were unpredictable. Many of us had lost our sanity under the debilitating torture of their Integration Units after we’d been captured. We were sent to The Colony for a reason. Every male here had been judged unsafe. Contaminated. Constantly battling for control of our own minds.

Perhaps I should let her go. I turned to see the transport officer silently watching. I’d completely forgotten anyone else was in the room. The moment I’d seen my mate, nothing else existed. Now, the technician waited, hands hovering over the control panel.

“Do we have a stable enough signal to send her to Prillon Prime?” I would not force her to remain, not when she deserved a male of worth.

“Yes, Captain. The transport stabilizers are holding.”

“Very well. Set coordinates for Prillon Prime and transport her directly to the Brides’ processing center.” I stepped onto the transport platform and braced myself for the pain of letting her go as I looked down into her delicate face. “They will match you to another. You will be happy and cared for.”

“No. I don’t want to leave. Marz, I didn’t mean….” She whispered the protest against my chest, her voice trembling so badly she could barely form the words. “I don’t know what to say. But I don’t want to go anywhere else.”

“Say you’re mine.” I could not accept less from her. There could be no doubt about her choice. She must choose, and choose now, when I still had the strength to let her go.

“I’m—I’m yours. Your mate.” The rapid beat of her heart against my chest echoed through the thin blanket. Her nearness stirred something primal in me—a need to possess, to claim this female who was now mine by right. I tightened my hold on her, my arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her even closer until there was barely a sliver of air between us. Her body felt so soft, so warm. I battled the urge to bury my face in her hair, to breathe in the scent of her skin and taste her. Here. Now. Lay her down on the transport pad and fill her sweet pussy with my seed.

My cock jumped at the thought, eager to fill her, to drive deep into her wet heat.

Thank the gods I had not yet placed a mating collar around her neck. The ferocity of my emotions at hearing her say she was mine would terrify her. I would destroy worlds for her. Kill thousands of enemies. Hunt anyone who harmed her to the ends of the universe and dismember them. Rip their still beating hearts from their chests.

Fuck. Just a few minutes into her arrival and already I changed, became a monster. Her monster.

“We will take care of you, mate. All will be well. I promise.” I reassured myself as much as her.

Vance stepped forward, breaking the intensity of the spell her presence had woven around me. He kept his distance, his hands up in a placating gesture. “Rowan,” he said gently, his voice steady and calm, “Do not be frightened. We can do nothing but ensure your pleasure and happiness. Once the mating collars connect us, we will feel, and respond to, your every need and desire. Your pleasure will be ours. Your needs will be ours as well. We will be obsessed with you, so consumed with caring for you that you will beg the Governor to give us extra duties.” His tone held a hint of humor, an attempt to ease the tension.

“No one has ever taken care of me. Not like that.” She blinked rapidly, her gaze shifting from Vance back to me. Her cheeks flushed. “Are you sure about this? You don’t know me at all. Literally. How can you possibly think you’re going to be obsessed with me? What if I’m a total bitch? Or cruel? What if everything I do drives you crazy? I hate laundry. Did they tell you that during your testing? Because relationships aren’t all about sex. I wore the same pair of socks to work three days in a row because I hate laundry more than I hate dirty socks. It’s disgusting. I can be gross. And lazy. Half the time I eat cereal for dinner because I don’t want to cook. There is no way you can guarantee you are going to want me thirty days from now. So?—"

“Enough,” I interrupted, gripping her waist firmly. “You are my match. You are here. You. Are. Mine. Do you understand?” The thought of her questioning our bond—even before we’d had a chance to establish it—sparked a possessiveness that burned in my gut. “One more argument and I will tie you to my bed and fuck you until you understand what it means to be the mate of a Prillon warrior. You’re here because you belong with me. Understand?”

“Yes.” She wiggled in my arms, the movement of her small body shooting a spike of lust through my already aching cock. And yet…what was that intoxicating scent? I breathed deeply, noted that Vance did the same.

Fuck. She was wet. Aroused. Ready for us. Did the idea of being tied to my bed excite her? Or was it my claim that brought wet heat to her core? Now I regretted not stopping by my personal quarters to grab the mating collars. The need to know what caused her response would drive me mad.

“Warden Egara didn’t tell me I’d be naked when I got here. Can I have some clothes?”

“No.” The denial slipped out before I could censor myself. My mate did not require clothing. Not yet. Not until after I placed my mating collar around her neck and branded her soul with pleasure. “We’re going to fuck you now. Pleasure you. Make sure you know exactly who you belong to.”

Her eyes widened at my words, her lips parting slightly as if to object, but no sound escaped. Her breath hitched. Her gaze darted from my face to the doorway, as if calculating the distance, wondering how quickly she could escape. “Now?”

Too late, beautiful Rowan. You’re mine now. There will be no escape.

“Now. You clearly do not know who you belong to. Perhaps you will better comprehend the truth when my cock is buried deep in your pussy and you are screaming my name.”

“Oh, god.” I watched her throat working as she swallowed, the pulse at her neck fluttering like a trapped bird’s. Her hands clutched at the edges of the blanket, pulling it tighter around herself, though whether to shield herself from me or the cold, I couldn’t be sure.

Her fear simmered just beneath the surface, mingled with uncertainty and something else—something that flickered in her eyes when she glanced up at me again.

Gods, please, tell me that look is desire.

Rowan’s gaze flicked between the two of us. Her attention moved down Vance’s body to inspect the clearly visible bulge of his hard cock. He, too, was ready to claim her.

She held Vance’s gaze for a moment, her fingers loosening on the blanket just slightly, as if beginning to trust. I wanted to howl with even that small victory. But a tremor still raced through her body, there remained a hesitance in the way she looked at me. The storm outside seemed to grow louder, and for a moment, the walls shuddered with the force of it. Her eyes flicked to the door again, a brief, instinctive urge to run.

I waited until her gaze locked on mine, her skin soft beneath my fingers. “Focus on me,” I commanded, keeping my voice low and steady. “Nothing here will hurt you. You’re not alone anymore, Rowan. You have me. You have us.”

She was beginning to believe. I saw it in the way her breath steadied, the way her body softened the tiniest fraction against me. As though she began to understand that I wouldn’t let her go, that she was not about to be cast out or forsaken.

Foolish female. She had no idea of the storm that raged within me. To mark her. Fuck her. Claim her. Keep her forever.

I carried our mate out the door, down the corridor toward my private quarters. Vance immediately fell into step at my side, no doubt just as eager to taste our female as I.