Page 10 of Her Alien Cyborgs
“If I could make a suggestion?” Another male spoke. This one had gray hair and carried himself with quiet authority. Not like the other one.
“Yes, yes. Of course you have an opinion,MisterArcher.”
Kalan didn’t understand why, but the first word sounded like an insult.
The one called Archer nodded. “Thank you, Commander Barrios. Given the situation, it might be best if you sent your people off to continue clearing this level. Their presence iscomplicating the situation. I can assure you that Hezza is in no danger.”
“Are you insane? One of them is holding her hostage!”
Kalan snarled. “I am holding her, yes. As a hostage? No. I am protecting her from all ofyou.”
A female spoke up. She had silver-white hair and a sardonic smile. “Do you understand what thesharhalis, Commander? Because I do. Hezza is quite safe. It’s the rest of us you should be worried about. They will protect theirmahayafrom any threat, and right now? You’re the ones pointing weapons at her.”
Mahaya? It sounded like a word he should know, but he’d never heard it before. Nor was it in his language files. He didn’t recognize the wordsharhaleither. How many other words and concepts had their creators hidden from them?
“What is this word?” he demanded.
Hezza turned to look at him, and he noticed her eyes for the first time. They were deep green with flecks of brown and gold near the center. “It means mate.”
That he understood. “You want to mate with us?”
She laughed at that. “It’s more complicated than that, but let’s hold off on explanations until we can be alone.” She turned to glare at Barrios. “Because this situation is none of the IAF’sfraxxingbusiness.”
The male huffed and stiffened his spine. “That is your opinion. I see this matter differently. You were instructed to wait in a safe location while the station was cleared. Your refusal to follow directions has resulted in a hostage situation. Since your judgment is obviously flawed, I will be making the decisions from now on. The two males will be secured and taken to theBright Arrowfor medical assessment and debriefing. All civilians will be escorted off the base and back to their ships.”
Archer slashed his hand through the air and moved to stand in front of Barrios, deliberately blocking his view. “CommanderBarrios, you lead the military component of this task force, but not the civilians. That’s my responsibility. We’re here to do a job, and as far as I can tell, you are actively preventing us from accomplishing our mission.”
He lowered his voice to a gentler tone but continued without letting Barrios reply. “I’ve seen thesharhalbefore, Commander. That particular event resulted in chaos, disorder, and the Dynamex corporation losing an entire planet to the Vardarians. I imagine you would not want a repeat of that situation to play out here.”
Kalan might not be able to see the officer, but the male’s waspish tone told him everything he needed to know. “You’re the expert. Of course, I will consider your recommendations. I will also remind you that I am responsible for the safety of the entire task force, including you and your group.”
Archer nodded. “Of course. Which is why I’m recommending we de-escalate this situation by having your soldiers leave the area.”
“This is all going in my report.”
Kalan smiled a little. He knew a surrender when he heard one. Archer had won this round.
Barrios ordered the others to leave, though he lingered near the still-open hatch.
“Close the door on your way out if you would?” Archer asked, his point as sharp as a well-honed blade.
The other female hid a smile behind her hand, but her eyes twinkled with amusement. That, more than anything else, made him open to the idea that these might be allies of a sort.
Maybe.
“It’s safe now. You don’t need to shield me anymore,” Hezza told him.
Her light tone and relaxed body language confirmed her words. She wasn’t concerned. Not even about him.
That was a first. Everyone on the station had treated their creations with wariness. Some refused to even look at them, and even those who had demanded certain intimate services had never been entirely at ease.
He retracted his wing through the bars but slipped an arm around her waist to ensure she stayed close to him. He wasn’t interested in letting her go. Not yet. Not while every cell in his body screamed with need.
It pleased him when she simply rested one warm hand on his forearm. She stroked him gently, her fingers tracing small, pleasurable patterns across his scales. The caress heated his blood and made it hard to think clearly.
“So, this got complicated,” she drawled. “Any suggestions?”
“Let us out of this cell,” Fyr’enth said.
