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  It was larger than she expected, and she reached out to wrap her fingers around it. It was warm and hard, and she began to stroke up and down, feeling the way the skin moved over the hardness.

  He swelled even larger in her hand and cleared his throat. “You have to stop. I can’t hold back if you do that.”

  She nodded and he reached for her, drawing her down to straddle his waist again.

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” he groaned in a tone of pure disbelief. He positioned his hardness right at her opening. “I’ve waited so long.”

  His eyes took in her expression and his hands were soft as they caressed the hair back from her face. “Are you sure about this?”

  She nodded, and he brought her lips to his again.

  She tried to adjust her hips as he entered her, gritting her teeth when it became painful. She dug her fingers into his shoulders, briefly wondering if they should stop.

  “Are you all right? I’ve heard the first time will hurt a bit.”

  The earnest desire in his expression called to her, and she forced herself to open even more. She could do this. For him.

  She nodded and rested her forehead against his, swallowing as his large hands cupped her from behind, opening her farther for him.

  He gritted his teeth and helped her slide up and down a few times, slowly, only allowing part of himself inside. It took a long minute before her body began to make room for him. He felt too large inside her, uncomfortable, but no longer painful.

  He slowly pulled back out and her inner muscles clenched him, a shock of pleasure going through her. He groaned and adjusted himself under her, and she could feel the sparks of pleasure making the pain a distant memory. His magical thumb went to the center of her pleasure and stayed there, creating circles of fire that melded with the pleasure inside.

  She listened to his groans intermingle with her sighs of pleasure.

  Oh, gods, it’s too good.

  The tingling made its way through her veins until her whole body was on fire. She could feel another explosion coming, but this time it was different, deeper. She opened her eyes to see his face.

  His head was thrown back, his eyes barely open, focused solely on her.

  Then she couldn’t take it anymore, and she began to spasm around him, almost losing her balance as the pleasure exploded for a second time.

  Only seconds later, he bucked up off the seat, his warmth shooting up inside of her. He caught her trembling body and held her against his chest, still joined to him.

  Their skin was damp, sweat-slicked, and the feeling of closeness was beyond anything she’d ever known.

  Amazing.

  Was it amazing because of sex, or was it amazing because it was Tov? Somehow, she couldn’t imagine doing what they just did with anyone else. She felt beautiful, loved, and she could see in his eyes that she was the one for him.

  They had liked each other for three years. She still couldn’t believe it. But for some inexplicable reason, he was hers. And she was definitely his.

  Exhaustion finally overtook her, and she started to fall asleep. She distantly heard him break open a space blanket. Then he lifted her so he could slide out and turned her in his arms, cradling her against his chest again and wrapping the blanket around them.

  She sank into the warm bliss of sleep, held by Tov.

  ∆∆∆

  She opened her eyes sometime later to see that Tov was already awake. His long legs were spread out on either side of her, reminding her how big he was.

  When he noticed her awaken, the tips of his fingers went up to her scalp, massaging idly, then moved down to rub the muscles of her neck, soothing them.

  She still couldn’t believe she was in an escape pod with him. I’m with Tov.

  He’d always been so patient and kind. After work when he walked her home, sometimes he came in. He listened to her crazy stories of the stuff she witnessed on the monitors, or watched funny vids with her. Those times meant a lot to her, made living on the station less lonely.

  “How did you know the space station was going to blow?” she asked.

  His mouth tightened, his full lips thinning. “A warning came in to security thirty-three minutes before the explosion. We found it almost immediately, but it was still too late. Exian said the wiring was too complex, you never would have disabled it in time.”

  “But still, you didn’t try to call me.”

  He shook his head. “There would have been no time for you to disable it, either. And if you hadn’t noticed, I’m somewhat partial to you being alive.”

  After a few moments, she shifted away slightly, but he didn’t let her go. “Where are we going?”

  His voice was a rumble. “To Lethden.”

  “Oh.” Lethden was the closest planet, but it was almost uninhabited. Still tribal. But at least it had oxygen and water.

  Will he want to stay with me when we reach wherever we’re going?

  “Why the long face?” he asked, bringing his forehead to hers.

  “We might not be able to get a job on the same station again.” The thought made her unbearably sad.

  He chuckled, and her eyes went quickly to his face. “Don’t worry about that. We cyborgs take care of our own. And I’m never going to let you go, so you’ll always have a home.”

  Hope began to rise in her chest. “You mean, you want to stay together?”

  “After I’ve waited for three years? Hell yes. We can do whatever ceremony you want. Elven, cyborg…we can even do both if you want. As long as you want me, too.”

  Her heart seemed to burst and she threw her arms around him. Her vision blurred, and she hid her tears in his chest. “I do. I want you, too.”

  And now she would have a home. With Tov.

  When she thought her voice would come out okay, she asked, “How long will it take to get there?”

  Tov glanced at his wrist com. “It should be another two hours.” Then he frowned. “But we should see the planet by now.”

  Callie looked out into the darkness, spotting a planet behind them. “Is that it?”

  Tov, who had been examining the console, let out a stream of curses. “This is my fault. I guess when I hit the console earlier I threw us off course. It looks like we’ll have to backtrack, maybe another ten hours.”

  His eyes met hers. “I’m so sorry, I know you hate being in this pod. But we have plenty of oxygen. These pods are made to last one person a week.”

  But for the first time, she wasn’t worried. She met his gaze, and slowly, a smile crossed her face.

  He chortled, pulling her close once more. “I think I know how we’re going to pass the time.”

  The End

  DID YOU ENJOY TOVIAN: A CYBORG WARRIOR TALE?

  IMMORTAL ANGEL’S NEW BOOK

  TORDAN: CYBORG WARRIORS

  WILL BE AVAILABLE IN NOVEMBER, 2018.

  AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER OR PURCHASE HERE.

  THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW THIS STORY.

  About the Author

  Immortal Angel is always writing. Her specialty? Science fiction and fantasy romances that drop readers into a new world and leave them hanging on until the very end.

  Growing up on sci-fi, fantasy, and romance, she can't help but weave these elements into her stories. Which, luckily for her readers, results in a whole lot of hot human men, supernatural males, and some very sexy aliens.

  Immortal Angel loves to hear from her readers, and of course, she wants to hear from you! Feel free to contact her by any of the methods below:

  E-mail: [email protected]

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/immortalangelwrites/

  Website: http://www.immortal-angel.com

  Chapter One

  Tordan

  I am malfunctioning.

  Tordan clenched his fists as a feeling of rage overtook him. He’d been having the attacks for the past 17.2 solar rotations, since his eyes had met hers.

  The elven priso
ner.

  Before their gazes had locked, he hadn’t known he was a slave. Hadn’t realized he was a cyborg controlled by the chip at the back of his neck. Hadn’t realized there might be something else, a life that didn’t include the Ardaks.

  But that day, when his eyes met hers, the voices had faded away. He’d had a flash of memory, a time before. When there were no Ardaks, no commands, and no chip. That had been when the anger began.

  The feeling of helpless rage intensified until his entire frame was shaking, his blood pounding in his ears. He inhaled sharp breaths, trying to calm himself.

  Cyborgs don’t have emotions.

  Since that day, he’d tried to see her as much as he could, and every time his eyes met hers, he felt a little freer. He was able to dull the voices a little more, able to gather more information about the past he couldn’t remember.

  But as his ability to dull the voices grew, his ability to dull his emotions diminished.

  And his shift was starting, which meant he had to have complete control.

  Tordan slammed his fist angrily into the wall of the cave, feeling a surge of satisfaction as cracks appeared across the surface, spreading in all directions.

  He closed his eyes, clearing his mind. Listening to the voices.

  “Keep working. Obey commands. Never slow. Never stop.”

  The constant stream of commands in his mind was quiet but insistent—no matter the time, day or night. Always giving orders, demanding he follow their directives.

  When he was ready, he started down the tunnel toward the prison. Ignoring the other cyborgs. Focusing on the voices.

  But when he arrived, there was a sight he could not ignore.

  Two cyborgs were dragging the elven prisoner between them. She was unconscious, and her slender form was limp. Her golden hair was matted and covered most of her face, and the shirt he had given her after her last beating was shredded and stained scarlet. Fresh blood dripped from her fingers and multiple lacerations on her body.

  Why do they keep torturing her?

  He didn’t know anything about her, but he didn’t believe any being should go through this much pain. He switched on his ocular enhancement with a thought, magnifying her form and checking for injuries. None looked life-threatening, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t been painful. And thinking that she had just been tortured was causing the tenuous control he had to slip.

  Be calm. Cyborgs don’t have emotions.

  Budut moved down the hall toward him, and he had to bite back the fury bubbling inside him as the two cyborgs tossed the elf back into her cell.

  “Tordan.” Budut grinned. “You missed all the fun.”

  Tordan gritted his teeth, telling himself to just play along. “I can see that. Good work.” And quit talking, so I don’t have to kill you yet. Because he definitely planned on killing Budut at some point. Budut was a rarity among them, one who hadn’t required programming to become a killing machine. Tordan idly wondered how he still seemed to feel such pleasurable emotion with the chip. Maybe it didn’t work on sadistic assholes.

  Budut’s grin turned feral. “I thoroughly enjoyed finally breaking that elf.”

  Time seemed to stand still, and Tordan’s vision darkened. “She told you the secrets of Renwyn?”

  Budut glared. “I might not have gotten the information of her realm, but I finally got the screams I was looking for. I enjoyed every second of driving those spikes one by one under her—”

  Remain calm. Don’t show emotion.

  Tordan clenched his fists.

  It was subtle, but Budut still saw it. His eyes narrowed. “I’ve seen you watching her. Maybe you . . . feel for her more than you should.”

  Tordan forced himself to frown. “No. I’m simply doing my duty. I am here specifically to guard her. If she dies, I will be punished.”

  Budut shook his head. “Not after tomorrow. The energy from the general’s crystal is almost gone, so we are going to march on Renwyn, even without the information. After the elf’s execution.”

  Tordan inhaled sharply. How are they going to get through the shield?

  No emotion. Focus on the voices.

  “Keep working. Obey commands. Never slow. Never stop.”

  He nodded once. “Good to know. I must return to my post.”

  “Enjoy the hours you have left,” Budut laughed over his shoulder as he and the other two cyborgs walked down the dark pathway.

  Tordan strode to the end of the tunnel, his steps measured, before turning into an empty cave.

  Then, once again, he slammed his fist into the stone wall as hard as he could.

  At least becoming a cyborg has made me stronger.

  His body was still covered in flesh, but he was certain that beneath it, he was more metal than man. He’d seen other cyborgs injured, seen the metal beneath the skin on some of their limbs. But not all. He fought the headache as he tried to remember what they’d done to him, what parts of him they had replaced. But it was no use.

  He shook his head, trying to clear it.

  Focus.

  They’re going to kill the elf tomorrow.

  His logical mind took over. If he were smart, he would let them. At least with her gone, he would go back to normal.

  There was a pain in his chest at the thought. He didn’t know if he wanted things to go back to normal.

  Something deep within him told him he couldn’t let her die. His attraction to her was almost magnetic, and it had been growing.

  What am I going to do?

  A voice broke in over his chip. “Cyborg Tordan. Report to General Slash at once.”

  I hate when they do that. No one should have the power to break in to my mind.

  “I’m on my way.” Tordan started down the tunnel, trying not to think about what the general might want. But as he traveled, he slowly picked up his pace until he was sprinting. They shouldn’t have called him yet. He was still on duty for another eight hours.

  That meant the general was doing something unusual.

  And he was very close to breaking.

  He hoped the general didn’t push him over the edge—or decide to execute the elf tonight.

  Because he’d already decided that she wasn’t going to die.

  And I need to be alive to come up with a plan.

  Chapter Two

  Aielle

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  The loud bangs on her cell door echoed in her ears like a death knell. Aielle's swallow stuck in her throat.

  All the prisoners knew what they signaled. Three knocks in the morning meant death by nightfall.

  The cyborgs liked to torture them with the knowledge that they had only a few hours left to live.

  But she didn’t care if they killed her—although, thoughts of how she might die made her shiver.

  Her real fear was for her people.

  Why did they decide to kill me now?

  Did the shields at Renwyn fail? Were the Ardaks killing her people even as she sat in prison? Then the worst thought imaginable crept in.

  Did they get our crystals?

  The thought forced her aching body upright.

  If the general got his crystals, she couldn’t imagine how strong the Ardaks would become. The Ardaks used the crystals to power their technology as the elves used them for magic. The crystals were how they flew their ships, powered their weapons, and controlled the cyborgs.

  And the Ardaks were powering all their forces on Aurora with only one crystal the size of her finger and few miserable slivers.

  Aielle knew that because she had been captured while leading a mission to steal them. After they had killed her mother, she wanted vengeance. At first, the mission had been a success. They had stolen his crystals, and made it through the mountain. But they were surrounded by the feral, tigerlike monsters as they fled through the forest on the other side. Her team had fought them with earth, air, water, and fire, but seven elves with magic could not overpower an army of several thousand jungle
cats.

  Aielle had never fought anything like them. Much taller than elves and even the mountain men, they ripped out their enemies’ throats with their fangs, disemboweled them with their claws, or simply used their red-bladed swords and ray guns. They could run faster than her horse, jump the length of ten.

  She had watched her team fall one by one—the fire in their eyes dying—until only two of them remained. Once they realized the Ardaks meant to capture them, she and Leithe had turned their knives on each other.

  But the Ardaks had shot them with beams of red energy.

  Aielle had been knocked unconscious and then later awakened in this cell. She hadn’t seen the outside since. Three hundred and seventy-five long, painful days. Some more agonizing than others.

  But if the general could perform an entire invasion with one small crystal and some slivers, she couldn’t imagine what he would do if he found the Renwyn crystals. All the elves had their own tiny crystals, but the set of royal crystals was magnificent to behold, and the biggest was as large as her forearm.

  To the Ardaks, the power would be nearly unlimited and there would be nothing left to stop them from cutting down more beings like they’d cut down her mother, and her team.

  And I haven’t gotten vengeance.

  She wanted to escape, to fight. But she had no weapons, no magic.

  Aielle spent most of the afternoon looking at the door in anticipation, waiting for it to open, but it hadn’t. Time seemed to drag on, the never-ending twilight of her cell wearing on her. She wanted to sleep, but such solace wouldn’t come. Every time she closed her eyes, she had terrible visions. The shield down. The Ardaks with the elven crystals. Her people dying.

  Finally, she just wanted it to be over.

  Against her better judgment, she wondered if it would be the special guard who would lead her to her death. The one whose gaze made her shiver every time their eyes met.