Chapter Three
Tark eased out from under Suki, who had sprawled across his chest in her sleep, and answered the call from Haftyr.
Tark, we’ve found the other females. They were under guard and we had to kill a few of the males, but the females are safe now.
He listened to Haftyr as he pulled on his boots. The human females had been treated at the clinic and were now onboard -- but no one seemed to know what to do with them. They didn’t have an extra room onboard at the moment, and no one knew where to put them. It would take days to reach Xpashta, and they would need a place to rest, somewhere they would feel safe.
Tark, you’re needed on the bridge. Immediately.
He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, wondering if he could just blow off Haftyr. The cyborg had a tendency to get on his nerves. Then again, Haftyr annoyed most people.
Tark considered giving up his quarters and placing two more cots in there, so all three females could share the space. But the way Suki had curled up next to him, the way she’d kissed him… He wasn’t ready to let go of that just yet. She would probably pick another male for her mate once she’d met the others, but for now it was nice to be accepted by a female.
Tark slipped quietly from his quarters and made his way to the bridge. Haftyr stood in the command center, his arms folded over his chest, as he glowered at Vroxtin and Crisnar, who each held a human female in their arms. The females had their eyes closed and appeared to be sleeping, but Meriko, the medic for theWayfarer, seemed concerned as he gazed at them.
“Why was I summoned?” Tark asked.
“You discovered the human females,” Haftyr said. “You should be the one who decides where they’ll sleep. These two seem to think they’ll hang onto them. Hardly seems fair to everyone else.”
Tark blinked then looked at his captain, Vroxtin, and had to admit the male did look a bit possessive over the female in his arms. The muscles in his arms bulged and he bared his teeth at Haftyr, making Tark question whether or not he should have gotten out of bed to deal with this mess. It wasn’t like he had any say over what the captain did. If Vroxtin wanted to hold onto the female, Tark couldn’t exactly tell him not to.
“You didn’t see the fear in their eyes,” Crisnar said. “You don’t know what they’ve been through. We just want to protect them. Besides, there are no open quarters onboard. Are you volunteering to double up with someone so they can have your room?”
Haftyr’s scowl deepened. That seemed like answer enough. The male was troublesome, and had he not caused problems on board theMystic7when Lathim had found Maggie, then he probably wouldn’t be here now. If Vroxtin had thought for one moment human females would be on board, Tark knew he would have asked to have Haftyr replaced. Everyone knew the male hadn’t acted sane when Maggie had been found. Tark wondered if they were about to face something similar now.
“This is Navya,” Vroxtin said, nodding at the darker-skinned female in his arms. “She was scared of me, but I was able to get her name before she passed out. The med clinic healed her, but she’s going to need care. I asked why she looked different from the other human and she said she was from some place called Mumbai. It seems that humans look different depending on where they live. It’s rather fascinating, and a bit odd.”
If travel to Earth was ever possible without scaring the little planet, Tark would love to visit sometime. It was so far away none of his people had ever been there, and they knew little about it. Other alien races had obviously found the place, since there were human slaves to be found throughout the galaxies, but it didn’t mean the cyborgs would be welcomed with open arms. With more human females coming to live on Xpashta, he knew they would need to find as much information as possible about the planet that created such alluring females.
“This is Fenella,” Crisnar said, nodding toward the redhead in his arms. She was curvier than any human female Tark had seen before, and so pale he feared she was dying. But the way Crisnar cradled her against his chest, Tark knew the male wanted to claim her. Perhaps she’d been awake long enough to agree.
“You’re both keeping them in your quarters, aren’t you?” Tark asked. “What if they bond with someone else?”
Vroxtin glared at him and Tark lifted his hands and took a step back.
“If Fenella wishes to be with another male, I won’t stop her,” Crisnar said. “But until then, I’d like to be the one to take care of her. She was badly damaged and needed a lot of healing. She passed out in the med bay.”
“I will be happy to assist with either female if they need additional medical care,” Meriko said. “I’ve been studying humans since Maggie, Jillian, and Shaylee arrived on our world, and I’m confident I could help if they need medical assistance.”
Haftyr growled and stomped out of the room. Tark shared a look with the remaining males, and they all knew something would have to be done with the surly cyborg. Everyone on Xpashta wanted a mate, except for the few who already had one. For some reason, Haftyr seemed to think he deserved one more than anyone else, and it was turning him into a male no one wanted to deal with.
Tark wasn’t sure if the females on board would be safe around Haftyr, but they couldn’t exactly demand the cyborg remain behind. He’d keep a close eye on Suki, unless she wanted to be with the surly Haftyr. If that was the case, he would step back, even though he wished more than anything that he could keep her for himself. Suki was the only female to not shrink away from him in fear, or at least give him a wary look. She accepted him, trusted him, and it was a feeling he would cherish always. Even if she didn’t want to stay, the feel of her pressed against him in his bunk would be with him for the rest of his life.
“If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my quarters,” he said. “It seems the two of you have everything under control.”
“I’m sorry that Haftyr pulled you away from your female,” Vroxtin said. “I think it would be best if he didn’t go on future missions for a little while, not until he’s mated.”
“If anyone will mate him,” Crisnar said.
Tark refrained from commenting. Even though Haftyr wasn’t the most pleasant cyborg, at least his changes weren’t on the outside of his body -- other than his stark white hair, which all Zelranian cyborgs had. He didn’t have metal extremities that everyone could see, unlike Tark. Even though his mechanical arm gave him an edge in battle, there were times he wished he wasn’t as different on the outside. When Wrylack had found a mate, he’d thought maybe there was hope, yet all females had still given Tark a wide berth. Until Suki. Was it wrong that he wanted to hold onto her? To make her his?
When he got back to his quarters, Suki was awake and looked fearful as she pressed against the wall, her knees bent and the covers wrapped tightly around her. The relief in her gaze as she saw him made him feel bad about leaving her without a word. He hadn’t thought he would be gone long, and she’d been sleeping so peacefully. Next time, he’d know to wake her before he left.
“I didn’t know where you were or if you were coming back,” she said.
“I’m sorry if I scared you. It wasn’t my intention. There was an issue that needed my attention.”
“I thought… I thought maybe you didn’t want to share your room with me.”
