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  “What’s so funny?” she demanded ready to pick a fight with him, too.

  “I believe I owe Tyr fifty koldar. I have never seen a female defy him before. Usually they are too taken with his charm and title to refuse him anything.”

  “Titles don’t impress me.” She shrugged. “And I’m not good at following anyone’s orders. I believe I warned you about that already.”

  Tyran stepped back and let his arm fall back to his side. “I was only trying to keep you safe, mahaya.”

  “I have bad news for you, Tyran. Even if I am your mate, you still don’t get to boss me around.” She turned to Braxon. “Can you inform your system that I’m about to make contact? Maybe tell it not to treat me as an attacker at least?”

  He nodded, and then both he and Tyran went to a workstation and began making entries. After a few minutes, they stopped and looked at her. “We have done what we can.”

  She took a seat and lay her hand over what she guessed was the data node. It would take a while, but she was determined to get this done. They might have chosen her because of pheromones, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t take her new role seriously. She had been looking for a way to fight for the cyborgs and be heard. This was her chance to make a difference. When the tests came back and proved that she wasn’t their mate, then she would still be of use to them.

  It was the only plan she had.

  Tyran watched as the female closed her eyes and went still. It was as if the essence of her was suddenly gone, leaving only an empty shell behind. Without a word, he moved to her side and placed a hand on her bare shoulder. A moment later, Braxon did the same, and the two of them sat in silence as she traveled through their ship’s systems.

  Their nanotech allowed them to interface with the ship in a different way, and while he understood what she was doing, he couldn’t imagine what it would be like, or what problems she might come across. Their technology was different. He wasn’t even sure she’d be able to manage what she sought to do.

  After a few minutes, Phaedra inhaled sharply and woke from her fugue. “Your system is beautiful. Veth, I could spend hours in there.”

  “Did you find what you needed?” Braxon asked.

  “Are you uninjured?” Tyran added.

  “I’m fine, and no, I didn’t. I wasn’t even jacked in. That was just a test run to see if it was possible.”

  “And is it?” Tyran asked.

  Her delicate features folded into a frustrated frown. “I think so, but I’ve never seen technology quite like yours before. It’s a crystalline lattice design like the Pherans use, but it’s different enough I can’t access it. Not yet.”

  She drummed her fingers on the keyboard. “Until I can, we’ll have to make do.”

  “The program will continue to improve our abilities. The more we listen, the more it learns. We already speak better than we did, yes?”

  “I noticed that. So, you were linked to this system even while you were away from the ship? That’s amazing!”

  It bothered him that she was more interested in the technology than in her mates. Maybe Braxon was right and this wasn’t a true mating. How could it be, when she continued to resist them? It didn’t make any sense.

  Tyran lifted his hand from her shoulder and stepped back. Even that small bit of distance felt wrong, but he no longer trusted his instincts.

  Braxon watched him, then shook his head. “Having doubts of your own, now?” He asked, using their subvocal communicators.

  “She denies the mating bond and will not listen to me.”

  Braxon barked with laughter, then answered aloud in Vardarian. “Welcome to my world. This is what it’s like for those of us who weren’t born an emperor’s son with the world at his feet.”

  “I don’t like your world. Mine’s easier.” He glanced down at Phaedra. “If the test results prove she is ours, what then?”

  “Then we give her a reason to choose us. As for how to make that happen, I don’t have any suggestions. The females at court deemed me unworthy, remember?”

  “Phaedra is not like them.”

  “No, she is not. But that won’t make this any easier.”

  “Hello? You two realize that my name sounds the same in your language, right? So I know you’re talking about me. Which is rude. Did we discuss that yet?” Phaedra shrugged off Braxon’s hand and turned to face them. “I’m here. You can ask me anything.”

  “We were discussing the test you took,” Tyr said.

  “Cold feet already?” She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted a brow in question.

  “What does the temperature of my limbs have to do with anything?” Tyr asked.

  “It’s an expression. It means to have second thoughts. Doubts. You’re starting to think it would be better if I wasn’t your mate. It’s okay. Most people have that reaction. I’m an acquired taste.”

  He didn’t know how to answer her. Lying was dishonorable, but if he admitted his doubts, she’d be hurt. Braxon was silent, too.

  She rose from her seat, her smile bright but her eyes shadowed. “Yeah. Cold feet. I thought so. I think it’s time for me to go. I have a report to write and work to do. Do you guys sleep? When should I come back?”

  “You’re leaving?” Tyran hadn’t expected that. He hadn’t expected any of this.

  As she nodded, the console chimed. Her test results.

  “You should stay for this,” Braxon said.

  “Please,” Tyran added, earning himself a look of surprise from his anrik.

  “If it comes back negative, will I still be allowed to be your liaison?”

  “Of course.” Both he and Braxon spoke at once.

  She grinned. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you practiced that. Okay, I’ll stay and hear the results. And uh, thank you for not firing me. I mean, letting me stay on as your guide even though I’m sure we’re not mates.”

  Braxon glanced at the screen, frowned, and tapped the monitor several times. The data displayed changed, but his expression didn’t. “Tyr. Look.”

  “What is it, what’s wrong?” Phaedra asked.

  Braxon flicked his fingers and the information on the screen appeared in the air in front of them. “You’re are a perfect match for us, Phaedra Kari. You are our mahaya.”

  “I can’t be. Do the test again.” Her rejection stung, but not as much as the fear he heard in her voice.

  “The tests have already been run twice. Three will not change the answer. You are our lia jeza. A miracle.”

  “So that’s it, I belong to you now?”

  “Would that be so bad? To be ours? We Vardarians dream of the day we will find the one who will complete us. This is a joyous moment,” Tyr said.

  She backed away from them. “For you maybe it’s joyous, but five minutes ago you both had doubts. This doesn’t change anything.”

  “It changes everything, mahaya.” He reached for her, but she continued to move away.

  “You can’t make me stay here with you. You can’t make me do anything. Right now, my choice is to go. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  Braxon moved toward the door. “I will show you the way out.”

  After they left, Tyran walked over to the nearest wall and punched it with enough force to leave a dent. Being parted from Phaedra was already difficult, and that would only get worse as time passed. In a matter of days, they would all be completely in the thrall of the sharhal. If she refused their claim, they’d descend into a madness that they might never recover from.

  He ran a hand through his hair and muttered to himself. “Only a fool goes into battle with a single plan and expects to win.” It was one of his sire’s favorite expressions. They needed a new plan – or plans. She wasn’t the soft-spoken, gentle female of his dreams. She was beautiful, fierce, and strong-willed enough to walk away from them forever if they didn’t convince her to stay.

  Chapter Five

  Phaedra had spent the last hour or so hiding in her room at the Nova Club. At le
ast, that’s where her body was. Her mind was adrift in cyberspace. It was a distraction-free place for her to work as she slowly unraveled the mysteries of Vardarian technology. It was like trying to undo a tangled knot while standing in the middle of the threads. Eventually she’d find the right thread and the knot would loosen, but right now she was stuck.

  She came out of cyberspace with a growl of frustration. “I have one damned job, and I can’t even do that very well. They’re learning our language so fast that soon I’ll be totally useless to them.”

  “And hello to you, too. I was starting to wonder if you’d died in there.”

  Phaedra nearly levitated out of her chair with surprise, then spun around to glare at her visitor. “Damn it, Cynder, I swear to god I’m going to sew bells into every scrap of clothing you own.”

  “I’d be more afraid of that threat if you could actually sew.” Cynder drawled, her long legs stretched out in front of her as she slouched in the only other chair in Phaedra’s quarters.

  “Who says I can’t?”

  “The missing buttons on your favorite jacket. You do realize we have tailors on the station, right? We even have droids that could fix that for you.”

  “I’m a wee bit busy keeping the unwashed masses away from the winged wonders right now to worry about buttons. Speaking of which, are they downstairs?”

  Cyn nodded. “They’re with the guys. Well, the ones not currently on their honeymoons. So, why are they getting a night off and you’re up here, working?”

  “Because they need some downtime before we do any more meetings. It’s the same thing every time. Whoever we’re meeting tries to get them to agree to an exclusive deal before negotiations even start. It’s crazy, and it’s making Tyr and Braxon cranky.”

  “Mmhmm. That only answers half my question. Those are two seriously hot males, and they clearly want you to be the cherry on their sundae, so I’ll ask again. Why are you up here, alone?”

  “Because I have to figure out how this translation program works so I can do my job. We’re just waiting for some high-ranking executive from Axion Corporation to get here before starting negotiations, and I still can’t speak Vardarian.”

  “Before you continue down this path, might I remind you that as a cyborg, I know if you’re lying before you’ve finished speaking, and that includes half-truths.”

  Phae huffed. “Fine. I’m avoiding them. Happy now?”

  “No.” Cyn frowned and sat up. “Did they do something to you? Do I need to hurt them?”

  “Cool your boosters, no need for violence.” Phaedra hadn’t told anyone about the mahaya thing yet, but she probably should, and she wasn’t going to interrupt Alyson’s honeymoon to talk about the weird twist in her love life.

  “Then why avoid them? Can’t choose between them? Or is it something else?”

  “Choosing between them isn’t an issue. Choice is the issue.”

  “A little less cryptic for those of us who spent our formative years shooting anything that moved instead of studying philosophy.”

  “Tyr and Braxon are linked for life and share everything...including a mate. Vardarians find their mate through pheromones, and once they find her, that’s it. She’s with them for the rest of their lives.”

  “So, once they find her, they’ll have no choice but to leave you.”

  “They’ve already found her. It’s me, Cyn. I’m their fraxxing mate.”

  The cyborg blinked and then grinned. “Is that why they hauled you out from behind Zale that night? I feel like I should be congratulating you, but since you’re hiding from your mates, there’s clearly a problem I’m not seeing.”

  “Choice.”

  Cyn looked blank for a moment, then sighed. “Aha, I see the problem. In this scenario, you don’t get a choice. Are they sure this is real? I mean, you’re not even the same species.”

  “They’re sure. They ran some tests the first night. I’m their mahaya. Their mate. I’m supposed to abandon my life and my friends to go with them, and they don’t understand why that’s not okay with me.”

  “I get wanting some choice, and a little courtship might be nice, but how do you feel about them? Toro and Jaeger had to work hard before I agreed to date them, but I already knew I liked them, I just didn’t want to admit it.” Cyn gave a wry grin. “I didn’t really admit it to myself until Jaeger got himself stabbed trying to protect me. I guess what I’m asking is, do you like them that way?”

  “Tyr’s bossy, and Braxon’s got brooding down to an art form.”

  Cyn snickered. “Tyran’s a prince. I’m pretty sure expecting everyone to do as he says is part of the lifestyle. On the plus side, if you end up mated to him, that means you get to boss people around. And you didn’t answer my question.”

  “I don’t know. I think so? We haven’t had much time alone. There have been so many meetings and briefings and introductions, and when we’re not doing that, I’m supposed to be scheduling more meetings. It doesn’t give us a lot of time to get to know each other.”

  “And yet, they’re downstairs, relaxing, and you’re up here. Hiding.” Cyn pointed to the door. “We’re continuing this conversation downstairs. With drinks and friends.”

  “Zura?” Phaedra loved Cynder’s sister-in-law. The feisty blue-haired woman was quick to laugh, even though her pregnancy had advanced to the point that she couldn’t hide it any longer. Word of her condition was spreading, and they were expecting the corporations to react any day now. They were not going to be happy to learn that the first humans to be born with medi-bots would not come from the cyborg women they had tried – and failed - to make infertile, but from a human woman, the wife of the cyborgs they had always claimed were mindless machines, incapable of emotion.

  “And River, if I can get her to answer me. It’s too bad Nya took that mining job. With her gone, there’s a lack of fun females around.”

  “I’m going to miss Nya, and you’re right, River needs a girls’ night more than I do. I’m not sure she’ll want to spend time with me, though.” River was the representative of the cyborgs they had found at the station. The others had chosen to go into cryo-sleep until a place could be found for them, and they had entrusted River with the task of finding them a home.

  “Naw, she likes you. She just doesn’t know how to show it. She spent years submitting to every order and repressing every emotion she had because every time she reacted emotionally they reset her programming and wiped her memories.”

  “I wasn’t sure how she felt about me. I went there looking to be a hero and free a grateful group of prisoners. I wasn’t prepared for what we found.”

  She would never forget seeing the cold, cramped metal boxes where River and the others were housed, or the stories of degradation and abuse they suffered at the hands of the scientists and staff. The experiments and tests. The brutality and indifference.

  The females were forced to tend to the newly matured cyborgs, cyborgs created long after the corporations were supposed to have stopped production. They taught them the rules, tested their abilities, and endured their violent outbursts. As the new soldiers were made increasingly violent, the females grew to fear them. So much so, that when Phaedra and the others arrived, River and the others came to them and warned them not to wake any of the males from cryo-sleep until there was a safe place for them to recover.

  “Hey, without you, we still wouldn’t know where they were. You’re the reason they’re free.”

  Phae slammed her hand down on the desk. “That’s the thing. They’re not free. They’re sleeping, waiting for a group of people who don’t care about them to commit time, money, and resources to giving them a home. That’s why I agreed to be Tyr and Braxon’s guide. I thought it would get me in a better position to help.”

  Cyn just grunted and pointed to the door. “We need drinks to continue this conversation. Come on. First round is on me.”

  Phaedra rose and laughed. “Since you own the damned bar, I vote the first two rounds
are on you.”

  “Deal. River says she’ll meet us downstairs, and Zura is on her way.”

  The Nova Club was relatively quiet, but no matter how busy it got, there was always a table in the VIP section set aside for the owners and their friends. Cyn led the way, greeting regulars and touching base with the staff as they made their way through the crowd. The gaming tables all had crowds of onlookers and gamblers, and everywhere she looked, Phaedra could see couples and groups crowded together, eating, drinking, and laughing.

  Tonight, it was a social crowd, but on fight nights the place was packed with visitors from every race and social class on the station. Phaedra had been around for one of those events, and the electric atmosphere had sucked her in despite her reservations. She had thought it would be hard to watch her friends fight and risk injury, but the energy and exhibition of skills and power had been intoxicating. Cynder had fought that night, while her husbands cheered her on from the outside of the cage with so much pride and enthusiasm it made Phaedra envious.

  She looked over at the fight cage. The flowers and ribbons from the wedding celebration were gone, and it was back to its stark, foreboding appearance. It seemed like an age ago they’d been sitting here, celebrating the wedding. So much had happened since then.

  River was already seated and talking to Zura by the time they arrived, and Phaedra was pleased to see the newest member of the group was looking more at ease. The bustle and noise of the club were hard on her enhanced senses, and she ate her meals with hurried, frantic speed, as if expecting it to be taken away at any moment. She was tall and lean, like Cynder, with black hair and deep brown eyes. Since coming to Astek, she had cut her hair so short it was barely visible, and all her outfits were overlarge and unflattering. She did her best to keep everyone at arms-length, but she was slowly adjusting.

  “Hey, River.” Cyn dropped into a seat and grinned at the cyborg. “Glad you could join us. How you doing, little blue momma? Those babies of yours letting you get any sleep?”