“It’s even better now since Steele surprised me with a new cooker to replace my wood cook stove. I mean, we didn’t get rid of it, but I don’t use it much since we got this.”
“That definitely makes things easier, although I am not much one for cooking. My Sister Raya is the cook in our family. I guess you’d call me the black sheep. Before I met Shadow, I was a bodyguard to a crime boss back in Kansas.”
“Kansas? How did you wind up here?” I asked.
“I was visiting my sister, and she was kidnapped. Her cyborg mate, Falcon, went to get her back, but he called Shadow to check on me, so he flew down from Gretchen. It turned out to be a shocking experience for both of us as we never expected to be genetic mates. I have to admit, I wasn’t ready to be anyone's mate at the time, but you know those pheromones,” she chuckled, and so did I.
I gestured for Jenny to sit down at the table while I got out two mugs and poured some homemade herbal tea, adding a teaspoon of honey to each.
“Oh, don’t I know it? Despite everything I’d been through, I felt it as soon as Steele picked me up in his arms to carry me out of there.”
“Are you doing okay now mentally? Did the nanites gene therapy ease the painful memories?”
“It did.” I carried the mugs to the table, set one in front of Jenny, and took a seat across from her. “I didn’t forget. Now, it seems like it happened years ago, although it’s still not a pleasant memory.”
“I understand better than you know. When I was younger, I ran away from home with my boyfriend, and we went to a city called Washokan. We got jumped by five guys. They raped me and made him watch. Then they killed him in front of me. That was over ten years ago. Their second mistake was that they didn’t kill me. When I recovered, I hunted them down and killed every one of them. I’m not sorry, but it didn’t take away the pain.”
“Jenny, I’m so sorry for what you went through.”
“And I am sorry for what you went through, Zaya. I’ve been worried about you since we rescued you from that bastard Saark. I wanted to let you know I understand and that I’m here for you, and I hope we can be friends.”
“Thank you, I’d like that,” I smiled, and she smiled, too. “The closest thing I had to a friend my whole life was my mom. In the last few years, I’ve only been to town once or twice a year. Before Steele, I’d been living here alone with Bruno and the animals.”
“Of course, you’ve fallen in love with him.”
We laughed together. “How could I not?”
It was so good to have the company of another woman who seemed to understand what it was like to be a female on her own and to be mated to a cyborg. We’d been talking about shooting and weapons, a fresh new topic for me. I thoroughly enjoyed her company and looked forward to spending time with Jenny again, even before she left.
Steele
Bruno came trotting up as Shadow and I walked toward the barn. I squatted down to pet him as we had become friends since I arrived. “Zaya is very fond of her dog, and I have come to enjoy his company. Somehow, he kept himself and all her animals alive for almost three months while she was gone.”
“Well, I’d say that’s pretty impressive.”
“After what I saw that Saark had done to her—I shouldn’t have waited to come to find her. She might never have been taken.” I stood shaking my head.
“How would you know? We had no Intel to indicate a Saark base that large in our region.”
“I just wasn’t ready,” I admitted.
Shadow laughed softly. “I don’t know that many of us are. Even though it’s the most sought-after thing in our lives, it can be unsettling. I know I wasn’t ready on the day I met Jenny. I was completely blindsided and awed at the same time.”
“I’m glad you and Jenny came over. Zaya lived here for years alone before she was kidnapped. All she had was her dog and not even a horse for transportation. She’s got to be one strong woman to have survived on her own all this time. She hasn’t said much, but I know she was lonely, and a woman needs female friends.”
“They seem to be getting along pretty well,” said Shadow.
Despite the fact that we were outside the ranch house, we could both hear their conversation quite easily with our enhanced cyborg hearing. Giving the lieutenant the tour of the farmyard was merely a ruse to give the two women time to get acquainted and bond without us hovering over them.
“Today, I spent the day preparing Zaya for my return to work when the time comes. She has weapons now to defend herself, and she knows how to use them, but I am not yet ready to leave her on her own. I feel like I need to make up for my hesitation to enter this relationship until the choice was no longer mine to make. I need more time to make sure she will be safe when I am away on the job,” I said, meeting his gaze.
“No need to explain, Steele. When I told you to take the time you need, I meant it. So far, there haven’t been any more incidents since we cleared out the Saark base where we foundyour mate. I think you will know when it’s time to return to your job. In the meantime, if you need to talk, let me know.”
Chapter Ten
Steele
A few weeks later, I was on my way back from collecting eggs to make breakfast for my mate when a bleep on my internal computer signaled an incoming call on the Cyborg Network.
