“I love you, Zaya. I will always come back to you.”
“And I love you,” she whispered and smiled tenderly at me.
I rested my forehead against hers. “Now, what can I do to help you finish dinner?”
“You could set the table while I finish the salad. Everything else should be ready soon.”
Zaya
We had a lovely meal of roasted chicken, potatoes, and salad. I had also made apple dumplings because I wanted it to be a special night before Steele returned to duty. While I was just a little uneasy about being left alone for the first time since we returned to my ranch, I was fairly confident that I would be just fine.
“Do you think the Mesaarkans will attack again?” I asked between bites as we were eating.
“We think, after the way we put down their attack in Gretchen, that they will hesitate to strike again anytime soon.”
“But you can’t be sure, right?”
“We calculate the odds at 80% that they will not strike again within the next ten days. However, we have no data on how many Mesaarkans are involved with those we captured or killed.”
“What will happen to those you captured?” I asked.
“Our treaty with them gives them diplomatic immunity. Those Mesaarkans who are captured alive will be returned to Mesaark.”
“What about the ones we killed? Will they come after us for that?”
“We will not be punished. The Saarks were on Earth committing crimes, attempting to abduct humans for the slave trade. They fired on us first.”
“But not the one I killed. He came toward us. He didn’t even point his rifle at us. I just shot him,” I admitted.
“Only because he did not see you as a threat. You don’t know that he wouldn’t have shot you if you’d hesitated. If you hadn’t killed him, I would have,” said Steele. “Mesaarkans have killed and enslaved billions on this world alone. These Mesaarkans have broken their treaty and come here at their own risk. After what you suffered at their hands, no one will blame you.”
Steele reached across the table and took my hand.
“When you put it that way, I guess I don’t feel so bad.” I didn’t tell him that I felt worse about killing the chicken we had for dinner, even though it was delicious.
We finished eating, cleaned up, and put the stock in the barn. Back at the house, we stripped off our clothes to take a shower together. We barely got wet before Steele pressed me up against the shower wall and fucked me. He didn’t have to ask; he just knew I wanted him.
I’m sure it was the result of smelling my arousal for the last couple of hours. All he had to do was press against me and kiss me, and I wanted him.
Eventually, we finished the shower, dried ourselves, and went into the bedroom, where he took me again from behind on the bed. That night, we seemed to be insatiable. I know it was because of our impending separation because Steele didn’t knowfor certain how long he would be gone. The prospect of being apart weighed heavily on both of us.
After keeping me up half the night, Steele got up early, did all the chores, and made breakfast. Maybe it was all the nanites I received through our frequent breeding, but I realized I didn’t get as tired from our extended mating sessions as in the beginning.
I had deliberately not dressed for breakfast. I came to the table wearing only an old robe. After breakfast, Steele not only kissed me goodbye, he set me on the counter, pushed open the sides of my robe, and fucked me one more time before he left.
It was deliciously naughty, and I loved it.
Chapter Fifteen
Steele
Before finding Zaya I would’ve been excited to go on patrol in search of a Mesaarkan base. But now, I approached it with barely any enthusiasm. Of course, I would do my job with careful attention to detail, but I would pine for my mate in the back of my mind for as long as I was away from her. I forced my thoughts back to the task at hand. Too many lives depended on finding the source of the alien incursion and stopping them from stealing our citizens.
Zaya was as safe as I could make her without remaining at her side. The only visitors to her ranch since we returned there together were my fellow cyborgs Trinity, Raven, Lieutenant Hawk, and his mate Jenny. The AI defense system would notify me of any significant potential threat. Zaya was armed with a mini-ion rifle and trained to use it.
I flew to my assigned quadrant at top speed with my full cockpit engaged on my sky cycle. When I reached the mountain range, I retracted the cockpit and activated my body armor so that I could engage my HUD-enhanced visuals. I glided at low speed over the peaks and valleys of the South Western Montana Mountains.
I cast off a squadron of bee drones to extend my reach as I scanned the landscape meticulously. It was a slow process that would take several days to complete. Twenty-four hours later, I had found nothing and reported back to Sergeant Rowe. Withhis permission, I flew back to the ranch to spend a few hours with Zaya and replenish myself.
