The Cyborg's Redemption: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Teraz Book 3) Read online

  Rage bursts alive in his stomach. He takes a deep breath to calm himself before shaking her off. He just met her, but he knows in his gut that she doesn’t deserve what Seesil’s doing to her. It kills him that it is his fault that she is here experiencing all this bullshit.

  “You’re too weak to do anything, but Seesil should not be back for five more days. That’s enough time for you to rest and eat some damn food before escaping,” he says, looking away. This has been the plan from the start, but Pax won’t be here to help unless Gregor can reach him within the next day or two to warn him about what they are going to do.

  Rosalind leaps onto him. She wraps her arms around his shoulders and tucks her face into the crook of his neck. “I knew you had it in you to be a good guy, Gregor.”

  He pats her back, awkwardly. “Well, we aren’t doing anything until you eat and sleep. In that exact order, too.”

  She laughs, sits back, and tucks her crazy curls behind her ears. “I guess I’m going to need some fresh food because I’m not eating that stale garbage. It tastes terrible. Would it kill them to add some sugar?”

  Gregor chuckles as he gets to his feet. He grabs the forgotten bowl of oatmeal, heading for the door. He pauses with his hand on the knob. “I’m not a good guy, Rosalind. I’m just trying to clean up a mess that I made.”

  He doesn’t wait for her to answer.

  ◆◆◆

  “I hate working in the fields,” Pax complains. “Back on the ship, I never had to regulate my body’s temperature because we had AC, but here I have to, or I’d sweat. I hate sweating.”

  Gregor stretches his legs out and sets his hands on his stomach as he watches Pax pace in the small air-conditioned room. Pax looks miserable. His hair is standing on end as if he is running his fingers through it constantly, and he’s frowning. He isn’t a jokester sort like Enzo, but he is laid back just like his father, Ian. To see him out of sorts like this is entertaining.

  Pax stops in his track to glower at a chuckling Gregor. “I should have let Enzo take my place when he offered then he’d have to deal with your irritating ass.”

  “Why didn’t you? Living among a bunch of humans as he plans to help the rebels escape is his wet dream. He would have killed to be in your spot.”

  “Everyone’s pissed at you for snitching to the Malviks. This mission is just as much about your redemption as it is about helping the rebels.”

  “Speaking of my redemption,” Gregor says mockingly, “Seesil’s busy at a council meeting. It’s the perfect time to get the rebels out.”

  “How long do we have?” Pax leans against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Five days if we’re lucky.” Gregor’s thought about it on the whole way over here. The average council meeting takes three days, then there are four days of travel, but on the rare occasion, a meeting can be short or long. He’s hoping that the slimy bastards argue about whatever the hell it is they are debating.

  Pax taps a finger on his chin. “I’m going to need to contact Rodrick. They will have to be there to pick them up when we’re ready.”

  Gregor nods.

  “You’re probably dying to get rid of Rosalind.”

  “She’s not that bad,” he says. She isn’t. They might not have gotten along at first, but they have reached common ground with this escaping business. Now, how long that will last, he doesn’t know.

  “What do you want to do?”

  Gregor stands up. “Rosalind needs to rest before we make a move. I don’t know what the hell Seesil did to her, but it sapped her energy. I figure she should be good by tomorrow, and by then you should have heard back from Rodrick. Two days from now?”

  “It’ll be close, but we’ll manage. We’ve completed tougher missions before.”

  He strides over to the door, pulls it open, and a beam of sunlight pierces the cool shadows of the building. “You’re miserable out there, but imagine how much worse the people in the fields who are actually working feel.”

  Pax snorts. “Be careful, Gregor. Or else you’ll grow a heart.”

  Chapter Nine

  Rosalind

  She slept like the dead after Gregor left. He brought her a bowl of beef stew, thank God because she would have barfed if she saw another bowl of oatmeal, and she devoured it. By the time she finished, she could barely keep her eyes open. She drifted off to the sound of the door shutting, and Gregor’s stomping as he left.

  She’s beginning to believe that is the only way he walks, aggressively. His feet slam into the floorboards as he marches from point A to point B.

  He had left to speak to Pax. The cyborg who is lying to the Malviks about being on their side. He’s the one who convinced Gregor to help save them. Pax is supposed to contact his leader, Rodrick, to let him know they are ready for them to swoop in and save the captive rebels.

  That was two days ago.

  Now, she is pacing her room again as she waits. Gregor looks on from where he leans against the bed.

  “You need to calm down. They’ll be here by noon,” he says.

  “It’s almost noon! Things are too peaceful. What if they can’t make it, what will we do then?” Rosalind stops, setting her hands on her hips.

  He runs a hand through his hair. “We’ll find another way to get everyone out.”

  “What if Seesil’s on his way back?”

  Gregor sighs. “Why are you wasting your time worrying about what might happen?”

  “But it could happen. We should be prepared for it if it happens.”

  “If it happens, we’ll deal with it, but we need to focus on dealing with the other cyborgs and getting the humans out safely.”

  She goes back to pacing.

  He is right, but that thought doesn’t quell the bundle of nerves rioting inside her belly. There have been plenty of times when the rebels thought they had it covered during a rescue mission, but something awful happened. It could happen this time, too.

  There are a whole bunch of cyborgs downstairs standing in their way. Seesil could be on his way here. Heck, he could arrive at any moment! The rescue could break down. Hmm. That last one is weak because most pirates make sure their ships are in perfect condition at all times. It is part of the job, especially when that job involves outrunning the law.

  Gregor groans, hangs his head, then gets up. He comes over to her and takes her upper arms into his hands, forcing her to stop moving. “No matter what the fuck happens today I’m going to make sure the rebels get the hell out of this place. Okay? So, stop with the fucking pacing. It’s driving me crazy.”

  “Why should I believe you? You’re the reason we’re here. You’re the reason why I had to endure Seesil’s shock therapy.” Rosalind’s bottom lip trembles as she remembers the chill of the monitors getting attacked to her chest and head. The first jolt of pain when he cranked the dial up on the machine. Her back arches off the table, but the straps kept her from leaping away. The tears that rolled down her face. Seesil pleased grin as his eyes follows it down until it drops onto the chair.

  All of that is because of Gregor. He might not have meant for that exact thing to happen, but he had to know the Malviks would make them pay for their actions. The rebels are their worst enemy. The will take any chance they can get to cause them pain.

  Gregor knows that. Rosalind knows that he knows that, but yet, she still likes him. He complicated. She doesn’t know why he revealed their plan to the Malviks, but whatever reason he had it was a good one. She hasn’t known him very long, but she can tell deep down in her gut that he’s a good guy. He’ll do what’s right in the end, which means righting his wrongs.

  “But I’m going to put my trust in you,” she whispers. “Don’t let me down.”

  “I won’t,” he says as one of his hands cups her face. His eyes move to her lips.

  Her tongue darts out, wetting them before she can think about her actions. She wants him to kiss her. It’s crazy, but she can’t fight the desire coming alive inside her. No
one has kissed her before, and she doesn’t want to die without never realizing what it would be like. She goes up onto her toes and presses her lips to his. A warm glow begins in her belly, radiating outward until it takes over her whole body. Her lips tingle and she places a hand on his chest.

  He groans and takes her by the hips, tugging her to him. He hardens against her belly. A small moan leaves her lips as he begins to rock into her.

  She never thought it would be this all-consuming. His scent floods her until he is the very breath her lungs take in, and his husky grunts and groans make the outside world drift away. She can’t even feel any emotions beside the ones pouring out of him. And she likes those a lot. A frenzy type need overpowers him. Combine that with her own desire, and she’s surprised she hasn’t melted into a puddle at his feet.

  Gregor deepens the kiss with a demanding thrust of his tongue.

  She gasps as it brushes against hers.

  He chuckles. His hands leave her hips to stroke her back. He kneads her aching muscles with one hand, and the other dips low, grabbing her ass.

  Her nails sink into his chest. I could get used to this.

  Gregor stills. His lips and hands are still on her body, but the muscles beneath her hands are tense.

  “What is it?” she whispers.

  “A group of rovers is outside.” He lets her go. “Pax among them. It looks like the rescue team is here.”

  He looks down at her with sadness marring his face. His hand comes up to stroke her cheek. “Be careful.”

  “I always am.”

  He snorts, dropping his hand.

  “It’s the truth, but most of the time, my clumsiness messes me up.” She does try, but being clumsy is built into her soul. She can’t escape it. She just hopes it doesn’t rear its ugly head until after she’s done getting everyone onto the pirate’s ship.

  Chapter Ten

  Gregor

  He moves down the stairs, making sure to keep Rosalind behind him. Given a chance, she’d skate around him and charge straight into angry shouting in front of them.

  The rebels are already inside the mansion. He can hear Dawn’s loudmouth over the rest of the noise. He thought she wasn’t coming that she decided to take some time off of work, letting her sister and the rest take care of this mission. She must not have been able to resist the chance to scream obscenities and insults at the cyborgs.

  His feet hit the floor, and a cyborg goes flying past him. He whips his head around to see Enzo standing a few feet to the left of him.

  Enzo smiles. “I hope you’re fighting on our side. If not, remember I can kick your ass in a fight.”

  “Only in your dreams, jackass.” Gregor reaches behind him, snagging Rosalind’s hand. They make their way through the discord.

  “Stay close to me,” he shouts over the sounds of fists hitting flesh and bodies smashing into walls.

  “Shouldn’t we be helping them?” She presses her front to his back. Her shoes knock against his heels with each step they take.

  “We need to get to the basement.”

  “Fine.” The warmth of her breath as she sighs caresses the back of his neck.

  He shivers.

  “How are we going to get them out?”

  “Through the kitchen,” he answers.

  The kitchen is empty. Gregor pauses in the threshold, frowning. Someone should be guarding the prisoners. The only reason someone would attack would be to save them, and that means a set of guards should be outside the basement door at all times.

  But no one is here. All the guards are out there fighting the rebellion’s soldiers.

  “What the heck are we waiting for?” Rosalind asks. She stands beside him with her soft hand on his arm, looking up at him with concern.

  “This doesn’t feel right. A guard should be here, but they’re all busy with the rebels.”

  “They are sucky guards. So what?”

  They aren’t, though. Gregor went through the same training as those men, and under no circumstances would they abandon their post, especially if they are under attack. Their job is to protect the prisoners, but they aren’t doing that.

  It’s a trap.

  “We need to go.” He grabs Rosalind’s hand to lead her out of the kitchen.

  She jerks out of his grasp. “No! We’re this close to saving them. I’m not turning back now.” Before he can stop her, she rushes over to the door. She throws is open and disappears down the stairs.

  He curses but follows after her.

  The descent down the stairs is full of anxiety. He knows they are making a mistake by coming down here. He should have thrown her over his shoulder and ran out of there when he had the chance. But he didn’t. He told her his suspicions, and she shrugged them off like they were nothing.

  Cyborgs aren’t stupid. Even the ones who are brainwashed by the Malviks are smart enough to know not to leave the prisoners unguarded like this. It must mean that their main priority isn’t the rebels down here in the basement.

  Fuck.

  It’s Rosalind.

  He charges down the rest of the steps, pushes through the group of people and stops in front of her. She stands in the middle of the room, with her hands up, trying to placate the nervous crowd. Her voice is loud and strong as she reassures them that everything is going to be all right.

  “Kayla is here to take everyone to safety, but I need you all to do as I say,” she says. When a man about forty raises his hand, she snaps, “There’s no time for questions. I’ll answer every question have later, but now we need to move!”

  She nods at Gregor.

  He must be the one leading the merry band of rebels to safety. Yay. He groans, turning around to go back up the stairs. They follow behind him in an orderly line with Rosalind taking up the rear. He’d prefer if she was closer to him so he could protect her if something happens.

  Dawn and Enzo wait by the open door that leads into the backyard.

  Gregor stops in front of them.

  Dawn glares at him. If she was a few inches taller, she could look directly in his eyes and deliver her hateful glower, but she isn’t, so she has to turn her head up to meet his eyes. That has to wound the prideful woman’s ego.

  “Move your asses, people! We don’t have all day,” Dawn says as she hustles the line of rebels outside.

  Gregor stepped back to let them past, and now he searches for Rosalind’s curls. His back stiffens when he doesn’t find them. Where did she go?

  “Rosalind’s missing,” he says.

  “Shit. Maybe she went back down to make sure no one was left behind.”

  Gregor looks back at Dawn as worry crashes over him. “I’m going to go find here. Get these people on the ship. I’ll take care of Rosalind.”

  Dawn arches an eyebrow. “You’re asking me to put a lot of faith in you, dude. Why the fuck would I do that after what you did? Hell, if it was up to me, you’d be dead.”

  “I’m glad you’re not the one in charge then.” He leaves her behind. The sound of her fuming fades the farther he gets from her. His breath stills in his lungs as he races down the stairs.

  Rosalind is just coming out of the bathroom when his feet meet the floor. She looks up at him with surprise. “What are you doing down here?”

  “You can’t just go off like that. I fucking told you that I think this is all a trap. The Malviks might be on to us.” He scrubs a hand down his face. “Is everyone out?”

  “Yes,” she says as she looks around the room sadly.

  “I thought you would be happy?”

  She sighs and shrugs. “Not everyone made it to today. Some people already lost their lives.”

  Gregor walks over to her. He rests a hand on her shoulder and pulls into his side. He raises his hand to her chin, tilts her face up to look into her eyes. “Those that died were fighters. They understood what they signed up for, and their lives were on the line the moment they became a rebel. Certain paths in life aren’t easy. They knew that, but they chose i
t anyway. All we can do now is remember their names and tell their stories. Don’t forget we saved a lot of lives today, too.”

  She bites her bottom lip, casting her gaze down at her feet. “I won’t forget them because the guilt will be with me forever.” Rosalind looks around the room one more time, then leaves the basement.

  He should have told her the guilt isn’t hers to carry. He’s the one who caused them to be in this predicament in the first place. He’s the one who should feel awful, but he doesn’t. There is a small part of him who regrets his actions, but he wasn’t going to break his vow to the Malviks.

  They are deplorable, but he promised to serve them with loyalty and honor.

  And yet, he’s helping the rebels to escape. Again.

  He is going to have to pick a side and stick to it eventually because this back and forth is making him tired.

  A crash rings out from above, jarring Gregor from his thoughts. Cursing, he sprints up the steps and into the kitchen where he sees a fire raging outside.

  Chapter Eleven

  Rosalind

  Holy crap, the rovers are on fire.

  Rosalind stands there in shock, staring at the mayhem in front of her.

  She left the basement prepared to help escort everyone to the ship, but before she got the chance to do that the rovers exploded. The rebels scattered as soon as it happened.

  Fear and anger rock her body as her ears ring. She takes a few steps, slamming into a solid wall. She looks up and meets Gregor’s enrage stare.

  “Are you hurt?” He takes her body the shoulders, turning her to face him. His eyes scan her body, and his heated gaze causes her core to clench.

  She shivers, but quickly gives herself a mental slap for letting her body feel that way. They are in the middle of a battle! She doesn’t have the time to get all hot and bothered. She needs to focus on getting herself and everyone else out of this mess unscathed.