Page 17 of Koha'vek
“He wants me,” Koha’vek said. “He is a cyborg enforcer.” To the cyborg, he added, “I am unarmed.”
That’s when I noticed the cyborg’s hand resting on his sidearm.
“I saw your light and came to investigate. I never expected to find a ‘Saark this far south in Wyoming,” he said.
“I deserted. I never wanted to be a warrior. I was conscripted and brought to this world against my will. I could not bear the cruelties Iwitnessed my kind inflicting on yours. And I loved being in these mountains. I found this dwelling unoccupied, far from any others, and I just wanted to be left alone.”
“What about you, female? What is your name?”
“Ava Blake, this is my mate Koha’vek Draal. He rescued me when a bear scared my horse, and she threw me. I was banged up pretty good, and Koha’vek took care of me. Please don’t take him. I don’t have anyone else. He’s not hurting anybody here. Those horrible men of Callum Jenkins stole my father’s ranch from me, and he was going to force me to have sex with him. So, I took my horse and ran away. Koha’vek has kept me safe, and I want to stay with him. He can’t go back; they will imprison him.”
“Sending him back to Mesaark is exactly what I am supposed to do,” he said.
“Then, who would protect Ava? Jenkins has already sent men to find Ava and take her back to him. I convinced them to leave, but I doubt we’ve seen the last of them.”
“I’m working on that. I’m Cyborg Protector Raven Blackwood. I came to the Brislow area to meet my genetic mate and discovered Jenkins’s thugs harassing her and her sister-in-law. I ran them off, but they are persistent.”
“Ava Blake, will you state for my record that you have fully consented to your relationship with Mesaarkan Koha’vek Draal?”
“Yes, I have accepted Mesaarkan Koha’vek Draal as my mate,” she replied.
The cyborg Raven Blackwood seemed to stare into space for a moment, then said, “Very well. If you stay out of trouble, Koha’vek, I will say nothing of your presence until I can find out whether the Federation will grant you asylum here,” he assured us.
Then, he turned abruptly and ran out of the house without closing the door behind him.
Chapter Ten
Koha’vek
Ava turned to me, wrapping her arms around my waist and pressing her body against me, cheek against my chest. With one arm around her, I set down my mug of tea and held her.
I didn’t trust the cyborg completely because they had been hunting my people here since the war ended. It was hard to fault them for it, considering what we had done to their world and colonies. The Mesaarkan Empire was intent on genocide of the human race until the Wholaskans intervened.
The war ended, but not the emperor’s vendetta against Earth. Instead of waging war against the humans, we became human traffickers, capturing and enslaving them. I began to hate myself for the part they forced me to play in the wretched mission.
Seeing the unspeakable things Subcommander Gar’hako did to the female human he had claimed, combined with how hetreated me, made me hate him more. I so wished I could have killed him.
I rested my cheek on the top of Ava’s head and pushed those memories of my time on Earth to the back of my mind. I knew she was as worried as I was about what our future might hold. My biggest fear was that we would be separated. I couldn’t take my mate with me to prison, and I would not even if they allowed it.
Ava stirred against me, reaching up around my neck to pull my head down and press her lips to mine. Then I stopped thinking about anything but how good it felt to kiss her.
“Can we do what we did last night again?” She asked when her mouth was free.
“Of course,meora.” My cock had started swelling in its pouch as soon as she had pressed against me. It was just something about humans that attracted the Mesaarkans to them.
Despite what I had told Ava, I had always planned to let her go because I knew it was the right thing to do. But after Jenkins’s men tried to take her back, I knew she wouldn’t be safe. And if I am honest with myself, I didn’t want her to leave. She was never a captive. The more time I spent with her, the more I came to care for her. That she asked me to be her mate was the greatest honor I could have hoped for.
We went to our nest, and I turned on a small solar light I’d retrieved from the shuttle. I set it just high enough so the room wasn’t pitch dark. As I turned back to face her, Ava had already begun undressing. She gave me a warm smile when she saw I was watching her.
I waited until she had bared her breasts before I sat down to pull off my boots, then stood to remove my pants, still observing her progress. I enjoyed the feel of her soft, smooth skin and the scent of her arousal. I especially enjoyed the way she seemed to relish my caresses, even though I am the same male she saw as a monster a few weeks ago.
I was a monster once, while serving the Mesaarkan Empire on Earth. My only regret about leaving was that I hadn’t done it sooner.
Ava was nearly finished, so I lay on our pallet and continued to watch. When she was completely nude, I extended my hand, inviting her to join me. She took my hand and lay down beside me. Turning on her side, facing me, she moved closer and rubbed her hand up and down my upper arm.
Then her hands moved over my face, gently stroking with her fingertips as though trying to memorize every plane and angle. I could not resist, cupping her breasts and kneadingthem against my hands.
For the first time, I let my tail roam over her back and legs, then eventually between them.
