B Cubed #3 Borg (9 page)

            Though
it was rude, she answered his question with one of her own. “What do you know
about Dayen?”

            He
drew back, blinked and then repeated, “Dayen is what you fear?”

            Her
gaze fell to where Lily sat, tail wagging. “Will he be upset about what we did
last night?”

            He
laughed, he actually laughed at that. “Upset? Not in the least. Trust me when I
tell you that Dayen understands better than anyone else about my affliction.”

            Her
heart sank down into her bowels. “So it won’t matter to him.”

            “Well,
I wouldn’t phrase it like that.” A finger snagged her chin and forced her to
meet his gaze. “He’ll be as thrilled as I am. Does that ease your mind?”

            Exactly
the opposite, his words confirmed her dread. In writhed inside her like a mass
of oily snakes.
            “I think I have my mental defenses in place. We’ll test it if
you’ll let go.”

            She
withdrew her hand and he closed his eyes, though he could see his eyes moving
behind his lids as though searching for something. Her brainwaves perhaps?

            Then
his green eyes opened and he smiled. “Blocked. I knew I could manage it.” He
looked down on her and frowned. “You’re shivering again. You should bathe and
warm yourself as much as possible for the trip back to the tunneler.” He moved
as though he intended to carry her into the water like he had the night before
but she stayed him with a raised palm.

            “No,
I’ll do it. Would you make some breakfast?” She knew she couldn’t stomach food
but it was as good an excuse as any to get him to give her some physical as
well as mental space.

            “Of
course.” He rose and stretched, uncaring of his nudity. She moved toward the
pool so she didn’t stare at him.  Even with her back turned she could feel his
heated gaze on her, devouring her. And God help her she liked it. To punish
them both she dipped into the water and closed her eyes.

            “I’ll
bring you your clothes,” he said at last and then finally withdrew, Lily’s
nails clicking on the stone behind him.

            Sage
stewed in hot water and misery. Last night she’d thought they’d been fated to
end up alone together in the tunnel. That she was meant to give him pleasure
and reclaim the part of herself she’d lost after the rape. It had worked,
almost
too
well.  Now, she wanted Berrick, but he wasn’t the man she was
promised to. He’d probably only wanted her because she could touch him without
pain.  She’d thought there was more between them, thought they had shared
something special, that maybe he would find a way to keep her for himself. What
a joke. He seemed completely set on handing her over and completely open to the
idea of sharing her with Dayen or countless other faceless cyborgs. He might
even give them a rundown of the things she’d done to him. Her stomach lurched
again.

            One
man she could handle but to be passed around like a reward from one to the next?

            She’d
rather be dead.

            Instead
of scaring her, the maudlin thought calmed her. Her life was not her own but
ending it, that she could control.

            It
was just a matter of deciding how.

Chapter Eight

            Dayen
was in a fantastic mood as he packed up their meager little camp, even humming
to himself, something he’d never done before. Why make more noise when he was
under a constant onslaught of it? But with his mental wall fully built up and
the promise of mating with Sage on the horizon, all his other troubles seemed,
if not insignificant, at least bearable.

            He
had it all planned out. He’d carry Lily and the pack, Sage too if she tired.
The tunneler was only about a kilometer off, he could handle her weight easily.
And once they were secure underground where he knew she couldn’t get away, he’d
confess the truth to her.

            A
cloud darkened his sunny mood. He should have told her by the pool, revealed
his identity and saved her from her worry. But he wasn’t sure how she would
react and he wanted her safe and warm and able to process the truth without his
having to be on the lookout for more of those creatures that were liable to
attack.

            To
think, she’d been afraid he would hurt her for unfaithfulness. He frowned as he
stirred the soup. Well, of course he wanted her to be true to him alone, but
she had been, though she didn’t know it. And think of her relief when she
learned that the man she was attracted to was her intended mate. She might even
laugh about it, they would laugh together and then he’d have her in his bed—in
their bed— and he would take his time loving her properly, saving every sweet
bit of her. The cloud blew away, his good mood restored.

            Sage
emerged from her bath, dressed. He frowned at the garments, glad she was warm
but still sorry to see her delectable curves covered up. All he said though
was. “Feeling better?”

            She
nodded and bent to pick up Lily.

            He
studied her face, was tempted to drop his mental shield to find out what she
was thinking, but restrained himself. Curiosity was one thing but he wanted
Sage to feel comfortable around him. His telepathy disconcerted her and he’d
worked hard to give her some privacy. Tearing it down now would be a violation
and his beautiful mate deserved better from him.

            He
handed her a bowl of soup, same as they’d had for last meal the night before
but pickings were slim and then went to wash himself, humming tunelessly as he
scrubbed along his arms, down over his chest. It wasn’t nearly as nice as
feeling her hands on him, her fingers caressing his cock, or massaging his
balls or slipping down lower to all those secret hotspots she’d revealed to him
the night before. His cock jerked as he recalled the orgasm she’d wrung from
him and he was tempted to touch himself until he relived it.

            But
no, he wanted her hands, not his own. He’d refrain until they were properly
mated. Denial would make the eventual relief all the sweeter.
            He ducked under the water for one final rinse and then emerged,
calling to Sage to make sure she still had his gloves on her.

            No
answer.

            “Sage?”
Naked and dripping wet, he moved around until he could see the main part of the
cavern.

            His
bag was still there, the blankets and his shredded clothes from the night
before. But no sign of his mate or her little dog.

            Perhaps
she had taken Lily out to relieve herself. He didn’t like the idea, especially
because she’d said nothing to him of her intentions, but he clung to it as he
hurried into his spare thermals, only half dressed and thoroughly concerned.

            The
snow gleamed in the darkness and the beast’s eyesight revealed her footprints
leading away from the cave, too far to be any sort of innocent excursion.

            She’d
run from him. Not the mad dash flight of adrenaline charged fear from the day
before but a calculated flight to get away from him. Grief and raged prodded
the beast to the fore and he let it loose as he charged after her.

            His
legs ate up the distance as he powered through the darkened snowscape with the
question bouncing off the inside of his skull over and over. Why?

            Instinctively,
he knew where she was going, the only place she could go, to the tunneler and
could easily beat her there. Her route was not a direct one. Part of him wanted
to charge straight to it and wait there for her to appear. But what if
something happened to her along the way? No, he was better off trailing her for
now.

            Dayen
ran faster. 

            Her
tracks bypassed the frozen lake and moved steadily up the ridge he’d chased her
down yesterday. The tunneler was in sight now but the tracks indicated that
even though she must have seen the vehicle, she’d turned the other direction,
toward the volcano.

            His
heart in his throat, he sprinted forward, eyes glued to her small prints. What
the hell was she intending to do? She knew the damn volcano was active, he’d
told her so yesterday. Memories of the books he’d read assailed him, legends of
women who threw themselves into the volcano to appease the fire gods and save
their village. But there was no village here, no other people, just her and
him, so why was she headed there?

            The
acrid tang of lava and ask burned his nose now. Too close to the source of the
instability. He coughed and wiped his eyes.

            Dayen
squinted down at the snow and his blood flash froze. Another set of prints had
joined with Sage’s, two sets, one shod in thermal boots and a second set
identical to the beast he’d killed the day before. 

            His
mate was being stalked.

****

            At
first Sage had no real plan other than to take the opportunity to put some
distance between herself and Berrick. He would do his level best to stop her,
to return her to the head honcho. So the obvious solution was to distance
herself from him as quickly as possible. Never mind that the thought of never
seeing him again hurt her more than the idea of ending her life.  And just what
the hell did that say about her priorities?

            The
other problem was Lily. What could she do with her little dog? Lily had been
hurt enough in her life, Sage wasn’t going to cause her any more suffering if
it was the last thing she did. And most likely would be. When he’d ventured
into the water to bathe, she’d briefly considered leaving Lily behind. Surly
she could trust Berrick to look out for Lily, the two had bonded.

            But
who knew how long he’d search for her, leaving Lily alone.  No, the dog had to
come with her, at least for the time being. She’d been surprised when she’d
seen the tunneler, had even taken a step toward it, thinking she could shut
Lily in again, but then thought better of it. Berrick couldn’t be far behind
her and she didn’t want to risk his catching her up.

            Her
gaze fastened to the steaming peak. The volcano. In her jacket, Lily shivered.
There was no snow on the volcano, which she reasoned meant it was warmer than
this damn valley. She could go there and hide, wait until Berrick left.  He’d
be back, she was sure, most likely with reinforcements to help him search for
her.  She could make for the cave with the hot spring and leave Lily there for
him to find.

            As
plans went, it was incredibly half-assed, but it was the best she could manage.

            Moving
as quickly as she could through the darkness across the snow and ice, Sage made
her way to the base of the volcano. The heat reached her first, incredible
heat, as intense as the cold had been. Where the wind ripped the breath from
her until it felt like she had inhaled needles, the heat singed her lungs,
cooking her from the inside out. The ground under her feat was uneven, bumpy
with large rock formations jutting up all around her.

            She
didn’t slow, just moved around the base, searching for a decent hiding spot,
even as her inner voice murmured that she couldn’t hide from Berrick. His
beastly side would help him move faster than she ever could, his telepathy
would lead him to her. Tears gathered behind her burning eyes, from the acrid
stench of the volcano and from her own hopelessness.

            Footsteps
on the rock behind her. Her shoulders slumped and her eyes shut. He wouldn’t be
happy having to chase her here, especially when he picked her thoughts from her
head. Would he hate her now? Somehow the idea that he would made it all worse.

            All
her worries vanished when an unfamiliar voice muttered, “Well, well, what do we
have here?”

            Sage
whirled around, eyes going wide as she took in the big man standing beside a
creature that appeared identical to the one that had attacked them yesterday.
It’s lips pulled up, giving her a look at its enormous conical teeth.  Tucked
inside her thermal suit, Lily whimpered.

            “Which
faction are you?” The stranger demanded.

            “Born,”
Sage whispered, afraid to take her gaze of the best. “What is that?”

            A
scarred palm rested on top of the animal’s massive head. “My wife. She used to
be Born, too. I improved her.”

            “What?”
She jerked her eyes up and met with his. Saw the madness there.

            “I’ll
answer all your questions soon enough. For now, we need to get moving before it
finds us.” He gripped her arm and pulled her toward one of the huge
outcroppings of rock.

            Afraid
to fight less she be torn to shreds by the crazy man’s “wife,” Sage let herself
be towed to the rock, pushed down into a pitch black hole and shoved along some
sort of walkway. She couldn’t see a thing and stumbled several times, only his
hold on her arm kept her upright.

            She
lost track of how long they walked in the darkness, couldn’t measure the
passage of time in anything other than her heartbeats and even those seemed way
too fast. One of her father’s favorite sayings resounded in her mind, echoing
like a shout in to an empty cavern. Be careful what you wish for—you might get
it.

            Had
she really wished to die? The reek of death surrounded her abductor and the
creature he claimed had once been a Born woman. Suddenly, being mated to Dayen
didn’t seem quite so horrible as whatever fate awaited her at the end of the
tunnel.

             The
darkness bled into a chamber lit with multiple torches, long with high ceilings.
It was uncomfortably warm, even more so than aboveground and sweat gathered
against her skin. Lily struggled, but Sage patted her, encouraging her to keep
still.

            The
man released her, though the mutant wolf thing stood guard beside her. There was
no humanity behind those yellow eyes, nothing but deadly intent.

            “My
name is Yates.” The man said, jerking Sage’s attention back to him. He wore an
almost abashed smile, as though pardoning his rudeness for not introducing
himself sooner.  “What’s yours?”

            “Sage,”
she whispered.

            His
face lit up. “Is it really? Would you happen to be Rand’s niece?”

            This
madman knew her uncle? She nodded cautiously.

            He
leaned back against a long low rock that held various glass and stone jars.
“So, you’re the one he sold to the cyborgs. Has the leader mounted you yet?”

            “I
haven’t even met Dayen.”

            He
moved suddenly and gripped her by the arms. His eyes were alight with madness.
“Don’t you lie to me! I know he killed our son!”

            “Your
son?”

            He
shoved her down to the floor and stalked away. She caught herself before Lily
struck against the hard stone. Afraid to do more than breathe, Sage waited,
every muscle in her body frozen with terror.

            “Rand
sent me here, to run the experiments.” He muttered as though to himself. One
scarred hand went through his tufty dark hair and snagged. He yanked it free
and whirled on her, expression murderous. “But he didn’t send enough. He
promised me more test subjects. The Bred filth. No one would miss a few of
them. But he never delivered.”

            The
Bred had been emancipated more than two decades ago. How long had Yates been
holed up in this wretched place?

            His
gaze fell to his wife. “It took years to perfect, the formula. Burned through
my initial test subjects with success so close I could taste it. I did her
first, my brave Mina. She volunteered. And look at her, almost perfect. She can
sustain for days on next to no food and run for miles in freezing temperatures.
She’s made to survive, to thrive without the cyborg scum. But she can’t regain
human form. It’s put something of a strain on our marriage.” He laughed, a
horrible creepy cackle that made her shiver.

            “Sylvan
though, he could transition. But his mind snapped like a dry twig. Unstable. I
woke too much of his brain and he couldn’t handle it.”

            “But
why?” The words slipped out before Sage thought better of it. “Why are you
doing this?”