Breathing Vapor (16 page)

Finally. She moaned, forgetting his order to remain quiet. The fullness was divine. She had thought she’d never feel this way again. Alive. Needed. His.

Vapor folded his fingers over her hips, gripping her tightly and slid deeper and deeper. She turned her head. Strive unabashedly watched them, his cock twitching along his leg.

That should have mortified her. Instead, his gaze drew more moisture from her core. Vapor was claiming her in front of his friend. No being would doubt she was his.

His hips pressed against her scorched skin. He stopped, their bodies joined.

“You short my circuits, Mira.” Vapor massaged her ass, rubbing his fingertips into her tensed muscles. “Every time we touch.”

“Strive is listening to us.” She struggled to adjust to her cyborg’s size.

“And what does he hear?” Vapor pulled out slowly, his shaft tugging at her pussy lips. “That my female is the best.” He drove back into her, shaking her body. “And she is. She’s fierce, strong, beautiful. No other female can compare to her.”

He pulled out, drove back into her, pulled out, drove back into her. Mira swayed against him, her fingers spreading over the wall, her clutch on his cock loosening.

She couldn’t see him. All she could do was feel, his hips branding her ass, his balls smacking her skin, his rock hard thighs pounding her curves.

“Yes. Yes. Yes.” She filled the silent chambers with her sex talk, urging him to take her faster, deeper, meeting each of his thrusts midway.

He lowered his physique once more over hers, clasped her shoulders, and pistoned in and out of her. Skin glided over skin. His muscles rippled, his biceps bulging. The delicious scent of him—metal and male—filled her nostrils.

Her arms and legs ached. Her ass was on fire. Her pussy constricted around his shaft. Yet Mira smiled, unable to contain her happiness. Vapor was here, with her, inside her.

Then he hooked one of his arms around her, cupped her mons, located her clit with one of his fingertips, and her smile faded. It was too much, the pressure, the need.

“Don’t fight this.” He teased her earlobe with his lips. “I have you. I’ll always have you.” He rubbed her clit.

“Fuck,” she screamed, bucked upward, her world shattering. Her spine smacked against unrelenting cyborg chest, skin and muscle covering his metal frame. Shards of her flew in all directions, fragmented by passion.

She clenched down on his cock.

He roared and drove deeper into her. Hot spurts of nanocybotic-infused cum hit her inner walls, setting off another wave of brain-frying bliss.

“Fuck.” She tried again to dislodge him, writhing under Vapor’s big body. The remaining pieces of her ground into dust, the ecstasy making her head spin and her legs shake. He wouldn’t release her, holding her to him.

“Can’t.” She lost her grasp on the wall. Her knees buckled.

He caught her and she hung in the air, supported only by her cyborg. This show of strength would have impressed the fuck out of her except her mind was liquefied.

Vapor mumbled comforting words she didn’t have the capability of interpreting, her form ablaze with joy, with him, his nanocybotics bubbling within her.

As she calmed, he straightened, taking her with him. Her skirt lowered, covering her nakedness. Although he’d pumped her full of cum, none dripped down her leg. All of his essence stayed within her.

Vapor brushed her hair over her shoulder and pressed his lips to the back of her neck. “
That
is how a cyborg handles his bad human female, Strive.” The bastard sounded smug. “She won’t misbehave again.” He turned her. His face was soft with caring. “This planet rotation.” His lips twitched.

Chapter Fifteen

Moments later, Vapor’s fingers twitched once more, the need to smack Mira’s lush ass intense.

None of the cyborgs had known they had three tracking devices hidden on their forms. His fraggin’ human, however, had been aware of their existence. She hadn’t mentioned this possible blip in their escape plan to him. Not once.

She’d prissily stated that she assumed they knew and, in case they hadn’t, she had planned for their removal to be broadcast. But that would have been placing the fate of the entire batch in Strive’s and Grin’s hands. If the relay of information had failed and the tracking devices had remained in the cyborgs, the Humanoid Alliance would have easily located them.

“We’ve extracted the two tracking devices from Strive’s wrists.” His female recapped for him and for the cyborgs watching the broadcast. The ship his brethren had been loaded on wouldn’t depart until sunset. They’d have time to duplicate the operation. “The third tracking device is attached to the twelfth vertebra.”

She counted down from the base of Strive’s skull. Vapor didn’t like that she touched another male but the contact was necessary. Only she knew where the devices were located.

“Here. See.” She grabbed his index finger and placed it on his friend’s spine.

He felt the ridge under his fingertip. “I’ve got it.” He raised the laser scalpel.

“Make the incision as small as possible.” She hovered over him. “Minimize his pain.”

The pain can’t be worse than it was with the wrists
, Strive shared over their private transmission lines.

It is, much worse.
When Mira had removed Vapor’s tracking devices, the agony had almost blinded him.
Hide your reaction.
I convinced my female not to risk her life to steal pain inhibitors for us. If you make her feel bad about that decision, I’ll detach your skull from your neck.

Vapor cut into the tanned skin.

Strive inhaled sharply.
Fraggin’ hole. Kill me now.
Blood seeped from the wound.

You’re acting like a newly manufactured unit.
Vapor handed the laser scalpel to Mira, took the grippers she held out.
Cyborg up.

Strive wasn’t the best cyborg, not by the Humanoid Alliance’s standards, and not by Vapor’s. The male’s kill rate was embarrassingly low. His body was weak. Vapor had defeated him easily in battle.

But Mira had taught Vapor that strength came in different forms and not all skills were obvious. Strive had bravery and honor and had pledged loyalty to his female.

“Reach between the two metal plates.” Mira leaned over his shoulder. “Don’t yank the device out. There’s a button on one end. Press it and the tracking device should easily detach.”

Vapor followed her instructions, extracting the mechanism. She buffed it with a cleaning cloth and he wiped the blood from his friend’s skin. The wound had already pulled closed. He taped the tracking device over the vertebrate directly above it.

Another boom rocked the space. The structure shook. The insurgents were attacking closer and closer to the compound.

“We have to leave.” Vapor donned his body armor. Strive did the same. “Before the fighting begins in earnest.”

Beings gathered in the tunnels below them. The fools were planning to storm the compound. They had more of a death wish than his female.

The floor shook once more. Powder fell from the ceiling.

“We should stay here.” Mira returned the medical supplies to her pristine white pack. “I can deliver you to Lydna’s domicile next planet rotation.”

“No, you can’t.” Their transport off Tau Ceti would leave before then, and she might do something reckless, like try to save the newly manufactured units.

Vapor filled holsters and sheaths with guns and daggers. The next stage cyborgs would protect the youngsters, decimating the insurgents if that was necessary.

“But—”

“No buts.” He leveled a hard glance on Mira. “You promised to obey me.” His gaze dropped to her feet. Her footwear wouldn’t protect her from shit.
Strive, find my female some boots.

Consider it done.
The cyborg slipped out the door.

“Do you know how to use a gun?” Vapor chose his smallest, lightest gun.

Mira eyed it with trepidation. “I’m not a good shot.”

“But you could use it in an emergency.” He slid the lever to inactive, pressed her thumb to the trigger, and then accessed the controls, calibrating the weapon so she could shoot it.

“Well…”

He positioned himself behind his lush female, relishing her curves, and he placed her fingers around the gun. “Slide the lever toward you.” He forewent that step, not wishing a projectile in his foot. “Aim.” Vapor guided her hands, lifting the gun, pointing it at the far wall. “And press the trigger.” He moved her right thumb over the button. “That’s it.” He rested his chin on top of her head. Her curls were sinfully soft. “You can protect yourself if you’re parted from me.”

“I will be parted from you.” She sighed.

“No, you won’t be.” Vapor tucked the gun into a pocket hidden in her full skirts. “Lydna is the new target.”

Mira glanced up at him, her eyes widening. “You can’t kill her, Vapor.”

His lips flattened. “Do you doubt my abilities?” He was the best. He could kill any being.

“At the moment, I’m doubting your logic.” She turned within the circle of his arms. “The Humanoid Alliance is fighting multiple wars. They’ll consider finding two misplaced cyborgs to be a low priority. Eventually they’ll forget you existed. Kill the wife of a council member and that will change. They’ll hunt you with all of their resources and when they find you, you’ll be decommissioned. You’ll die.” She placed her small hands on his battle armor, her eyes reflecting genuine concern.

His female cared for him. His chest warmed. “You’re assuming we’ll be blamed for her death. We’re in the middle of a battle.” Judging by the activity in the tunnels below them, the battle would grow fiercer before it ended. “Their domicile has already been breached once.” The insurgents would target it again. Capturing a council member would be a prize they’d be unable to resist. “No being would be shocked if Lydna was killed.”

They wouldn’t be surprised if Mira, the Designer’s daughter, went missing in the chaos of battle either. They’d presume she was dead and not search for her. She’d be free.

Strive returned.
These are the smallest I could find.
He lobbed the boots at Vapor.

They’ll suffice.
Vapor placed the footwear on the floor and knelt before his female. “Give me your foot.”

She complied. He slipped off her useless shoes, placed her pale dainty right foot in the corresponding boot and fastened it. The boot was large but it would protect her.

“Your other foot.” He reached for it.

“I can put on the boots without any help,” she grumbled, her face pink.

He liked taking care of her. She’d been alone for a long time and deserved having someone care for her.

Vapor swept his fingers over her sole and she wiggled her toes. “You have help now.” He fastened the second boot. The hem of her garment concealed her footwear. “You’ll accept it.”

Mira grabbed his wrist and squeezed it, not meeting his gaze, not saying a word. She didn’t have to. He felt the understanding in her touch.

Vapor stood. “You’ll exit first. Strive and I will follow you.”

She nodded. “I can do this.” Mira fixed a look of icy disdain on her beautiful face, and sailed out of the structure, her head held high, her shoulders straight.

Frag. She was a force. Vapor trailed her, surveying their surroundings for possible threats. They didn’t see a single being as they made their way toward the ship.

He pressed his lips together. The human warriors couldn’t be counted upon to safeguard any being, especially not his precious female.

Tell the next stage cyborgs to be observant and wary. They must protect the youngsters,
he informed Strive.

The humanoids would be foolish to attack the compound.

The humans consider us unprocessing machines, despite knowing we’re half organic.
Vapor closed some of the gap between him and Mira.
They believe my female’s lies. They wage war on beings that are more similar to them than different. Their foolishness knows no bounds.

Mira entered her small ship, claimed her usual seat. Vapor and Strive sat across from her. The door closed. His female confirmed the ship hadn’t been tampered with.

“Strive will navigate the ship through the fighting.” His friend had tapped into Humanoid Alliance communications and was monitoring the hot spots.

“Thank you.” Mira gazed at Vapor for one moment and then moved from her seat to his lap, settling her curves over his battle armor-covered cock, relaxing into his physique.

He wrapped his arms around her and breathed in the sweet scent of her skin. Her touch grounded him, giving him a contentment he’d grown to crave.

“I’ve never intentionally killed a being.” Her voice was small. “Lydna is bad. The universe will be better off without her. But I don’t know if I can shoot her.”

“You’re not shooting her.” Vapor covered her hands. “I am.”

“She’s my kill.”

He couldn’t argue with that claim. Lydna had killed Mira’s mother, Pepe, other beings she cared about. “You’re part of me and I’m part of you.” He layered his fingers over hers. “Let me be your hands. Allow me to do this for you.”

She hesitated for one telling moment. His kindhearted female didn’t want to kill any being. “I can’t give you that guilt.”

“There would be no guilt.” Lydna had no integrity and had hurt his female. That warranted death. Vapor would kill her and not think about her again. “I was designed for this.” As Mira was designed for saving beings, taught to do so at a young age by her mom.

She didn’t say anything.

Vapor held her and scanned their surroundings. Projectiles grazed the ship. One hit the hull. They swayed. Mira gasped, linked her fingers with his.

Damage my female and I’ll kill you
, Vapor warned Strive.

If I damage your female, I’ll relish that death.
The cyborg’s hands flew over the control panel.
She’s the only being in the universe who believes in me, who thinks my life is worth saving.

The ship steadied.

Then you must think I’m a fool.
Vapor gazed down at Mira.
Her life means everything to me and I’m trusting you, a cyborg I supposedly don’t believe in, to safeguard it.

Silence fell between them.

I could have asked Ace or Thrasher or another cyborg to help me protect Mira,
Vapor added.
I chose you.

I won’t disappoint you.
Emotion choked Strive’s transmission.

The fighting raged on. Vapor reached out to Ace and Thrasher through their private transmission lines. They updated him on their status. The transport ship remained in the docking bay. Supplies were being loaded.

The crew had boasted that they’d physically and sexually abused the cyborgs they’d previously transported, promising to do the same to Vapor’s brethren. It had taken the combined efforts of both Ace and Thrasher to convince the cyborgs to wait to kill the human males.

They needed the crew for takeoff clearance. Then they could end the humans’ dishonorable lives.

Another projectile rocked the ship. Mira gripped him tighter. “They’re fighting in multiple districts. Quite a few beings must have escaped the purifying.”

He heard the hope in her voice and braced himself.

“Pepe might have survived it.”

“She didn’t survive it, Mira.” She’d already grieved. He wouldn’t allow her to bring Pepe back to life in her mind. “That was her blood outside her domicile.”

“Oh.” Her shoulders slumped.

Vapor drew her closer to him.

“X might have survived the purifying,” was Mira’s next shared thought. “Couldn’t he have?”

He could have but it was unlikely.

“Yes, X survived.” Her blonde head lifted. “He has the sun stones. He bought passage for himself and for some Tau Cetian children off the planet. Right now, they’re happy and safe, gazing out of their viewscreens at the stars, not knowing about the fighting here.”

Vapor remained silent, listening to Mira’s musings, allowing her this possibility. He couldn’t disprove it and it seemed to bring her a sliver of peace.

The insurgents are attacking the walls around the domicile
, Strive observed.

Can we make it through?

The human warriors have created a hole in the enemy lines. We should make it.

Vapor folded his body protectively over Mira’s curves. The ship shuddered, jerked to the right, corrected to the left, shot through the opened gates.

He exhaled. They were inside the walls, safe.

The ship slowed as it approached the domicile.