Saving Her Cyborg: Trizonnen Colonies, #3

By Astrid Eliasen

I'm brave enough to save him, but am I brave enough to give him my heart?

 

As my dome's war leader I've kept the cyborg clans at bay longer than anyone. But eventually it's not enough. The only way to save my people is to sacrifice myself.

Soon I end up in the clutches of a notorious cyborg warlord. Expo claims I'm free but there are guards outside my door. He claims he won't mate me but I saw the way he looked at me. 

I know my enemy and I've never met a cyborg who kept his word.

So why do I feel safe when he's around? Why do I want to throw myself into his arms and never leave? Why does it feel so right to have his nanites flowing through my veins?

 

This spicy instalove romance is set on a dangerous world with threats and violence and heroic cyborgs who truly love their women. If you like protective heroes, daring heroines, and true love, you'll love Alli and Expo's story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Astrid Eliasen
• Release date: Apr 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9798223354826

Book preview

Saving Her Cyborg

A Bite-Size Sci-Fi Romance

Astrid Eliasen

Copyright © [Year of First Publication] by [Author or Pen Name]

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

Contents

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

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One

The dome is more important than one life. I reminded myself of our motto as I braced for the killing stroke.

Oh, did you think I was going to kill you? How quaint. No, I’m going to kill them. The cyborg’s hot breath sent a chill down my spine and with the chains around my wrists, I couldn’t move away.

Two of Rust’s men stalked through the crowd. My people shrunk back, but there was nowhere to run. My knees shook as one grabbed my little brother Benny. The skirt of the village grandmother he’d been clinging to tore, the fabric failing, letting my brother be taken away. Her wails mixed with his while I stood stoic.

Another cyborg approached the woman holding baby Suzie. I’d cared for Suzie since her parent’s death during a cyborg raid six months ago. I couldn’t keep from flinching as she was ripped away from caring arms.

And they’re just the beginning. Rust smirked down at me with a face that had haunted my nightmares for years. Now, are you ready to make a deal with me to save your people? I tested the cuffs holding my hands tight behind my back.

The dome is more important than two lives.

But those two lives? I couldn’t. Both of those children had been through so much. They’d become war orphans, gone without a real family. I wasn’t a mother. As the dome’s war leader, I was barely a big sister. They deserved better than this.

For the last five years, we’d agreed, and fought, to never submit to cyborg rule. Now, as their war leader, I was being asked to reaffirm that decision by sacrificing the only family I had left.

If I didn’t agree, Rust and his men would never be able to hold the dome. On my word, my people would rebel. Eventually, we’d kick out the invaders, but at what cost?

I didn’t want to make that decision. I was only 19. For three years, I’d been deciding how much loss of life was acceptable in exchange for this shadow of freedom. I didn’t want to do it anymore.

Maybe I could distract him, get him to focus on me instead of the kids...

I thought treaty by marriage went out of style centuries ago. I played up sass I didn’t have.

I wasn’t talking marriage. There was a glint in his eye that made my skin crawl. So, that’s a no? I couldn’t respond.. my people…my family... Men, you know what-

The echo of my brother’s screams tore my heart to shreds.

I’ll do it! The words came out before I could stop them.

Issue the orders. Tell your people to stand down.

Faces burning with the agony of betrayal stared back at me, making the words stick in my throat.

Rust grabbed the link between my cuffs and lifted. Pain burned up my arms until I gave in.

Nobody rebels. Nobody fights back. Rust and his men are our overlords now. Do you understand? My voice squeaked, not giving the picture of a commander that Rust wanted. The nods and mumbled replies did nothing to comfort him.

If anyone fights back, anyone, he growled the word in my ear for emphasis, then we’ll kill her.

I wished my people wouldn’t care about that. I’d die if that kept them out from under Rust’s thumb, but from their wide eyes I knew they would. They’d spent too much time with me as their leader. They thought they owed me.

I fought the urge to scream at them to fight. But Rust’s men still had my family.

Good. Now that we’re on the same page, his voice rose to a booming echo, men, welcome to your new home. You know the drill.

As the whop of the cyborgs faded, something slammed into the back of my legs, knocking me to the ground. My knees scraped the hot sand. This was my life now, pain and torment. Using the cuffs as leverage, Rust dragged me to the tank cruiser that had invaded my dome.

Any trouble from you and they’ll start playing their favorite games. He hissed. Your family, that precious little boy and the baby you adopted, will be the first losers.

With that, he threw me into the cruiser. The air that whooshed from my lungs created a miniature dust storm as I crashed to the gritty metal floor. Swirls of grime were crushed and then reawakened by the thundering footsteps of Rust’s men as they climbed over me.

I was lucky they weren’t stepping on me. I knew that. But as the doors closed, I didn’t feel lucky. I felt hopeless. Rolling over, I scooted to the edge of the vehicle and pressed my back to the metal. I’d barely managed to close my eyes when hands tucked under my armpits and pulled me up.

Not so fast, growled the cyborg who pinned me to the wall.

I suppressed a grumble about not being allowed to sleep. After