Page 9 of A Mate For Matrix (Cyborg Protection Unit #1)
Chapter Seven
J ana’s bedroom floor looked like a lingerie clearance bin at closing time.
She cursed when Biscuit darted off with a third pair of her panties like a thief in the night, the lacy peach fabric flapping behind him.
She snatched another pair out of her dresser with a grumble.
At the moment, she was three for three. Butter and Honeybun had already appropriated the other two pairs.
“You three are no help at all!” Jana growled as she stepped into the panties and pulled them up.
“I’ve got a… whatever-the-hell-he-is in my living room along with a talking dog!
Did any of you ever think you’d see the day a dog could talk?
That’s right up there with flying elephants and imaginary dragons! ”
Jana shook her head at her musings and quickly snapped her bra on before she pulled out a pair of jeans and a soft, pink, cotton T-shirt with tiny rhinestones from the closet.
She hopped, shimmied, and held her breath as she yanked the denim up over her hips.
One final bounce and the button gave in.
Victory. Size sixteen, baby. Finally.
It had taken her six months to lose the weight, but she had done it.
Pulling the T-shirt over her head, she grimaced when it caught on her breasts.
Unfortunately, those hadn’t shrunk at all.
With another tug, she pulled it down the rest of the way.
She yanked open the top dresser drawer and grabbed a pair of socks before closing it and reaching for her shoes.
She sat down and hurriedly slid them onto her feet.
Jana drew in a deep breath before she walked over to the door and carefully opened it. She peeked out, looking both ways before she opened it far enough to step out.
“Stay behind…” the rest of her words died when the three kittens bolted down the hall toward the living room. “Well, so much for playing the protective momma!” she grumbled under her breath.
Jana hurried down the hall behind the kittens.
She stopped just long enough to check that the man was still lying on the floor.
Deciding it would be wiser to have her phone with her, she darted into the kitchen.
She looked around frantically, trying to remember where she had put it.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it on the counter next to the pantry door.
“Right. Pantry… dog food. That’s where I left it,” she muttered, snapping her fingers.
Jana turned and emitted a loud shriek when she realized that she was no longer alone. The man leaning against the doorway winced, and Jana’s hand flew to cover her mouth. Her gaze followed his hand as it rose to touch the large, colorful bump at his temple.
“You… I’m sorry,” she whispered, slowly lowering her hand. “I thought you were an intruder. I mean, you are an intruder, but I thought you were a bad intruder. Actually, I thought you were old man Marker.”
She clamped her lips together when the man shot her a pain-filled glare. The longer he stared at her, the darker the scowl on her face grew until she folded her arms and glared right back at him. When he raised an eyebrow at her, Jana couldn’t resist raising her own eyebrow back at him.
“You, female, do not have any sense of survival,” the man finally growled.
“My name is Jana Dixon, not female,” Jana retorted before her eyes widened in surprise and she placed her hands on her hips.
“Hey, wait a minute! If you are an alien agent or whatever, how come you can speak English?” she snapped, ignoring him when he winced at the volume of her voice.
If he had a headache, then tough! He should have knocked on the door like someone with manners.
“Translator chip,” he muttered, tapping his uninjured temple and pushing away from the wall before turning back toward the living room. “K-Nine uploaded the information while I was unconscious.”
“Oh,” Jana replied with wide eyes. “Hey, where are you going?”
“To lie down,” the man snapped. “My head is killing me.”
“Oh,” Jana said again, feeling a twinge of remorse.
Biting her lip as she deliberated, she finally released a soft groan and quickly pulled open one of the kitchen drawers. She grabbed a plastic quart-size bag and a dish towel. Turning, she hurried over to the refrigerator.
She opened the freezer and pulled out some ice cubes from the tray she had filled last night.
She dropped a dozen pieces into the plastic bag before she wrapped the dish towel around it and shut the freezer door with her elbow.
She paused by the sink long enough to grab and dampen a couple of paper towels for his face.
It looked like he’d had a close encounter with a compost pile.
“He better not hurt me after this,” she muttered under her breath as she walked back into the living room.
She moved to the long couch where the man was lying.
“Here,” she said, holding the towel-wrapped bundle out to him.
“There’s ice in it—for your head. The paper towels are for your face. You have… dirt all over it.”
The man said nothing, just took the bright red striped towel and the wad of dripping paper towels from her. He grunted and muttered what sounded like a curse under his breath when he pressed the chilled cloth against the bump.
Her lips twitched in amusement when he used his other hand to wipe futilely at the dirt on his face and neck. She decided it might be safer to put a little distance between them. She quickly stepped back and sat down in the matching chair across the room.
Her gaze wandered over the man. His hair wasn’t overly long, but it looked like he could use a haircut.
His features were dark and slightly foreign from what she could tell beneath the dirt.
His eyes were chocolate-brown with flecks of silver in them.
At least, that was what it had looked like while they had their staring contest in the kitchen.
His eyes were closed now. He was at least a foot taller than she was.
If she had to guess, she would put him at six-foot-two or three.
Jana sat on the edge of the chair and nervously folded her hands in her lap. Rocking back and forth, she glanced down at K-Nine, who was watching her with an amused expression. She pursed her lips and shook her head.
“So, you could talk this whole time?” Jana asked curiously.
“No. My system was damaged when the large transport struck me. My internal repair bots have been working on the damage to my communications system,” K-Nine replied, lifting his head when Biscuit pawed at his nose.
“Are you a dog or a wolf?” Jana asked, tilting her head to the side to study him. “You look like a mix.”
“He is a Despairing Wolfhound,” the man replied, not opening his eyes.
“A what?” Jana asked in confusion.
“My genetic base is primarily from the Despairing Wolf. The wolves originated from the Dramoline system. However, it was necessary to balance the aggressive traits of the Despairing Wolf with a species that depends on cooperation for survival. The origin of the Hound is unknown, but the species is common on many worlds. Including the Hound in my genetic makeup which makes it much less likely that I would harm my partner.”
“Harm your partner?” Jana repeated, glancing over at the man lying on the couch.
“Yes,” the man said, turning his head to glare at her. “Despairing Wolves tend to rip out the throats of any creature that is stupid enough to get too close to them. That is why they are called Despairing. There is no hope if they catch you.”
“Oh…”
Jana didn’t know what to say. At the moment, her brain seemed to be stuck.
She could feel her face flush when a puzzled expression came into the man’s eyes.
Glancing down at her hands, she bit her lip to keep from blurting out something stupid—like telling him he was pretty cute considering he was supposed to be an alien.
“So, what are you two doing here?” Jana asked, glancing back up at the man. “Where are you from? The nearest habitable planet is supposed to be like super far from us. How can you be here and not be all old and stuff? Wouldn’t everybody you knew be dead where you’re from?”
She sat back when the man muttered something to Linguine—K-Nine—in that other language she’d heard him speaking earlier.
She folded her arms and waited for him to finish before she glared back at him.
He simply turned his head so that he was facing the ceiling again, replaced the ice pack against his temple, and closed his eyes.
“What was all that about?” Jana demanded, staring at K-Nine.
“He said you ask too many questions and he should have just killed you,” K-Nine replied with a sigh. “He will be nicer when he is no longer in pain. He does not handle it well.”
“I do, too,” Matrix snapped before he released a loud sigh. “I am tired. You may have rested while you were breaking every protocol in the manual, but I haven’t. I thought you were being held captive.”
“I was damaged when I was struck by the transport,” K-Nine replied, lifting a paw and placing it on Honeybun’s tail to stop the kitten from climbing up his back. “I was distracted by a small gray creature with a long, fluffy tail.”
“You got hit while chasing a squirrel?” Jana asked with a grin. “That is so… stereotypical dog behavior.”
“I will blame the desire on my genetic programming, then,” K-Nine stated, releasing Honeybun when Biscuit pounced on the honey-colored kitten. “Why is Butter so obsessed with my tail?” he asked curiously, turning to look at Butter lying on her back with his tail caught between all her paws.
“The kittens were separated from their mother far too early,” Jana explained with a soft sigh. “They were barely a day old when they were dumped on the doorstep of the vet clinic. There were originally seven of them, but only these three survived. I think she has adopted you.”