Page 19 of Human Reclaimed (Cyborg Planet Alpha #2)

NINETEEN

TALIA

Water cascaded down our bodies as we stood entwined in Rune’s shower. Steam swirled around us like morning fog over a battlefield, but this was far sweeter. Rune’s large hands traced my back as I savored the lingering ache in my muscles from our night together.

“If you keep looking at me like that,” Rune murmured against my ear, his deep voice sending shivers through me despite the hot water, “we’ll never make it to the security center.”

I laughed and pressed a kiss to his chest, right over one of his scars. “Would that be so terrible?”

His arms tightened around me. “Five days until the pirates arrive. As much as I’d rather stay here with you, we have a colony to protect.”

I sighed, leaning my forehead against his broad chest. “I know.”

The memory of last night played through my mind like a fever dream—the moonlight on the water at his private oasis, the way he’d held me against the wall the moment we’d returned to his quarters, not even making it to the bedroom.

No man had ever made me feel so wanted and so needed.

So loved. It defied logic that in just five days, I’d fallen for someone who had technically kidnapped me.

But some things transcended logic. The way our bodies fit together.

The way he’d opened up about his past, raw and vulnerable, telling me about the weight of surviving when so many of his fellow cyborgs hadn’t.

I’d recognized the survivor’s guilt immediately.

I carried my own version, having lived when Travis and Meredith hadn’t.

Rune and I were two broken pieces that somehow made a whole.

“What are you thinking about?” Rune asked, tilting my chin up with his finger.

“Us,” I answered honestly. “How crazy this is. Five days ago, I lunged at you with a scalpel.”

His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Yes, I remember. What about now?”

“Now I’m praying we survive the pirates so we can build something together. Something real. Something that lasts.”

The raw emotion that flashed across his face made my heart skip. He wasn’t originally designed to process these feelings, yet here he was, learning to navigate them with a grace that humbled me.

“I want that, too,” he said, his voice thick. “More than anything.”

Fifteen minutes later, dressed and somewhat professional—if you ignored our lingering touches and stolen glances—we headed toward the marketplace.

The morning suns streamed through gaps in the canopy, casting their light across the pathways.

Colonists nodded greetings as we passed, and I realized I no longer felt like a captive here. This place felt like home.

“Nexus has the best breakfast in the colony,” Rune said, guiding me toward the small stall adorned with climbing purple vines that resembled morning glories.

“Captain Reed!” Nexus called cheerfully as we approached. The lean cyborg with expressive eyes and a flair for the dramatic had always treated me like a welcomed guest rather than a captive. “And Commander Rune, looking particularly… rested this morning.”

I felt heat rush to my cheeks as Rune’s hand settled possessively on my back.

“Two protein wraps,” Rune ordered, ignoring the teasing. “One mild, one regular.”

“Yes, the usual,” Nexus winked at me. “How are you adjusting to Planet Alpha’s cuisine, Captain?”

“Better every day,” I replied, accepting the wrap he handed me. “Though I still can’t handle the spices like Rune can.”

“Few humans can.” Nexus laughed. “Your species tends to have more sensitive taste buds.”

As we collected our breakfast and turned toward the security center, Rune’s communicator chimed. His face darkened as he read the message.

“Tegan spotted unusual activity at the outer sensor range,” he said, his voice shifting into commander mode. “We need to move.”

I watched him transform before my eyes—from the tender lover who’d held me close under the moons to the hardened soldier he’d been trained to be. It was strange how attractive both versions were to me now.

We sprinted through the winding stone paths of the colony, passing curious onlookers, our breakfast wraps still clutched in our hands. My heart thundered wildly—not from the run, but from the gnawing fear of the pirate threat.

The security center’s doors slid open with a hiss. Inside, Tegan’s broad shoulders were hunched over his workstation, his fingers flying across holographic displays. Sage stood beside him, her blonde ponytail swinging as she pointed at something on the screen.

“What’s happening?” Rune demanded, closing the distance to Tegan’s station in three long strides.

Tegan looked up, his green eyes flashing with frustration. “Bad news. The pirates’ fleet has pushed through the outer reaches faster than we calculated. All five ships.”

“How much faster?” I asked, dreading the answer.

Sage turned to me, her expression grim. “They’ll be here in two days. Not five.”

“Two days?” Rune slammed his fist on the console. “How the hell did we miscalculate by three entire days? What happened to your projections, Tegan?”

I’d never seen him this angry, a muscle twitching in his jaw as he stared down the head of security.

“I don’t know how it’s possible,” Tegan said, swiping through data screens. “Their propulsion systems shouldn’t be capable of this acceleration. Either our intel was wrong, or…”

“Or they’ve upgraded,” I finished for him.

“Aeon’s already been alerted,” Sage added. “They’re doubling efforts to get the wet-climate bunkers built by tomorrow. We need to be ready to evacuate the colonists when necessary.”

I watched Rune’s face—the way his eyes narrowed and the tight line of his mouth—and recognized the weight of leadership pressing down on him. Every life in this colony was his responsibility. He’d taken me because he believed I could help save them. Now it was time to prove him right.

My mind raced through combat scenarios I’d orchestrated during my army days, suddenly remembering a strategy I’d implemented in the Amazon conflict.

“I have an idea,” I said, stepping closer to the displays. Three pairs of eyes turned to me. “Something I used once before. It was only partially successful then, but your brigade is far more skilled than my army unit was.”

Rune’s intense gaze fixed on mine. “What are you thinking?”

“A fallback jungle maze using explosive vines.” I moved my fingers across Tegan’s screen, mapping it out.

“We lure any pirates who breach the perimeter into preset kill zones. The jungle becomes our weapon. We place remote detonated charges in the native climbing vines, create false paths that lead to ambush points. When they follow, we trap them and then trigger the explosives.”

The security team stared at me in silence for a long moment. Then Rune’s face broke into a fierce smile that made my stomach flip.

“That might just work,” he said, his voice low and appreciative. “With the brigade’s skill level and this unique environment, we could decimate any ground forces.”

His hand found the small of my back, warm and steady. “Tegan, call the brigade. Training begins in one hour on Talia’s offensive strategy.”

The way he said my name—filled with complete trust and confidence—sent a warm flood of pride through me. No commander I’d served under had ever believed in me so completely, had ever looked at me the way Rune did now, like I was the answer to a prayer he hadn’t known to make.

Rune pulled me slightly aside, his eyes searching mine. “This is why you’re here,” he said softly. “This is what I knew you could do.”

I’d spent two years hiding my military expertise, burying my strategist’s mind in mundane tasks at the veterans’ facility. Now, standing in the heart of an alien colony facing annihilation, I’d found meaning again. And somehow, incredibly, I’d found someone who saw my value without question.

“Two days,” I said, squaring my shoulders. “Let’s make them count.”

Later that afternoon, sweat trickled down my neck as I demonstrated a series of hand signals to the attentive brigade members. The jungle heat pressed against us like a physical weight, but nobody complained. They couldn’t afford to—not with the pirates two days away.

“This signal means ‘hold position,’” I explained, raising my fist. “This means ‘enemy spotted.’” I pointed two fingers to my eyes and then jabbed them forward. “And this means ‘trigger explosives now.’” I made a quick upward motion with my palm.

Rune stood at my side, his presence solid and reassuring. Several hours of intensive training had transformed these already-disciplined fighters into a cohesive tactical unit prepared to implement my fallback maze strategy.

“Remember,” Rune’s deep voice carried through the small clearing where we’d gathered, “vocal communication could give away your positions. In the maze, silence equals survival.”

His eyes met mine briefly, a flash of something intimate passing between us before his expression returned to professional focus. My heart stuttered. Keeping our new relationship secret felt physically painful, like trying to contain lightning in a bottle.

“Let’s divide into teams,” I continued, forcing my thoughts back to the mission. “North quadrant, you’re with Kel. East with Sage. West with me. South with Tegan. We need to set the charges strategically along the false trails.”

As the teams dispersed, Rune approached, standing close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body but not so close as to raise suspicions.

“You handled that perfectly,” he murmured. “They respect you now.”

“They’re excellent soldiers.” I watched the retreating brigade members with genuine admiration. “Better than those I commanded on Earth.”

Rune’s mouth curved into a smile that melted something inside me. “I’m assigning myself to your team. For… strategic purposes.”

“Of course. Strategic.” I fought back a grin.

An hour later, Rune and I worked together in a secluded western sector of the jungle, far enough from the others to speak privately while we rigged explosive charges.

The surrounding vegetation created a natural green cathedral, sunlight filtering through in golden shafts.

Exotic fragrance from flame-colored flowers hung in the air, mingling with the faint metallic scent of the charges.

“This spot is perfect for an ambush point,” I said, kneeling to attach a small explosive device to a thick vine that twisted around a tree trunk. “They’ll follow this path thinking it leads to the colony’s heart, but instead…”

“They’ll meet their end.” Rune finished the thought as he worked on a parallel path, his skilled hands quickly setting charges.

I paused, watching him work. His movements were fluid despite his size, precision in every gesture. A lock of his auburn hair had fallen across his forehead, and I had to clench my fingers to stop myself from reaching out to brush it away.

“You’re staring, Captain Reed,” he said without turning his head.

“I’m supervising, Commander,” I countered, my voice light despite the heaviness in my chest.

He straightened and closed the distance between us in two strides. We stood face to face, so close that I could see the flecks of darker blue in his irises.

“This is… challenging,” he admitted, his voice dropping to a whisper. His fingers brushed against mine, a ghost of a touch.

“Two days of pretending we are just colleagues,” I whispered back. “That’s all. Then we deal with whatever comes next… together.”

“Together.” The word seemed to hold special meaning for him. “I’ve never fought for any cause that matters more to me than this colony. Than you.”

The raw honesty in his voice caused my heart to clench. “Rune?—”

“I know,” he interrupted, stepping back, his expression shifting back to the commander’s mask. “The mission comes first. The colony’s safety is paramount.”

I nodded, swallowing the words I’d wanted to say. “Right. Pirates first, feelings later.”

We returned to our work, carefully plotting the maze of death that would protect this strange new home I’d come to care for. My fingers moved automatically, drawing on years of tactical experience, while my mind kept circling back to the man working beside me.

“I want you to know,” I said quietly as we finished setting the last charge in our sector, “your faith in me won’t be misplaced. I won’t let you or this colony down.”

Rune paused and then turned to face me fully. “I’ve never doubted that, Talia. Not for one moment.”

The conviction in his voice caused my chest to tighten. “Let’s head back,” I said, gathering our remaining supplies. “We need to synchronize with the other teams before nightfall.”

As we walked next to each other through the jungle, I realized something profound. In kidnapping me, Rune had inadvertently given me back something I’d lost when I left the army—my purpose and the chance to protect others. And somehow, impossibly, he’d also given me his heart.