Page 12 of Raven Blackwood (Cyborg Guardians #2)

Hannah

I had been drifting in and out of sleep most of the night, waiting for Raven to return.

Every night since our first one together, I’d fallen asleep in his arms after he’d fucked me senseless.

I’d resigned myself to a semi-sleepless night when I heard the bedroom door creak ever so slightly as he slipped otherwise silently into the room.

Even though I could barely see him in the dark, I knew it was him. “Raven. I’m glad you’re back. I need you.”

“To breed?”

“Yes!”

“Retracting my armor now.”

A moment later, he slid into bed beside me and took me into his arms for a long, deep kiss. As we kissed, he slipped his hand between my legs and pushed a finger into my slick opening.

“Take me now,” I whispered when he lifted his mouth from mine because I knew he was hard and ready.

“As you wish, my mate.” He rolled us over so I was on my back with him on top of me, his hips cradled between my thighs.

He kissed me again and slid inside me. Moaning against his mouth, I arched my back to rub my breasts against his hard chest, stroking his back tenderly as he pumped in and out of me.

Raven moved slowly at first with deep, hard thrusts, savoring our joining until he couldn’t hold back any longer and then pounded into me hard and fast. I was enthralled by the riot of delightful sensations each time he thrust into me.

He brought us both to climax together, and we basked in our satisfaction, kissing and caressing.

He was just pulling out when the first shot rang out. “Fuck!”

Raven jumped up from the bed. More shots rang out as the first light of dawn showed through the bedroom window. I watched in fascination as his nanite armor oozed over his body from his skin. He grabbed his blasters and ran from the house, shouting, “Stay inside until I get back.”

Raven

The air had cooled overnight, and it hit me as I stepped out of the house, leaving Hannah behind in our bed.

I knew she wanted to jump right into the fight with me, but I couldn’t risk her getting caught in the crossfire.

As my helmet locked into place, my HUD came to life, scanning the encampment ahead.

A thick mist clung to the ground, swirling around the tents and makeshift barricades.

The displaced ranchers, still half asleep, stirred inside their tents, alerted to danger by the gunshots echoing in the darkness.

I could see men moving in the shadows as more shots were fired, their weapons glinting in the first daylight.

Jenkins’s men had come.

Then I activated my armor’s combat mode, feeling the added power as I strode forward. My dual blasters charged in my grip, their power cells emanating energy. I set them both on stun, because a quick death was not what I had in mind for these thugs.

More gunfire erupted from the tree line, sending dirt and splinters flying as rounds pelted the camp.

My HUD marked the enemy positions. I could see at least a dozen men fanning out using low brush as cover.

They thought they had the element of surprise, but they were wrong.

I heard them coming as I finished with my female.

I only regretted not moving faster when a cry from the far side of the camp signaled that a bullet had hit one of the ranchers.

Then, the intermittent gunfire became a steady barrage, and I started running at the shooters, laying down a barrage of stun bolts.

Bullets bounced off my armor before I took down all of the men shooting at us.

By the time the ranchers had grabbed their rifles and taken up defensive positions behind overturned wagons and makeshift barricades, the shooting had stopped.

Tom Barrows, a grizzled old rancher, shouted orders and directed the others to round up the prisoners and secure them with rope and makeshift restraints.

I thought we’d finished when a sudden movement caught my eye.

One of the thugs aimed a shotgun at the nearest tent where a family huddled inside.

I raised my blaster and fired. A stun bolt hit him square in the chest, sending him flying back into the mud.

The shotgun clattered to the ground harmlessly.

One lanky bastard with a wild look in his eyes turned and ran.

“Don’t let him get away,” I barked.

Tom raised his rifle, firing a warning shot that sent the coward sprawling from fear that the next one would hit him. A couple of the ranchers pounced on him and bound his hands. The rising sun had dissipated the mist around us.

I turned in a circle, assessing the situation, and I saw a dark shape in the pasture beyond the camp. A steer lay motionless, blood pooling on the ground beneath it, but I don’t think we hit it in the crossfire. I felt sure they had done it on purpose, perhaps as a warning.

Tom walked up beside me, shaking his head. “Damn shame.”

I blew out a breath, bolstering my blasters. “At least it wasn’t one of us, and it won’t go to waste.”

The ranchers wasted no time getting out their knives and equipment to butcher the carcass for meat. There would be more than enough for everyone.

As I continued to survey the scene, I spotted Hannah standing on the porch, watching me.

Relief flooded her eyes when she saw I was unharmed.

I had not told her it would take more than projectile weapons to injure me while protected by my armor.

I gave her a slight nod before going back to check the perimeter when I really wanted to get back into our bed with her and breed some more.

While I walked, I called Sergeant Rowe over our internal cyborg net. It would only be a matter of time before Jenkins sent another wave of thugs to attack us. We were lucky this time. Only one of the ranchers was hurt, and not critically.

“Sergeant Rowe, Raven Blackwood here. We had some trouble down here, and I need some extra help for a few days. Could you send me a couple of the team and a large transport? We’ve got a gang of thugs running the town, and they have kidnapped quite a few residents, and they have them in a labor camp outside of town.

I want to raid that camp, free the captives, and arrest the thugs who are working for a man called Callum Jenkins.

I could probably do the job myself, but extra help could ensure that none of the civilians get hurt in the process,” I explained.

“That’s not a problem, Protector Blackwood. Things have been quiet here since the raid on the Mesaarkan base a few months ago. The men have been on patrol almost every day, and we’re not finding any signs of Mesaarkans. I can spare Trinity and Orion.”

“That will be great, Sergeant. After we break up the labor camp, I want to bring the whole team down, if you agree, so that we can root out the entire gang and free the town from their grip. They’ve put so many people out of their homes that we have at least 10 families here camping out on Hannah’s ranch.

We’d like to get them back into their homes. ”

“I see no problem with that,” said Sergeant Rowe. “Trinity and Orion should be there by tonight. When you’re ready, give me a call, and the rest of us will come.”

“Thank you, sir. Blackwood out.”

“Rowe out.”

Satisfied that there were no other casualties, I returned to the house and found Hannah and Grace in the kitchen making coffee and breakfast. “Good, you’re both here so that I can tell you together.

I found the labor camp, and I’m certain that Zach is there.

I’ve got two of my team members on the way to help raid the camp and free all of their captives. ”

“How do you know Zach is there?” asked Grace.

“I scanned for his DNA. He’s there, and he’s alive, and I’m going to bring him back to you,” I assured them.

“I sure hope so,” said Grace.

I didn’t blame her for sounding a bit skeptical after everything she and Hannah had been through.

Hannah came to me and put her arms around my waist, pressing her face against my chest. As I held her close, she said, “I want you to be careful, Raven. I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” I decided not to worry her further with my plan to take down Callum Jenkins for good.