Page 5 of Raven Blackwood (Cyborg Guardians #2)

Raven

Morning came softly at the ranch, the pale light of dawn breaking over the fields.

I stepped out onto the porch, inhaling the cool morning air deeply.

This place was quiet, even serene, but I couldn’t forget the threat of Jenkins's thugs hanging over us.

Hannah joined me not long after, her boots crunching against the wooden planks as she handed me a steaming mug of coffee.

“You should still be sleeping after the night we had,” I said gently. I had taken her three times, and I still wanted her.

“We’ve got work to do today,” she said, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Hope you’re ready to earn your keep.”

I smirked, taking the mug as she blushed prettily. “Oh, I’ll pull my weight. I’ve done more than a little farmwork in my time. Didn’t I earn my keep last night?”

She gave my chest a playful slap and turned to look out over the fields, sipping her coffee. I stepped beside her and put my arm around her shoulders. While I would rather have spent the day breeding with her, we had much work to do to prepare for round two with Jenkins’s gang.

We began with the ranch’s perimeter fence repair.

It was in desperate need of attention, the wire sagging in places where the posts had rotted through.

With my enhanced strength, it was easy to pull the wire taut and drive new posts into the ground.

Hannah worked beside me; her movements were efficient and quick.

She had her own way of doing things, and since it was her ranch, I followed her lead. With my help, we finished repairing the fence in a few hours, but it would have taken her more than a day to do it alone.

“You’re not really a city boy, are you?” she teased, her eyes sparkling with humor.

“I was merely manufactured near the city, but it was in ruins long before my awakening.”

“Awakening?” Her brows knit in a slight frown.

“Gestation from embryo to adulthood for a cyborg is five years. We remain in stasis until we are needed to defend the federation. We are educated and trained in virtual reality through our onboard computers.”

“What is virtual reality?”

“It is a digital construct that feeds directly into our minds in a way that we can interact with it mentally while our bodies are in a state of suspended animation. For all practical purposes, we are in an unconscious state not unlike sleep.”

“So, it’s like dreaming?”

“That’s one explanation, but it seemed very real at the time.”

She gave me a speculative look and glanced at the fence we had just repaired. “We’ve done a lot in just a few hours. I’m glad you came.”

I found myself smiling at her—the attraction between us almost emitted sparks. I couldn’t resist taking her into my arms and kissing her thoroughly. That was a mistake because one thing led to another, and I ended up taking her behind a tree before we returned to the barnyard.

I loved the way she responded with joy and enthusiasm. We were both smiling as we strolled back to the barn hand in hand. I carried the tool bag slung over one shoulder.

By midday, Grace joined us in the garden, her rounded belly making her progress slow but steady. She supervised as Hannah and I reinforced the chicken coop and repaired the barn door. While we worked, Grace shared stories about Zach and their lives before Jenkins tightened his grip on the town .

“Zach always had a way of speaking his mind,” Grace said, her voice tinged with sadness. “It’s why Jenkins took him. Anyone who stands up to him ends up disappearing.”

I paused, hammer in hand. “We’re going to find him,” I said firmly. “And we’re going to make sure Jenkins doesn’t hurt anyone else.”

Grace nodded, though her expression remained guarded. “I hope you’re right. But you’ll need more than hope to take on Jenkins.”

“I’ve got weapons, and I have skills. They don’t want to mess with me because I can have a dozen cyborgs here by tomorrow if need be. If I can’t take them head-on, I will take them by stealth; I’ll take them one by one.

As the sun dipped low on the horizon, Hannah and I sat on the porch, the fields bathed in the golden glow of evening. We had just shared a simple meal of stew and freshly baked bread with Grace. She handed me a mug of cool herbal tea.

“Thank you for helping today,” she said quietly. “I know this isn’t what you signed up for when you came here.”

“I came here to help and protect you,” I replied, meeting her gaze. “That means helping in whatever way I can. ”

For a moment, we sat in silence. The weight of the day settled over us. Then she spoke again, her voice softer this time. “I’m glad you’re here. I was afraid I would never get to meet you when the cow broke my comm tablet.”

I savored her words, pleased. “Finding you makes everything I’ve been through worth it.”

Hannah nodded, her expression thoughtful. “Last night,” she paused shyly. “I never knew it could be like that.”

“I hope you felt the same joy as I did when we joined.”

She smiled, and her cheeks colored a delightful shade of pink. “Oh, I think I did.”

“Good, because I would like to do it again.”

Later that evening, one of the alarms I had set up earlier triggered a faint chime echoing in my neural interface. I rose to my feet, scanning the perimeter with my enhanced vision. Movement in the distance caught my attention—someone was snooping around the property.

I grabbed my rifle and slipped into the shadows, moving silently through the trees. When I reached the edge of the field, I found fresh tracks in the dirt leading back toward the town. A piece of fabric, torn and snagged on the fence, confirmed my suspicions: we were being watched.

Returning to the porch, I found Hannah waiting for me. Concern etched into her features. “What is it?” she asked.

“Jenkins’s people,” I replied. “They’re watching us. We don’t have much time before they make their next move.”

Her jaw tightened. “Then we’ll be ready.”

“We will,” I agreed. “But first, I need to know what exactly we’re up against.”

That night, I engaged my nanite armor and slipped into town under the cover of darkness.

The streets were quiet, but the tension in the air was palpable.

Moving with practiced stealth, I navigated the narrow alleys, listening to the hushed conversations of Jenkins’s enforcers as they gathered around dimly lit fires.

“He’s here, all right,” one of them said. “The cyborg. Jenkins ain’t happy about it.”

“What’s the plan?” another asked.

“Same as always. We’ll hit ‘em where it hurts. The ranch won’t stand a chance.”

I clenched my fists, my nanites humming with suppressed energy. They weren’t just planning another shakedown. They planned an outright attack.

As I listened, I memorized their routes, their schedules, and their weak points. By the time I returned to the ranch, I had everything I needed to turn the tide.

Hannah met me at the door, her eyes searching mine for answers. “What did you find?”

“Everything we need,” I said, stepping inside. “Now, we fight back.”

As she stood so close, resting her hand on my chest, all I could think was how much I wanted her again. I slid my arms around her and pulled her against me. She looked up at me expectantly, and I lowered my mouth to hers in a deep, passionate kiss.

Hannah kissed me back with a fervent ardor that matched my own. Without breaking the kiss, I lifted her so she could wrap her legs around my hips and pressed her mons against my erection.

But that wasn’t enough as I navigated through the darkened house, carrying her to the bedroom we now shared.

Now that I had her in my arms, I wasn’t rushing to get to the main event.

I was savoring holding her and kissing her, with her soft breasts pressed against my chest while I palmed her buttocks.

Our tongues entwined in a slow, sensual dance, stoking our arousal to a fevered pitch.

I finally had to let her down so that we could get rid of the hindering clothing between us.

I let Hannah take care of her own because I knew I could easily damage her clothing.

I also knew she didn’t have that much to spare.

As soon as we were naked, we surged into each other’s arms, and I rolled us onto the bed. As I lay over her, my hips cradled between her thighs, she said, “Do it now. I need you inside me now.”

I could tell by the scent of her desire that she was wet and ready, so I didn’t hesitate to oblige her.

As I pushed into her, she gasped and moaned her pleasure, clutching at my back and tilting her hips up to accommodate me.

I pumped in and out of her slowly at first, savoring the friction of her wet heat, staring into her eyes.

“Omigod, Raven! You feel so good.”

I sure did, and I was glad that she was feeling it, too.

We took it slowly with hard, deep thrusts until she came for the first time.

It was all I could do to hold back my release as I nursed her through it.

I started thrusting in and out of her, kissing and caressing her.

I basked in her caresses on my back and through my hair for a brief time as I thrust in and out of her.

Faster and faster, I pounded her as she raised her hips to meet mine. I could tell by the way she reacted that she loved it as much as I did. In, out, in, out, it seemed an endless rhythm that got us closer and closer to that nirvana born of ecstasy until she climaxed and took me with her.

In the aftermath, I knew I would do anything to protect and make this woman in my arms happy. She was my everything.