Page 7 of Raven Blackwood (Cyborg Guardians #2)

Ava

Pain was the first thing I noticed when I woke up the next day. A deep, aching throb pulsed through my ankle, sharp whenever I moved. My head wasn’t much better, and a dull pounding behind my eyes made it hard to focus. But what really sent a chill down my spine was remembering that I wasn’t alone.

A shadow loomed over me, too large, too alien to be human.

He wasn’t human. He wasn’t even close. My breath caught in my throat as my vision cleared.

There was no way to mistake his reptilian features for human.

Fine green scales covered his face, and darker green scales covered the parts of his body that I could see.

As he stood over me, his expression seemed to be one of concern rather than menace. His features were sharp, alien, with amber, intelligent eyes studying me beneath a furrowed brow.

I tensed, my fingers clutching the rough fabric beneath me. I had no weapon or means of defense. But he hadn’t hurt me—at least, not yet. In fact, the fire’s warmth, the bandage wrapped neatly around my ankle, and the soft bedding beneath me suggested the opposite. He helped me.

Still, fear prickled along my spine. “Where am I?” My voice was hoarse, dry, and weak.

The alien’s eyes flicked to mine, his expression unreadable. “My dwelling, not far from where your horse left you. You are safe.” His voice was deep, with an odd, musical cadence. Then I remembered waking up before and the shock of seeing him for the first time.

I swallowed hard, trying to sit up, but the movement sent a sharp lance of pain through my skull. I winced, sinking back down. “Who are you?”

He hesitated. “Koha’vek Draal.”

I tried to commit the name to memory, though it felt strange on my tongue. “I need to pee. Does the bathroom work?”

“I can pump water from the sink to flush it.” Although I could understand him, he spoke English, but with an unusual inflection.

I looked around, taking in the cabin’s simple interior.

Built sometime in the previous century, it had been state-of-the-art then.

Now, the once-modern conveniences were useless, and there was no power to run them.

A stone fireplace replaced them for heat and cooking.

The furniture was old and worn, but the couch where I lay still felt comfortable, and it was clean, fastidiously so.

It looked lived-in, though not in a human way. There were no personal touches, family heirlooms, or decorations—just practicality.

I licked my lips, forcing myself to focus. “Will you help me get there?” I pushed the blanket back and swung my feet to the floor.

His gaze didn’t waver. “Yes.”

I thought he would take my hand or my arm and help me limp there. Instead, Koha’vek scooped me up into his arms like I weighed nothing and carried me.

His body was warm, and his chest was a wall of hard muscle. He had an unusual but pleasant scent, like an exotic spice. The only bathroom in the house was inside its only bedroom.

Koha’vek set me down gently, making sure I had balanced on my good leg before he let go. “Tell me when you finish, and I will take you back.” He went out into the bedroom and turned his back to the door.

After all of that, it took me half a minute to relax so I could empty my bladder. A skylight overhead lit the room nicely. It was spotless like the rest of the dwelling. But there was no water or a cloth to clean myself, so I made the best of it.

Fixing my underwear and pants was tedious as I tried to balance on my good leg. Koha’vek stood patiently with his back to the door, waiting for me to finish.

“I’m ready.”

This time, when he picked me up, I instinctively put my arm around his shoulders to help balance myself. He set me back onto the couch sideways with my legs stretched in front of me. I looked up into his alien eyes, strangely intrigued by him. “Thank you.”

He dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment and went to the kitchen to pump water into a bucket to flush the toilet.

I shifted, testing my ankle. The pain was still there, but the swelling had gone down.

Koha’vek returned a couple of minutes later with a log for the fire.

Silence stretched between us. He didn’t ask me any questions—not yet—but I could feel them hovering in the air. What was I doing out here alone? Where had I come from? What was I running from?

I exhaled slowly, glancing away. “I can’t go back,” I admitted. The words felt heavy, final.

Koha’ vek studied me for a long moment. “Why?”

I hesitated. Telling the truth to an alien—stranger—felt dangerous. But what choice did I have? “Because I don’t have a home anymore,” I said finally. “It was stolen from me.”

His eyes darkened, but he said nothing, waiting for me to continue.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “I lived on a ranch outside town. It was my father’s. He built it up from nothing, and when he died, it should’ve been mine. But Mayor Jenkins had other plans. He claimed I forfeited it because of some made-up debt. Just like that, everything I had was gone.”

Koha’vek’s expression remained unreadable, but I thought I saw a flicker of understanding there. Maybe even sympathy.

I clenched my hands into fists. “If I go back, Jenkins will take me too. The man who stole my land—he wants more than just the property. He wants me.” My stomach churned at the thought.

“Jenkins made it clear that my only option is to become his woman or disappear like so many others who’ve crossed him. ”

Koha’vek’s nostrils flared slightly. “That is why you were alone in the mountains?”

I nodded. “My horse spooked when we ran into a grizzly. Threw me, and—well, you know the rest.”

He was silent for a long moment, his gaze sharp, considering. “You were willing to risk death rather than submit.”

I met his eyes, my jaw tightening. “Yes.”

He exhaled slowly, his expression shifting—less distant, more thoughtful. “You cannot leave.”

My stomach twisted. “What do you mean?”

“I will not risk you revealing my presence.”

I stiffened. “I wouldn’t—”

He cut me off with a look. “You cannot promise that.”

I swallowed hard. He had a point. If Jenkins or his men found out an alien was hiding in the mountains, they’d come for him. And they wouldn’t stop until he was dead or captured.

Still, the thought of being trapped here, of not having a choice, sent a wave of panic through me. “So what? I’m your prisoner now?”

Koha’vek’s expression didn’t change. “You are my guest.”

I let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “A guest who can’t leave?”

He didn’t answer.

Frustration bubbled up inside me. “What do you plan to do with me, then?”

Again, he hesitated. “Nothing.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “Nothing?”

“I will not harm you.”

Something in his voice made me believe him. He meant it. He wouldn’t hurt me. But that didn’t mean I was safe, either.

I studied him, my heart pounding. He was strange to me—alien in every sense of the word.

His body was too large, too intimidating, his features too sharp.

When I first saw him, I thought he was a monster.

But he wasn’t, really. He was just an alien, kind of a cross between a reptile and a green goblin.

“I don’t even know what you are,” I admitted quietly. “I’ve never seen anything like you before.”

Koha’vek’s expression remained steady, though his gaze held something guarded. “I told you I am Mesaarkan.”

I rolled the name over in my mind. I’d heard stories—whispers of the aliens who had secretly occupied Earth, evading the cyborgs who took over. Most people thought they were all gone. Clearly, that wasn’t true.

“Have you seen my horse? I hope she is all right. She’s all I have left.”

“Your horse is fine. I found her and put her in the pasture by the livestock building.”

“I want to see her.” He gave me an unreadable look. “It’s not like I can jump on her back and ride away. I have no place to go anyway.” Tears welled in my eyes.

He made an exasperated sound and stalked out of the house. Tears spilled down my cheeks. My head hurt, and my body ached. Now I pissed off the only person who had shown me any kindness in a long time.

As I started to cry, I heard a clatter on the front porch. It sounded like hoofs. No, he didn’t.

The front door opened, and Koha’vek walked inside, leading my horse. I quickly wiped the tears from my face, laughing. She nickered when she saw me and moved closer, lowering her head so I could pet her.

“Oh, Dotty, that mean old bear didn’t get you.” She sniffed me and seemed to examine me, nuzzling me. It was almost like she was apologizing for dumping me off. “It’s okay; I know you didn’t do it on purpose. You were scared. That was a big bear.”

Koha’vek held the lead and stoically watched as I petted and talked to my horse. Finally, I looked up at him and chuckled, “I can’t believe you did that. That was so kind and thoughtful. But you'd better take her back outside before she makes a mess in the house. Thank you.”

Koha’vek simply dipped his head in acknowledgment, steered the horse around, and took her back outside.

When he returned, neither of us spoke for a long moment. The fire crackled between us, casting shifting shadows along the walls. I had no idea what the future held, yet I was starting to trust him. At least I was alive and not alone.

And that would have to be enough for now.