Page 12 of The Cyborg Way (Cyborgs on Mars #9)

A year later…

Ellie smiled as Henry swooped down from the top of the cabinet and landed on her shoulder, peering down at her daughter.

He was fascinated with the baby, and she often found him perched on the side of Janelle’s crib, warbling a series of soft notes as she cooed happily.

Now he chirped peremptorily and she laughed.

“Yes, I know it’s her bedtime, but Levi will be back soon and I want him to have some time with her before I put her down for the night.”

With Henry still perched on her shoulder, she carried Janelle to the window seat, rocking her gently as she peered out into the gathering darkness. There. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the familiar figure of horse and man riding past the new greenhouses they’d added.

Since their marriage, Levi had resigned from most of his ranger duties and they were rarely apart.

He assured her he was perfectly content to stay home and work on the homestead with her.

With his very able assistance, they’d made a significant amount of progress—so much progress that he’d broached the subject of purchasing an adjacent parcel of land.

He’d intended to pay for it, but she’d decided to use the credits her biological father had deposited for her.

It seemed oddly fitting that they would be used to help establish a legacy for the granddaughter he would never know.

Levi had used his own savings to purchase the plot behind them—the steep rocky land that contained the caverns from which Henry must have emerged.

All of the land was in her name of course, since cyborgs were still unable to own property, but the name on the deed made no difference—this was their home, their family’s home.

The thought made her smile again, and she was still smiling when he’d settled Blaze into his shelter and came to join her.

“Hello, sweetheart,” he said softly, kissing her as stroked the baby’s cheek.

“Are you talking to me or Janelle?”

“Both.” He grinned at her, face relaxed and happy. “It’s good to be home. Is she ready for bed?”

“Bathed, changed, and fed. How did it go?”

“Why don’t I put her down first? Then we can talk.”

The stern expression she so rarely saw any more flashed across his face and her heart sank, but she nodded.

“Do you want something to eat?”

Even though he could obtain nutrients from many sources, he usually ate with her. Tonight, he shook his head and reached for the baby. Janelle waved her chubby little fists excitedly and his face softened again.

“I’ll put her down and be right back.”

He disappeared through the archway where her bed had once been.

Now it was a passageway leading to two additional bedrooms. She put away the stew she’d left warming for him, dimmed the lights, and sat down in one of their new chairs.

Lights sparkled in the other habitats scattered across the valley floor and she smiled at them.

She still liked knowing they were there—but not too close.

Levi returned a few minutes later, scooping her up, then settling back down in the chair with her perched on his lap.

“Now tell me,” she demanded.

He sighed and tugged her closer.

“We decided to leave the caves alone.”

She gave a big sigh of relief, and he shook his head.

“I knew you’d be pleased, but I’m still not convinced that we should ignore them.”

Nothing appeared to have changed in the year since Henry had appeared—there were no rumors of other flying lizards or caves spouting vegetation—but Levi had been monitoring the cavern they had discovered and found that the plant life had spread.

The walls and ground were now covered by lichen, noticeably thicker and healthier.

He’d left today to meet with Sam, Addie, and several other rangers to discuss whether or not they should explore deeper into the rock.

“What does Addie think?”

“She still agrees with you about not disturbing the ecosystem.”

“Don’t you trust her judgment?” she asked softly.

“I do, but that’s part of the problem.” He tilted his head and she suspected he was listening to Henry warbling to their daughter. “You know her theory is that it was our presence on Mars—the changes we are making—that created Henry.”

She nodded. Addie believed that as the atmosphere stabilized and the oxygen levels increased, the tiny lizard could have hatched from an egg that had lain dormant for millennia. It seemed almost impossible, but there had been similar incidents in Earth’s past, although none quite so ancient.

He frowned. “I still worry that something… larger and more dangerous might also emerge.”

“But Henry is so small, and he could survive on the lichen. Anything larger—if there were anything larger—would starve. And don’t forget that as far as we know, Henry is the only one of his kind to make that transition.”

“Unless all the other female settlers have a secret companion,” he grumbled, but his face no longer looked as worried.

“I don’t see why they would.” She started toying with the button on his shirt. “They don’t all have big, handsome cyborg husbands.”

“I’m not handsome, little bird.”

Despite his objection, she could see the pleasure on this face—pleasure and hunger as she released the top button.

“You are to me,” she whispered as she opened a second one.

“Then that’s all that matters.”

He groaned as her fingers danced down his chest, teasing along the edge of his waistband where his cock was trying to push free.

“Carry me to our nest, love, and make love to me all night long,” she whispered, then smiled. “Or until Janelle wakes up again.”

He kissed her and obeyed, abandoning his concerns about the future to the pleasures of the present.