Syrin's Mate Read online

  Sara sucked in a breath and lifted her chin. She was so used to hearing the word no, it was nothing to her. It was the first answer she always got for anything she wanted. “I need a protector and you’re the one I’ve chosen.”

  She’d learned long ago that bullies thrived on seeing her broken and crying. Weakness only led to more violence. Her bravado kept them at bay. Sara pulled from that same well of strength right now. Pulled out the persona that had fought off her cousins. Fought off the other men on New Earth and their unwanted advances. Made it clear with the group she’d worked with that she didn’t want to share any man’s bed. The more outrageous and prickly she’d behaved, the less the males bothered her, and the more she got her own way.

  This mostly worked for her, and then sometimes, as in the case with the guard earlier, occasionally it worked against her.

  The Xylan shook his head and repeated the only word that appeared to be in his vocabulary: “No.”

  “Being on my own, without a protector, will get me killed in here,” she stated.

  He turned his head and looked at her directly. Those golden-hazel eyes staring at her with full attention. “Female, they’ve placed you in my cell because they think I’ll kill you. Seeking my loyalty will not keep you safe.”

  She shivered. Literally had to force herself to keep her face blank and her body still. His voice was liquid gold. Dark and sexy.

  What was wrong with her? Shouldn’t her attraction for this male have shut down the moment she learned he was a berserker? Apparently not.

  Did she find killers attractive?

  Holy gods, please say it wasn’t so!

  “Are they right?” she asked. “Are you going to kill me?”

  He shrugged his impossibly massive shoulders. “Maybe.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath. Maybe? Not of course not, I’d never kill you sweet, sweet female. Instead his answer was…maybe?

  “The energy barrier will disappear shortly,” the guard cut in and explained. “At that point intake will be concluded and you will be allowed to come and go as you please. Lock down is at the first sleep bell.” He pointed to the huge metal door that was pushed open. Every single cell had a gray metal door. Some cells were open, some were closed. “This door automatically closes at first bell and opens again at second bell. Make sure you are inside of your cell each night when the nightly lock down alarm sounds. It will blast seven times before the cell closes. You do not want to be caught outside when it closes. The guards will not open it for you. You’ll be stuck outside in the main prison area for the night.”

  The guard met her gaze and smirked, and then he was gone and they were alone. The blue energy web still covered the doorway to the cell.

  She turned toward her cellmate. “My name is Sara,” she told him. “Sara Smith. And I need your help in here.”

  He turned away. His huge body seemed to fill the entire cell. “I’m no help to you, female.”

  “But you are, you are a huge help to me,” she said to his wide, wide back, “because…Xylan don’t rape.” Didn’t he know how important this was? The fact that Xylan were incapable of rape or sexual harassment was the number one reason this male was her best choice as her protector, despite the fact that he was a berserker. Females of all species considered Xylan to be males of honor. If this Xylan was her protector, she wouldn’t have to give up her virginity and grit her teeth while being violated on a daily basis. She’d be left alone. This reason was worth its weight in gold. Worth the risk of befriending a berserker. Well, and also the embarrassing fact that she couldn’t keep her eyes off him. There was that. She had to admit, that probably made this decision easier. She cleared her throat. “I was prepared to trade my virginity for protection. If I stay with you, I don’t have to worry about that.”

  He stilled, quiet for a moment, and finally said over his shoulder, “The guards are hoping to find you dismembered, with your limbs torn, and bleeding out because I went into a berserker rage.”

  Her lips thinned. He was trying to shock her and gross her out, and doing a fantastic job of it, too. “It’s just…you don’t look like a berserker,” she said with complete honesty. He really didn’t. He instead looked like every fantasy she’d ever entertained in her mind of what the term “hero” meant. His features were hard, but she’d noticed when his golden-brown glance fell on her, his eyes softened. At first she thought she was imagining it, but no, even now, she felt strangely comfortable around him, the shock of finding out his berserker status already wearing off. She held on to that tightly.

  He snorted. “You’ve seen a berserker before?”

  “Yes, actually. I watched that reality show about the chase for the last berserker on Chronos. But…you seem different, like a warrior in control, not a male on the verge of anarchy.”

  The energy web made a slight noise and then immediately retracted. The entrance to their cell was clear.

  He continued to stand resolutely, facing the back of the cell, presenting his back to her. He took a deep breath, his shoulders somehow growing even wider. “You aren’t my Bride,” he said over his shoulder. “If that’s what you want, it won’t happen. I cannot mate with you.”

  Her face heated. “Hey,” she answered with her voice carefully even, trying to act like she didn’t give one shit that he’d never want her that way even though it was literally tearing her up inside. “When I cupped your ass earlier that was a mistake. An accident. I apologized then and I’ll apologize now. I’m sorry, I stumbled and fell against you, I didn’t mean for it to happen. It didn’t mean anything.”

  He swung back around, looming over her, and pinned her with that quiet gaze, searching her face, as if he knew the truth about her feelings and was trying to decide what to do with this albatross. She sucked in a breath, her face and neck burning up. Basically, this stare-off with Syrin was in the top ten most embarrassing moments of her life. And that was saying a lot considering she’d grown up with three asshole cousins.

  She cleared her throat again. “I know how this is going to work,” she said, trying to reassure him that she wouldn’t turn all clingy and grabby. “I understand you won’t have any, um, urges for me. Xylan can physically only have sex with their one true mate, their Bride, which will most likely be another Xylan female, therefore nothing will ever happen between us. In fact, I’m counting on that. I know you won’t rape me, so I feel safer with you than the other males around here.”

  “I’ve been taken off the Xylan mating database due to my status as a berserker. I will never have a Bride or offspring,” he confirmed. “I will never be your pleasure mate, I will never want you, never desire you, ever.”

  She wanted to curl up on the floor and cry, but instead went with her second most brilliant response: “Oh.”

  “If we are to share the same cell…you need to remember that I could easily become enraged. I will not recognize friend from foe and quite possibly tear you to shreds.”

  She closed her eyes for a moment, took a calming breath, and opened her eyes again. Life on a prison space station didn’t exactly lend itself to a cornucopia of choice. “Well, neither of us have any choice in being in this position, so let’s make the best of it. We’ll be like co-workers. You take care of me and I’ll take care of you.”

  He crooked an eyebrow, well, really the silver-tipped ridges on his forehead moved up an inch and back down again.

  Oh gosh. “What? You don’t believe me? I actually have skills. I really can take care of you, too.”

  He shrugged a massive shoulder, like he was beyond disinterested in her wimpy statement. “You are in my cell already,” he rumbled. “I will offer you my protection while I am in my normal state, only because there is no choice; you share my cell and your safety affects mine. You will follow my orders and not cause me to become angry and kill you.”

  “Okay, I can do that.”

  He looked at her, quiet.

  She rolled her eyes. “I really can be level-headed and not piss
you off. And I can take care of you, too. You have my back and I’ll have yours. I’ll owe you big-time for protecting me, so if you need anything, I’m happy to help.”

  He continued to give her a skeptical stare.

  She sighed. “Look, I know New Earth is a primitive backwater. You’re thinking, what could have she learned there? I was living free from New Earth before I was thrown in prison and during that time I worked with a crew. I learned that I like hacking and fixing and changing computer systems. Especially security systems. I’m good at it, you’ll see. It can come in handy here.”

  Syrin grunted. “You will do your best to remain silent around me. This will increase your chances of remaining alive in this cell.”

  Her jaw clenched. “Hopefully you’ve already noticed how hard it is for me to stay silent.”

  He shifted his stance, and Sara worried he’d give up on her then. And holy shit, that meant life was going to suck.

  But then his lips twitched. Wait. Was he…smiling? She blew out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

  Three

  “Why is the human female in your cell?”

  Syrin glanced back at Trax, the Creekan Bounty Hunter he’d worked missions with since they’d both started with the Hunter Guild, ten planetary cycles ago. Trax was his closest friend and also an annoying pain in his armor. But a male, nonetheless, who put up with his berserker flare ups and remained loyal to him no matter their change in status. And this made him worth his weight in precious metal.

  The human female was busy examining the interior of their cell. Not that there was much to see. Once you’d seen one prison cell, you’d seen them all. So, Syrin stepped outside, maintaining an overall view of the area.

  “The guards placed her in my cell hoping I’d kill her,” he said.

  Trax burst out laughing. “I wish I’d been there to see that. How are you going to get rid of her?”

  Syrin shook his head. “I’m not. She’s staying. I vowed to protect her.”

  Trax let out an exasperated hiss.

  Syrin glanced at the human again, intrigued by her movements as she studied their new living conditions. “She will not compromise our mission,” he said, watching as she examined the limited space. This female was an interesting companion. She was smaller than a Xylan female, but still as defiant and fierce as the females of his species. Her colorless skin and hair caught his attention. He’d never before seen that combination of skin and hair so devoid of pigment it practically glowed. Her hair was a soft wave of non-color that contrasted pleasantly with his ancient pigment. On Chronos her non-color would be the subject of shock and horror, she would be shunned and immediately relegated to the lowest segment of society. In his old life, Syrin would have looked on her as an ugly aberration. But, as a Bounty Hunter, he’d lived widely among all the species of the four sectors and was used to beings different than himself. Syrin knew what it was like to be shunned. He would never judge another being by the color of their skin.

  Trax’s anger was logical. They were on 149 to complete a precise mission, planned out to the nearest nanco. And this human could potentially ruin everything. Normally he’d be furious, too, at this intrusion into their carefully laid plans, but he was curiously unperturbed at having this human as his ward and cellmate.

  Syrin felt a strange need to point out her good qualities. “She might prove helpful.”

  “Helpful?” Trax hissed, like it was the most ridiculous idea ever. “Who is she helping? The guards? The other inmates? She’s a weak, human female. Humans are primitive.”

  Syrin, Trax and Rengeli had all carefully broken the same intergalactic law together, at the same moment, in order to get thrown in Detention Center: Zeta 149. Their mission was to collect Kroga of Seventy-Five (the most wanted being in the four sectors), break out of prison with their target in lock down stasis, and return Kroga to the Bounty Hunter Guild for “questioning.”

  Kroga’s capture was of special interest to Syrin. He wanted that asshole out of commission. Kroga had sparked the Cordovian Wars. This warrior had been his Godsfather, the male of another line trusted with his upkeep and raising if his own line was decimated. A male who had shattered all trust and honor in a horrific instance of betrayal. Kroga had been banished from Xylan ten planetary cycles ago and was still committing crimes across the four sectors. Kroga’s whole line was banished for two generations as a consequence of his treachery. He was wanted by the Bounty Hunter Guild. And as far as Syrin was concerned Kroga was now a dead warrior. Others might not be able to capture him, might have failed in their mission, but Bounty Hunters did not give up. Syrin did not give up. The Xylan had left a trail of death and tears behind him for too many years. It was time for this to end.

  This mission was personal. There was no room for failure. Also, failure meant being locked up indefinitely on 149. This was not an option.

  Nothing could jeopardize this carefully planned mission to retrieve Kroga of Seventy-Five from his hiding place on Detention Center: Zeta 149. Nothing. Not even this new female who shared his cell. This was the number one mission occupying the leadership of the Guild. All Bounty Hunters were following the progress of this mission, eager for Kroga’s apprehension. He was accused of paying to have a fake target retrieved, which jeopardized the honor of the entire Guild.

  Kroga had managed to escape from the Xylan Military, but now he’d angered the Bounty Hunters and this time, he would not escape. All of the resources of the Hunters in the four sectors were being aimed at this extraction. It would happen.

  Even though this mission was of the greatest importance, Syrin wanted to balance it with the needs of this female. The two need not be mutually exclusive.

  “Humans must be evolving…she claimed to be a systems expert,” he said.

  Trax’s eyes narrowed. “Lies. All lies designed to pull you in. She could screw everything up.”

  It was a possibility, but slim. Syrin prided himself on his ability to quickly assess the risk level of any given situation. “The human foolishly stood between me and the guards and tried to defend my honor when they warned me about their retribution if I went berserker on their staff. So, as punishment, they put her in my cell.”

  “Let me guess, they threatened to kill you?”

  “Yes, and they’ve placed detonation chips in our brains in order to keep us compliant.”

  “Wonderful. Another added layer of crap for us to sift through.”

  Syrin shrugged, unconcerned. They would all escape, alive. The window for this mission’s completion was half a moon cycle. Within that time frame they had to find where Kroga was hidden, apprehend him, and exit the prison with their target in stasis. There was no time to waste. Nothing could get in their way. Even the human.

  “So she tried to protect you, but got thrown into the same cell as you, and now she asks for your protection?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you said yes because you’re an honorable Xylan?” Trax gave him a hard stare. “Did she get herself thrown in your cell on purpose? I saw how she watched you during intake. She wants to mate with you.”

  Syrin’s jaw tightened. Yes, it was true the female wanted to mate with him, he could smell her physical reactions. But he’d learned long ago to ignore mating signals from non-Xylan females. He was Xylan, and therefore did not experience any physical sexual needs until he found his Bride. Desire was a foreign sensation, as it was to any Xylan up until the moment mating compatibility had been tested and a match made. And since he’d been removed from the Xylan mating database, he would never have a mate, never start his line. He had come to accept this outcome. He was a berserker, therefore he legally had no right to breed.

  He would never have offspring or a Bride—a true mate. But, because he’d never felt desire, he did not miss the mating act itself, he didn’t know what he was missing. And it was true that a berserker should not breed. His life had been traumatic as it was. He did not wish this curse on his own offspring.
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  Syrin had once led a life of honor with the Champion and the Manager of his line on Chronos, but now that he had reached manhood and his berserker status was exposed, his own mother would not speak to him. His entire line acted as if he were dead to them. He was a blight upon their esteemed lineage, his birth expunged from the records.

  Syrin had long ago resigned himself to the fact that he was not meant to procreate. He was, in fact, lucky to simply be alive.

  The human was not his Bride. Would never be his Bride. No one would.

  “I do not think it was calculated on her part,” he finally answered. “I believe she was following her sense of honor.”

  “Honor? Hmm.” Trax tipped his head to the side, deliberating. “This situation is typical. I’ve seen it countless times before. This female wants you as a pleasure mate and you could care less.”

  “I am Xylan.”

  “Yeah, and I’m Creekan and we can pleasure mate. I’ll take her if you won’t. She’s the only female in this prison.”

  Syrin’s eyes hardened. The female wasn’t his mate, but he’d offered her his protection. No male on this Detention Center would be touching her now that he’d given his word. Not even Trax. A growl rumbled in his chest.

  Trax rolled his large, bulbous eyes. “Back off. I won’t make any moves, at least while we’re here on this mission and she’s under your care. We’re only here for half a moon cycle. After we break out of here, we can take her with us if we can, and then she can choose if she wants me.”