Cyborg Nation by Kaitlyn O'Connor (e novels to read TXT) 📕

the proximity detector because they were preoccupied with non military matters, were they not?”

When they finally halted the barrage of questions, Bronte merely stared at them, trying to sort them in her mind and decide which to answer and how to answer them. Finally, she turned to look straight at Gideon and Gabriel and Jerico for the first time, meeting each of their gazes for several moments. She’d failed them. She knew she had. “I’m sorry,” she said when Gideon met her gaze.

“You do not answer to them! You have no need to fear them. It is clear they are guilty on all counts and they are unlikely ever to be released again.”

Bronte turned to look at Damon, and then Reuel and Kane, her fear and distress instantly transformed into rage. “You … assholes!” she yelled at them, coming to her feet. “I am not afraid of them! I love them and that is why I agreed to contract with them! And you should be ashamed even to question their loyalty or their integrity! You can lock me up, too! Or send me home, because there is no way in hell I’m ever going to trust any of you or willingly do a damned thing for any one of you!”

Reuel’s eyes narrowed on her. “You are overly emotional because you are human … and you are gestating. Otherwise, I might take exception.”

Wondering how her companions had taken that announcement of impending fatherhood, Bronte glanced at them quickly. Gabriel and Jerico were merely staring at her blankly and she wasn’t sure if they’d even caught that part. Mostly, she was fairly certain, they were just so stunned and appalled that she’d called their respected leaders assholes that they couldn’t think beyond that. Gideon was another matter. His gaze was riveted to her belly and there was no doubt in her mind that he was reeling. She just couldn’t tell if he welcomed the announcement or not.

“If you care for your companions as you claim,” Reuel went on, “how could you have so little concern for their off-spring?”

“That’s as unjust as any of the rest of this!” she said angrily. “How can I set the needs of my babies above the needs of my companions when it’s the same thing? They need their fathers! I need them! They did not disobey any of their orders. They didn’t do anything wrong!” She swallowed convulsively, studied them hopefully and then, in desperation, changed tactics. “Alright! You were right! It was me! I realized as soon as I’d had time to consider the situation that I’d be much better off with them to protect me than without them and I set out to seduce them into contracting with me.”

“All of them?”

She nodded vigorously.

“Even though it is not the custom on Earth to have multiple partners in co-habitation?”

“Right! I didn’t know that part then, so I was thinking about getting one to commit to the agreement but I figured any one would do, so I focused on all of them and figured if I could convince one maybe he could get rid of the other two and take me home.”

“Which was it?”

“What?” Bronte asked blankly.

“You were trying to get one or all to commit to a contract, or you were trying to convince one to take you home?”

“Whatever worked.”

“You would say anything to protect them, would you not?”

Bronte swallowed convulsively. “Which truth do you want, damn it! Because obviously the real truth just won’t fucking do for you!”

Reuel settled back in his seat. She couldn’t tell from the gleam in his eyes if he was amused or on the verge of blasting her with his temper. He jerked his head at Caleb. “Escort her out while we consider her testimony.”

She wanted to protest, but she realized she’d done enough damage. When Caleb caught her arm to lead her out, she merely threw an apologetic look at her companions. It was a big world, she reflected as he led her outside of the building. Maybe she could figure out a way to help them escape?

Assuming, of course, they weren’t ready to throttle her for totally botching her attempt to get them off already.

“That was not well done,” Caleb growled when they had reached the sidewalk.

“You think?” Bronte snapped angrily.

“Did you set out to insure that they would be found guilty?”

She narrowed her eyes at him instead of bursting into tears, which was what she felt like doing. “Yes! That’s exactly what I set out to do. I wasn’t satisfied with the fact that they’d already decided to crucify them for nothing!”

He studied her in silence for a moment. “It is true that you love them?”

Her chin wobbled threateningly. “I know it probably doesn’t seem like it when I screwed everything up, but I do. You have no idea how good they were to me or to what lengths they went to to protect me out there!”

He frowned. “But that was after you had contracted with them, according to what you said.”

She bit her lip. She hadn’t considered that. “I was already in love with them,” she said with a touch of surprise. Tears filled her eyes. “It was the craziest courtship, I’m sure, that was ever devised! I don’t know what I’m going to do....” She broke off as she averted her gaze from his and saw them emerging from the building. For a moment her heart seemed to stop. When the three of them stopped on the steps, scanned the people gathered on the street and sidewalk and finally settled on her, however, she whirled away from Caleb and dashed toward them.

Doubts plagued her—that they’d be angry with her—but she ignored the warning bells clamoring in her head. Gabriel met her first, rushing toward her with his arms out to catch her in his embrace. She hugged him back tightly. “They let you go?” she exclaimed when she drew away.

“Yes!” Jerico said chuckling as he dragged her from Gabriel’s arms and embraced her, covering her mouth