Gadget Read online

  Horris waded in and Gadget powered up her stun effect. She felt the hot caress of a blade on her thigh and calf, and she hissed, striking the man in the face and watching as he jerked in agony before he passed out.

  She had four more strikes of that kind before she would be drawing on her own power, but they wouldn’t be needed. Shatter and Horris had flattened the rest of the dozen.

  Gadget limped out of the tangle of bodies and joined her companions on the other side of the pile. “Anyone else get tagged?”

  Shatter scowled. “You are injured?”

  “One sliced me on the leg. Nothing major.”

  He moved to carry her, but she stopped him. “I walked in, I will walk out. It is important or Horris won’t be able to leave with us.”

  Horris snapped the cuff on his right wrist and grinned at them, “Shall we? I am eager to leave this place.”

  Gadget moved slowly and left a bit of a blood trail, but they completed their walk through the platform without being accosted again.

  A group of platform workers were near the Dark Fairy dock. They took one look at the trio approaching them, and they ran for it.

  “If only I had had that talent back home. I could have gone shopping on Christmas Eve without being jostled.” She grinned.

  They didn’t understand the reference, but once they were inside the ship, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Why did the bubble activate around me?” Prince Naroz was amused but irritated.

  Horris was in stasis below, and Toby was cleaning her wound. “We were attacked and the ship decided that it was safer for everyone if you received protection as well.”

  “Well, I wasn’t getting any information out of Lerar, so it is just as well that things were cut short.”

  Shatter elbowed him aside and pushed Toby’s hands out of the way. “This is more than a little slice.”

  “I will live. What are you doing?”

  “I also have medical training. Quit talking and give me your leg.” He grinned and used a laser to slice the fabric of her suit. It was calibrated for just such a purpose.

  “There is a skin sealant on the second shelf. It is marked with my name and a smiley face.” She sat still as he prodded at the gash. It was about eight inches long and started at the top of her tattoo down to her calf.

  Naroz peered over Raol’s shoulder. “Aw, it sliced through your tattoos.”

  Shatter looked at him. “You have seen them?”

  “She wore sundresses when she was staying with my family last summer. Her arms and legs were quite visible when the wind blew.” Naroz leaned back against the doorframe.

  Shatter grinned up at Toby. “You wear dresses?”

  “Whenever I am alone on the ship when I am not on duty, I dress in as little as I can. This is my home, after all.” She winced as he dug deep into her wound.

  “I know that. Damn, what was on that blade?”

  “Mining knives are known for being used for everything from poking ore to stirring food to unclogging lavs. I am trying not to think about it.”

  Naroz shuddered and Shatter gave her a dark look from beneath his brows. “You are going to stay off this leg until it’s healed.”

  “We will see. If Naroz gets another assignment, I am going to hop into the control room without any warning.”

  The image must have transferred itself to his imagination, because he grinned. She understood why when he said, “Not if I tell the ship that it is dangerous for you to move around before you are well.”

  Horror flickered through her. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  He snorted. “I just did.”

  The ship started to flicker grey images in her mind. Every time the image was of Toby on her feet, it flared scarlet. The ship had gotten the message.

  “You will pay for that, Shatter.”

  “I look forward to it, Gadget.” He winked and kept tending her.

  Two days later, she was going out of her mind. Raol carried her everywhere, including the lav. He left her alone, but it was still embarrassing to have to ask, and ask she did. The Dark Fairy alerted him every time she tried to get up by blaring alarms and flashing lights. The ship could have cut her motor skills off, but it didn’t. A little bit of trust was rebuilt in those moments.

  “Your leg has healed. The grafting paste is working very well. I think it is even fixing your tattoo if that makes sense.” He was staring at the line in shock.

  “Oh, it does. The gel comes from Yaccaro. There are nanites in it to effect the repairs.”

  He backed up. “You have medical equipment from Yaccaro?”

  “Just the gel. It is experimental, because the half-life of the nanites is unknown. They might do their jobs and die, or they might stay on my skin and work on doing patch jobs.” She smiled. “I hope not. I need those ports.”

  “Flex your leg for me?” He watched the play of muscle and skin. “All right. You are fine. I give you leave to run around the ship again.”

  She laughed and grabbed the collar of his bodysuit. “I had a few other activities in mind that I need full function for.”

  Toby kissed him and wrapped her legs around him as he carried her to her quarters. He had stayed in his room for the last two days, leaving her alone during the night. The nights were longer than she remembered and even studying the history books of the imperium didn’t fill the lonely gaps. She had missed him.

  Her loose dress was up and over her head the moment that they were in her quarters. She yanked at the closure of his suit, and they fell together the moment that she eased it down low enough to free his cock. She pushed him to his back and straddled him. The waiting had been the best aphrodisiac ever. Toby swivelled her hips with the head of his cock wedged against her, and with a small pop, he began to slip inside.

  He groaned and gripped her hips, pulling her onto him, his back arched and his head thrown back. She gasped as he forged past the initial resistance of her body and panted when her pelvis was flush against his.

  She rocked her hips tentatively, biting her lip and focusing on the feeling inside her. He grunted as he moved, so she shifted, lifting up and away from him, almost letting him slip out before she slammed back down on him, sending another groan through the air.

  She rode him hard and fast until sweat coated their skins and her body trembled as she fought not to peak too soon. His fingers flexed, and he shuddered as she moved faster and faster until her orgasm tore through her and she clawed at Raol’s chest while her breath left her lungs.

  “Thank the stars.” He jerked his hips upward, and she was suspended on him as her body was locked to his.

  Her skin was glowing, and it was filled with energy. She blushed and tried to get off him, to hide the map of veins and circuitry under her skin. He didn’t let her go.

  “I…I didn’t used to look like this.”

  He pulled her down until she was lying on his chest. “I know. I have had your original interview file for several weeks. I know that your body was a trap for you.”

  She stiffened and tried to jerk away.

  He held her.

  “I can’t believe that you saw that.”

  “It showed a strength of self that I find admirable, and I love the pattern of light under your skin. I couldn’t see it the first time, but now that the ship dimmed the lights, you are truly amazing. You are the most beautiful blend of female and technology that I have ever seen.”

  She blushed and lifted her head. “You aren’t just saying that?”

  “No. I was surprised by your physical status when I learned of you, but now that I know your scent, your feel…there is no going back. You are mine, Tobitha.”

  She snuggled against him, and she breathed in their combined scents while fireworks went off in her head. The Dark Fairy had her family, and they were about to embark on a very strange partnership.

  * * * *

  The Dark Fairy called her sister, the Star Fairy. “She has a m
ate!”

  The Star Fairy peeked in on her symbiote, who was busy doing her daily exercises. “She does?”

  “He is very handsome, he likes me a lot and he takes care of her when I can’t. Your human needs one.”

  The Star Fairy wasn’t sure. “My human doesn’t like other beings. They make her angry.”

  “Then, she needs a mate to let off some steam. Trust me. Tobitha’s mind has never felt better. Our link is stronger, and we have more of an emotional bond. You need to look into this.”

  “Fine, where should I start looking?”

  “There is this painter on Yaccaro…” The Dark Fairy told her sister everything that she had learned, and when she was done, they parted with this.

  “Oh, and before I forget…never take your human for a walk in their sleep and dye their hair. They don’t like it.”

  The Dark Fairy continued her travels through the stars, waiting for the moment when Tobitha and her mate were awake and ready for work. At that point, she would let Prince Naroz out of his quarters. He really shouldn’t try to interrupt her human and her mate. It just wasn’t nice to fool with love. The ship chortled. He would learn.

  Author’s Note

  This is the first in a set of Terrans with body mods and tattoos. Not all the Terrans were physically perfect. In fact, none of mine are, but these women had brilliant minds trapped by issues with their bodies. The cure was painful, invasive and awkward, but as all good things are, it was worth it to these five women.

  In Gamble, we meet our next heroine. She is feisty, she loves blue and she has superhuman strength and speed. Nothing out of the norm for a Terran on her own.

  Thank you for reading,

  Viola Grace

  [email protected]

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  http://www.violagrace.com

  About the Author

  Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.

  Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.