MeltingIron Read online

  The cyborg stared at her with a confused expression. Dawn sighed.

  “I love him. I’m working on making him love me back. He might threaten to put me over his knee or tie me to his bed but he won’t hurt me.”

  Coal cut his legs loose and then sliced through the rope that was tied to the frame, taking all of it with him as he climbed off the bed. Dawn gasped and spun around to present him with her back as he stalked totally naked to the crates of clothing, obviously comfortable in his bare skin.

  In less than a minute the man had a pair of pants on and was grabbing things around the room. Dawn watched him silently as he used a sheet to gather supplies. He was smart to grab things while he could if he planned on going into the mountains. She noticed he kept hold of the rope.

  “You’re taking hacked rope?”

  He paused, meeting her gaze. “Tell them I pulled free. If there is no evidence left behind they won’t know you cut me loose.” He stared down at her. “Are you sure you do not wish to flee with me? I won’t harm you.”

  “I’m sure but thanks for the offer. Good luck with running, but instead of doing that, why don’t you go talk to the cyborgs who came to rescue you?”

  “Their females will just hand me over to my females so there is no point.”

  “There aren’t any females on the Star. That’s the ship I came on. I was told the men outnumber the females on the cyborg home planet.”

  His features showed his shock. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “Go to the hill where the Yas is. Iron, the guy who owns me, is up there with a crew of his men fixing the shuttle. That’s where I came from today.”

  He moved to the corner, studying it, and then was shifting the metal wall to open it up a few feet to reveal the outside and trees. He glanced back at Dawn, staring at her for a long moment before he slipped out of the room.

  Dawn sighed and walked to the front door. She hesitated, wondering how much shit she would get into if she just waited on the outside. It might give Coal a little more running time if no one came in to see he was gone. She lifted her chin, pushed on the door and stepped outside.

  She saw Iron storming toward her, looking enraged. Ice was on his heels.

  “Dawn, I warned you not to run,” Iron snarled.

  “I didn’t. There was a boy who—”

  Iron reached her, his hands wrapping around her as he jerked her against his body. He held her there, lowering his head to hers and a strong arm wrapped around her.

  “I was worried.” He said softly.

  “A boy fell in the water and I pulled him out. I’d never run from you.”

  Iron sighed. “If you’re lying I will punish you. They will tell me the truth.”

  So much for trust. Dawn sighed as Iron released her. She saw Plono heading their way from another house. It sucks, Dawn thought, that he needs verification instead of just believing me.

  Chapter Twelve

  “She freed my male.” Plono was furious as she glared at Dawn.

  A deep frown was fixed on Iron’s features. “What male?”

  The fuming cyborg woman hesitated as a look of dread flashed on her face before it disappeared. “I have a slave.”

  Iron jerked his head toward Ice. “Alert our men that there is a hostile human free. He might go for the Rally.”

  “He’s not human,” Dawn said softly. When Iron’s head jerked her way, she met his stunned gaze. “He’s a cyborg.”

  “What in the hell is going on?” Ice stepped forward, glaring at Plono. “You enslaved one of our men? Why?”

  “He was the only breeding male. The others were sterile. We tried but only Coal was able to produce for us. He refused to service our women so we had to take measures to force him to comply. After he started running from us and we were forced to track him countless times, we changed his status from free to slave.” Plono glared back at Ice. “All of our children are from him. Would you prefer that we did not breed?”

  “Fuck,” Ice cursed. “You forced him?” Rage curved his hands into fists and his body tensed. “You enslaved him? Turned him into a breeding machine for any of your females who wished to have children? Is that what you’re saying?”

  “It was the only option he left us with.” Her full focus turned on Dawn. “She freed him. I know he couldn’t have broken loose himself. I tied him down personally. I demand she be punished.”

  The woman who had taken Davton from Dawn earlier stepped forward. “She saved the life of my son, Plono. She deserves mercy for that.”

  Irritation flashed on the cyborg woman’s face. “Fine. I will only give her ten lashes instead of twenty for her helping my male escape.” She shot a dirty look at Iron. “You will help find him since your slave freed him. That is fair.”

  Iron gripped Dawn’s arm. “If you touch my human I’ll take a whip to you and give you twenty lashes. No one touches her but me.” He jerked his head at Ice. “Let’s go. We’re going back to the Star and have a conversation with Steel and Flint over this.”

  “What about my male?” Plono was still angry. “We are leaving the planet soon and without your assistance we won’t be able to find him. He is very cunning at hiding from us.”

  “We’ll find him,” Ice hissed. “And we’ll make damn sure he’s off this planet and out of your control.”

  “He’s mine,” Plono took a threatening step toward Ice.

  “Enough,” Iron ground out. “We will find the male and then address his status.”

  Ice shot a disbelieving look at Iron. Iron met his gaze and nodded. “We need to get back to the Star now to have that meeting.”

  Relief flooded Dawn as she walked away with Iron and Ice, leaving the small camp behind them. As soon as they were out of earshot, Ice spoke.

  “We’re going to find this male and make damn sure those females don’t get their hands on him again.”

  “Agreed,” Iron sighed. “I didn’t want to fight with them. What they did was wrong but who knows what the council will decide. He was the only viable male but most of the council will have issues with his becoming a slave. Our main objective now is making Steel and Flint aware, and to find this male.”

  “His name is Coal,” Dawn offered. “He’s about six-foot-four, really buff, with dark brown eyes and he’s bald.”

  Iron stopped walking, studying Dawn. “Did you free him or did he break loose?”

  “I cut the ropes.” She lifted her chin, daring Iron to get mad at her over it. “They had him tied down naked to a bed and I was ordered to ignore him like he didn’t exist. It pissed me off.” She hesitated. “I told him to head for the shuttle we were working on and that I thought you’d help him. He thinks women rule all the men and that your women will just hand him back over to those bitches back there. I told him men outnumber women.”

  Ice sighed. “Perhaps he will come to us so we don’t have to look for him.”

  “Perhaps.” Iron let his hand trail down Dawn’s arm to her hand, which he grasped. “I worried that you’d run from me. I am proud that you saved the small child’s life.”

  “I just hope your doctors can fix his legs. He’s so damn cute and it never would have happened if he wasn’t in those damn leg braces.”

  Iron studied her eyes. “You care about him.”

  “He’s a little kid. Everyone should care about them.”

  “He’s a cyborg.”

  Dawn snorted. “So?”

  Iron looked away from her. “Let’s go.”

  Her gaze wandered the area around them, hoping to spot Coal, but when they reached the old shuttle no one but Iron’s men were there. He gave them an update and then led Dawn back to where the Rally had landed. Ice had stayed behind to keep an eye out for Coal in case he showed up looking for help.

  Depression flooded Dawn as they left the planet’s surface. She realized Iron was watching her as she sat on the cargo hold floor near him. Turning her head, she met his narrowed gaze.

  “Are you well, Dawn?”