Freed By The Cyborg: Cyborg Protectors, #6

By Alyse Anders

A protective cyborg must trust his mate to free his heart.

Ingo is the ice-cold head of security at The Prison. Feared by all, he rarely speaks as he patrols the corridors keeping both prisoners and the guards in line. When he's told that he has a mate who's traveled across the galaxy to be with him, he knows she will be nothing but trouble.

Darby didn't have much time to think about her reasons for leaving Earth – not with the police hot on her trail. But waking up on a new planet and being told that the cyborg unconscious on the floor beside her is her mate – oh and he's the chief of security of a prison, well that's not so good for her.

When the prison goes into lockdown, Ingo puts his heart on the line and his trust in Darby, so they can save the lives of their friends in danger.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alyse Anders
• Release date: May 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9781777038243

Book preview

Chapter One

Ingo walked the same route he always did – down the main corridor that ran directly through the prison, from one end to the other, one floor at a time. The entire process took him eight hours, forty-two minutes and sixteen seconds, barring any unforeseen complications or conversations. He walked this path checking in on the status of his guards, the prisoners and the condition of the prison itself. As head of security, Zee trusted Ingo to have a physical presence where he couldn’t. To go the places that would put the warden in danger, to wrap his hands around the necks of the men and creatures living beneath the planet’s surface, when it was required.

Despite what the prisoners and even some of the guards thought, Ingo wasn’t a man of violence. He knew from firsthand experience that problems weren’t always able to be solved with a blaster or bomb. He’d bore witness to the evils of war; had been caught, tortured and killed as a result of a Sholle incursion. Left to die alone and afraid, only to be brought back to life, reborn with cybernetic enhancements, and his emotions deadened. Ingo hated the part of himself that emerged after his rebirth, the calculating organizer. The man who now saw men and women as resources to be deployed and used as necessary.

But that voice of hatred had gone quiet over the decades since they’d finally driven the Sholle from their planet. When Zee requested him as the head of security for the prison, Ingo took solace knowing his skills would be used properly.

The corridor echoed with the sound of his footsteps. Ingo scanned the cells as he passed, running the data in his matrix, comparing what he saw against the recordings for the previous week. The prisoners rarely looked at him, their gaze cast to the floor as their heartrates jumped the closer he got to them. Fear was a powerful deterrent to any acts of rebellion.

And they truly feared what he could do.

The guards were stationed at their posts, and Ingo nodded to them as he passed. The one on the left – a Riderion who’d only been working at the prison for a few months now – appeared tired. Ingo sent a command to the prison’s AI to schedule an additional rotation off for him. A tired guard was a sloppy one and increased the risk of a prisoner escape attempt. The men held behind these electric barriers were the worst criminals from all over this sector of the galaxy; none would hesitate to kill a guard for even a small chance at obtaining freedom.

Stepping into the transportation tube at the end of the corridor, Ingo waited until the doors slid shut before he reached up and scratched at the back of his head. There’d been a small itch that had started a few days earlier and had continued to persist. He knew he should probably make a visit to the medical facility, or at least inform Zee that he might have a small condition, but it appeared so inconsequential that Ingo didn’t want to waste time.

Zee had enough on his mind with the arrival of the two human women. Ingo had been furious that not only hadn’t he been consulted about their arrival at the prison as non-prisoners, but that their presence had been hidden from him. That lack of knowledge had resulted in his guards attacking the women, and subsequently been attacked by Zee himself when they’d harmed the women, believing them to be prisoners. None of that would have happened if Ingo had been informed, been able to warn his guards, and taken measures to ensure that the women didn’t wander into places they didn’t belong.

Now one of them was in the medical bay receiving treatments for a blaster burn, and the other was under the careful watch of Zee.

They didn’t need this type of distraction. There were already whispers amongst the prisoners about the arrival of women, one of whom appeared to be important to Zee. No doubt there were already a hundred plans in the works for how they could take advantage of the situation, how she could be kidnapped and used as leverage against Zee. Ingo had thought about the possibilities himself and worked out counter measures for each possibility. It was an inconvenience, but not an impossibility to keep them safe.

Still, Zee should have told him sooner.

Ingo, I need you. Zee’s voice came through their cybernetic link, which meant he wasn’t that far away. Come to my office once you’re done your rounds.

Of course. There was no point in remaining angry with his friend. While he didn’t fully understand the relationship between Zee and the human woman, or even how they met, he didn’t need to in order to do his job.

I want you to find and bring Pax with you as well.

Ingo stopped walked and frowned. What do you want with the spy?

You’ll understand soon enough. Bring him and come when you can.

Pax worked with Ingo in the prison, a tool to get information from the prisoners that they wouldn’t normally let slip. Unlike himself and Zee, Pax’s cybernetic implants were far less noticeable, allowing him to blend in as a Grus and go places Ingo couldn’t. They rotated him through different quadrants and floors over the decades, ensuring that no one became too familiar with him, nor learned of his true identity. The information Pax obtained had proven useful over the decades, and they’d been able to stop more than a few plots.

He’d need an excuse to pull Pax out of whatever hole he was currently in – though even that shouldn’t prove too difficult. Ingo skipped the next floor on his patrol and went directly to the level he knew Pax was on. The moment the doors opened he reached out with the link.

Pax, I need you to come with me. Get in a fight or something so I can haul your ass out of here.

There was a rush of amusement through their link. I’ve been bored recently. No problem.

There were a few moments of silence before shouts began, followed by the alert alarm. A small smile pulled at Ingo’s lips before he continued his steady march down the corridor toward the commotion. Three of the guards were already there pulling Pax off the now slumping body of another prisoner. There was blood on his knuckles and spatter across his cheek. Ingo paused a short distance away, letting the guards contain the situation before he made his presence known.

What is happening here?

Everyone froze. Ingo knew his deep voice was considered to be a harbinger of doom in the prison – only the guilty heard it – and he took perverse pleasure in seeing people’s reactions. Pax played his part perfectly, his eyes growing wide and he tried to step away from the guards to put distance between himself and where Ingo stood.

Sir, this one attacked his cellmate. We’re not sure of the reason. Sil, one of the more experienced guards, pushed Pax toward Ingo. He had a weapon.

You had a weapon? That wasn’t something Ingo had anticipated. Where did you get it?

I didn’t have anything. Pax lifted his chin defiantly; the one action that was sure to land him in an interrogation room. Of course, I did. I’ve been working on discovering the source of where these laser knifes are coming from. And you can’t prove anything.

Ingo moved lightning fast, grabbing Pax by the throat and squeezing hard. He stared into his non-glowing brown eyes as he pulled him close. We’ll see about that.

That’s a bit hard. Pax struggled and gasped, though Ingo knew he didn’t need as much oxygen as a non-Fallen being.

You’ll live. At least until we get to the transportation tube. Check the cell for unauthorized weapons. Make sure the other one won’t die and report your findings to me.

Ingo dragged Pax with him, who struggled the entire way. They hadn’t done this particular dance in a long while, usually communicating any information Pax had through their cybernetic link. His friend was leaner than he’d been the last time Ingo had seen him, but that didn’t mean he’d lost any of his strength. Pax was one of the last of the initial group to be cybernetically enhanced and had received a few additional abilities that the others hadn’t. Not that Ingo was jealous of his ability to blend in with the Grus; if anything, he felt sorry for him.

They walked into the tube and the doors slid shut behind them. Ingo released Pax’s throat who smiled broadly. That was fun.

It’s been too