Qwin: Cyborg Rogues, #2

By Alyse Anders

As the Qadrus' doctor, Qwin has patched every type of wound. He's put himself in danger countless times all to save others. When he first lays eyes on his mate, he realizes two things – she's the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, and she's ill. Wanting to cure her pain and suffering he's shocked when she doesn't want to be saved.

Olya has spent her entire life having others do everything for her. Not because she isn't capable, but because of their guilt over her condition. When she learns that the Black Guard wants to use her as a weapon, she has no choice but to put herself in Qwin's care.

After they escape peril and retreat to a secret base, they are quickly discovered again by the Black Guard. Qwin and Olya must trust one another to help save their companions, with all of their lives hanging in the balance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alyse Anders
• Release date: Apr 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781990064029

Book preview

Chapter One

Three days ago…

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Olya would never admit it to another person, but a part of her had hoped the Kraken would have been destroyed on their journey to parts unknown. The ever-present ache that rolled through her body brought on by the Breneman’s virus had continued to grow more prominent with each passing year, had spread to new nerves in her arms, her lower back, the bottoms of her feet. Unlike her sister Kaia, she had little faith that they’d find an alien race who would not only be friendly toward them, but also have the medical knowledge to help cure her of this most human of chronic diseases.

But if their ship was destroyed while she was resting peacefully in stasis? Well then everything would be much better. The pain would be gone, she wouldn’t be sitting in a chair, staring down the thought of having to live an excruciating, shortened life until her muscles finally gave up. Or worse, her will to continue.

So, when she opened her eyes to see an alien standing there, and Kaia not far to the side, she couldn’t help but be a tad bit disappointed.

Thankfully, that disappointment was quickly pushed to the side when Kaia leaned over her, eyes wide and beaming.

Hey. Kaia’s voice cracked and Olya didn’t need to be her twin to know that Kaia was emotional. There you are.

Hey. Pain sliced through her as she shifted, her mouth in desperate need of some water. Throat’s sore.

Kaia started to reach for her but stopped before she did. Yeah, it takes a little bit for everything to get working again. Take your time and everything will be fine.

Seeing as they’d somehow beaten the odds and found their way to a friendly alien planet, base, wherever, Olya could only hope they’d also have a cure for her. How long? Where?

We’ll get all that information in a little bit. Right now, we just need to wake you up and get you on your feet.

The next few minutes where a whirl of movements, alien voices and more information than Olya was able to wrap her head around. The doctor, Aerin, was their liaison between the Fallen – the cyborg race who currently were waking up two other women – and the humans from the Kraken. Aerin filled them in about their journey, as well as the nanobots that would not only help them understand what was being spoken to them, but potentially be able to cure any diseases they had.

While the others had concerns about using the nanobots, Olya was scared to actually hope that they might be the cure to all her pain. Kaia insisted on taking them first – which would have surprised absolutely no one who knew her – and when it was clear they weren’t going to harm them, Olya let out a long slow breath before finally nodding. Let’s do this.

Worst case, they didn’t do anything to help her.

Best case they saved her life.

Either way, Olya was tired of living a life sitting on the sidelines.

Given the next bit of information they’d received, it didn’t sound like she had much of a choice to sit by if she’d even wanted to. Aerin knew about their fixation on the sky, knew that without anyone asking, each of them had been drawn to board the Kraken. Olya had never said a word to Kaia about her longings, mostly because she’d chalked it up to being physically unable to do much of anything. She was a burden to her parents, who worked hard to provide her with the medicine and equipment she needed to survive. Kaia would take on her shifts, pretending to be her so Olya wouldn’t lose her job and the family would manage to scrape by.

But looking to the sky gave Olya hope that there might be more for her out there somewhere in the universe. That she’d find a cure and a place to live, that she’d be able to have a job, a calling to do something that was beyond the need to work for food and shelter.

The sector of space you all fixated on was ours, and the ultimate destination of the Kraken. Aerin moved down the line to stop in front of Dania. She looked at each of them, her gaze resting on Olya a fraction longer than the others. The reason is you all apparently have an…intimate connection with some of our men. You are their destined mates.

The other women looked confused, and Kaia said something that Olya didn’t quite register. All she could hear was Aerin’s words roll over and over in her mind.

You are their destined mates.

You are his destined mate.

He’s here waiting for you.

Everyone was confused, scared, and from the sound of it, a bit angry. Then Aerin setup a communication with Lena that was meant to explain everything, was a very important conversation she should have focused on but couldn’t. This time she couldn’t even blame the Breneman’s virus, and how her pain loved to chew away at her ability to focus on anything other than how her back throbbed, or how her elbow hurt all the time except when she dug her fingers into the joint.

You are his destined mate.

He’s here waiting for you.

God, she felt sorry for whichever guy was going to be stuck with her.

What would he think when he realized she was dying? Why would an alien possibly care about the fate of a woman he’d never laid eyes on?

In her experience most people responded in one of two ways. They would smile at her, acting all nice and hoping she wouldn’t notice as they backed away from her. Those people tended to never know how to treat her, or were concerned they’d somehow contract her genetic condition and be cursed with her fate. It was probably good for all involved that wasn’t the case. Olya knew she had a bit of a dark streak and would no doubt run around terrorizing everyone who annoyed her.

The second type of people were those who tried to do everything for her so she wouldn’t have to struggle on her own. They were the ones who’d shoot her looks of resigned sympathy, knowing that she was doomed to suffer and die under the weight of her failing body. They wouldn’t give her the chance to live her life, to make mistakes, to own her struggles. Instead, those people took pride in performing a task for her, and then would ride the emotional high of being a good, caring person who did a thing for another person. They rarely saw the real her sitting there. Even Kaia did that to a certain extent, which made for a strained relationship at times.

Olya would rather be left alone.

Maybe her supposed mate would share her annoyance.

They’re waiting for you in one of the upper rooms of the facility. Aerin laced her hands behind her back.

Kaia stood and moved to stand in front of Olya to help her to her feet. Well, if we have mates, let’s go meet them.

She loved her twin more than anything, and Kaia was the only person who she didn’t fault for her overenthusiastic desire to help. Kaia lived a life of survivor’s guilt, being the one of them who was born completely healthy. And while Olya would occasionally snap at her for wearing this false mantle of wrongdoing, at the end of the day her sister was always there for her in ways no one other than their parents ever were.

As they walked, her muscles seemed to strengthen to the point where she no longer needed Kaia’s body to lean on. It was surprising to have any sort of surge of strength, especially after having just come out of stasis. Kaia frowned as Olya dropped hold of her arm. You okay?

I’m doing okay, actually. It felt good to manage on her own, even if she assumed it would be short lived. I’ll let you know if I need more help.

Are you sure?

Yup.

Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take Kaia long to pull ahead and move a few steps behind Aerin. Her sister was the curious one, and generally took risks for them both. If there was going to be a group of alien mates waiting for them somewhere in this building, then she’d be damn sure to be the first one through the door. Petra and Dania seemed more than happy to let Kaia lead, sharing small smiles as they moved through the building toward their destination.

The corridors of the medical facility had the same institutional feeling as the myriad of hospitals Olya had been in and out of her entire life back on Earth. She hadn’t considered that would be a universal constant and couldn’t help but chuckle as the group moved past barren grey-blue walls. A group of soldiers joined them as they turned the corner, which set the hairs on the back of Olya’s neck straight up. If there was nothing to be feared from their mates, then why the hell did they need protection?

She was trying not to stare at the soldiers when Aerin stopped the group in front of a closed door and Olya’s attention immediately shifted to the men on the other side. She knew without being told that there was someone in there who was important to her. It was a strange sensation, an awareness that sent a shiver through her body and made her skin tingle. Kaia opened the door and stepped inside, moving immediately toward a tall man with a beard, glowing green eyes and his hair pulled back into a bun. Olya watched for a moment as her sister and the other women started to drift toward the men inside, before turning her own attention to a man off to the side.

He too had a beard, though his eyes glowed a bright blue, and felt as though he were able to look inside her mind with the intense curiosity directed at her. He was her mate? He had to be.

Olya started to move into the room as well when an arm wrapped around her waist and yanked her back from the door. She barely had time to respond when the corridor exploded, sending a wave of smoke and debris flying her way. The attacker dragged her through the smoke as she struggled, her vision blinded the deeper they went. Panic gripped her and she did the one thing she could. She screamed.

Kaia!

Olya!

Her instincts kicked in and she thrashed in her captive’s arms. They reached some sort of ship and the man tossed her inside, the impact of her still weak body against the floor sending a wave of pain through her. Olya screamed once more, knowing Kaia would try to find her, hoping her mate was there and would be willing to come as well. She sucked in a breath to scream again when the soldier lifted his blaster and brought it down toward her head.

Blackness.

Pain.

Sounds she couldn’t recognize.

Voices she wasn’t familiar with.

More darkness.

She dipped in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware that they were being moved. She couldn’t tell if they were still on the ship, or if they’d been brought to another building. At one point, she realized someone was pressing an injector to her neck and she fell under another wave of darkness.

When she finally felt herself begin to come to, it was only then that she realized they were being held in a different building than the medical center they’d been in with Aerin. She didn’t need to see the I.V. in her arm to realize it was there. Over her years of medical treatment, that was a sensation she’d grown accustomed to. There was a strange taste in her mouth – metal and sweetness – from whatever they were putting into her body.

Hey, Olya?

She turned her head to