Talia's Cyborg

By Clarissa Lake

Interstellar war left Earth in ruins. After the war, cyborgs came back to rebuild and restore civilization, and began awakening the cyborgs still in stasis waiting to fight.

Talia Cannon, a descendant of apocalypse preppers lives on a small off the grid homestead in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is the last of her family line unless she finds a mate to have children.

Jolt Somber has learned that building families is one way to start rebuilding civilization. So, he takes Talia to Farringay to see if one of the cyborgs under his command is her male, her soulmate who is genetically matched to her.

Bodee Flint nearly the last cyborg she meets is the one. One passionate kiss tells her this hot young cyborg is for her, but what about love?
Then again, he’s sexy and thoughtful, and he adores her. What’s not to love?

Whenever Talia has sexy thoughts Bodee is ready and willing to breed in hopes of making offspring. He is the best thing that ever happened to her.
But will she realize what he means to her before it’s too late?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clarissa Lake
• Release date: Sep 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215105474

Clarissa Lake

Clarissa Lake grew up watching Star Trek and reading Marvel Comics. She attended science fiction and fantasy conventions where she met many well-known science fiction authors and attended their readings and discussion panels. They included SciFi greats Anne McCaffery, CJ Cherry, George RR Martin, Ben Bova, Timothy Zahn, Frederik Pohl, Orson Scot Card.After years of fruitless efforts to get her books published traditionally, she discovered Kindle Direct Publishing and became an Indie author-publisher.While she loves science fiction, she always thought there should be more romance, so she started writing it hot and steamy.

Book preview

Prologue

Talia held the shotgun with the stock braced under her right arm and loaded five shells into it. She put five more into the pocket of her light jacket. They were birdshot reloads she made herself. With any luck, she would bring back a couple squirrels or a rabbit so she and her dog Edson could have meat for dinner. 

She started toward the kitchen door when Edson began to bark. Then she heard a whining noise she didn’t recognize. What the hell?

Pushing aside the curtain on the kitchen door window, her eyes widened. It was a vehicle she had never seen before, and a tall, gorgeous man climbed out. He wore some kind of weapon in a holster on his right hip. Talia started to tremble, not noticing the woman moving to accompany him. What could he want?

Slowly, she opened the kitchen door and fired a warning shot into the ground to the right of the man. Then she saw the woman that he shoved protectively behind him.

You in the house, Jolt called out. We are not here to harm you. I’m from the Federation. The war is over. I stopped to see if you need food, medicine, or a medic. 

Oh crap! Talia snapped. She had just shot at a Federation agent. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, her mind raced for a plausible explanation. She opened the door and stepped out, pointing the shotgun at the ground. Then she got a good look at the man on her lawn. Now, she was in trouble. He wasn’t just a Federation agent.

Cyborg. You’re a cyborg! she exclaimed. My father told me they made you for the war. He’d also told her they could kill a man with their bare hands. I never expected to see one in my front yard.

Why did you shoot at us?

Talia’s brows knit slightly, and she said the first thing that popped into her head. If I were shooting at you, I would have hit you. I thought you were Nick Jester coming back to talk his way into my life again. She shrugged and sighed. Now, I can see you’re not…

I don’t know him, Jolt said, glancing around as he searched his memory bank.

Just the jerk down the road that wants to screw me. Edson doesn’t like him. She nodded at the dog that sat quietly beside her, That’s good enough for me.

As Jolt looked at her, he found it understandable that a man wanted her. He suspected one of his brethren would be thrilled to discover she was their female. She was a tall, attractive woman with flame-red hair and sparkling blue eyes.

I am Jolt Somber, and this is Iris Bloom, he said, and she moved beside him. We came on behalf of the Enclave near New Chicago to offer help if you need it.

I get by on my own, but I wouldn’t mind finding the right mate, she said. Jester comes around every so often to offer his services, but that lazy bastard just wants me to keep him for the winter. He knows I got food stored up in the root cellar and wood for the stove.

Iris laughed. 

Talia smiled when Iris laughed and continued, Next time he comes around, I just might shoot the fucker, she grimaced. Anyway, I’m pleased to meet you. It's nice to meet someone who wants to help rather than trying to take what I got. I’m Talia Cannon. Does the Federation have any more like you? She looked at Jolt hopefully. He was one of the best-looking males she had ever seen.

We have hundreds of cyborgs working to rebuild the Farringay Starport. One could be your mate, but they would not know until they met you. Jolt explained. 

Could you arrange such a meeting? Talia asked.

You could come with us to Farringay. But we cannot offer any private quarters at our base, Jolt said. We have women camping out in a separate wing waiting for transport to the Enclave at New Chicago.

Can I bring Edson? He must approve any mate I would take.

Jolt eyed the dog sitting calmly at her side. I see no harm. We are going to Farringay now. You will not need your weapon.

I believe you, but I’d rather not leave it behind to get stolen, Talia said. I can unload it before we get into your flier.

Jolt nodded his ascent. 

Edson put the goats and chickens in the barn. The dog barked and ran to the barnyard. He continued barking as he rounded up the animals and herded them to the barn opening."

My ancestors are from Farringay, and my cabin was their vacation home before the war. They fled to the mountains when the aliens bombed the city, said Talia. I am the last of my line unless I find a mate to make a child with.

As she spoke, she unloaded the weapon and put the bullets in her shoulder bag. I will grab a change of clothes and lock up.

While they were speaking, Jolt had confirmed the plan with Commander Dark in case one of the Farringay cyborgs was her male. He would release that male if he wished to return to Talia’s mountain home with her. He and Jolt believed the best way to help Talia was to help find her a mate.

Few cyborgs would be hard to replace at Farringay since most were newbies less than a year out of stasis. Vyken could awaken more whenever they needed them. Building families was a key factor in rebuilding civilization on Earth. Finding Talia’s male would be a small step.

Talia returned a few minutes later with a larger cross-the-body cloth bag. Jolt showed her where to put her things behind the rear passenger seats. She stowed them and went back to the barn to close the door.

Jolt and Iris waited by the flyer while Talia closed, latched the barn door, and then walked to the flier with Edson. He seemed to know without being told to get in after his mistress and sit beside her in the rear passenger seat. If she was nervous about flying, she didn’t show it. They arrived at the complex about twenty minutes later. It would have taken Talia four to five days to walk it.

The building wasn’t much to look at, but it was a stable structure with more than enough room for the 500 cyborgs it housed. Jolt had notified Lieutenant Commander Axel Rex that he was bringing Talia, so he wasn’t surprised when many cyborgs met them at the doorway. They all sought a mate and were there to determine if Talia was their female.

Jolt and Iris stood with her at the doorway while cyborgs entered and paused in front of Talia. Each one seemed hopeful, but there was no sign of recognition.

Talia had never seen so many people in one place, nor so many handsome men, living her isolated life on her mountain homestead. They all looked so young, not that she was so old. Even Jolt, who was getting close to ninety, only looked about twenty-five.

So many cyborgs passed with no sign of awareness, and Talia was giving up hope that any of them would be her mate. Then a few stragglers strode in, and Edson’s nostrils flared, and he gave a soft bark.

Flanked by his friends, the cyborg Bodee looked up and zeroed in on Talia. His usual stoic expression converted into a pleased grin. He was a classic tall, dark, and handsome, broad-shouldered with solid muscle like all the cyborgs. His intense green eyes were lit in delight. He looked at least as young as Jolt, maybe even a couple years younger.

The tall cyborg strode across the room to stand before Talia and offered his hands to her. When she looked up into his eyes, it was hard to breathe suddenly. A frisson of attraction flowed through her body like an incoming tide. He was the one! She put her hands in his.

This is Talia Cannon, Jolt told him. The other cyborg never took his eyes from hers.

Talia Cannon, I am your male, Bodee Flint. Will you become my female? He said and inclined his head as a sign of respect as he gripped her hands.

She was tall, about 5’10 to his 6’8, and they made a striking couple.

I’m pleased to meet you, Bodee, Talia told him with a raised eyebrow. Shall we go for a walk outside and talk. With that, he took her hand, and they went outdoors for privacy.

Chapter One

Talia was nervous and excited. Every cyborg she saw that day was gorgeous, but only Bodee attracted her.

How old are you? Talia asked as they walked.

Eighty years, six months, three weeks, two days, twelve hours and fifty-seven minutes… Bodee replied. Is that relevant? He inclined his head, studying her face.

You look so damn young, like I might be at least ten years older than you.

How old are you? he asked.

Well, okay, that’s fair. I’m thirty-one.

Your age and my age are not relevant. We are adults, and you are my female, he said. Will you decline to be my mate because you think I look younger than you?

I didn’t say that. I was thinking out loud. She glanced up at him, giving him a tentative smile. "I won’t get a better offer in these parts. There are few single