“Captains spend their lifespans sitting in chairs.” Vow grimaced. “How is that exciting?”

  He was right. Being a captain of a ship wasn’t the right role for him. He preferred to be active, constantly moving.

  “You could construct domiciles for beings.” She suggested a more physical role. “You exceled at erecting our wall.”

  “You don’t think I can become a warrior, do you?” Her son’s face darkened, his eyes growing stormy. “That’s why you’re suggesting all of those dumb alternatives.”

  She opened her mouth to protest.

  “I didn’t think I could either.” He wouldn’t allow her to speak. “He made me believe otherwise.” Her son tilted his head toward the door. “He had me convinced, like a fool, that if I trained and downloaded information and fought in the mock battles, I could become a great warrior. But I can’t. I was stupid to think I could.”

  He glowered at the far wall. Anger and disappointment radiated from him.

  “How long have you wanted to be a warrior?” How had she not known how much he desired that role?

  “I’ve wanted that forever.” Her son wouldn’t look at her. “But I knew I sucked at it and you wouldn’t approve and I had no way of getting better, so why say anything to anyone?”

  “Oh, Vow.” She gripped his balled-up fingers, squeezing them. “I want you to be happy.” And safe. The thought of him, her son, her baby, running into battle scared the shit out of her. “You can be whatever you want to be.”

  “I can’t be whatever I want to be.” He rejected that comment. “I told you. I suck at fighting.”

  “Then you train and download information and fight in the mock battles.” Whatever those were. “And you improve.” She couldn’t believe she was supporting this—her son becoming a warrior—but she was. Because that’s what moms did—they supported their children. “You can do this.”

  “How? He won’t train me now.” Vow’s gaze returned to the door. “He hates me.”

  “Your father doesn’t hate you.” How anyone could possibly hate her son was beyond her comprehension. “He realizes no one is perfect. We all say the wrong things sometimes.”

  Silence stretched

  She watched the emotions flit across Vow’s face, waited for him to process his thoughts.

  “You want me to apologize to him, don’t you?” Her son finally stood, his posture a bit better than it normally was.

  “Your relationship with your father is your own.” She would try not to interfere in it…too much. “Apologizing is what grown males do when they’re wrong but that is your choice.”

  “I hate apologizing.” Vow rolled his eyes.

  “No one likes it.” She smiled, relieved he’d made that decision. “You’ll survive.” She pushed him toward the doors. “Go.”

  “I’m going. I’m going.” He stomped away from her. “Fuck.”

  “Language.” She called that after him.

  The doors closed behind him. She moved to the porthole, shamelessly watching her males.

  Stealth studied the south wall, his handsome face in profile. He stood with his booted feet braced apart, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

  Vow stood beside him and mimicked his stance.

  Her heart squeezed. They looked so much alike, her two males. Both of them had a piece of her soul.

  Their son’s lips moved. His shoulders rounded.

  Then Stealth said something, a smile curving his lips.

  Their son laughed.

  And, for a moment, everything was right in Zebrina’s universe.

  Chapter Eleven

  Stealth worked alongside his son, adding spikes to the trenches. While they sharpened the ends of the stripped branches and attached those defenses to the ground, he monitored their surroundings.

  That task was duplicated by his warrior-in-training. Earlier in the shift, Stealth had shown Vow how to scan the space for lifeforms, teaching him ways to supplement those scans with his enhanced senses. Scents and sounds often accompanied the enemy. A great warrior used every ability he was given to protect himself and the beings he loved.

  His son had the potential to be a great warrior…once he was fully trained.

  Although Vow was more skilled at fighting than most humans, he lacked abilities Stealth had gained at the same number of solar cycles. That could be rectified, however. The newly manufactured K Model was fully functional and he was keen to learn. With a couple more solar cycles of training, he should catch up to his counterparts.

  Stealth planned to be there for that training, despite what his son and his female believed. They were his priority, his sole mission.

  He caught his female’s gaze. She tended to the garden closest to them, her curvy form clad in a flight suit, her long black curls free, hanging down her back. Her lips lifted into a smile.

  His chest warmed. The rest cycle had repaired some of his damage. Telling her about Boom and Lethal, accepting her comfort, her caring, her understanding had soothed the turmoil inside him. He could process his memories of his friends without straining his processors.

  Breeding with her had given him tremendous joy. She had gained confidence, emotional strength, while they were apart and that excited him. His circuits hummed with anticipation.

  “I track Mom,” their son chattered. “But that’s easy to do. She’s loud and she smells.”

  “That’s flattering.” Zebrina’s eyes sparkled with amusement, her tone sarcastic. “I can say the same thing about you.”

  “I have no scent,” Vow protested.

  “Your form has no scent.” She tossed an undesirable plant at him. “Your garments are two steps away from becoming a new lifeform.”

  “Ha.” He flung the vegetation back at his mom.

  The plant sailed by her. “You missed.” She grinned. “You have to work on your tracking skills.”

  “I wasn’t trying to hit you.” Their son rolled his eyes. “I—”

  A handful of dirt splattered across his chest.

  “I was trying to hit you.” She laughed. “And I succeeded. Woot!” She ran in place, lifting her hands to the sky, her victory dance making Stealth chuckle, an act that still felt strange to him.

  Their son grabbed two fistfuls of dirt. His gaze slid to Stealth. He sighed and released them. “I’m a warrior.” He sniffed haughtily. “Warriors don’t throw dirt at beings.”

  Their son clearly hadn’t met many warriors.

  “If you won’t answer her challenge, I will have to.” Stealth dug his fingers into the ground.

  “You wouldn’t.” His female’s eyes widened.

  “I would and I am.” He lobbed the soil at her, one handful arcing to her right, one handful arcing to her left.

  She ran. Loosely packed dirt smacked against her hip. “Oh, you.”

  He chased her, gently bombarding her with dirt bombs, careful not to cause her any damage.

  “Hey, that’s my mom.” Vow sprinted after them. He wasn’t as careful with his assault, pounding Stealth’s body armor with tightly balled makeshift projectiles.

  Stealth’s lips curled upward. Both of the beings he cared for were competitive.

  They played until his female succumbed to exhaustion, rolling on the ground, her chest shaking with mirth. He stood over her, his gaze remaining on her beautiful face, lush figure, as he caught each handful of dirt their son threw at him.

  “Fuck. You’re good.” The newly manufactured K Model expressed his admiration.

  “Language.” Zebrina clucked her tongue.

  “The dirt balls displace air as they’re being thrown.” Stealth relayed more knowledge. “I—” His lifeform scanners detected a presence. A humanoid had entered the far reaches of his range. “Son.”

  “I noticed him too.” Vow’s eyes lit with enthusiasm. “There’s one humanoid approaching the wall entrance.” He rubbed his hands on his flight suit, cleaning his palms. “What do we do?”

  “You do nothing.” Zebrina sat upright, her smile vanishing. “That’s Odoon coming for a visit. I was expecting him.”

  “We can’t be certain he’s the lifeform we detect.” This was training their son needed. Stealth pressed his lips together. He also didn’t like the male, viewed him as a hostile. “Moving as quietly as possible, put your body between the lifeform and your mom. She’s human, can’t repair as quickly as we can.”

  He demonstrated, emphasizing his posture, his foot placement. His son imitated him.

  “Draw your guns.” He extracted his guns from the holsters.

  “Do not shoot Odoon.” His female smacked Stealth’s ass. “He’s a friend.”

  The male wasn’t his friend. “Tell the being you’re protecting to remain still.” Stealth teased his female while advising their son. “It’s more challenging to protect her if she’s moving.”

  “I’m not the one who will need protecting.” She muttered that under her breath.

  He grinned.

  “I only have one gun.” Their son held the weapon Stealth had given Zebrina the night they had parted.

  “But you do have a gun.” Stealth looked over his shoulder at his female and lifted his eyebrows. She didn’t want their son to know war, yet had given him a weapon?

  Her face turned pink. “I thought he should have something of his father’s.”

  She had wanted him to be part of their son’s life. Stealth’s chest expanded.

  “Take this one also.” He calibrated one of his spare guns for Vow’s usage and transferred it to him. Now, their son had two objects that had belonged to him. “Slide the levers to stun. Only kill if you’re certain the being is an enemy.”

  He didn’t want his son to accidentally end lifespans. That would emotionally damage him.

  “Keep your mouth closed.” That was one of their vulnerabilities. “Face the being. Our ear canals are weaknesses also.”

  His son nodded, his expression solemn.

  That pleased Stealth. Vow should be taking the situation seriously. The being could be an enemy.

  “Study your terrain.” He swung his guns from the left to the right, amplifying his movements. “How might the being approach you?”

  “He’ll enter through the gap in the wall.” His son pointed his weapons in that direction.

  “The enemy will assume you’re guarding that entrance.” Knowledge of the opponent was critical in battle. “He’ll want to surprise you.”

  “He’ll enter somewhere else.” Vow nodded, understanding dawning on him.

  They discussed possible entry points, the weapons an enemy might use to attack them, defensive tactics. Stealth referenced the cyborg databases, transmitting where to find the information.

  His son completed the research yet refused to reply using the transmission lines. His stubbornness exceeded that of his two parents combined.

  That amused and worried Stealth. His son’s emotional system would function more efficiently if he communicated with his brethren.

  The being finally neared the wall entrance. Gravel crunched under boot heels. Fabric brushed against fabric.

  “Do you hear him?” he asked.

  His son nodded. “I smell him also.”

  “Good.” Satisfaction filled Stealth. “Aim for the middle of the lifeform.” He lifted his guns.

  His son did the same thing, his knuckles whitening around the weapon.

  “Wait until you have a visual.” Stealth gazed at the space. A pale blue face appeared. His female was right. The being was Odoon. “Then press the trigger.”

  He lowered his guns. The lesson was over.

  His son must not have known that. He pressed the trigger.

  The big Ahkian jerked. His eyes widened. The male fell over, landing with a thump.

  Fraggin’ hole. Stealth froze in place. That was unexpected.

  “You shot him?” His female smacked his arm as she passed him. “What did I tell you?” She ran toward the Ahkian. “No shooting.” She answered her own query.

  You downed your target, he transmitted to their son. Like a true warrior would. I’m proud of you.

  Vow stood straighter.

  The situation wasn’t his son’s fault. Stealth recognized that fact. It was his. He hadn’t put perimeters around his instructions.

  “He’s not moving.” His female peered down at Odoon.

  “He has been stunned.” Stealth moved to her side. “He won’t suffer damage…permanently.”

  “How can we help him?” She kneeled by the humanoid. “He looks uncomfortable.” His female laid the male’s head on her lap.

  That was his lap. Stealth frowned. No other male should touch it.

  “Son, carry your kill to your sleeping support.” He didn’t want the male in Zebrina’s chambers.

  “He’s not a kill.” His female’s eyes flashed. “He’s my friend.”

  The male wanted to be more than her friend. Stealth had seen that in the way the Ahkian looked at her.

  Their son flung his unwitting target over his right shoulder and sauntered toward the domicile, the swagger in his gait comical.

  Zebrina stomped toward Stealth, the force in her step jiggling her breasts. “This is not amusing.” She batted his body armor-clad chest with her hands.

  He caught her wrists, stopping her before she damaged herself. “Am I expressing amusement?” He had kept his face blank during the entire debacle.

  “I see it in your eyes.” His female hadn’t been fooled. “I planned to have a talk with Odoon but I can’t do that now, can I?” She pursed her lips. “You’ve humiliated him. If I say what I have to say, he’ll hate me.”

  His female had decided to make Stealth’s relationship with her public. And the accidental stunning had scuttled that announcement.

  “It’s important to you that he likes you?” He struggled to understand her relationship with the humanoid.

  “When I got on that ship, the welcome was…strained.” She stopped trying to hit him. “I was human, the daughter of the male who had killed many of the Ahkians’ loved ones. If Odoon hadn’t vouched for me, I doubt I would have survived the journey.”

  His female had been surrounded by hostiles. Stealth pulled her against his chest, holding her to him.

  “I purchased this plot of land.” She gazed around them. “Odoon took the plot next to mine, ensured no one bothered me. He relayed the knowledge from the locals, taught me how to live off the planet.”

  The male could have introduced her to those locals. Stealth lowered his eyebrows. He suspected the Ahkian wanted to keep Zebrina dependent upon him.

  “When I found out about Vow, he convinced the Ahkian Healer to tend to me.” His female leaned against him. “She didn’t want to. It took all of his influence to change her mind.” She sighed. “I owe him our son’s life, my life.”

  Then Stealth owed the male everything. His female and his son were his universe.

  “I’ll speak with him, make peace between us.” He would sacrifice his pride and ask for the Ahkian’s forgiveness. “You can have your talk with him this planet rotation.”

  “You’d do that?” She peered up at him.

  “I’d do anything for you.” He kissed the tip of her nose and she blinked. “Stunning him was unintentional. Training a cyborg is a new process for me.”

  He would study the recordings more experienced brethren had fabricated, perfect his method. That error wouldn’t happen again.

  She blew out her breath. “I’ve made mistakes with our son. Many of them.”

  He tilted his head, sensing a story. “Such as?”

  “Such as giving him your gun without changing the setting.” She winced.

  He had given it to her with the weapon set to kill. “Did he damage you?”

  “He damaged himself.” Merely speaking about it caused the color to fade from his female’s cheeks. “I calibrated it for his use, handed it to him and he immediately shot himself in the leg. There was so much blood.”

  “Our son is like me.” Stealth chuckled. “I did that too when I was a newly manufactured cyborg.” He had grazed his leg. It had healed before the trainer inspected them. If it hadn’t, he would have been decommissioned, sentenced to that painful death. “Vow repaired quickly.”

  “He didn’t repair quickly enough for me.” She pressed her face into his chest. “I lost a solar cycle off my lifespan that planet rotation.”

  Fortunately, his female hosted his nanocybotics and would have nearly endless solar cycles. Stealth rubbed her back, wishing he could have comforted her then, been there for their son.

  He’d be there in the future. That, he could guarantee. He was staying by his female’s side.

  * * *

  The humanoid didn’t regain movement for many moments. Zebrina hovered over Odoon, dabbing a cleaning cloth against his forehead, straightening his garments.

  Stealth didn’t like her touching another male but he was responsible for the situation and couldn’t say anything without invoking her ire.

  When Odoon’s fingers finally twitched, he instructed her and Vow to leave. He wanted to speak with the male alone.

  “Make peace.” His female told him as she exited the chamber.

  “I will.” He sat by the wall, giving the other male space, and waited.

  His son’s chamber was cluttered with found objects, rocks, damaged weapons, non-functional devices. In that way, Vow took after his mom.

  Stealth was accustomed to having only what the Humanoid Alliance had given him. He carried his possessions on his form. There was very little stored on his borrowed ship—medic supplies, some tools, essential supplies, and that was it.

  Odoon’s body convulsed. His eyes opened. “You.” He scrambled backward on the sleeping support. “Get away from me, you killing machine.” He tried to grab his guns.

  Stealth, anticipating that reaction, had disarmed him. “I won’t damage you.” He held the male’s gaze. “If I was truly a killing machine, as you call me—” those words verified his suspicions. His female’s friend had been the being inputting that nonsense into their son’s processors—“you’d already be dead.”

  “You shot me.” His rival’s eyes blazed with fury.