Royal Cyborgs E-Book

Nova Edwins

• Herausgeber: Black Umbrella Publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 393

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

A Royal Collection of SciFi Romance Novellas Book 1: The Cyborg's Princess I'm supposed to marry a proper human princess to secure the peace between cyborgs and humans on Asaverra. The innocent look on Princess Eden's face is no match for her sassy mouth and her fondness for sneaking out of the palace at night. It was probably a stupid idea to pose as her new bodyguard so I can get to know my bride a little better. The princess is way more trouble than I can handle. Sweet, delicious trouble. Did I mention how much I enjoy trouble? Book 2: The Cyborg's Runaway My father is angry with me for having a brain and not wanting to marry the first man he introduces me to. When he finally has enough of me being difficult—his words, not mine—he chooses a husband for me, and for some reason, he picks a cyborg. I smile and nod… and then bail the first chance I get. I'm not going to get married off like a good little wifey whose only job it is to look pretty. And to make sure that this wedding really doesn't happen, I'm going to ruin myself in the ecstasy districts of Asaverra. I really thought this through, and there's nothing that could go wrong with this plan. Absolutely nothing! Book 3: The Cyborg's Queen While my friends have been forced to marry cyborgs, my father has prepared me to take the throne alone—no husband needed. Unfortunately, that quickly changes when my father falls victim to an assassination attempt. To hold on to power, I need a husband, and I need him now. Preferably someone who is big, strong, and—ideally—ruthless. The cyborg named Killer seems like the perfect candidate, but he hates humans with every fiber, screw, and circuit board of his being... Book 4: The Cyborg's Rebel It was never my plan to get married. Not to mention that I certainly wouldn't have chosen a human bride. Unfortunately, I have no choice but to take Sara Asquith as my wife due to family commitments. I could probably get used to her curvy body and her surprisingly sharp tongue, but my future wife doesn't want to get married at all and is—unsurprisingly—not exactly willing to compromise... Historical romance meets space.* Princess meets cyborg. Completely over-the-top with all the best champagne flutes, fanciest ball gowns, and shiniest crowns you could wish for. (*No actual history or science involved.)

Leseprobe

ROYAL CYBORGS

NOVA EDWINS

FOUR DARK SCIFI ROMANCE NOVELLAS

CONTENTS

The Cyborg’s Princess

The Cyborg’s Princess

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue

The Cyborg’s Runaway

The Cyborg’s Runaway

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Epilogue

The Cyborg’s Queen

The Cyborg’s Queen

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Epilogue

The Cyborg’s Rebel

The Cyborg’s Rebel

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

About Nova Edwins

THE CYBORG’S PRINCESS

THE CYBORG’S PRINCESS

I’m supposed to marry a proper human princess to secure the peace between cyborgs and humans on Asaverra. The innocent look on Princess Eden’s face is no match for her sassy mouth and her fondness for sneaking out of the palace at night.

It was probably a stupid idea to pose as her new bodyguard so I can get to know my bride a little better. The princess is way more trouble than I can handle. Sweet, delicious trouble.

Did I mention how much I enjoy trouble?

Historical romance meets space.* Princess meets cyborg. Completely over-the-top with all the best champagne flutes, fanciest ball gowns, and shiniest crowns you could wish for.

(*No actual history or science involved.)

PROLOGUE

DIESEL

"Her." I pointed at the curvy brunette with the forced smile on her pretty face who was talking to a human male. "She’ll do."

"With all due respect, that’s my daughter." The King of Swarog lifted his eyebrow high above his monocle.

I wondered why he didn’t get his eye replaced if it wasn’t fully functional anymore. Who still wore monocles after the Great War?

"And?" I turned so that I could face him. He was small, even by human standards, and I towered over him by more than two feet.

Of course, I knew that the curvy, delicious-looking human was his daughter. The High Cyborg Council had informed me about the available women the day they had decided I was to marry a human female.

It had taken a couple of years after the Big War for humans to grasp that cyborgs were no longer to be controlled by them. Also, we’d come a long way from the early days when cyborgs had been only machines.

Now there was barely a difference between humans and cyborgs—apart from the fact that we lived longer, were stronger and smarter, and could be repaired instead of operated on. But we could also procreate with humans.

Which was what I was supposed to do with the human female of my choice in order to secure the peace between cyborgs and humans.

We shared the planet of Asaverra, and the traditional humans had gone back to their ancient ways of forming three different kingdoms to be ruled by monarchs, while the cyborgs had chosen a parliamentary democracy guided by the High Cyborg Council.

As a high-ranking member of the military, I was among the chosen ones to marry a human.

There were currently six human princesses on Asaverra, and two of them were going to be cyborg brides. But they had no idea yet.

Since the king was busy being angry and huffing for air, I added another question. "You only have daughters, correct? Four of them?"

"Yes, I have four beautiful, royal daughters."

"Then you won’t miss the one that will warm my bed."

His face turned to an even deeper shade of red. "How are you talking about my precious child? This is not acceptable."

"You can present your complaints to the High Cyborg Council—that is, if you want to put another strain on the peace negotiations." I smiled tightly.

"I’ll get my daughter so you can be introduced. It is for her to decide if she wants to marry you." The king turned on his heels, but I gripped his shoulder.

I knew he was weak, so I couldn’t resist letting my strength show. He winced as I applied more pressure to his ridiculously tiny bones. "You will not tell her about this. Not about me or the marriage. Understood?"

"This is outrageous." He looked for help among the other kings, their sons, and the politicians that were gathered around us. Everyone avoided looking at him.

"No, it’s not. I will pose as her bodyguard to keep an eye on your daughter. If we get along well, I will tell her the truth. If we don’t get along, you can keep your precious girl, and she’ll be none the wiser—without ever having to worry about being forced into an unwanted marriage."

He stared blankly at me before clearing his throat. "That’s actually a good idea."

"I know."

With a motion of my hand, I beckoned him to get lost. I had absolutely no intention of leaving the choice to his daughter.

I turned back so I could continue watching her. She had excused herself from the unwanted attention and was now standing in a small alcove next to her royal friends, Princess Marcia and Princess Lyla. I suspected that they were, as usual, up to no good.

Princess Eden of Swarog couldn’t fool me. The shy-princess-routine might have worked on human males, but I’d been watching her for the past two months. At night, she snuck out of the palace and visited the ecstasy districts with her friends. She drank kloshlu and engaged in the kind of dancing that elicited sexual invitations from strangers.

It was about time that someone started teaching the bratty Princess some manners, and I knew just the right cyborg for the job.

1

EDEN

I scratched the qhinken I called Dots behind his long, silky ears, and he sighed happily while munching away on the grass in the palace gardens. I had named him Dots because his tiny furry butt was covered in white dots that stood out against his raven color.

His ears twitched, and I knew someone was coming before I could hear them.

"Princess Eden!" Tilly, my personal maidservant, was beside herself and didn’t hide it. "It’s not becoming for a princess such as yourself to play with those rabid animals."

I stood up and smoothed the skirt of my expensive ballgown down. "Could you please stop talking like that? Who cares if I spend a few minutes in the gardens? It’s not like I’m alone."

I looked around, and none of the six armed men of the royal guards met my eyes. They just stood there like statues watching the garden. I didn’t know anymore what it was like to be alone.

If I wanted a few precious minutes of peace, I had to sneak out of my room while Tilly wasn’t watching, so I could pet the animals who at least liked me for being me. Or I had to leave the palace at night to meet my friends. Other than that, every single second was planned for me.

Tilly frowned and started tugging on my hair, which was currently arranged in a highly complex bun around a lot of jewelry. I looked like some prized animal in a competition because that was apparently how I was supposed to get a husband. Not that I wanted a husband or any of this, really, but no one ever asked me. My only job was to smile and look pretty—not to have an opinion.

"Your father wants to see you in the throne room."

"Did I do something wrong?"

Tilly shook her head. "He just wants to talk to you."

That made me nervous. My father had barely talked to me since my mother, the Queen, had died five years ago. Sure, he was by my side whenever we were in public, and he watched over me at every party, gala, and ball. But we didn’t talk. Ever.

My heart beat faster with every step as I followed Tilly back inside the palace and through the long, empty corridors. Although the palace was very well staffed, the hallways were always empty. I barely even met my three younger sisters.

Two guards opened the big doors, and I could see my father pacing in front of his throne, his hands behind his back. He stopped and looked at me. Both Tilly and I curtsied. Tilly bowed considerably lower than me before my father motioned for her to leave.

"Eden, you look pretty." My father smiled, and to me, he seemed quite nervous. "There has been a development I need to talk to you about."

"What is it?" I forced a smile when suddenly a huge man stepped from one of the alcoves near the windows.

As he came closer, I could see his smooth skin and perfectly symmetrical features. He was a cyborg, not a human man. He stared at me with the most intense gaze I had ever seen, and it felt very bold of him. The royal guards barely even looked at me, and my human suitors... Well, it was best not to think about them.

But he looked at me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that he actually saw me; Eden. Not Eden, the Princess of Swarog, who desperately needed to be married off because she was the oldest of four sisters.

It was almost unnerving how he watched me, especially since there was no one else around. Just my father, him, and me. Not even any guards, which was unusual.

"Eden, this is Diesel. From now on, he’s responsible for your safety. There have been threats against the family, you in particular."

"Threats? Do I need to be afraid?"

My father didn’t even get the chance to answer me because the cyborg stepped closer. "There’s no need to be afraid. I’m going to watch you. Closely."

His voice was so deep that it almost rumbled through the room. Also, I didn’t find his choice of words particularly calming.

"What Diesel wants to say is that you’ll have your personal security detail for the next couple of standard weeks. This wedding season is very important for us, and I don’t want it disturbed." Father smiled tightly.

I hated that term—wedding season. I didn’t want a husband, and the season was only important to one person in this room—my father.

He turned to Diesel, and I fought to keep smiling because I noticed that the cyborg was still watching me. Maybe I could offer him a hologram of me so he could stare at that.

To show that I wasn’t intimidated by him, I lifted my chin defiantly. A nice smile formed on his face, and it wasn’t the reaction I had expected. I lowered my gaze.

"You’re familiar with our schedule?" my father asked the cyborg.

"Yes."

"Great, then why don’t we board the cruiser? I don’t want to be late again."

That last part was meant for me. Since I really hated going to these balls, I had developed the habit of hiding as soon as it was time to leave.

Diesel sounded amused. "Don’t worry, King Carl. I will make sure that your daughter is on time from now on."

"What makes you think I’m going to listen to you?" I knew I wasn’t supposed to talk back, but something about the cyborg’s smug smile rubbed me the wrong way.

"Maybe I have my ways to make you behave."

I stared at him, unable to answer. My father clearly looked uncomfortable, but he didn’t reprimand Diesel for talking to me like that with his... his... his insinuations.

Maybe it was because Diesel was so tall? He easily towered over my father by two feet, and although I was a bit taller than Father, I still felt very small compared to the broad-shouldered cyborg.

His light hair and light blue eyes didn’t match his dark voice, but I shouldn’t even care that he was ridiculously handsome. He was a cyborg, and they had originally been designed to be as handsome as possible. Not as attractive, sultry, and seductive as the cyborg women, though, as they weren’t exclusively meant for pleasure but for war.

I didn’t even know why I was thinking about this. The Great War was long over, and the cyborgs had every right to populate Asaverra as the humans did.

"After you, Princess." Diesel bowed a little bit, but it didn’t seem sincere. There was a gleam in his eyes that told me I should watch my back when he was around.

"Father, can I talk to you alone?"

"There’s no need for that, Eden. Diesel is responsible for your safety, so he can hear what you have to say." Father smiled at me, seemingly unaware that the cyborg he picked for my safety eyed me like his next meal.

"I don’t want him in my security detail. What about Anthony from the Royal Guard instead? He’s nice."

My father looked at Diesel, who simply shrugged. "I can be nice."

Father walked toward me and took my hand. "This really is for the best."

"Yes, Eden," Diesel chimed in, "it is for the best." His smile deepened because my father wasn’t looking at him. There was a weird flutter in my belly, so I turned around quickly.

"Whatever." I started walking since I felt like I couldn’t breathe when Diesel was around. He probably thought that I was a spoiled brat, anyway.

There was a lot of awkward silence as we rode through the brightly illuminated districts of Asaverra. I pretended to look out of the windows, but I was unnerved because Diesel was always watching me. All the time. Whenever I turned my head, I caught him staring at me.

We arrived at another palace for another ball, but it was the same crowd as usual. Human men on the hunt for suitable wives like myself. We all pretended to play nice, but I knew that as soon as the ball was over and I had to go to bed like a good little future wife, all these men prowled the ecstasy districts, gambling away their family fortune, drinking too much, and fucking female and male pleasure cyborgs alike.

I glanced at Diesel as we entered the palace and wondered what he preferred—other than making me even more miserable, of course. Not that I cared.

I didn’t even make it into the actual ballroom before the first suitor grabbed my gloved hand and pressed his lips to the back of it. I heard the same compliments and promised the same men a dance, although I never followed through. I accepted a glass of champagne, the same glass I would nurse all evening, never really drinking, just taking maybe three sips over the span of the same amount of hours.

Princess Lyla winked at me as she walked past me, talking to a diplomat. She was one of my best friends and tonight’s hostess, so she didn’t have time to talk to me. I could neither see Marcia nor Sara, which meant I was on my own.

Since I had done it countless times before, I managed to talk to a few men before I snuck out the door and headed into the garden. There was a bench behind the perfectly trimmed hedge, and I needed a moment alone.

I emptied out the champagne flute and sat down, arranging my voluptuous skirt. My heart beat faster as I heard steps. I couldn’t be seen out alone with a man, or I would have to marry him. Gripping my skirt to make a fast exit if necessary, I waited, blood rushing in my ears.

It was only Diesel, and I let out a breath.

He studied me. "Maybe you shouldn’t encourage all these young fools if you don’t want their attention."

I simply stared at him, trying to figure out how to kill an eight-foot-tall cyborg, preferably with my bare hands.

2

DIESEL

My Princess balled her fists. Apparently, she was angry with me for pointing out that she had a lot of men following her around like lovesick younglings. I wasn’t surprised, though. Eden was gorgeous, and her smile was simply breathtaking. Maybe, just maybe, I was annoyed with myself because it shouldn’t bother me that she smiled at those fools. But it did. A lot, actually.

"Thank you for your valuable input." She got up from the bench and tried to walk around me.

I extended my arm, blocking her way. "You just came here."

"And now I don’t want to be here anymore."

"Because of me, I assume." I cocked my head and studied her pretty face. There was a fire in her green eyes that I quite liked. I didn’t want her to cower before me just because I was taller than her. It was of great interest to me what she really thought, hence the little ploy of not telling her that our marriage was basically a done deal.

I studied her curves under her luxurious dress, and they reminded me of a present that I would love to unwrap.

"Yes, because of you. I wanted some quiet alone time and not another man eyeing me like a piece of meat."

"You’re not a piece of meat."

"You don’t say." The princess lifted her chin. "Let me pass."

"No. You should stay here and enjoy the night. And when you go back in, you could try not to smile all the time. It’s no wonder that the men feel encouraged to give you attention."

Eden narrowed her eyes at me. "What did you just say?"

I was about to repeat my words when I realized that she probably had understood me perfectly. She seemed even angrier now.

Still, I felt I should clarify things. My friend Viser had explained to me that human women liked to be charmed, but charm wasn’t necessarily my strong suit. But he had also told me that human women loved oral sex, so we’d see how this conversation went before I followed his advice. I did wonder what my future wife would taste like, though.

"You smile too much. You’re obviously not happy about being chased by those men, so I thought I could provide some insights."

"Have you ever talked to a woman before?" Eden put both her hands on her hips and studied me. "Not necessarily a human woman, just any woman at all."

"Of course."

"Are you sure? Because half the time, you sound like an absolute idiot. I can’t believe that my father trusts you with protecting me."

"I’m very capable." My voice was flat.

"Do you think I want to be here? Do you think I want to wear these stupid dresses and have my hair forced up like this? My father wants to marry me off, and if I don’t smile and look pretty and keep my mouth shut, I’ll never hear the end of it. It’s basically my full-time job to look like this. And I hate it."

"I don’t think that a man who’s really interested in you would be scared off by a frown. Not with your assets." Hopefully, that compliment would please her.

"My assets?"

The anger in her voice alarmed me. This was not going well. Talking to her father had been way easier. "You know, your tits and hips, and ass."

"I don’t think my father is paying you to talk to me like this. You do realize I’m a princess and not a whore you’ve paid for, right?"

"Of course I know. A whore would be happy about the attention, but somehow you don’t like being looked at or talked to. You’re very complicated, Eden."

She took a step toward me, shoulders back, chin lifted. "I’m going to get you fired."

Her body language told me that this was not a good moment to go down the oral sex route. I had to get this conversation back on track. I wanted to get to know Eden before I told her the truth.

"Apologies, Princess. Apparently, I have spent too much time in the military, only talking to other men."

"So it seems."

"Please sit back down so you can enjoy the quiet, and I’ll wait over there to alert you about possible intruders."

She was still agitated, but the anger in her eyes didn’t burn as fiercely anymore. She looked over to the brightly lit palace and sighed. "Fine."

I watched as she sat down and arranged the many folds of her skirt.

"Is it really that bad?" I asked.

Eden lifted her head to gaze at the purple night sky over Asaverra. "It is. I’m afraid this is the longest conversation I’ve had in… a very long time."

"Is there no one who piques your interest? Among your many, many suitors?"

"No. I don’t want to get married."

I pondered if I was pushing too much, but how was I supposed to get to know the mother of my children if I didn’t ask questions? "May I ask why not?"

"Because all of the men in there don’t want me, they want my father’s daughter—if that makes sense."

"It does. And what about Anthony? Does he see you for who you are?"

Eden looked at me, and she seemed surprised. "Huh, you remembered his name?"

Of course. How else would I get rid of the competition? I didn’t tell her that. Now that the conversation flowed more easily, I didn’t want to anger her again. "You mentioned him, so I thought he must be important to you."

She shook her head. "He’s more like a friend because he actually talks to me. Anthony’s nice."

Before I could continue my inquiry, I heard steps coming from the palace toward us. Confident steps, big strides—I was willing to bet all my credits that it was an arrogant human male born into wealth.

"Princess Eden, there you are. You’re hiding again." The man looked at me with narrowed eyes, and I didn’t like that he sounded like he had any claim on Eden.

My Princess got up and bowed a little. "Prince Adam, I didn’t know you were here."

"Well, I am, and I came to finally get you to dance with me. You promised me three times already, but you never follow through." He turned to me. "And you are?"

"Princess Eden’s new bodyguard, appointed by the king."

"A cyborg. Really?" Prince Adam eyed me and clicked his tongue. "You’re one of those war machines?"

"If you’re asking if I’m capable of killing, the answer is yes, I am."

I could hear Eden gasp, but my gaze was on Adam. I didn’t like him, plain and simple. And I didn’t care about the fake politeness humans valued so highly.

Prince Adam chuckled. "You’re a strange fellow. Now, if you’ll excuse us, I want to dance with the Princess. I’ve been waiting way too long."

I took a step back to let Eden pass and noticed the annoyance in her eyes. The very next second, she hid it and put on a big smile. It was so fake it almost hurt, but the Prince didn’t seem to notice. He offered Eden his arm and led her to the palace.

It was a nice change that I wasn’t the reason for Eden’s annoyance for once. I followed them back inside and watched as Adam basically dragged her to the dance floor. He pulled her closer than necessary, but that was to be expected.

I watched maybe for a minute while Adam talked seemingly without even drawing breath while Eden smiled that fake smile. Then his hand on her back slipped lower and lower and lower until he was almost touching my future wife’s ass.

As far as I was concerned, that ass was only mine to touch.

I made my way through the crowd and leaned toward Eden. My voice was low but loud enough for Prince Adam to hear as well. "I’m sorry to bother you, Princess, but there has been a development. We need to leave immediately."

"Oh, of course. I’m so sorry, Prince Adam."

I didn’t give the fool time to answer. Instead, I put my hand on Eden’s back and guided her toward the exit.

It took the guard not even thirty seconds to produce a light cruiser for us to travel in. I helped Eden into the passenger seat and started the engine.

"What kind of development are we talking about?" She looked at me and bit her lower lip.

"Nothing has happened, but I figured you wanted to be saved from Prince Adam."

She was awfully quiet for a moment before she smiled. This time it reached her eyes, and her whole attitude changed. "Maybe you’re not so bad at your job after all."

"Maybe."

3

EDEN

As I entered the south wing of the palace with Diesel just a few steps behind me, I heard someone giggle. Two shadows moved behind one of the adorned columns in the hallway.

I sighed. "Ivy and Clara, shouldn’t you be in bed already?"

My sisters appeared from behind the column, their hair in pigtails, feet naked, and clothed in pink nightgowns. Clara pressed her beloved teddy bear to her chest.

Ivy was way braver than her identical twin and stepped forward to take a look at Diesel. "We wanted to see the cyborg."

Diesel came closer and bowed before my younger twin sisters. "Princess Ivy, Princess Clara, may I say how lovely you look?"

Clara blushed, Ivy giggled, and I was surprised that there was actually a polite side to this brute. I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to slap his gorgeous face because of the things he had said to me or hug him because he saved me from Prince Adam. I hated Prince Adam.

"You may." Clara extended her arm, and much to my surprise, Diesel took the tiny hand of the 12-year-old in his huge hand and kissed the back of it very gently.

Ivy’s eyes widened, and she tightened the grip on her plush toy. "Did you enjoy the ball, Eden?"

I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth. All my younger sisters saw were the fancy dresses, the shiny hair, and the flashy jewelry. They didn’t know about the leery men with their grabby hands or the fact that I was supposed to marry someone like Prince Adam. "It was lovely. I drank champagne, and I laughed, and I danced."

Ivy got a dreamy look on her face. "I can’t wait until we’re old enough to go."

Since I didn’t know what to say, I simply patted her head and smiled at her.

"Did you see Prince Michaelis? I like him best out of all your suitors. He looks so good." Clara nodded a couple of times before she glanced at Diesel and graciously said, "You’re handsome too."

I almost laughed at how serious her face was, but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. "You should go to bed before Miretta finds you."

"She’s asleep. We’re going to the kitchen now to steal some chocolate."

I sighed. "And then you’ll go to bed, right?"

Clara smirked. "Maybe."

Before I could say anything else, she grabbed her sister’s hand, and they both ran off. Diesel stepped closer toward me. "Your sisters are nice."

"They are. I only wish we were closer in age so that we would have more in common."

"I get that. How old is the youngest again?"

"Tabitha turned nine three weeks ago. There are fifteen years between us, so we don’t really have a lot to talk about other than the qhinkens in the garden."

"Qhinkens? Those furry animals?"

I shrugged and started walking toward my room. "Yes, we both like to play with them. It’s the only thing we can bond over. It helps that the twins are twelve and have a concept of marriage, but they only see the nice shiny side."

"Is that why you lied to them?"

"What am I supposed to tell them? That I dread every social event because there are at least three men who want to lure me into some kind of trap? That I don’t like being touched by guys like Prince Adam? That I feel as if I’m a prize that’s being auctioned off?"

Diesel grabbed my elbow to stop me. "What kind of traps are you talking about?"

"The ones where I end up alone in some dark room with a man who has to marry me as soon as we get caught. And believe me, they know how to make sure that we get caught. I barely made it out two times already. The second time I sprained my ankle."

I didn’t even know why I was telling him all of this. I had never told anyone before.

"You sprained your ankle fleeing from a man?" Diesel looked pissed.

"Yes, I had to jump from a second-story window. But in my opinion, that beats marrying Leonardo Meyers."

"Who is that?" Diesel stared at his hand around my elbow and visibly needed to force himself to let go of me.

"A local businessman. Almost as rich as my father and well connected. He wants to marry me and really upped the pressure in the last few weeks, but father has been hesitant."

"Did he touch you inappropriately?" Diesel’s voice was dangerously low, and I was afraid that he might leave to immediately go and kill Leonardo if I said yes.

"No. He tried to kiss me, but I slapped him and took the shortcut through the window because I could already hear people coming."

Diesel narrowed his eyes at me. "You shouldn’t have gone with him in the first place."

"News flash: I didn’t. His mother lured me into the bedroom, pretending it was the library where she wanted to show me an old leather-bound book. An antique from Earth before the planet was destroyed."

"His mother helped him?" Diesel sounded incredulous. "I will never take my eyes off you again as soon as we’re in public."

I smiled. "Thanks. When you approached me in the garden, I was already prepared to make a run for it."

"Ah. I was wondering why you were clutching your skirt. Makes sense. You’re a smart girl, Eden."

I smiled and started walking again. Why was my heart pounding in my chest? Just because he said a few nice things? It was not like no one had ever said nice things to me. But Diesel really seemed to listen.

He was quiet until we reached the door to my chambers, and so was I.

"Good night, Diesel."

"Good night, Princess." He bowed a little and walked away.

With a sigh, I slipped into my room and made sure that Tilly was nowhere to be found. She probably turned in for the night. I pulled my communicator from my handbag, and there it was. The message from Marcia I had been waiting for.

She and Lyla would be here in just under an hour, so I needed to hurry.

It took almost twenty minutes to pull the jewelry from my hair. I brushed it out, washed off the light make-up and applied a much darker eyeshadow until my own father probably wouldn’t recognize me. Off came the ballgown, and I slipped into a tight short dress, matching the style of the dresses other women my age wore when they went out.

To hide my outfit, I put on a light coat and carried my shoes in my hand. I didn’t want the heels to give me away.

I snuck out of my room and knew exactly which hallway to avoid because of the guard duty and which door to take to leave the palace undetected. I stopped outside to put on my shoes, and when I made it to the entrance, I saw Lyla’s cruiser already hovering.

Marcia opened the door for me, waving her hand, and I could feel the smile spreading on my face. I was free at last—or at least I could pretend to be free for a couple of hours.

There was a tingling sensation running down my spine, and I turned around, but didn’t see anyone. I squinted my eyes. Still nothing.

With a shrug, I climbed into the cruiser and hugged Marcia before squeezing Lyla’s shoulder since she was driving.

"Your decorations were on point," I said.

She smiled at me. "Thanks. Father is very proud."

I envied Lyla because her father, King Francis, had decided a long time ago that his daughter was more than capable of ruling the Kingdom of Ask’or alone, so she didn’t need to get married and had a lot more freedom than I did.

Marcia sighed. "I swear, I’m going to scream if another man tells me to smile more so that I look more appealing." She pulled her bag toward her seat and handed me the bright red wig I always wore when I went out.

"My new bodyguard told me the exact opposite. He says it’s my fault that I have all those suitors. I should just stop smiling."

Lyla laughed. "That cyborg, right?"

"Yes, his name is Diesel. He’s kind of nice, though."

"Kind of nice? He sounds hilarious. Imagine what our fathers would say if we stopped smiling." Marcia shook her head. "I would be grounded until eternity. Wait a minute—is that a good plan? Should I stop smiling?"

"I don’t know. I’m too scared that Tilly would use fishing hooks to make me smile if I refuse." I put on the wig and started pulling it into the right position while Marcia applied her make-up.

I would be in trouble if I was caught wearing this dress and that kind of make-up, but Marcia’s father would straight up throw her into his dungeon, so she usually snuck out in her pajamas and got dressed in Lyla’s cruiser. Lyla, on the other hand, had probably kissed her dad goodbye and told him where she went.

We knew that what we’re doing was wrong, but for Marcia and me, it was the only way to have a bit of fun. Also, Lyla always had discreet security with her. I didn’t know who the guys were, but she paid them handsomely to keep an eye on us without telling anyone about our adventures.

"Hey, who was the last one to leave?" I asked her.

"Prince Adam. He threw a fit after you left. Apparently, he’s not too fond of your new cyborg."

"Diesel isn’t my cyborg. He’s my bodyguard. Or maybe he’s more like a babysitter."

Lyla shrugged. "I overheard Adam talking about him with his friends. Apparently, the cyborg ruined his night since you finally agreed to dance with Adam. He was planning to lure you away."

"Great, another man not to trust. That’s awesome. Just awesome."

Marcia put down her mascara. "You know what really bothers me?"

"No, what is it?"

"My father has stopped parading suitors through the palace. I would show up for dinner, and there would be a surprise guest—a man willing to marry me. I would take a walk to the stables, and my father would show up with another man. It was all day, every day. But now he has just stopped, and I’m too scared to ask about it."

I cleared my throat. "I know it's a stupid question, but do you think he has come to the conclusion that you don’t need a husband?"

For a moment, we were all quiet before we burst into laughter.

Marcia snickered. "That would be hilarious if it wasn’t so sad."

It didn’t take long after that for us to reach our favorite club in the northern ecstasy district. We switched between different clubs all the time to not become predictable. While this was our way of rebelling a little, we still knew that we’re princesses and that we needed to be careful.

The cyborgs in the ecstasy district were so handsome that it was almost painful to look at them. In contrast to Diesel, they were simply constructed to bring pleasure. They were attractive, charming, and attentive. It was their job to make customers feel welcome and desired. I wasn’t stupid, and I knew exactly that the goal was to get the customers to spend as much credits as possible, but the pleasure cyborgs with their AI were unbelievably good company and not as intrusive and aggressive as my human suitors.

As we exited the cruiser, one of the male cyborgs offered me his arm. They were all lined up there, male and female, and they tracked the guests’ eye movements. If I had looked at one of the women, she would have come up to me.

"You look gorgeous," he said and leaned in. "And you smell even better."

"Thank you."

Behind me, I heard Marcia laugh as the cyborgs took us to the table designated for us. Mine smiled at me and studied my face. "What do you want to drink, beautiful? Something sweet, something sour, something strong? How can I make you happy?"

"Something fruity, please." I wrapped a strand of the red wig hair around my finger.

"I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere."

Marcia sighed happily as the cyborgs made their way to the bar. "Why can’t all men be like this? Is your cyborg like this?"

"For the last time: He’s not my cyborg. And no, he’s not charming and nowhere near polite. He basically compared me to a bad whore because I don’t want any attention from men."

Lyla stared at me. "No, he didn’t."

"Look, I really don’t want to talk about him or any other men, for that matter. We’re here to have fun, aren’t we?"

"Yes." Marcia nodded. "And as soon as our drinks are here, I’m going to toast to that."

4

DIESEL

I hid in the shadows and kept my distance as Eden drank and danced the night away. I was glad that she ignored all the advances of the human men, and she also didn’t pay too much attention to her cyborg companion.

A part of me wanted to choke King Carl of Swarog for being so careless about his oldest daughter. It was way too easy for her to sneak out of the palace. The royal guard was supposed to ensure that the royal family was safe, but they did a very poor job. It was alarming, to be honest.

I knew they were only human, and they weren’t to blame for their shortcomings, but the more contact I had with them, the less competent they all seemed. It was like they weren’t even trying.

It pleased me that Eden took the pleasure cyborg’s hand from her thigh while smiling apologetically. He didn’t mind, though. His concept of free will was very limited. Sometimes it was hard to watch that kind of cyborg since this was what humans wanted us to be. Cheap labor, willing to fulfill their every wish without complaining or ever tiring.

Machines like this were still being built in the factories on the outskirts of every district because it didn’t make sense to have beings with real feelings and needs work jobs like these. The same applied to hard labor and dangerous tasks.

Eden’s friend Marcia flirted a lot with her cyborg, and it annoyed me since she was promised to my friend Ace. He probably didn’t know what she did at night, and she apparently didn’t know how soon the wedding was going to be. I saw it as my duty to inform him. I filmed a short video of Marcia talking to her pleasure companion before downing a whole glass of extra sweet kloshlu and sent it to him.

The other woman was Lyla, the host of tonight’s ball and the oldest of the three princesses. As far as I knew, there was no cyborg involved with her, so I didn’t think I needed to intervene. She seemed to be smart. I had spotted her security detail some time ago, and it soothed my anger that Eden at least had some kind of protection with her.

Still, I had more than enough time to stew in my anger until Eden finally went home. Dawn was already rising on the horizon when she said goodbye to her friends and stepped out of the cruiser.

I pulled up the palace’s floor plan on my comms device to find a shortcut to Eden’s rooms. I was pleased that I arrived before her so that I was waiting by the window of her bedroom when she entered.

She gasped as she saw me and flinched. "What, by all heavens, are you doing here?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. Gone was the make-up, along with the bright red wig. Eden looked tired but happy—at least, I suspected that she was happy somewhere underneath that frown.

"Where have you been, Princess?"

"In the gardens. I couldn’t sleep."

"Take off your coat."

She swallowed hard and shook her head. "Leave my room. Now."

"Last chance, Eden. Take off that coat."

"I’m not sure who you think you are, but I’m not taking orders from you unless my safety depends on it."

I clenched my teeth and tried to stay calm. "Believe me when I say your ah’tze safety depends on it."

Eden took a step back, and her eye movement suggested that she was thinking about making a run for it.

"Don’t."

Her eyes widened. "Don’t what?"

"Don’t run from me. You wouldn’t get very far, and it would only make me angry. Your father gave me free reins. He said something along the lines of me doing whatever is necessary to make you comply."

"Like I said: I was in the gardens."

Something inside of me snapped, and I walked toward her. Eden moved backward, but I was quicker than her. I took one of her delicate wrists in my hand and pulled her to me before opening her coat. "That’s a strange choice of clothing to pet some qhinkens."

"Let go of me!"

"Also, you smell like a whorehouse, and I can tell that you’ve been drinking. Care to explain, Princess?"

"No, I don’t care. Why don’t you tell me why you’re in my bedroom in the middle of the night."

"Maybe I’m taking my job of protecting you very seriously."

"Or maybe you’re a creep, and you wanted to watch me sleep!"

I brought my face close to hers. "Now, why would I do that? It’s way more entertaining if you’re awake, Eden."

"I told you not to talk to me like that."

"Why not? Does it make you feel things?"

I saw how her pupils contracted as she gaped. She was obviously too shaken up to answer me. My gaze was drawn to her full lips and the way her mouth was ever so slightly open.

It would’ve been so easy to kiss her, to get a taste of her. The bed was right there. I could’ve ripped that sexy dress off her body and taken my sweet time with her. Eden was supposed to marry me anyway, so what difference did it make?

I realized that I was almost touching her lips with mine. Her breath was hot, and she desperately sucked in the air, but at the same time, she was holding still, waiting to see what I was going to do.

I was sure she tasted sweet.

At the very last second, I came to my senses. I took a step back and let go of her arm. "This was the last time you snuck out of the palace at night, Princess."

I didn’t wait for her answer because I needed to leave before it was too late.

5

EDEN

I couldn’t even bring myself to look at Diesel as we rode in my father’s cruiser to attend the next ball. My father talked about some political affiliations and seemingly didn’t care that neither Diesel nor I participated in the conversation.

I couldn’t believe he had almost kissed me this morning. He had been way out of line. I should probably have told my father about this or at least Tilly. But I hadn’t. I hadn’t because a part of me wanted him to kiss me. I’d never been kissed, and objectively speaking, Diesel was very attractive.

He stayed a couple of steps behind me, but I knew he was there. I could feel his presence.

I was relieved when I immediately spotted my friend Sara. She was hiding behind the giant decorative planters on the east side of the room. Although she was not a princess, her diplomat father had high political ambitions and had called Sara a pawn before—straight to her face.

I got two glasses of champagne and started my usual obstacle course of making it to my friend without having to talk to a man first.

"Hey." I gave her one of the champagne flutes. "We missed you last night."

"My father had visitors, and I couldn’t sneak out. Sorry." She kept her eyes on the room to make sure she wasn’t seen. "Did you hear the rumors about the cyborgs?"

"Not that I know of. What is it?"

Sara cleared her throat and turned to me. "Apparently, there’s talk that the cyborgs want to take over power. I mean, they’re smarter, stronger, and they don’t need all of us, so it makes sense to get rid of the human men."

"What do you mean, they don’t need all of us?"

"I overheard my father talking in his office. The kings are making deals with the High Cyborg Council to give them some of the royal daughters."

My heart nearly leapt into my throat. "I am one of the royal daughters, and I have no idea what you’re talking about."

Sara put her hand on my arm and squeezed it to comfort me. "From what I understand, female cyborgs were specifically designed to be pleasure companions… basically whores, and you don’t want to get your whores pregnant, so they’re missing a few vital organs. The cyborgs want women and children to be born the natural way, but they don’t have the right equipment for that, and it seems that they’re sick of using laboratories to produce offspring. It’s not as easy as everyone thought since there is more to it than just putting a uterus inside of a female cyborg and calling it a day. In order to secure peace and not get expunged, the human men in power have brokered a few deals to marry off some of the princesses and a few other women from important families. And I’m scared that I’m among them."