The Cyborg's Princess E-Book

Nova Edwins

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

Seitenzahl: 92

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

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.)

Leseprobe

THE CYBORG’S PRINCESS

ROYAL CYBORGS 1

NOVA EDWINS

A DARK SCI-FI ROMANCE NOVELLA

CONTENTS

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

About Nova Edwins

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.