Mechanized Series – Book 4

Renato Jackson, a news reporter, contracts with Jane Murphy in the home habitat, never expecting she’d birth a lone child. Craving his due of five children, he neglects their daughter, Leah, abandons Jane, and contracts with another woman. His second mate, Umah, has twins, but is institutionalized with mental illness. Mina, a member of the PRP, a twisted fertility program, steps in to help, already pregnant with his stollen sperm.

Renato’s childhood enemy, Faro McIver, begins to stalk him, causing his fears to mount. The Changer, head of the PRP, employs Faro to roll out her program and destroy the birthing habitats, using his daughter, Pax, Leah’s best friend, as a bargaining chip. Yet when Pax is within Faro’s sights, he can’t outrun his past.

A transport worm, created by a jealous suitor, kills indiscriminately. Only a secretive man in a far-flung habitat can eradicate it. But at what cost to humanity as the Changer’s actions bring down their world? Amidst the ensuing chaos, Renato faces the terrible consequences of a heartfelt choice.

Excerpt

Hearing a soft sound, Renato looked up from his mini and smiled.

“He’s awake,” Mina said, her amber eyes going to crescents as she entered his office. She cradled Jeffry, the oldest and strongest of his twins. The baby’s bright eyes searched the room.

He tried not to stare at Mina’s rounded abdomen. It was his child, but without his consent. It was a new feeling, having no agency over his life, having to rely on his role as a breeder for survival. For now, it was his only option. He’d lost his apartment with Umah: her illness precluding any more children. No one would rent to someone whose mate had been institutionalized, or with the survival of his infant boys in question. Even his popularity as a vid writer couldn’t help him snare an apartment.

He’d presented several reports on Shanghai’s crumbling infrastructure and its diminishing housing pool. Now he was part of the fall-out, surviving on the charity of a woman who’d taken advantage of him. Yet no word of this must fall from his lips when speaking to the public. If the authorities learned of his role in Mina’s illegal program, they’d kick him out of Pro-Prog and reassign his boys.

He was grateful for Mina’s help, though he didn’t want to be. She was so damn nice to him in every way and had been from the start. Her wholesome acceptance of his worries and the way she calmed him when he got angry made it hard to resent her. She was a perfected version of all he needed in a mate, and he was too tired and dragged down by staying up nights with his son to fight with her about anything.

He’d left his office door open as an invitation—something he’d never done with his legal mates. Yet, he had to wonder if Mina would do the same for him. His instincts said no. Mina had already uncovered everything about him to gain control over him yet hid a great deal about her own past. He wanted to trust her. He wanted to give himself up to loving her. Despite her strange political affiliation, she was a truly kind person. If something should happen to him, his sons would benefit from her care.

But what about her children? Her age and credentials indicated that she was well-beyond the five-year limit to achieve a first child. Something must have happened to them and the mate she never mentioned. After losing her first mate, she had five years to find a new one, and five more to reproduce—but not with Renato. Umah, though incapacitated, was very much alive.

He heard the whispered comments when he met with colleagues. He was considered a pariah, having failed his first mating with a lone progeny, and the second mate problematic. The birth planning council would not allow a third. Mina was playing a dangerous game, pregnant with his illegal child and acting like a mother to his boys.

She’d become pregnant with his child even before they began living together, likely in November the day he’d gone to the clinic about a fainting spell. He’d blacked out during the appointment, with vague memories of her leaning over him. He’d thought it was a dream at the time, having seen her before with Umah.

“The doctor says that Wesley can breathe without assistance,” Mina said, “and that his apnea spells have stopped. He can come home in a day or two.”

“You sure?” He studied her, seeing peachy glowing skin and shining black hair falling to her shoulders. She usually wore it up. It was hard to believe she was his jailer. “What about the cardiopulmonary resuscitation factor?” he asked. “That seems a bit daunting with a tiny body.”

“I’ll take care of it.” She nuzzled Jeffry.

In that moment, she looked content—how he wished he could feel. But he was stretched thin like a wire, watching her get bigger, waiting for the clinkers to arrive and shove him into a pod.

“We need to talk,” he said quietly. He knew all about secrets, having kept them all his life, unable to trust anyone—not completely. Trust was so easily broken.

Her expression closed. “Okay.” She set the baby down in his crib.

“Come here.” He held out an arm and smiled. In an instant, her soft shape was against him, and she was kissing him. His hands were on her, feeling the changes of early pregnancy. Was her affection to keep him contented? Gently, he pulled a chair closer and pushed her into it.

She stared at him, expressionless.

“Where are your children?” he asked, then reached to pull her back as she turned away, steeling himself against her emotions. “Where are they and where is your mate? You haven’t said a word about them, and it’s been weeks. You obviously love children. You must love yours.”

Publisher: Wendell Mack (June 2025)