Miners of Djaromir: Matrix

by Leora Gonzales

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Epilogue

  Look me up!

  About Leora Gonzales

  Miners of Djaromir: Matrix

  Book Three of the Miners of Djaromir Series

  Leora Gonzales

  Copyright © 2020 Leora Gonzales

  All rights reserved.

  Dedication

  I want to dedicate this (like all the others) to my husband. I was lucky enough to find a man who is super smart, loving, hilarious and also diabolical. When I said that I wanted to write but had no computer, I had no idea he was going to surprise me with a new laptop. There went my list of excuses. Touché, Richard. Touché.

  Prologue

  Welcome, Veruca!

  Congratulations on being one of ten volunteers selected for the first mate exchange with Djaromir!

  Inside you will find:

  ●A booklet on the local culture of Djaromir and the planet they inhabit.

  ●What to expect if you are selected as a Djaromir mate.

  ●Our promise to you regarding your safety.

  ●FAQ sheet.

  The first two weeks of your volunteer period will be spent on board Phaeton One as our new allies assist in transporting you to exciting new possibilities! You will receive a free health screening and also be fitted with a wristband upon arrival. This band is for your safety and must be worn at all times. *Refusal to wear the band and/or tampering with the device will result in your expulsion from the program without stipend.

  A liaison will be present to assist with any additional questions.

  Congratulations and good luck.

  Jane Powell

  Special Liaison, Djaromir Division

  Bridal Intake Center

  Austin, TX

  Chapter One

  Veruca was being punished.

  She was sure of it.

  Or as sure as she could be considering her current circumstances.

  “I’m so sorry,” Lucy yelled as she ran toward her.

  Flat on her back, sprawled across the floor where their welcome mat used to lay, Rue touched her forehead, grateful when she didn’t feel anything wet under her fingertips. No blood. That was good, right?

  “I’m okay,” she said more to herself than anything. She was still blinking away stars that filled her vision. “I think.”

  She repeated these words often lately. Mostly around her best friend Lucy, who somehow always managed to be involved. Rue turned her head on the floor to see what had hit her.

  “Is that a—”

  “Yo-yo?” Lucy asked as she bent over to peer into Rue’s face. “Yes, it is—or it was before the damn string broke and it became a shotput.”

  “Ouch,” Rue whimpered, lightly pressing around the knot forming on her forehead. “A yo-yo? Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

  “I’m really sorry,” Lucy said with a grimace. “I knew this was a stupid idea, but I never expected it to be dangerous. I mean, who would have thought of that happening? Aren’t they designed to not come off the string going one hundred miles an hour?”

  “I’m so confused.” Closing her eyes, Rue relaxed where she was sprawled. She’d just take a nap right here and forgo dragging herself into bed to slip into whatever grade concussion Lucy had given her.

  Considering how many years she’d been best friends with the one and only Lucy Goosey, she was well versed in how to treat the various injuries that came with the territory.

  “Are you regular confused or concussion confused?” Lucy’s fingers poked at her eyelid as if she were going to pry it open.

  “Gah!” Rue yelled, swatting at the hands by her face. “Goose! Knock it off.” When she felt the hands move away, she cracked one eye open for the sole purpose of glaring at her friend.

  “What were you even doing with a yo-yo?”

  “Practicing,” Lucy chirped before making a face. “I was looking over our welcome packet, and it said to bring things that would keep us occupied. My brain instantly went to yo-yo.”

  Rue covered her face, wanting to both laugh and cry. She wanted to laugh because her best friend was so damn weird it would be damn hard not to be amused by the crazy shit Lucy did. And she wanted to cry because her head throbbed and, despite no immediate signs of blood, she couldn’t rule out internal bleeding with the way her brain was banging against the front of her skull.

  Are you supposed to feel your heartbeat in your forehead or is that a bad thing?

  Blinking up at the ceiling, she knew she’d brought this on herself. First by being friends with the weirdo now beside her, and then following that lifelong friendship up with getting caught up in a lie. Not a big lie—or at least it hadn’t started as a big lie—but still a lie. One that she’d told her best friend, which made her feel uber guilty since they never lied to each other.

  Ever.

  “I would like to point out that it was a defective yo-yo and not my mad yo-yo skillz that caused that gigantic lump on your forehead.”

  Rue rolled her eyes and tried ignoring the ache radiating from the lump. “You’re crazy.”

  Lucy harrumphed with a smile. “I’m not crazy. I’m smart.” Tapping her temple with a finger, she gave Rue a wink. “Think about it. I can’t bring my e-reader because it will eventually need charging.” She shrugged. “The same thing goes for pretty much everything else that keeps me busy. You’re in the same boat, sister. Our phones, tablets…everything that we use to entertain ourselves will be worthless once they run out of charge.”

  “You have a point.” Pushing herself up on her elbows, Rue nodded. “But why would you immediately go to the yo-yo option? I mean, what about knitting or crocheting? The place is supposed to be super cold, right?”

  “Hmmm…good point. But, long needles…” Lucy climbed to her feet, nudging Rue with her foot while at it. “Crawl to the couch, and I’ll bring you an ice pack.”

  “Thanks, Goose.” Doing as instructed, Rue crawled to the couch and pulled herself up until she was sprawled with her head propped up on the armrest. “I want Bugs and not Dora,” she said, raising her voice as much as she dared, all things considered.

  “They’re both cold, Rue,” Lucy yelled, her voice muffled—most likely because she had her head in the freezer.

  Rue tilted her head, struggling to make out whatever Lucy was muttering in the kitchen. With the hum of the ancient fridge in their little rental, she got the gist.

  “Hey now,” she called out, ready to defend herself. “Do not judge my preference for Bugs! The Dora ice pack feels weird and one of her eyeballs has been rubbed off. It looks fucking creepy.”

  “You wouldn’t have been able to see her anyways with it on your forehead.” The words were accompanied b
y the gentle laying of an ice pack over the goose egg. “You’re lucky I love you though. Bugs to the rescue.”

  Rue let out a sigh, allowing the cold to seep into her skin. It wasn’t long before it began its work, numbing the throbbing that had taken residence front and center. Lucy fussed over her, making sure the ice pack was placed just right over the area she’d pelted accidently.

  Which reminded her…

  “A yo-yo, Goose?” Rue giggled, the comedy of the situation hitting her the more she thought about it.

  It figured that something like this would happen because stuff like this always happened to Lucy. There was a reason everyone had called her Lucy Goosey when they were kids. The woman had awful luck and somehow managed to get into situations that nobody else had to deal with.

  “What?”

  “Really? A fucking yo-yo?”

  “Bad idea?” Lucy’s voice was deadpanned as she gave Rue a look.

  It was only seconds before both of them were laughing hysterically. Her giggles and snorts trailed off much faster than Lucy’s, a wicked headache making itself known above her eyes.

  “Okay, I see your point. The yo-yo wasn’t the smartest hobby I could have picked.” Pushing Rue’s feet over, she sat on the end of the couch. “What about you?”

  “What do you mean, what about me?”

  “What are you going to do to stay busy?” Lucy asked the question as if it had been obvious. “You’re in the same boat as me, my friend. I know you’re just as addicted to listening to your music. Same with reading. I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember the last time I held a real book instead of my tablet.”

  “We’re in a tight spot,” Rue said, agreeing with Lucy by quoting one of her favorite movies—which reminded her of something else she wasn’t going to be able to do once they left on their trip to Djaromir. “What am I going to do without my movies?” she asked, shocked that she hadn’t thought of this problem before. “Oh my God, Goose. Can you imagine me without my movies? What the hell was I thinking suggesting we sign up for this.”

  Sitting up, she felt the Bugs ice pack she loved plop to her lap. The quick maneuver hurt her head a bit, but she was more concerned about her most recent realization.

  Lucy winced. “I was hoping that was something you’d already worked through.”

  “Obviously not,” she snapped. Swinging her feet to the floor, Rue pushed herself up from the couch.

  “Freaking out isn’t going—”

  “Goose!” Rue threw her hands up into the air dramatically. The sharp pain that was splitting her skull in half was momentarily forgotten. “Movies are my life! You know this. I speak in quotes half the time! I love them so much, I have them tattooed on my body for Christ’s sake.” She smacked her leg where the most recent tattoo of Serenity was and let out a loud groan. “What am I going to doooooo?”

  “Are you trying to win an Oscar right now?” Lucy asked dryly, as she watched the performance from the couch with her arms folded.

  “I am not being dramatic,” Rue insisted, even as she stomped her foot dramatically for emphasis. “This is a legitimate problem.”

  “What did you expect, Rue?” Lucy asked with her eyebrows raised. “We’re going to an alien planet. Did you think they had adapters or something?”

  Rue scowled. She hated when things were pointed out that she should have had the foresight to see for herself. “Shaddup.”

  “C’mon.” Lucy patted the cushion beside her.

  Rue plopped onto the couch, letting out a put-upon sigh at the action.

  “You’re going to survive.”

  “But—” Rue’s argument was cut short when Lucy elbowed her in the side. “Okay.”

  “Now…no more hissy fits,” Lucy ordered, throwing the previous arm she’d used as a weapon over Rue’s shoulders. “We are literally going on the adventure of a lifetime—for free, I might add,” she tacked on with a finger in the air. “An adventure that’s going to take us to space where we’re going to meet gorgeous men, fall madly in love, and live happily ever after.”

  Rue kept her lips sealed at that declaration, unable to lie to her friend again. The truth was that, even though this had been her idea, she didn’t actually believe in any of it. All the crap they’d been fed about how Djaromir believed some of their predestined mates were from Earth was a bunch of hooey. She didn’t believe a bit of it. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. The idea of mates were things that happened in her romance novels, not in real life, no matter what Lucy wanted to believe.

  Through a series of unfortunate events, however—ones that she herself had put into play—this was where they were.

  The day she’d suggested volunteering, they’d just been robbed, losing literally everything. They spotted a poster advertising the volunteer program, while they’d been at the police station filing a report, which had ended up going absolutely nowhere. The poster for the Djaromir volunteer program was tacked up among other flyers and cards on the community cork board.

  Applicants were required to spend a set amount of time on Djaromir.

  When their time was up, they were free to return to Earth, and each would receive a stipend for their troubles.

  It seemed too easy, so she’d read it again—and then again.

  Rue was a natural sceptic, so she’d searched all over that poster looking for the catch. She knew it had to be there somewhere but couldn’t find one. At the bottom, a web address was listed. The address was bold enough for her to read without getting up from her waiting room chair. Within minutes, she’d typed it into her phone and was getting excited as she read. The opportunity became more tempting the longer she thought about it. The offer looked legit enough that she decided to read out loud to Lucy as they sat waiting for Officer I-can’t-help-you-and-this-is-only-a-formality to come back to his desk.

  Then the whole thing sounded too good to be true. What was being offered sounded like a free vacation with a bonus check at the end. Rue found it tempting, given her current condition. Incredibly tempting. Certainly more tempting than the Phaeton Bridal Pact, which Lucy had brought up last year as something the two of them should consider. Rue wasn’t anti-alien. She just hadn’t liked the fine print.

  The Phaeton pact assigned the applicant to whichever warrior she matched with based on a questionnaire. Once matched, you had to spend a trial period with them consisting of at least thirty days in which you lived as a married couple while getting to know one another. The whole situation had seemed like it had the makings of a bad reality show. When she’d said as much, Lucy had shrugged and let it go.

  The Djaromirs were doing things differently though. If you signed up as a volunteer, they didn’t match you to anyone unless you magically triggered something called a mating heat—or some such mumbo jumbo. Since it was something she obviously didn’t believe in one bit, it meant this was a win-win situation.

  For less than two months of their time, the stipend would be more than she’d make in three years at her administrative job.

  They were also offering the money tax-free, which was like adding sprinkles to an already well-dressed sundae.

  Unnecessary, yet still graciously welcomed.

  With a nest egg that large, they’d be able to wipe out their debts with enough left over for each to cover the down payment on a mortgage or even buy a fixer-upper outright. There was so much they could do with that type of money the ideas were endless.

  The longer she’d stared at that poster, the more dollar signs she saw. Hundreds of thousands of dollars would be theirs, free and clear, after taking a little vacation to an alien planet.

  While Rue was reading over the FAQ sheet on Djaromir, Lucy was searching for videos on the miners of the planet, oohing and ahhing over the pictures she found.

  Rue didn’t have the heart to break it to her friend that they weren’t going to find true love on Djaromir. Not even when Lucy found an interview of the first couple on Djaromir and obsessively watched it on repeat. It wasn’t hard
to see that her poor friend had fallen for the schtick the government had set out as bait to lure in love-hungry women.

  Instead, Rue kept her mouth shut and nodded in agreement when Lucy asked her if she was excited about possibly being someone’s mate. If going along with all of it would ensure their future, then she had no problem faking enthusiasm.

  It wasn’t the first time she’d faked something, amirite?

  She kept telling herself it was for the greater good. When they came home in two months, Lucy might be heartbroken, but they’d be a whole lot richer.

  Chapter Two

  Six Weeks Later…

  “I’m so sorry.”

  Rue closed her eyes in pain, even as she tried to smile at Lucy.

  “It’s okay.” The words came out in a whisper, her eyes stinging as she struggled not to cry. If she didn’t cry, there was a chance she might be able to keep Lucy from doing so as well.

  “It’s not okay,” her friend said, her own voice full of tears and guilt. “My bad luck keeps getting everyone around me hurt. You more than most.”

  “That’s because we’re always together, Goose.” Blinking away the wetness threatening her eyes, Rue reached out and grabbed Lucy’s hand. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “You say that now…” Lucy’s voice trailed off, her expression worried.

  “C’mon, Goose.” Rue rubbed the sore spot on her shin and tried to pretend it didn’t hurt as badly as it did. “I wouldn’t turn my back on our friendship now.”

  “I—” Lucy started.

  “I’ve invested waaaay too much time to walk away over a bruise or two.” Rue bit her lip as if thinking hard on something. “The first time I break something though…” Rue dodged the ice pack Lucy had gotten for her from the small cooling unit the Phaetons had in the volunteers’ cabins aboard Phaeton One.

  “Don’t even joke about something like that,” Lucy hushed, picking the pack up off the floor beside the couch. “Here.”