Dathrow

by Leora Gonzales

  Pixie was frustrated as hell she wasn’t able to talk to her sister about what was happening. She needed Poppy now more than anything. Poppy had always been her rock. While her life had been falling into the crapper, Poppy had been falling in love.

  Poppy was extremely happy with her new marriage, and Pixie was happy for her. Slightly jealous but still happy. The only downside of her sister’s happiness was she wasn’t available to Pixie any longer. When Pixie thought about her current situation, her first thought was to start over in a new place. Problem was, when she thought of moving, it was of moving to where she could be closer to Poppy. With Poppy living on an alien ship, that idea had been thrown out. Starting over was more daunting when you were doing it alone. Sitting down at the small kitchenette in her suite, she began to brainstorm ideas. Making no headway, she went over all her options again.

  One idea that wouldn’t stay out of her head was, “What if I could be closer to Poppy?” Did she have the balls to apply for the Bridal Pact? Was she ready for another relationship so soon after Brian? He hadn’t really broken her heart, just bruised it a little. Unable to stop herself, she started a pro and con list.

  Pixie and her sister were alike in quite a few ways. One was that they looked almost identical. Except for a slight weight difference, they had similar features and hair. Another thing the sisters had in common was that they used lists of pros and cons to make decisions. After Pixie had written everything out, the pro list regarding joining the bridal matching system overwhelmed the cons.

  Well hell. It seemed she was seriously thinking of volunteering. Pixie decided to set her lists aside and get the sleep she desperately needed. Yawning, she curled up in the bed she’d made with her own sheets, the familiar fabric offering her some comfort.

  Over the next couple of days, Pixie became obsessed with the idea of joining the Pact. She was able to admit when she had an idea she did become a tad crazy about it. The ability to start over with a clean slate and a chance at love was incredibly tempting. So tempting that decided to bite the bullet and fill out an application.

  Not knowing if she would even be selected, Pixie was on pins and needles waiting for a reply from the Intake Center. Admittedly, the place seemed to have its hands full. There’d been so much military presence Pixie thought it now resembled a small army base rather than the plain office building she’d initially visited with her sister. Protesters shouting how aliens were the devil and Jesus would teach the women the error of their ways had freaked her out a bit.

  Pixie’s liaison, Eva, didn’t seem as nearly as nice as Val. Her sister’s liaison had become one of her best friends and a wife to another warrior on Poppy’s ship. Eve was exactly the opposite. She looked and acted like a sourpuss. From the moment Pixie had filled out her application, she got the impression her liaison would have preferred to do any job other than the one she was currently employed as. The day that Pixie found out she would only have her as a liaison until she left Earth, she jumped for joy. The liaison program had changed slightly since it originally started. Previously, a volunteer would have one government official throughout the entire process. Now the program was set to have an Earth liaison and then a separate one on whichever ship the volunteer was sent to live on. That meant that if Pixie was matched to a warrior on Squadron One, she would be transferred to Val.

  Now she was just sitting and waiting. Watching reruns of TV shows had become Pixie’s daily routine. She debated job hunting, but quickly tossed that idea out. Getting hired and then turning around and leaving wouldn’t be fair to whichever job she took. Sal had given her an amazing severance package on her last day after she recommended the perfect candidate for her position. Helen was familiar enough with the way things worked that minimal training had been needed. She had also been taking courses at the local college so she qualified for what the owners wanted on paper.

  Pixie was startled when her phone rang. Not recognizing the number, she paused slightly before answering. Brian had somehow tracked down her new phone number. His incessant calling was getting on her nerves. Did he truly think she wouldn’t be able to function now he wasn’t there to tell her how to dress, what to eat and how to laugh? Not as if she had much reason to laugh when they were together anyhow. At first Pixie had rejected his calls. When she realized he would keep calling back, she’d finally answered just to tell him to stop.

  After hearing over and over about what a mistake he’d made, she’d become quickly bored with the conversation. Pixie had very solid rules when it came to relationships. Cheating was a major deal breaker and in her mind there was no coming back from that. It all stemmed from respect. If you didn’t respect your partner enough to be honest, then you had no respect for them as a person, period. If there was something Pixie couldn’t stand, it was a liar.

  Figuring she couldn’t chance not answering the phone, she went ahead and hit the Accept icon.

  “Hello.”

  “Is this Pixie Williams?” The familiar nasal voice that asked the question was like nails on a chalkboard to Pixie.

  “Yes, Eva, this is Pixie,” she answered with a sigh.

  “We have been notified that you have a match.”

  Almost dropping the phone, Pixie lurched out of the chair she’d been vegging out in. Holy shit, she had a match.

  “Really? Wow!” Pixie breathed out excitedly. “When do I meet him? What’s his name? Is he on Squadron One?”

  “Calm down, young lady,” Eva’s annoying voice said.

  Pixie had to bite her lip before she told the bitch just to spit it the fuck out. She was on pins and needles here. Pins and needles!

  “Sorry, Eva. What was it you were saying?” Pixie crooned in the sweetest voice she could muster.

  “You have been matched with an alien named Dathrow.” The word “alien” was said with such disgust that Pixie had to stop herself before she called the old biddy a bad name.

  Wait? Dathrow? She knew him. Well not really knew him but she’d met him before. If her memory was right then that was the name of the guy she’d drooled over when he’d accompanied Wheaton to Earth.

  “Dathrow?” Pixie asked, wanting Eva to repeat herself.

  “That’s what the form says,” Eva said, her voice short and biting.

  “And when do I meet him?”

  “It says here he’s currently on Squadron Two. Once he’s transferred back to the other ship, he’ll be allowed to come and meet you. According to the paperwork, it could be another month or two.”

  Pixie could hear the shuffling of papers in the background while she waited to see if Eva had anything more to add. When silence was the only thing coming from her phone, she prodded, “Is that all?”

  “That’s all I have here. Since you have a little bit of time, I’m assuming you’re able to take care of everything on your end…unless you’ve changed your mind. If that’s the case, I will be more than happy to take care of all the forms to withdraw your application.” Eva’s voice came across as hopeful.

  “Nope, I’m sticking to my decision. I’ll start getting everything ready and wait for you to call. Thanks, Eva.” Pixie quickly hit End on her phone before jumping up and down.

  “Yes. Yes. Yes.” Pumping her fist in the air, Pixie knew she must look like a moron but didn’t particularly care. She was so freaking excited she could barely breathe.

  “I have to call Pops,” Pixie said to herself. Running to her computer, she logged on and saw a message from her sister blinking in her email.

  Pix,

  I miss you so much. We’re heading toward the Phaeton home planet and our connection for video calls is super shitty. I promise to get you a souvenir. I was thinking of a t-shirt that says “My sister went to space and all I got was this stupid t-shirt”. Thoughts? :p

  I have so much to tell you, but want to talk in person when I do it. I’ll call you as soon as I can. Tell Brian I said hi and take care of yourself.

  I love you,

  Pops

 
Pixie grimaced at the mention of Brian. Like her sister, Pixie had wanted to wait until she could see her sister’s face before she went over what had happened with Brian…and that Pixie was volunteering for the Bridal Pact herself.

  Pixie scanned the calendar on her phone. First things first, she needed to make a hair appointment and get some other things done before she got “the call” from Eva saying it was time for her to go. Scrolling through her list of contacts, she decided to get the ball rolling and start with the simple stuff. After her hair, she would go clothes shopping. She wasn’t too proud to admit that she’d gained a few pounds these past few weeks. Her gym time had been cut back drastically and with Brian no longer monitoring her purchases, she’d stocked up on her favorite snacks. Pixie shrugged. At least now she had an excuse to power shop.

  * * * * *

  Dathrow hit the weighted bag that his fellow warrior brother was holding.

  “Are you doing well?” his friend asked, panting.

  “What makes you ask?” Dathrow wiped the sweat dripping from his brow. Three hours in the workout room now and he was starting to feel his muscles protest at the hits he was delivering to the bag.

  “You have been hitting harder than usual. I was unable to maintain my footing for a moment.” Taron pushed the bag away from his body and picked up his own towel.

  “I am just frustrated. I have been in the system for weeks and they have not pulled a match yet.” Dathrow walked to one of the benches on the side of the room and sat down.

  “You know that protocol is to not tell warriors on missions if they are matched until they finish their current logged work. When we are finished, you may find out that you have been matched. Plus, we have a few trips to the Pleasure Sector scheduled on our route soon. A couple sessions with the workers before you go back to Squadron One and you will be in a better mood. That should help work out some of the tension.” Taron gave him a grin that showed he was excited about the trip to the planet.

  “I need more than a visit to the Pleasure Sector, Taron. I want a wife,” Dathrow said shortly.

  “You had a match, did you not?” Taron looked uncomfortable as he asked the question but maintained eye contact. Something Dathrow gave him credit for as he nodded at his friend.

  “Yes, I had a match. If you have heard the rumors then you know that female is not an option any longer.” Unwrapping the tape he had on his knuckles, he waited for the next question he was sure would follow.

  “Will you be happy with another female? There was talk that you had become attached to your match.”

  Dathrow tossed his towel onto the bench next to him and stood to walk out of the room. As he was leaving, he said the only thing that was an honest appraisal of the fiasco. “She was never mine.”

  Chapter Four

  Pixie was getting twitchy. Two days had passed since she’d been matched and she still hadn’t been able to talk to her sister. Hoping that the reception for video calls would clear up, she was playing the waiting game. This was definitely news that she wanted to share face-to-face…or as face-to-face as she could get with her sister in space. She’d been trimmed, buffed and polished and now she was slowly going crazy.

  When her phone buzzed, Pixie practically fell over the bed trying to get to it to check the notification.

  Clicking on the email icon, Pixie held her breath when she saw it was a message from her sister. The subject line read, Don’t freak out! Perfect. Pixie rolled her eyes. Her sister had to have known that would immediately make her freak out. She braced herself to read what her sister had to say.

  Pix,

  Don’t freak out! We still aren’t able to video call but I knew that if I didn’t tell you what happened you would build your own rocket, come up here and kick my ass.

  I was kidnapped. Well, me and some of the other brides were kidnapped. I AM OKAY. (Take a breath because I know you are holding it.)

  Pixie let out the breath that she had indeed been holding in and quickly scanned the rest of the email.

  Long story short… The human brides were kidnapped, some of them lost their babies, we were almost sold to the Pleasure Sector, but we were rescued. I know you want more details but honestly I’m so tired right now you should just be grateful you’re getting this email.

  The main thing you need to focus on is I AM OKAY. I repeat, I AM OKAY.

  On a side note, Wheaton asked me to officially marry him and I am pregnant with his alien love child.

  Okay, I guess I’ll talk to you later.

  Hugs and smooches,

  Poppy

  What. The. Fuck. Pixie dropped her phone on the bed and sat down. Her head was spinning. Her little sister had been kidnapped? When? Where? By whom? Poppy was smart to tell her everything in an email. If Pixie had been on video chat with her and Poppy had dropped that bomb, Pixie would have lost her shit. Picking her phone back up, she reread the email, making sure that she hadn’t missed anything the first go-round.

  Nope, she got it all. Pixie quickly opened up a new email. She needed more answers than this and she knew exactly who to get them from. Finding Val, her sister’s liaison in her contact lists, she composed a new email.

  Subject: What the fuck?

  Val,

  Please explain to me what the hell is going on. I got an email from Poppy that said she was kidnapped, some brides were hurt and then they were rescued. Now she’s getting married and is pregnant?! I am losing my mind here and need you to talk me down before I do something stupid.

  Also, I need to talk to Poppy ASAP. Do you know when that will happen?

  Hugs,

  Pixie

  After her fingers were finished flying over the small keyboard, Pixie plugged her phone in. With everything going on, there was no way she was going to let it get low on charge.

  Knowing she needed to calm down, Pixie rolled her head on her neck a few times and took a few deep breaths. Nope. That didn’t work. She glanced around her small hotel suite for something to occupy her. Her e-reader caught her eye but was quickly dismissed. There was no way she would be able to focus on reading right now, no matter what the book was. She walked to the small kitchenette and opened the freezer. Ice cream and awful cable TV sounded like the only things that would work right now.

  Pixie settled into the small hotel chair and got as comfortable as she was able considering the furniture was designed by someone who had never heard of a cushion. Cracking open a pint of ice cream, she licked the lid before digging in. After the first few bites, she felt much calmer. She had to focus on the fact her sister was okay. Poppy was a shit for not giving her more information, but she was okay. At least that was something.

  Finishing the pint, she settled on watching a campy horror film to calm down. Nothing like a predictable storyline to help her not think. Before she knew it a couple hours had passed with her getting lost in a sugar and bad movie high. Closing her eyes, she drifted off into an uncomfortable doze, her neck cocked back at an odd angle on the chair.

  When Pixie next opened her eyes, the sky outside the window was dark. Holy hell. How long had she been sleeping? Rubbing her neck, she realized that falling asleep where she’d been sitting hadn’t necessarily been smart. Standing up slowly, she stretched. Damn, even her hips hurt. She hobbled over to the nightstand and unhooked her phone from the cord, checking to see if she had any emails. Seeing there was not only one but two, she quickly clicked to open the icon.

  Pixie,

  I’m sure Poppy’s email wasn’t overflowing with information. :/

  This is what happened…we were kidnapped by a group of warriors. (it’s a long story regarding their motives that will have to wait until we talk so I’ll save the “why” for later).

  We were taken to another ship and held prisoner for a few hours. During that time, some of the brides who were pregnant ended up losing their babies. Your sister and I are both perfectly fine and weren’t harmed at all. We were knocked out, but there seem to be no lasting effects. We were res
cued by some warriors who were based on Squadron Two and returned to Squadron One. I’m sure Poppy would call you if she were able, but we’re still moving toward the Phaeton home planet and video calls aren’t an option. I’ll tell her to email you as soon as she can. From what I’ve been told, we’ll be there in a few days and then they’ll start to refuel and stock the ship. One of the senior council members said this could take a few weeks, so don’t expect to be able to call Poppy for at least a month and a half or more. :(

  I know it sucks. I’m sure you’re upset, but just know that everything is fine right now.

  Val

  Damn. Well, at least Val gave her a little more information than Poppy had earlier. Pixie remembered she had another email and quickly opened it to see if her sister had sent a second one.

  Pixie,

  I know you are mad at me. I miss you. Please forgive me.

  Love always and forever,

  Brian

  Jesus. Brian was starting to become really annoying. Since their split, Pixie had been able to avoid any personal contact with him. Leaving the house key on the counter so she didn’t have physically give it to him had taken away any excuse he had for her to see him.

  His first emails and voicemails had been easily ignored. She really didn’t have time to deal with his bullshit. From him initially being appalled at her leaving her position at the restaurant to him not understanding why she’d resigned when she should just fire Brenda for her mistakes. Jesus.

  At first, Pixie had wanted to scream that part of this was all of his doing. After all, Brenda was making mistakes to get Pixie out of the house so she and Brian could have time to meet and do whatever gross things they did behind her back. Then after thinking about it, Pixie realized the issue had been her own fault. Not the issue of Brian cheating. That was all on him and there was no way she would ever take that blame. Ever. No, the mistake Pixie made was not firing Brenda when she kept making mistakes over and over again. She’d let friendship, or at least what she thought was friendship, get in the way of her doing her job. That was the bottom line. She was starting to get down to her last nerve with the whole Brian situation. Her patience was shot with worrying about her sister and now she had a match herself, it was all too much. Before she could question herself, Pixie typed a reply.