by Lisa Lace
She stared at me for a moment and then her eyes narrowed. “Say whatever you want.� Her eyes bored into me. “I know what I saw last night. I never forget a face.�
Maybe pretending nothing happened wasn’t going to work. I felt conflicted. On the one hand, I loved that she remembered the kiss. From the blush on her cheeks, I guessed she had enjoyed it as much as me. On the other hand, I wasn’t supposed to know her. I made sure to prevent my despair from showing on my face.
I decided to answer her using a distant tone and formal speech. “I’m not playing around, and I won’t be here for long. You won’t need to remember me.�
She searched my eyes for a moment longer as if looking for something. I kept my gaze frosty. She finally dismissed me.
“It’s a shame,� she said. “I would have liked to play with you.�
“That sounds completely inappropriate, Miss…â€�
“Lynch. Jayne Lynch. I assure you, what I had in mind would definitely be inappropriate.�
She grinned. The hint of a promise in her eyes made my heart skip a beat, though I didn’t show any sign of how she affected me. Before she left, she leaned to whisper one thing to me.
“Don’t worry.� Her breath felt hot in my ear, and I felt my cock harden more in spite of myself. “Your secret’s safe with me.� Jayne pulled back so she could look me in the eyes. I noted that they were a fascinating turquoise color. “You’re my angel.�
She stepped back, and I willed myself not to let my dismay show. She knew about my wings. Ayrie and I had made no attempt to conceal them because everyone always had their memory wiped. But I hadn’t followed the procedure last night. Now she had information about us. It was something that we were supposed to keep secret. It could stop the negotiations and spoil everything my family had worked for.
Her knowledge could ruin everything, and I had no idea what she was going to do with it.
JAYNE
He was real, and he was right in front of me.
“Excuse me.� There was no hint of recognition in the eyes of the handsome angel from my dreams. He pushed past me to leave the coatroom, just like a regular person.
I stood stunned for a moment, trying to put my thoughts together. Had I imagined everything? Maybe I hadn’t seen him in my bedroom last night. Maybe I hadn’t seen him just now.
I was pretty sure he was right in front of me both times, though.
He had recognized me first. I had seen it in his eyes. And there was a taste of the lust and longing from last night, too. I felt it when our eyes met for the first time.
Something else was there, too. It was a deep, haunting sadness.
Maybe I had imagined the last part. I put my hand to my lips, remembering the heat of his touch against me.
It was the same man from last night. Who was he? And more importantly, what had he been doing in my bedroom?
I was only in the coatroom because it was cold at dinner. Once I retrieved my shawl and ran into the guy from my dream, I went into the bathroom to fix myself before going back to the table with my family. As I approached, I saw that they were standing and following the President’s aide.
Mom spoke with me immediately. “There you are, Jaynie. The President has summoned us.� She pushed her hair back behind her ears a couple of times, which I knew was a nervous motion for her. I doubted anyone else noticed.
I couldn’t believe the President had asked to speak with us specifically. High-rollers packed the room. I guessed there were over a hundred famous and influential people here, all assembled to welcome the alien dignitaries. It was easy to feel special, but that would put me into the trap of overestimating my importance. The President didn’t need to talk to me or my father. My mother was the special person tonight. She was the one who had an infrastructure in place all over the world to help the aliens with their problem.
The scope of the situation hit me all of a sudden. How was my mom going to handle all this new business? She had good people working for her, but the proposal sounded like more than anything TerraMates had ever done before.
We followed the aide into a smaller, cozier area where there were couches and comfortable chairs. The President sat in an armchair at the focal point of the room. It was natural to ignore everyone else when she spoke. Her presence demanded attention.
“Welcome,� the President said. “Please sit down. Let me introduce you to His Royal Highness, Crindol Madellan — King of Auxem.�
I turned toward the older alien with gray in his hair and nodded my head. He didn’t smile at me, and his eyes seemed cold.
“These are his sons, the princes Ayrie, Anders, Avren, Allex, and the crown prince, Arnon.� The crown prince was facing away from me and speaking with someone else. He turned back as he was introduced and had a charming smile on his face. “Meet the Lynches.�
His smile only faltered for a moment, but I noticed it, especially since my heartbeat had kicked into high gear. I recognized the names. Arnon and Ayrie were the angels’ names from my dream. They were uncommon enough for me to remember them easily. I could recall everything about their nighttime visit with perfect clarity.
“Nice to meet you,� he said to the room in general, as everyone else murmured pleasantries.
So the dream man was the crown prince of Auxem? Then what had he been doing poking around my bedroom?
His gaze lingered on me for only a moment, but I recognized the plea in them. He thought I was going to say something about him being an angel. It seemed like they weren’t telling anyone about their wings and I wondered why. I gave my head a shake and saw his shoulders relax a fraction of an inch. I wasn’t going to tell anyone about his stupid secret. What difference did it make if they had wings or not?
Lots of descendants of the Great Race had adaptations, like Vandwans, who could breathe underwater, or the people from Biyaha, like my father, with their strangely colored genitals. All aliens were different from humans. Why was he worried about people finding out?
I followed my mother and sat down beside her on the couch. My father perched on the arm. Now that the introductions were over, we all waited for the President to explain what she wanted.
“Perhaps you should start, your majesty,� the President said, motioning to the King of Auxem.
“I am sorry to arrive here unannounced, but our planet is facing an extinction-level event.� Now that I was looking at him closely, his face was haggard and exhausted. He had been fighting a battle for a long time and was in danger of losing.
“We understand you’ve lost all your women, and we are sorry for your loss.� The President’s eyes were full of compassion.
The King nodded. “Unfortunately, that is not the worst news. Arnon, will you give us the latest update?�
Arnon started speaking. He sounded relaxed and confident. “Previously, our scientists determined that our men were not affected by the virus.�
“Has something changed?� The President sounded concerned.
“We were wrong. The fertility of all men, including the last generation born on our planet, has decreased by eighty percent.�
Mom spoke up. “What does that mean, exactly?�
“If we don’t start reproducing soon, we might never be able to again. Our species will die a slow death.�
Would the angels go extinct? I glanced over at Crown Prince Arnon. He looked at me steadily, no expression on his gorgeous face with those intense brown eyes.
I didn’t know what I could do, but I wasn’t going to let that happen.
Chapter Three
ARNON
My chest started to tighten as I enumerated our problems. We had already faced a grave
situation, but everything was worse after the news from the scientists. I had hardly any time to brief my father before our meeting.
“This is awful,� the President said. “You need to get some women knocked up, and fast.�
The joke took everyone by surprise, and we all laughed nervously. I hadn’t expected the President to make jokes at all. She looked too taciturn for levity.
“There are other problems that we haven’t mentioned yet,� my father said.
“Are you referring to your social customs?� It was the first time Mrs. Lynch had uttered a word. I didn’t know why she and her family were here. My father turned to look at her appraisingly.
“That’s exactly to what I am referring. Our people have a reverence for women, and we don’t allow our males to have intercourse with anyone except a life partner.�
“It sounds like you have a lot of young men that need to get married immediately,� Mrs. Lynch said. “Today must be your lucky day. That’s my specialty.�
“Mrs. Lynch owns a company called TerraMates that arranges marriages between Earth women and aliens. She is the best at what she does,� the President explained.
“That’s correct. I am the best.� Mrs. Lynch smiled at the President. “My company arranges marriages. The usual terms of the agreement are that they stay married for a year. After that, there is an opportunity for divorce. Of course, in this unique circumstance we might adjust the agreement to two years. That way, the children can be born and cared for before the couple separates, if that is their desire. TerraMates has a very low divorce rate.�
My father was shaking his head. He looked at me to explain the problem.
“No, I’m afraid that won’t do for us at all, Mrs. Lynch.� I was acutely aware of her daughter’s beautiful blue-green eyes staring at me.
“Why not?�
“On Auxem, we mate for life.�
The room grew quiet. I could feel everyone’s disbelief rising. Someone shouted out, “That’s why you’re not making any babies!�
“It’s not a conscious choice,â€� I stammered, scrambling to try and explain a complicated concept in seconds. “It’s biological. Once we claim…â€�
Jayne Lynch coughed loudly.
“The ceremony is superficial for us. What links an Auxem man to his woman is a physical and emotional bond. Once a man bonds with a woman, he loses all interest in any other female. If she dies, he will never mate with anyone else.�
“Are you kidding me?� The person who spoke up was a member of the President’s entourage. “Well, that would take care of the problem of infidelity, now wouldn’t it?� She looked bitter. I wondered if she had a husband in the past who had cheated on her. I had heard of such things happening on other planets, but it was non-existent on our world.
“We are only trying to explain our world to you. We cannot enter into an arranged marriage with anyone. For us, divorcing after a year would be torture. We need women willing to become life partners.� I looked around the room, but no one was ready to meet my eye. They were still absorbing the full meaning of my words.
Mrs. Lynch was the first to speak. “That’s going to be more of a challenge than I anticipated, but I’m sure we’ll figure out a solution.� From her expression, she had no idea about the magnitude of the task in front of her. She whispered to her husband, and they both nodded.
Maybe humans could mate for life after all. She seemed to have a life bond with her partner. I turned my head to look at their daughter. She was studying me with a curious expression on her face.
I wondered if she was thinking about our kiss last night and how it fit into my story. I was thinking about it too. Was I falling for a girl I had only met the night before? I wondered if it would be a good idea to get emotionally involved with her. She might not be a match for me, and we didn’t know if she had the right genes.
I felt my cock start to stir at the thought of reproducing with her, and immediately shifted my thoughts away from Jayne Lynch. The last thing I needed was to embarrass myself in front of all these dignitaries. The President was speaking again, and I turned my attention back to her.
“Long ago, there was a similar situation in the western United States. Women were scarce, and mail order brides were common. Those who married did it for different reasons, but they all understood it was for a good cause. As long as the women know what they are getting themselves into, it will work.�
“So you agree, then?� I knew Father was trying to sound calm, but there was a hint of desperation in his tone.
“Hang on a minute.� The President’s face looked like it was made from steel. “I never said I agreed to hand over Earth women into your custody. Your Majesty, we know nothing about you. Your planet is lightyears away. We would need to have certain assurances.� She trailed off as if she wasn’t sure what to say next.
“We should send a few women as test subjects,� Mrs. Lynch cut in. “We would need to ensure they were safe and treated properly.�
“That’s a good idea. We can monitor an advance team for physical health, emotional health, and overall happiness.� The President nodded at Mrs. Lynch.
“But we don’t have time. We need wives right away.�
“If you need the females, you will have to make time for this.� The President’s voice was firm. “How long before you can’t reproduce?�
“The scientists estimate between one and two years.�
“We can arrange a group who will return with you as a trial. If everything you’ve said is the truth and there is no danger, we will begin scaling up. You can send ships filled with your men to Earth, and they can start living together as couples on the way to Auxem.� She stared off into space, calculating. “There will be time enough.�
My father nodded. It wasn’t like we had a choice in the matter. If they were willing to give us their women and all they required was a trial period, we would do it.
“We’ll have to run the numbers as to the exact number of women and calculate the time frames. I’m sure we can save your people from extinction together.�
Father looked troubled, but I knew he was trying to be grateful. The idea that an upstart, low-class little planet was dictating terms to us must have irritated him. But we both knew that we were out of options. We needed women without the H4T7 gene and Earth seemed like the biggest source. We just had to prove that life on Auxem was as good as we said.
JAYNE
After the startling revelations at the President’s meeting, my family sat at home trying to figure out how TerraMates could present Auxem as an incredible opportunity. Recruiting women for the initial trial would be difficult.
Mom sighed. “The volunteers are going to have to be tough and self-sufficient. We don’t know what kind of situation we’re sending them into.�
“I don’t think we need to worry about their mental fortitude,� I said. “You’ve already received initial reports back from your scout team. They all say the Auxem are telling the truth.�
“You never know what people are up to,� Dad said. “They could be playing us. They could have an ulterior motive that they’re not disclosing to us.�
I felt irritated that he could talk about Arnon and his family as if they were a bunch of con artists. “There was nothing but honesty on their faces. I’m a psychologist. I know how to read people. They were telling the truth.�
Dad smiled at me. I knew he loved me, but he never treated my opinions like they mattered. His attitude got on my nerves.<
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“I don’t think the women should go by themselves,� Mom said slowly. “We need a leader to help make decisions. Maybe we can send one of the regional managers or franchise owners.�
“You’ve got to be kidding me,� Dad said. “Everyone who fits that description is either your age, which is a little past the childbearing years, or they’re in relationships and have families of their own.� He proceeded to list off all the TerraMates employees, tapping a finger for each one as he eliminated them. “You can’t expect any of them to go to another planet. You’ll be needed here on Earth. Even if you weren’t, I’m not letting you anywhere near those guys. They must be ready to fuck anything that moves.� His voice trailed off as he glanced at me.
“Yes, Khellen. All your caveman posturing aside, I definitely can’t go. I wasn’t saying I should. But who can we send? It has to be someone we can trust implicitly to both shepherd the women and be a spy for us on the ground.�
My parents stared at each other in dismay. After a moment, my mother spoke. “No one can do it. We’ll have to hire someone and hope a background check and our instincts will be enough.�
“You’d be willing to put those women into some stranger’s hands? I think we can come up with something better than that.�
When I spoke, my voice broke the silence like a crystal glass shattering on the floor. “I’ll do it.�
My mother shook her head. Her face was dark as a thunderstorm.
“Do what?� my father asked. He was always a little slower on the uptake compared to Mom.
“I’ll be your representative. I’ll go, and I’ll watch over everyone. You know I’ll tell the truth.�
“I hope you’re joking.�
“Baby, you’re much too young for something like this…�
