by Rachel Red
Sam and I continued down the extremely long hallway in silence for a little while, our footsteps echoing faintly, until I spoke.
"So... if there are three-hundred-something human wives, then... well, how is that even possible? Because I know only close to a hundred have come from my town. So are there other towns?"
Sam shook his head. "Sadly, no. Your town was the only one on the planet we were able to protect and keep more or less intact. Most of our wives are women some of us were already married to at the time of the Event, or women we rescued from various other places during the Event."
"Then how are they still living? Wouldn't they all be over a hundred years old now?"
"Well, they are, but at the same time, not really. In appearance, they're the same as they were on the days they married their husbands. See, we shifters are blessed with unnaturally long life spans. Our maker told us that most of us will live to be about three hundred years old, only physically aging for about the last thirty or forty or so of those years. But for the rest of those years, no matter how much time goes by, we remain frozen, so to speak, at the age at which we were turned from human men into shifters. And that happened for most of us during our twenties, thirties, and forties. And our unnaturally long lives and longevity are transferred to our wives at marriage. For example, if you married a shifter dragon who was, say, well, let's just use Victor as an example, say you married Victor, who was thirty-three at the time he was turned into a shifter. This means that he's now a hundred-and-thirty-something years old, even though he still looks only thirty-three, and this also means that he's got about a hundred-and-sixty or seventy years of life left. If you married him, that longevity would also be transferred to you. You'd both live for about the next hundred-and-sixty or seventy years, both only aging for about the final thirty or forty or so of those years."
"But...how? How do you Keepers just transfer the longevity onto your wives? Is it magic?"
"Well, in short, yes. The Oppressors aren't the only ones with magical powers, fortunately. And at your wedding, you'll see that first-hand. A Keeper husband's longevity is transferred to his wife in a marriage rite known as the Mingling of the Blood."
"It sounds... it sounds kind of terrible."
Sam winced, just slightly. "Well, it's... it's not entirely pleasant."
He fell silent, and I debated whether or not to ask him for more information, unsure if I really wanted to know more until I absolutely had to. But before I could even make up my mind, Sam glanced over at me, smiling.
"But one thing's for sure. The Mingling of the Blood is well worth it, because it's this rite that will allow you to spend the next hundred-some years with your husband. And if your marriage is a love match, like I suspect it might be, you'll likely be very thankful for each and every one of those years."
Sam's words, though I knew they were meant to be encouraging, reminded me of one important thing. And that was the possibility that my marriage might not be a love match. And if it wasn't, I wouldn't just be spending the rest of a normal human lifespan in a loveless marriage; it would be a length of time far longer. I suddenly developed a little stomach-ache, wondering what I'd do if I wasn't even physically attracted to my husband. Earlier, I'd been so excited about the possibility of my possible husband being attracted to me that I hadn't even considered how things might go and how I might feel if I wasn't attracted to him. I'd just opened my mouth to ask Sam how Victor the dragon lord looked, when Sam and I came upon a wooden door on one side of the stone hallway.
Sam said we were almost to the great hall where everyone was waiting, and he asked if I'd like to freshen up in the restroom first. I said yes and ducked inside, glad to discover that the Keepers had somehow installed modern indoor plumbing under the mountain. A row of bathroom stalls stood opposite a white porcelain sink that had both hot and cold water. After using the restroom and washing my hands, I took a comb and a sheer pink lip gloss from my pocket, combed through my long blonde hair, and applied a little of the gloss, which Callie had made. She owned the only beauty salon and cosmetics shop in Haverbrook, and she'd generously packed my suitcases with more all-natural cosmetics items than I'd probably need in a lifetime.
After rejoining Sam, we walked just a little further and came to another wooden door at the very end of the long, subterranean hallway.
He set down my suitcases, took the door handle, and paused. "Someone will come and take your things to your temporary room where you'll sleep tonight. Now, here's my best advice for you. Try to relax as much as you can, even though the next couple of days may feel like a whirlwind. Shifter dragons mate for life, so you'll only get one wedding, and I'm sure you'll want to enjoy it. The festivities more or less begin right now, when we enter the hall. There will be a casual brunch in your honor, a chance for everyone to meet you. Then, later, there will be a more formal dinner. After, those who wish to claim you as a bride will let their intentions be known to the council, though like I said earlier, I'd be somewhat surprised if Victor allows that to happen. Although if for some surprising reason he does, then the council will meet, and by midnight tonight, announce who you are to marry tomorrow."
"Sam, I'm really nervous all of a sudden." A wave of dizziness washed over me. "I'm just... really nervous."
Sam smiled. "Don't be. Just take deep breaths. Just try to enjoy the experience if you can. You'll make friends here quickly. You might even fall in love. Doesn't that sound nice?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
"Then let's not keep everyone waiting. Are you ready?"
I took a deep breath. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."
Sam smiled again and opened the door. We both stepped through it and into a stone hall bigger and more beautiful than I would have even dreamed possible. Tens of thousands of tiny white twinkling lights covered a stone ceiling at least a hundred feet high. High windows carved into rock on one side of the hall allowed sunlight to slant in. Nearly a thousand people sat at maybe a hundred long, rectangular, polished dark wood tables covered with flower arrangements in huge glass vases in shades of blue, green, yellow, and pink.
A low hum of conversation died down, and everyone in the hall turned their attention to Sam and me. Sam cleared his throat.
"Good morning, everyone. I'd like to introduce you all to Kate Archer, our newest bride. Please welcome her and make her feel right at home. Thank you."
Everyone seemed to start talking again at once, and several people nearby shouted out welcomes to me. I smiled, scanning everyone's faces. And that's when I saw him. And I knew it was him. Victor. The dragon lord. He sat at the head of the longest table in an elaborately-carved, dark polished wood chair that could really only be described as a throne. I hadn't needed to be worried at all about if I would find him physically attractive. I hadn't needed to be worried in the least. He was the most attractive man I'd ever seen in my life. By far. By miles. And he was getting up from his chair. And walking right over to me.
CHAPTER THREE
I didn't realize I was holding my breath until Sam whispered for me to just breathe. I did, unable to take my eyes off Victor, who was walking over to us. He stood a good several inches over six feet tall and moved with long, unhurried, purposeful strides, his muscular body exuding absolute power and confidence. His dark, nearly black, hair glinted in the soft cheery light of the hall.
Sam gave me the slightest of nudges with his elbow. "Maybe don't breathe that fast, though. We don't need you passing out from hyperventilation."
I worked on slowing my breathing, and got it to maybe at least a semi-normal rate by the time Victor reached us. But I couldn't do much about my heartbeat hammering in my ears. Particularly when I looked into his eyes, which were a deep charcoal gray. A shade that went very nicely with his light golden skin.
He extended a hand. "I'm Victor. It's nice to meet you, Kate."
His voice was rich and deep. My knees became a little wobbly. I gave him my hand and he shook it, his touch firm and warm. Someho
w I found my voice. "It's nice to meet you, too, Victor."
Before we could talk further, a crowd of several dozen people approached us, and Sam introduced me to his wife, Julia. To my surprise, she was a girl I'd been good friends with back in Haverbrook. She'd been the sacrificial bride three years earlier. She wrapped me in a hug, and I squeezed her in return, thrilled to see not only a familiar face, but a friend. She introduced me to several other young women, or rather, reintroduced me to some of them, because a few of them I knew from Haverbrook, and then asked if I was hungry. But before I could even answer, she took my hand and began leading me over to a row of buffet tables against a stone wall.
"Come on. Even if you're not hungry, you should still eat. It's going to be a busy couple of days, and you'll need your strength."
I really wasn't very hungry, but Julia got plates for each of us and insisted that I fill mine. And once I'd surveyed the buffet tables, which were completely covered with nearly every kind of breakfast and lunch food imaginable, and once I'd breathed in some of the delicious aromas, I did start to feel like maybe I could manage a few bites. And actually, a full meal.
Julia and I began spooning food onto our plates, and she glanced over at me.
"We raise and farm our own food here, just like in Haverbrook. We have farmland on the other side of the mountain, and orchards, and pastures for animals, and a dairy. We even have our own bakery here, and a candy shop, and a restaurant, all right here beneath the mountains. And the restaurant isn't quite as good as the rib place back home, but it's awfully close. And, oh, Kate, you just won't believe how amazing and extensive our little town under the mountains is, here. Like, this hall... this is just the tip of the iceberg. Every couple gets their own set of huge cavern-rooms, like an apartment; even the single men each have their own big apartments. Sam and I even have a little hot springs whirlpool in one corner of our bedroom. Can you believe that? A natural hot springs right in our bedroom. It's just awesome. And there's also community pools, and community hot springs, and a big underground lake type of thing where people take little rowboats out. There are skylights carved into the rock wall on one of the shores, so it's nice and sunny; it's almost just like going out on a real lake above ground. Oh, and there's even a manufacturing center of sorts right here in our little mountain town, which we call Stonebrook, by the way, if Sam hasn't told you that already. Oh, everything is just... so cool here, Kate. I'll give you a tour of everything after brunch." Julia finished spooning some scrambled eggs onto her plate and glanced over at me again, smiling. "I'm just so glad you're here. I think you're gonna be really happy."
I smiled back, thinking she was absolutely right. Especially if Victor claimed me as his bride as Sam thought he might.
Julia continued chattering on in the same way she'd tended to while we'd been friends in Haverbrook, and by the time we'd filled our plates, many people in the hall had gotten up and formed an extremely long line behind us. On our way to the tables, we stopped to get flutes of sparkling white wine mixed with orange juice, and I couldn't help but throw Victor a few glances. He was back sitting at the head of the longest table in the hall, talking to Sam, one of his black-booted feet propped on the opposite long, muscular leg.
Julia noticed my glances and spoke in a low voice. "He's more or less our king, our lord. And because of that, we all give him respect at all times, because he's earned it. Only close friends like me and Sam and a few others call him Victor; everyone else addresses him as Lord or Lord Victor. Although since he introduced himself to you as just Victor, I'm sure you can call him that, too. Oh, and I should also probably tell you that out of respect, nobody begins eating until he's started. And he never gets his own food; he's always served, always, even though he thinks it's a little silly, and even though he thinks it's a silly to have staff members whose only jobs it is to wait on him, but we all insist; he's our leader. And he's a commanding, strong leader, but a kind man with a good heart, also, and not too hard on the eyes, either, obviously."
Julia and I began heading over to Victor and Sam, and she glanced at me, a sly little smile playing around the corners of her mouth.
"And I noticed the way he was looking at you while he walked over to you earlier. And it was a look I've never seen him give another woman before, Kate. And if he claims you...." Julia gave me another sly little smile, her big brown eyes twinkling. "Rest assured, you'll be getting a very quality husband. Even a lot of the girls here who are very happily married are still half in love with him."
We neared the table, and Julia stopped talking until we reached it. She asked Victor and Sam if we could join them. "Or are we interrupting some guy talk?"
Victor shook his head. "No. Please join us. Please."
He didn't take his gaze off me while he responded, even though Julia had been the one to ask the question.
He rose from his throne-chair and gestured to the empty chair to his left. "Please."
With a little heat rising to my face, I said thank you and took a seat, smiling a little. Victor sat back down, and Julia took her seat next to Sam, who sat on Victor's right. Victor was soon served his meal; Sam got a plate of food; and after Victor had taken a bite, the four of us and several others at the table began eating. I worked on a strawberry-topped waffle and some eggs without really tasting anything, a little distracted and slightly flustered just from being in such close proximity to Victor and his well-defined chest, the outline of his muscles visible through the fabric of his fitted midnight blue t-shirt.
He asked me if my trip from Haverbrook to the mountains had been all right, and I said that it had been, butterflies zipping around in my stomach just from looking into his deep gray eyes.
He nodded. "Good. Sam wasn't too mean?"
I smiled, shaking my head. "No. Well... maybe just a little at first. He kind of implied that all wives here are forced to walk around naked."
Victor, who had been taking a drink of black coffee, seemed to choke a little.
Julia gasped. "Sam!"
Sam shrugged. "What? I go to pick up a new bride once a year; that doesn't give me very much practice to hone my intimidation skills. It sounded way worse when I said it out loud than when I thought to say it in my head."
Julia gave me a look, sighing. "Men. Sorry for that."
I shook my head. "No, don't be. I actually thought it was a little funny after I knew Sam wasn't serious, and he was a great guide the entire way here. He really helped calm my nerves."
Julia took a sip of her sparkling wine and juice. "Well, good. And I guess what he said to you isn't as bad as what he said when he came to take me here."
"What did he say?"
Julia turned to Sam, her brown eyes twinkling. "What did you say, dear?"
Sam pushed a few pieces of ham around on his plate, reddening. "Well, I hardly remember now. Something about bracelets. I complimented your bracelets."
Julia turned her gaze to me. "I was wearing a few gold bangles, and he actually said that it was a good thing I liked wearing bracelets, because all Keeper wives are kept handcuffed and shackled at all times."
I couldn't help but giggle, and Julia joined in.
"I kicked him in the shin and tried to run, but he caught me and threw me over his shoulder. So I pounded my fists on his back and told him he better not ever let me down because I was going to shackle him. And I was just enraged enough to do it."
Sam looked up from his plate, smiling a little. "And right then, right in that moment, I knew I was going to claim you as my bride. I liked your feistiness. Your fighting spirit."
Julia smiled, a light wash of pink rising in her pale skin. "Well, there's more where that came from, dear."
Sam lowered his voice, looking into her eyes. "Don't I know it. And I love it."
Julia gave him a quick kiss, her skin getting even a little pinker, and then cleared her throat and began asking me for news about different people in Haverbrook. Like me, Julia's parents were gone, but she had several cousins an
d an aunt she'd been close to and wanted to know about. I filled her in on family events and happenings, and just as I finished, several other Haverbrook girls came over to say hello and ask about town news and loved ones. And no sooner than I'd briefly filled them all in, dozens of people out of the hundreds in the hall came over to welcome me, seemingly all at once. I was glad to be welcomed so warmly and to meet so many friendly people, but part of me wished for a little privacy to talk to Victor a bit more. And judging from the looks he was giving me under his dark lashes while he finished his meal, he maybe wanted to talk to me a bit more, too.
Several lone men approached our table, but each of them in turn seemed to notice how close I'd been seated to Victor and the glances he was giving me, and before even speaking to me, they each turned and walked away. I allowed myself to hope that Victor might really claim me as his bride, although this thought made me more than a little lightheaded. I allowed myself to think that Sam's guess that Victor wouldn't even hold a council meeting to decide who would get to claim me had been right.
Soon, during a brief break in people approaching me, Victor rose from the table and Sam followed suit. Victor said they had some business to attend to, but before they left, he came over to where I stood and spoke in a low voice.
"Sam told me that you actually volunteered to be the bride sacrifice this year, and I think that was very brave and selfless and noble of you." He held my gaze while my pulse accelerated. "Very attractive qualities."
And with that, he gave me the hint of a grin and strode away, leaving me weak-kneed and a little breathless. The low hum of conversation in the cavernous hall had quieted, and I looked around, realizing that hundreds of gazes were on me. Several people whispered excitedly. Julia drained the last of her sparkling wine and orange juice, and said that maybe it was time for her to give me a tour.
