Some of them even wore human-style suits. I shuddered at the thought of so much fabric scratching against my skin. How did the men of Earth fight in such restrictive outfits?
Moreover, the closer I got to the games suites, the more muted the colors became, almost as if they were behind some kind of shadow. Signs for the Bride Lottery—advertisements, the Earthers called them—adorned the corridor walls, purporting to show Khanavai warriors. But these, too, were in muted colors, failing to show the full glory of our males.
And their genitals were covered by the Bride Lottery logo, as if we were ashamed to show ourselves to our potential mates.
Their nudity taboo at play, I suspected.
I rolled my eyes. I would have much to teach my mate.
And any moment now, I would catch sight of her. I found myself gazing eagerly ahead, hoping to catch sight of the Earther females, one of whom would be my supporter, my subordinate, the mother of my children and the keeper of my home as I took to the stars, roaming far and wide to protect our world—and all worlds—from the ravages of our enemies.
Maybe this mated thing wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Chapter Three
Natalie
I came out of the transporter heaving. A tiny alien with pure white skin, a rill of skin on its back like a lizard, and a long braid of orange hair hanging out of one nostril bounced around me, squeaking.
“Oh no, this one’s ill, too. Please call maintenance for a clean-up.” It rose on its toes so it was at face height with me—as long as I remained bent over, clutching my stomach. “Are you going to survive? We need to get you to makeup and wardrobe. As soon as you stop vomiting,” it added, crinkling its nose in distaste as its rill lifted and lowered several times, making it look remarkably like a cross between a lizard and a sailing ship.
A Poltien, I thought. That’s what these creatures were called. I didn’t know enough about them to be able to tell at a glance if it was male, female, or one of the non-gendered versions. A nonbinary, I remembered from my Introduction to Galactic Life course.
I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth and breathed in and out several times until the nausea had passed. “I’ll be okay.”
“Then follow me this way, please.” The Poltien scampered ahead of me. As we walked away from the transportation room, I saw several other potential brides vomiting.
This part of the Bride Games had never been shown on Earth.
I still couldn’t believe I was here.
I mean, I guess I knew on some level that I’d gone into the lottery. I had friends who’d gotten married right before they “came of age,” as the lottery officials put it, just so they could avoid getting drawn.
Until now, I had thought that was a little excessive. Who wants to be married at such a young age? I had tons of better things to do with my life. After all, it wasn’t like you could have it annulled if your name didn’t get drawn. No—since the arrival of the Khanavai warriors and the host of other galactic species who had shown up after them, we were expected to try to make our marriages last.
Five years. That’s how long a Lottery Bride had to stay with her alien mate. And it was the minimum length a married couple on Earth had to stay together, too.
Fuck. My. Life.
And the farther we moved along the corridor, the more intense all the colors became. I wasn’t sure if I’d vomited out all of the alcohol in my system—but I was definitely working on a hell of a hangover.
“Is there anywhere I can brush my teeth?” I finally asked the Poltien leading me.
“Of course,” it answered in its high-pitched voice. “There are ablution services in your Bride’s Quarters. We’re almost there.”
Thank God—or whatever deity might be listening. I needed a toothbrush more than I needed anything. Except maybe to go home.
For an instant, I flashed on David’s expression as I was transported away from him, his green eyes sad, his face stricken.
No. I can’t go there.
I simply had to get through the games, convince everyone there that I was particularly unsuited to be a Khanavai warrior’s bride, and go home. Back to my life. Back to my studies. Back to David. My life would be normal again.
And I will never again have to worry about being drawn in the Alien Bride Lottery.
I brightened up at that thought. Once chosen, forever safe. My name would never again go into the drawing.
The Poltien led me around a corner, and I was so lost in my thoughts that I nearly crashed into the giant man coming from the other direction. The Poltien had scampered around him, but I stumbled to a stop barely an inch away from slamming my face into his chest.
Well. Okay. Into his upper abdomen.
He grabbed my shoulders to steady me as I tilted my head back and looked up, up, up into his bright purple eyes.
Holy crap, he’s huge, was my first thought. And so blue! came next.
All that came out of my mouth was a squeak worthy of a Poltien.
“Are you all right?” the giant turquoise man asked me in a deep, rumbling voice. I had to fight the urge to place a hand on his broad chest to feel it vibrate as he spoke. I glanced over to the enormous hand holding my shoulder, then followed his arm all the way up to his bulging blue biceps, where my gaze snagged. This time, my own hand was halfway toward the muscle before I realized it and forced my wayward fingers back down to my side.
“Um. Yeah, I’m okay.” My voice came out all breathless and girlish, and I gave myself an internal smack. Quit acting like a besotted fool, I reprimanded myself.
“She is late.” The Poltien, having realized I was no longer following it, had turned around to retrieve me. “And you are not supposed to be in this area. All warriors are to be in the Grooms’ Quarters. Not wandering around the Bridal Suites.”
The Khanavai warrior flashed her an unrepentant grin, and I nearly swooned. Good lord, but he was gorgeous.
“I must have gotten turned around.” But he ruined his explanation by tossing a wink at me.
My heartbeat sped up and I swallowed hard. Don’t get too excited, Nat, I warned myself. The goal is to get kicked out of the games, not flirt with the first alien you see.
“My apologies.” The warrior abruptly released me and took a step back. Cold air rushed into the space his warm hands had just covered, and for an instant, I felt bereft at losing his touch.
As the warrior executed a sharp bow, though, I gathered my wits—at least enough to mutter, “No problem,” and step around him.
I followed the Poltien once more, but I couldn’t help glancing back one last time, only to find the beautiful alien man staring thoughtfully after me. When he caught me looking, he smiled, this time revealing a deep dimple in his turquoise cheek. I whipped my head back around and focused on my surroundings.
I would not let one alien hottie distract me from my plan.
We made it to my Bridal Suite moments later, and this time when I glanced back behind us, the warrior was gone. I couldn’t decide whether the sigh I heaved was of relief or disappointment. Probably a little of both.
“These will be your quarters,” the Poltien said, opening the door onto a room decorated in shades of white ranging from eggshell to antique, and included a princess-style vanity with a matching stool, a single bed with a white lace spread, and a white chintz chair in a corner next to a perfectly white side table. The whole thing practically screamed Bridezilla.
“This is...nice,” I finally said.
“The lavatory is through that door and there are new clothes in the closet.” The Poltien pointed to doors on the left and right sides of the room. “Makeup and wardrobe will be here in one standard station hour. Please be ready.”
“But—” I began as it backed out of the room. “How long is a standard station hour?” I finished my sentence by speaking to the closed door.
“Guess I’ll find out soon enough,” I muttered to myself.
I headed toward the door the Poltien had i
ndicated was the lavatory, hoping it wouldn’t take me long to figure out how to work any alien technology.
I yawned widely. It had been almost one in the morning when I’d been stolen from my night out. I had no idea how long it had taken to transport me to the station. No matter, though—my internal clock was screaming that it was time for me to go to bed.
First, though, I desperately needed a shower.
Chapter Four
Cav
I settled into my seat in the warriors’ viewing room, watching the screen avidly as I waited for Vos to introduce the woman who’d barreled into me in the hallway.
The instant I touched her, I knew. The instinct came from deep within me.
This one is mine.
I would kill any man who tried to take her from me.
Then her eyes had met mine, so wide and surprised, and she had spoken in that perfect, submissive voice.
At the memory, an unbidden growl rumbled in my throat.
One of the other warriors still standing in the room cut his gaze in my direction. “Saw something you liked, brother?”
I sized him up, then waved one hand in the air dismissively, not wanting to give away any more than necessary. “Perhaps. We’ll see.”
He moved closer, offering the abbreviated Khanavai salute—a fist to the chest in two quick thumps, one with the side of the fist by the thumb, then a second with the closed fingers toward the chest.
I returned the salute, reading the insignia on his vandenoi strap. “Special Ops, huh? I’m waiting for word on my own application.”
“Zont Lanov,” he introduced himself.
“Cav Adredoni,” I replied. “Stationed on the Jalzinian.”
He lit up when I mentioned my ship. “Earth defense, huh? Nice. I haven’t worked any ops out here yet, but I’m hoping to go undercover on Earth someday. Command Central thinks an Earther mate will be good practice for that.”
“Undercover? I didn’t know we ran any ops on Earth.”
He shrugged. “Only a few. It’s not like they have any tech we need. But there are always rumors of Horde infiltration. So far, they’re the only species we’ve found with DNA similar enough to ours to mate. We can’t allow the Alveron Horde to poison them as they did us.”
I nodded somberly. Once we’d discovered that Earth held the answer to reviving our population, the Khanavai had begun protecting the small blue planet with a ferocity usually reserved for our home planet.
“So apparently Command Central thinks you need an Earther bride, too?” Zont continued, changing the subject back to the more pleasant aspects of our connections with Earth.
I shrugged. “No evidence my groom’s spot is anything more than a coincidence.”
Zont threw his head back and roared with laughter. “There is no such thing as a coincidence, brother—that’s something you’ll have to learn if you’re going to join Special Ops.”
I stared at him for a moment. “So you believe I’ve been sent to take a mate as part of my request to join Special Ops?”
“Almost certainly. It’s the kind of thing Command Central would do.”
I leaned back in my chair and stared at the screen, watching the parade of potential brides being interviewed by Vos. Very well. If this was a ploy by Command Central to aid my career in Special Ops, I’d take the challenge.
You’ve already chosen your bride, a small voice inside me noted.
Fine. I had every intention of taking that bride in particular.
And nothing would stand in my way.
Almost a full standard station hour later, my mate had still not appeared on the screen, and I had grown tired of watching bland human women simper at me from the screen. Apparently, most of them had heard of Khanavai warrior prowess and were eager to find a mate.
Who could blame them? After all, we were infinitely better than their minuscule human males.
Beside me, Zont leaned forward, apparently engrossed in the show of women parading in front of him. “They’re all beautiful, are they not?”
I huffed in irritation. “I have not yet seen the one I plan to take as my own.”
“Sometimes it’s difficult to choose just one beauty from such a bounty.” Zont’s tone suggested he thought he was agreeing with me. I didn’t correct him. Better to keep my plans secret for now—I wouldn’t want the Special Ops officer to decide he wanted my mate for his own.
When I didn’t respond, he glanced at me. “It might be easier to choose from a wide selection in person. Perhaps we should make our way to the arena, instead of sitting up here in the video room?”
I blinked. “I didn’t realize that was allowed.”
Zont raised an eyebrow and his tone turned conspiratorial. “We’re Special Ops. We don’t play by the rules.”
He’d included me in that group. I liked that. With a grin, I stood. “Then by all means, let’s go find our brides.”
Returning my smile, Zont said, ”Your first Special Ops mission. I’m delighted to have you onboard.”
We made our way out of the vid chamber, Zont leading. “Do you know where the arena is?” I asked.
“Actually, yes. I managed to get a complete map of the station before I headed this way.”
Of course he had. “I should have known.”
Zont flashed his ready smile. “Never enter enemy territory without some idea of the terrain. Basic engagement rules.”
I nodded. He was right—even first-year cadets knew that much. If I hadn’t been so shocked by my sudden change in fortune, I might have considered doing the same thing. It was, after all, rather like what I’d done when I attempted to reconnoiter the Bridal Suites.
He led us down a series of corridors that wound through the station, past the Promenade and into the workers’ quarters, an area that didn’t even try to hide its utilitarian nature. The station walls there were unadorned gray metal, the rivets holding it in place out in plain sight. “Are you sure this is the way?” I finally asked.
“It is if we don’t want to get intercepted and sent back to cool our heels in the Grooms’ Vid Room.” He turned a corner and opened an unmarked door to a back stairwell. “No one uses these unless there’s an emergency that shuts down station power. This will take us to the arena level.” He swung around the metal handrail and began taking the steps down two at a time.
About thirty flights later, we came to the bottom of the stairwell. Zont held up one hand, gesturing for me to wait. I found myself slipping into battle mode—perfectly quiet, every sense on high alert. When Zont waved me forward, I slipped through the open door and slid along the wall behind a high screen Zont followed, then moved in front of me.
From the other side of the screen came the chatter of dozens of female voices, ranging from husky to almost shrill, blending together to create waves of sound that washed over me. I paused to soak it in, then inhaled deeply to take in a feminine, almost floral scent.
A particular kind of euphoria suffused my entire body, the kind I usually associated with winning a battle. A chemical release that kept Khanavai warriors joyful when we fought.
And this was a kind of war. They might be called the Bride Games, but really, we were battling for the chance to be united with human females who were perfect for us. I’d been told, but never before believed, that the battle-joy also served to cement mate bonds.
I was beginning to think it might be true.
Zont moved past the screen, which was replaced by blue curtains, almost a match for the color of my skin. He motioned for me to survey the territory, then pointed at a small gap in the curtains. It was a smart move, as the curtain would provide better camouflage for me than it would for him, with his bright pink coloring.
I moved closer to peer through the gap.
Human women moved across the arena floor, some alone, others in groups of two or three. Across the enormous space, I saw several lined up to give their initial interviews, while others sat in tiny chairs around equally small tables, chatting and ea
ting. I could smell the sweet aroma of fruit mixed in with the scent of the women themselves.
The femininity was almost overwhelming.
I was about to pull back and report to Zont when a small, pale hand ripped the curtain back, and I came face-to-face with the very woman I’d been searching for.
Chapter Five
Natalie
I don’t know how long I slept. It felt like more than an hour, though it still wasn’t long enough. A sharp knock at the door woke me, and I sat up groggily.
Two aliens entered the room—one Poltien and another, much taller alien whose species I didn’t recognize. This one was obviously female, with two large breasts in the normal human spot, and what looked like a third one between and slightly below the others. She had silvery hair bound on top of her head with twisted strands falling to her shoulders in complicated loops, and matching silver tattoos across her otherwise perfectly white skin.
“Finding bras must be a total bitch,” I muttered.
Ignoring my commentary, the silvery alien rushed into the room. “I’m sorry we’re late,” she said, taking both hands in mine and pulling me up off the bed as she eyed me up and down assessingly. “Hm. Not bad,” she muttered, brushing one long fingertip across my cheek.
I scowled at her. “Not bad?”
She blinked. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I meant your skin tone only. I was thinking about what kind of makeup we’d need for the cameras. You, my dear, are lovely. Of course.”
I rolled my eyes. I was fairly certain that after drinking in a bar, vomiting in a transporter room, showering in a weird alien device that didn’t seem to use actual water, and falling into bed without so much as brushing my hair, I was decidedly less than “lovely.”
But whatever. I wasn’t here to catch an alien mate. I was playing to lose.
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