“And now let’s give Lottery Bride winner Natalie Ferguson a warm Khanavai welcome!” Vos Klavoii announced cheerfully. She gave a distracted nod to the host.
“So tell us, Natalie,” Vos continued, “what are you thinking right now as you join the Bride Games?”
“I’m wishing I had thought to run,” the dark-haired human in the unflattering blue dress replied.
Vos went silent, then spluttered for a second before finally saying, “But becoming a Khanavai warrior’s bride is an honor.”
“For other women, maybe,” Natalie Ferguson shot back. “But I liked my life back home. I want to finish my college degree, get a job, and then maybe find someone to settle down with. Maybe. I’m not sure I want to get married at all.”
The arena grew entirely silent, and I found myself chortling at her replies.
“What about your planet’s treaty with the Khanavai? Their agreement to protect Earth?” Vos’s voice dropped and Natalie leaned in toward him. “What about the warriors who are willing to give their lives to keep you safe? Don’t they deserve some reward?”
At his last line, she jerked away from him again. “I’m not some prize to be given away on a whim.”
Vos laughed aloud, turning back to face the camera. “You heard it from her, warriors and women. Natalie Ferguson is no prize.”
Natalie glared at him for a moment, then walked off the small set.
Now, she was interesting.
And as the synthesized version of her scent floated across the grooms’ seating area, I caught a hint of what I’d smelled earlier.
Not quite the same. But close. Could the synthesizing process have changed it so much that I wasn’t recognizing it?
Perhaps.
In that case, I should probably meet her.
I hesitated, uncertain whether to turn the pretense that I was looking for a bride into something more real.
Or maybe I should go to the space survey deck to see if they had completed the new scan of the observable skies that I had ordered when I first arrived.
I wasn’t sure about Natalie Ferguson—but her smell enticed me. If she was the source of the scent I’d caught earlier, I needed to meet her. I held my finger over the option to choose her, trying to decide why my stomach clenched as I considered taking her as my mate.
Could I live with her forever?
I shook my head. Why wouldn’t I be able to? The Khanavai had a long tradition of choosing mates for life.
I sighed. This is a side effect of your fears about the Alveron Horde, I told myself. It had nothing to do with reality—just like those fears.
I shouldn’t worry about whether or not my mate would be perfect for me. The Bride Games had a long history of making perfect matches.
But the things I valued—my long history of battles won against the Alveron Horde, my strength, my power, my military command, my influence on Khanav Prime? Those were not the things human women were said to value.
No. Human women valued softness. Kindness. The ability to compromise and make decisions together.
I shouldn’t be here.
At the thought, I gave a bitter laugh. My very anxiety about choosing a mate felt like softness.
Maybe I do belong here, after all.
Shaking my head, I swiped through the display and chose Natalie Ferguson as a possible mate.
Chapter Five
Mia
I cannot believe she said she wishes she’d run.
Didn’t she know saying something like that would just draw more attention to her?
I didn’t want to be here, either. But I was going to take the exact opposite approach. Instead of making a big deal about how much I wanted to go back to Earth, I was going to be a nobody. I wanted to be sure no one even remembered my name.
When Thorvid came back into my room with the plain black gown I requested, I had it style my hair in a simple ponytail clasped at the back of my neck with a plain black band.
“It’s so boring,” the Poltien complained. “You have such beautiful dark curls. We could do something truly interesting with your hair.”
I gave it a severe look. “Absolutely not. Nothing interesting, whatever that means. I want to look elegant and classic.”
That, I had decided, was going to be how I got out of this mess.
It hadn’t taken Thorvid very long to finish getting me ready, especially once I had insisted on minimal makeup. My Poltien handler had been disappointed, I could tell from its crestfallen expression as it surveyed the results in the mirror.
I reached out and patted its hand. “Since we have some extra time before the pageant starts, I need a favor.”
Thorvid shot me a suspicious glance.
“Nothing that will get you in any trouble. I promise.”
“What is it?”
“I need to make a com call back to Earth.”
Thorvid crossed its arms over its tiny chest, its nose-braid shivering in disapproval. “That’s not allowed.”
“I know. But I promise I’m not calling anyone I shouldn’t be. It’s just—I was with a girlfriend when my name was drawn, and I know she’s got to be worried about what’s going on with me now.” Mentally, I crossed my fingers. I needed to be able to contact Becca. I had to let her know that everything would be okay.
“A girlfriend?” Thorvid raised its eyebrow suspiciously.
“Just a friend. I promise.” Unbidden, tears sprang to my eyes. “I need to tell her that I’m doing well.”
Thorvid’s expression softened. “I’ll see what I can do. Wait here.”
The Poltien left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Several hours had passed on Earth, but Josiah was almost certainly still asleep.
Becca, too, for that matter. She might not even know what had happened yet. But I had to be sure that she knew Frank might come looking for us, to make sure she didn’t go around my apartment trying to find me—or worse yet, contact the local police.
Every time I thought about Josiah being so far away from me, sick dread roiled through my stomach. I swallowed it down for
