Brida Pact

by Leora Gonzales

  Poppy took in the stunned look on Demascus’s face and smiled inwardly. The man was obviously one of the warriors who had been affected by cloning. He was tall for a human but a good foot shorter than the others in the room. Moreover he was pale and she was unable to tell what breed group he belonged to. With his obviously receding hair slicked back into a low ponytail, he was completely creepy. When he smiled, he reminded her of a used car salesman she had once dealt with who called her “little lady” and “sweetheart” the whole time while trying to sell her a lemon. Even if this hadn’t been the Council member she’d spent the afternoon being schooled on, she wouldn’t have liked him anyway.

  “I don’t think I heard you correctly. Councilor Wheaton, this is not your choice to make. The matches are null and void as they were incorrectly made on Earth. Your bride is not your bride.” Glancing to his side, he nodded at a few Council members who seemed to be listening in on the conversation.

  “Let us rule and then your little human can go back to her world,” he finished in the most condescending tone she had ever heard.

  The men seemed to know that they were ready to begin and took their seats. Poppy would have been unsure where to go, but Wheaton directed her to her seat and took the one next to her with Valerie flanking her other side.

  “Council members, it has come to my knowledge that my mating is being challenged due to a glitch in the matching profiles, and the brides are being transported back to Earth,” Wheaton addressed the group of men in front of him. “I am here to let you know that we are happy with our mating and do not intend to separate but instead call for an immediate joining.”

  This was said with such finality that the room was silent for a moment. Some scanned the group, as if trying to decide how to take this announcement. Wheaton had certainly stunned some of them.

  Demascus broke the silence.

  “What gives you the idea you have the authority to make such a demand or go against a Council edict?” he asked as if he were offended on behalf of all of the Councilmen sitting around the table. Unfortunately, when he said this, Poppy noticed some nods to his statement from the jerks on his right side.

  “Council members, I would not go against a ruling if I felt it was the correct one to make for the good of our race.” Linking his fingers through Poppy’s, Wheaton smiled reassuringly. “This match is perfect in every way. We are compatible and have developed feelings for each other that would make it impossible for our match to be dissolved.” Moving his gaze from one man to another and meeting their stares head-on, he then continued, “We are also physically compatible as well and it is in not only our best interests but the interests of the breeding pact to keep our union as binding.”

  A Council member whom Poppy had yet to meet watched her with kind eyes and addressed Wheaton. “Physically compatible? Does that mean that you have had sexual relations with your bride?”

  As if realizing that he had asked a very personal question, he then shifted his attention to Poppy. When Wheaton stiffened at her side, Poppy stroked her thumb along his palm to let him know it was okay.

  “Miss, I am sorry for the personal questions. Let me introduce myself. My name is Kain and I am a brother to Wheaton. Most of us are wanting this program to work while others still have concerns. This mistake with the matches is a major concern for the entire program and has given us doubts if this is the best way to approach the breeding of our race. We are hesitant to let your match stand. All indications are pointing to Wheaton being matched to another female and you even had another warrior match. The original profiles were designed to find our most compatible mates and I cannot see how, if the system made a mistake, you would be happy to stay with Wheaton.”

  Poppy could see the kindness and understanding on Kain’s face and figured she was now allowed to talk considering that he had spoken to her directly.

  “Councilor Kain, I am unsure how the system made a mistake. From everything that Wheaton and I have learned about each other, we know we are compatible. It was an adjustment at first but once we got over the hurdles of a new relationship and started communicating, we realized that we cared for each other. We had developed feelings for each other, strong ones.” Shooting Wheaton a smile, she continued, “I know for sure that there is no one else for me. Over the past couple weeks, we have bonded and if I were to leave him, I don’t believe I would ever find another person to make me feel as he makes me feel.”

  “Feelings. Ha,” Demascus scoffed. Gesturing around the room, he raised his voice as if trying to get the group on his side. “I am sure that you feel sexual attraction.” He smiled snarkily at Poppy. “The profiles do not match though. There cannot be any other compatibility other than a physical attraction that you feel for Wheaton. Whatever he feels toward you is most likely due to being without a female for such a span of time. He simply needs to spend some time in the Pleasure Sector to cure himself of these feelings he has for you.”

  “Do not speak to my bride in that tone of voice, Demascus!” Wheaton seemed not only angered that Demascus had dismissed their match as based on sexual attraction only, but to say that Wheaton needed to “get laid” to cure himself of their attraction was offensive.

  Poppy could feel Wheaton’s hand shaking in anger by the time he finished biting out the sentence. She wanted to punch the guy out herself and easily imagined Wheaton shared the same feelings but didn’t want do it and get into trouble.

  “Poppy and I have made our decision,” Wheaton said flatly.

  “Not so fast, Councilor Wheaton,” Demascus interrupted. “You have no grounds to keep your union intact. The decision has already been made.”

  “The Council is unable to interfere with our decision. We have brought along Poppy’s liaison and she has the paperwork to support us in this situation.” Gesturing to Valerie, Wheaton handed her the floor. Obviously hoping this would be the final argument that they received, he sat back in his chair.

  Half the Council members had understanding on their previously unreadable faces. The others appeared as though they would follow Demascus out of sheer fear.

  Poppy waited for Valerie to speak. Valerie seemed unfazed by the abundant amount of jackasses in the room, scanning the room and smiling at the men in front of her while she readied the paperwork that would hopefully pull their fannies out of the fire.

  “Council members, according to the trial period clause within the contract that everyone has signed, you are only able to remove Poppy from Wheaton for the following reasons…” She started going through the contract and pointed to the paragraphs that held their saving grace.

  Poppy could tell that the wind had left Demascus’s sails but was positive he wasn’t finished. He no longer seemed to be searching for backers but instead Poppy could see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to come up with a reason to get rid of her.

  “And so according to your own paperwork, Poppy is here for good. Unless the honorable Phaeton Council is willing to go back on a vow.” Valerie ended her speech with another smile.

  A couple of the Councilmen were grinning back at Valerie and giving her appraising glances. Out of the corner of her eye, Poppy noticed that Thorne didn’t seem to be too happy about the attention Valerie was getting.

  “I concede that you seem to have found a way to keep your trial period intact for the time being, and for your human to stay on the ship,” Demascus started.

  “Thank you, Councilor Demascus.” Wheaton stood up, his relief obvious.

  “Please let me finish what I was saying, Council Member Wheaton.” Demascus leaned back with an expression that made Poppy want to smack him. “Since we had already decided that Poppy was leaving, we took the opportunity to send for your new bride.”

  “Excuse me?” Poppy said at the exact same time that Wheaton yelled, “What?”

  “We have explained that your match was incorrect and I believe you were notified that another bride had been matched to your profile. The Council took the initiative and b
rought her up to start her trial period immediately, which is in agreement with the contract you signed when filling out your profile for the warrior pool. According to our paperwork, you are required to serve out a trial period with the bridal match that the system has generated. The system has given you another bride and you are expected to entertain her.”

  With this statement sitting like a lead weight in her stomach, Poppy sat back in her chair with her palm now sweating in Wheaton’s hand.

  “Well, send her back. I do not want her and it does not matter what the matching system says.” Wheaton said this to the Council, but Poppy could tell it was also directed to her.

  Apparently Demascus wasn’t finished raining on her parade, because his next statement made her cringe on the inside.

  “She is your match in every way. She is in politics. She is also very beautiful.” This was followed by a sneer in Poppy’s direction. “She understands how important your place on the Council is and she is highly educated. Her sexual compatibility also scored near identical to your own profile regarding your preferences. From what we have gathered this match is a far more appropriate one.”

  As if he had just won the battle, Demascus crossed his arms over his skinny middle and leaned back in his chair.

  “I will repeat myself again so the entire Council can hear me since apparently you did not the first time,” Wheaton said in a voice that wiped the smile off Mr. Smarmy’s face. “My union to Poppy will stand. It will also be finalized with the bride contract as soon as we are able to file the paperwork.” Pulling on Poppy’s hand for her to stand, he tugged her up.

  “We are done here. Council members, hopefully you can get this new woman back to Earth with no problems and we will hear no more about this. I can understand if any of the other warriors are having problems with their matches but mine is perfect and I will complete it.” Starting toward the door, he stopped when Demascus spoke out again.

  “Your correct bride is unable to go back to Earth. Our ship is moving toward the home world and you are aware that a shuttle cannot make that distance. Per your signed agreement, of which I have a copy here”—he laid a sheet of paper on the table in front of Wheaton—“you are required to start your trial period with your new bride, whose name is Hannah Talbot. Sounds fitting for a Council member’s mate, does it not? Much more dignified than ‘Poppy’,” Demascus stated, as if he had won the lottery.

  Kain slid the paper in front of him and quickly glanced at the paragraphs that Demascus had indicated. Poppy felt sick that her luck in being able to stay with Wheaton had also inadvertently resulted in the other “bride” not being able to leave.

  “This does state you are required to adhere to the Phaeton Code according to this contract,” he said to Wheaton. Regarding them with understanding eyes, he then said, “If you insist on us recognizing the validity of your signature on one document then we must do the same to another. I am sorry, Wheaton.” His sad smile showed Poppy he was indeed regretful for what he’d had to point out.

  “Your new bride will be taken to your quarters and you should start getting to know your new wife. Furthermore, during this trial period, you cannot bind to another,” Demascus decided to tack on.

  “I don’t want her anywhere near me. I am sure she is a wonderful woman but she is not my bride.”

  Wheaton looked as if he couldn’t believe what a mess this was turning out to be. He reached for Poppy again to pull her into his side.

  Poppy hugged him back, trying to reassure him without words.

  “So we both live with you? I don’t understand what has to happen now.” Poppy felt her eyes sting as if she were about to cry. The last thing she wanted to do was shed tears in front of a man who seemed to take pleasure in other people’s pain.

  “I believe the Council will agree with me that you need to spend the same amount of time with Hannah that you did with Poppy to be fair regarding the situation.” Demascus glared around and received some grudging nods from the other Council members. “We can find other quarters for your first human while you get acquainted with your true bride.”

  “Poppy does not leave my side.” Wheaton moved to make a threatening step toward Demascus, as though he could strangle the man.

  “Councilor Wheaton!” Kain interrupted his advance. “I understand your frustration but do you want two women in your quarters? It might be painful for Poppy to see you interact with your matched bride. I would like to spare her that.” Addressing Poppy, he continued, “We can find temporary quarters for you until you are able to rejoin Wheaton, and you will be in no way kept from him. I simply doubt keeping you in the same living space as the new female would be wise.”

  Swallowing hard so she didn’t choke, she said to the kind warrior, “Yes, I see how that would probably not be a good idea. Can Wheaton and I have a moment to discuss this? We came in here with the thought that we would be going home together.”

  The handsome warrior smiled at her softly and said, “Of course. We will clear the Council room and give you a few moments.” Leaning forward he said softly, “I believe Demascus has already moved this new woman into Wheaton’s rooms, so I will make arrangements for your new quarters while you speak.”

  As the room emptied, Poppy noticed that more than half the warriors were giving her understanding looks while some seemed to completely ignore her. Demascus walked out with a satisfied swagger, seemingly happy with the chaos he’d been able to cause in the span of a few minutes.

  As the door slid quietly shut, Poppy gazed up at Wheaton’s face. Seeing the emotion playing across his features stunned her. She had seen him happy, aroused, amused and now, because of Demascus, even angry. His face was the epitome of heartbreak. He seemed completely torn, as if unsure what to do next.

  “Okay, big guy, this is what’s going to happen. I’m going to stay in the other room until they say I can come back and we get rid of this Hannah chick. When she’s gone, we finalize our bridal contract. Nothing changes. Understand?” Reaching up, she cupped his cheeks.

  Leaning down into her embrace, he breathed out harshly, “I do not want another bride. It doesn’t matter what the computers say. You know this, correct?” Wheaton’s eyes searched hers and his hands covered her own on his face.

  “I know. We just need to get through this little span of time and then we’re golden.” Taking his hands into hers, she gave him a squeeze. “Now let’s go get my stuff moved. I want to check out this new bride.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  After saying a major thank-you to Valerie for her help, Poppy watched as she and Thorne headed toward their quarters. Walking with Wheaton and Dathrow to what she now considered her home, Poppy’s stomach twisted. Dathrow had agreed to take Poppy to her new quarters that were located close to his own on a different level of the ship. The whole situation made her have flashbacks to when she first arrived and was pawned off on various warriors.

  Almost to the door, she slowed her pace, causing Wheaton to glance at her questioningly.

  “Poppy?”

  “I need to breathe for a minute before I meet Miss Perfect,” Poppy said with a small smile.

  “Her name is Miss Talbot, not Miss Perfect,” Wheaton said with a grin, finally starting to catch on to the way Poppy said things. He chucked her under the chin and planted a sweet kiss on her lips.

  “Everything will be fine, Poppy, I promise.” Kissing her again, he turned toward the door and waved his bracelet over the sensor.

  Seeing perfect Hannah Talbot was not good for Poppy’s morale. This woman was exactly what she expected a politician’s wife to be like. Her blonde hair was styled in glossy, effortless-looking waves and she pulled off a gorgeous all-white although completely impractical pantsuit. She walked toward Wheaton with a ready smile on her face and her hand out to shake but stopped when she saw Poppy standing there.

  “Hello…I’m Hannah Talbot…your bride,” she said in a melodious voice while glancing questioningly at Poppy.

  “I
am Wheaton, and this is my bride, Poppy,” Wheaton said in a calm voice, motioning to Poppy.

  “I don’t understand…” Hannah began with a confused expression. “I was told the previous matches were wrong and you were now my match. We’re supposed to start our trial period immediately. That’s why I’m here.” Her gaze darted back and forth between the two of them as if she thought this was a big prank.

  Wheaton leaned down close to Poppy’s ear and whispered, “This is the type of woman whom I had originally expected to be matched with.” When Poppy immediately stiffened, he continued. “She may seem perfect but you are perfect for me. Do not doubt that.”

  “Hannah, we’re happy with our match and have decided to finalize it. We had actually just got done telling this to the Council members when we found out that you were here. Wheaton is obligated to have his own trial with a second bride,” Poppy explained in hopes Hannah was actually going to understand the situation and not get a good view of the man she was going to be missing out on. She had to admit, if someone put Wheaton in front of her and then jerked him away, she would have been pissed. Her attraction to him had been immediate and the same for him to her, she believed.

  From what she could tell with a quick glance, Wheaton wasn’t giving Hannah any appraising stares. His expression was more polite than anything. He had on his “meeting” face. It was his poker face he used when she’d seen him speak to other warriors and Council members to show he was listening but remaining neutral.

  “I’m not quite sure I follow. Councilor Demascus assured me that my match to Wheaton was perfect and we would be one of the most successful matches made,” she stuttered out, obviously having been lied to by King of the Smarmy.

  “Demascus was incorrect, Hannah. We ask that you please respect our decision to stay united, and we will try to make the next few weeks as comfortable for you as we can. Your trip back to Earth will not be possible until we move the ship back to Earth’s orbit,” explained Wheaton, his voice firm as if she would have no other option but to agree. “We are required to live in the same quarters but the decision has been made. Poppy has agreed to stay elsewhere to make this situation more tolerable but that is as far as we are in agreement with what the Council has forced upon us.”