The Complete Alien's Bride

by Yamila Abraham

  Selena blinked a few times while the statements registered. “No. I mean…I just need to pack and…say goodbye to my sister.”

  “Be strong,” Dugan said with red-rimmed eyes. “You can survive this. By God—there’s nothing I can do!”

  Selena swallowed and rose to her feet.

  What on Earth would she want him to do?

  The other slaves in her barrack wanted to have a going away party. She was still flummoxed, but knew she had to talk them out of it. Then she had to pull herself together enough to console her sister. She took her time saying goodbye to her, repeating again and again that this was what she’d wanted. As she did so she felt she was also reaffirming that fact to herself.

  A few sentinels stayed near her while she was packing. When she had everything she gave a deep sigh and told them she was ready. They led her out to the main road where the entire slave colony had gathered to walk her out. A few more goodbyes were cried out, along with hugs and reassurances. Dugan was at the head of the parade, still red-faced. He took her by both her shoulders and said he was sorry. She was too frazzled by then to say anything comforting in return.

  The sentinels ushered her out of the gate and closed all her people behind her. They continued yelling goodbyes. She only turned back to wave at her weeping sister, but then she was glad when the robots brought her far enough down the winding road to be out of sight. She couldn’t have any of her wits compromised by sorrowful farewells.

  Elentinus’ massive celestial yacht was parked on an open landing area before them. A drawbridge type hatch was open and standing on its lowest step was Maritza the Traitor. Selena chewed her bottom lip at the sight of her.

  She was an attractive woman probably close to thirty or so with long black hair, but she had a face that people just didn’t have anymore. Her skin was too white. Her eyes were too big. She had curls in her hair that looked natural. Selena figured this was how humans were 2,000 years ago, when the aliens had time-traveled to get her.

  Maritza wore an austere black dress, but subdued its dour effect a bit with a smile. The robots brought Selena before her.

  “Okay,” Maritza said, “I know I’m the last person you want to see.”

  Selena agreed by avoiding her eyes.

  “You’re going to go through some of the crap I went through when I first married Lord Elentinus. I’d like to kind of ease you through it. But, you know, if you can’t stand having me around, that’s fine. I’ll just leave you to the robots.”

  She cleared her throat. “No, it’s okay.”

  “Well, that’s a relief.” She turned to lead her into the ship. “There are some things I need to talk to you about, but I didn’t know how you’d react. Actually, I’d kind of like us to be friends.”

  “Hmm.” Selena kept pace with her arms folded.

  “Yeah, I know. I’m a traitor. Believe it or not, I didn’t have any real choice. Lord Elentinus was going to declare war with the Aquars to get the missing brides whether or not I told him how they were smuggling them free. It would have been genocide. The Aquars didn’t deserve that.”

  Selena screwed her lips. The only thing she knew about Maritza’s betrayal was that she had revealed some escaped brides to the Dak-Hiliah. “You don’t have to…”

  Maritza flashed her brown eyes at her. “No. I do. I want you to trust me. I’m trying to make things better for the women—for the brides. Do you want that too?”

  They’d ascended into a giant hangar full of dormant robots with armor and weapons. Maritza was leading her down a central aisle that parted the army. The floor and walls were white, made from some kind of molded plastic. Maritza’s voice echoed in a jangly way.

  “I thought things already were better for the brides,” Selena said.

  “Not enough. But we’re getting there. I don’t know how much you’re familiar with.”

  Selena shrugged.

  “Okay, well, the whole reason the Dak-Hiliah are nearly extinct is because of this evil druid named Shindray who commanded the men to be cruel to the women. He was the druid in the highest seat—pretty much who they worshiped—for over a hundred years. He caused a war between the sexes and the women lost. That’s why the Dak-Hiliah had to conquer us. We’re the only race whose females could be made compatible for breeding.”

  Maritza led her into an elevator with a door that opened by swiveling upwards. Only one of their robot escorts joined them.

  “Well, just a little while ago Shindray finally died, and a better druid named Pakpo took his place. Pakpo is starting to get the rules changed, but he’s just a kid. It’s slow going. The one good thing is that he banned husbands from using shock collars on their wives.”

  “Huh.” Selena began to scratch at her cuticles.

  “Lord Elentinus and I are doing what we can to get other things changed. It’s not easy. There’s an old guard who grew up under Shindray and are hanging on to his way of doing things. Morons, you know? But then there’s compassionate men like my husband who were raised on slave planets by foster parents. They just want the Dak-Hiliah to thrive again and they know the old rules are what nearly destroyed them.”

  Selena’s brow twitched at the suggestion Elentinus was compassionate.

  The elevator swiveled open to a sleek white corridor lined with dome-shaped doors. Selena stepped out.

  “Are you taking me to my betrothed?”

  Maritza laughed through her nostrils. “Your betrothed?”

  She gave her a wry glare. “My fiancé. What ever you want to call him.”

  Maritza led the way down the corridor. “That would be kind of pointless right now, wouldn’t it? You don’t speak his language.”

  “I have to start somewhere.”

  “Let’s get you speaking the language first. Then you can get to know him.” She paused beside a door and met Selena’s eyes. “You’re going to be in a very important position, you know?”

  Selena frowned. “I am?”

  “You’re going to be able to influence some things. Things that are important for the new human brides.”

  Selena blinked at her.

  “You’ll be able to help nudge General Hern in the right direction.” She looked away from her. “And, um, General Xaroth, too.”

  “Who?”

  Maritza tapped a button and the door slid open from the side. The room beyond it smelled of disinfectant. An operating table was at its center, made of the white plastic stuff and molded up from the floor. Complicated machines with delicate instruments floated over it. There were three sophisticated robots standing beside the table. They all stared at her with opaque round bug-eyes.

  Selena felt like her stomach dropped. “What the Hell is this?”

  “They’re going to implant you with the alien’s languages,” Maritza said softly.

  She gaped at her. “Implant? What? You mean like surgery?”

  “It won’t hurt, I swear. You don’t even have a mark on you afterwards. You just suddenly know all these languages you couldn’t speak before. You can even write them. It’s a good thing, you have to believe me. Without this you can’t communicate with anyone.”

  Selena gave an exasperated sigh while rubbing her face with her hand. Part of her buoyed at the prospect of learning the language so easily. But surgery?

  “Do I have to be awake?”

  Maritza brightened. “Nope!” She nudged her toward the robots. “Go ahead and let them zonk you out. You won’t even know they did anything when you wake up—seriously.”

  She took a few tentative steps into the room. “I want to know exactly what they’re going to—”

  A robot zipped up close and touched something to her neck. The floor felt like it fell out from under her. That was the last thing she remembered.

  She woke up lying on a round bed with red linens. Selena groggily braced herself on her elbows. For a moment she thought she was still dreaming. She was a princess in a palace and this was her royal chamber. Then she got a shock of lucidn
ess.

  Where was she? What had happened to her?

  She noticed she was now wearing a black dress like what Maritza had on. Selena sat up and put her face in her hand. She remembered now—they’d done something to her. She became paralyzed. Not frightened, per say, but in a numb state of shock. For a few minutes she didn’t allow herself to think.

  Then she finally stirred. A curtain was surrounding the bed. She pulled it back with two fingers. The bed was in a white molded alcove built into the wall. The remainder of the room was small. There was a seat that seemed to be floating over the floor, a bench with cushions, and plants that looked like dead ferns spilling over a small round table.

  She was alone. Good.

  She closed the curtain and balled herself up against the wall. Was this the life she’d signed up for? Getting sedated against her will? Having surgeries she never had a chance to consent to?

  Who’d dressed her? Well…probably robots had. She decided not to give that part any more thought. But the rest of it was horrible. She wanted to give Maritza a piece of her mind.

  The door opened just when she’d recovered enough to have an urge to explore. A boxy robot with a cylindrical head, similar to the sentinels at the colony except with casters instead of treads, placed a tray of food on her table and then left.

  Selena lifted a cloche to find an unfamiliar pastry and a grey jiggly thing in brown gravy. The scent wafting up from the food made her salivate. She ate everything; it was all delicious. She wished she could have asked for more.

  The meal put her back in her right mind. She was in an elegant room, wearing a beautiful dress, and had enjoyed an exquisite meal. Wasn’t this what she’d hoped for? Yes—she’d been forced to have a surgery of some kind, but Maritza had told her the truth. There were no signs she’d undergone anything.

  There was a tap at the door. Selena wasn’t sure if it was a knock to enter, so she said nothing. After a moment it slid open. The alien she’d seen at the lake slowly entered with his pale blue eyes fixed on her. Selena hid her soiled plates beneath the cloche and stood.

  He came in only far enough for the door to be able to slide closed behind him. Selena stepped away from the table so he could see her. The alien only glanced, and then looked down.

  “You speak our language now?” he said.

  Selena wondered why he asked this in English, then registered that it wasn’t English, but the same gibberish he’d been speaking before. She hid her awe.

  “Yes,” she said in English. “I mean…yes.” She switched to the complicated new words. They were all on her tongue and in her mind, just like her native language. This is insane.

  “Good,” he said, with the faint trace of a smile. “Well. You came.”

  “Yes.” She swallowed. He’d put a knot in her chest. “Willingly.”

  Now he let the smile form. “I’m glad for that.”

  She gestured to the other seat at her table. He strode closer to sit. She got a chance to fathom how large he was. Her groom-to-be was tall and densely muscled. She felt tiny beside him. Then he sat and became much less intimidating. Selena perched on the chair across from him.

  He let his eyes fall on her. It was an extended moment of silence, but Selena felt no awkwardness. She saw his throat bob with a gulp.

  “There’s so much inside of me,” he said. “So much I want to let spill out. I could sound foolish so easily.”

  Her lips parted.

  “I don’t know what to say now. What to save for later. Really—I’ve never experienced anything like this.”

  Selena’s heart beat a little faster. She got a taste of the same feeling—like something was bubbling up inside of her. It was hard to keep her smile from looking too euphoric.

  “Well, the good thing is we have the rest of our lives together, right? We’ve got plenty of time to explore everything.”

  He gave a forlorn sigh that confused her. He took a moment to lean forward and massage his forehead with one hand. Then he resumed his gaze at her. “What’s your name?”

  “Oh. It’s Selena.”

  “Selena.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “You may call me Hern.”

  His hand was warm around hers. She made herself smile again, but something was amiss and it troubled her. She’d met her prince and wanted nothing to prevent her from falling in love with him.

  “You’re the first female I’ve seen in the flesh.”

  She pursed her lips. “What about your mother?”

  “I never knew her. I was raised in a soldiers’ academy.”

  “Oh.” She considered this. “That’s kind of sad.”

  He gave an inkling of a smile. “I didn’t think so. I felt I was very lucky.”

  “It just sounds bleak, being raised in an academy without a family to love you.”

  “Hmm.” His brow rose with interest. “I’ve never heard it described that way. My clan was my family—in a way. I can’t remember anyone ever claiming to feel sympathy for me.”

  Selena fidgeted. “I wasn’t trying to belittle you.”

  “No,” he said at once. “I grasp that. What I meant to say is that you’re concerned with emotional matters—things that normally aren’t ever discussed. It’s as though you don’t fear appearing weak.”

  This struck her. “Well, of course. I’m much weaker than you physically.”

  He looked intrigued.

  “And I’m in a much weaker position than you are. I’m a slave. I’m just hoping you’ll be kind to me, because—I’m at your mercy.”

  Now he looked as though she’d pleasantly surprised him. “How charming.”

  Selena blushed.

  “Is this how all women are? Sincere? Accepting of their vulnerability? Transfixed on matters of the heart?”

  “It’s how I am.” She stared at her fidgeting fingers. “Even other women find me a little mushy. I’ve just always had a romantic spirit.”

  “I don’t know what that means,” he said with a slight smile. “But I’m starting to see why woman are so desperately sought after.”

  Her blush darkened.

  “I had this same feeling when I first saw you. I had no idea what a woman could really be like, much less a human one. I thought if I experienced your world I might gain some insight.” He rubbed his thumb over the side of her hand. “I became mesmerized by your world, with all its trees and strange fauna. It looked like no civilization had ever existed here. There was just chaos and wildness all around. I had to linger in it, away from the others. I thought this world was such a treasure. And then…then I saw you.”

  She gave an embarrassed laugh.

  “I was stricken. You looked so delicate, so lovely. You turned that place into a surreal paradise. I had to wonder if I was dreaming.”

  Selena felt like her cheeks burned. “I almost didn’t show myself to you.” She met his eyes. “Now I’m glad I did.”

  Lines of tension formed beside his eyes. “Why? Why did you agree to any of this?” He lowered his gaze. “Did you hate your home?”

  Her blush dissipated at the turn of his mood. She cleared a lump from her throat. “It wasn’t exactly hate. There was just no one there for me.”

  “You had family. A sister.”

  “What I mean is, there was no one I could be with.” She wet her lips. “Women outnumber the men four to one. All the men were already married, twice or three times over. I didn’t want to be someone’s fourth wife.”

  Hern leaned back and gave a soft laugh. “So you preferred to have two husbands?”

  Selena felt like her guts squeezed. “What?”

  Hern slowly removed his hand from hers. His gentle expression morphed into one of concern.

  “What do you mean, ‘what?’”

  “What are you talking about?” Her voice grew louder. “You’re the only one I agreed to marry.”

  Hern gaped at her in disbelief. Then he turned away to scoff. “Of course. That’s why you came so easily.” He eyed her.
“They haven’t told you anything, have they? You’ve no idea what you’re getting into.”

  “No. I don’t.” She huddled her arms close to herself. “Two…two husbands? Who’s the other man?”

  “General Xaroth.”

  “Oh my God.” Selena covered her mouth.

  Hern reached for her again. She tentatively allowed him to take her hand. His face held somber conviction.

  “It’s okay, Selena. I’ll let you go home.”

  The look of horror on her face remained steadfast.

  “You’re too young, too healthy looking. I expected that only a flawed female would accept these circumstances. Not someone like you.”

  Selena placed her other hand over his. She clung too tightly for him to pull away.

  “I don’t want to go home.”

  He waited. She had a hard time figuring out what to say after that.

  “But…I don’t want two husbands. I mean—it would be like dividing my heart. I’m not wired to love that way. I want to give all of myself to one person…do you understand?”

  “A little. Love is important to you—more than I could have anticipated.”

  “Can’t you get another woman from the colony for this other general? I’m sure someone would want to go. I’m not the only one who doesn’t like the situation there.”

  He made a low grumble through his nostrils. “We can always bend the rules. That’s not really the issue. I need someone to unite me and General Xaroth together.”

  Her brow creased.

  “It’s a complicated—agonizing situation.” He lowered his head in concentration. “That’s why I was surprised that a woman as fine as you would agree to it.”

  “I don’t want to go back,” she repeated with greater enunciation. “I just…I can’t love more than one person at a time.”

  “General Xaroth has no interest in your love.”

  Selena felt near tears, but kept her gaze locked on him.

  “In his mind I am merely sharing property with him. I’m granting him the right to sire children with you.” He lifted his eyes. “I don’t know you well enough yet, but I know him. I doubt greatly whether you’d be conflicted over which of us you’ll come to love.”