by R. E. Butler
"I don't understand what you mean."
Tipping his face up, his eyes penetrated hers. "Made love. You were my first. First kiss, first lovemaking, first time that I came and I didn't hate myself."
"I'm sorry for all that you suffered through, but I'm glad that we found each other." She caught the shine of tears in his eyes, and he smiled briefly and dropped his head back against her.
The silence stretched around them, and she found herself drifting off to sleep, comforted by the warm press of his body against hers.
He woke her again several hours later to make love, pulling her against him when they collapsed in a panting heap. She had no idea of the time, as they slept and ate and made love, in a wonderful, pleasurable cycle.
* * * * *
By the clock in the bathroom, she knew that they'd been in bed for almost a full day when she noticed his hair had begun to change. The change was subtle at first, some darkness to the lustrous blue, and then slowly, as if paint was poured over him, the silky blue locks changed to dark brown.
He peered at himself in the mirror after they showered together. She didn't speak, but instead watched him quietly as he looked at himself. She wondered what he saw; if he felt like a different person.
"When I was a kid," he tugged on a short lock of hair, "I loved my blue hair. I used to wear it really long, pulled back at the sides and braided. We're born with it, you know. Before the females became sterile, the males would go on their soul-walks and be led to their woman somewhere on Norlan. There would be a mating period, a few weeks, when the males would sweep their females away to a secret place to woo them before claiming them. Females rarely rejected the males, as eager to be mated and start families as they were. And then things changed. The females became sterile, and therefore unwanted. The soul-walks failed to work; no matches were made. The blue hair became a curse of sorts. Unable to mate, the males turned on each other, fighting over the few females that could bear children, ignoring the soul-walks.
"When I was sold into the Bordelayz, my first few customers talked about how lovely my hair was, how pretty I was. So I cut it off with a dull blade I stole from the meal hall. The owner was so furious that I'd damaged my hair that he had me whipped. He told me that I was property and not a person, and I was not to cut my hair again unless I had permission. The first thing I did when I was free was cut my hair."
He grew quiet again, and she stood from where she had sat on the edge of the bathing pool and hugged him. "I love the color. It means that we belong to each other as equals." She kissed his bicep. "No more sitting below me like you were doing. I want you by my side, in all ways."
She met his eyes in the mirror. "It's hard for me to get out of old habits, but I'll try for you."
They stood in silence while he battled his demons, and then he seemed to shake his thoughts away and turned with his arms around her, walking out into the bedroom.
"I have a question about the soul-walk thing."
She stood next to him at the refrigerated cabinet and looked inside the lighted interior. Wire shelves held neatly arranged food items. He pulled an oval container from one shelf and a jug of fruit juice.
"What do you want to know?"
The container held a fourn, a type of large, black-feathered fowl that tasted like turkey. It was basted with sweet fruit like apricot and cooked for hours. He shredded it onto slices of thick, tangy bread.
"Well, if a woman rejects a male who did the soul-walk for her, you said that the female goes to the Bordelayz. Aren't they still soul mates? How can another male claim her and have his hair change during their mating?"
They sat down at the table, her in a silky aqua robe and Eden in satin lounge pants. "If the woman rejects him, even after the three moon cycles, then she's taken to the home and their ties are severed. He won't be able to go on another soul-walk, but he can choose another unmated female and take her as his bride. The medical community has a serum that can be injected into the male prior to their mating that will allow him to bond with her as if she was his true soul mate."
"So both the male that lost her and the male that chooses her eventually will both have to take the serum?"
"Yes. It's complicated and expensive, and it's why there are three moon cycles for the males to try to win their females over."
"It must be hard for the males."
He shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich, washing it down with a drink of juice. "A few years ago, the government decided that their soldiers would be happier and more productive if they had mates instead of using the Bordelayz, so they forced them to go on soul-walks. Many of the females from your planet were from those walks. Not all of those men, though, sweetheart, are interested in being mated. Some of them are strictly military-minded and wouldn't necessarily be loving or kind. I would be surprised if every female from your group had mated with their males."
"Oh." She suddenly felt sorry for the women that had been abducted with her. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"What was that for, sweetheart?" He smiled.
"Because I'm really lucky."
He picked up her hand and kissed the top. "I'm the lucky one, sweetheart. You saved me. I'll spend the rest of my life thanking you for it."
* * * * *
The next seven weeks passed quickly as she learned about Eden and her new home planet. Although there were times that she missed her family and friends, she loved Eden and didn't want to be anywhere without him.
He began to teach her their written language, sharing with her a book of the Norlanian equivalent of fairy tales. They spent their nights tangled together, sharing about themselves and their hopes for the future.
Their official joining ceremony would take place on a stage set up near the landing platform. As soon as they exited the ship, they were going to be joined together as husband and wife, and Ashleigh would become a permanent citizen of the planet Norlan.
Eden had taken her into the viewing room once more the week before they were due to land on the planet, when the large purple and green orb was visible. It amazed her to know she’d traveled to such a far place. When she was a child, she’d had many dreams about the stars as she listened to her grandfather tell her the stories of the skies while she sat on his back porch and drank hot cider. The stars were different here than in her own solar system, not just white but often vividly blue or yellow, depending on whether they were a star or planet.
The day of the landing, Sloan joined her in the room to help her get ready. They didn’t have a tradition of the man not seeing the woman until the ceremony, but she had wanted to surprise Eden so she kicked him out of the bedroom while she prepared. She wondered how many women who had been abducted actually really loved their mates. Once more, she was struck by how lucky she was to have been paired with a sweet man who would do anything for her.
Thoughts of her mother and friends flitted through her mind and she caught herself feeling morose. Although the dress that Eden had given her was beautiful, it wasn't the one she had expected to wear. Her mother had saved her wedding dress so that Ashleigh could wear it. The pure white satin gown had long sleeves and a train, with a veil covered in delicate crystals that matched the pattern on the bodice. When she was younger and had fantasized about what her wedding would be like, she hadn't anticipated a group affair, but instead her and her future husband, standing at the front of the little Methodist church where her parents and her grandparents had both tied the knot.
She'd pictured her mother standing up for her, in absence of her father, the sweet sounds of organ music, and Gwen by her side as maid of honor. When she'd thought she might marry Tate, Gwen had promised her a wild bachelorette party. They'd talked about raising their kids together and staying friends their whole lives.
It wasn't just that she missed her family and friends. She missed Earth and all the things she'd grown accustomed to. Microwave meals, cocktails on Friday nights, long discussions about books with her book club friends.
> The brush that Sloan was using on her auburn hair slowed and then stopped. “What are you thinking about?”
“Hmm?” She looked back at Sloan, who sat on her knees behind her on the bed.
“You look so sad.”
“Oh, I was just thinking about my mom. We weren’t on the best of terms when I was taken, and I’m sure she’s worried. Do you know how much time has passed on Earth?”
“Many years. I don’t know what the translation is, but I think it’s safe to say that your family has most likely accepted that you were abducted and won’t return.”
Emotions she hadn’t realized she had never really expressed rose up in her suddenly, and she dashed off the bed and into the bathroom. She fell to her knees and buried her head in her hands, her sobs echoing around the small room. She didn’t think her mother would ever just accept her as being gone, and it grieved her to realize that she would spend the rest of her life never knowing what happened to her only child.
Eden’s arms wrapped around her and hugged her tightly. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” The stiff fabric of his marriage tunic was rough against her cheek as she turned into him and cried. He held her quietly, tightly, letting her have the time she needed to get out all the emotions she’d kept unintentionally bottled up.
When her tears had dried and her rioting emotions were under control, she sagged against him, grateful for his strength. “There are times, love, that I wish things were different for our people, that there would be a way for the males to stay on Earth and bond with their females before taking them away, to give them time to say goodbye. If I could change things about how you were taken, I would, but I would never give you up.” He cupped her face and kissed her tear-stained cheeks. “I know it’s not the same, but I’m your family now, me and Sloan, and when we have children, we’ll have our own family together. Whatever happens from now on, we’re together, and that’s all that matters.”
She knew she couldn’t go home, and if she’d been given the chance, she would have declined. But the realization that life had continued on Earth at a much more rapid pace had left her reeling and opened the door to the floodgate of her emotions. She ran her thumb across his cheek and stared into his eyes, amazed at the love and acceptance he had for her. She'd thought she'd known what love was back on Earth, but she realized she truly hadn't until she had loved Eden.
“I love you so much, Eden.” She kissed him.
“I love you, too.”
Shooing Eden from the bathroom once she had collected herself, Sloan helped her cover the evidence of her tears with makeup and finished her hair. The gown that Eden had bought for her prior to the trip was beautiful. A perfect shade of ivory to match his tunic, the strapless gown hugged her upper body before flowing like a satin waterfall down her legs and pooling at her feet, which were enclosed in matching sandals. The gown split up to her knees as she walked, the smooth fabric a stark contrast to the stiff material of Eden’s outfit. She had never taken off the necklace that had been used to take her away, and now it was paired with a clip, which Sloan used to hold her hair away from her face, and a ring, the large blue stone edged on either side by two lighter blue stones.
When the time had come to leave, all their belongings were packed up and waiting at the door. The company that ran the “extraction flights” would pack up the furniture and other items and deliver them to their new home within several hours.
There was a chime that alerted them when the guards were there to escort them to the stage for the ceremony. Captain Riya and another male with blue hair were standing in their uniforms outside the door when Eden opened it.
“Eden,” Captain Riya said, “are you and your bride prepared for the bonding ceremony?”
“Yes, Captain.” Eden squeezed her hand.
“Ashleigh, do you come willingly, to join with this male?” Captain Riya asked.
She looked up at Eden quizzically, and he smiled. “He just wants to know if you’re going to try to run away.”
“Oh.” She grinned. “I’m not running anywhere.”
Captain Riya smiled, but there was a sadness behind his eyes. She wondered if any of the women that had been with her in that metal room had said they weren’t willing, and what happened to them when they did. And she wondered why he hadn’t been mated yet. Sloan followed behind the guards as she and Eden walked down a long hallway to a transport, which moved down several floors. When the doors opened, they were in a huge bay in the ship, a wide ramp open to the ground. Beyond the opening, the land of her new home stretched out before her, a vibrant wonderland.
She knew the ship had landed in the capital, Kyvern City, which was where the Bordelayz was located. Their own home city of Polona was a short drive away. The bright sunshine caused her to shield her eyes as they adjusted to the cityscape before her. All the buildings were short, not more than a few stories high. There were no skyscrapers. In the distance she could see mountains, underneath a pale purple sky dotted with puffy silver clouds.
“The sky is amazing,” she said as she took Eden’s arm, and they walked down the ramp. Ahead of them were more couples, hundreds of feet apart, as if the guards had purposely timed their exits so that the women couldn’t speak to each other. Ashleigh was pretty sure they had.
“What color is the sky from where you are from?” Eden asked.
“Blue, but it changes with the weather. Sometimes it’s very bright blue in the summer, and sometimes it’s gray in the winter. I like the purple, though. It’s cool.”
Eden winked at her, and she grinned. This was her wedding day. Even though she wished her family knew she was safe and that her mother could be with her today, she was happy, and ready to embrace her new world and life.
With the guards on either side of the two of them, they stopped several hundred feet from a stage where a group of men stood on a raised platform. Ashleigh looked around, noticing how far apart the couples were from each other; each couple paired with two guards. She scanned the crowd for Kate, but didn’t see her, and she vaguely recognized some of the other women from the room.
Before she could wonder about Kate further, one of the men on the platform stepped forward and raised his hand. The whispering in the crowd quieted, and he spoke, his voice amplified as if by a microphone, though she couldn’t see one.
“Face your intended,” he said with a gruff voice. She and Eden turned to face each other, and as he held both of her hands in his, all thoughts of anything except him slipped from her mind. He was so handsome. So sweet and amazing. If she had sat down to write a list of qualities for her future husband, Eden would have had them all, along with other qualities she hadn't known she wanted, like his compassionate nature, his creative spark, and the sexy way his eyes fluttered closed when he was too worn out from making love to keep them open.
“By the sun that lights our days and warms our planet, you are bound this day to each other, for the span of your lives. Come good or bad, you will walk through life as one, never separated, until death sees you into the beyond. Do you, males, take your brides as your own? Do you swear on your life that you will cherish and protect them, until your last breath?”
Eden’s voice was soft, but she heard it. “I swear.”
She faintly heard the echo of the other men speaking.
“Do you, females, take your husbands as your own? Do you swear on your life that you will love and honor them and take their people as your own?”
She’d never been more sincere in her life. “I swear.”
“By the power of the position of magistrate of the capital city of Kyvern City, I bind you together as husband and wife. Bonded forever.”
Eden pulled her close, sliding his arms around her before he pressed his mouth to hers. She wrapped her arms around him in return, reveling in their first kiss as husband and wife, as a cheer went up from the crowd.
They smiled together, breaking the kiss, and then when no one moved away, she said, “Is it time to go home now?”
<
br /> “Not yet. You have to be registered as a citizen. It will take just a little while longer, and then you can see your new home.”
A little while turned into an hour, before three men with graying dark brown hair stood in front of them. They used a wand to check the stone on her necklace against Eden’s bracelet, and then they pricked her finger using a small black device that looked like a blood-glucose meter. They nodded together after a moment, and one of the men said, “Welcome to your new home, Citizen Ashleigh." He nodded and turned with the other two as she rubbed the tip of her finger where the tiny needle had pierced her flesh.
"What was with the blood thing?" she asked as Eden turned her around gently and they began to walk away from the ship, two guards still with them.
"First they checked the necklace and my matching bracelet to make sure that they still identified us as belonging together. Although there are identical necklaces on other brides, yours is coded to my bracelet alone. And the blood was matched to the medical records from your intake exam."
"So you wouldn't try to switch me with another bride?" She glanced up at him as they walked along a grassy area towards what looked like a parking lot, with the cars hovering several inches off the ground.
"Exactly. If your blood hadn't matched what was on record for you, we would have had a problem."
A door on a small blue vehicle that was shaped a bit like an egg slid open when they approached. Eden told her that it was coded for him and would be for her as well, once the moon cycle had passed and she was free to be out in the city.
He helped her inside, and she smoothed the skirt under her as the door shut, sealing her into the two-seat vehicle. The front panel was lit up with buttons, gauges and lights, and when Eden sat down in the other seat, he waved his hand over one gauge and the car hummed to life. She felt it lift slightly higher from the ground, and he fiddled with some buttons and then turned his attention to her as the car moved away from where it had been parked.