"I feel fine."
My gaze raked over their earnest expressions, but the one woman, the one with the dark hair who'd woken me from the dream, Warden Egara, cleared her throat.
"During the, um, simulation-"
Ah, so that's what they were calling it.
"-did you experience the dream as a third-party witness? Or did it feel like you were really, you know, there?"
I sighed. What else could I do? I felt like I'd just had mind-blowing monkey sex with two huge alien warriors … and I'd loved it. "I was there. It was all happening to me."
"So, you felt like you were the bride? That your mate was claiming you?"
Claiming? That was way more than just claiming. That was … wow.
"Mates. And yes." Crap. Heat ran up my neck to pink my cheeks again. Mates? As in two. Now, why had I admitted to that?
The Warden Egara's shoulders relaxed. "Two mates? Correct?"
"That's what I said."
She clapped her hands together and I turned to see a look of happy relief on her face. "Excellent! You were matched to Prillon Prime, so everything appears to be working perfectly."
Big golden warrior for me, just like the ones on TV? Check. And how convenient that I wasn't matched to one of the other races. I truly had to wonder if the others even existed.
The Warden turned to one of the other women. "Warden Gomes, will you please inform the Coalition that the protocol has been integrated into the human population and appears to be fully functional. We should be able to process volunteer brides at all seven centers within a few weeks."
"Of course, Warden Egara. It will be my pleasure," Warden Gomes replied, her response thick with a Portuguese accent. "I am eager to return to Rio, to see my family."
Warden Egara sighed happily and walked away from me to lift a tablet monitor from the table on the edge of the room before returning to me. "All right. Since you're the first woman in the Interstellar Bride Program, I hope you'll be patient as we work through the protocols."
She smiled, and the look on her face was radiant, as if she were thrilled to be sending me off planet to be married to an alien I'd never met. Had all these women really been married to aliens? Why were they the ones asking questions? I wanted to know more. Up until a couple months ago, aliens were only little green men in movies, or disgusting things with tentacles that either hunted us, or deposited larvae that made our chest explode.
Ugh. I watched too many sci-fi movies. And now that I was totally creeped out, I decided now was a good time to stall. "Um … I need to talk to my father before we go any further. He will be worried."
"Oh, of course!" She stepped back and lowered the tablet, holding it at her side. "You should say your goodbyes, Amanda. Once we begin the protocol, you'll be processed and transported immediately."
"Today? Now?" Oh crap. I wasn't ready for now.
She nodded. "Yes. Now. I'll go get your family." She left me alone, the other women streaming out in a line behind her. I stared at the ceiling, clenching and unclenching my fists, trying to remain calm.
My father? Yeah, so not true. He wasn't my family, but the Warden didn't know that. I hadn't been home to New York in two months. Home? It was more of an apartment where I slept when I was not on assignment. Which was … practically never. But hey, at least I wouldn't miss it.
My boss had called me in during my only three days off in the last three months, flown me straight from New York to the Pentagon for two months of intense debriefing and preparation. When I'd landed in Miami, they'd picked me up in a limousine. I should have known I'd wouldn't go home again before the processing occurred. Hell, I had known, but some poor little corner of my heart had still been hoping this was all some big fucking joke.
No such luck, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. It wasn't like you could tell the Company no. My job wasn't the kind where you could just quit. It wasn't the Mafia, but a spy didn't just resign and become a school teacher either. There was always a new assignment. A job. A new threat, a new enemy.
But sending me out into space as an alien bride? That was off the charts, even for them. Still, I knew why I'd been chosen. I spoke five languages fluently, had been an active field agent for five years, and more importantly, I was single, with no family ties and nothing to lose. My parents were dead and I was a woman. Seemed the aliens only requested female brides, and I wondered if any of them were gay? Did the gay warriors request brides? Or did they just hook up with their fellow warriors and call it good?
So many questions without answers. That's why they needed me.
Guinea pig? Sacrificial lamb? Yep. That about summed it up.
The heavy door swung open and my boss walked in, followed by a man I recognized, but barely knew. They both wore plain blue suits, white button-down shirts, one yellow and one paisley tie. Their hair was graying at the temples, both styles military short. They were unremarkable, men you'd walk past on a busy sidewalk and never take note of, unless you looked in their eyes. They were two of the most dangerous men I knew, and I knew quite a few in my line of work. They'd been chosen by the President to do whatever needed to be done to ascertain the truth about this new alien threat.
Apparently I wasn't the only one who wasn't buying the-we're here to save you, just give us your soldiers and your women-line of bullshit these aliens were spewing. Not one government on Earth was happy and the U.S. and her allies were determined to discover the truth. And, with my mixed heritage of an Irish father and half black, half Asian mother, they'd all agreed I represented a whole lot of humanity. They'd requested I volunteer for this assignment.
Lucky me.
"Amanda."
"Robert." I nodded at the silent man to his right and had no idea if I even knew his real name. "Allen."
Robert cleared his throat. "How did the processing go?"
"Fine. Warden Egara says I've been matched to Prillon Prime."
Allen nodded. "Excellent. The Prillon warriors are in command of the entire Coalition Fleet. We were also informed that they keep their brides with them on their battleships, on the front lines of this alleged war. You should have access to weapons, tactical information and their most advanced technologies."
Great. Two weeks ago, when I had agreed to take this mission, I would have been thrilled. But now? My heart beat a little too fast at the idea that what I really wanted was unlimited access to two smoking-hot, dominant alien warriors' bodies …
Robert crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at me, trying to put on his protective father-figure face. I'd seen through that act years ago, but I played along as he continued. "While the Bride Program appears to be up and running, they are not yet ready to begin processing our soldiers for their military. They won't complete testing over there for a few more days. Once they do, we'll send two of our men along to infiltrate the unit and assist with your mission. The men have already been selected. They're good men, Amanda. Completely black."
"Understood." And I did. Black, as in special operations assets so critical to national security that they didn't officially exist. They were sending super soldiers to cover all their bases. Me in the enemy's bed, the soldiers in their military units.
"One way or another, find out the true extent of the Hive threat to Earth, send back weapons and engineering schematics from their ships, and anything else you can get our hands on." I knew my orders, but Robert didn't hesitate to repeat them one last time.
The aliens had magnanimously offered Earth protection from the Hive, but repeatedly refused to share their advanced weaponry or transporter technology with Earth. Earth's governments were not pleased. Nothing like being on top of the world, a superpower for decades, then being sent with your tail between your legs to the back of the bus. There wasn't just us anymore, humans. It was an entire universe of planets and races and cultures and … enemies.
Robert lifted his arm to squeeze my shoulder. "We're counting on you. The whole world is counting on you."
"I know, sir." No pressure, right? "I won't let you down."
Warden Egara chose that moment to return, her bright smile and cheery demeanor brittle and a little too shiny. I wasn't sure what she thought of my two visitors, but whatever it was, she wasn't pleased.
"So, are you ready, Miss Bryant?"
"Yes."
"If you'll excuse us, gentlemen?" When the two suits were gone she turned to me, the tablet in her lap and her smile genuine. "You okay? I know it can be tough leaving your family."
She looked over her shoulder at the closed door, and I realized she was referring to Robert, my supposed father.
"Oh, um … yeah. I'm fine. We're not that … close."
The warden studied me intently for a moment, must have seen I had no emotional ties, and continued. "Okay. So, to begin the protocol-for the record, state your name, please."
"Amanda Bryant."
"Miss Bryant, are you now, or have you ever been married?"
"No." Engaged once, but that had ended the night I told my fiancé what I did for a living. I wasn't supposed to tell him I was a spy, so bad on me …
"Do you have any biological offspring?"