One Thousand Brides by Solange Ayre Read Free Book Online Page A

conclusion. “I don’t know.”
    “What do you feel, in your own heart? Do you want to return to Earth?”
    “Forty years later? When most of the people I knew will be gone?” She shook her head. “No, I have no desire to go back. Especially since you and the other doctors changed us. If we went back to Earth, we’d be different from all other women. That was wrong, Delos. You should have asked our permission.”
    “The council made that decision. And it’s to your benefit. I truly think you’ll enjoy having claws.”

Chapter Five
     
    Jan pulled out of his arms and sat upright on the bed. “What are you talking about? Taddus never mentioned claws .”
    Delos sat up too. “Humans are weak and defenseless. We thought you’d better have weapons like the rest of us, especially when facing life on the new planet.” He raised his eyebrows. “From what I understand, there’s a lot of crime on Earth. Pretend I’m a criminal coming at you.” He growled and lunged at her.
    Instinctively she raised her hands up, going for his eyes. Inch-long claws shot out from underneath her fingernails. Jan gasped.
    Delos caught her wrists in his hands. She stared into his eyes and he released her.
    She brought her hands up to her face. Her fingers shook as she gazed at these new additions to her body.
    “How do I put them away?” Her voice quavered.
    “They’ll retract once your body understands you don’t need them right now.”
    Claws. It seemed so odd to suddenly have claws.
    “Did you notice the rough strips of material on the doorway?” he asked. “You can sharpen your claws there. Always keep them sharp. Dull claws are slovenly.”
    Her claws had a pearly sheen. Perhaps they were rather…attractive.
    And she could see how they might be useful. “Show me yours, Delos.”
    He held up his hands. As fast as ten switchblades, his claws extended—two inches long, shiny and as spotlessly clean and sharp as surgical knives.
    Her brows rose. “Wow. And I let you touch me with those hands?”
    Noiselessly, his claws retracted. “Janis!” He pulled her into his embrace. “A sane male can’t hurt a female with his claws. It’s one of our strongest taboos. If a male goes feral and hurts a female, all other males hunt him down and kill him.”
    “That’s good to hear—I guess. Does it happen often?”
    “No. Much less often than on Earth.” He stroked her skin soothingly. “I know how frequently ‘domestic violence’ is a problem among humans. It’s extremely rare among Terilians. Tell the Brides—perhaps it will help reconcile them to their new destinies.”
    She tilted her head. “Delos, I thought of something else—another way to help everyone adjust. After the Spring Running, when everyone pairs up? Is there some kind of ceremony to mark the occasion?”
    “A ceremony?” He didn’t seem to know what she meant. “Mated couples return in pairs, bound to each other by scent and cord. Why would a ceremony be necessary?”
    She gave him an exasperated look. “What did I say earlier about sharing our cultures? I have a way to make all this more palatable for the Brides.”
    * * * * *
    The next day, Jan and all the other women were served First Meal in the Great Hall. The Brides were given a ship’s schedule, which Jan studied with some surprise. The Terilian days were long—twenty-eight hours of seventy-two minutes each—but they were broken into more meals and sleep-times than human days.
    Days were divided into six meals, two nap periods and two work periods. However, Terilians were required to work only four days out of each eight-day week. Jan wondered if this would be the standard operating procedure when they arrived at the new planet, which would presumably require a heavier work schedule.
    After they ate delicious yellow berries and drank a spicy hot beverage, Jan rose and spoke to the other women, telling them everything she’d learned from Delos.
    “Marriage is a committed pair-bonding until