The Gigolo's Bride (The Necklace Chronicles) by R.E. Butler Read Free Book Online Page B

her.
    The nightmare came back for him again that
second night, and she felt even worse for him then she had the
night before. Already she was starting to care about this alien far
too much, but she just didn't know how to stop herself. It was only
going to be the two of them together for three months. How was she
supposed to stop from feeling anything for him after so much time?
It was a battle she was already losing, and she was both frustrated
and disappointed with herself.
    She complained about being bored on the third
day, after a breakfast of sugar-dusted pancakes with fresh fruit.
It was as close as he had been able to come to donuts. One of the
fruits, which he called a ronii , was sweet like ripe
peaches, and she greedily ate every piece he had. The large,
strawberry-shaped fruit was sweet and seedless, and its mauve skin
was edible.
    "You could visit my sister Sloan. She's a
medical officer on board."
    "You have a sister? I thought your people
stopped having baby girls?"
    "There are some born from time to time. Sloan
was one of the last ones before our people realized that the
females were sterile."
    "Is she married?"
    He shook his head as he cleared the table.
"The men won't choose a female from our people because they are
unable to have children."
    "That's cruel, to the women."
    He shrugged, but his eyes said he agreed.
"Without babies, our people will die off. We have done what we
needed to do so that our people will survive."
    "Seems like they could have come up with
something besides kidnapping."
    "They did try. Sloan, and many of our top
scientists, are working on the problem." After a quiet moment, he
said, "I'll call Sloan and ask her to come get you. I, uh, have
some things I'd like to get done, so she can escort you back and
forth."
    "Sure, Eden."
    Within an hour, Eden's sister Sloan was
walking with Ashleigh on the way to her chambers. She was tall and
curvy, with dark brown hair and eyes, and a pretty, welcoming
smile. She seemed so happy to meet her brother's bride that
Ashleigh found her attitude infectious. "I'll take you to see my
office another time. It's pretty busy there right now; there was a
fight that broke out amongst some of the single males."
    "Why were they fighting?"
    "Why do any men fight?"
    Ashleigh smiled. "Because they're
stupid?"
    Sloan laughed and entered her room, motioning
her inside. "Perhaps. Men appear to be the same no matter what
planet they hail from. Sit, please. I'll get us something to drink
and you can tell me all about yourself."
    Her room was soft and feminine, and about the
same size as Eden's. The flooring was sandy brown and the walls
were pale green. Ashleigh sat on a small couch and kicked off her
slippers.
    Sloan brought her a glass of flar ,
which was a mild liquor that tasted like white wine. She set a tray
containing small crackers, cheese slices, and fresh fruit on a
small table in front of the couch. She sat next to Ashleigh,
listening to her share about her life back on Earth. Ashleigh found
it was easy to talk to her, and she listened with rapt attention
and asked questions and joked. Sloan talked about her work as a
medical officer and her hope that someday she would be able to
reverse the barrenness of their females.
    "What happens to your women, when they’re
barren?"
    She smiled sadly. "We're useful, but not as
wives. Once it became widespread knowledge that the females were
barren and that cross-breeding with species from other planets and
systems might produce the hope of the future, many that were
married were tossed aside. I was engaged to marry a man named
Talek, and he said he wouldn't marry me unless I had a fertility
test done. Even though I had hope that he didn't mean it, when the
results came back that I was sterile, he walked away without
another glance. He was one of the first ones to take a bride from
another planet. He has a couple of children now, but all boys." She
smiled slightly. "I guess I can take some small measure of joyful
revenge