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,
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,
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