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?”
“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.
"You don't have to drive?" she asked
incredulously. He reached for her hands with both of his.
"No. The hover-machen is fully
computerized. I just entered
“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?”
“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.
"You don't have to drive?" she asked
incredulously. He reached for her hands with both of his.
"No. The hover-machen is fully
computerized. I just entered
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