The vehicle finally stopped in front of a massive door, and they were guided inside, towards the council room, as Asgar explained.
The girls were tense and feeling clearly uncomfortable. They were about to find out about their destinies, and Sasha was sure they all shared the same feelings: fear and distrust.
They were invited to take a seat around a huge table before the king started his speech.
The man was quite impressive. Unlike Asgar, his hair was platinum, but he had the same gray eyes, tall body, and muscular complexion. A breathtaking man, no doubt, and the aura of power surrounding him were quite evident. Nonetheless, he had no attraction to her.
“I’m sure you all want to know why you were brought here,” he said.
“I thought that was quite clear,” Sasha grumbled.
The king smiled and shook his head. “I know you were sold as sex slaves, but that is not why we bought you,” he continued. “We are a small planet of Drogon Warriors, and due to the harsh conditions of our world, there are only a few millions of us. Most of this planet is too cold and too arid for people to live in it, so most of the population lives in the few cities we have built.”
A large hologram was displayed in front of the man, showing images of the cities, the mountains and even of the inhospitable parts. They clearly had chosen the best videos and pictures they could find to present the best face of the planet to the newcomers. In many aspects, the world was quite similar to their home planet.
“On the last one hundred rotations to our sun, the number of females born among us decreased to alarming figures,” he continued, in a solemn tone. “We reached a point where we had to make hard decisions, and one of them was to start looking for our mates on the closest planets, and though we have been searching for several rotations now, we have failed to find suitable partners amongst their females.”
“Why was that? For what I could see on the auction and of the other women auctioned with us, there are several species quite similar to you and to us.” Sasha asked, with a suspicious frown on her face.
“Yes, I’m sure of that. Unfortunately, for us to successfully mate with a female, there has to be something else.”
“Like what?” Anya, one of the other women asked.
“It’s hard to explain. More than a thing, it’s a feeling, an instinct that wakes up in us and tells us we have found our soulmate,” The King explained.
“Oh, come on, you have to be kidding me,” Sasha snorted, incredulous.
“I wish I were, believe me. We wouldn’t be having this conversation right now,” The king replied in a cold tone. “We were about to lose all hope of finding a matching species when Asgar came across the Slythonian’s vessel and the first humans we ever entered into contact with. Up to then, we didn’t even know about your solar system.”
“When was that?” Miranda asked, trying to understand.
“A few weeks ago. That first time, he brought back two females of your species, two women. They were immediately mated, and after a period of adaptation, I’m sure they will accept to join their lives with the males fate linked them to.”
“What do you mean with immediately mated?” Sasha asked again.
“It means the male has identified her and claimed her as his soulmate,” Asgar was the one answering that question, locking his eyes with hers.
“What if she wants nothing to do with this so-called soulmate?” she asked again, with a sarcastic tone.
“Though she might resist the idea at the beginning, in time she will submit to the bonds connecting their souls. They wouldn’t be true soulmates if wasn’t like that,” Brynjar explained.
“Have any of us been claimed so far?” Gil Ra asked, curious. The little Asian girl was completely thrilled with the whole story.
“Just one, but I am sure, it won’t take long for all of you to find your life partners. Meanwhile, you’ll all be my guests here at the palace,” he concluded. “Do you have any more questions?”
“Are you going to tell us who was claimed and by whom?” Sasha asked, crossing her arms over her chest, with a deep frown.
“No, we think it’s better to let the females find that out.”
“Isn’t that a bit unfair? After all, the male does know it from the start,” she wasn’t pleased.
Brynjar glanced at Asgar with a mischievous smile. “Perhaps, but we realized telling the women wouldn’t help the males’ cause,” he assured her, with a naughty smile.
“So you say,” she snorted.
“Now, we would like to know more about all of you. Your names, where you come from and what you used to do back on your planet. We want you to feel at home, as much as possible,” Brynjar suggested.
“Maybe we would rather go back home,” Sasha replied.
“I understand your wishes, but I’m afraid that’s not possible. We can’t send you back to your own planet, and even if we could, we wouldn’t. You are a key piece to our future and the survival of our race,” he explained. “Desperate times require desperate measures, and I don’t think we’ve had times more desperate than the present one.” He stood firm on his position. “Perhaps you could start,” he suggested, staring at Sasha, admiring her commanding presence and her beauty. She wasn’t much different from their own females, with her height, and her long, black hair, though she was fairest and her eyes were the bluest he had ever seen.
“Sure, why not?” I’m Sasha O’Donnell; I used to live in the United States of America where I worked as a lawyer. I don’t know if you understand the concept,” she informed.
“No, I don’t think our translation is accurate,” Brynjar confirmed.
“Well, we defend people accused of transgressions or crimes before a court of law.”
“Why don’t people defend themselves?”
“Some people simply have no idea of how to do that. An innocent person, confused and unable to explain the facts can easily be misjudged,” she explained.
“Yes, I guess that could happen. Our liar detectors work quite perfectly, though,” The King explained. “Did you leave any family or friends behind?”
“No, I haven’t, and I’m sure none of us here present has. The lizards were very cautious with that, according to what they told me. They look for people that won’t be missed much.”
“Lizards?” he asked, puzzled with the unfamiliar name.
The other women chuckled. “That’s what we called the Slythonians. They are very similar to some animals we have back on Earth.”
“Ah, I see,” The king smiled and turned to Miranda, the brunette with warm eyes and contagious smile. Her skin was darker than the ones of the other women, but still, she was incredibly beautiful. “What about you?”
“My name is Miranda González, and I come from México, I used to be an astronomy teacher in one of the capital’s universities. This abduction, despite the awful parts, is a dream come true. I had always dreamed of becoming an astronaut, but my country doesn’t send people to the moon.”
“That’s fascinating,” Geir, one of the councils, said. “Perhaps you can help us identify your galaxy on our intergalactic maps.”
“I would be more than pleased,” she assured him.
“And you?” it was Gil Ra’s turn. He looked at her intrigued with her almond shaped eyes, quite different from the ones of the other women. She was also smaller than the others and very delicate. He was amazed at Planet Earth’s variety of races.
“I’m Gil Ra, and I come from South Korea. I was still a student, getting prepared to work in the fashion world,” she explained with a vivacious grin. “I can’t wait to know more about your fabrics.”
“I’m sure we can find someone to help you with that,” Brynjar assured her, turning to look at Anya. “What about you?” Like Sasha, this woman was tall, but all resemblances ended there. She was incredibly fair, and her eyes were almost as gray as the ones of all Drogons.
“I’m Anya Haugen, and I’m an agronomist. I come from Norway, and our weather is quite similar to the one you seem to have here. We had been working on several experiments to grow more vegetables in such a harsh climate.”
“That sounds fascinating; perhaps you can exchange some of those ideas with our own agronomists, as you call them,” he suggested.
“I would love that. Though I’m sure, you are far more advanced than what we are.”
“And at last, but not least, you are?” he turned to look at the last woman, an exquisite brunette, with a wide smile and a voluptuous body.
“I’m Patricia Sousa. I came from Brazil, a South American country and I used to be a chef. Food is my thing.”
“Perhaps one day you’ll delight us with some of your favorite dishes,” he suggested smiling.
“I would love that, as much as I would love to study your cuisine.”
“Of course,” Brynjar got up. “Thank you all for answering our questions. I’m sure this whole situation isn’t easy for any of you and I appreciate the effort you are making to assimilate into your new reality,” he made a pause. “For now, you’ll be escorted to your quarters, and though you aren’t our prisoners, I would like you to refrain from going out of the palace on your own.”
“If we’re not your prisoners, why are we still wearing these damn collars?” Sasha inquired, with a deep frown.
His whole explanation sounded like a stupid fairytale, and she was sure they weren’t telling them the whole truth.
“I understand your annoyance, but for now, we need a way to control you. After all, you are still strangers, and the safety of our people comes first. I’m sure you can understand that,” he replied, in a stern tone.
She nodded and got up, being followed by all of the others.
“Of course.”
They left the room guided by one of the guards. Asgar stayed behind.
“I would like to take Sasha home with me if you agree with that,” he asked, keeping his eyes low. He knew Brynjar was very perceptive and the last thing he wanted was for him to suspect anything.
“I know that she’s your soulmate, but I really believe it would be better for both of you if she stays here for a while,” he advised.
“I won’t tell her that, and you know that, but I think she has better chances of accepting Zuvrak as her new home if I keep her with me. You saw her, she’s bellicose, she doesn’t shut up when she’s not happy, not even when that means she’ll get in trouble. I was able to witness that,” he advocated for his cause.
“Haakon won’t like that. He has wanted to take Rosalind up to his mountain, for some time now,” Brynjar sighed.
“Perhaps, it’s time to let him. Trust me on this; allow me to take Sasha with me,” he asked once more. Keeping Sasha away from her friend was a sure recipe for disaster.
“Under what excuse? That will make her suspect she’s the one mated,” Brynjar said.
“She won’t, believe me.”
He looked at his friend, and suddenly he was sure he was hiding something from him. He had no idea what it could be, but he also knew it couldn’t be that important, so he decided to accept his petition.
“Very well. Take her with you.”
“Thank you very much. I owe you one.” The relief in Asgar’s face was almost comical.
“You owe me several,” The king let out a tired sigh. “When are the Slythonians coming back?”
Asgar’s expression changed completely.
“Not soon enough. They didn’t give me a date, but the captain told me they wouldn’t be in this quadrant in a while. Our best chance is to find the planet and go there by ourselves,” he admitted.
“That’s a possibility, but not the fastest. The Slythonians have all the knowledge we lack. They know how to look for the women, without being spotted by the locals and they also seem to know exactly which ones they can abduct,” Brynjar stated.
“You have a point there. The other alternative would be to hire them to do the hunting for us. But not just five or six women, at least a thousand of them. Such a number should be enough to bring hope to our people.”
“We’ll have to think this through. The priority now is to have all of the women mated and united. The first female baby will be the respite we need.”
“You’re right, of course. Believe me; I’ll do all in my power to make that happen as soon as possible.”
The king nodded, and Asgar went looking for Sasha. She had been put in a room next to the other girls, so he was able to find her quickly.
He barged into her room, finding her at the window. “Your mother never taught you to knock?” she grumbled, without even turning around to look at him.
“Oh, she tried, thousands of times, until she realized it was a lost cause,” he replied, amused.
“I pity her,” she said, tilting her head to glance at him. “I hope you came up with a plan to take me out of here. I won’t stay away from Eleanor,” she added, in a demanding tone.
“And how exactly do you plan on doing that?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest, eager to see how far she would go.
She turned around to face him. “Honey, you don’t know me, if you think you can hold me prisoner for a long time. When we were flying here, I didn’t have many options, but here things are completely different,” she threatened.
“I would love to put you to the test, but for now, you won’t need that,” he stated. “I convinced the king to allow you to move in with me,” he explained.
“Under what excuse?” she asked, with a deep frown.
“Let’s call it the captain’s privilege. I bought you, right?” he explained, sure his words would infuriate her.
“What? You have to be kidding me,” she let out a bitter laugh. “What happened with all the crap of the soulmates things?” she grumbled, oozing disdain.
“You haven’t been claimed, so I’m entitled to… enjoy your company,” he said with a wicked smile.
“You have lost your mind if you think…” she wasn’t able to finish the sentence.
He closed the distance between them and cradling her face, he claimed a fierce kiss from her lips, silencing all her protests efficiently.
The passion between them exploded at the first touch, and soon they were lost in that kiss, allowing their arousal to take over their bodies. His rough tongue conjured sensations in her, she had never felt before, and she wanted more. Any coherent thought had disappeared from her mind, and all she wanted was to be in his arms and feel all the pleasure he was able to give her.
The need for air broke them apart, heaving heavily. “You were saying?” he managed to mutter.
“Don’t gloat,” she demanded, stomping her feet on his with all her strength.
He didn’t even flinch. “Let’s go. Your friend is waiting for you,” he ordered instead, struggling to keep the turmoil of emotions roaring inside him at bay.
She nodded and followed him.
He took a similar vehicle to the one that drove them to the palace, but this one was a lot smaller.
“Do you people know the colors?” she asked as they drove through the streets, surrounded by thousands of similar vehicles, all of the same color, made of the same gray material used on everything. Even their clothes didn’t have much color.
“Yes, we do know colors. Why do you ask that?”
“Well, because there’s a tremendous lack of color in your lives. Don’t you find it monotonous? It’s awful,” she stated, pointing at the other vehicles, the buildings, and all around them. “You don’t even have parks or squares to break the monotony of the buildings.”
He looked around through her eyes and realized she was right. They had grown used to looking for the best use of things they had forgotten about the colors and the diversity. He remembered, from the history classes their planet of origin was very different from this one.
Before he could explain it to her, they arrived at his place. The tall gates opened up for them to get in and closed immediately after them. The house was surrounded by an extensive garden, with colorful flowers and all kinds of green bushes, that was a quite a sight for sore eyes.
“See, this is what I mean. You need gardens like this one all over town. People would be happier, believe me,” she said when he helped her out of the car.
“You’re probably right,” he admitted as he guided her inside the house.
Like the vessel and the palace, the decoration was minimalist, and it cried for color.
“Where’s Eleanor?” she asked, as he guided her through the house.
“I asked Colborn to put her in one of the guest rooms,” he replied, opening the door to the first one. But that one was empty.
He went to the second one, and the third one and the other woman was nowhere to be seen.
“Are you sure he brought her here?” she asked, worried.
“Yes, he sent me a message when he left the house, after leaving her in bed,” he replied, returning to the first room, to examine it thoroughly. He noticed the rumpled sheets on the bed and the open window. “I thought you said she can’t walk,” he said as he rushed to the window.
“She can’t. It’s too painful for her to stand, but she can crawl,” she replied as she followed him across the room. “Eleanor!” she called out.
“I’m out here,” Eleanor was there, clearly freezing, but still mesmerized with the colorful gardens. Despite all the years she had lived in Atlanta, she was still a country girl.
Sasha scolded her friend and made sure Asgar took her inside, to a warmer environment. She told her the news and Eleanor was a bit more enthusiastic with the whole soulmates thing than she was, though she was certain there wouldn’t be a soulmate for her.
Egil joined them for dinner that night, and Asgar asked him to modify a slider to help Eleanor move around easier. That would give her a bit more independence, especially if she had to stay alone in the house.
Sasha was very happy to have her friend near her, but she wasn’t so happy with her negativity. Eleanor had been through much, she knew that, but she had no intention of letting her go through more, just to protect herself. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself.
After she had helped Eleanor to get in bed, she returned to the living room where she had left both men. Egil had already left, but Asgar was still there staring into the dark night.
“We need to find a way for your people to accept Eleanor,” she spurted out, embracing herself, as she stood next to him.
“We will. She’s feeling a bit pessimistic about it all, but I think it’s understandable after all she has been through since you were abducted,” he replied, glancing at her.
“She has been in pain for so long sometimes I wonder how the hell she still keeps a smile on her face,” she said, with a low tone.
“You two have been friends for a long time?” he asked.
“Yes, since we were in preschool. We were three years old,” she explained. “I have been with her my whole life, and I don’t want that to change.”
“Believe me; I’ll do all in my power to avoid that,” he assured her.
“Thank you, I would appreciate that.”
“Would you like to go for a walk in the garden? The Máni has just come out,” he suggested, with an alluring smile.
“Máni? What’s that?”
“It’s our satellite,” he explained, signaling the huge moon that had just shown up in the dark sky.
“Ours is called a moon. It looks huge.”
“It is huge but totally inhospitable,” he stretched his hand to her. “Shall we?”
“Why not?” she rested her hand on his, and after he had helped her put on a cape, she allowed him to guide her out, while tiny jolts of energy rushed through her body.
Outside, the moonlight was more than enough to light their way through the garden. The scents of the flowers were a lot more intense, and Sasha took a deep breath, relishing on their sweetness.
“So, what do you think about our planet so far?” he asked her after a few minutes.
“I have to admit it’s quite similar to ours,” she said, brushing the silky petals of a huge flower. Everything was bigger around this place.
“Do you think you can build a home here?” his tone was serious as if her answer was crucial for him, but she dismissed the idea for ridiculous.
“I had a home, back on Earth,” she grumbled, still refusing to believe she was not going back.
“Did you? Tell me, what did you leave behind that really mattered to you?” he asked in a daring tone.
His question was hurtful, especially, because he was right. She hadn’t left anything behind other than a job she was starting to hate. Her only real friend was Eleanor, and she was there with her. She realized the damn lizards knew what they were doing when they abducted the women. They targeted lonely women that wouldn’t be missed and that had better chances at adjusting to living on other planets since they hadn’t left anything important behind.
But she wasn’t about to tell him that. Not yet, anyway.
“I had a home, a job, friends…” she listed, though she was clear her tone wasn’t very convincing.
“Yes, I’m sure you miss that a lot,” he teased her.
“Would you be happy, if you were in my position?” she asked, turning the tables on him.
“If I was alone like you obviously are, I don’t think I would mind that much,” he accepted. “But I have a huge family I would certainly miss, as well as a bunch of good friends I would hate not to see again, including Brynjar, Haakon, and Egil,” he added.
“Define huge,” she asked him, with a slight frown. She hadn’t thought of his family.
He chuckled. “Well, there’s mom, dad, four brothers, of which, two are mated and have three kids each.”
“Wow… yes, it’s huge,” she was silent for a few moments assimilating his information. “Your brothers are mated with Zuvrakian females?” she asked, curious.
“Yes, they are. It’s relatively rare these days to have two members of the same family mated, but I guess they are very lucky.”
“How does the mating work for your own species?”
“The same way it works with yours. When we reach maturity, our bodies start producing a pheromone that allows us to identify our soulmates,” he explained.
“And it never fails?” there was incredulity in her tone. Of course, she had heard about soulmates back on Earth, but she had also seen the death of those dreams, usually in a court of law.
“No, never. We have a festival every rotation, in every city to gather all of those that aren’t mated, so that people can get to know each other and find their soulmates.”
“Hasn’t it happened that someone falls in love with someone that isn’t meant for them?” she asked, intrigued.
“No, we don’t have records on that,” he assured her.
“I’m glad for you.”
“Yes, I guess it’s a good thing. The sad thing though, is that there isn’t a single Drogon female on the planet that isn’t mated. Not even a child,” he added in a stern tone.
“What?! Not even one?” The King had told them there were a few million people on the planet, so that fact was quite astounding.
“Not even one. That’s why you and your friends are so important to us. So far, we believed mating with other species was part of a legend,” he explained. “When I found Rosalind and Erin, the first two human females we came across with, I was amazed and happier than I ever was.”
“I guess it brought your people hope,” she murmured, getting a better picture of their situation.
“Yes, that’s right. And I know you don’t think it’s correct for us to buy the women from the Slythonians, but at this point, we don’t have any other choice,” he concluded.
Sasha opened her mouth to suggest they could convince women to join them, but then she remembered all the rumors about Roswell and the aliens the government supposedly kept hidden from the population. Trying to get to some sort of agreement with people back on Earth was out of the question, at least for now.
He let out a deep sigh. “It’s getting late and the king has summoned you to the palace early in the morning,” he said, changing the subject.
That startled her. “What for?”
“He’s planning on doing a video, to introduce you and the rest of the women to the population. We need to get you all mated and united as soon as possible,” he replied, with an enthusiastic tone.
The possibility of him getting mated, all of a sudden, acquired a huge importance. She hadn’t thought of that, and for some reason, she hated the idea. “I guess you wouldn’t tell me if you are the man mated in this group,” she said, tentatively.
“No, I wouldn’t. But like all males on this planet, that’s something I look forward to. The Drogons aren’t meant to be alone. When one of the mates die, life suddenly loses interest,” he explained.
“I suppose that only aggravates your problem.”
“Yes, it does,” he guided her to her bedroom, next to the one Eleanor was using.
He knew she wanted to be near her friend, just in case she needed help.
“Don’t hesitate in calling me if any of you need help,” he said before he walked away to his own chambers.
Somehow, his cold farewell disappointed her. It was as if he had lost interest in her ever since they had arrived at his house. After their last kiss, she had expected him to demand more. His sudden disinterest was too puzzling and yes, too annoying.
Confused, she decided to take a shower. Surely the warm water would help her relax and get some sleep. The truth was she was starting to feel the effect of so many sleepless nights.