Cora woke the next morning and pulled herself out of bed. Magmus’s face was clear in her mind as she made her way into the bathroom. Even though she’d never met him, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were meant to be together. It didn’t make any rational sense, but that didn’t stop the image of him from becoming clearer and more intense as she stepped into the shower.

Cora was off work for the long holiday weekend and didn’t have to go in to the greenhouses today. Instead of sitting around feeling sorry for herself, she intended to go to the nearest Draconian Consulate to find out more about the prince she’d been matched with.

After dressing and putting herself together, she packed a bag, just in case. She included a bundle of her most beloved seeds and cuttings. With her suitcase in hand, Cora went out into the cold winter air and waited for the bus to Kansas City.

When her hover bus arrived, she got on and rode all the way through the bio-dome region of Missouri to her destination.

Unlike many other cities, Kansas City had been largely untouched in the Mulgor attack. Most of the original town was still there, but new construction had been added to the skyline, and hover cars and busses dominated the skyways above the old-town street level of the city.

When Cora arrived, she got off the hover bus and stood in front of the Draconian consulate. The Greek-style marble pillars rose up to a domed roof. She pursed her lips and climbed the stairs to the front entrance. The glass door slid open.

As soon as she stepped in, warm air thawed her cold face. She was instantly greeted by the Draconian consulate’s AI communications system.

“Greetings, Cora Brighton. You have been mated with Magmus Murcul, Earth Prince of Galaton.”

Images of Magmus projected three-dimensionally all around her on holographic screens. Cora was enraptured by Magmus’s overpowering masculine magnetism. It stirred emotions inside her, making her tingle all over.

As Cora stood entranced by images of Magmus, the Draconian secretary approached her with a smile on his face. She glanced up at the seven-foot-tall secretary who wore the dark gray skintight Draconian uniform.

“Cora Brighton,” the Draconian said. “I am Secretary Urk. Our records indicate that you have been matched with Prince Magmus of Galaton. Congratulations.”

“What do I do now?” Cora asked, still unclear on what was expected of her.

“You must be aware that if you accept the mating with Prince Magmus, assurance of your safety cannot be guaranteed by the government of Draconia.”

“Why isn’t he coming to Earth for me?” she asked.

“The Galatonian dragons have a warlike culture. When the females die out, the lower level aristocrats fight against the rulers of each land. These are their ways, and Draconia cannot get involved. We do provide transport to Galaton; that is as much as we can do. If you accept the match with Prince Magmus, you will be artificially inseminated with his seed. But I’m afraid that interaction with the prince will be limited.

“Prince Magmus will have already begun his mating thrall. I trust you know what that means.”

“It means he’ll die if I don’t go. No pressure or anything.”

“We at the Mating Lottery apologize for the inconvenience.”

“Has anyone else made it safely to Galaton?” she asked, unsure what to do.

“Three other females have already left for Galaton. The Fire Prince’s bride and the Air Prince’s bride have settled there with their children. They are quite happy.”

“That’s good,” Cora said.

As little as she wanted to spend Christmas alone, she still wasn’t sure that this was a good life choice. As she considered it, images of Magmus filled up every holographic screen in the circular Consulate room.

Magmus was hyper masculine, tall, strong and gorgeous. The images of him did something to her she couldn’t quite understand. It was as if there was some invisible, unspeakable bond between them that was beyond words and reason.

“In these cases, we find it’s best if the prospective bride takes some time to think it over,” the secretary said.

“Okay,” Cora said reluctantly.

She thanked the secretary and left the consulate, feeling confused and alone. Was she really prepared to leave Earth behind to go live on a strange planet with a strange man she’d never met?

Cora hurried down the stairs and down the old-world street of Kansas City. Christmas lights twinkled in the windows and on the streetlight poles. The holiday season was in full swing. Cora’s breath puffed out in front of her as her waterproof shoes crunched over patches of new snow.

She continued down the street, thinking about her past. Cora had dedicated her life to the dream of creating a better world, but now that her parents were gone, she was left alone.

Could she be satisfied with this life as she grew older? Few people seemed to want to settle down and start a family anymore.

She felt too out of touch to get involved in the technological pleasures of new Earth. She wanted something like what her parents had.

If there was even a slight chance that the dragon prince could give her a life and a family, it might be worth it, no matter the risk. She loved her job in the greenhouses, but Magmus lived in a land full of gardens, forests, and wonder. It might be the perfect place for her to start over.

She’d long since given up on finding a human man. Most human men were deeply involved in the hologames and the pleasures of Draconian technology.

She did know that Draconian males were so grateful for females that they lavished their women with everything they could desire.

Cora continued down the street, her suitcase growing heavier in her hand. She came to an old town square that had been converted into a playground. Children were out playing, bundled in coats, making snowmen and throwing snow balls. Cora smiled at their games, glad to see the happiness of children. Her belly ached; she wished that she had a child of her own.

The secretary said the other brides who’d gone to Galaton were happy. Maybe she could be happy there too. If Magmus could give her a child, it would be worth it.

The image of her prince entered her mind. His strong shoulders stood as broad as the wide trunk of an evergreen tree on Galaton.

He was supposed to be her fated mate. But would he love her? Would he be good to her? She didn’t know why, but somehow, she knew he would.

They were meant to be together. With that firmly in her mind, Cora made her decision. She would go to Galaton and her dragon prince.

She headed back to the Consulate, feeling lightheaded and giddy at the prospect of being implanted with Magmus’s seed. Maybe it was irrational, but she didn’t care. Magmus was her fate, and she would have his child.

“Have you made a decision already?” Secretary Urk asked.

“Yes,” Cora said. “I want to have Magmus’s baby.”

“Wonderful.”

“You said communication would be limited. But when can I talk to him?”

“That is up to his discretion, I’m afraid.”

Cora desperately wanted to speak with Magmus, so she could give some kind of rational foundation to her feelings. She needed to be with him. The feeling of it was becoming so overwhelming, it almost scared her.

She knew now more than ever that she had to do it. If she couldn’t speak with him yet, at least she would have his baby put in her belly.

“When do I get inseminated?” she asked, not wanting to waste any more time.

“You can leave to the waiting bride ship Morning Glory now. Once on board, you will be inseminated with the prince’s seed.”

“I then spend a year on the ship?” she asked.

“Yes. The Morning Glory will stop at Draconia to drop off the brides matched with dragons there. Then it will continue on to Galaton.”

“This is a lot to take in,” she muttered.

“Are you ready to proceed?”

Cora took a deep breath and let it out.

“Yes. I’m ready to go. I brought my suitcase just in case I left today.”

“Very good. Right this way.”

Secretary Urk led Cora across the Draconian Consulate and slid his finger down a holocom at the other end of the room. A door slid open into a chamber that looked like a tech bay.

Against one wall stood banks of computers. There was a holographic screen against the opposite wall. Secretary Urk strode to the holographic screen and began to input information. A wall slid away, revealing the deck of a space pod. Cora saw rows of seats inside. Secretary Urk took her suitcase and led her into the pod.

“Have a seat,” he said.

She sat down, and he helped her into her harness. After she was securely strapped in, Secretary Urk walked to the helm of the space pod and began tapping on the control panel.

When he’d completed inputting the information, he turned to Cora with a kind smile on his handsome face.

“Congratulations, Cora Brighton. Draconia and Galaton thank you.”

Secretary Urk hurried out of the space pod just before the door slid shut. Cora sat alone in the pod as it rumbled under her seat and then began its ascent, pressing Cora downward as it jetted up through the roof of the Consulate. Outside the window, she could see the blue sky and the world moving away below her.

The pod approached the upper atmosphere faster than she could comprehend. Cora closed her eyes and gripped her seat. The blazing light burned through her eyelids as the space pod shook and shuttered, breaking through the atmosphere.

When the shaking stopped, Cora opened her eyes and she gasped at the sight outside her window. The dark void of space stretched out before her, pierced by the light of an infinite multitude of stars.

She beheld the sun, rising behind Earth. The Draconian armada orbited her planet and satellites sped past.

Her little space pod navigated through the traffic, moving toward the bride ship Morning Glory. Finally, her pod docked and the door slid open.

Cora let out the breath she’d been holding and started to fuss with her harness, which she couldn’t seem to remove. A Draconian in a white coat stepped into the doorway and greeted her.

“I am Yuma, medic for the Morning Glory,” he said, stepping into the pod to help her with the harness.

“Thank you,” Cora said.

“We must begin the insemination process immediately. Please follow me.”

“Already?” Cora asked.

“Is there a reason to wait?”

“No. I guess not. I just thought maybe I could get settled first.”

“If you would prefer it, we can wait until after we pass the wormhole. That will be tomorrow.”

“Christmas day,” Cora said.

“Yes. It is a human holiday tomorrow, Earth time.”

“I’d like to do that, then. If there isn’t a problem.”

“As you wish. I will show you to your room.”

Cora followed the medic down a wide, well-lit hallway through the Morning Glory. Other human girls passed on their way to their own rooms.

Medic Yuma brought her to the room that would be her home for the next year. The place was quite nice. Even nicer than her apartment in the bio-dome. It was furnished with a mixture of human and Draconian styles, and she liked it. There was a well-equipped kitchen with a food replicator.

The living room was furnished with white couches, using curves and angles for a modern look. A bit more modern than she preferred, but it was still nice. The largest couch faced a bank of windows, with a view of the spinning Earth. Her home. The planet she would soon leave forever.

Through a pair of double doors, Cora found a bedroom with a king-sized bed. She tested the mattress. It was soft and yielding Draconian memory foam.

When she turned away from the bed, she noticed a walk-in closet full of fashionable clothes. As a gardener, Cora had never been big on fashion, but she couldn’t help but be excited at the sight of them. Draconian gowns. Trendy colorful Earth fashions. High-end handbags and jewelry. It would have made any reality TV star jealous.

“Make yourself comfortable,” the medic said. “I will come to attend to you when we approach the wormhole.”