Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Feeling sick and scared to death, Abbey dissolved into tears and sobbed for the rest of the trip.
10
SOLON
Solon waited impatiently for the Draft Agents to bring his new bride to the HKR building. He knew exactly what he was going to say once she got here—he was going to urge her to enter this experience with an open mind and remind her that the Claiming Period only lasted a month. He was going to assure her that if she didn’t wish to Bond with him at the end of that time, he would let her go back to Earth with no questions asked.
But he was confident that wasn’t going to happen. Almost no human woman chose to go back after their Claiming Period was over. That was because the Goddess didn’t make mistakes—when she caused a couple to start Dream-Sharing with each other, it was a sure sign they were meant to be together for life.
Also, a Monstrum warrior’s Bonding Scent was a powerful tool in drawing his prospective bride to him. It was a special pheromone that the male’s body made as soon as he was within physical proximity of his mate. It drew the female he wanted towards him and made her more open to him. The more she inhaled it, the more she wanted to be near him.
And since the Bonding Period rules stated that she must eat every meal at the same table and sleep every night in the same bed with the warrior who had chosen her, she was inundated with his Bonding Scent constantly through the entire time they were together.
It might be a dirty biological trick, as Solon had once heard a human male podcaster complaining, but it was an effective one. The Bride Retention Rate of the Monstrum was almost one hundred percent. Not just because of their Bonding Scent though, but because they put their females first and worked hard to keep them happy—which Solon fully intended to do. He would love his new bride and give her anything she desired—he wanted this time to be a good experience for her.
He was confident that once he got Abbey up to the Mother Ship and they started spending time together, she would understand that they were meant to be together and would want to stay with him. She—
His thoughts were cut off abruptly as the Drafting Agents entered the building dragging his new bride between them.
Abbey was sobbing, her whole body shaking with the force of her grief.
Solon was immediately stricken with guilt and worry—and anger at the agents. What had they done to upset her so?
“What did you do?” he demanded, running to meet them. “What did you do to my female?”
“Nothing!” one of them protested. “She became upset when we took her from her place of employment.” He shrugged. “It happens sometimes—especially if the human female has already rejected her fated mate the first time and doesn’t want to go.”
“Couldn’t you at least try to comfort her?” Solon demanded. Abbey was sagging between the two Agents, being held up by their grip on her arms. She was wearing a dark green top and tight blue trousers the humans called “jeans” and her long, brown hair was hanging in her face, which was tilted down as she sobbed her heart out.
Apparently hearing his voice, she looked up and her eyes seemed to focus on his face.
“You! It’s y-you!” Her voice dripped venom and it was clear she was trying to stop crying. She yanked her arms away from the Agents who let her go—perhaps too abruptly because she fell to her knees.
“Abbey!” Solon was on his knees beside her, trying to help her up at once.
“Don’t touch me you son-of-a-bitch!” she snarled, jerking away from him. “How dare you have me kidnapped and dragged down here—wherever ‘here’ is?” She looked around the room, but her eyes didn’t seem to stay on any one object or person. It was as though she wasn’t really seeing anything—maybe because of her grief, Solon thought.
“You weren’t kidnapped—you were drafted,” he reminded her. “You signed up for the Bride Draft just like every other human female of marriageable age, remember?”
“I was supposed to get an exemption!” she protested. “I applied for one.”
“Well, it didn’t go through.” Solon felt distinctly uneasy lying to her. But it wasn’t exactly lying, he told himself. After all, the exemption paperwork was still making its way through the system and it was technically true that it hadn’t gone all the way through yet.
That’s because you got Brone to send it around again, whispered a guilty little voice in his head. You’re the reason it hasn’t reached her domicile.
But there was no time for guilt—he had to try to get through to her. Solon pushed the voice away and concentrated on his new bride.