Interstellar Brides® Program Boxed Set - Books 6-8

Chapter 1-3

No such luck, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. It wasn’t like you could tell the Company no. My job wasn’t the kind where you could just quit. It wasn’t the Mafia, but a spy didn’t just resign and become a school teacher either. There was always a new assignment. A job. A new threat, a new enemy.

But sending me out into space as an alien bride? That was off the charts, even for them. Still, I knew why I’d been chosen. I spoke five languages fluently, had been an active field agent for five years, and more importantly, I was single, with no family ties and nothing to lose. My parents were dead and I was a woman. Seemed the aliens only requested female brides, and I wondered if any of them were gay? Did the gay warriors request brides? Or did they just hook up with their fellow warriors and call it good?

So many questions without answers. That’s why they needed me.

Guinea pig? Sacrificial lamb? Yep. That about summed it up.

The heavy door swung open and my boss walked in, followed by a man I recognized, but barely knew. They both wore plain blue suits, white button-down shirts, one yellow and one paisley tie. Their hair was graying at the temples, both styles military short. They were unremarkable, men you’d walk past on a busy sidewalk and never take note of, unless you looked in their eyes. They were two of the most dangerous men I knew, and I knew quite a few in my line of work. They’d been chosen by the President to do whatever needed to be done to ascertain the truth about this new alien threat.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t buying the—we’re here to save you, just give us your soldiers and your women—line of bullshit these aliens were spewing. Not one government on Earth was happy and the U.S. and her allies were determined to discover the truth. And, with my mixed heritage of an Irish father and half black, half Asian mother, they’d all agreed I represented a whole lot of humanity. They’d requested I volunteer for this assignment.

Lucky me.

“Amanda.”

“Robert.” I nodded at the silent man to his right and had no idea if I even knew his real name. “Allen.”

Robert cleared his throat. “How did the processing go?”

“Fine. Warden Egara says I’ve been matched to Prillon Prime.”

Allen nodded. “Excellent. The Prillon warriors are in command of the entire Coalition Fleet. We were also informed that they keep their brides with them on their battleships, on the front lines of this alleged war. You should have access to weapons, tactical information and their most advanced technologies.”

Great. Two weeks ago, when I had agreed to take this mission, I would have been thrilled. But now? My heart beat a little too fast at the idea that what I really wanted was unlimited access to two smoking-hot, dominant alien warriors’ bodies…

Robert crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at me, trying to put on his protective father-figure face. I’d seen through that act years ago, but I played along as he continued. “While the Bride Program appears to be up and running, they are not yet ready to begin processing our soldiers for their military. They won’t complete testing over there for a few more days. Once they do, we’ll send two of our men along to infiltrate the unit and assist with your mission. The men have already been selected. They’re good men, Amanda. Completely black.”

“Understood.” And I did. Black, as in special operations assets so critical to national security that they didn’t officially exist. They were sending super soldiers to cover all their bases. Me in the enemy’s bed, the soldiers in their military units.

“One way or another, find out the true extent of the Hive threat to Earth, send back weapons and engineering schematics from their ships, and anything else you can get our hands on.” I knew my orders, but Robert didn’t hesitate to repeat them one last time.

The aliens had magnanimously offered Earth protection from the Hive, but repeatedly refused to share their advanced weaponry or transporter technology with Earth. Earth’s governments were not pleased. Nothing like being on top of the world, a superpower for decades, then being sent with your tail between your legs to the back of the bus. There wasn’t just us anymore, humans. It was an entire universe of planets and races and cultures and…enemies.

Robert lifted his arm to squeeze my shoulder. “We’re counting on you. The whole world is counting on you.”

“I know, sir.” No pressure, right? “I won’t let you down.”

Warden Egara chose that moment to return, her bright smile and cheery demeanor brittle and a little too shiny. I wasn’t sure what she thought of my two visitors, but whatever it was, she wasn’t pleased.

“So, are you ready, Miss Bryant?”

“Yes.”

“If you’ll excuse us, gentlemen?” When the two suits were gone she turned to me, the tablet in her lap and her smile genuine. “You okay? I know it can be tough leaving your family.”

She looked over her shoulder at the closed door, and I realized she was referring to Robert, my supposed father.

“Oh, um…yeah. I’m fine. We’re not that…close.”

The warden studied me intently for a moment, must have seen I had no emotional ties, and continued. “Okay. So, to begin the protocol—for the record, state your name, please.”

“Amanda Bryant.”

“Miss Bryant, are you now, or have you ever been married?”

“No.” Engaged once, but that had ended the night I told my fiancé what I did for a living. I wasn’t supposed to tell him I was a spy, so bad on me…

“Do you have any biological offspring?”

“No.”

She tapped her screen a few times without looking at me. “I am required to inform you, Miss Bryant, that you will have thirty days to accept or reject the mate chosen for you by the Interstellar Bride Program’s matching protocols.”

“Okay. And what if I reject the match? What happens? Will I be sent back to Earth?”

“Oh no. There will be no return to Earth. As of this moment, you are no longer a citizen of Earth.”

“Wait. What?” I did not like the sound of that. Never come back? Ever? I’d figured a year or two in the field and I’d come home, retire on a sandy beach and sip piña coladas for a few years. Now I couldn’t come home? My citizenship revoked? Could they even do that?

Suddenly I was shaking, and not with excitement or arousal, with dread. No one at the office said I wouldn’t be coming back. They had to have known. God, after five years of service, they were just sending me to outer space as what…some kind of noble sacrifice? Those assholes at the agency had conveniently forgotten to mention this one, small detail.

“You, Miss Bryant, are now a warrior bride of Prillon Prime, subject to that planet’s laws, customs and protections. If your mate is unacceptable, you may request a new primary mate after thirty days. You may continue the mating process, on Prillon Prime, until you find a mate who is acceptable.”

I tugged at the restraints on the table, my mind racing a thousand miles an hour. Could I escape? Could I change my mind? Forever? Never come home? The reality of leaving Earth behind forever pressed in on my chest until I couldn’t get enough air. The room started spinning.

“Miss Bryant— Oh, dear.” Warden Egara’s hand flew over her tablet for a few seconds before she put it down on the table behind her. “You’ll be fine, love. I promise.”

Promise? She’d promise that I was going to be fine with being transported into outer space and never…ever coming home?

The wall behind me lit with a strange blue light and the chair beneath me jolted a bit as it began to move sideways, toward the light.

I couldn’t look. Instead, I closed my eyes and focused on filling my lungs with fresh air. I didn’t panic. Ever. This was so unlike me.

But then, I’d never had multiple orgasms in a damn testing chair either. And I’d never, ever fantasized about taking two lovers at once. The way they’d made me feel had been like nothing I’d ever felt on Earth. Would it be like that? Would my men make me feel that way?

The warden’s warm fingers wrapped around my wrist gently and I opened my eyes to find her concerned face hovering nearby. She smiled at me, like a preschool teacher smiling at a scared four-year-old on the first day of class.

“Don’t worry so much. The match was ninety-nine percent. Your mate will be perfect for you, and you for him. The system works. When you wake up, you’ll be with your mate. He will take care of you. You’re going to be happy, Amanda. I promise.”

“But—”

“When you wake, Amanda Bryant, your body will have been prepared for Prillon Prime’s matching customs and your mate’s requirements. He will be waiting for you.” Her voice had become more formal, as if she recited another protocol by rote.

“Wait—I,” My voice stalled as two large metallic arms with gigantic needles on the ends appeared to be headed for the sides of my face. “What is that?” I knew I sounded panicked, couldn’t help it. I did not do needles.

“Don’t worry, dear, they will insert the Neuroprocessing Units that will integrate with the language centers of your brain, allowing you to speak and understand any language.”

Okay. Holy s**t, I guess I was about to be implanted with some of their advanced technology. I held completely still as the two needles pierced the sides of my temples, just above my ears.

If all else failed, I could come home and Robert could cut the damn chips, or whatever they were, out of my head. Sad thing was, I knew he’d do it.

But what if I never came back? What if the aliens were telling the truth? What if I fell in love with my mate…?

My chair slipped inside a small enclosure and I was lowered, chair and all, into a warm, soothing tub of strange blue water. “Your processing will begin in three…two…one.”