Yes, that summed up the guys in my dream, and I hadn’t even remembered their faces. Only their cocks.
“Firsthand? You were mated?” I asked.
The excitement diminished on her face. “Yes, but that was a long time ago.”
I knew from the program’s information that a match was for life, at least after the first thirty-day trial period. That meant that something terrible had to have happened to both of her mates for her to be back on Earth.
“Do you accept your match?” she asked next.
Did I want to stay on Earth and find a man? Hell, no. My work hunting sex offenders and traffickers had ruined me for any guy on Earth. What they did to women, and worse, children, had me avoiding all of them. Unfair? Yes. There were good guys out there, but I wasn’t wasting my time trying to find them among all the bad apples. Working for the FBI exposed me to the worst criminals and the underbelly of society. I knew I was jaded, untrusting and cold. I’d had to build a wall of ice around my heart to survive. The women and children I’d helped didn’t need me to be soft or needy. They needed me to be hard, merciless and vicious, just like the criminals I’d spent the last few years hunting.
And I’d played my part. Now I was broken.
No, I needed a fresh start on a planet where I wouldn’t look at every man and assume the worst. Why waste time trying to find a guy who wasn’t an asshole when I could get the perfect man—or two—with one efficient, well-proven matching test?
And it seemed I was to have two mates. God, I’d never even thought of the possibility before now. Why would I? I didn’t even want one Earth man, let alone two.
“I’m matched to one warrior from Prillon, but I get two mates?”
She cocked her head to the side slightly. “Yes, you are matched to one Prillon warrior, but they always claim a mate with a designated second. They warriors of Prillon Prime are well known to battle the Hive in deep space. They have a high rate of casualties and choose a second to protect their mate and care for any children in case the unthinkable happens.”
“In case they are killed in action?”
Her gray eyes were sad. “Yes. They would never leave their family unprotected. All Prillon warriors choose a second, a male they trust and respect. This second warrior will be just as devoted a mate as your first. Legally, according to the laws of Prillon Prime, you will be mated to both.”
“Like the dream.” I remembered the specific wording that he’d said to me and that I’d used to reply. Our claim. Not mine.
“Like the dream. Once you meet your mates, you will have thirty days to accept their claim or tell them you wish to be matched to another.”
Accept their claim? Yes, I knew what the claiming was like and I squirmed.
“For the record, do you accept this match?” she asked, her voice becoming even toned and official. “Once you accept the match, you will become an official citizen of Prillon Prime. You will not return to Earth, Kristin.”
Did I accept the match? If I said yes, I was going to be transported off Earth and to Prillon Prime, several light years away. This wasn’t a trip to Italy.
But wasn’t this exactly what I wanted? I’d volunteered for this. I’d put my own butt in the stupid hospital gown and submitted to the testing. I’d loved every minute of that dream. I wanted more. I wanted to feel like that woman, wild and wanton and free.
“Yes.” There was no going back now. “Yes, I accept the match.”
She nodded once, her fingers swiping busily across her tablet. “To follow protocol, please state your name.”
“Kristin Webster.”
“Have you ever been, or are you now, married?”
“No.”
“Any biological offspring?”
“No.”
“I am required to inform you, even though I mentioned it already, that you will have thirty days to accept or reject the mate chosen for you by the Interstellar Brides Program’s matching protocols.”
I took a deep breath, let it out. No more sex crimes unit. No more bad guys. No more FBI. Hell, no more Earth. Just what I’d wanted.
I took a deep breath, let it out. “I guess I’m going to Prillon Prime. When do I get my men?”
I couldn’t help but grin at the idea. It seemed insane. It was insane.