“Viken.”
I frowned. “I’ve never heard of the planet.”
“Mmm,” she replied, looking down at her table. “You are the first from Earth to be matched there. The dreams you saw were a female from another planet and her matched Viken. As you saw, he was an attentive, yet thorough lover.”
I blushed at the memory.
“Based on this testing, I think you will be very pleased with your mate.”
“And if I’m not?” What if she was wrong and he was mean? He might be able to wield his cock like porn star, but what if he wanted me to be nothing more than a slave to him? What if he beat me like my fiancé did?
“You have thirty days to change your mind,” she answered. “Keep in mind you have been matched not only to a man, but to the planet. If you do not find your match acceptable after thirty days, you may request another warrior, but you will remain on Viken.”
That seemed reasonable. I sighed, relaxing at the notion that I could make my own choice in the end—and not be sent back to Earth.
“You are satisfied?” she asked. “Do you have more questions? Is there any reason to delay your transport?”
She looked to me as if offering me one last opportunity. An opportunity I would not take. “No. There is no reason to delay.”
She nodded her head. “Very good. For the record, Miss Adams, are you married?”
“No.” If I hadn’t gotten away, I would have been. In two weeks.
“Do you have any children?”
“No.”
“Good.” She swiped her screen again. “You have been formally matched to the planet Viken. Do you accept the match?”
“Yes,” I replied. As long as the man wasn’t mean, I would go anywhere to escape.
“Because of your affirmative response, you have been officially matched and are now stripped of your citizenship of Earth. You are now, and will forever be, a bride of Viken.” She glanced down at her screen, swiped her finger over it. “Per Viken custom, some modifications to your body are required before your transport.”
Warden Egara stood and came around beside me.
“Modifications?” What did that mean? What was she going to do?
She pushed a button on the wall above my head, which made it slide open. Glancing over my shoulder, I couldn’t see more than soft blue lighting. What I did notice was the large arm that extended out from the wall with a needle attached. “What’s that?”
“No need to be afraid. We are simply implanting your NPU, required for all brides. Hold still. It only takes a few seconds.”
The robotic arm came toward me and poked into my neck. I winced at the surprise of it, but it didn’t truly hurt. In fact, nothing hurt. As the chair moved backward into the room with the blue light, I was relaxed and calm, sleepy.
“You have nothing to fear any longer, Miss Adams.” As the chair lowered into a warm bath, she added. “Your processing will begin in three… two… one.”
Chapter Two
Drogan
“We’ve spent almost thirty years apart. I do not see the need for us to come together now.” I crossed my arms over my chest as I stared across the room at the two men who looked identical to me. My brothers. One had hair that was long, well past his shoulders, the other closely shorn with a scar through his right eyebrow, but otherwise it was like looking in a mirror. I’d known I was a triplet my entire life, known we’d been separated as babies. Even known the reason why.
“The Sector Wars happened when you were infants. After the death of your parents, it was decided to separate you. One child was sent to rule each of the three sectors in order to balance the power of your royal blood and end the war.” Regent Bard looked between us. He was small and frail, but very powerful. We could have killed him easily with our bare hands, but we knew that his death would not change the course of events. I knew it, therefore bloodshed was useless. Since he was still breathing, my brothers must have come to the same conclusion. But none of us had to like it.
Standing next to the regent was his second-in-command, Gyndar. The regent only offered a simple introduction, but from all appearances, the man was to remain quiet and do the regent’s bidding. He wasn’t a young squire, green and eager, but an older man with a serious and calm demeanor. He was easily forgettable, which made him so very good at his job. My spies kept me informed of the regent’s business, and Gyndar played a major role as an intermediary and negotiator, and quietly brokered agreements behind closed doors while Regent Bard kept up his public appearances and persona.
“We don’t need a history lesson, regent. We are all aware that we were the reason the treaty was created, that the war ended,” Tor said.
It was odd to hear my own voice come from someone else. His long hair and the heavier coat he wore were indications of his life in the colder Sector One. I’d never been there, of course, and had no interest in tolerating freezing weather.