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?