Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
“Hi.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “You didn’t drink your juice.”
My eyes moved to the glass of purple liquid sitting there.
“It’s got great healing properties,” he added.
“Is this the one that sobered me up last night, too?”
“It is. Razzleberry. It’s a fruit.”
“It’s delicious. I sort of forgot about it. How old is your son, by the way?”
Zane passed over the glass. “Four years. Halfway to five.”
I sipped the beverage.
“Did, um, is it okay if I ask questions about your wife? About your family that you lost?”
Zane’s smile vanished.
“If you don’t want to talk about it…”
“Arla, his mother, she died, and they had to deliver him by emergency surgery. He wasn’t supposed to be born for a few more weeks.”
“Oh. I’m so very sorry.” I felt my heart flare. Ollie had never met his mother. How awful.
“My daughter died before she got to meet him. I’m relieved he survived. He was early enough that the surgery was risky.”
“Oh, Zane.”
Silence stretched between us.
I swallowed down a painful lump. “I saw her photo in the… uh … little castle in the other room. How old was she when she passed?”
“Two years. Her name was Jaya.”
“I can’t imagine.” I reached for his hand without first thinking it through.
I watched a swallow move down his throat as I held his large hand in two of mine.
“That’s just so… sad.” Tears filled my eyes. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“It is. It’s been difficult. But, what I’ve gone through is what everyone has gone through. That’s just our way of life here. Everyone is trying to move on after loss. At least I had her for two years. She was the joy in my life.”
“So many women lost. Little girls.” My words wobbled. “The woman you loved. How awful.”
He stared at me with an intensity that made my heart gallop.
“Just awful,” I repeated.
“We lost all but between one to two per cent of our women. No one knows the exact numbers as some males have kept their wives secluded so that they wouldn’t be taken.”
I bit my lip. “That’s terrible.”
His free hand came up and stroked my face. He caught a traveling tear with his index finger and then he leaned forward and softly kissed my cheekbone.
Wow. My heart swelled. And it hurt, too, inside, socking me square in the feelings.
“Most of my planet’s citizens live their lives peacefully. But, with no women - we’re a very family-oriented culture, We innately want partners to share our bodies with, our joys with. It’s caused a lot of frustration, aggression, unrest. And given how protective a Phallyxian male is over his mate, his family, there’s been a lot of anger. Some rebel groups are out there. And your planet has been particularly at risk because of both the anger and the biocompatibility of our men and your women. So, the Project D team has fast-tracked the agreement with your planet to help speed things up so that we can calm our citizens. Most men are on long waiting lists. Some will wait quite a while before they can even attempt to qualify for a spot. They’ve been warned that criminal acts put their waiting spot in jeopardy. Others have been given dates for their approximate opportunity to meet someone. It won’t all be like yesterday. Things are supposedly being fine-tuned. Our government … acted irresponsibly yesterday. After you and I left, there were a lot of problems. Women being kidnapped by rogues. Marriages aggressively consummated on the spot. Hand-to-hand combat when some fought over their chosen woman.”
“Yikes. My government acts irresponsibly at times, too. At a lot of times. Power corrupts.”
“It can, yes.”
I was still holding his hand, rubbing my fingers over it rhythmically. It dawned on me. I went to let go, but his fingers wrapped around my right hand and he returned the gesture, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb, his eyes focused on our hands.
“I’m sorry you and your group were brought here against your will, Tanya. Sorry that some of those girls have been married against their will. When my company was offered the contract for the tracking and translation software, I accepted it readily. I wanted to help. It felt momentous to be able to help. I didn’t like what I learned as we got closer to the date when you’d arrive, but I was involved and knew it would happen regardless of my involvement, so, I…” he looked up at my face, remorsefully. “didn’t try to back out.”
I could see he didn’t want it to be the way it was, but it was clear he had no power to do anything and didn’t want to give up his chance to have a wife.
“I understand, Zane.”
“Do you?” It looked like it was really important to him that I did.