Assigned a Mate Read online

  “Do they… I mean, does he have the opportunity to reject me?” I’d been rejected by men. Many times. What would make a man on some far-off planet be any different?

  “The matching program’s success rate is well over ninety-eight percent. You have completed the testing and we have confirmed your personal placement. I am confident you will be settled sufficiently. These mates, depending on the planet, need women to sustain their race, their culture, and their way of life. Females are valuable, Miss Day. This is why the interplanetary treaty was put in place. If, however, your mate finds you… unsatisfactory, you will be matched to another male on that world. Remember, you were matched to the world first, the mate second.”

  “Will my mate know that I’ve been convicted of a crime?”

  “Of course. The treaty demands full disclosure.”

  “And they’re desperate enough to accept convicts?” I had never been found worthy enough to be a girlfriend, let alone a wife. Why would someone want me now that I was a convicted murderer? “Aren’t they afraid that I might murder them in their sleep?” I wouldn’t do that, but surely they didn’t know that. And would I be punished on their world for a crime I had supposedly committed here, on Earth?

  The woman pursed her lips. “I guarantee, Miss Day, that when you meet any of the mates on any of the planets, you will understand. Rest assured that being murdered by a woman such as yourself will not be one of their concerns.”

  I glanced down at myself in the drab, plain prison garb. I wasn’t a waif. I was… curvy. Even the stress of the past couple weeks, the upcoming trial and all that entailed, hadn’t changed my weight. I hadn’t seen a real mirror or any makeup in that time, so I could only imagine what I looked like. If I ended up with my mate looking like this, surely he’d refuse me even before he said hello.

  The woman glanced at her tablet. “Are you done with your questions? I have another woman to process today.”

  There really wasn’t much choice. I nodded. “I’m… I’m ready—” I swallowed. It was harder than I thought it would be to say the words that would change my life. “I’m ready to go off-planet and I will accept placement based on the testing.”

  The woman nodded decisively. “Very well.” She pushed a button and my chair angled back as if I were at the dental technician. “For the record, Miss Day, you have chosen to serve out your sentence under the direction of the Interstellar Bride Program. You have been assigned to a mate per testing protocols and will be transported off-planet, never to return to Earth. Is this correct?”

  Holy mother of God, what had I done? I would come back to testify, but I was really going. “Yes.”

  “Excellent.” She glanced down at her tablet. “The computer has assigned you to Trion.”

  Trion? I scrambled through my memories looking for something, anything about that world. Nothing. I had nothing. Oh, God.

  But maybe that world had been the one in my dream. The rugs. The almond oil. The huge cock…

  “That world requires detailed physical preparation for their females. Therefore, your body must be properly prepared before we initiate transport.”

  My body will be… what?

  Warden Egara pushed the side of my chair and to my shock, the chair slid toward the wall where a large opening appeared. The examination chair slid, as if on a track, right into the newly revealed space on the other side of the wall. The tiny room was small, and glowing with a series of bright blue lights. The chair lurched to a stop and a robotic arm with a large needle slid silently up to my neck. I winced as it pierced my skin, then all I felt was a slight tingling at the injection site. A sense of lethargy and contentment made my body go limp as I was lowered into a bath of warm blue liquid. I was so warm, so numb…

  “Just try to relax, Miss Day.” Her finger touched the display in her hand and her voice drifted to me as if from far, far away. “Your processing will begin in three… two… one…”

  Chapter Two

  “The transfer must be wearing on the body, therefore she sleeps.”

  I heard the voice, but didn’t stir. I was quite comfortable and I didn’t want to wake up.

  “Yes, however, she has been like that for four hours.” This voice was deeper, more commanding, clearly frustrated by my state. “Goran, perhaps my mate was damaged in transport.”

  Damaged?

  “There does not appear to be any damage.” A different voice. “She is small and perhaps needs additional time to recover.”

  Small? I’d never been considered small. Short, maybe, but small? That was almost funny. I couldn’t will my body to move, to see who considered me to be anything but my usual curvy, very solid self. It was as if I’d woken up from a long nap and I was content to stay that way. I felt warm and safe and secure, not on the brink of… oh!

  My eyes fluttered open and I did not see the stark gray walls of the interior of the processing facility where I’d spent the past few days. Instead, I seemed to be in some sort of rustic structure, the ceiling and walls made out of sturdy canvas. I couldn’t see much of the space, for there were three men looming over me. My eyes widened at their size. They were formidably large and… large. I’d never seen a man so big, let alone three of them. Was their size normal?

  Everything about them was dark. Black hair and eyes, black clothing over tanned skin. They reminded me of men from the Mediterranean region of Europe. But I had not been sent by the processing center to Europe, or even the mid-East, but off-planet. Trion? Where was that? How far was I from home? Warden Egara hadn’t said how far away this planet was before she’d swiped her finger across her display and had me transported. It had happened so fast, like falling asleep for a surgery and waking up afterward completely unaware of everything that had happened in between.

  I was lying on my side, no longer in that uncomfortable chair in the processing room, but on a narrow bed. My wrists and ankles were no longer restrained and I reached up and threaded the fingertips of my right hand through the hair just behind my ear.

  Yes. There it was. I released a pent-up breath. The small lump caused by the justice department’s implant, the device that they’d promised would bring me home someday. Until then, I had to survive as Evelyn Day, convicted murderer.

  I blinked, confused, as I tried to get my bearings. I’d known about alternate planets my entire life, but images of them on the media were never provided. Transport off-planet was only allowed for military personnel or for women in the bride program. Because of this, I’d always imagined that aliens would be very different than humans, but I was most definitely wrong. These men, if they were examples of their planet’s race, were very handsome specimens and very human-like. Handsome perhaps wasn’t the correct word. Intense, virile, manly. Gorgeous.

  Regardless, their power and harsh energy, their sheer size, and the very distinct possibility that they might hurt me had me scrambling backwards.

  The wall was pliant against my back and I had to put my hand down to balance myself. I was on my hands and knees and the men’s gazes dropped from my face to my body. While the air was warm—wherever I was—I felt it against my bare skin. Looking down, I was definitely not in prison garb. I was naked.

  “Where are my clothes?” I squeaked, trying to cover myself and looking around. The space was Spartan, containing only the bed where I sat and a table in the center of the space. The room wasn’t overly large, or perhaps it was the sheer size of the three men before me taking up most of the space. Large black trunks lined a wall and metal gadgets, looking like medical machinery from the hospital and appliances from my kitchen, sat upon them.

  “You have been transported and processed as custom demands,” one of the men said.

  “But, I’m naked.” My hands froze and I looked down when I felt my nipples. They had gold rings through them. If that weren’t enough, a gold chain ran from one ring to the other and hung down to just above my navel.

  I… um, I had nipple piercings. I couldn’t turn my gaze from the strange
sight. The hoops were smaller than a ring meant for a finger, the chain attached was thin like a cord and decorated with small gold discs.

  “I see by your reaction that being adorned is not a custom on Earth.” I didn’t look up to see who spoke.

  Adorned? Surprisingly, the nipple piercings didn’t hurt, even though they were brand new. Surely they would be sore. When I was ten I’d had my ears pierced and it had taken well over a month for the holes to heal. I felt no pain now, only a slight pulling on them because of the weight of the chain. It was slight, but constant… and arousing. My nipples tightened and I gasped, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “Welcome to Trion. I am Tark, your new master, and you are in the med unit at Outpost Nine. I brought you here to see the doctor after your transfer, for you did not wake.” The one on the right spoke, his voice deep and somehow familiar. His dark eyes met mine and held. I couldn’t look away, nor did I want to, for I felt… something. No man on Earth ever looked at me in such an intense way. It was as if he were claiming me solely with his eyes.

  Why would his voice sound familiar? Odd, but I shook that thought away as impossible. He glanced at one of the other men, then looked at me again, clearly and intently. “This is Goran, my second-in-command.” The other man nodded to me. He appeared younger than Tark and an inch or two shorter, but no less powerful of build. “And this is Bron, the doctor stationed here at Outpost Nine.”

  The third man offered a slight head tilt as well and remained silent. He didn’t keep his eyes on mine as Tark did, but let them rove over my body. I shifted my hands to cover myself better, but knew he could see everything.

  All three wore black pants, but while the other two men wore black shirts, Tark’s was gray. The cut was similar to what Earth men wore, yet I’d never seen such broad shoulders or well-defined bodies. These were strong men and their clothing only accentuated that.

  Tark was the only man who spoke to me. “Evelyn Day, you have been matched to me by the interplanetary treaty. While I have been assured of your wellness, the transfer could have harmed you. You were asleep for more time than anticipated. Bron will examine you for any damage. Up.”

  He held out his large hand for me to take. I eyed it, then him, carefully. Warily.

  “Examine me?” I asked, my eyes widening further. I could hear the rush of blood in my ears and I began to pant. “There’s… there’s no need. As you said, I’m just… small.”

  He took a step closer, kept his hand out. “I disagree. I take care of what’s mine.”

  Patiently, he waited, then sighed.

  “I understand an Earth prison was your alternative. I am pleased with your choice, for out of all the possible mates in the Interplanetary Treaty, your subconscious needs were best matched to our way of life. It seems we are to give each other exactly what we both need.”

  He paused and I let those words sink in. Would he give me what I needed? How could he, when what I needed was to go home, testify, and get my old life back?

  He reached forward and ran his knuckles down my cheek. “Your past is unimportant, gara. You are mine now, and you must obey me in all things.” His voice dropped lower and his tone said that he would not be denied.

  I frowned, not pleased with his words, but the tender touch had me off-kilter.

  I took his hand because I had no choice. It was so big, my palm engulfed by his. The touch was warm, the clasp gentle, but I doubted he’d let me tug away. I couldn’t get past the men if I wished to run, and if I did evade them, I still didn’t even know where I was. The only way to return to Earth was through the transporter, and they wouldn’t take me to a transport outpost, nor did I know how to operate one. I was well and truly stuck with him. At least until I was called back to testify. The prosecutor said that it could take months, however. Months with this man on a strange planet? I gulped.

  He helped me to my feet and I swayed, the chain dangling from my breasts shifting as well. I stood on what felt like a sheet of thin gray flooring. It did not cover the entire space, for sand ringed it all the way to the walls. Sand? Were we in the desert? Was that why it was warm, why their skin was so nicely tanned? The sight of my bare feet next to three sets of boots looked odd.

  The walls were opaque. Lights on stands around the room cast a soft glow.

  I put my free hand up to stop the motion. He steadied me as I tilted my head back, way back, to meet his gaze. “What… what are you going to do with me?”

  His dark eyes searched my face, then moved lower down my body. I flushed, knowing he—and the others—could see everything.

  “You are the first we have seen from Earth and I must have a closer look.” The doctor’s gaze roved over my body just as Tark’s had, but he made me feel… exposed and dirty. I knew that look. Lecherous men, it seemed, were not limited to Earth.

  I moved to stand slightly behind Tark, using him as a shield. His scent lifted from his shirt and it was intoxicating. Clean, sharp and with a hint of something mysterious. Whatever it was, I liked it. Was it because we’d been matched?

  “I do not need to be examined and you most certainly won’t have a closer look. I am well, or they would not have sent me. I am also not a science experiment. I am a mate.” I tipped my chin up and firmed my voice, but I was at the mercy of these men. I had no idea if the term mate held any sort of status on Trion, but surely no man would allow another to examine his mate for enjoyment alone.

  I didn’t look up, but I could see that Tark glanced from me to the two men before me.

  “You allow her to speak to me in such a way?” Bron asked Tark, his expression venomous toward me.

  Tark’s other hand clenched into a fist. “Shall I allow you to examine my mate with a cock stand in your pants?”

  The man shifted himself and had the decency to look embarrassed.

  Tark lifted his hand in a dismissive wave and I felt more than heard a growl deep in his chest. “Goran, take him out of here. I will check my mate on my own.”

  Goran nodded and grabbed the doctor’s arm, tugging him away. With one last narrowed glance over his shoulder, Bron was led out of the tent through a flap on the far wall. I briefly saw the shapes of other tents, but the view was quickly blocked once again.

  Now alone with me, Tark turned to look down on me, a towering warrior hungry for his bride. I couldn’t believe this man was my mate. While I’d dreamed of finding someone special, it was quite different to know in advance that he was the one. There was no dating, no courtship to discover common interests and compatibility. It was actually very unnerving. Add to that, I was on a new planet halfway across the galaxy!

  I could hear things through the thin walls: voices, odd mechanical noises, unusual sounds that had to come from animals. Perhaps horses? What kind of animals did they have on Trion?

  “What Bron said is true. You are not to speak to him in such a way.”

  My eyes widened. “He wasn’t acting as a doctor should,” I countered.

  He took a moment, as if considering. “You are new here and therefore I will take that into account regarding your punishment.”

  “Punish—”

  He raised a hand and cut me off. “Impertinence is not allowed.”

  I frowned. “He was the one who was impertinent.”

  Tark rolled his shoulders back and appeared to have grown an inch. “Who is being impertinent now?”

  He took two steps with his long legs to a simple, short bench. It appeared to be made of wood, but I had no idea if that was true. Did they even have trees on Trion?

  When he sat down, he held out his hand. “Come.”

  I looked at his fingers, long and blunt, but did not move. “Why?”

  “I will give you your first lesson about Trion.”

  That seemed reasonable considering I had only been on the planet for about five minutes. I closed the distance between us. Before I knew what had happened, he grabbed me about the waist and placed me over his lap. I was not a small woman and he did the m
aneuvering as if I were a petite waif.

  My hips were over his hard thighs, my upper body bent toward the gray flooring, my breasts hanging down. The chain that dangled between them brushed against the floor. My toes touched the floor and I tried to push up.

  “What are you doing?” I cried, the blood rushing to my head. “Let me up!”

  Tark placed a warm hand at the small of my back to hold me on his lap and as I tried to kick, he hooked my ankles with one of his legs.

  “Settle, gara. I expected you to have a punishment lesson soon enough, but not this quickly.”

  “Punishment?” I shouted. “I thought you said you were going to teach me about Trion!”

  “I am. Starting with this.”

  I heard the crack of his hand against my bottom before I felt it. The sharp sting of it sizzled across my bare flesh.

  “Tark! Cut it out, you overbearing… jerk!”

  He spanked me again. And again. Each time his large palm struck, it was in a new spot. Soon enough my skin felt as if it were on fire, stinging and hot.

  I was breathing hard, my hair falling down over my face and I swiped to get it out of the way. On one decidedly hard smack of his hand, I reached back and tried to cover my bottom. Instead of deterring him, he only circled my wrists in his free hand and continued.

  “Are you ready to listen… with your mouth closed?” he asked, stroking over my heated skin. Surely it was bright red and swollen.

  Afraid to say a word, I just nodded my head, then slumped down across his lap.

  “Ah, gara. Your submission is a pleasure to see.” Before I could even begin to think about that statement, he continued. “We speak with deference here on Trion. I believe it is also referred to as manners.”

  I tugged a strand of hair out of my mouth as I realized Tark considered me mannerless. What did he think, that Earth was full of heathens?