Mastered by Her Mates (Interstellar Bride Book 0) Read online

  The Coalition commanders showed videos to our leaders that any junior high kid with the right software could have created. No one on Earth had ever seen a Hive soldier in the flesh, and the Coalition commanders refused to give us the weapons and technology we would need to defend ourselves from such a deadly threat.

  Me? I’d always been a skeptic, and extremely pragmatic. If something needed to be done to protect my country, I did it. I’d been worried about the usual, terrorism, global warming, illegal arms dealers, drug smuggling, international hacker taking control of our energy or banking systems. And now? Aliens. I still couldn’t quite wrap my head around that, despite the fact that I’d watched hours of videos and interviews with their huge, golden commanders from a planet called Prillon Prime. Seven foot of sexy on a stick.

  So…one. I’d seen one race of aliens, out of the supposed hundreds. Even their processing center people, these Wardens, were humans they’d most likely brainwashed.

  For a first contact scenario, the Prillon warriors weren’t doing much convincing. One would think they would have a better propaganda strategy going. Either that, or they didn’t give a shit what we thought because they were actually telling the truth and a very aggressive, nasty race of aliens along the lines of the Borg from Star Trek was waiting in the wings to destroy all life on Earth.

  I was going with theory number one, but we couldn’t eliminate the possibility of theory number two. Earth did not want to be assimilated.

  My job? To find out the truth. And the only way anyone was going to do that was actually to go out into space. They weren’t taking soldiers yet, so lucky me, I was going the other route. The Interstellar Bride Program.

  This was not how I’d envisioned my big day. No, I’d wanted the usual, a ridiculously expensive white dress, flowers, corny music played on harps and a bunch of family members in the pews I was paying a fortune to feed but that I hadn’t seen in a decade.

  Speaking of weddings, how the hell had the women standing before me supposedly been mated to aliens, when, until a couple of months ago, humanity hadn’t even known that aliens existed?

  “How do you feel?” Warden Egara asked, and I realized I’d probably been staring off into space for a few minutes as my thoughts chased each other in circles inside my head.

  “Feel?” I repeated.

  Really? I took a moment to take stock of my body. My pussy was dripping wet and the gown scrunched up beneath me was soaked. My clit throbbed in time with my pulse, and I’d just had two of the most incredible orgasms of my life. Good day to be a spy.

  “As you’re well aware, you are the first human woman to volunteer for the Interstellar Bride Program, so we’re curious as to how you experienced the processing.”

  “I’m your guinea pig?”

  They all smiled, but it seemed only Warden Egara had been elected to speak. “In a sense, yes. Please tell us how you feel after your testing.”

  “I feel fine.”

  My gaze raked over their earnest expressions, but the one woman, the one with the dark hair who’d woken me from the dream, Warden Egara, cleared her throat.

  “During the, um, simulation—”

  Ah, so that’s what they were calling it.

  “—did you experience the dream as a third-party witness? Or did it feel like you were really, you know, there?”

  I sighed. What else could I do? I felt like I’d just had mind-blowing monkey sex with two huge alien warriors…and I’d loved it. “I was there. It was all happening to me.”

  “So, you felt like you were the bride? That your mate was claiming you?”

  Claiming? That was way more than just claiming. That was…wow.

  “Mates. And yes.” Crap. Heat ran up my neck to pink my cheeks again. Mates? As in two. Now, why had I admitted to that?

  The Warden Egara’s shoulders relaxed. “Two mates? Correct?”

  “That’s what I said.”

  She clapped her hands together and I turned to see a look of happy relief on her face. “Excellent! You were matched to Prillon Prime, so everything appears to be working perfectly.”

  Big golden warrior for me, just like the ones on TV? Check. And how convenient that I wasn’t matched to one of the other races. I truly had to wonder if the others even existed.

  The Warden turned to one of the other women. “Warden Gomes, will you please inform the Coalition that the protocol has been integrated into the human population and appears to be fully functional. We should be able to process volunteer brides at all seven centers within a few weeks.”

  “Of course, Warden Egara. It will be my pleasure,” Warden Gomes replied, her response thick with a Portuguese accent. “I am eager to return to Rio, to see my family.”

  Warden Egara sighed happily and walked away from me to lift a tablet monitor from the table on the edge of the room before returning to me. “All right. Since you’re the first woman in the Interstellar Bride Program, I hope you’ll be patient as we work through the protocols.”

  She smiled, and the look on her face was radiant, as if she were thrilled to be sending me off planet to be married to an alien I’d never met. Had all these women really been married to aliens? Why were they the ones asking questions? I wanted to know more. Up until a couple months ago, aliens were only little green men in movies, or disgusting things with tentacles that either hunted us, or deposited larvae that made our chest explode.

  Ugh. I watched too many sci-fi movies. And now that I was totally creeped out, I decided now was a good time to stall. “Um… I need to talk to my father before we go any further. He will be worried.”

  “Oh, of course!” She stepped back and lowered the tablet, holding it at her side. “You should say your goodbyes, Amanda. Once we begin the protocol, you’ll be processed and transported immediately.”

  “Today? Now?” Oh crap. I wasn’t ready for now.

  She nodded. “Yes. Now. I’ll go get your family.” She left me alone, the other women streaming out in a line behind her. I stared at the ceiling, clenching and unclenching my fists, trying to remain calm.

  My father? Yeah, so not true. He wasn’t my family, but the Warden didn’t know that. I hadn’t been home to New York in two months. Home? It was more of an apartment where I slept when I was not on assignment. Which was…practically never. But hey, at least I wouldn’t miss it.

  My boss had called me in during my only three days off in the last three months, flown me straight from New York to the Pentagon for two months of intense debriefing and preparation. When I’d landed in Miami, they’d picked me up in a limousine. I should have known I’d wouldn’t go home again before the processing occurred. Hell, I had known, but some poor little corner of my heart had still been hoping this was all some big fucking joke.

  No such luck, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. It wasn’t like you could tell the Company no. My job wasn’t the kind where you could just quit. It wasn’t the Mafia, but a spy didn’t just resign and become a school teacher either. There was always a new assignment. A job. A new threat, a new enemy.

  But sending me out into space as an alien bride? That was off the charts, even for them. Still, I knew why I’d been chosen. I spoke five languages fluently, had been an active field agent for five years, and more importantly, I was single, with no family ties and nothing to lose. My parents were dead and I was a woman. Seemed the aliens only requested female brides, and I wondered if any of them were gay? Did the gay warriors request brides? Or did they just hook up with their fellow warriors and call it good?

  So many questions without answers. That’s why they needed me.

  Guinea pig? Sacrificial lamb? Yep. That about summed it up.

  The heavy door swung open and my boss walked in, followed by a man I recognized, but barely knew. They both wore plain blue suits, white button-down shirts, one yellow and one paisley tie. Their hair was graying at the temples, both styles military short. They were unremarkable, men you’d walk past on a busy sidewalk and never take note of, unless you looked in their eyes. They were two of the most dangerous men I knew, and I knew quite a few in my line of work. They’d been chosen by the President to do whatever needed to be done to ascertain the truth about this new alien threat.

  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?

  Suddenly I was shaking, and not with excitement or arousal, with dread. No one at the office said I wouldn’t be coming back. They had to have known. God, after five years of service, they were just sending me to outer space as what…some kind of noble sacrifice? Those assholes at the agency had conveniently forgotten to mention this one, small detail.

  “You, Miss Bryant, are now a warrior bride of Prillon Prime, subject to that planet’s laws, customs and protections. If your mate is unacceptable, you may request a new primary mate after thirty days. You may continue the mating process, on Prillon Prime, until you find a mate who is acceptable.”

  I tugged at the restraints on the table, my mind racing a thousand miles an hour. Could I escape? Could I change my mind? Forever? Never come home? The reality of leaving Earth behind forever pressed in on my chest until I couldn’t get enough air. The room started spinning.

  “Miss Bryant— Oh, dear.” Warden Egara’s hand flew over her tablet for a few seconds before she put it down on the table behind her. “You’ll be fine, love. I promise.”

  Promise? She’d promise that I was going to be fine with being transported into outer space and never…ever coming home?

  The wall behind me lit with a strange blue light and the chair beneath me jolted a bit as it began to move sideways, toward the light.

  I couldn’t look. Instead, I closed my eyes and focused on filling my lungs with fresh air. I didn’t panic. Ever. This was so unlike me.

  But then, I’d never had multiple orgasms in a damn testing chair either. And I’d never, ever fantasized about taking two lovers at once. The way they’d made me feel had been like nothing I’d ever felt on Earth. Would it be like that? Would my men make me feel that way?

  The warden’s warm fingers wrapped around my wrist gently and I opened my eyes to find her concerned face hovering nearby. She smiled at me, like a preschool teacher smiling at a scared four-year-old on the first day of class.

  “Don’t worry so much. The match was ninety-nine percent. Your mate will be perfect for you, and you for him. The system works. When you wake up, you’ll be with your mate. He will take care of you. You’re going to be happy, Amanda. I promise.”

  “But—”

  “When you wake, Amanda Bryant, your body will have been prepared for Prillon Prime’s matching customs and your mate’s requirements. He will be waiting for you.” Her voice had become more formal, as if she recited another protocol by rote.

  “Wait—I,” My voice stalled as two large metallic arms with gigantic needles on the ends appeared to be headed for the sides of my face. “What is that?” I knew I sounded panicked, couldn’t help it. I did not do needles.

  “Don’t worry, dear, they will insert the Neuroprocessing Units that will integrate with the language centers of your brain, allowing you to speak and understand any language.”

  Okay. Holy shit, I guess I was about to be implanted with some of their advanced technology. I held completely still as the two needles pierced the sides of my temples, just above my ears.

  If all else failed, I could come home and Robert could cut the damn chips, or whatever they were, out of my head. Sad thing was, I knew he’d do it.

  But what if I never came back? What if the aliens were telling the truth? What if I fell in love with my mate…?

  My chair slipped inside a small enclosure and I was lowered, chair and all, into a warm, soothing tub of strange blue water. “Your processing will being in three…two…one.”

  Chapter Two

  Commander Grigg Zakar, Coalition Fleet, Sector 17

  The Hive scout ship blazed by, just off my fighter’s right wingtip and I let him go, much more concerned with the larger, more heavily armored attack cruiser before me.

  “Hive command ship in range. I’m going in.” I informed my command crew back on board the Battleship Zakar, my battleship, so they could coordinate the rest of the battle wings around my attack.

  “Don’t do anything stupid this time.” The dry tone in my ear belonged to my best friend, and top-ranked doctor in this sector of space, Conrav Zakar. Rav, he’d always been Rav to me, was also my cousin. We’d been fighting together for more than ten years, and been friends longer.

  I couldn’t help that the corner of my mouth tipped up into a wry smile. Even in the midst of battle, that asshole could amuse me.

  “If I do, just be ready to patch me up.”

  “One of these days, I’ll let you bleed out.” He chuckled and my smile spread to a grin behind the clear mask of my pilot’s helmet.

  “No, you won’t.” I was shaking my head at that bastard’s sick humor as I targeted a known weak joint in the Hive ship’s underbelly and fired a sonar cannon that I hoped would rattle the fucker apart. On my right, flying in battle formation, two of my battle wing pilots fired ion cannons at the same time. The brightness of the attack was almost blinding.

  A cheer erupted in my communications gear when the Hive ship exploded, breaking into pieces right before my eyes. There were a few more scout ships we’d need to chase down and take out, but I wouldn’t lose any more cargo ships or transport stations in this solar system. At least not for a while and never on my watch.

  -->