Page 14 of The Marriage Bargain

One, two, three…

Not exactly as scintillating as the mental images of sex with an alien Overlord that kept trying to intrude, but after a time…a really long time…it finally worked and I was able to go to sleep.

CHAPTER 10

CAIDE

My phone buzzed early the next morning, awakening me. It had been a long night. I’d had trouble finding rest. My mind was filled with images of the woman in the other room, images of what it might be like to lie down next to her and—

Over and over again, I’d had to stop myself from going farther, and each time was more difficult than the last. Why she consumed my brain to this extent, I didn’t know, but I did know if I’d believed she would have encouraged my advances in the slightest, I would have been in her room, smoothing my hands over her skin in the velvety darkness. Instead, I’d lain on the couch, uncomfortable, my body hurting, until running through endless lists of boring, dry, mathematical figures quieted my mind enough to allow sleep.

Now, sleep was broken by the phone buzzing underneath my pillow. I drew it out, blinked bleary eyes, and saw I had received a message from Zyn. When I opened it, I read that his wife was better and they were waiting on the doctors to officially release her. However, he feared he wouldn’t be able to return my transport in time for me to get to work. He apologized profusely. I found I didn’t care, either about being late for work or the transport. In fact, I was so tired I was tempted to take a rest day and not go to work. Hearing movement in the next room, knowing Zyn’s sister-in-law must be up and about, changed my mind. Spending more time with her in this little house was nothing but sweet torture. At the very least, work at the Citadel would take my mind off that.

I messaged Zyn that I would have a transport from the Citadel pick me up and not to bother about it. I heard the bathroom door close and the shower start. Knowing I didn’t have much time before the human female, Delle, emerged for the day, I arranged for a transport, rose, and folded my blankets and bedding. I searched around for writing implements, found them on a shelf, and scrawled a quick little note which I placed on top of the bedding. Then, fetching my coat, I buttoned it against the morning chill and stepped outside. The transport arrived before I had made it far from Zyn’s door. Climbing inside, I slammed the door. The driver, another Asterion named Drydin, whom I recognized from my work crew at the Citadel, turned the transport around while I held my bare hands up to the heater.

“Are the rumors true?” was the first thing he asked.

“Rumors?” I cast him a surprised look. “What rumors?”

“That Zyn has a sister-in-law who lives with him. Unclaimed by human or Asterion, and entirely beddable.”

I blinked and stared out the front glass of the transport, watching the snowy landscape.

“Zyn has an unclaimed sister-in-law,” I answered finally, coldly. “We all knew that.”

“And is she…”

I shrugged. “I suppose that would depend on your definition of beddable.”

Drydin laughed. “Her sister is about to birth her fourth daughter and she is unclaimed. I would say that makes her very beddable. I hear she works at the human eatery on the outskirts of their town. I may venture in there to see for myself. Put my name on the official list.”

The walls of the Citadel were looming closer. By human vehicle, the drive between Zyn’s home and the Citadel was roughly half-an-hour. Transports more than cut that time in half. Drydin shaved even more minutes off the journey. He drove too fast, given the snowy terrain, but he was an experienced pilot and I didn’t worry.

“The official list?”

“You’ve not heard?”

My worker turned towards me with raised eyebrows, surprised. I shook my head. “Heard what?”

“You spend too much time alone,” he answered, “instead of in the common areas with your men.”

I couldn’t tell if he meant this as an observation or an insult. Choosing not to start down that path, I repeated, “What have I not heard about an official list?”

“Ah yes.” He jerked the wheel to the left, guiding the transport around another vehicle on the snowy road, then smoothed us back into the center of the lane. “Word has come down that untaken females are being put on a list to be claimed. Any untaken Asterion males— and let’s be honest, most of those here are untaken,” he chuckled. “Any untaken Asterion males can also be put on the list. We can either sign up to be assigned a human female as a breeder, or we can put our names down for a particular female, if there is one whom we want.”

My brain whirred. I’d heard of the list of desirable breeders, of course, and knew Delle’s name had been mentioned for it. What I hadn’t heard was that this would be official, or that Asterion males were also being listed.

I found myself frowning without meaning to. An ugly feeling squirmed in my gut. Jealousy. Protectiveness. Ownership.

“I was thinking, if the rumors were true that Zyn’s wife’s sister was beddable, I might lay claim to her,” Drydin went on. “That is why I asked you about her. What do you think? Is she list-worthy?”

Was she list-worthy?

“What happens if more than one Asterion places their name on the list for the same human female?” I inquired casually, utterly ignoring Drydin’s question of Delle being list-worthy. I would not dignify that with a response.

My driver shrugged. “I suppose it’s a matter of rank and seniority,” he answered.

We were rolling to a stop outside the gates of the Citadel. An armed Asterion approached, boots sinking in the snow, to check our credentials before waving us through.

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