Page 4 of Asmodel

Izzy’s mouth opened and closed, then opened and closed again. The hand over her thundering heart turned into a fist. Well, wasn’t that humiliating? Her whole life summed up in two small paragraphs. Hard to say if that was scary or impressive. She let the silence linger until she found the answer. “Yes?”

“Excellent. We have a proposition for you. Are you amiable to discuss your future?”

Izzy glanced around the small room. “I guess so?” Always eager for information, she saw this as a perfect opportunity to gather as much as possible.

“Excellent. However, if you wish to be returned to your domicile, we will send you back right away.”

Izzy sucked on the side of her bottom lip.

“For now, we would like to present to you a proposition in order for you to make an informed decision.”

The geometric pattern shifted until a blank screen took its place. Various covers of the sci-fi romances she’d downloaded and read on her electronic reader floated on the screen. “Do you not have these in your possession and read them?”

She cleared her throat and nodded.

“Excellent.”

Guess she didn’t have to speak to answer their questions.

“Tell us, how would you feel if you found yourself in a position to have one of these alien males fall in love with you? Would you be interested in exploring the possibility?”

She frowned. “What? I don’t understand.” Of all the things these unseen people could say, this was the last thing she expected.

“In addition, we can make your dreams of exploring space come true.”

The voice seemed to become warmer, more human than mechanical.

“Isn’t that one of your desires? To go into the space program? What if you had the chance to not only live the life you’ve craved but also have a handsome soul mate join you?”

The random pictures changed. Now the scene showed the heavenly male models from the book covers she’d read, seductively flaunting their buff bodies in various poses, exposing the hills and valleys of their impressive naked chests.

Izzy gasped as the pictures of some of her favorite models lingered.

“Well, Isabela Pilar Ramírez Torres, shall we continue with our proposal?”

She dropped her hands to her sides and wrinkled her nose. “Okay?” It wouldn’t hurt to hear them out, right?

“Excellent!” The warmth in the voice continued. “We propose to you a reality you assumed was a fantasy.”

The video shifted, and the images transformed into 3-D holograms, displaying various alien males in what she assumed were their natural habitats. It was easy enough to recognize the different species and planets from the novels she consumed.

Now the holographic images walked around her as if they were in the same room as her. Large, primal, sexy males she’d always dreamed about.

“The various cultures and their circumstances described in every story you’ve read on your electronic reading device are based on reality. There are thousands of humanoid cultures looking for respective mates. And the females of Earth are more than compatible with most of these species who face extinction.”

Her face heated as the males walked around her, eying her as if they were there in the room. One of them, a hunky male with deep-purple skin and black, curling horns like a ram’s on the sides of his head, caught her eye. His deep-magenta eyes with the horizontal pupils were both scary and sexy.

“Thus, the galactic government called the Federation Consortium created an exchange program. Its goal is to aid those worlds that desperately need females. And there are millions of human women on Earth who are willing to join this exchange program to find a true mate of their own.”

“How’s that possible?” Izzy whispered. “Aren’t we all different species?” She bit back a moan when the images disappeared.

The colorful geometric symbol was back, accompanied by a metallic sigh that sounded sincere. “Human women are unique since your DNA adapts to a good portion of the humanoid males within the galaxy. Once you mate, your human genome usually gives way to allow the nonhuman species to survive.” A warm chuckle. “That is why various races across the Milky Way have sought human females.”

Izzy rubbed her forefinger along her jawline. “I’m not sure I understand. You’re asking me if I’m willing to leave Earth, attend this exchange program to find an alien husband, then live on his planet and have his children?”

“Yes! That is correct. We are giving you the opportunity to find the family you have always yearned for among the deserving males of the known galaxy. And you will do so in a safe environment. Imagine, one male just for you. One who will cherish you as the valuable female you are. One who would never forsake you for another. Say yes, and you will never have to worry about being alone again. All your dreams will come true.” The last word came out in a solemn whisper.

Oh, phooey. Now the silly voice just had to spout, “All your dreams will come true.”. Even a dingbat knew if something sounded too good to be true, it usually was.

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