Page 4 of Royal Alien Mate

Chapter 3

I’m going to Mars.

Esmay felt as if she were in a dream while she boarded a spacecraft bound for Mars. The silver walls of the corridor gleamed under the bright overhead lights. She accompanied a group of over two dozen human women, most of whom were in their early twenties. From the bits of conversation she’d gathered, many of the mail order brides were also desperate to save a family member from debtors’ prison.

She couldn’t help but wonder if the Martians had increased taxes in hopes that more human women would sign up to become their mates. While the Martians could easily take human women by force, and in the early years after the war many Martians did just that, this had eventually led to protests and even full-blown riots in several Earth cities. This had resulted in much bloodshed, but it also convinced the Martians to devise a new method of obtaining human brides—by offering something in return.

Payment.

The ten thousand galactic credits would deposit into her parents’ account by tomorrow morning. Vivian had showed her the transfer order, as well as the order dismissing all rent and tax debt owed by her parents, and a weight of worry had lifted from her shoulders. They would be okay. As frugal as her parents were, ten thousand galactic credits would stretch for years, and it would at least last until Carmen and Lilly reached adulthood.

Five burly Martian guards escorted the women into a large dormitory that contained dozens of bunk beds lining the walls. In the center of the room, there were several couches and a screen arranged into a living room area, and beside that rested a huge kitchen. Near the kitchen, there were two long dinner tables, and a hallway on the far side of the room opened into a huge bathroom complete with showers and hot tubs.

Esmay explored the mail order bride quarters with the rest of the women, a sense of awe spreading through her. Compared to what she was used to, they would be traveling in near luxury. She hadn’t known what to expect when she boarded the spacecraft.

As Esmay made her way back into the kitchen, one of the women gasped.

“Look! I think this is a food replicator!”

Everyone gathered around the gleaming kitchen contraption that looked like an over-glorified bread maker to Esmay. A guard approached, his face set in a deep scowl. At first, Esmay thought he was going to yell at everyone to back away from the device, but to her surprise he cleared his throat and then, speaking in perfect Galactic Common, patiently explained how it worked, though he also pointed out that the cabinets and refrigerators contained plenty of fresh food.

As he moved around the kitchen, opening the cabinets and refrigerators to reveal what was inside, Esmay felt her eyes growing wide. In all her life, she had never seen so much food in one place before, not even at the local market where her family shopped for groceries each week.

Guilt descended upon her, that she should travel in such luxury and have access to so much food, but she quickly reminded herself that her family would soon receive the ten thousand galactic credits. The cupboards in their apartment would no longer sit barren.

Her heart contracted painfully at the thought of her family.

She prayed she would manage to contact them soon via a video comm, or at the very least, to send them a message letting them know she was all right and that she loved them. She also prayed they would understand her decision to leave Earth. Her throat burned at the prospect of them being angry with her.

“Hey, you okay?” the tall brunette standing next to Esmay asked.

“Oh, I’m fine,” she replied. “Just a bit overwhelmed.”

“I know what you mean. This place is crazy. It’s like a palace compared to where I used to live.”

“Same here.”

The brunette smiled. “I’m Faith, by the way.” She offered her hand and Esmay politely shook it.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Esmay.”

“Are you from the New York area too?” Faith asked.

“Yes, right in the city. I think most of the women here are from the New York area. At least that’s what I heard one of the clerks from Martian Affairs say. I believe they send ships containing brides to Mars from the more populated areas of Earth quite frequently.”

“Do you know how long this trip will take? I’m pretty sure the clerk I talked to told me, but after she said my application had been accepted I sorta zoned out in my excitement.”

“About ten hours.” Esmay gestured at the beds and then the kitchen, where several women had lined up to take turns trying out the food replicator. “I’m surprised they’re going to all this trouble for us when we won’t even be aboard the ship for very long.”

“Well, I hope it’s a good omen. I hope it means life on Mars won’t be too hard.” A shadow crossed Faith’s face and she leaned closer to whisper her next words. “Do you think the Martians will treat us with kindness? I mean, do you think they’re really the bloodthirsty savages everyone says they are?”

Esmay didn’t know how to answer. In her heart, she was already praying that her own mate would treat her with kindness, but there was always the risk that he would be cruel or unfeeling. Always the risk that he would only care about getting her pregnant. She swallowed hard and gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. “I-I honestly don’t know. I mean, I know they are fierce warriors, but I’m not sure how they treat their females. Unfortunately, none of the mail order bride advertisements I’ve seen have mentioned it, instead they focus on how much money you’ll be given and the fact that your family’s debt will be forgiven.”

Faith grasped Esmay’s arm and guided her away from the other women and the huge Martian guards who were lingering in the doorway. Esmay walked with her over to the bunks, where they selected their beds and placed their backpacks down. From the worried look on her face, Esmay got the sense Faith wanted to say something else about the Martians but desired privacy first.

“I’ve seen videos,” Faith eventually said in a hushed whisper. “Violent, frightening videos from the war. The Martians are practically indestructible.”

Coldness gripped Esmay. “I know. I’ve seen the videos too.”

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