Page 28 of Joven's Bride
Chapter Fifteen
A lovely woman with soft brown hair and green eyes popped on to the screen almost instantly. “Hi Carly, I’m Skye Knight, and this is Jhenre Driza. Welcome to Glasica,” she introduced her friend. “We heard that you would have some time on your hands, so we thought it would be a good time to comm and introduce ourselves.”
Carly smiled warmly. “I’m so pleased to meet you both. ...And I bet I know who leaked the information.”
“It gave me an eerie chill when Rader told me that you were on another side of that huge hole the Drayids cut in Washington. And now we’re on the same obscure planet married to cyborgs who fought together in the Drayid wars,” Skye said.
“But your transport ship didn’t get raided by pirates. Now my luggage is still on the transport because Joven and I were too distracted with each other that we couldn’t take time to get it,” Carly said, shaking her head.
“I can only imagine,” Skye chuckled. “Captain Be’Kal from the ship that brought me here was on a mission when he met hismeomee. Jenna had been kidnapped by aliens from Earth. Captain Be’Kal and his brother were sent to Se’nar to rescue them. They were trying to fight it and function well enough to make their escape. Neither one of them were looking for a mate.”
“I can’t quite imagine being taken by surprise and feeling such desire for a total stranger. Joven and I were acquainted and attracted to each other before the mating frenzy took hold,” Carly said and chuckled. “I am so glad you commed. I was starting to have a bit of separation anxiety. Today is our first time being apart.”
“Well, I guess Joven contacted Rader through the cyborg network and told him you would be alone for a few hours today. He also told him about the dinner party at your place next rotation set.”
“I nearly panicked when he told me. Then he said the droid would do all the work. Everything is automated in the house, too. That literally leaves me nothing to do in the way of housekeeping and cooking. I was just coming into my ‘woman cave’ to figure out what I can do to occupy myself while Joven is busy with his patrols. What do you and Jhenre do?”
“Jhenre is an artist, and I help her sell it online with the AI network,” said Skye. “How do you like the art in your new home?’
“It’s beautiful, and it looks expensive.”
“Well, Jhenre did the wall hangings and the sculptures,” Skye said. “They actually are expensive, but Joven can afford it.”
“This home is incredible. All I had on Earth was a four-room walk-up apartment,” Carly said. “This place seems like a mansion.”
“We are looking forward to seeing it,” Jhenre said. “We saw pictures before it was finished and decorated from the floor plan.”
“We will be at the soiree. We just wanted to meet you and welcome you to Glasica. I think you’re going to like it here,” Skye said.
“What does one wear to one of these soirees?” Carly laughed. “All I have to wear right now is what I have on. Everything I brought with me is still onStar Traveler.Joven’s feline. We were not thinking about wearing clothes after he rescued me.”
The three of them laughed.
“Cyborgs get pretty randy when they meet their mate’s as well,” Skye added. “But Rader told me about felines, and a feline cyborg gets a double whammy when he meets hismeomee.”
“I knew what was going to happen as soon as we met,” Carly replied. “But the intensity of what I felt as soon as we hugged was light years past how I imagined. …And I never expected the separation anxiety I felt when Joven left this morning.”
“Hon, anytime you need to talk or want to talk, com either Jhenre or me.” Skye and Jhenre each gave their com codes. “I know what it’s like to come to a new planet and not know a soul but the man you married. That’s why we wanted to set up this gathering to get acquainted with all the ‘newbies.’ I was lucky that Rader and Makus were friends, so Jhenre, and I met soon after I got here.”
“Back to the matter of clothes,” Jhenre said. “Parties like this are not that formal. We wear mostly tunics and pants, long or short, depending on the weather.”
“Joven said we would order some clothes when he gets back.”
“Oh, that should be fun,” Skye deadpanned. “That’s what’s great about their tech. Your tablet or house AI can scan you then display whatever outfit you choose on a life-sized hologram of you.”
“Wow, I never thought of that. Joven and I commed holographically while I was onStar Traveler.That will make it easier to decide whether an outfit is right for me,” Carly said. “Skye, did you find that most of the clothes you brought from Earth were suitable to wear here?”
“Basically, anything you might have is fine. People from many different species and cultures have settled here, and clothing styles vary just as widely,” Jhenre explained.
“I’ve been here almost a year, and I still use most of the casual clothes I brought. Except now that I am pregnant, they don’t all fit,” said Skye. “But I am thrilled, I’ve always known I wanted to be a mom. I think back on Earth, the women’s movement lost sight of the fact that being a mom and raising your children is an important career.”
“I agree,” Carly said. “I loved being a teacher mostly because I loved working with the kids. When my friend Sara was killed in the Drayid attack, it hit me that my biological clock was running out and I hadn’t had a date in at least a year. That’s why I signed up with Interstellar Matchmaking. I knew almost immediately that Joven was the one. We are letting nature take its course.”
“Rader and I decided the same thing. These guys have waited their whole lives to have a mate who loves them and wants to build a family with them,” Skye said with a smile. “Rader is a great husband, and this is a wonderful place to raise a family.”
“It is. Getting here was a little scary,” Carly said. “I never even thought about our ship being hijacked by pirates.”
“We heard what happened to you. That was just horrible. Are you doing okay now?” Skye asked with genuine concern.
