Page 55 of Chosen By Swift

“Alys, Rampage will be perfectly happy to eat off the floor if that’s where you decide to serve dinner,” Swift said, trying to be reassuring. Instead, his remark earned him a scowl.

“I would never!” Her eyes narrowed with irritation. “Being a gracious hostess to any guest in our home includes preparing a beautiful meal on our best table linens and dishes.” She cast a baleful glance at their table. “My mother would be so upset if shesaw this.”

“Your mother would understand that you’re a new bride in a new home without a hope chest,” Swift insisted. He crossed the space between them and drew her in for a soothing embrace. “Rampage will be thrilled to get ahome cookedmeal and to get out of the bachelor wing for a few hours.”

“What’s so bad about the bachelor wing?” she asked, her voice muffled against his chest.

“It’s loud and crowded,” he said, choosing not to tell her about the wild antics that often went on over there. Horny, frustrated men with too much testosterone and not enough access to women were a constant problem, especially in the lower ranks of young men with only a handful of valor points. “Rampage has his own quarters, but they’re very small.”

“But he was a prisoner!” She glanced up at him with concern etched into her face. “Why would they put him in a small home if he’s been in a prison cell?”

“Because it’s what we have available,” he said with a helpless shrug.

“Does he have as many points as you?”

“Probably more,” Swift said, thinking of the various battles Rampage had fought in and the dangerous missions he had undertaken.

“So, until he has a mate, he has to stay in the cramped side of the ship?”

Swift nodded. “That’s the way it goes.”

“That doesn’t seem fair. I was reading the section in the guide about Grabs, and it said there aren’t enough slots available for the men who have points. So—what? They have to wait indefinitely?”

“There are other ways to get a mate.”

“Such as?”

“Matchmaking,” he said. “My parents were in an arranged marriage.”

“I suppose mine are as well. My grandfather practically sold my mother to my father when she was sixteen.”

“How old was your father when they married?”

“Twenty-nine.”

Swift grimaced. “That’s a bit much.”

She shrugged and echoed his earlier remark. “That’s the way it goes.”

He grunted at that, but their discussion of age gaps was cut short by the chime of their doorbell. He glanced at the screen mounted on the wall and saw Rampage waiting in the hallway. He gave Alys another kiss, this one lingering, and then said, “You look beautiful. The table is fine. The food smells delicious. Relax.”

“Yes, sir.” She slipped in another quick kiss before letting him go and making her way back to their small kitchen.

When he answered the door, Swift was surprised to see what Rampage held. “Plants?”

Rampage shrugged and sheepishly explained, “Mayhem said I shouldn’t show up empty-handed to ahome cookeddinner.”

“So you brought plants?”

“She’s from a farm, right?” He shrugged again. “I thought she might like something that reminded her of home.”

Irritated that Rampage had thought of something he hadn’t, Swift nevertheless stepped aside and waved his friend inside. “I’m sure she’ll love them.”

“What will I love?” Alys asked, joining them in the entryway. “Oh! Are those for me?” She beamed at Rampage. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.” He handed over the two small plants, one a green leafy thing with short vines and the other a bright violet flower on a woody stem. “They have a code on those cards that you can scan with your tablet for information and instructions on their care.”

“It’s a chicken!” Alys laughed and lifted the green leafy plant for Swift to inspect. “The pot is a chicken!”

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