Page 8 of His Brazen Bride

I grab her wrist. “What kind of feelings?”

She shakes her head, her yellow eyes darting about. “I don’t know. They are all mixed up inside me. But I can feel something.”

Despite my disbelief, I still know her “feelings” can create havoc among our people.

“Are you well enough to meet this Gwen?” I ask.

She nods. “I am. I’m very excited to meet a female of another species so similar to us.”

“She may be dangerous. Stay behind me when we go in.”

A smile spreads over her shimmering lips. “Yes, I heard what she did to you.”

That Ferg! “Who told you?”

“I’m not telling,” she laughs.

“Fine.” I sigh. “You’ve been warned.”

She holds onto my arm as I press the comm to enter the healing room.

3

GWEN

Iwake with a start and jump up, grabbing the wall next to me when my legs wobble.

I’m not in the medical room anymore.

And I’m alone. No sign of the octopus, Squidward, or—dammit—Sexy Copper Guy.

The dimly lit room is modern and clean, almost cozy. The blankets on the bed are soft, the fabric again unrecognizable.

I’m in a longer gown than before and some unobtrusive screens displaying data I can’t understand are above and near me. I do a cursory examination of my body for that chip I heard them say they put in me, but I don’t find anything out of the ordinary. In fact, I feel pretty darned good for being dragged from Earth against my will, then pinned underneath a condescending if hot copper alien. Those million pounds of him, all thick muscle and sinew…

Unff.

I blame the drugs they gave me for thinking such inappropriate things. I’ve never had such an intense reaction to a human man, let alone an alien one.

I glance across the room and see my bridesmaid’s dress hanging there, torn and dirty. Immediately my thoughts go back to that dressing room and the sleestak.

Why did they take us? Where are Lacey and Iris? Where, for that matter, are the sleestak? And who are these new beings?

I flop back down on the bed, my mind whirling.

I see my phone next to me and snatch it up. The screen is cracked, but it still comes alive in my hand. Yes! I unlock it and check for any messages—texts, calls, whatever.

But of course there’s no reception here. My battery’s at 20%, too. I open my photos and scroll through the last few from getting ready for the wedding. Lacey, Iris, and I, joking around and laughing.

Tears well up in my eyes. Will I ever see them again?

I stand and walk over to the full-length wall of windows. But they’re frosted, making me unable to see anything.

I reach out and touch the one in front of me, and the frost disappears before my eyes.

And my mouth drops open.

The building I’m in is on a hill or mountain and I can see for miles into the valley below. The sky is a soft violet ombre and four planets—or suns, or moons, or…I can’t tell exactly—are right there! In the sky! It’s as if I could reach out and touch the closest of them!

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