Page 2 of Braax's Bride

“Y-yes, I am.”

What kind of ceremony was she in for? She probably should have researched Hileth marriage customs before arriving on Olara 8, but it was too late now. Her skin tingled with anticipation, and with the warmth of Braax’s touch.

“Excellent.” The Hileth glanced at their clasped hands, then turned his attention to Braax. “We shall begin. Braax Naldat. Do you take this female to be your wife?”

“I do,” he answered, and Sofia almost laughed at the similarities between this and an Earth wedding.

Her new husband actually just said the wordsI do.

The green Hileth looked at the console in his hand, then back at her.

“Sofia Stone. Do you take this male to be your husband?”

It was all happening so fast, but she supposed she shouldn’t be surprised. Braax had signed up for a wife, not a girlfriend or fiancé, so the haste made sense. Still, she couldn’t stop her body from trembling, her heart thumping furiously in her chest.

“I do,” she answered, and she glanced at Braax, who was grinning with apparent delight.

“You are husband and wife,” the green Hileth said, and that was that.

He gave Braax a knowing smirk before escorting them back through the door, a final well wish shouted as he waved them off.

“Enjoy your human!”

The words sent a chill down her spine, battling the embers that continued to burn between her legs. He smiled a toothy grin down at her, his slit pupils dilating ever so slightly.

“Let us go home.”

Braax had been quite the gentleman, opening the door of the hovercar and helping Sofia inside, taking her suitcase and setting it in the trunk. He gave her a big smile when he settled on the driver’s side, his clawed hand reaching down and gripping her thigh as he took them into the air.

It would be impossible to deny the heat that spread from his grasp, a heat that went straight to her center, making her stomach flutter. She wished she could squeeze her thighs together, relieve some of the pressure that was making it difficult to breathe, but she tried to focus on what her new husband was telling her.

“My home is not far. We should get there before dark. It’s a bit outside of the city, but I prefer the quiet.”

She just nodded, having a difficult time forming words as he gave her leg a squeeze. Then he turned to her, those bright eyes penetrating right into her soul, a smile on his face.

“Do you prefer the city? I am not sure what Earth is like… I have never visited.”

She cleared her throat.

“Oh, I have no preference, really. It’s insanely expensive to live anywhere other than the cities on Earth, so it’s all I know. But I like peace and quiet.”

Difficult to imagine when your whole life had the constant background hum of the masses, sirens, screams, honking hovercars. Never a moment of silence. She’d learned to tune it out, to play her holonovels on full blast in an attempt to drown out the noise when it became too much.

“Well, I hope you will like my home.”

Sofia looked out the window as Braax turned off the major thoroughfare, the city already fading behind them. They floated over enormous trees with pure white bark, buffeted only slightly by the breeze.

The dual suns were setting behind the distant mountains, a strange sight. She’d never actually seen a sunset—not unless you counted holovideos—and the view was overwhelming, a knot welling in her throat.

“I would be happy to visit Earth with you, if there is family you would like me to meet,” he said, his hand still conspicuously gripping her thigh.

She almost laughed, but realized he was being earnest.

“Oh, no. I have no interest in going back there. There’s really no one for you to meet.”

Her parents were long gone and she was an only child. Even the few people she had thought were her friends had been distant since the divorce. Apparently, they had actually beenGreyson’sfriends, not hers.

She turned to Braax and caught his gaze for a moment before his eyes focused forward again.

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