Rule Book Two (EBOOK)

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Evelyn

“Congratulations, we’ve found you a mate.”

I stared at the blonde woman sitting behind the desk. “You’re kidding.”

The woman laughed before leaning forward and tapping her pen against the shiny surface of her desk. “I assure you, Ms. Fisher, that I’m not. We have matched you with a Draax and you’ll be leaving for the Draax planet the day after tomorrow.”

“I didn’t expect it to be so quick,” I said. “I just had the genetic testing last week and only found out three days ago that I carried the gene for breeding with the Draax.”

The woman shrugged. “We pride ourselves here at the agency on our efficiency.” She hesitated, and this time tapped the end of her pencil against her teeth. “Honestly, we rarely have breeding compatible women who sign up for the lifetime program, so we tend to fast track their applications.”

I swallowed heavily as the woman said, “Mind you, most of the women we send to the Draax planet to breed never come back.”

She paused, realized how that sounded and said hurriedly, “Because they’re very happy with their new life and the Draax they are mated with. Not because they’re forced to stay.”

“I know,” I said. “I did some research before applying for the program.”

The woman gave me a fleeting look and I tried not to blush. The woman sitting across from me was middle-to-upper class and the shirt she wore probably cost more than my entire wardrobe. I pulled at my too-tight shirt. I was so poor I couldn’t even afford decent clothing for the breeding program interview. I’d had to borrow a top and skirt from my neighbour, Candy, and both items of clothing were too small.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you had a tablet. Most of the lowers don’t,” the woman said.

I squirmed in my seat. Like most middles and uppers, the woman didn’t have a clue about lowers. “I don’t. But the library has them.”

The woman gave me a blank look – I had an idea that she had never once set foot in a public library – before nodding. “Oh, right, of course. The library.”

She glanced at the tablet on the desk before me as a rush of uncustomary anger flooded through me. I tamped it down immediately. It wasn’t the woman’s fault that she was born into middle class. It wasn’t her fault that she didn’t know what it was like to be hungry or cold or on the verge of being kicked out of her home. It did no good to be angry with her just because she’d never laid awake at night in a closet of a bedroom, clutching a knife to her chest and hoping that her stepbrother and his friends didn’t get drunk enough to try and rape her.

My stomach clenched, and I took a shaky breath. The woman glanced up from the tablet and frowned. “Ms. Fisher, are you all right? You’re very pale.”

“I’m fine. What is the name of the Draax I’m, um, mated to?”

I supposed it was a little strange to be asking the name of the alien I was about to be mated to for the rest of my life. In the old fairy tales my mother read to me as a child, the girl married her Prince Charming. He was handsome and rich and madly in love with her. He certainly didn’t have green skin or a tail and was only interested in knocking her up with a baby. My stomach clenched again at the thought of having sex with an alien. What if he was rough with me?

My inner voice rushed to reassure me - he won’t be. Candy has nothing but good things to say about the Draax aliens she slept with, remember? Besides, it’s better than what will happen to you if you stay.

I shuddered all over and closed my eyes. My inner voice was right. In fact, I should be celebrating the fact that the agency had found a match for me so quickly, not be worrying about how rough alien sex would be. Even if the alien didn’t take his time or didn’t care about my pleasure, it would still be better than being married to that scumbag Troy. Just the thought of sleeping with Troy made me want to vomit.

I realized the woman from the agency was speaking and I said, “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I said, that I had even better news about who you were matched to for mating. You have been matched with a Draax named Quillan and he,” the woman gave me a look of breathless anticipation, “is the King of the Western Province of the planet Draax.”

“I – what?” I said faintly. Did the woman just say I was being mated to a king?

The woman nodded. “It’s true. You’re our number one match for him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. You’ve tested higher than any other human for breeding compatibility. You’re a - what we like to call in the business - guaranteed breeder. It’s highly likely that you’ll become pregnant on the first try.”

The woman smiled at me. “The king is apparently very anxious for an heir.”

“Right, of course,” I said. “Um, he knows that I’m a lower class, right?”

“We have passed on all of your information but, frankly, the Draax don’t care what class you are. They just want you healthy and able to breed. Now, your payment of gallberry juice is waiting for you in the front room.”

The woman pushed a few buttons on her tablet and then frowned. “This can’t be right. It says you’re to receive only a gallon of juice for a lifetime of service. Oh, for the love of God, the juice guys can’t get anything right. I just knew they would screw this up some -”

“It’s right. I only need a gallon.”

The woman gave me a suddenly anxious look before speaking very slowly and clearly. “Ms. Fisher, you understand that you have signed up for the lifetime program, correct?”

“Yes.”

“You will never be able to return to earth unless your mate allows it. You will become the Queen of the Western Province and will most likely bear the king more than one child.”

“I get it,” I said.

“But you only asked for one gallon of juice.”

“That’s all I need.”

The woman hesitated. “It’s for the rest of your life, Ms. Fisher.”

“I’m aware.”

“Very well. You are to be at the docking bay at eight-thirty Tuesday morning. We’ll have someone from the agency pick you up at your apartment at eight to escort you to the loading dock. Please be ready to go by eight. The pilots don’t like it when the cargo is late.”

“I won’t be late,” I said.

The woman pushed the tablet toward me. “Your signature is required on the bottom line. Did you read over the terms of the contract like I asked?”

“Yes, I read it after I tested positive for breeding.”

“Good. By signing, you agree to the terms of the contract. If you break them, it is considered a first-class felony and you’ll be sentenced to a minimum of twenty-five years in prison. Is that perfectly clear?”

“Yes.”

“You will go to prison, Evelyn,” the woman said. “There is no getting out of it once you sign the contract. Be very certain you wish to do this.”

“I’m certain.” I signed across the line with the tip of my finger and only felt a moment of panic before it subsided. I sat back in my seat as a feeling of euphoria washed over me. I was free of him. By this time next week, I would be on a new planet and my stepbrother would never be able to hurt me again.

You still need to get to the docking bay without him noticing. You’re not free yet and he’s dangerous and unpredictable. Don’t ever forget that, my inner voice cautioned.

“A copy of the contract will be sent to the email address you provided. Unless you have more questions, we’re finished here,” the woman said.

She stood and smoothed down her skirt as I stumbled to my feet. I hesitated and then held out my hand. The woman glanced at it before giving it a brief shake. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Fisher. Enjoy your new life. Don’t forget to pick up your juice at the front desk.”

“Yeah, I won’t forget.” Did the woman think I was that stupid? I could hear the disdain in my voice and I automatically cringed. At home, that tone would get me a punch to the face if I were lucky, or a kick to the kidneys if I wasn’t.

The woman gave me a strange look before pointing to the door. “The reception is to the right. Good bye, Ms. Fisher.”

“Good bye.” I hurried out of the woman’s office and down the hallway. At the front desk, I picked up the gallberry juice and tucked it into the backpack I had brought for that very purpose. I couldn’t very well walk through my neighbourhood carrying a gallon of gallberry juice. My throat would be slit in the first two minutes.
I rode the elevator down to the front lobby and walked outside. I breathed in the warm air and the smell of the flowers that were planted in front of the office building before slinging the pack over my back and tightening the straps. An airtrain roared by overhead, blotting out the sun for a moment and sending a gust of warm air over me. I studied its silver underbelly as it flew by, wondering for a moment what it would be like to travel in the air like that.

I would find out in two days.

A little sprinkle of excitement bloomed in my belly. In two days, I would be flying in a spaceship to another planet and my life on earth would be a distant memory. I took another deep breath and started the long walk toward home.