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Just as he straightened up again, he heard a door open near the back of the room. Looking around, he sucked in his breath.
Coming out of the back was the most beautiful human female he had ever seen. She had flushed cheeks, wide, pale green eyes, and dark brown hair that flowed around her shoulders in a long, silky waterfall. She was shaped like an over-full hourglass and had the figure of an Elite—a female the Goddess has blessed with extra full curves.
Though he had no reason to believe this was the mate he had come seeking, somehow Solon knew it was so. This was Abbey, the human female he’d been Dream-Sharing with for so long. The one he had come to Claim.
“Abbey,” he said, taking a step towards her.
“What…what do you want?” She was clutching something to her chest—cleaning implements, he saw. A broom and a long-handled dustpan—possibly to clean up the shattered glass on the floor.
“I am Commander Solon of the Monstrum Mother Ship,” he said, taking a step towards her. “I have come to Claim you as my mate and to take you back to the Mother Ship with me for our Claiming Period.”
“What? No!” she gasped, her face turning white and her eyes going wide. “I can’t…can’t possibly go with you!”
“Why not?” Solon asked, frowning. What was wrong with her? Why was she so upset?
“I…my…it’s almost Mother’s Day!” Abbey blurted. “I can’t leave my Aunt Rose all alone to run the shop on such a busy holiday!”
“Honey, it’s all right,” the older woman said, going to her and putting an arm around her shoulders. “I’ll manage. I can hire someone from one of the temp agencies.”
“No!” Abbey shook her head vehemently. “No, I’m not leaving you alone!”
Solon nodded, trying to be understanding. This wasn’t exactly the reception he’d been hoping for, but he knew many human females were reluctant to go with the Kindred or Monstrum warrior they had been Dream-Sharing with. And maybe Abbey hadn’t been dreaming of him, even though he had been dreaming of her. Dream-Sharing was different for every couple.
“Very well,” he said. “I can come back for you after this ‘Mother’s Day’ is over with.”
“No—you don’t understand!” She jutted her chin at him, her pale green eyes flashing. “I’m not going with you ever. You can’t make me—I applied for an exemption!”
Solon frowned.
“An exemption from the Bridal Draft is very difficult to get,” he told her—which he knew to be true. There was almost no way for a human female to get out of the draft. If there had been ways around it, many warriors would not have been able to Claim their brides—especially in the early days when the Monstrum had first come to Earth and the humans still feared them because they looked like beasts.
“Well, I’m not going!” Abbey insisted. “So you can turn back around and march right out of here! I’m not going anywhere with you!”
Solon’s frown deepened.
“You haven’t even gotten a chance to know me yet,” he said, trying to keep his voice even and reasonable. “I am not a cruel male. I won’t hurt or mistreat you in any way. I just want to spend time with you and get to know you.”
“Right—that’s what they all say!” she snapped at him. “’Oh, can’t we just be friends? I just want to get to know you.’ Well, I’m not interested.”
“Now, Abbey—maybe you should give him a chance,” the older woman began.
“No!” She shook her head, her long brown hair whipping around her shoulders with the frantic motion. “No, I’m not going anywhere alone with him, Aunt Rose. Look how big he is!”
“I cannot help my size,” Solon said. He was bewildered by her vehement dislike of him. She didn’t even know him! And it seemed she wasn’t even willing to give him a chance to get to know her.
“Just go!” She pointed in the direction of the door. “Leave and don’t come back! Forget about me!”
Solon frowned down at her.
“I will leave…for now,” he told her. “But I can’t promise not to come back. You are my bride—the fated mate I am supposed to Bond with and be with forever. I will come back for you, Abbey.”
He expected another angry come-back, but she said nothing. Just stood there clutching the cleaning implements to her chest, her eyes burning and her face pale.
With nothing else to say, Solon turned to go. He left her standing there silently with the other woman’s arm around her shoulders.
His heart was burning in his chest. He didn’t know what was wrong with her, but he couldn’t forget her as she had asked. It wasn’t as simple as that—she was the one female in all the universe that the Goddess had chosen especially for him. He could no more leave her alone than he could stop breathing.
But he would give her a little time, he told himself. A little while to get used to the idea of going with him. And the next time he came, he would have the Draft Agents with him to make things more official. That way she couldn’t refuse him.
