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“That’s something you’ll have to discuss with your mates,” he said. “Should you not be matched during the games, the Federal Agency for Foreign Relations will find you a permanent posting, and you’ll have a job for life.”
Evangeline sighed, then said, “But I won’t be able to go back home.”
“To Earth? No, of course not. We can’t have rejected mates telling secrets now, can we?”
Chapter3
Three hours later after having been marched through a communal shower and scrubbed to within an inch of her life, Evangeline found herself in a room with three other women wearing the same unflattering brown robe she had on. None of the women was her neighbor in the infirmary. None of them felt particularly chatty, so after a polite exchange of names, they fell silent. They didn’t wait long before Ambassador Conquillen and four effeminate men joined them. Two were dressed in drag.
“Ladies, you may not remember me. I’m Ambassador Faye Conquillen. The gentlemen with me are Paul, Henri, Ray, and Phil.”
“That’sRaquel,” the one identified as Ray corrected in a falsetto.
“Raquel,” the ambassador repeated with a long-suffering expression. “These people—” Raquel sniffed haughtily “—will guide you through the bride games.” She glanced around at the four women who all looked wan. “I should explain.”
“Please do,” Evangeline muttered under her breath.
The ambassador sent her an annoyed glance. She cleared her throat and continued speaking. “As you may have already learned, you are now permanently relocated to the planet of Ahn’hudin. The native populace call themselves the Ahn’hudi. Courtesy of Ahn’hudin’s Kaanite allies, you have each been fitted with a universal translator to facilitate communication with the native intelligent species. The translator only applies to the spoken word; you’ll each need to learn the native script.”
The four brides exchanged uneasy looks. Evangeline touched her fingertips to the sore spot behind her right ear and found stitches where a small incision had been made.
“As employees of the Federal Agency for Foreign Relations, we now own you. To comply with our trade agreement with Ahn’hudin, each of you will be matched to eligible Ahn’hudi males. You will have some discretion as to preference during the courtship period which we call the bride games. The first event is this evening. There were supposed to be five of you, but the fifth one, Susan, passed away a couple of hours ago. Unfortunately, we cannot predict how wormhole travel will affect a human until he or she is transported.” She focused her hard eyes on Evangeline. “You, miss, are the last to arrive. Since we’re running a bit behind, I’m afraid you won’t have the opportunity of a few days to acclimate and receive the appropriate inoculations like the other ladies did.”
The four brides exchanged gazes, three of them with varying degrees of sympathy toward Evangeline. She gnawed on her bottom lip.
The ambassador pointed to the statuesque Black woman standing to Evangeline’s right and said, “Henri, you take care of Louella.” She pointed to the tall, athletic blonde. “Raquel, Elodie’s in your charge.”
Raquel smiled and squealed with excitement as he minced across the floor and circled Elodie. “Oh, you and me, girl! We’re gonna get along like a house on fire!”
Elodie rolled her eyes and shrugged her broad shoulders.
Ambassador Conquillen turned to the other man in drag and pointed toward a dusky, curvaceous beauty. “Paul, you get Marisol.” Finally, she pointed toward the ginger-haired woman in the group. “Phil, you take Evangeline.”
Phil approached Evangeline and smiled. “Hi. My pronouns are they and their, and I’ll be in charge of your makeup, wardrobe, and diet throughout the games.”
Evangeline gave him a polite smile and refrained from pointing out that he referred to himself in the plural. She needed an ally, so antagonizing him from the get-go with a snarky reference to his gender identity wasn’t at all wise. Instead, she held out her hand to shake and muttered an insincere, “Pleased to meet you.” She followed that with, “How long do the games last?”
“Twenty-one galactic standard days, about twenty-six and a half hours each day,” he answered, giving her a frame of reference. “We try to keep things here on a familiar schedule so it’s less disorienting for the brides. During those three weeks, you’ll get an intense course of study on Ahn'hudi culture. Lucky for us, Ahn'hudin has a global culture, so it’s not like you have to learn multiple cultures for the same planet. Ahn'hudin’s quite advanced compared to Earth.”
Evangeline made a noncommittal noise then said, “If you’re my … er … chaperone, then why not pair me with another woman?”
“Oh, we’d never allow a failed bride to chaperone a new bride,” he replied and patted her hand. “I understand it’s a little odd to have a biological male oversee every aspect of your life, but just think of me as one of the girls.”
Evangeline glanced at his beard and shook her head. “I’m not sure I can do that.”
He grinned, stroking his beard. “The facial hair keeps ’em guessing. Really, though, I don’t exactly identify as a female. I’m gay, batting for the home team, you know.”
Evangeline frowned. “And because you’re gay you’re somehow an expert on hair and makeup?”
He grinned. “I know what men like.” He took her hand and examined it. “First thing is a manicure and pedicure. Those cuticles are a mess.”
Ambassador Conquillen’s voice cut through the chatter of introductions. “Time’s wasting! Ladies, your chaperones will help you get ready for your first event. After tonight’s event concludes, your chaperone will debrief you and escort you to your quarters where you will remain until morning. Alarms will sound in your rooms when it’s time to rise. Don’t dawdle! I run a tight ship.”
“What is the first game?” Marisol inquired, her dark eyes flashing with anger.
The ambassador looked at her as though considering whether to answer. In response she said, “Each bride will be introduced to all suitors. You have each been genetically matched to twelve eligible Ahn'hudi males. The first game will be to identify which males best suit you.”
“And if we can’t identify them?” Elodie challenged.
