The next day, Oro showed her around the rest of the apartment. There was a closet full of clothes. All of the latest fashions in her size were expertly arranged in the walk-in closet off the bedroom. The big en suite bathroom had a standup tile shower and a deep jetted bathtub. She thought about all the fun that they could have in there and couldn’t wait to christen them with their lovemaking.
Later, he took her down to what he called the flight gymnasium for a round of draconian basketball.
“What exactly is Draconian basketball?” she asked as they walked into the massive gymnasium. It was like several football fields spread out and stacked on top of each other. The domed glass ceiling looked out onto space above. There were other Draconians in their uniforms, dribbling basketballs. Some dragons were in flight overhead.
“You’ll see,” he said with a smile. “Why don’t you go sit on the bleachers with the other brides? I know they are eager to meet you. You can watch me win the game.”
He gave her a kiss on the cheek and smiled as he backed away. He then turned to join his comrades on the court. She shook her head and smiled. It was all kind of weird and wonderful at the same time. She approached the bleachers, where dozens of women in various stages of pregnancy were sitting and cheering for their men on the court. She sat down in the front row beside a few friendly looking girls about her age and gave them a slightly guarded smile.
One of the girls who looked part black and part Hispanic, rubbed her swollen belly and smiled at Tabby. The girl sitting beside her had mocha-colored skin and straight black hair. They made room for Tabby on the bleachers.
“You’re the new girl, aren’t you?” the first girl asked. “I’m Lexi Garcia and this is my friend, Loretta Franklin.”
“Tabby Wilson,” she said, shaking both the girls’ hands in turn as she sat down.
“You were mated with Oro Nix, weren’t you?” Lexi asked.
“Yes, I was,” she said wistfully. Being mated to Oro was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Tabby might have entered the lottery to get away from Earth, but she had found so much more.
“My mate is Commander Or,” Lexi said, pointing at the man Tabby had met in the docking bay the day before.
“You’re mated to the commander of the entire armada?” Tabby asked, impressed.
“My mate is General Shin, arguably the hottest, most bad ass warrior in the armada,” Loretta said.
“I heard Oro is pretty bad ass himself,” Lexi said.
“From what I understand, Oro is a stealth fighter,” Loretta said.
“Is it true that you helped him on his mission?” Lexi asked.
“I did. I’ve been involved with techno-drug pushers for a long time. It was the reason I joined the lottery in the first place. I just wanted to get away from that life.”
“You joined on your own?” Lexi asked.
“I did. Seemed like a pretty good deal. I got much more than I bargained for.”
Both of the other girls giggled.
“Being the fated mate of a Draconian male is out of this world,” Loretta said, ironically.
“It’s cool that you helped him with his mission. Most of us girls want to help make Earth a better place,” Lexi said. “We found a cure for cancer in the chemistry lab aboard the armada. I was one of the scientists involved in the discovery.”
“That’s awesome,” Tabby said. She couldn’t believe that she was sitting with somebody so smart.
“That’s nothing,” Lexi said. “Loretta here is helping buy out every corporation in the entire world.”
“What?” Tabby asked. “How is that even possible?”
“The Draconians are worth like a hundred trillion dollars,” Loretta said, laughing. “I have an MBA in finance so they gave me the job. If we own all the resources, then we get to decide what happens with them. The Draconians have decided to take it out of the humans’ hands, and we women are helping them. You might’ve put yourself in harm’s way, but you aren’t the only one who has had the desire to help. You’re in good company.”
“I had no idea. I was just going on instinct. I knew a guy who knew the guy that Oro was trying to take out, and I knew I could get close enough to let him know when he was alone.”
“From what I hear, you did a really good job,” Lexi said. “Even if my mate was a little testy about it. The overall mission here is to mate with human women. They need to revitalize their DNA, otherwise the race will die out. Each of us is extremely valuable to the Draconians as a whole. Our children will ensure the continuation of their species.”
“I know. I just wasn’t thinking about it at the time,” Tabby said. “I don’t think they’re going to let me do that kind of thing again. Although, Oro did mention me continuing to help take out the techno-drug cartels. I’m more than happy to help. The techno-drugs ruined my neighborhood. They took both my parents. They ruined my life, and the lives of so many other people I’ve known. To be honest, I joined the lottery because I just wanted to get the hell away from there. But when I realized I could do something about it, that’s when it became clear to me that I wanted to help more than anything else.”
“I’m sure your mate can find a job for you to use your valuable skills,” Loretta said.
“Like being in charge of a hundred trillion dollars,” Lexi said, laughing at Loretta.
“I never expected to be in charge of a hundred trillion dollars,” Loretta said, giggling.
Everyone quieted down as the game began. Tabby watched as Oro and the other men played the Draconian version of basketball. It was similar to human basketball in that there was dribbling and shooting, but that’s where the similarity ended. The men would jump in and out of dragon form, fly around the stadium, shift back, and dunk the ball. The NBA had never seen anything like this before.
The girls sat on the bleachers cheering for their guys as the game continued. Tabby saw Oro make some amazing stealthy moves with his quick, agile abilities. He could stay clear of any of the other players. They couldn’t even touch him.
Oro, Nash, and Mylash were all on the same team. Those three men together completely dominated the other team. When they had won, the guys came over to the bleachers and smiled at their ladies individually and altogether.
Lexi and Loretta began giggling and chatting with Nash and Mylash. Tabby felt so at home with everyone and so happy to be there that she threw her arms around Oro and hugged him tightly, even though he was covered in sweat.
“Why don’t we go down to the shopping district while these guys go wash off?” Lexi offered. “I’m not going get as many chances to go shopping in about a month when the baby comes. I’ll have to take at least a few weeks off.”
“We’ll come to visit you,” Loretta said. “Don’t worry about that.”
Oro gave Tabby a kiss on the cheek and all three girls walked out together. They took an elevator up to the top floor of the command ship.
The doors opened out onto what could only be described as a cute little shopping district. It looked like it belonged in some trendy tourist city. All kinds of shops and restaurants lined the street. There were even trees and hanging baskets of flowers. The dome overhead showed space, but the lights made it seem like the sun was shining brightly on the sidewalk.
Lexi and Loretta showed Tabby to all of their favorite shops. They tried on clothes and picked out handbags. When they were done shopping, they made their way to the other brides’ favorite café. They sat on the sidewalk patio, listening to the sound of birds chirping. It must’ve been a recording, because Tabby couldn’t imagine there were actual birds on the spaceship.
“How do you like our shopping district?” Loretta asked.
“This is exactly what I came here for,” Tabby said. A Draconian waiter brought them all cheesecake and lattes, and the girls ate their desserts while sipping their coffee.
“Life here is better than either of us expected,” Lexi said.
“Lexi didn’t want to be Commander Or’s mate,” Loretta teased.
“You weren’t any more thrilled about being mated to Mylash at first either, Loretta,” Lexi teased back.
“What changed your mind?” Tabby asked.
“The guy,” Lexi and Loretta said at the same time. They both looked at each other and laughed.
“I changed my mind, too,” Tabby said.
“We thought you chose to join the lottery,” Lexi said.
“I did. But I didn’t do it because I wanted to fall in love. I did it because I wanted to get off of Earth. It totally sucks down there.”
“What happened to change your mind?” Loretta asked.
“I don’t know what it was exactly. But while Oro and I were getting to know each other, and he was getting me ready to be his mate, something happened. Something magical. You know how the guys say that they have fated mates, and they can tell who they are? It was almost like I started to feel the same way he did. I don’t have a dragon roaring inside my head, but the more time I spent with him, the more connected I felt to him. And let’s face it, these Draconian men leave human men in the dust.”
Lexi and Loretta looked at each other. “Mm hmm,” they both said in agreement, nodding their heads.
“Well, I’ve had a long day. I already spent several hours at the lab. It’s time for me to go home and rest. Nash doesn’t like it if I exert myself too much at this stage in my pregnancy.”
“I’ll walk you back down to your apartment,” Loretta said to Tabby. “Help you find the way.”
The girls all left together.
“Had a great time today. I’m so glad you guys are so nice,” Tabby said to Loretta outside Tabby’s door. Loretta opened her arms and gave Tabby a big, warm hug. Loretta had the southern charm to match her southern accent. She might be a whiz with math and money, but she was also a really sweet girl.
“I did, too. Let’s do this again soon, maybe tomorrow,” Loretta said before saying goodbye and turning away down the corridor.
Tabby went into her apartment and sat in the living room, facing the big wall that looked out onto space. Her life was more complete than she ever expected it to be. It was strange and wonderful and exhilarating.
Oro stepped out of the bedroom, naked and with wet hair. She smiled at him, slightly embarrassed to see him that way. The Draconians didn’t seem to mind their nakedness at all. They had played the entire game of Draconian basketball in the buff.
He flicked the spot at the base of his neck and his uniform reappeared. She was glad that he covered himself, because she didn’t know what she would do if she had to look at him like that. His hard, chiseled muscles and thick, long shaft made her mouth water. After last night, she was still a little sore and wasn’t sure if she was ready for another round quite yet.
“I’m glad you’re back. I have something I want to talk to you about,” Oro said, sitting beside her on the couch.
“What is it?” she said, her curiosity piqued.
“You did such a fantastic job helping me with my mission, the commander and general have helped me come up with an idea of how we can utilize your expertise.”
“I wouldn’t call hanging out around gangsters expertise.” Lexi and Loretta were both experts. Lexi was a chemist and Loretta was a financial whiz. Tabby was just a girl from the ghetto who spent too much time with the wrong people.
“It is expertise. We would like you to head up a task force in researching the dark internet where the techno-drug users congregate. We want to infiltrate that world so we can pinpoint the source of the corruption.”
“The only way to get in there is to take the drugs,” Tabby said, shocked and appalled that he would suggest such a thing.
“We have a way of allowing you into the system without using the drugs. It’s completely harmless. We would never suggest anything that would hurt you.”
“Oh, okay,” she said.
“Since you understand and have experience with people like Leo Hendrix and Juan Norte, you will have more insight into their organization than anyone else. We have intel that can help you, but none of us have your experience.”
“So you want me to be like a virtual spy or something?” She liked the idea the more she thought about it. In fact, it was exactly the kind of thing that she wanted to do. “That sounds amazing.”
Tabby liked action. She wanted to be involved. She was at her best thinking on her feet and making quick decisions. Oro was offering her absolutely everything that her heart could desire. He’d given her a luxurious apartment, love, closeness, friends, safety, and now he was giving her the most kick ass job that she could imagine. She got to be a techno-spy. Awesome.
“I’m glad you agreed.” He brought her into his arms and she leaned against his chest. He explained to her more of the details of how her task force would work, and she listened to him speaking as they sat on the comfy couch and looked out into space. A few days before, Tabby never would have imagined that her life would be so complete and so full of love.
Stealing that motorcycle and joining the Draconian mating lottery had been the best decisions she’d ever made.