Grace Goodwin - The Colony Boxed Set 1

“Good luck, Rachel. I’ll keep the warden updated on this end,” the lawyer said. “But until she files her official report, this conversation never happened.”

“Agreed.” Warden Egara went to a table and picked up a tablet, slid her fingers over the screen, studied it. “Rachel Pierce, per Coalition protocol, I must ask you several questions. You have agreed to the match made by the Interstellar Brides Program testing that was saved to your profile. Is this correct?”

Rachel looked to Maxim, then me, lifting her chin in a gesture of resolve. “Yes, that is correct.”

“Are you now legally married?”

“No.”

“Do you have any offspring?”

“No.”

“Very good. Normally, you would be processed for your matching planet and then transported, however we are dealing with rather unusual circumstances. Your mate and his second are here. Therefore, I now strip you of your Earth citizenship. You are now an official citizen of Prillon Prime and their secondary planet, The Colony. You are now officially a Prillon bride.”

A little sound escaped Rachel’s throat, but she said nothing. Her new reality was upon her. She was officially—legally—ours.

“Thank you, Warden,” Maxim said. “Rachel, I give you my word, we will never harm you. You have nothing to fear from myself or from Ryston. It is our job to protect you, cherish you. Claim you.”

I watched her swallow, then nod, her eyes quite wide.

“You belong to me, to Ryston—” no one in the room could miss the way she was bothered by the word belong, her eyes narrowing to thin slits as she crossed her arms beneath her breasts, “—and we must ensure your safety. You can’t transport to The Colony without this.”

He held up the collar, the one that would one day match the one about my neck, and the one about Maxim’s. It was a trinity collar and the circle would only be complete when she had hers about her neck.

She looked at it oddly. “What…what is it for?”

“This will mark you as a Prillon bride and alert all others that you have been claimed.” His voice was a deep growl, but she didn’t appear to be intimidated. Thank the gods. When Maxim used his commander voice, grown fucking men pissed themselves.

She looked at Warden Egara. “Like a wedding ring?”

The warden lifted a brow and gave a slight nod. “Kind of. As a visible sign that you have mates, yes. But it’s a bit more than that.”

“I don’t understand.” Rachel looked from Maxim’s neck to mine. Her gaze lingered as I answered her question.

“Without the collar, we would be challenged for you. There are very few women on The Colony. We are banished warriors, forgotten. You are the first Interstellar Bride sent to us. Without the collar around your neck, every warrior who sees you will try to claim you for his own.”

“No.” Her denial was instant and vehement.

“I share your sentiment, mate.” Maxim stepped closer and watched as her pulse raced. “You are mine. I will destroy any other who tries to take you from me.”

“I’ll help,” I added, and Rachel’s gaze darted between us, but it was not fear that clouded her vision now, but desire.

Her hand circled her throat in a sweet display of nerves and I wanted to secure her hands behind her back and kiss her, right there. But it was Maxim she addressed. “Caveman much?”

Warden Egara laughed. I did not know what my mate’s question meant, but was saved trying to answer by the warden. “They are intense, Rachel. But I promise you, they’ll treat you like a goddess. It’s in their DNA.” The warden indicated the collar with a lift of her chin. “The collar will connect you to your mates in a way that’s hard to explain. They will be able to sense your emotions, and you will know what they’re feeling when you are near one another.”

Maxim held the collar up and his jaw clenched when her small hand brushed his skin, taking it from his much larger palm. “Fascinating. How does it work?” Her gaze lifted to mine and I was relieved to see curiosity there, not fear.

“I’m no scientist, mate. I do not know.”

Maxim agreed. “Nor I. I was a commander. Now I am governor of Base 3. But, once we arrive, you can ask the doctor anything you’d like. I will bash in his skull if he does not give you satisfactory answers.”

“You guys are too much.” Her fingers stroked the smooth black strip. Embedded within were microscopic circuits that would link her to us forever. And once we officially claimed her, the collar would match Maxim’s and mine, the deep fiery copper would look magnificent against her creamy flesh.

She sighed and lifted her head. “I really have to wear this to go?”

She was questioning everything, and I couldn’t blame her, but I was becoming impatient. I wanted her on The Colony where no one could take her from us, where we could protect her. Where she couldn’t run.

Maxim offered her a rare smile. “You do not know much of The Colony. You must trust us. You are the only thing that matters to us now. We will never allow any harm to come to you.”

She shook her head. “Big words, warrior.” She licked her lips, but returned her attention to the collar. “Very big words.” Her doubt was evident, but there was no help for it. She’d been betrayed by her own people. Earning her trust would take time. Time we would have, once we got her off this fucking planet.

“We are a planet of exiles, banished when we no longer fit into life on our home world. Like you, we were trapped against our will, for reasons out of our control. We understand your frustration, and your fear.” Maxim stepped forward and lifted his hand to her cheek. She didn’t lean into his touch, but she didn’t pull away either. It was a start.

“Okay,” she said, her shoulders relaxing. “Let’s do this.”

I didn’t breathe as I waited. Waited. She lifted the collar and put it about her neck. She lifted her hair and placed the ends near one another. I knew the moment they sealed automatically, seamlessly. All at once, I felt the mating bond.

I felt her.

Rachel

I reached for the thin strip of black material. The ribbon looked as innocuous as a piece of silk I might have tied in my hair as a little girl, but I felt like a dog putting on a collar as I lifted it to my neck. I would have refused had my mates not already each been wearing one as well.

When in Rome…

The collars were no more than an inch thick and somehow emphasized the thick, muscled bands of my mates’ necks. Mine was black, but my mates’ collars were a deep, beautiful copper color. Rather than make them look feminine or weak, the copper bands made them look like savage warriors, stronger. Stranger. Exotic and sexy and impossible to take in all at once.

And that pussy-clenching reaction happened before I could even begin to process their odd skin coloring and eyes.

The big one, Maxim, my matched mate, was nearly seven feet tall. He wore a dark, mottled uniform of some kind that looked like camouflage for hiding in the shadows, or outer space. His features, while mostly human, were angled a little too sharply and his skin was a dark red brown, the rich hues of an African American, yet more copper toned, more caramel less mocha. It was an odd color that defied true description, but was stunning. Remarkable. I wanted to touch, to feel the color’s warmth. His eyes were dark, a rich brown that made me feel like I was drowning. I couldn’t think when I held his gaze. Hell, I couldn’t breathe and look into those eyes. And that scared the hell out of me.