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return trip, she’d make sure he deleted Aeron’s and her name from Galaxy Brides’ database.
    The crew was doing a bio scan to make sure none of the brides had tried to get out of their duty by hiding on the ship. Even if she could have, Riona hadn’t wanted to stay onboard. There was too much fun to be had on a new planet. Besides, the idea of Aeron walking between two rows of sexy barbarian men intent on marriage was going to be something worth seeing. Just the idea made Riona laugh.
    To blend in with the other women while waiting for her private exit, Riona had to dress like potential brides in the fine gauze and silk of the traditional Qurilixian gown. The slinky material stirred against her body when she moved, hugging her hips as the skirt flowed around her legs in thin strips. The shoes were soft, almost too soft for walking on the unpaved ground. Running on the local terrain would be hard, not that she had any intention of making a go for the nearby forest. Luckily, it was warm, because the gown’s bodice had been cut low to make the most of her breasts without showing her nipples. Normally, she wasn’t one for wearing dresses, but the gown didn’t bother her. Riona liked disguises.
    What she didn ’t like very much was the way arm straps stretched across her back like long cuffs to keep her wrists tied together. The straps were secured by the way they wound up her forearms and fastened over her elbows. She had enough freedom of movement to reach in front of her, but she couldn’t lift her arms over her head and if she tried to strike out, the silken chains would stop her.
    Dusk claimed the small planet , turning the earth into a dark and brilliant red. Apparently, this world only had one night of darkness a year, which made the Breeding Festival special. But she’d heard of stranger customs than only allowing marriages to happen in the dark by the light of a glowing crystal.
    Riona found it easy to get her bearings as the ship faced a valley filled with pyramid-shaped tents decorated with waving banners. A single large moon shone overhead. Bonfires cast light over the valley, seeming to set it on fire. She loved the earthy primitiveness of it.
    Grinning mischievously to no one in particular as she was alone, Riona began to dance to the distant music, hidden by the shadows of the ship. Tonight was going to be so much fun.
     
    * * *
     
    “Tonight is a serious matter,” Elder Bochman stated. It was his usual speech, one Mirek had had the unhappy pleasure of memorizing. “For those of you fortunate enough to be blessed with a bride, it will be one of the hardest nights of your life.”
    At the reference to hard , a few of the men chuckled. Bochman arched a brow until they quieted their juvenile reaction.
    “ We are the Draig,” Bochman said. He let his eyes shift with the gold of his dragon form to give the statement more meaning. “We are strong. We are brave. We act on instinct. Put a battle before us, and we will fight it. Put a traitorous Var in front of us, and we will kill him like the stinking cat shifter he is. No one doubts your bravery, my fellow Draig, but tonight you will be tested beyond all limits. You must fight your instincts, fight your innermost desires and abstain from claiming the one thing you will want more than any other thing in your life.”
    The potential grooms gave a gruff cheer. Mirek lowered his eyes to the ground. Absently, he touched the sacred crystal hanging around his neck. On the day he was born, his father had journeyed to Crystal Lake, dove beneath the waves and pulled the stone he now wore from the lakebed. Mirek, like all Draig, had worn the crystal ever since. But it wasn’t just a custom. It was how they received the will of the gods. When he saw his bride, the crystal would glow, signifying his destiny.
    The men cheered louder, drawing Mirek’s eyes back up. He knew they were excited, but he could hardly be expected to cheer for a night that would undoubtedly