Read Online One Thousand Brides by Solange Ayre - Free Book Online Page A

looking for a wife—or a business partner?”
    “Those traits form a sound basis for a good marriage,” Gary answered earnestly. One of his faults, Jan had always thought, was that he lacked a sense of humor. “The other thing is, I don’t want children. I figure at your age, you don’t either.”
    She’d been about to protest, to say that she was only thirty-nine, when he took a small blue box out of his pocket. “Janis, will you marry me?”
    This was what she’d waited for all her life, ever since she’d been a little girl playing “getting married” with one of her mother’s lace curtains for a veil. “Yes,” she breathed, leaning forward to see the small diamond. He gave her a quick peck on the mouth as the past faded…
    “Did it work?” Delos asked her. His eyes were concerned as he looked into her face.
    “Maybe too well.”
    He took her hand. His warm grip was comforting. “Not all memories are good ones.”
    Strange, she hadn’t realized how very unromantic Gary’s proposal had been until she relived it. The thought seemed to leave a bad taste in her mouth. “What memory did you experience?”
    “A conversation with my wife.” A crease appeared on his brow.
    “Do you miss her?” Jan tried but couldn’t keep the jealousy out of her voice.
    “I did.” He sighed. “It’s been a long two years. We never dreamed we’d be trapped in this metal shell without our mates.” He fell silent as they went down a long corridor.
    “Where are we going now?” Jan asked after they’d walked for awhile without speaking.
    “I want to show you the maze room,” he said.
    A hologram outside the door of the maze room showed the day’s prize, a gold ankle bracelet. “We’ll try this together,” Delos said. “I’d like you to wear that.” He rubbed his cheek against hers.
    “You may as well forget it right now. I’m terrible at games.”
    “We’ll see.” The door closed behind them. “Wait for a moment until our eyes adjust.”
    She almost asked him tartly how they were expected to see in the dark. To her surprise, she began to make out dim shapes in the curtain of black that draped the room.
    “The prize is somewhere in the center of the room but we can’t go there directly,” he explained. “If we choose the wrong path, we’ll be dumped out of the maze.”
    He walked forward, leading her by the hand. Suddenly the ground slid beneath her feet. Jan almost fell but Delos steadied her. “Careful! We’ll go slowly.”
    She breathed a sigh of relief when he put his arm around her waist, guiding her over the shifting ground.
    “Stop!” he warned her. She looked down. The ground had ended, leaving them on the edge of a void.
    “What now?” she asked.
    “We wait.”
    She heard a soft sound as something approached them. A hovering platform drew near then stopped while it was five feet away.
    “Now we’re going to jump,” he said.
    “You’re kidding, right?”
    “You can do it. You’re Terilian now.”
    She knew she still looked doubtful. He grinned. “I should know—I’m your doctor. I’ll count to four and we’ll leap.”
    He counted down and they jumped. To Jan’s surprise, her legs were stronger than they’d ever been. The short leap was effortless. She landed on the platform with a foot to spare.
    She clutched Delos’ waist as the platform rose through the air. It took them to a dark area where they had to proceed single file.
    “I’m not sure I like this,” she said, stepping back to let him lead the way.
    “Really? Terilians often seek out small, confined spaces.” He walked forward with confidence. “They make us feel safe.”
    She followed him, staying close enough to touch him.
    They came to a place where three corridors branched off in front of them. He checked out each entrance then said, “This way,” heading to the right.
    To her relief, the area soon widened and they were able to walk side-by-side again. She felt much more secure with his arm around