Free Toss of a Coin [Other World 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Dakota Dawn

of the household devices. She could put dirty clothes in one door of the machine and come back later, open a larger door and pull out fresh folded and hung clothes.
    Their cooking device was also a miracle. It was kept well stocked and all she had to do was tell it what she wanted and it mixed it and made it for her. No more burned food for her.
    The entertainment center was still a bit of a mystery. She’d get the hang of it soon enough, though. Their computers were faster than anything she’d ever seen. They had a lot of information on the planet. She’d seen too much information to remember it all. At least she could look it up at any time.
    Today she was going to see Alicka. The chiming of her door drew her attention. Zallion, one of Luken’s personal guards, was now assigned to her anytime she needed to go somewhere or for safety’s sake. He was a mature male who barely smiled or spoke. He wasn’t mean, he was just very serious.
    The guard nodded his head toward her. “You ready to leave, princess?”
    “Yes, thank you, Zallion.” She grinned as he looked around for danger while he guided her to the stone path that led to the palace. It was a beautiful day. Clear and sunny. It rained at least once every other night. Luken had told her it never rained during the day. What an awesome place. The regular night rains added greatly to the lushness of the planet.
    In a few minutes, they arrived at the palace. He led her to a courtyard near the back of stone building decorated sparingly with blue gemstones. A table was set with fruit and drinks. Alicka was looking out at the distance field of fruit trees. The mass of blue trees looked pretty.
    Alicka turned and smiled widely when she saw Keneese. “Hi, I’m Keneese. How have you been?”
    “I’m Alicka West. It’s so good to see a human face. I’m doing pretty good. How about you?” The brunette gestured toward the table. “Would you like a snack? The food is good here.”
    “Yes, the food is. I’m doing well. What’s been happening to you?” Keneese needed to know that Alicka was well. Otherwise, her training was going to kick in and she was going to fight for human rights.
    The brunette shrugged her shoulders. “Not a lot. I’ve learned some things about VisOrrenta, a few men have come by to meet me in hopes of being my…” Alicka pursed her lips. “Natural mate. That’s what they called it.” Her lips turned down. “I wasn’t overly popular on Earth, being short and plump. Looks like I’m not too popular here either. Not that I’m desperate for a man, mind you.”
    Keneese leaned forward and squeezed the nervous woman’s hand. “Nobody thinks you’re desperate. The men here seem very nice and gentlemanly.”
    “Yes, but I don’t understand why I’m here. I’m too short, plump and my clock is ticking loudly. I’ll be thirty in six months. If human males weren’t interested, what made Tor think a tall-ass VisOrrentian would want me? It’s one thing to be rejected on one planet, it’s downright painful to be rejected on two. If I ask to go home, do you think they’d take me? No, that may cause problems.”
    The sadness and desperation in Alicka’s voice was heartbreaking. “Give it time. They need us. If you don’t have a natural mate here, I’m sure one of them will take you as a chosen mate. You’re too pretty to go unnoticed. Keep in mind that they have to give your natural mate a chance to meet you before they can let a male chose you.”
    “What if I become a chosen mate to a man I’m not attracted too? To have children, they have sex, from what I understand. What if I don’t even like the man?” Alicka’s leg started shaking.
    Keneese looked around for Zallion. After catching his eye she waved him over. “Could you have Prince Kalen join us?”
    “I’ll call him right away, princess.” He walked a few feet away and made the call.
    “Help is on the way.” She diverted Alicka with talk of the plant-life on VisOrrenta